Chapter 4 Signs of Rapid Progress

Teacher Guan, in the future, I may have less time in the classroom. My parents have agreed to let me take painting classes, and I am preparing to study stone art, so I would like to put in more effort in the fundamentals of art

Hearing his friend Zhang Xu's words, Fang Yi smiled and approached him: "What illness is there? When you are stuck in the hospital with nothing to do, you will find that staying at school is much more enjoyable!"

Holding these items, Fang Yi returned to the studio, found an empty table, and placed the items on it. He then took a sheet of sketch paper, clipped it onto the easel next to the Marseille plaster bust, and subsequently asked a classmate nearby to borrow a small knife. While sharpening his pencil, he turned around to observe the works of others in the classroom

"Teacher Sun, I will be drawing here from now on. Could you please provide me with a set of tools?" Fang Yi said to the teacher.

"Fang Yi! The homeroom teacher requests your presence!" At that moment, a student's voice came from the classroom door.

After making a round, I stopped behind a classmate I had met in middle school. They were always the best at drawing, and now they have improved even more, standing out significantly compared to the other students

"It's nothing serious, Wang Qiluo! It's been over a year since I last saw you, and your painting has improved even more. You must have hope for the Central Academy of Fine Arts now," Fang Yi casually remarked, his eyes fixed on someone else's artwork.

Fang Yiyi thought to himself that this was indeed the case; if it were him, he would also be unwilling to go to someone else's home to have dinner with their parents. Therefore, he said, "Then tomorrow for dinner, you all don't need to go home; I will treat everyone to a meal out of my own pocket"

My parents have agreed for me to study fine arts, and today I just happen to be going to the art class to practice a bit," Fang Yi said happily to Zhang Xu as they approached the classroom door

Listening to Fang Yi repeat the words, he quickly shook his head and said, "Then let's forget it. It's something everyone would do in a school setting. Besides, when you invite me to your home for a meal, won't your family be at the table too?"

Upon arriving at school and just having parked the car, before Fang Yi could turn around, a familiar voice came from behind: "Fang Yi! Are you feeling better? You came back to school so soon, why didn't you rest at home for a few more days?"

Li Fen immediately said, "This is a double joy! You have excelled in art and your health has improved." As she spoke, she reached out and tapped the book on Fang Yi's desk, saying, "Fang Yi! We should celebrate this, just talking about it is not enough!"

That's good! Mu Jin looked up at Fang Yi and noticed that he seemed different from before; he appeared more relaxed. The two shallow dimples that used to frequently appear on his face had returned. Without thinking, she raised her hand and placed it on the back of Fang Yi's hand

While listening to Fang Yi and nodding in agreement, I realized these issues myself. After looking around, I found that no one had a painting worse than mine. I took the paper down from the easel and clipped another sheet on, just as I was about to pick up my brush to paint again, I noticed that the experience bar for the sketch in my mind had already surpassed halfway.

Unexpectedly, Mu Jin held his hand in the classroom, leaving Fang Yi momentarily stunned: "Is this no longer a secret romance?"

Teacher Sun listened and smiled, saying, "Then come over and lend a hand." After saying this, he walked towards the large cabinet at the back. Fang Yi followed behind the teacher, taking out the items that the old man retrieved from the cabinet. The old man then wrote each item down on a piece of paper, clearly marking the price for each one with great seriousness.

Fang Yi watched as he made two strokes before returning to his easel. After observing for a while, he began to sketch lines on the paper, first fixing the large shapes on the canvas. After the initial two or three minutes of awkwardness, Fang Yi felt a surge of excitement, as if the lines in his hand were flowing across the paper.

After returning to the classroom and chatting with Mu Jin for a couple of minutes, Fang Yi began to stretch his arms and walked towards the art classroom.

Zhang Xu reached out and patted his friend's shoulder, gently pursing his lips: "Let's not talk about that for now. Go comfort your little girlfriend; she has clearly been in low spirits these past few days!" After saying this, he gently pushed Fang Yi into the classroom and walked towards his seat.

Fang Yi listened and said: "One must at least give it a try; if it really doesn't work out, I can come back next year!" At this moment, Fang Yi still did not know how useful the knowledge in his mind could be. With only four months left, he couldn't say for certain that he would pass the exam. There were many others taking the exam who had studied for eight or nine years. He felt that what he was looking at was definitely related to art, but he was uncertain about how effective it would be.

In any case, just pay attention to your health, and don't come to me like that again!" After saying this, she waved her hand at Fang Yi and said, "Then you can go, and arrange your time to study with Teacher Sun by yourself!

Fang Yi nodded and said, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. My dad asked me to invite you all to my house for dinner; does that count as an invitation?"

"You can just write a rough draft; there is no need to be so detailed," Fang Yi said, looking at the large stack of items, as the old man took about ten minutes to write.

"It's a mid-range one. Today, I will start by drawing sketches since I haven't drawn by hand for a long time. Please get me one of each pencil from HB to 8B. Additionally, I need 8 sheets of 8K sketch paper, and also 8 sheets of watercolor paper. Please prepare a complete set of watercolor brushes and a small palette with paints as well. Calculate the total, and I will bring the payment to you tomorrow," Fang Yi said.

Just as I was about to stretch out my other hand to cover my girlfriend's small hand and gently caress it a couple of times, Mu Jin quickly pulled away. Fang Yi smiled and said, "Haven't we made it public? From now on, we can hold hands when we leave school, or I can ride you on my bicycle!"

"Pfft!" Li Fen, Mu Jin's deskmate, said with a smile: "The moment you lay down, even a fool could see Mu Jin's expression. What are you trying to hide? This is good; we no longer have to help keep your secret."

