Chapter 22 Part 1

The next day, Xu Zhinan woke up very early. Jiang Yue was still asleep.

Lin Qingye had been at her shop last night. Xu Zhinan kept thinking about it and couldn't sleep soundly, so she got out of bed early.

Hearing the movement, Jiang Yue rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. "Ah Nan, why are you up so early today?"

"Something came up at the shop." Xu Zhinan glanced at her. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was about to go to the library anyway."

Xu Zhinan checked the time. "It's not even seven yet. You're not usually up this early. You should sleep a little longer."

Jiang Yue let out a few loud "ahhs," stretched, and reluctantly climbed down from her bed, saying, "One must endure the bitterest of hardships to stand above the rest."

Xu Zhinan chuckled and patted her on the shoulder. "Go for it, art academy grad student."

The two washed up and went out together. After having breakfast at the cafeteria across from their dorm building, they parted ways. Jiang Yue went to the library, and Xu Zhinan exited through the south gate to head to her shop.

She unlocked the door and entered the shop. The curtain around the workstation was already half-open, but from her angle, she still couldn't see what was inside.

She took a few steps forward, took off her backpack and placed it on the table, then turned her head to look.

Her gaze met Lin Qingye's dark, heavy eyes.

He was already awake. Once he was awake, the alcohol had worn off too. The fragile state from last night was gone, and he was back to his usual self.

He was holding the note Xu Zhinan had written for him last night.

The spare key wasn't used, but that was fine too. It saved her the trouble of him coming and going as he pleased once he had a key.

Xu Zhinan retracted her gaze and silently put away the spare key that had been on the table.

"Is there any water?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

Xu Zhinan paused, poured him a glass of water, and placed it by the workstation. Without a word, she walked back to the table and continued with her work.

Lin Qingye tilted his head back and downed the glass of water. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. She had poured him warm water, and it soothed his burning stomach.

"How did I end up here?" he asked with a frown.

“...”

So he'd forgotten everything.

Just like her last time, he'd blacked out.

Xu Zhinan recalled the things he said last night, from the cold, harsh, "You really think he likes you that much? Isn't he just after your face?" to the final, lonely, "Ah Nan, you don't like me anymore."

Xu Zhinan shook her head and said, "You came here after getting drunk."

He raised a hand to press the space between his brows and let out a low chuckle. "Did I disturb you?"

"It was fine. The last customer had already left by then," Xu Zhinan said honestly.

She took out a tattoo mask from a drawer and gave it to him. "Wear this when you go out."

It was still early, so there weren't many pedestrians or cars on the road. It was unlikely he'd attract attention, but it was better to be cautious.

"All you do now is try to chase me away," he said.

Xu Zhinan's outstretched hand paused, and she glanced at him.

Last night, she had indeed told him to leave several times. He didn't know how he got here, yet he remembered the words she said.

Lin Qingye turned his head away awkwardly, being the first to break eye contact for once.

Xu Zhinan understood. Someone like him, who was used to drinking, wouldn't black out completely from beginning to end so easily. He probably felt that his behavior last night was too humble and embarrassing, so he was just pretending not to know.

Xu Zhinan didn't expose him and said nothing more after giving him the mask.

She took out the starry sky design draft, made a few more modifications, and after finalizing it, took out a sheet of practice synthetic skin, turned on the tattoo machine, and began to practice.

Lin Qingye went into the back room's bathroom to wash his face. When he came out, he put on the mask, ready to leave.

"By the way," Xu Zhinan said.

He stopped in his tracks, turned sideways to look at her, and raised an eyebrow.

"Your back is inflamed. Drink less alcohol and remember to apply the ointment." Her voice was very flat, as if she were instructing an ordinary customer.

Lin Qingye gradually straightened up. He stood against the light, his temples shaved very short, the angle of his jawline sharp. Even a hangover didn't affect him.

The Lin Qingye of the past was defined by his youthfulness—casual and free, without the constraints of adulthood. But now, though his eyes still held their usual unrestrained flamboyance, something seemed to have changed.

The aura of a youth enveloped the silhouette of a grown man.

Xu Zhinan belatedly thought, 'That's right, he's already graduated.'

He was no longer Lin Qingye, the fourth-year senior from Pingchuan University's music department, but the singer Lin Qingye.

He looked at her, the corners of his lips curling up, and obediently replied, "Okay."

He had agreed.

The tattoo design Xu Zhinan planned for the competition was very technically demanding. Due to the time limit, the design couldn't be too large, yet it had to showcase her skills and be refreshing to the eye.

She practiced on the synthetic skin for a week, and finally, the day of the competition arrived.

The venue for the preliminary round was large, located in the Yan City gymnasium. Rows of workstations had already been set up.

Walking in, it was bustling with many people. This competition had generated a lot of buzz in the tattoo community, and many tattoo artists from out of town had come specifically to compete.

Inside the venue were tattoo artists and their models, all adorned with tattoos of various styles.

The community that liked tattoos generally had a cool and handsome style, regardless of gender. With a single glance, one could see hair of so many different colors that they could form a color palette.

When Xu Zhinan walked into the venue, she visually looked like a pure little deer that had mistakenly wandered into a tiger's den.

Black hair, fair skin, not a single tattoo on her body. She wore a simple T-shirt and denim shorts, the edges of the shorts rolled up a layer to reveal a lighter shade of denim, wrapping around her legs that easily drew people's eyes.

