Chapter 54

Translator: Abo Dammen

While Chen Lu’s heart was wailing like ghosts crying and wolves howling, his body’s instincts moved faster than his brain’s complaints. 

Standing on the central model display platform, Chen Lu, with his professional streamer reflexes, swiftly made a heart gesture with his hands towards the creative arts teacher.

“Okay, teacher! No problem, teacher! I will definitely satisfy you, teacher! Love you~ Mua~”

A string of grateful phrases flew out of Chen Lu’s mouth without a single pause.

Looking at Chen Lu’s actions, expression, and words, the creative arts teacher, who had initially kept a stern face, ultimately failed to maintain it. He couldn’t help but laugh while also unable to resist rolling his eyes at Chen Lu. He waved his hand at Chen Lu as if shooing him away. “Alright, alright, all of you, hurry back to your seats.” 

Chen Lu very obediently hopped down from the platform and was back at his seat in no time, giving the teacher an ‘I’m super well-behaved’ look.

The creative arts teacher looked at this series of actions from Chen Lu that seemed particularly practiced, feeling both amused and exasperated. He said to Chen Lu, “Chen Lu, don’t think it’s too simple. For me to be satisfied, your work needs to surpass at least half the class, understand?!”

Chen Lu immediately responded loudly, “Yes! No problem! That requirement is super easy! Teacher, I’ll get first place for you to see!”

Whether it was the first place he was destined to get according to the plot, or the last place he deserved based on his actual painting skills, there was nothing wrong with his statement. 

Chen Lu’s resolute response was immediately met with a chorus of boos and jeers from the entire class.

Chen Lu just laughed it off, not the least bit embarrassed, shamelessly booing back at the whole class by himself, instantly throwing the classroom into chaos.

The creative arts teacher watched, both amused and helpless. He thought for a moment, Was Chen Lu like this before? But thinking carefully, he suddenly realized he didn’t really have much impression of Chen Lu—just a relatively quiet student.

A bit talented, taken as a disciple by the old professor in the academy, that was it. 

After gaining some life experience, had he not only made a breakthrough in his artwork but also in his spirit?

Thinking this, the creative arts teacher, who originally hadn’t had any particular expectations for Chen Lu’s work, suddenly became interested in what Chen Lu would produce.

He remembered the old professor and those artists bringing back a ruined piece of clothing some time ago. A group of them had studied that garment in the academy for many days before the artists left, very regretfully.

According to other colleagues, the artists’ eyes were filled with the pain of seeing something beautiful shatter before them. 

Especially since, after the beautiful thing was shattered, it became… very pure.

So pure it left them with not a shred of aesthetic appeal.

The creative arts teacher had later gone to see it out of curiosity.

How to put it… 

It was ugly in a uniquely distinctive way. He found it very hard to imagine that thing had ever had a moment praised by artists.

According to the old professor, that ruined garment was Chen Lu’s work. It came from a flash of inspiration Chen Lu had stumbled upon, a difficult-to-replicate piece born from a kiss of the Muse.

Recalling the confidence with which Chen Lu had answered him earlier, a sliver of expectation rose in the creative arts teacher’s heart.

Perhaps this time I might catch a glimpse of that miraculous work so praised by so many artists? 

Holding this thought, after all the students had started creating according to his instructions, the creative arts teacher slowly walked over to stand behind Chen Lu.

Looking at Chen Lu’s completely non-standard brush-holding posture, the teacher: “…..”

Then looking at the chaotic, completely pattern-less lines on Chen Lu’s canvas, the teacher: “……”

Finally, the teacher’s gaze fell on the color Chen Lu had just swiped across the canvas. He tightly closed his eyes. He was once again experiencing the impact he had felt when he saw that garment at the old professor’s place. 

Now he truly didn’t doubt in the slightest that the ruined garment the old professor had shown was Chen Lu’s work.

“Chen Lu, what are you painting?” The creative arts teacher, who had always adhered to letting students express themselves freely as much as possible, couldn’t help but ask.

Hearing the teacher’s question, other students who had been immersed in their own work couldn’t help but look over towards Chen Lu. Then the students sitting behind Chen Lu immediately saw the content on his easel clearly, and one after another, they let out sounds of being strongly startled.

“Holy crap!!!” 

Seeing the others’ reactions, the rest of the students couldn’t restrain their curiosity either, craning their necks one after another to peek at Chen Lu’s work. Thus, a second wave of startled exclamations arose successively.

“HOLY CRAP!!!!”

Faced with the reactions of the teacher and classmates, Chen Lu remained very calm.

He had known this would be the outcome. 

But was it important?

No.

As long as you had a thick enough skin, nothing was important.

Chen Lu even calmly picked up a new color with his unwashed brush from his palette and continued smearing it on the canvas, listening to the rhythmic screams from his classmates following his movements. 

Although he was only assaulting the aesthetics of these art students, Chen Lu’s heart was satisfyingly filled with psychologically torturing his classmates.

It felt exactly the same as when he played games during his livestreams!

“Just as extreme darkness can give birth to extreme light, and extreme light can give birth to extreme darkness, there is no boundary between beauty and ugliness. The most极致aesthetic can only be born this way,” Chen Lu said firmly, his painting movements not pausing in the slightest due to the actions of his classmates and teacher, calmly spouting nonsense to explain his artistic concept without changing his expression.

“Only at the final moment of creation, when the entire painting is complete, will that ultimate beauty bloom forth from within the ugliness.” 

Chen Lu’s words sent a spiritual shockwave through the hearts of his classmates and teacher.

They were convinced.

After all, even if they tried deliberately, they couldn’t produce a work that polluted the spirit to the same degree as Chen Lu’s.

