She Comes Into My Dreams Every Night - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Art Piece

Tu Zhuozhuo didn’t stay at Su Huaiwang’s house for long. The institution was still waiting for her interview, so by the seventh day, she had to rush back, no matter how unwilling she was.

The two were putting the suitcase into the trunk of the car. Tu Zhuozhuo’s mouth was pouted enough to hang an oil bottle, and she complained:

“Wouldn’t it be nice to just gap for two months after coming back to the country? Why so many things to do?”

Su Huaiwang patted her shoulder: “You’re twenty-five, the pillar of society. With great power comes great responsibility.”

“How does playing the piano support society? Are you gaslighting me? The less ability you have, the better your appetite!”

“Alright, alright, stop complaining. Your parents probably miss you too.”

Since Su Huaiwang had said that, Tu Zhuozhuo just snorted and said no more.

With the suitcase loaded, Su Huaiwang closed the trunk with a thud, walked to the front, opened the car door, and sat in the driver’s seat.

As she pulled the seatbelt, it was hard not to notice the fair hand resting by her side. Following the hand up, the entire exposed arm was clean and snowy white, completely free of sun marks. Then came the straight shoulder, the slender neck… and finally, the beautiful face.

Lin Jue was sitting in the passenger seat, buckled up, looking demurely. Her eyes blinked at Su Huaiwang, accompanied by a smile.

Su Huaiwang clicked the seatbelt into the buckle, turning her head forward without changing her expression, masking the fact that her heart rate had slightly increased.

The car started slowly. Su Huaiwang looked through the rearview mirror and saw Tu Zhuozhuo sprawling across the spacious back seat, which immediately fueled her anger.

Friends, you really love them when you love them, and you really hate them when you hate them.

Heaven knows how Tu Zhuozhuo managed to get along so well with Lin Jue in just one week and even asked her to come along to send her off!

When Tu Zhuozhuo told her, she almost couldn’t restrain her urge to hit her.

But Tu Zhuozhuo was completely unconcerned: “Hey, once I’ve left, you two can hang out around there anyway. Consider it a date.”

What does she mean, “consider it a date”? Did she consider Lin Jue’s feelings? For that matter, did she consider her feelings, the one who was trying desperately to restrain herself?

Su Huaiwang finally couldn’t hold back and flicked Tu Zhuozhuo on the head.

Afterward, she went to ask Lin Jue herself, subtly conveying that it was okay to refuse if she didn’t want to go. But to Su Huaiwang’s surprise, it was exactly as Tu Zhuozhuo said: Lin Jue gladly accepted the invitation.

“I quite want to go out for a walk, and I’ve never been to Nancheng,” Lin Jue had said.

Nancheng was a second-tier city about sixty to seventy kilometers from their location. It wasn’t very bustling, but its size still qualified it as a major city. Tu Zhuozhuo needed to take the high-speed rail from the Nancheng station back to the provincial capital, where her home was.

The mountain road was winding, and the SUV bumped along. Yet, Tu Zhuozhuo in the back seat was restless, occasionally leaning her head forward:

“Do you want water? Do you want chips? I have oranges here, do you want one?”

Su Huaiwang felt like she was driving a child on a family trip. A vein was throbbing on her forehead, and she suppressed her anger as she said:

“Do you see me having a hand free to peel an orange?”

The hand reaching out from the back seat had just handed Lin Jue an orange. Upon hearing this, Tu Zhuozhuo immediately replied: “I’ll peel one and feed you! To reward you for your hard work driving.”

After saying that, she nudged Lin Jue, who was meticulously peeling the orange. The girl, inspired, held out a peeled segment to the driver’s mouth:

“Here.”

Lin Jue, in her peripheral vision, was all smiles, making it hard to refuse.

Su Huaiwang sighed internally, opened her mouth, and ate the orange segment, chewing as she said, “I’m driving…”

“Come on,” Tu Zhuozhuo interrupted her: “With your snail’s pace, what could possibly happen?”

