So, she planned to forge a good relationship with Kuang Yunxian on her own.
In her past life, she had too few friends, always acting foolishly alone. This time, she wanted a career, to do what she liked, and to have a few friends with whom she could chat and drink tea when she had time.
Kuang Yunxian’s age was, in fact, closer to hers than Meng Xinian’s, so getting along with Kuang Yunxian was very comfortable for Chiang Xiao.
Thus, on this journey, Meng Xinian found himself being left out.
To get from the hotel to M City University, one needed to take a bus.
The bus ride was only fifteen minutes.
He suggested taking a taxi, but Chiang Xiao looked at Kuang Yunxian, "Brother Kuang, do you know how to take the public bus there?"
"Of course I know. Actually, I took the public bus by myself when I came here. Chiang Xiao, do you want to take the bus?"
Taking taxis all the time seemed too extravagant. After all, she wasn’t rich now; it was better to save where she could.
And if they took a taxi, the fare would surely be paid by Meng Xinian again, and she didn’t want to owe him anything financially. Since their relationship was only collaborative, it was better to keep the accounts clear.
Meng Xinian wasn’t a person who coveted luxury either. In fact, he relied on walking when he went out, and he took the bus for longer distances.
But when he was with Chiang Xiao, and she seldom came out, he naturally wanted to give her the best.
Seeing Chiang Xiao following by Kuang Yunxian’s side, he frowned but said nothing.
Alright, he was just twenty years old, Chiang Xiao had called him old, and Kuang Yunxian was almost thirty, maybe she already regarded him as an elder?
That’s what Captain Meng thought, and it made him feel somewhat better.
But he discovered that these two had too much to talk about. From the moment they got on the bus until they entered the gates of M City University, their conversation about painting never ceased.
They talked about which brushes were good, what kind of paper suited what kind of paintings, which part of a figure should be emphasized the most, as well as color mixing, light and shadow, and color gradients. They just kept talking and talking.
He didn’t understand any of it.
His understanding of paintings was limited to the surface visual impression.
Which is to say: whether it looked good or not.
So, he couldn’t even find a way to butt into their conversation.
Where on earth did Chiang Xiaoxiao learn all this? How could she know so much that she could converse with a university lecturer?
In fact, Kuang Yunxian was much more astounded than he was.
"Chiang Xiao, I must admit, I underestimated you," he looked at Chiang Xiao admiringly and said, "When Xinian first told me you liked to paint and were good at it, I thought you’d just done well in your school’s art classes. Elementary and middle school art classes generally teach very basic things, not even enough to count as an introduction to painting."
To them, those could only be considered child’s play.
So, at first, he really didn’t take the four words "good at painting" seriously when it came to Chiang Xiao.
"But now, after talking with you, I realize how wrong I was! Now I’m really curious to see your paintings."
Meng Xinian wanted to say that she had drawn a portrait for him, which was especially outstanding.
But then he thought that this might be a real level of skill that Chiang Xiao should keep hidden, and he ultimately didn’t mention it.
Chiang Xiao seized the opportunity and asked, "Brother Kuang, can I participate in your painting competition this time?"
In the past, she had almost never participated in any competitions.