I want to kiss you. May I?

Only when Professor Kong agreed to give him a chance to prove himself did Yu Qingchuan finally feel a little relieved.

But who had falsely accused him of having someone else paint for him?

Yu Qingchuan instinctively thought of Su Ningyue.

Lately, Yu Qingchuan had barely visited the Yu Corporation or even gone out. He bought most of what he needed online or had it delivered. He had always been a homebody.

He remembered a novel an author had written, an old-school angst fest. The top was so possessive that he would not even let the bottom leave the house, while the bottom fought him again and again for his freedom. The two kept tormenting each other.

If it were him, he would simply embrace it and paint at home until the end of time. Just thinking about it sounded wonderful.

He had no idea what Su Ningyue was up to, and she probably knew nothing about his life either. It would be best if they could keep leaving each other alone.

He really did not want to fight with anyone.

But clearly, Su Ningyue did not feel the same way.

Still, although Yu Qingchuan suspected her, he would not say anything without evidence. They had already been eating near Z University, so Lu Shiyi immediately drove him over.

Yu Qingchuan showed his student ID and explained the situation, after which Lu Shiyi drove inside.

It was not an attempt to show off. Lu Shiyi simply could not walk for long yet.

His car was fairly understated, but it was still a Lexus worth around a million, and it attracted plenty of attention on campus.

Yu Qingchuan first contacted Song Zhiran to retrieve his painting. Song Zhiran had originally had a very good impression of him, but after learning that he had supposedly hired someone to paint for him, his opinion had plummeted.

After receiving his call, he dawdled for a while before bringing out the rolled-up painting.

Then he looked up and saw Lu Shiyi sitting in the car, and froze for a moment.

What a handsome man! What was his relationship with Yu Qingchuan?

Seeing where Song Zhiran was looking, Yu Qingchuan's radar instantly went off. Clutching the painting, he hurriedly shifted to try to block Lu Shiyi from view. Honestly, Brother Yi, why did you have to roll down the window? This man had no sense of proper husbandly conduct.

Song Zhiran understood a little when he saw Yu Qingchuan's movements. "Is he your boyfriend?"

He did not sound surprised. They were art students, after all, and plenty of their sexual orientations were a mystery. There were several gay couples in their class, along with a few lesbian couples. Those who liked the opposite sex were actually in the minority.

Yu Qingchuan did not even hesitate before answering, "Yes, he's my boyfriend."

"All right. I wish you both happiness." Once Song Zhiran heard that, he lost interest in Lu Shiyi. He did not want to keep talking to Yu Qingchuan either, so he waved and left.

Yu Qingchuan got into the car and glanced at Lu Shiyi, unexpectedly finding himself sympathizing with the intensely possessive domineering CEOs in novels.

Men like Brother Yi ought to be locked away.

The car started again and headed toward Professor Kong's office building. They parked in the lot outside, and after getting out, Yu Qingchuan went to support Lu Shiyi. He still walked relatively slowly, but his steps were steady.

The entire floor belonged to the First Studio, and Professor Kong was waiting for them.

When he met Yu Qingchuan, Professor Kong first looked him over. Seeing his beautiful, delicate face and clear, innocent eyes made him trust the young man a little more.

Somewhat nervous, Yu Qingchuan greeted him. "Hello, Professor Kong. I'm Yu Qingchuan. Thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself."

Although Professor Kong was a master painter, he had none of that lofty aloofness. Instead, he was very practical and said directly, "Choose a canvas yourself. You can use any of my paints. Paint something you're good at."

"All right, Professor Kong." Yu Qingchuan looked at the easels and canvases in a corner of the office, deftly secured a canvas, selected suitable oil-painting brushes and a palette knife from the holder, then began sketching lines in charcoal and laying down colors.

Yu Qingchuan considered figures his specialty, but he did not want to keep Professor Kong waiting too long, so he painted red spider lilies. Amid the crimson blooms stood a woman dressed in red, holding an oil-paper umbrella as she waited for her beloved.

Even though the overall palette was dark, Yu Qingchuan still made the painting romantic and beautiful.

Watching his practiced movements, Professor Kong felt reassured. This young man really could paint, and he was very talented.

While they waited, Lu Shiyi chatted with Professor Kong, learning about oil painting from him. Yu Qingchuan was so focused on his work that he did not hear their conversation.

By the time he put down his brush, Professor Kong had already invited Lu Shiyi to his exhibition the following month.

Yu Qingchuan looked utterly bewildered. Was Brother Yi showing off his incredible social skills again?

He had even won over Professor Kong.

The intense emotion on the canvas made Professor Kong's eyes light up instantly. He could see Yu Qingchuan's talent and inspiration, and felt increasingly regretful. He should never have listened to Li Chengze; he should have met Yu Qingchuan directly.

Fortunately, he had not missed his chance.

"I'll get your painting brought over right away and show Old Chen both that one and this one," Professor Kong said. "You're a promising young Romantic painter. Unfortunately, I'm a Classicist, so I can't teach you. But Old Chen would be the perfect teacher for you."

Lu Shiyi asked calmly, "Professor Kong, may I trouble you to tell us who said Qingchuan had someone else paint for him?"

"It was their student advisor." Professor Kong thought back. "He sounded certain at the time, and since you really hadn't attended classes before, I believed him. I owe you an apology for that. Your painting was absolutely good enough to be selected. I can't guarantee it would beat neighboring Q University, but you're very talented. Keep at it, and you're certain to achieve something in the future."

