After summer vacation, Qiao Nan entered his senior year.
The entire senior year at Nanjiang Academy of Fine Arts was an internship period, and the Oil Painting Department, where Qiao Nan studied, had to start preparing for the graduation project.
The classmates who had been together for three years each went their separate ways in their final year, traveling all over the country and even abroad to seek inspiration for their graduation work.
Qiao Nan was one of them.
He thought about it carefully for a long time and decided not to go abroad again. Instead, he chose to return to the countryside for teaching support.
During the three months he taught in Dongzhao, besides sketching everywhere, he also created several portrait paintings, most of which used the children from the school as models.
The children’s thirst for knowledge and new things greatly inspired his creativity and allowed him to see and hear things he had never had the chance to experience before.
Old Li always said that when they picked up their brushes, they were not simply painting; they were expressing themselves.
Expressing for themselves, expressing for others.
Qiao Nan felt he had vaguely found the path he wanted to take in the future.
What he had to do now was to keep walking firmly along the road he had envisioned.
After learning from the responsible teacher about the “Three Supports and One Assistance” policy and the registration process, Qiao Nan went home feeling somewhat hesitant.
Pei Xu was working overtime today and came back late.
After dinner, he went to the study to handle work.
Qiao Nan waited anxiously for two or three hours before finally seeing him return.
He had already rehearsed a whole set of excuses in his mind and eagerly followed him inside.
“Bro,” Qiao Nan slowly scooted up beside him.
“So busy?”
Pei Xu shifted his gaze from the computer screen, took off his glasses, and placed them aside.
“Just reviewing some reports, will be done soon.”
Seeing he wasn’t occupied with important work, Qiao Nan immediately seized the opportunity and climbed onto his lap, facing him, clinging with a coquettish voice, “Bro, I want to tell you something…”
Pei Xu raised an eyebrow, leaning back into his chair calmly as he looked at him.
“Go ahead, tell me.”
Qiao Nan leaned in to give a kiss on his chin, trying to please him.
“I’m preparing for my graduation project, but Zhao Yutong and the others are all traveling abroad…”
“You want to go abroad to sketch? Where are you thinking of going?”
“I’m not going abroad.”
Qiao Nan shook his head, his voice slightly softer.
“I want to sign up for the ‘Three Supports and One Assistance’ program.”
He looked Pei Xu steadily in the eyes, his expression serious.
“I gained a lot from the three months teaching in Dongzhao.”
Pei Xu frowned slightly, his expression unreadable—neither clearly agreeing nor disagreeing.
“I’ll only go for one year.”
Qiao Nan raised a finger to gauge his reaction, sensing he wasn’t too approving.
But unwilling to give up, he wrapped his arms around Pei Xu’s neck and kissed his lips.
“If you miss me, you can come visit during holidays.”
Pei Xu’s expression was ambiguous.
His hand tightened slightly on Qiao Nan’s lower back, subtly pressing him closer.
Qiao Nan rested against his chest, vaguely understanding his intention.
Hesitating for a moment, he shyly returned the kiss.
In the past, Pei Xu had always taken the initiative, unleashing overwhelming waves he could barely handle.
But this time, it was Qiao Nan stepping into the tide himself.
His thick black eyelashes fluttered intensely.
His cheeks flushed red, breath uneven, yet he tried hard to imitate Pei Xu’s usual moves, like a diligent student answering questions and trying to please the examiner.
Just as he was about to half-kneel between Pei Xu’s legs, Pei Xu pulled him up.
“You really want to go that badly?”
Qiao Nan’s eyes were red-rimmed; he softly answered, “Mm.”
Pei Xu sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, then slid down to clutch his waist tightly, pulling him closer as he whispered near his ear, “Then you have to be more proactive, Nan Nan…”
Qiao Nan let out a low hum, tears welling at the corners of his eyes from the burning heat.
He bit his lip, blushing as he followed the man’s instructions.
Qiao Nan felt like a fish, repeatedly grilled in a hot pan.
Taking advantage of the moment, Pei Xu made many embarrassing demands, but Qiao Nan, feeling guilty, obediently agreed to them all.
