Chapter 311 - 309: Painting

Chapter 311: Chapter 309: Painting

The days passed one by one, and Zhou Lian’s cold finally cleared up completely. With that, Li Xiu and the two children should be heading home soon. Zhou Lian felt a little relieved that she’d recovered before the three of them returned. If they had come back while she was still sick... Just thinking about the consequences made Zhou Lian a little scared. Li Xiu was one thing, but those two little rascals would have nagged her to death!

’They’ve been completely spoiled by their father. I have no idea what the three of them are still doing back in his hometown. They should be back soon, right? It’s already been a week.’ Zhou Lian really missed her two children. Although she usually spent little time with them, she had never been apart from them for this long, except for that one trip south with Li Xiu. And... she also missed the man who doted on and indulged her!

The more she thought of them, the more intense her longing grew. Zhou Lian went to the study, and after a moment’s thought, she spread out a sheet of Xuan paper. Picturing the faces of her husband and sons, she began to carefully sketch them out.

"Xiao Lian, it’s time for lunch!" Sister Fang said, standing at the study door and knocking gently to get the attention of Zhou Lian, who was engrossed in her painting.

Pulled from her immersion, Zhou Lian snapped back to reality. She looked up at Sister Fang at the door, paused for a second, then smiled. "Okay, Sister Fang. I’m coming."

Seeing Zhou Lian lower her head again, Sister Fang smiled and shook her head. ’I’ll let her be,’ she thought. ’Thankfully, it’s not too late yet.’

After gently adding a few more strokes, Zhou Lian looked at the lifelike portraits of her husband and sons on the paper and smiled with satisfaction. ’Not bad,’ she thought. ’Much better than the last few times. It seems that if I want to paint well, I really need to practice more.’

When she arrived at the dining room, she saw her professor, Professor Fan, and Sister Fang waiting for her. Zhou Lian said apologetically, "Professor, Professor Fan, Sister Fang, I’m so sorry for making you all wait for me!"

"It’s nothing, it’s still early," Professor Fan said gently, looking at Zhou Lian with some concern. "What were you doing locked up in the study all morning? You can’t do this in the future. You need to rest, especially since you just recovered from your illness."

Nodding, Zhou Lian replied obediently, "Professor Fan, I understand. I’ll be more careful next time!"

"Let’s eat first. We can chat after the meal," Sister Fang said with a smile, seeing that the three of them were in good spirits.

After the meal, Zhou Lian strolled with her professor along the covered veranda. She asked softly, "Professor, you’ll be reaching retirement age next year. I expect the university will offer to re-employ you. What are your thoughts on that?"

"To be honest, I don’t really want to continue," Professor Xiao said, getting more worked up as she spoke. "Nuonuo starts middle school next year. She’s very gifted, so we can’t let her fall behind. If I retire, I can take over and teach her personally. You and Jin Chen are both young and busy, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving it to you. Besides, what on earth has that unreliable Jin Chen been teaching his own two children?! It’s one thing for him to spoil Zhou Lian, but to make two little kids, just a few years old, dote on their own mother and give in to her... What kind of nonsense is that!"

After a moment of thought, Zhou Lian said softly, "That’s a good idea too. Your retirement should be around National Day. You can move directly into the estate then. Professor Fan still has two more years before he retires, so during that time, he can commute to work with me. It’ll be very convenient!"

Professor Xiao glanced at Zhou Lian and sighed almost inaudibly. ’This student of mine... she has such a pure, sincere heart.’ She thought for a moment. ’Alright, we’ll move in then. My pension, plus my husband’s, will be enough. We won’t be a financial burden on her.’

"Alright. Once I retire, your Professor Fan and I will move into the estate. It’ll be more convenient for teaching the two children then," Professor Xiao said with a smile, gently patting Zhou Lian’s hand. How could she bear to reject her student’s heartfelt kindness?

Seeing Professor Xiao agree, Zhou Lian’s anxious heart finally settled. ’She and Li Xiu were determined to care for her professor and Professor Fan in their old age. She had just been afraid her professor would be too stubborn to accept. It seems her professor still adores her and just can’t say no to her!’

Glancing around subtly, Professor Xiao lowered her voice. "When dealing with people, it’s right to exchange sincerity for sincerity. But when you’re dealing with those young masters from prominent families, with the people in that circle, you can’t just hold back a little. It’s best to be three parts truth and seven parts falsehood. You and Jin Chen are both shrewd, but you’re too sentimental. In their eyes, money, power, and profit are all that matter. You need to be more on your guard!"

Stunned for a moment, Zhou Lian felt her professor’s words wash over her like a warm current in this world of ice and snow, soothing her from the outside in. ’This is so wonderful,’ she thought. ’How lucky am I to have received the sincere care of my professor and Professor Fan in this lifetime!’

"Don’t worry, Professor. Jin Chen and I don’t covet power or chase after wealth. We want nothing from them, so we can’t be hurt," Zhou Lian said, a small smile playing on her lips as she reassured Professor Xiao. "Besides, Jin Chen and I aren’t the types to suffer a loss in silence. After all these years, you should know us by now. We won’t bother anyone who doesn’t bother us. But if someone dares to cross us, we’ll pay them back a hundred times over!"

’In her last life, she had lived in frustration for the better part of it. And Li Xiu, it was no exaggeration to say he had lived a suppressed life almost from childhood. Having been blessed by the heavens with a chance to live again, she and Li Xiu had no intention of continuing to stifle themselves. As long as they had a clear conscience before themselves and the world, she and Li Xiu just wanted to live as they pleased—freely and without restraint.’

After talking with Professor Xiao for a while longer, Zhou Lian noticed the weather was turning. She walked her professor back to her room to rest, then returned to the study herself. She carefully examined the painting she had made that morning. Seeing that the ink was dry, she carefully put it away.

Cradling a cup in her hands, Zhou Lian leaned back on the sofa and thought about what her professor had said. An involuntary smile spread across her face. ’My professor, who never talks about politics, made an exception for me. Come to think of it, she’s made quite a few exceptions for me. It feels so wonderful. To be taught, cared for, and have exceptions made for me by my professor in this lifetime... I must be fortunate for three lifetimes over!’

’Getting sick this time was so frustrating. I was too hasty, and I misjudged the situation. This must have been a decision made by the Ping Family’s Eldest Young Master and the Eldest Young Madam. It’s not clear if Shengnan knew about it, but Ping’an definitely didn’t. He would never stoop to using such a clumsy tactic.’

Her fingers gently caressed the cup as an intimidating light shone in her beautiful phoenix eyes. She would never doubt Li Xiu’s judgment of character. Moreover, she also had a good read on Ping’an. Regardless of his disposition, given the current situation, Ping’an wouldn’t be stupid enough to sabotage himself. What’s more, while he might not have learned a full ten-tenths of what Li Xiu taught him, he had at least mastered seven or eight-tenths. Ping’an was not that foolish!

’As for the Eldest Young Madam, Li Xiu held her in fairly high regard. So what was her angle in this? Why would she watch this happen and not intervene? She should have understood the gravity of the situation, shouldn’t she?’

’And then there’s Ping Jing. The Eldest Young Master of the Ping Family, once so breathtakingly brilliant that his fame resounded through the Capital City. Even if he’s been decadent and depressed for over a decade, his intelligence should still be intact. It’s impossible that he’s become so mediocre, so desperate for quick gains, so short-sighted.’

’But it did happen. So what was the real reason behind it all?’