She carried her tool bag and scanned the entrance for a moment before stepping in. Xu Zhenfan, however, had already spotted an acquaintance and called out in his deep and resonant voice, "Brother Lu!"

The man he called turned his head. "Yo! Zhenfan!"

Xu Zhinan was slightly taken aback, noticing that the tattoo artist he called was the man with the full-sleeve tattoo she had met when she went to submit her portfolio.

Only then did Xu Zhinan realize why the tattoos on his arm had seemed familiar last time; they were likely "from the same master" as the ones on Xu Zhenfan's arm.

Sure enough, the next second, Xu Zhenfan introduced him to her. "Here, this is Lu Xihe, also a tattoo artist. The azure dragon and white tiger on my arm were done by him. He's also the shop manager of 'Assassin'."

Assassin was the most high-end tattoo shop in Yan City, and all its resident tattoo artists were top-tier.

Xu Zhinan nodded, followed Xu Zhenfan's lead, and said politely, "Hello, Brother Lu."

Lu Xihe laughed heartily, slapped his thigh, and pointed at Xu Zhinan, saying to Xu Zhenfan, "I've seen this girl!"

“...”

"What a coincidence," Xu Zhenfan slapped his forehead. "Damn, how could I forget, you tattoo artists probably all know each other to some extent, right?"

Lu Xihe smiled but didn't elaborate on their previous meeting. Instead, he asked, "Zhenfan, what are you doing here?"

"I'm this Miss Ah Nan's tattoo model," he said, patting his chest grandly.

Lu Xihe's expression instantly became subtle. Although Gu Congwang had told them before that she was very skilled, no one had believed him, thinking it was just a little boyfriend coaxing his girl with nonsense.

Not just Lu Xihe, but many tattoo artists present also cast assessing glances her way. Xu Zhinan's pretty looks were eye-catching enough.

Most of those looks were filled with curiosity and a bit of disdain; they didn't see her as a competitor.

"Which group are you in?" Lu Xihe asked.

"Realism."

Lu Xihe raised an eyebrow. Everyone knew that Realism tested one's fundamentals, and among the four groups, Realism had the fewest people.

"I'm in Totem."

Xu Zhinan had already guessed as much and nodded.

Lu Xihe treated her completely like a child, even making a fist in an encouraging gesture. "Go for it!"

"Thank you," Xu Zhinan said seriously. "You too."

Lu Xihe burst out laughing. Watching Xu Zhinan go to the registration desk, he put an arm around Xu Zhenfan's shoulder. "Bro, this little gal is pretty cool."

"This is work, you know. She's just being serious."

After registering her name, Xu Zhinan received a number tag. Following the location assigned by her group, she and Xu Zhenfan went to their workstation.

Putting down her tool bag, Xu Zhinan took out the items she would need and arranged them neatly.

Xu Zhenfan was outgoing and quickly started chatting with the tattoo artists around them. Pointing at Xu Zhinan, he continued to introduce her to everyone, "This is tattoo artist Ah Nan, she's incredibly talented. She majored in painting in undergrad, which is a rare professional background among you tattoo artists."

He grew more and more exaggerated, and Xu Zhinan, embarrassed, tugged at his clothes.

"What's wrong?"

Xu Zhinan placed her index finger to her lips and shushed him. "Don't boast on my behalf."

Xu Zhenfan laughed. "How is this boasting? I'm telling the truth. Your skills are really something else."

He praised her until she was about to blush, and only then did he stop. He leaned closer to her ear. "It's a strategy, right? We have to make them underestimate you now."

“...”

Xu Zhenfan made an "OK" gesture. "Got it."

“...”

After everyone had arrived, the organizers went on stage, said a few simple words without any nonsense, and the competition began.

Xu Zhenfan's arms were already covered in tattoos, so this time he chose the outer thigh, where the skin was tougher and less sensitive to pain.

However, just fifteen minutes in, Xu Zhinan discovered that Xu Zhenfan's pain reaction was first-rate.

Even in a location like the outer thigh, he was still wailing in pain. His voice was deep, and one wail immediately made everyone around them look over.

Xu Zhinan stopped her work, glanced at him, and asked softly, "Can you still hold on?"

Xu Zhenfan closed his eyes and steeled himself. "Just keep tattooing!"

The scene amused everyone around them, and they burst into laughter.

Xu Zhenfan was stout and strong, not looking like someone who would be afraid of pain. Everyone immediately placed the blame on Xu Zhinan—if the tattoo artist's technique was poor, it would naturally hurt the client.

Someone even asked Xu Zhenfan with a smile, "Brother, is this your little sister?"

He gave a thumbs-up and said with sincere admiration, "An elder brother is like a father!"

Xu Zhinan: “...”

Xu Zhenfan was in too much pain to answer.

She began to feel fortunate that she hadn't chosen a large tattoo design. However, for a realistic tattoo like this, all the details had to be handled more delicately, which meant the tattoo needle had to puncture the skin even more densely.

The entire tattoo process lasted for six hours. In the middle, because Xu Zhenfan's wails were too tragic, Xu Zhinan deliberately slowed down.

It was only completed just before the deadline.

Xu Zhinan pulled a tissue from her bag and handed it to him. Xu Zhenfan wiped his tears, finally able to see the tattoo without a tear-filled haze.

After seeing it clearly, he was even more amazed by Xu Zhinan's technique.

The three colors—blue, purple, and white—perfectly captured the hazy, luminous state of a galaxy, looking more like it had been painted on bit by bit with a brush.