Receiving affirmation from a master like Professor Kong made Yu Qingchuan's eyes sparkle. Even pressing his lips together could not stop the corners of his mouth from lifting. Finally, he bowed. "Thank you, Professor Kong."

A thoughtful look crossed Lu Shiyi's face. Something sounded wrong with this student advisor. He needed to investigate.

Besides, Lu Shiyi had never pressed Yu Qingchuan about his physical condition. His intuition told him these matters were all connected.

He needed to get to the bottom of them together.

"Professor Kong, I'm afraid there may be some misunderstanding here," Lu Shiyi said. "Could I ask you to give these two paintings directly to Mr. Chen Shujun? Until we've established the truth, please don't mention this to anyone else."

Professor Kong looked at Lu Shiyi and agreed.

After handing the rolled-up painting to Professor Kong, Yu Qingchuan left with Lu Shiyi, his steps light. As soon as he got into the car, he thanked him. "Brother Yi, thank you so much."

Without Lu Shiyi, he would not have suspected anything when he learned his painting had been rejected. He would only have assumed he lacked talent and begun doubting himself.

Still, he had to find a way to fight back. First, he needed to discover whether their student advisor was working with Su Ningyue.

It was almost certainly the case, but he needed evidence.

He considered it. Maybe he could pay a hacker or a private investigator? Wasn't that how it worked in novels?

Yu Qingchuan instinctively did not want to trouble Lu Shiyi. After all, he had already helped him so much.

Lu Shiyi did not want Yu Qingchuan wasting his energy on these sordid matters either. He would resolve everything beforehand; Yu Qingchuan only needed to focus on his own affairs.

Each of them was thinking of the other. It was love at its most beautiful.

"Brother Yi, you've never had my cooking. How about I cook for you tonight?" Yu Qingchuan really did not know how to thank Lu Shiyi, so this was the only thing he could think of for now. "Cooking is actually really enjoyable, especially when I'm cooking for you."

His eyes shone, beautiful and captivating, making it very hard for Lu Shiyi to refuse.

So Lu Shiyi agreed. "All right. Just make something simple. I'll help you."

"Okay!"

They went to a fresh-food supermarket together, and Yu Qingchuan bought plenty of ingredients. But when he saw ingredients Lu Shiming liked, he hesitated for a moment before asking, "Brother Yi, can we invite Shiming over for dinner?"

Since he was cooking anyway, one extra mouth would not make much difference.

Lu Shiyi instinctively frowned and was about to refuse, but Yu Qingchuan pleaded again. "Brother Yi, Shiming took really good care of me while you were asleep."

"All right. Whatever you want." Lu Shiyi was very reluctant, but on second thought, letting his younger brother have a good meal before beating him up was fine too.

Yu Qingchuan called Lu Shiming, who was instantly touched. He knew it! His Sister-in-Law was the best in the world!

"Sister-in-Law, I bought you presents! I'll bring them over after work!"

His brother still had some conscience and had transferred him a seven-figure allowance. Aside from buying things he liked, he had also spent a fortune on another set of high-end oil paints for his Sister-in-Law, as well as a collector's album of a master's paintings.

As for a present for his brother... Who was that? Did he even have a brother?

That evening, Lu Shiming happily arrived with his gifts to mooch a meal. The moment he entered, a rich aroma hit him and instantly made his mouth water.

"Sister-in-Law, I'm here!" Lu Shiming greeted Yu Qingchuan with a smile and put down the presents. Many dishes were already on the dining table, and his brother was wearing an apron and helping out too.

At Lu Shiming's words, Lu Shiyi shot him a cold look that made him shudder.

"Go wash your hands first. There's just one dish left. It'll be ready soon."

"Okay!"

Once the final dish, cheese-baked lobster, was plated, that evening's meal was complete.

Yu Qingchuan barely needed to lose any more weight now. Because of his medication, however, his weight was still dropping, though no longer as rapidly as before.

He had also discovered that he probably did not gain weight easily, so he could eat a little more of tonight's feast.

Lu Shiming tucked in heartily without even lifting his head, yet still remembered to praise Yu Qingchuan's exceptional cooking.

Lu Shiyi had a nourishing congee and only ate dishes that were easy to digest.

Yu Qingchuan really was an excellent cook, and his food had a taste that belonged uniquely to home. Lu Shiyi liked him more and more. His own taste truly was impeccable.

Lu Shiming ate until his belly had grown a little rounder. After Lu Shiyi ordered him to clear the dishes, he wanted to linger and chat with Yu Qingchuan, only for Lu Shiyi to send him packing.

Lu Shiming nearly got angry enough to hit his brother again.

Suppressing a laugh, Yu Qingchuan got up to see Lu Shiming out.

But just as he closed the door and was about to turn around, someone suddenly caught his wrist. A pull caught him off guard, and Lu Shiyi pinned him against the wall.

Lu Shiyi held his slender waist with one hand and braced the other against the wall, leaning down slightly to look at him.

Even viewed from below, Lu Shiyi's face was flawless and striking. But his deep eyes now held a trace of restraint and danger.

"Qingchuan, we agreed before that I'd reward you with a kiss on the forehead if your painting was shortlisted." Lu Shiyi's slightly husky voice sent a tingling thrill through him. His gaze skimmed over Yu Qingchuan's smooth, full forehead, then slowly moved downward. "But I'm sorry. I'd rather kiss your lips..."

"May I?"