A Moment Too Late [GL] by cat喵

Chapter 41

“Guess?”

Shu Yubai said this and hung up the phone.

It was really cold.

Shu Yubai's mother knew she had gone to the studio, but she couldn't recall which studio or who was running it, so she couldn’t provide any details.

Nan Xue stood downstairs in their apartment complex, surrounded by a few kids running around and making a noise. She squatted down slowly, her fingers numb from the cold, curled up for a while, then stood up again.

She got into her car and drove to You Fu's studio, but found no one there.

Someone else at the studio answered the door:

“Who are you looking for?”

“You Fu,” she said softly.

The person inside responded, “I’m her student. The teacher is out on some business.”

With that, the door was shut.

Nan Xue walked away.

At this time in the afternoon, there weren’t many people around. The slanting sunlight reflected off the winter snow, casting a faint golden glow.

For a moment, she began to regret.

She had dismissed the person she had hired to follow Shu Yubai.

Initially, she just didn’t want Shu Yubai’s privacy to be known by anyone other than herself. But now she realized that many things aren’t as easy to control as she thought.

She opened WeChat and sent a message to Shu Yubai from a secondary account:

[Sister, did you go out today?]

Shu Yubai replied quickly:

[No, I’m busy.]

[Image.]

[I’m painting. Let’s talk later.]

The image showed her painting desk, with rice paper, paints, brushes, and various scattered items. A gray felt mat beneath had faint ink stains.

She’s painting?

Nan Xue responded: [Okay, sister, you go ahead.]

It seemed she wasn’t with You Fu.

But where did she go?

••••

At Ying Ran’s studio, each day followed a repetitive schedule: wake up at seven, start painting, practice basic skills like sketching flowers, plants, and trees, then move on to creating small paintings.

Every day, Ying Ran would spend two hours reviewing her practice, giving guidance and pointing out areas for improvement.

Sometimes, when busy, she wouldn’t be able to rest until ten at night.

After a week of this routine, Xiao Yi contacted her.

Originally, she had planned to come here and had bought a ticket for Shu Yubai as well. However, since Shu Yubai’s confession failed and her departure plans were moved up, Xiao Yi came alone.

Xiao Yi returned Shu Yubai’s ticket and, after some time, came here with her girlfriend.

“How have you been lately?” Xiao Yi asked on the phone.

“Good,” Shu Yubai replied, sitting by the window and looking at a plum blossom covered in snow, sparse but strong, “better than before.”

“Oh?” Xiao Yi laughed lightly: