321 Payment from the Artis

As for why she had never bought herself a personal seal: she never actually gave her seals much thought or appreciation, considering that she wasn't a famous artist. Adding a seal on her artwork wouldn't make it sell faster. However, now, considering that she was much more interested in pursuing the arts for reasons outside of finance, she was actually quite delighted to receive this present.

From everything else that she had received in the past, be it other art supplies, jewelry, or even food, nothing could quite compare to this. Perhaps it was because of the fact that it was custom-made, bought as something just for her.

Yujia picked up a small, flat, and circular ceramic container, lifting the lid to reveal the red cinnabar paste within. She looked at Zixu, as if asking "May I?" 

He waved his hand with a slight shrug of his shoulder, as if replying, "Why not?"

Seeing that, Yujia gently pressed the bottom of the stamp into the ink paste. Once it was evenly coated in the red, she transferred it to her nearly finished painting, watching the red ink highlight the corner of that page. 

Seeing her name in the jade was slightly difficult at first, but now that she saw it on the page, as clear as ink, she could certainly recognize all the strokes and lines that made up her name. Yang Yujia.

"The stamp you used," Zixu explained as he gestured at the green jade in her hand, "is the Yin seal. The Yang seal compliments it well. I picked two different colors, to make them both easier to differentiate."

Tapping her fingers against the side of the seal, Yujia asked, "Did you just happen to see a set of good seals in the marketplace? How did you think of getting me this?"

"Remember when I asked you for the date of your birthday?" he responded.

"A week ago, wasn't it?" 

He gave a brief nod. "I had purchased them around then. I noticed you didn't have a custom seal stamp, so I wanted to give them to you as a birthday gift. Except, considering how yours had already passed, perhaps this is a late gift. I didn't want to keep it until next year."

Wiping the bottom of the stamp she used clean, Yujia slid it back into the box. She closed the lid and didn't hold back the smile that was spreading on her lips. "Thank you so much. Really."

"Is that so? I'm sure the wooden ones looked good. You can be a little too harsh on yourself."

"They were really bad." He raised an eyebrow, reaching into his sleeve. "Take a look for yourself, if you don't believe."

From there, he pulled out a seal stamp that was about the same size as the jade ones. It was made of a similar-colored wood as the box Yujia held right now. Yujia took it from him and turned it over. Her name was carved there, in a similar style as the jade stamps, but there were indeed a few mistakes here or there. The bottom surface of the wooden stamp was just too small. The carving had been detailed, meticulous, yet there still were a few locations were the wood chipped or the knife carved a little too much. However, those mistakes were so miniscule that they required her to carefully observe in order to spot. Calling them bad was far too much of an exaggeration. 

Then again, it was also very fitting for Yu Zixu to label his near-perfect works as horrible simply because of a single mistake.

"What do you mean?" Yujia ended up complaining, laughing. "This is wonderful! I barely see any faults" 

Zixu flattened his lips into a straight line. "If you try stamping with it, you'll see. It's not very perfect at all. There are far many stray cuts here and there." Leaning his head a little closer, he reached his hand forward and brushed a corner of the stamp. "Don't you see how it's slightly off-center there?"

Yujia squinted her eyes, but she still couldn't tell. Off-center was one of the things she did not notice about it. "Not at all." She then closed her fingers around it and held it a little closer. "Can I keep it?"

"Why?" He seemed genuinely puzzled that she would want this "failure" of his.

"Because it's so cute. Plus, you made it yourself. So, it's an infinite times more precious to me." She gave him a teasing grin. "Since you were carving it for me, isn't it right that I get to keep it?"

"Give it back." Zixu sighed, pretending to be irritated. "Let me burn it."

"Never. I'll keep it safe forever," Yujia quipped.

He protested, "This is robbery."

She answered, "Then, I'll pay you."

"How so?" Zixu raised his eyebrows. "I don't lack taels."

"If that's the case—" 

Yujia leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss on his cheek.

Zixu paused. He blinked. And then, he blinked again.

Seeing his reaction, she couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you acting so surprised?" 