By the end, he felt as if his bones had been taken out, only able to lie weakly in Pei Xu’s arms, submitting himself.
Meanwhile, Pei Xu sat neatly dressed in his wide leather office chair, feeling the slippery warmth of Qiao Nan’s trembling skin under his palm, kissed his eyes, and smiled with satisfaction.
“Nan Nan is so good.”
Qiao Nan’s skin was flushed, wishing he could curl up like a shrimp.
But there was nowhere to escape, so he squeezed closer into the man’s embrace, rubbing his chin and hoarsely saying, “I did everything you said. You can’t go back on your word.”
Pei Xu chuckled low and held him tighter.
“You want to go, then go. When have I ever stopped you?”
“Then why just now?!”
Qiao Nan widened his eyes in shock.
Pei Xu pinched the back of his neck, pressing their noses together, his gaze deepening.
“You’re going to be away for so long; just consider that a little early interest payment…”
***
The one-year teaching support passed faster than expected.
This time, Qiao Nan went to the West.
At first, he struggled a lot with altitude sickness and different living habits, but after adapting, it wasn’t as hard as he imagined.
Besides preparing lessons and teaching, he spent the rest of his time creating art.
Compared to the times in school when he would go bald trying to find inspiration for big projects, his creative output in the West exploded.
He regularly updated his Weibo with glimpses of local customs and his new paintings.
Fans who had initially followed him for his looks gradually settled down, and those who remained began to recognize and appreciate his work.
Although living conditions were tough, his spiritual world was rich.
Moreover, Pei Xu made time to visit him one or two days almost every month.
Every mountain climbed and every river crossed was carefully recorded, so next time Pei Xu came to see him, he could show him the majestic mountains and rivers.
Mellow.
They kissed beneath the silver-white snowy mountains and tangled fiercely and wildly on the spring grass.
The long distance didn’t weaken their feelings; instead, the fermentation of longing made every reunion more passionate than the last.
***
Half a month before the graduation ceremony, Qiao Nan finished his teaching support and returned to campus to prepare for the graduation exhibition.
He didn’t tell Pei Xu but quietly bought a ticket to return to Nanjiang ahead of schedule.
When he arrived at the Sainan Technology building, he happened to bump into Zhao Bo, who was coming back from outside.
“Qiao Shao…?”
Zhao Bo’s voice held a trace of hesitation.
He looked Qiao Nan up and down, his expression unable to hide his surprise.
“Is there something wrong with my appearance?”
Qiao Nan looked down at his clothes.
For convenience, he wore the most ordinary black short-sleeved shirt with black casual pants, clothes bought casually on Taobao during his teaching period—not some big brand, but dirt-resistant and durable.
He hadn’t changed when he came back to Nanjiang because there was nothing inappropriate about his daily wear.
Zhao Bo shook his head.
“No, no. It’s just that you seem very different.”
The Qiao Nan of the past was clearly a pampered young master, a delicate flower from a greenhouse—beautiful but fragile, unable to withstand wind or rain.
But now, Qiao Nan had acquired a new aura…
Zhao Bo’s poor literary skills made it hard to describe exactly, but if he had to say, it was an unmistakable artist’s vibe.
A unique and resilient vitality.
“Really?”
Qiao Nan looked at himself in the elevator mirror, glancing left and right but seeing no obvious difference.
Zhao Bo smiled and said no more.
When the elevator stopped, he pressed the door button and said, “President Pei is at the company. He’ll definitely be happy to know you’re back.”
Qiao Nan smiled in thanks and didn’t dwell on the earlier comment.
His steps were light as he headed to Pei Xu’s office.
Pei Xu was inside working.
Qiao Nan sneaked a look outside, then approached the door and knocked.
“Come in.”
The metallic male voice sounded without Pei Xu even raising his eyelids.
Qiao Nan closed the door and approached him, tapping on the desk with his fingers.
“Ding dong, President Pei, your little cutie has arrived. Do you want to sign for the delivery now?”
