The secret Lu Yuyao had kept hidden in the depths of her heart was finally “accidentally” discovered by Jiang Ling.
After being found out, Lu Yuyao seemed to give up on herself and made a complete confession.
Jiang Ling didn’t press for details; at most, she felt a sense of surprise and admiration that Lu Yuyao could actually draw R18 art of beautiful girls.
What a talent!
Lu Yuyao sat on the edge of the bed, looking like she had finally found an audience she could talk to, and poured out everything she had been bottling up.
She shared her experiences of drawing illustrations alone over the years, the joy of being recognized by clients and industry insiders, the sadness of having her work rejected, and the frustration of being unable to find inspiration…
She said everything there was to say.
When Lu Yuyao looked up again, her beautiful eyes were slightly shimmering with tears, and her voice trembled a little.
“You must think that someone who draws these kinds of pictures is terrible.”
“Can I flip through them again?”
“Huh?”
Lu Yuyao thought she was hallucinating.
She looked at Jiang Ling in disbelief.
The disgust and disdain she had imagined would be on Jiang Ling’s face were nowhere to be found.
Instead, Lu Yuyao only saw an excitement in her eyes that seemed to ask, ‘Is there more?’
***
After that, Lu Yuyao confirmed that Jiang Ling not only didn’t mind her drawing R18 art, but even appreciated it more and more, repeatedly praising the high quality of her work.
Lu Yuyao didn’t know if being discovered was a good or bad thing.
After warning Jiang Ling that she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone else, she could only force herself to suppress the shame in her heart.
Since she had been found out anyway, she might as well tell Jiang Ling all her troubles!
Consider it the price she had to pay for letting her look at the art for free!
Recalling the embarrassment of that night, Lu Yuyao pouted unhappily and complained,
“Can you not ask this kind of question in broad daylight?”
Jiang Ling was puzzled.
“Is this something that shouldn’t see the light of day?”
It was just R18 art.
Lu Yuyao was stunned, not knowing whether to say Jiang Ling was thick-skinned or what.
She sighed and said,
“No, I still don’t have a shred of inspiration. I don’t even know what I want to draw.”
“Actually, part of the reason I wanted to go back to my hometown was for this. I feel like experiencing the atmosphere of nature and clearing my head might be more useful for sparking inspiration.”
“That makes sense. If you had said so earlier, I could have made you some fish soup to nourish your brain,” Jiang Ling said, rubbing her chin as if she were seriously considering it.
Lu Yuyao glared at her, making Jiang Ling laugh.
She was only joking; how could drinking fish soup be that useful?
However, there was something else that caught Jiang Ling’s attention.
She turned over to lie on her side, resting her chin on her hand, and asked seriously,
“Does even Sister Chenxi not know about your drawing?”
“Yeah, I didn’t tell Sister Chenxi.”
Lu Yuyao thought she wanted to share her embarrassing secret with Fang Chenxi.
Her eyes widened instantly as she said weakly,
“You promised me you wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“I know, I’ll keep your secret.”
Jiang Ling waved her hand to reassure Lu Yuyao.
She wasn’t that bored.
Besides, if she told someone and Lu Yuyao got stressed and stopped drawing, wouldn’t she be the one losing out?
Fang Chenxi didn’t even know about such a private matter, and the original book never seemed to mention that Lu Yuyao was an illustrator…
Was this a change she had triggered, or was it an event that was supposed to happen by default in the book world?
Jiang Ling couldn’t figure it out.
She reached out to rub her brow, feeling like her brain wasn’t enough to process these things.
Maybe she really did need to drink some fish soup.
Beep beep.
A car horn sounded outside the villa; the ride they called had arrived.
The two of them stood up, walked out of the villa, and got into a luxury car that looked quite expensive to head toward Liancheng New Village.
Jiang Ling was quite nervous.
When “meeting the parents” for the first time, one had to buy some gifts.
She couldn’t go empty-handed; she had to at least leave a good impression on the elders.
After confirming with Lu Yuyao that her parents couldn’t return due to work, Jiang Ling got out of the car halfway to buy some fruit and pastries suitable for the elderly.
Of course, she used her own earned money.
It wasn’t much, but she felt it showed more sincerity.
Seeing Jiang Ling’s nervous expression, Lu Yuyao covered her mouth and giggled.
She had only seen this look on Jiang Ling’s face when she first wore the maid outfit.
To help relieve her stress, Lu Yuyao took the initiative to tell her about her grandmother.
Lu Yuyao was essentially a second-generation rich child.
Her family had been wealthy since her grandparents’ generation.
Her grandfather, Lu Linzhou, was a local of Lotus City.
He was very capable; by the time he was in his thirties, he already managed four or five textile factories and was quite influential in the Lotus City area.
Her grandmother, Dong Hui, was a teacher who had been transferred from Jingcheng to teach at a primary school in Lotus City.
She was also a high-level intellectual.
The two were introduced by a matchmaker and took a liking to each other.
The marriage was settled, following the pattern of marrying first and falling in love later.
After the marriage, Lu Linzhou and Dong Hui were very affectionate.
Soon after, they had a child, who was Lu Yuyao’s father — Lu Qiping.
Dong Hui resigned from the school to focus on raising the child at home, and Lu Linzhou became even more motivated, working hard for the sake of his child.
The textile factories also expanded, growing larger and more numerous.
At the time, Lu Linzhou’s reputation was legendary in Lotus City and even throughout the province.
As she spoke, a hint of pride appeared on Lu Yuyao’s face.
She continued,
“After my second uncle and third aunt were born, the whole house became even livelier. The people in the village were very envious, saying the Lu family was truly blessed by their ancestors and that my grandfather was really successful.”
This was the first time Jiang Ling had heard the setting of the book from the heroine’s mouth.
She found it very novel and said with a smile,
“To be able to achieve such a level in that era is truly impressive.”
She knew the subsequent plot even if Lu Yuyao didn’t say it.
Lu Qiping was also an extraordinary person.
Even with the family foundation Lu Linzhou had built, he wasn’t content to rely on his parents and stay at home.
After graduating from university, he left Lotus City to make his way in the world.
A tiger father does not have a dog for a son.
That was why the Lu Group existed now, as a leading enterprise in the nation’s innovative technology sector.
Lu Yuyao was the only child of Lu Qiping and her mother, Fang Yun, and the only granddaughter of the Lu family.
She was deeply pampered.
It was truly an enviable life.
‘If I could become as successful as Uncle Lu by being a game companion and writing novels…’
Jiang Ling began to daydream.
The half an hour passed quickly, and the car stopped not far from the new village.
The road ahead seemed to be under construction, so the two got out and decided to walk.
“Your second uncle and the others won’t be home too, right?”
Jiang Ling suddenly realized that if Lu Yuyao’s uncles and aunts were also home, then the small amount of fruit and pastries she was carrying might look a bit meager.
She should have bought more.
Jiang Ling felt a bit annoyed.
After all, the Lu family had shown her great kindness; spending this small amount of money was nothing at all.
“Why do you care so much about this? My parents have already adopted you. You’re a part of the Lu family now. Can you please recognize your own status?”
“Sister Jiang?”
As if to dispel Jiang Ling’s unease, Lu Yuyao proactively called Jiang Ling “Sister” for the first time.
However, she immediately turned her head away after saying it, pretending to look at a nearby pond.
Several pink and peach-colored lotus flowers stood gracefully on the pond, looking extremely beautiful.
Since the Eldest Young Lady had said so, there was nothing left to worry about.
A smile played on Jiang Ling’s lips, and she felt a bit more warmth in her heart.