TLLKTBD CH 19

Chapter 19: Jin Lang, Do You Like Portrait Sketching?

Lu Qian had already gotten out of the car and walked a short distance before Jin Lang finally remembered to get out. As soon as he did, Lu Qian casually lifted the car keys in his hand and remotely locked the doors without even turning his head.

Jin Lang followed behind Lu Qian with his head down, unsure if he should say anything at this moment. But just before they entered the exhibition hall, Lu Qian suddenly turned around, his expression serious as he looked at Jin Lang. Caught off guard, Jin Lang bumped straight into Lu Qian’s chest.

Lu Qian grabbed the back of Jin Lang’s collar and pulled him away, putting some distance between them.

“Stop treating yourself like a commodity,” Lu Qian withdrew his hand from Jin Lang’s collar. “These things should be mutual. As for you—I have no interest. You can really put your mind at ease.”

Hearing that he had practically thrown himself at someone who wasn’t even interested, Jin Lang’s face, which had just started to cool down, instantly flushed again. This time, it was out of both frustration and embarrassment.

Seeing Jin Lang’s reddening eyes filled with irritation, Lu Qian let out a sigh. He had to knock some sense into him. If he had to repeat these words a few more times, he wasn’t sure he could still guarantee Jin Lang’s safe retreat.

Without another word, Lu Qian turned and walked into the exhibition hall.

“Ah, Xiao Lu, you’re here!” As soon as Lu Qian stepped inside, someone warmly greeted him. Seeing the familiar face, Lu Qian smiled in return.

“Teacher Ding, hello. The traffic was a bit heavy, so we arrived late,” Lu Qian said, then introduced Jin Lang, “This is my friend’s younger brother, Jin Lang. He’s a big fan of your work, so I brought him here to pay his respects.” Then, turning to Jin Lang, he said, “This is your idol, Teacher Ding Qiao.”

Jin Lang was stunned. He had always imagined that someone as renowned as Ding Qiao would be at least in his sixties. After all, accumulating such a body of work and reputation would take decades of effort. However, the person before him looked, at most, around forty.

“Teacher Ding, hello. I—I’m Jin Lang. I really love your artwork,” Jin Lang said, his eyes sparkling as he stared at the legendary artist before him, looking every bit like an excited fan meeting his idol.

“Ding Qiao?” A peculiar expression flashed across Ding Qiao’s face. He teased, “You only like my paintings? Not me as a person?”

“Ah, no! That’s not what I meant! I also really admire Teacher Ding as a person!” Jin Lang blurted out awkwardly. He had always assumed that someone of Ding Qiao’s stature would be strict and serious. But now that he was standing in front of him, he realized the man was not only young-looking but also incredibly easygoing and even a little playful.

Just then, another person approached, holding a DSLR camera in one hand. He casually hooked an arm around Ding Qiao’s neck and said teasingly, “Flirting with yet another admirer, huh?” His intimate demeanor showed no concern for the gazes of others.

The newcomer glanced at Lu Qian and gave him a slight nod before turning to Jin Lang. “Hello, I’m Ji Shengsheng, a photographer,” he said, raising his camera slightly in greeting.

“Hello, I’m Jin Lang,” Jin Lang replied politely, giving a small bow.

“Jin Lang?” Ji Shengsheng studied him for a moment before glancing at Ding Qiao. Ding Qiao gave him a barely noticeable shake of the head.

“Hey, Ji Sheng,” Lu Qian’s eyes flickered toward the rings on their ring fingers, and he chuckled, “Congratulations on finally getting what you wanted.”

“Of course! It took decades—I nearly died chasing him,” Ji Shengsheng grinned so widely his eyes practically disappeared, though his tone carried a playful complaint.

“Nearly died? No one forced you to chase after me. If you don’t like it, you can scram,” Ding Qiao said as he pushed Ji Shengsheng’s arm away and tidied up the collar that had been messed up.

“You’re the one I came for. If I have to scram, it’ll be straight back to you,” Ji Shengsheng murmured, his voice carrying a hint of playful whining. Ding Qiao kept a straight face, but his eyes couldn’t hide the amusement in them.

Jin Lang was completely bewildered by their exchange, watching the scene in a daze.

“Alright, let me take you inside,” Ding Qiao said, leading Jin Lang forward while Lu Qian and Ji Shengsheng lagged behind, casually chatting while taking photos.

“Xiao Lu, what have you been up to lately? You haven’t come to visit us in a while,” Ji Shengsheng asked as he toyed with his camera.

“Still working on the Lixie project,” Lu Qian said helplessly.

“What? That tiny Lixie project still isn’t done?” Ji Shengsheng was shocked. When Lu Qian had first taken on the design project for Ding Qiao’s Yunyan Studio, he had already been negotiating the Lixie project.

“We spent ages going back and forth on paper. The owner kept demanding design changes—switching colors, materials, even the type of stone. Director Xu nearly lost his mind and wanted to pay a penalty just to terminate the contract. Only then did the owner finally agree to let us start construction next week.”

“Sounds rough,” Ji Shengsheng patted Lu Qian on the shoulder. Dealing with clients who pretended to be experts and had endless opinions was a nightmare.

Lu Qian could only smile bitterly.

As they neared Ding Qiao and Jin Lang, they overheard Ding Qiao explaining, “A small portion of this exhibition consists of oil paintings, but the majority are sketches—especially portrait sketches. Jin Lang, do you like portrait sketching?”

“I do! It’s my favorite form of drawing,” Jin Lang answered enthusiastically. As they continued walking, they noticed that while it wasn’t yet peak visiting hours, quite a few people had already gathered. Among them were groups of high school students on a guided tour with their teachers. Seeing them, Jin Lang felt a sudden pang of envy.

Click! Ji Shengsheng snapped a candid photo of him before moving away. The soft sound of the shutter pulled Jin Lang out of his thoughts. Ding Qiao was still looking at him, waiting for him to continue speaking. Forced to respond, Jin Lang mustered his courage and said, “I think sketching is a legitimate form of artistic creation. Many people see it as merely the foundation of a painting, but I believe sketching itself is one of the purest forms of art. It uses monochrome lines to represent the visible world while also conveying thoughts, concepts, attitudes, emotions, fantasies, symbolism, and even abstract ideas.”

“Hmm,” Ding Qiao nodded, “Have you read my Introduction to Sketching?”

Jin Lang nodded with an embarrassed smile.

“That book is really dry—my students cry over it all the time.”

“I don’t think so! I found it fascinating,” Jin Lang said, then paused. “Your students are really lucky to have you as their teacher.”

That peculiar look appeared on Ding Qiao’s face again. He said nothing further, simply continuing to guide Jin Lang through the exhibition, explaining the stories behind each piece.

(To be continued…)