The 99th Divorce

The vivid sketch captured Li Jianyue perfectly.

The simple lines alone were sufficient to bring out on paper the girl’s charm. The drawing, thoroughly life-like, was a testament to the talent of the artist.

“Li Jianyue is very pretty. But we’re not familiar enough with each other that I could ask her to be my model. So, I could only rely on my memory.”

What Quan Jingyi said had several meanings.

First, it disclosed that they weren’t close.

And second, it clarified that he hadn’t asked Li Jianyue to pose for him.

Yang Zihao noticed that the teacher didn’t show much of a reaction. “Ma’am, look at the front of the book. There’s even a naked body! Quan Jingyi is such a disgusting person!” he said, panicking.

The teacher flipped to the front of the book. Indeed, on the front was a picture of a naked body.

Yang Zihao looked smugly at Quan Jingyi as the teacher looked at the nude sketch.

To Yang Zihao’s surprise, Quan Jingyi didn’t panic at all. Quan Jingyi had refused to allow the teacher to open his sketchbook mainly because he didn’t want anyone to see Li Jianyue’s sketch.

Now that they had seen the sketch, it didn’t matter anymore.

When Yang Zihao realized that, a thought suddenly occurred to him. Had he been wrong about the two of them dating? Did Quan Jingyi have an unrequited crush on Li Jianyue?

At the sudden realization, Yang Zihao looked up with renewed vigor and met Quan Jingyi’s eyes. Quan Jingyi had a look of disdain. He gazed condescendingly out the side of his eye at the bespectacled student. Quan Jingyi’s cold expression was almost enough to crush Yang Zihao.

Yang Zihao’s heart trembled. He didn’t dare to maintain eye contact. Hastily, he turned his head away and looked at the teacher.

The teacher was busy looking at the drawing. “This is the famous half-naked sculpture that is in the textbook. Is this the nude drawing you were referring to?” she asked.

Yang Zihao’s heart began to thump rapidly, and his panic heightened. “Flip to the back! There’s more there!” he urged the teacher.

The teacher flipped the book again. Indeed, there was another drawing.

It was a full-nude sketch. The teacher was well-versed in the Arts. At once, she recognized that the drawing was a copy of a picture that had won an international art award a few years ago.

The teacher scrutinized the drawing. She was captivated by the fine artwork. “This drawing is quite good! How long have you been learning to draw?”

Quan Jingyi felt a little relieved. “My dad refused to allow me to learn it,” he replied honestly.

“So, you’ve never learned how to draw?”

“I learned a little secretly,” Quan Jingyi looked at the teacher, “and figured out the rest on my own.”

The admiration in the teacher’s eyes grew deeper. As she closed the book, she said, “Your talent is outstanding. Why won’t your father allow you to learn it?”

Quan Jingyi remained silent.

The teacher did not probe further. She turned her gaze to Yang Zihao.

Yang Zihao hadn’t expected such an outcome. His face reddened with embarrassment as he stuttered, “Ma’am…”

“Yang Zihao, I think it will be necessary for me to speak to your parents and have them give you more education in Art.”

Yang Zihao’s face alternated between turning red and pale. He felt very embarrassed. He looked down and didn’t dare to say a word.

“Ma’am,” Quan Jingyi spoke up, “I don’t blame him for not possessing general knowledge. But his fault lay in besmirching the innocent friendship Li Jianyue and I have. To clear any misunderstanding, I haven’t spoken to Li Jianyue since the change of seats. I relied wholly on my memory to produce this sketch. I never expected that someone would use it to slander me maliciously. If he’s behaving this viciously in high school, what would he be like as an adult?”

It was the first time both Li Jianyue and the teacher had heard Quan Jingyi talk so much. They took a second look at him.

He was usually a young man of few words and carried a lazy demeanor. Hardly anyone had expected Quan Jingyi to possess such eloquence.

Li Jianyue concurred with Quan Jingyi. “Exactly! He should apologize to us!”