After Master He finished speaking, Shen Wanqing’s face changed.
She was a stubborn person, unwilling to admit she was inferior to others, so she retorted quite arrogantly, "I am the best painter in Qingcheng! If you don’t know anything, don’t talk nonsense!"
Master He held a prominent position in the art world and naturally wouldn’t argue with a junior. He just smiled and left.
Shen Wanqing, already feeling low, was now even more upset. She complained to Qin Siyuan, "What does he know! On what grounds did he say my painting was bad! Is he out of his mind?"
Master He, who hadn’t gone far, overheard her. He shook his head, then pulled out his phone and dialed Professor Gao’s number. His tone was casual as he said, "Gao, that female student you mentioned earlier—there’s no need to see her."
Professor Gao was still puzzled on the other end. "What’s going on? Why is there no need to see her anymore?"
"I’ve seen her already," Master He said nonchalantly. "That’s that. I have something else to do shortly. Let’s meet another day!"
Master He hung up, leaving Professor Gao saying "Hello? Hello?" into the phone. Professor Gao stared at his phone for a moment, then, after some thought, called Shen Wanqing directly.
Shen Wanqing cared a great deal about Professor Gao’s opinion of her. As soon as the call came through, she quickly answered, "Professor Gao."
Professor Gao’s tone was somewhat severe. "Master He just called me. He said he’d seen you. What’s going on?"
Shen Wanqing was stunned. "No, Professor Gao, I’m here at Zhenyuan, but Master He wasn’t..."
Qin Siyuan interrupted her, "The man from earlier—that must have been Master He!"
After Qin Siyuan finished speaking, Shen Wanqing nearly dropped her phone. What was Siyuan saying? That man... was Master He? The one she had so terribly offended just moments ago! How could this be...
Seeing her dazed, Qin Siyuan immediately took the phone, spoke a few words to Professor Gao, then decisively hung up. "Go after him! Master He probably hasn’t left yet!"
Shen Wanqing immediately clutched her painting and ran with Qin Siyuan towards the main gate of Zhenyuan. She paid no mind to the rain falling outside; this was her only chance, and if she missed it, it would be gone. She was now filled with a terrible regret. Why had she acted so impulsively earlier? Why hadn’t she thought things through...?
After a desperate run, they reached the outer parking lot. Through the dim, wet sheen of the rain, she finally saw Master He’s figure. He was about to get into a car when a tall figure stepped out and opened the door for him.
Shen Wanqing stared, murmuring, "That car looks so familiar!"
Upon closer inspection, the person in the light rain helping Master He into the car was none other than Professor Bo!
And there, in the passenger seat, was Gu Anxi, head down, engrossed in her phone. When Master He got into the car, Gu Anxi turned her head to say something to him. As she turned back, her gaze inadvertently met Shen Wanqing’s.
Shen Wanqing felt as though she’d been slapped across the face, a raw, stinging pain of humiliation.
Gu Anxi was having dinner with Master He! How had she not thought of it before? Professor Bo was from Beicheng, and Master He was having a dinner engagement with juniors.
Standing in the rain, Shen Wanqing found the reality utterly unacceptable. Over there, Bo Xichen slowly drove the car away. After a moment, he turned his head to look at Gu Anxi. "What are you looking at? Fasten your seatbelt."
Gu Anxi nodded and fastened her seatbelt.
Just then, Master He casually asked, "Was that your Professor Gao’s favored student outside just now?"
Gu Anxi gave a light smile. "Yes. Professor Gao wanted you, Master, to recommend her for an auction at Jiaxing."
She had barely finished speaking when the high-performance sports car SCREECHED to a halt by the roadside. Bo Xichen turned his face towards her. "What did you call Master He?"