He let out a small laugh as well. "It was unexpected. This is payment?" 

"I believe I heard something along the lines of… 'the almighty Yu Family's First Young Master doesn't lack taels,' hm?" 

"Ah." He blinked and looked down, laughing again. After that, he swiftly looked up, putting on a bright smile. "Give me payment for all the two other seals, then."

She wrinkled her nose and scoffed. "Shameless."

"I'm merely being a good businessman, don't you think?" he replied. 

She couldn't help but laugh again.

…

Fu Yushang had been missing for so long. He felt like he was missing in his own life, the past month or so. All the work piled onto him eventually got to the point where it made him feel like he was just floating through things without a brain. And now, somehow, he was back to himself.

Today was a good day. A very, very good day.

He had taken the Lingxin examination a while back, and of course he got into the academy, considering how he was just that skilled in art. After that, there came the task of becoming a master of the school's disciple, so that he could call himself Yang Yujia's fellow disciple. Even if he was younger than her, he wouldn't mind being her junior brother either. 

He didn't think that this task would be difficult. He was the crown prince, after all. How could anyone dare to reject him as a disciple?

So, it was really to no surprise at all when he found out that the head of the school wanted to take him in as a disciple, along with pretty much every other master at Lingxin. His ego was inflated for a very good reason, such as this one.

Regardless, now, holding the exclusive disciple pendant, Yushang happily skipped through the entirety of Lingxin. 

School center for disciples only? He got in. Private library which Ye Yunhe told him he couldn't enter before? He was stepping into those library doors now, wasn't he?

Yushang never realized that there was so much thrill in exploring places which he had been forbidden from before.

He really wanted to see his business partner, and to celebrate with her his new status as a disciple. It was not only so that he could increase his pride, but also that she was the only person who ever truly seemed to care. The others may have told him congratulations, but the sincerity behind their words was always directed towards his title as a prince. She treated him like he was an actual friend.

Or perhaps more, Yushang did occasionally hope. 

He had arrived at terms with his feelings a long while back, no longer seeing it as "witchcraft" or whatever childish excuses he had thought of at the time to support his denial. Yet as he thought about it, he also realized that he didn't want to rush things at all. He was fine with staying at just friends. He was afraid of losing this rare friendship that he had. 

Therefore, the reason he wanted to see her today was just to celebrate. It was a reason as simple as that.

When he looked in the library and other places, he didn't find her. He looked through the crowd of disciples and didn't see her either. There was only one place he hadn't checked yet, other than the villas, and that was the Lingxin Pavilion itself. As he approached, he hummed a light tune, quite pleased with the jade pendant he held in his hand.

And then, he saw her.

Yang Yujia was there, in the pavilion, sitting at a table. But she wasn't alone. There was another person with her, someone dressed in disciple robes.

Yushang paused, a good distance away. She had her back turned mostly away from him. But still, he could see what she was doing, clearly.

She was leaning close with that disciple. He said something, and then she paused. After that, all of a sudden, she leaned forward and pressed her face close to that man. A kiss. She leaned back. She laughed. He laughed. They talked some more.

Yushang looked away.

He turned around and began walking back. His face burning, he tightened his hands around that jade pendant he was so proud of just a moment ago. His footsteps quickened.

He felt angry. Not at her; the more he thought about it, the angrier he was at himself. He should've known better. All along, didn't she just see him as a friend? A younger brother? Of course she would have someone else that she truly, romantically liked. Why did he expect more? 

It wasn't only anger. Now, he felt more dumb than anything. Idiotic. Childish. Selfish. A wave of emotions overcame him.

Yushang stopped in his steps, coming across a small pond. He walked to its edge and stopped there, staring at his reflection.

He saw her as one of his closest, only friends. Yet she didn't even know who he truly was. The image of him in her mind was nothing more than Bo Zhizhong, someone who didn't truly exist. Their relationship was built up entirely on lies.

Was it really right for him to feel this hurt? Yushang crumpled down to the grass, holding his head.

He couldn't help it. He really couldn't.