As soon as the door was opened, Teacher Sun asked Fang Yi, "What kind do you want? Standard or mid-range?"

Old Man Sun did not ask anything, but waved his hand at Fang Yi, indicating for him to follow him to the office in the corner of the bungalow.

"Hmm! My family has agreed to let me learn to paint," Fang Yi replied, raising the pencil in his hand

"The hands are not yet fully developed, but the lines are acceptable," Teacher Sun said as he stood behind Fang Yi. "There are still many areas that are not ideal; the handling of the relationship between reality and illusion is somewhat inappropriate. Also, pay attention to the relationship between the whole and the parts! The beard on the chin has been overdone..." The teacher pointed out the shortcomings in Fang Yi's painting. Then he patted Fang Yi on the shoulder and said, "Take your time; this is not something to rush. Look at more of others' works."

Teacher Guan pondered for a moment after hearing Fang Yi's words and said: "You also need to pay more attention to your health. Your cultural scores for the art school entrance exam are not a problem, but do you have confidence in your art skills?" The class teacher, Xiao Guan, expressed some concern; with cultural scores over 500, how much could they possibly drop in a year? Moreover, it is a science subject, not a liberal arts one, so even if there were some decline, it would at most be a drop of over 100 points, which would be the worst-case scenario.

Li Lin listened and gave a thumbs up to Fang Yi, saying, "Fang Yi is indeed on the right track!" After that, he jokingly said to Mu Jin, "Give Fang Yi a bit more money; I won't eat lunch tomorrow!"

"Whether my grades decline or not is not a big deal; as long as I can get into an art academy, that's enough," Fang Yi said as he sat down at his desk with a confident demeanor. "My parents have agreed to let me take the painting exam!"

"Fang Yi? What brings you here? I heard you were ill. Are you feeling any better?" This person felt someone behind them, and upon turning around, saw that it was Fang Yi, who had taken off his headphones and spoke.

"It's nothing, everything is fine now," Fang Yi quickly said. Little did Fang Yi know that this time he not only startled his homeroom teacher but also made the director and the principal shudder. Following the incident involving Fang Yi, Saturday classes are now only held in the morning, and the school has prohibited afternoon sessions. Furthermore, all teachers have been instructed to pay close attention to the students' physical well-being and to ensure a balance between work and rest. In other words, Fang Yi's situation has resulted in all senior high school students getting an extra afternoon off each week!

The old man raised his head and said, "Write it down clearly, everyone will be efficient!" After saying this, he lowered his head and slowly continued writing. In the end, the total came to one hundred and twenty yuan

Having left the classroom and arrived at the office door, Fang Yi knocked twice on the open door of the office: "Teacher Guan, did you call for me?"

After listening to Fang Yi, Wang Qiluo nodded and turned his gaze back to his painting

"Fang Yi! What brings you here?" Teacher Sun asked with a smile as he looked at Fang Yi entering the room. The old man, in his fifties, had lost most of the hair on the top of his head, leaving only a thin ring of white hair around the sides.

What does it signify? At this moment, Li Lin happened to walk to the table and gently patted Fang Yi on the shoulder, expressing his joy at the return of his deskmate

Teacher Guan said after listening, "If you feel unwell, feel free to tell the teacher, don't just endure it yourself." At that moment, the homeroom teacher was thinking about paying more attention in the future

The two individuals had quietly passed the time, and Fang Yi felt that it was about time to stand up. He took two steps back from his easel and once again compared his painting with the plaster statue as a whole.

"Please sit down!" Teacher Guan raised his head to look at Fang Yi, smiling and gesturing for him to take a seat on the teacher's chair in front of his desk. "How are you? Is your health still good?"

Wang Qiluo smiled and said, "The Central Academy of Fine Arts is not an easy place to get into; everyone who excels in painting across the country will apply! How can one guarantee admission? It's definitely worth a shot to try one's luck." After saying this, he glanced at the pencil in Fang Yi's hand and asked, "Are you here to draw today?"

Upon hearing Li Fen's words, Fang Yi immediately understood and turned to grasp Mu Jin's hand, saying, "Does this count as a blessing in disguise?"

With a deep breath at the half-open door, Fang Yi calmed his excited heart before pushing the door open and stepping inside. Upon raising his head, he saw about ten faces looking at him; he recognized only half of them, while a few were engrossed in their own paintings and did not notice Fang Yi's entrance. The classroom was filled not only with third-year students but also with second-year art students. These individuals were gathered in groups, either painting still lifes or drawing plaster casts.

With a relaxed smile on his face, Fang Yi walked over to his desk and said, "I'm fine, I came to school!" After speaking, his gaze lingered on his little girlfriend Mu Jin's face for two or three seconds.

Zhang Xu casually leaned his dilapidated car against the railing of the canopy, and the two of them chatted as they walked towards the classroom upstairs. Along the way, they greeted familiar faces one by one

The art classroom is a trio of cement bungalows located in a corner of the campus. After more than a year, Fang Yi once again stepped into this place.

After listening to the teacher, Fang Yi stood up from his chair and said, "Teacher Guan! Then I will head back!" He nodded at the teacher and turned to leave the office

Fang Yi smiled as he glanced at the young man, who was thin and dark, standing at about 1.65 meters tall with a sharp face that gave off a rather lewd impression. Who would have guessed that he was quite skilled at painting, with lines that were strong and powerful, making his work exceptionally striking. Even those who entered through the door were unaware, only knowing that this person's talent in painting was not something that came easily.

Mu Jin, upon hearing this, picked up Fang Yi's book and threw it towards Li Lin

Do not get too complacent! I have made a promise with Teacher Guan that if my grades decline, he will talk to my parents!" Mu Jin said with a smile