“I’m prioritizing safety, alright?” Su Huaiwang retorted.

The two began bickering like this. Lin Jue in the passenger seat said nothing, just quietly peeled oranges, feeding segments to Su Huaiwang one by one. By the end, Su Huaiwang not only lost the argument but also had her stomach nearly full. She could only surrender:

“That’s enough, that’s enough, I can’t eat anymore…”

Lin Jue suddenly realized and stopped peeling oranges, collecting the pile of peels.

Su Huaiwang breathed a sigh of relief, secretly complaining about Tu Zhuozhuo:

Why did she buy so many oranges! They all ended up in my mouth!

The sixty-plus kilometer journey was neither long nor short, but crucially, more than half of it was mountain road, so it took quite some time before Su Huaiwang finally dropped Tu Zhuozhuo off at the high-speed rail station.

When saying goodbye, Tu Zhuozhuo carried two large suitcases, looking reluctant, but the moment she turned around, her feet were practically skipping with joy.

Su Huaiwang sighed at the sight, and the sigh accidentally escaped her lips, immediately drawing Lin Jue’s attention.

“What’s wrong? Are you very sad? Because your friend left?” Su Huaiwang wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Lin Jue’s words carried an inexplicable lightness, yet she deliberately emphasized the word “friend.”

“I’m not that sad.” Su Huaiwang shook her head, hesitating before finally speaking:

“I just feel that even though we’re good friends, our personalities are truly worlds apart.”

Lin Jue looked at Tu Zhuozhuo’s retreating figure that had disappeared into the station, then looked at Su Huaiwang, and suddenly said something serious: “You’re better.”

Su Huaiwang: “?”

Lin Jue noticed her confusion and looked apologetic: “I’m sorry, did I say the wrong thing?”

Su Huaiwang smiled. She had gotten used to Lin Jue’s occasional astonishing remarks. The other person definitely didn’t mean it in that sense.

“It’s nothing. I know you were trying to comfort me.”

They walked out of the station while talking:

“I don’t mean that I’m good or she’s bad. I just feel that our lifestyles are truly different. She’s actually better suited for life in a big city.”

Tu Zhuozhuo’s social media accounts were never short of pictures of her attending various parties and events. She was at her most vibrant and lively amidst the colorful lights and shadows of the city. Accompanying Su Huaiwang in the countryside might be fine for a day or two, but Tu Zhuozhuo definitely wouldn’t be able to stand it for long.

Just as Tu Zhuozhuo didn’t want to force her, she didn’t want to force Tu Zhuozhuo. So Tu Zhuozhuo’s departure was also what she had hoped for.

Lin Jue looked at her and softly said: “I’m still here. You can come find me. We can still be together.”

Su Huaiwang was slightly stunned, feeling a little touched: “Thank you. What flavor do you want?”

They were standing in front of a milk tea shop.

Lin Jue glanced at the dizzying array of options on the menu and honestly shook her head: “I’ve never had it. Could you choose a flavor you like for me?”

Su Huaiwang was not at all surprised by Lin Jue’s answer and ordered two drinks for herself.

Handing the milk tea to Lin Jue, it was clear Lin Jue hadn’t been lying; she looked at the milk tea in her hand as if it were a complete stranger.

The sweet liquid touched her tastebuds, and the cool temperature immediately lifted Su Huaiwang’s mood, who had been in the heat for a while. She then recalled what Lin Jue had just said. Though touched, she didn’t take it too seriously, as she now knew that Lin Jue occasionally said ambiguous things but didn’t actually mean them.

Still, she was in a great mood and leaned a little closer to Lin Jue:

“Where do you want to go next?” She and Lin Jue had planned earlier to explore the city together after dropping off Tu Zhuozhuo.

The air around Lin Jue was cool, as if she had her own personal air conditioner. Su Huaiwang unconsciously moved closer.

“Is there anywhere you want to go?” Lin Jue threw the question back.