And the teacher, who had heard the old professor rave about how beautiful that ruined garment once was, felt even more convinced than the other students. 

But…

After shooing the other students back to their seats, the creative arts teacher looked at the students behind Chen Lu who were unconsciously mixing weird color combinations to put on their canvases, his eyelid twitching.

Without Chen Lu’s talent, my normal, lovely student babies should NOT try to learn this!!!

The creative arts teacher took a deep breath and finally said, “Chen Lu, move to the back row.” 

“Sure thing!” Chen Lu agreed without any objection, swiftly packing up his things. Within minutes, he had moved his easel to the very back.

Watching Chen Lu move away from the populated area, both the creative arts teacher and the students, for some reason, inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing the synchronized sighs from their neighbors, everyone looked at each other, then couldn’t help but look up at the time.

Had only half an hour passed since the class started???

Why did it feel like half a day had gone by??? 

Sitting in the very back, completely unaware, Chen Lu watched the teacher pacing back and forth in the classroom, giving painting guidance to one student after another. Then Chen Lu heard the teacher’s footsteps pause beside him, slowly take a step back, and then continue forward without stopping, showing no intention of offering any guidance.

Chen Lu: “…”

It’s not that bad, is it?

Chen Lu, at the moment of possessing the most ‘filtered eyes’, stared at his own painting for two seconds, then lowered his head. He took out his phone, snapped a photo of his work, and sent it to Fang Qizhi. 

Fang Qizhi: … I know! I KNOW!!! I’ll tear it up, no need to send it to me!! Send it again and I’ll go on strike! Got it?

Chen Lu: How can you use a term like ‘tear it up’ to insult yourself!!

Fang Qizhi: ?

Chen Lu: It should clearly be ‘respectfully welcome the great master to give it a makeover’. 

Chen Lu: President Fang! Whether this painting can get first place depends on whether you tear it up artistically enough!

Even though, because it involved future plot points, Fang Qizhi didn’t actually receive the last message, the previous one was enough to make him take a deep breath.

As an art student, don’t just give up on yourself like that!!

Fang Qizhi roared internally, but he had already learned not to follow Chen Lu’s pace. 

Otherwise, you’d just be endlessly teased by Chen Lu indiscriminately.

Fang Qizhi: I’m already by the restroom on the first floor of the Monet Building. You can come over after class.

The Monet Building was where Chen Lu’s creative arts classroom was located.

Chen Lu sent back an OK hand sign. 

Putting his phone down, Chen Lu picked up his brush again, dipped it in new paint, and looked up. His gaze fell on his own painting. With his ‘rose-tinted mom filter’ gone, Chen Lu was mentally unprepared and was so startled by his own work that he jolted violently.

Looking at the paint splattered on his clothes because of this movement, Chen Lu: “…”

Whether others found painting difficult or not, Chen Lu didn’t know, but he felt that painting his kind of painting was still quite challenging.

When class ended, Chen Lu was sensible enough to cover his painting to avoid harming the eyes of other innocent students. 

He deliberately dawdled while doing this, waiting for the other students to gradually leave the teaching building with their belongings. Then, seeing that the next class was about to start, Chen Lu hurried down to the first-floor restroom.

To ensure the plot point of him being locked in the restroom wouldn’t be discovered by other students, Chen Lu was really worrying himself to death.

Chen Lu quickly ducked into a stall. Not long after, he heard someone come in.

He felt an inexplicable sense of relief. 

When the originally most unruly plot character, Fang Qizhi, becomes your ally, advancing the plot really becomes easy and effortless.

Chen Lu was inwardly moved as he listened to the person outside tinkering with his stall door.

Tinkering…

Tinkering… 

Ten minutes passed. Chen Lu pondered, looking at the door still being fiddled with, wondering if he should say something.

Fortunately, before Chen Lu could speak, the tinkering sounds at his stall door finally stopped. Corresponding with the end of the noise was the sound of a message notification from the phone in Chen Lu’s pocket.

Chen Lu: “…”

Chen Lu took out his phone and looked. Unsurprisingly, it was a message from Fang Qizhi. 

Fang Qizhi: [Image] So… how exactly is this stall door supposed to be locked to prevent you from getting out?

Chen Lu looked at the photo of the stall door, which had only a handle on the outside, and then at the latch on the inside of his door that could be flipped down to secure it: “…”

Yeah, with an outward-opening restroom stall door like this, how exactly was it supposed to be locked to prevent someone from getting out in the original plot???

Chen Lu carefully reviewed this segment of the plot in his mind and once again discovered a familiar outcome. 

[Omitted.]

——’Chen Lu’, comforted by the teacher, was very happy inside. He felt all his hardships were over, that everything had finally turned from bad to good, and his world had returned to a normal path.

——That’s how it was supposed to be.

——Locked in the restroom until evening, when school security found him and freed him, ‘Chen Lu’ walked home in a disheveled state, enduring the strange looks from passersby. 

——Everything seemed to mock his naivety.

So… how was he locked in?

Chen Lu read and re-read these plot lines that contained no specific description, falling into deep thought.

Could it be another bug in this world? 

Thinking this, and remembering the dazzling glow from Qin Guchuan’s finger that time, Chen Lu hesitantly sent Fang Qizhi a message.

Chen Lu: Look around, is there anything that feels particularly eye-catching to you?

Fang Qizhi: No? Why?

Chen Lu: Something particularly bright, blindingly bright. Nothing like that? 

A few seconds later.

Fang Qizhi: No? Only the door handle outside the restroom entrance is reflecting light pretty strongly.

Chen Lu: ..

Fang Qizhi: …Oh.