Chapter 105: The World-Weary Girl and the Miao Silver Bracelet

Hai Lanjing’s words startled not only Lin Shenlu but also Lu Chaoxi beside her.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Chaoxi sized up Hai Lanjing from head to toe.

“What’s wrong? There’s no strawberry mark on your neck either? Or did you not wear that thing last night?” Lu Chaoxi asked curiously.

“Oh, what are you thinking…” Hai Lanjing blushed and lightly tapped Lu Chaoxi.

“So, what exactly happened between you two last night?” Lu Chaoxi pressed on, still puzzled.

“We… nothing happened…” Hai Lanjing replied.

“Heh… really…” Lu Chaoxi shook her head in disbelief.

Lin Shenlu approached with a cheerful smile.

“Good morning, Makapaka!” Lin Shenlu greeted the two.

“Good morning, Wuxidixi…” Hai Lanjing shot Lin Shenlu a sharp glance.

“Good morning, useless little trash!” Lu Chaoxi called out as she walked away toward the courtyard, leaving the two behind.

Lin Shenlu was dumbfounded.

“Hey, wait! Who are you calling useless little trash?” Lin Shenlu shouted, pointing at Lu Chaoxi's retreating back.

“Sigh, forget it, forget it… she’s just joking…” Lu Chaoxi said with a shrug.

…

“By the way, what did you call me just now? What good deed did I do?” Lin Shenlu turned to Hai Lanjing with a question.

“You’re the one who got me drunk last night… look, I didn’t even have time to change clothes, and the event is about to start. I still smell like alcohol!” Hai Lanjing complained.

Lin Shenlu felt wronged.

Clearly, Hai Lanjing gets drunk only because she lets herself be; she wanted to drink, and even Lin couldn’t stop her.

“There’s still time. Let’s go back and change first, then hurry over,” Lin Shenlu suggested.

…

The weather today was exceptionally clear.

The breeze was gentle.

In the vast ancient painting village, many amateur painters held flyers in one hand and carried brushes and easels in the other, steadily making their way along the path toward the newly opened Whale Deer Inn halfway up the mountain.

Among the many amateur painters were also several professional artists who lived long-term in Dagangtou Town.

Whether drawn by curiosity, nostalgia, support for the arts, or simply the chance to win some prize money, the diverse painters currently staying in the village were all preparing to participate in the upcoming art exchange event.

Deep within the old street’s alleys, Chen Fan stayed at a youth hostel called "Snow Above the River."

As a part-time painter, Chen Fan was quite interested in this event.

Usually, he traveled and created art simultaneously, earning some manuscript fees to support his journeys.

Unexpectedly, coming to the painting village these days led him to such an intriguing affair.

Stepping out of the hostel, Chen Fan carried his black backpack, packed with the tools of his artistic future companions.

Checking the time, Chen Fan headed toward the Whale Deer Inn halfway up the mountain.

If his artwork got selected this time, perhaps he could stay at the inn for free for a while.

…

“Brother, stop taking pictures… we’ll be late!” Along the Oujiang Riverbank, a delicate-faced girl called out to a big boy busy framing shots of the river with his camera.

The Chen siblings were both artists.

Chen Qinghan glanced at the photos on his camera and nodded approvingly—Lishui was indeed a place where every step was a beautiful scene, and even casual shots turned into stunning works.

Chen Muyun sighed; her brother was always so leisurely with everything. Today was the day she was attending the Whale Deer Inn’s art exhibition, and they had agreed to arrive early, yet her brother was still snapping photos all over the place after leaving the house.

“Muyun, look! Isn’t this shot’s angle fantastic?” Chen Qinghan showed the camera to his sister.

“Go on by yourself, I’m going,” Chen Muyun said unhappily.

“Come on… we agreed I’d accompany you! Let’s go now!” Chen Qinghan urged.

Muyun’s expression softened a bit.

“Just imagine dozens, even hundreds of painters all painting the mountains and rivers together out in the wild… that scene would be spectacular to photograph!” Chen Qinghan smiled.

Chen Muyun shook her head helplessly; his mind was still on photography.

…

At this moment, on a vehicle heading to Dagangtou Town, a short-haired girl wearing sunglasses tilted her head, gazing out the window.

Just yesterday, she had been admiring the scenery by West Lake; now, she saw a post about today’s calligraphy and painting exhibition in Dagangtou Town on her social feed.

The girl, trained in fine arts, found Lishui not far from her location, so she had gotten up early to join the event.

Turning her face slightly, the girl’s expression was filled with an icy aloofness—exquisitely refined but somewhat stern.

Gently removing her sunglasses, she revealed rare triple whites in her eyes, her demeanor seeming detached from the world.

Such a rare expression of existential weariness suited her temperament perfectly.

She stared blankly out the window, her right hand unconsciously touching a silver bracelet on her left wrist.

It was a handcrafted silver bracelet adorned with intricate patterns, very beautiful.

Touching the bracelet always reminded her of that man.

Sighing softly, she took out her phone.

Lowering her head, she began scrolling through her social feed.

Soon, her finger stopped on a photo posted by someone.

It was a man, with a location tag of Meishan beneath the photo.

The picture showed Meishan’s scenery.

“That guy, wandering around everywhere all the time!” she muttered.

She tapped on his profile picture; his nickname was Ning Meng.

After some thought, she sent a message.

Youzhi: I’m in Lishui. There’s an art exhibition here. Want to come take a look?

With a swoosh, the message was sent.

After a moment’s hesitation, she retracted the message.

Since their last meeting in Zhangjiajie, the two had not seen each other for a long time.

Some things were better left in the heart.

Shortly after, she received a reply.

Ning Meng: I saw you retracted it. Are you in Lishui now? Hmm, I’m not too busy today. I’ll drive to Lishui to see you later, though I’ll arrive quite late. How about breakfast together tomorrow?

The girl glanced at the message and closed her phone, as if none of it concerned her.

From Meishan to Lishui was over 800 kilometers; even by car, it would take about ten hours.

Was he really coming?

Forget it; she decided not to think about it. She was about to get off and planned to check out the exhibition first.

…

When Lin Shenlu and Hai Lanjing returned to the small courtyard, they just ran into Qina, who was carrying an easel and preparing to set off for the Whale Deer Inn halfway up the mountain.

Invited by Lin Shenlu, Qina seemed quite interested in the exhibition.

Behind Qina were Teacher Xiaoshou and assistant Wu Heng.

“Are you all participating too?” Lin Shenlu asked curiously.

“Teacher Xiaoshou said she wanted to go see for some inspiration; she’s been stuck creatively lately…” Wu Heng smiled.

Lin Shenlu nodded and was about to reply when a gust of wind blew from behind.

Turning around, she saw Su Bao’er with her disheveled hair fluttering in the breeze, wielding a shovel as she approached.