Pei Xu looked up and met the youth’s beautiful peach blossom eyes.
He lowered the blinds, pulled him onto his lap, and rubbed his nose against Qiao Nan’s neck, deeply inhaling his scent.
“When did you come back? Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”
Qiao Nan shivered from his nuzzles and tucked his neck, saying, “I wanted to give you a surprise.”
“It’s definitely a surprise.”
Pei Xu kissed his cheeks one after another, his warm lips trailing to the side of his neck, lightly biting, “So, may I inspect my surprise now?”
Qiao Nan’s eyes widened and pushed him away, “We’re still at the company.”
Pei Xu lifted him up and carried him to the lounge.
“It’s fine. No one will come in.”
***
At the end of June, the Nanjiang Academy of Fine Arts graduation exhibition was held as scheduled.
Qiao Nan’s graduation piece was selected by Old Li as an outstanding work and proudly displayed in the central exhibition area.
The exhibition was open to the public and accompanied by media coverage.
Many industry insiders and outsiders came to see the show.
This was also a way to give new graduates some initial exposure.
After the exhibition, many of the better works would be sold.
This year’s exhibition was especially competitive because of Qiao Nan’s exceptional case.
Earlier, at Old Li’s solo exhibition, Qiao Nan had already ridden some of the wave and attracted many fans, raising his profile.
Later, his intermittent updates of practice works on Weibo also attracted significant attention from industry investors.
The art investment field has never lacked speculators.
In the era of “traffic is king,” these people love to hype and manufacture gods, and they love to gamble.
Qiao Nan’s background, education, appearance, and painting skills all had no shortcomings, naturally attracting many speculators hoping to buy low and sell high.
His graduation work, “Spring,” after just two days on display, received inquiries from more than ten buyers, each offering higher prices than the last.
Pei Xu’s expression was hard to read as he listened to Zhao Bo’s report.
Zhao Bo cautiously asked, “Should we make a move?”
Previously, the boss had asked him to keep an eye on Qiao Shao’s graduation work, and he had assumed they wanted to buy it.
Unexpectedly, Pei Xu shook his head and said, “Have the PR department pay more attention to public opinion regarding Qiao Shao recently.”
“Yes.”
Zhao Bo didn’t understand but obediently carried out the order, puzzled.
After two rounds of bidding, “Spring” finally sold for 1.15 million yuan.
This price wasn’t high for art auctions but was astronomical for a just-graduated student.
The auction news leaked out, and a wave of messages swept across all social platforms: “Nanjiang Academy of Fine Arts’ genius painter,” “Graduation work sells for over a million,” “Rich second-generation painter—hype or talent?”
Qiao Nan’s name truly entered the public eye.
All his information and past were laid bare for discussion online.
Some recognized his ability, while others doubted him.
Labels like “rich second generation” and “hype” stuck on him, and they weren’t easy to shake off.
The PR department at Sainan Technology worked overtime to manage the public opinion.
Pei Xu’s expression darkened as he read the reports from the PR director.
But when he met Qiao Nan, he didn’t mention the online controversy even once, choosing his words carefully as if wanting to shield Qiao Nan completely.
Surprisingly, Qiao Nan said, “I’ve actually been reading the posts online.”
Pei Xu gently touched his face, a little heartbroken.
“I’ve already told PR to speed up their work, but someone is trying to push you, plus it hits a social hotspot, so the heat is hard to quell.”
“I don’t mind it.”
Qiao Nan held his hand, playing with his fingers, smiling with curved eyes.
“I’m kind of a public figure now, right? Old Li said if you want to stand in the light, you can’t fear the darkness around you. I want more people to see my paintings and want to illuminate more people, so I’m not afraid.”
He spoke seriously, “I will prove myself.”
Pei Xu’s gaze was tender as he looked at him.
“Nan Nan has grown up.”
The boy he had carefully protected had finally grown into a flourishing tree, strong enough to withstand storms.
Qiao Nan pressed his cheek against Pei Xu’s palm, rubbing gently, a smile involuntarily tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Because I have the best brother in the world.”
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