Su Huaiwang felt no need to hide it: “The museum and the art gallery.”

She was a little nervous saying this, as these places were visibly boring for young people.

Lin Jue didn’t hesitate: “Then let’s go see them. I’m quite interested too.”

Su Huaiwang smiled happily: “Great.” Without realizing it, she gestured a little too widely, and her arm brushed against Lin Jue’s.

She then realized she had accidentally gotten too close to Lin Jue and quickly backed away, a flush of pink spreading across her face.

Lin Jue didn’t seem to mind, just continuing to walk forward. Su Huaiwang felt a slight disappointment internally. This is the normal reaction of a straight person.

The small incident was quickly forgotten by Su Huaiwang.

After driving for a short while, the Nancheng City Museum appeared before them.

It was a massive building, bigger than the museums in many first-tier cities. Although Nancheng’s economy wasn’t particularly developed, its historical depth was something many emerging cities couldn’t compare to.

The art gallery was just across the street, so they could go there directly after the museum.

Su Huaiwang had visited this museum once when she first moved here, but two years had passed, and she had forgotten most of the exhibits. Now, looking at them was quite engaging.

Lin Jue quietly stayed by her side, occasionally exchanging a few words with her. This sense of peace and serenity made Su Huaiwang feel very comfortable.

She liked museums, not because of any special interest in history or culture, but simply because she enjoyed the atmosphere.

She didn’t have to struggle to interact with people or worry about where to focus her attention. Just strolling in this environment was enough for her to feel content.

Compared to the museum, the art gallery held less interest for her.

The reason was simple: she lacked artistic talent, and those works only registered as shapes to her. However, Tu Zhuozhuo enjoyed visiting art galleries and exhibitions, so over time, Su Huaiwang got used to including these types of places in her itinerary.

Like the piano, Su Huaiwang had briefly studied painting. Even now, painting tools were stored on her second floor, but she simply didn’t like it.

A brightly colored painting in front of her was condensed in her eyes. She turned her head, and the brief visual stimulation instantly vanished from her brown irises.

Lin Jue isn’t next to me?

She suddenly realized, feeling a little anxious.

It should have been perfectly normal for a friend not to be right next to her while visiting a gallery. Su Huaiwang shouldn’t have felt nervous, but Lin Jue’s consistent silent presence had made her so accustomed to seeing her with a turn of her head that she now felt uneasy.

Su Huaiwang searched the crowd with some urgency, finally spotting Lin Jue in front of a painting not far from her.

Lin Jue was looking up, immersed in a work on the wall. Beside her, passersby rushed by like film silhouettes. The spotlight meant for the painting shone not only on the undulating pigments but also on the person, who looked like a flawless sculpture.

An art piece.

Even the lowered eyelashes and shadows seemed infused with the Creator’s effort.

Su Huaiwang’s breath hitched. She forced herself to move, walking to her side, reluctant to break the quiet beauty.

But Lin Jue noticed her, turned, and smiled: “This painting is very beautiful.”

Unfortunately, Su Huaiwang wasn’t skilled at appreciating art. She struggled to shift her gaze from Lin Jue to the incomprehensible painting, mumbling in response: “Mhm… mhm…”

Lin Jue leaned closer to her, almost whispering: “Here, the handling of this part, it’s soft, yet very intense. When you look at it, it’s like…”

The girl was still lost in the painting, softly voicing her interpretation.

Su Huaiwang asked after listening: “Do you really like art?”

For some reason, the girl who had been speaking softly about her fondness suddenly faltered: “…Perhaps.”

Su Huaiwang didn’t notice the subtle anomaly, merely suggesting seriously: “I have painting supplies at home. Maybe we could paint together sometime.”

Lin Jue’s body, which had stiffened at the mention of her past life, slowly relaxed. Her amber eyes, mixed with a gentle light, tilted completely back onto Su Huaiwang. She spoke, her voice so soft it was almost overflowing:

“Sounds good.”