The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Hard to Explain

Cheng Yu’s class was still ongoing, but Ji You had completely lost interest in listening; at that moment, her mind was occupied with a single thought: a loss of at least 1.7 million credit points, what was the amount with five?

How much was it?

How much was it?

It’s over...

Her brain had totally crashed.

So frustrating.

...

”Cough cough...” Cheng Yu, standing at the podium, gave a pointed cough, then looked around and said: ”Now, I’m going to call on students to come up and explain the aesthetic knowledge I’ve just summarized for you.”

The students at the scene were very enthusiastic, eagerly raising their hands one after another.

Finally, Cheng Yu made a sweeping gesture with his hand and picked someone: ”Number 4444, Ji You.”

Silence.

No one stood up, and Cheng Yu said again: ”Number 4444, Ji You, please come up and explain.”

Ji You did not react.

Sheng Qingyan could not stand it anymore, raised her hand to pat her: ”He’s calling you!”

Ji You: ”???”

Cheng Yu: ”Please come up to the stage, number 4444, and share your thoughts.”

Ji You: ”???”

A totally perplexed Ji You was pushed onto the stage, and Cheng Yu, with a smile and encouraging eyes, said: ”Student Ji You, don’t be shy. Express all your feelings and understanding about this class, speak boldly.”

Ji You: ”???”

Three successive rounds of confusion.

She looked out at a sea of heads below the stage, all staring at her, and Ji You’s brain, which had been frozen for so long, finally started rebooting. Express her thoughts?

What thoughts?

The color on Cheng Yu’s face was almost stiff at this point, and the smile was barely maintainable. Originally, he had intended to liven up the atmosphere by randomly selecting a student to come up and explain, to keep fueling the students’ enthusiasm.

But was this randomly selected girl an idiot?

She just stared out with a pair of bewildered eyes, blankly gazing down at the audience.

Cheng Yu seriously doubted whether she had been listening to the lecture at all.

Outrageous!

Totally outrageous.

From the start, this little one had been distracted, chattering away, and now she was boldly smacking him in the face.

Cheng Yu took a deep breath and continued to encourage with a smile: ”Student, any thoughts you have are okay!”

Any thoughts are okay?

Ji You suddenly covered her face, crying yingyingying: ”My heart aches so much, my sadness has already turned into a river, and this river has submerged me. If there is an end to regret, standing here at the finish line, I wish I could tell my past self at the starting point: Silly child, turn back quickly, every step you take is filled with the Abyss and accumulated with tears and blood...”

Cheng Yu: ”...”

The audience: ”???”

Cheng Yu’s face darkened.

This is total sabotage!

Damn it!

Horror struck! Ji You’s eyes inadvertently caught sight of Cheng Yu’s utterly darkened face, and her strong instinct to survive reignited her brain that had been out on a cosmic tour! It’s over!

What had she even said?

She needed to think of a way to make amends!

Ji You quickly removed her hand from her face, cleared her throat, and said: ”Teacher... I was talking nonsense just now! You asked me to talk about my feelings and understanding, but since I’m not articulate, I might not be able to express it verbally. However, I can ’act it out’.”

’Act it out’?

Cheng Yu was stunned.

The students around them also suddenly became interested.

Ji You said, ”Teacher, please provide me with a carving knife, a brush, and ore. I have been listening carefully to your lecture, and I greatly admire and revere the carving skills and design methods of this master. I dare to assert that she must be a woman who combines beauty, intelligence, and talent, and I not only admire her but also like her very much. Therefore, with my modest ability, I wish to boldly attempt to emulate the master’s techniques in carving. Teacher, do you think that’s alright?”

Cheng Yu’s frown instantly turned into a smile as he said, ”Since Ji You is so earnest, of course, it’s possible.”

Soon, the carving knife, brush, and ore were all prepared.

In front of everyone, Ji You picked up the ore to examine it for a moment and then immediately started working.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

...

As Ji You focused on the carving, the noisy and chaotic scene gradually became quieter.

Ji You’s hands, calloused from frequently making handicrafts, were neither dainty nor pretty, but at this moment, they seemed to possess a magical allure that captivated everyone’s gaze.

After a while.

Ji You stopped her work and placed the now-shaped ore on the stand, then stood up, bowed slightly to Cheng Yu, and turned to bow gently to the surrounding students: ”Teacher, classmates, I have finished. Although it has minor flaws, I have managed to complete the final step. This is my understanding of today’s lesson. I am grateful to Teacher Cheng Yu for giving me the opportunity to recognize this mysterious and great master and for learning so much from her.”

”Thank you, everyone.”

The room fell silent; everyone stared at the exquisitely carved stone on the stand, with no one uttering a sound. Before Ji You’s demonstration, these students had never realized that someone sitting quietly, performing monotonous and repetitive actions without any flashiness, could produce something so pleasing to the eye.

If previously, they were asked to appreciate an artwork by how beautiful it is, how meaningful, and so on... their feelings were not so direct. However, when witnessing such an object being created from nothing, gradually coming into being before their eyes, everyone was so surprised that they fell into silence. Even those with no artistic inclination or aesthetic knowledge found themselves genuinely appreciating the carving as they watched it come to life.

And what about Cheng Yu?

At this moment, Cheng Yu was also staring in surprise:

He never would have imagined that this inattentive-looking short student would possess such outstanding sculpting and painting skills. The sculpture on the display stand resembled the one on the master’s earrings as if carved from the same hand—no!

There were still slight differences.

The master’s technique was natural and stylistically unique, full of purpose. Ji You was imitating the master, so even though she tried her best to emulate the master’s style, there was still a hint of immaturity...

However—

This was extremely astonishing and delightful!

This child had full marks in artistic talent!

A real gem!

Look—

In this painting of lotus flowers and clear water, she even cleverly added a dragonfly. With the presence of the dragonfly, the whole picture gained a bit of fun and vivacity—

Not bad.

Very good.

It suddenly felt like there was a promising newcomer!

In the vast Star Sea and Universe, after so many years, the Big Alliance finally had a student with strong artistic talent who also loved art.

A cause for celebration.

Therefore—

Cheng Yu’s smile grew more and more satisfied, and his gaze towards Ji You became that of an indulgent mother admiring her child scoring 100 marks, lavishing praise without stinginess: ”Ji You, your comprehension of today’s lesson is very profound, and as your teacher, I am extremely gratified.”

Ji You pretended to be shy, lowering her head:

Done for.

With everyone looking at her like this, she could hardly keep a straight face.

This whole act was purely a way out for herself.

She didn’t want to cause a scene more shocking than a certain editorial department’s ’shock effect.’ Ahhh.

Faced with the admiring gazes of countless classmates and Teacher Cheng Yu’s continuous praise, Ji You kept her head low in embarrassment:

Imitating herself...

Praising herself...

Was truly an indescribable feeling.