"Aunt Zhen! I’m not like that at all, stop making fun of me!"
With a stamp of her foot, Du Jinruo adopted the airs of a petulant young girl.
But because she was indeed very beautiful, such posturing only made her appear enchanting, riveting the eyes of Zhao Xin and the others who were on their way to eat.
"That’s the girl from the newspaper!"
"I know, I know, her last name is Du, the heiress of the Du Family of the Capital City!"
Seeing that people were approaching, Du Jinruo immediately flashed them a very vibrant and radiant smile. Where was the pouty young girl from moments ago? Now she seemed composed and elegant, with a distinctive charm.
"Miss Du, hello!" Zhao Xin and the others responded in unison, their voices loud and clear.
All were delighted in their hearts, thinking, ah, Miss Du is not only good-looking but also so approachable!
In no time at all, Du Jinruo’s popularity skyrocketed in their hearts.
"You all must be tired from the training, hurry up and eat. I’ll see you tonight at the auditorium," said Du Jinruo as she waved at them, then followed Liu Chunzhen out of the cafeteria.
Zhao Xin and the others gazed at her retreating figure, unable to take their eyes off her for a long while.
"Ah, Miss Du’s smile is truly beautiful!"
"I heard there’s a solo performance by her tonight!"
"Really? With Miss Du’s beauty, I’m sure her singing will be wonderful too! We must go watch tonight!"
"Of course, we’re going. Do you even need to say it!"
In Peace Town’s Osmanthus Alley, Chiang Xiao put down her brush, stood up and stretched, then shook her hands and pressed on some acupoints to relieve fatigue and soreness. She looked at the Secluded Valley Orchid Painting spread out on the table and was very pleased with it.
This painting represented her skill level from before.
Since she was entering the competition, Chiang Xiao had no intention of holding back her abilities.
Of course, she did not use the Magic Brush.
This time she was prepared to use her true level of skill to try for an award, to see if she could win one.
This was also the first time she had entered such a competition, and she truly needed this opportunity to prove herself. Because all of her previous accolades had been given away to Ye Wanqing. However, she couldn’t be entirely certain whether Deng Qingjiang had used his connections and money to help Ye Wanqing win those awards.
If he had, she wouldn’t want to claim those honors for her own paintings.
After letting the painting dry for a while, Chiang Xiao quickly put it away.
Before winning, she did not want anyone to see it.
Just as she had stored the painting away, she heard someone knocking at the door.
The manner of knocking was just like Ho Laidi’s—very forceful, banging away wildly. Chiang Xiao didn’t have to see the person to guess that it was Chiang Qingshui.
She had thought Chiang Qingshui wouldn’t come, but in the end, she showed up after all.
It seemed that no matter which member it was, everyone from the Old Chiang Family indeed thought their family was the easiest to bully; they felt uneasy unless they threw their weight around.
Chiang Songhai and Ge Liutao had the matter weighing on their minds and couldn’t sleep; when they heard the knocking, they instinctively tensed and got up, simultaneously casting their gaze on Chiang Xiao as she walked out of her room.
"Grandfather, Grandmother, please go back inside and rest," she said.
"But it sounds like your auntie..." Ge Liutao hesitated, finding it difficult to ignore such a situation. How could they not come out to greet a visiting guest?
"Isn’t that what I’m here for? I can greet her just fine. You are her elders, after all. Has she considered not disturbing your nap by choosing to come in the middle of the day?"