Chapter 103: Flowers Across the Universe

5:30 in the afternoon.

After a full day of fun at the amusement park, everyone finally gathered at the entrance.

Once Yuan Yuan confirmed the headcount and made sure no one was missing, she gave a nod to Driver Xiao Zhang.

The bus carrying everyone began the journey back.

Inside the bus, all the adults were slumped in their seats, too exhausted to move.

But the Little Radish Heads were still buzzing with excitement, chattering away about their adventures.

“Let me tell you, Big Orange Brother is seriously amazing.”

“He entered that number-writing contest to win a doll, and out of the whole group, he was the only one who got one!”

“I went with him to the escape room¹ too. He solved the puzzles super fast.”

“The big brothers and sisters who played with us all said Big Orange Brother is a genius.”

“Miao Miao is awesome too. She teamed up with Sister Yan Fang for the balloon-popping and archery games.”

“Sister Yan Fang hit every target, and Miao Miao was just one shot away from hitting them all too!”

“I went ring-tossing with Brother Xiao Liu. We won a little bunny, hehe.”

“Gangzi and I went to the science museum. It was super cool inside!”

“Taozi, what about you?”

“I helped an uncle run his booth. So many people came to buy stuff!”

“I’m telling you, I’m really good at it now.”

“I can make little bunnies, yellow ducklings, and tiny hearts.”

“Next time we get a chance, I’ll make one for each of you, okay?”

“Yes, yes, please!”

“Sister Li, what about you?”

“I painted a doll and drew some chrysanthemums.”

“Sister Li, you went painting again? Where’s the drawing? Can I see it?”

“Sure.”

Song Li nodded and pulled out the painting from her bag.

“Waaah, it’s so beautiful! Sister Li, you’re totally a genius artist!”

“Let me see, let me see!”

“Wow, Li, is this a flower exhibition blooming in space?”

“Mhm. Flowers across the universe.” Song Li nodded.

“Gorgeous, gorgeous, it’s so pretty!”

Lu Qingqiang turned her head to look as well.

And in that instant, she was stunned by the painting.

In the mysterious and fantastical universe, there were many mischievous, adorable little planets.

On the planets, in the gaps between them, and floating in midair, bloomed all kinds of flowers in different colors.

Each planet was connected by romantic and beautiful bridges made of flowers.

But at the entrance to each planet, there was a gate of flowers standing in the way.

There was no denying it—children’s imaginations were always full of wonder and creativity.

The world in her painting was vivid, whimsical, and full of life.

Lu Qingqiang had long been considering whether to find a teacher to guide Song Li in this area.

But she had hesitated for a long time over who that teacher should be.

She was afraid that if she picked the wrong one, the teacher might box Song Li into rigid rules and drain the spirit out of her art.

But just now, at this very moment—

Doctor Feng told her that while Song Li was painting, an elderly artist named Song Qingyuan had approached her.

Song Qingyuan said that if Song Li didn’t already have a teacher, he would like to take her as his disciple.

In her paintings, he saw limitless potential.

He loved the creativity in her work, loved her artistic style, and loved her quiet nature.

He loved it all so much that he wanted to take her under his wing.

After hearing this, Lu Qingqiang pretended to casually pull out her phone and search for Song Qingyuan.

In reality, she was already communicating with the system in her mind.

“Tonzi, Tonzi, help me look up this Song Qingyuan guy.”

“Got it, Host!”

In less than five seconds, the system pulled up a complete dossier on Song Qingyuan.

And this information was far more detailed than anything Lu Qingqiang could have found online.

It contained every major and minor event in his life from birth to the present.

His family background, the schools he attended, the art exhibitions he participated in, the works he created, his changing attitudes toward things, the people he had offended.

Even every photo taken of him since childhood and all the bad things he had done.

Lu Qingqiang stared at it: “…”

As expected, the system was the ultimate cheat code.

It was just too good at digging things up.

After reading through Song Qingyuan’s data, Lu Qingqiang was genuinely thrilled at the idea of him becoming Song Li’s mentor.

This Song Qingyuan was truly a gem.

Not only was he a hidden powerhouse in the art world, but his personality was both old-fashioned and stylish.

Old-fashioned in his approach to life and how he handled certain matters.

For example, once he decided to take someone as his disciple, as long as that disciple didn’t violate any core principles, he would treat them as one of his own.

He would treat a disciple like his own child—strict but doting.

He would go to great lengths to protect them and wholeheartedly plan for their future.

Stylish in his understanding of art and his flexible teaching methods.

He disliked artists who lacked independent thought or personal style.

He believed in tailoring his teaching to the individual, guiding them toward their own strengths.

Even when he taught, it was only the basics.

In other words, he never stifled a painter’s thoughts or inspiration.

He admired Michelangelo, Xu Beihong, Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, Wu Daozi…

He admired many artists.

But he never imitated any of the greats.

He always believed that what made an artist special was their ability to eventually create a style that was uniquely their own.

And in Song Li’s work, he saw that uniqueness.

That’s why he was so excited and eager to take her as his disciple.

But Doctor Feng told him that this decision had to be made with Song Li’s own consent.

Song Li said she didn’t mind, but when it came to accepting a master, she needed to ask Director Mama.

So, after jotting down Song Qingyuan’s contact information, Doctor Feng brought Song Li back.

Now, after explaining everything to Lu Qingqiang, she passed along Song Qingyuan’s contact info.

Lu Qingqiang thought for a moment and decided that once they got back, she would give Song Qingyuan a call to share her thoughts.

Of course she supported it~

She was also curious to see just how far this little genius Song Li could go in the future.

After finishing her chat with Doctor Feng, Lu Qingqiang was still mulling things over when she heard a WeChat notification.

She picked up her phone and saw that someone had tagged her in the Jiangcheng F6+1 group chat.

That’s right, just this morning—

Her second brother, Lu Jianshen, had added her to their F6 group chat.

She had become the group’s new favorite.

While enjoying a shower of red envelopes, she was also bombarded with tags and compliments.

They praised her so much she felt like she was floating.

Looking at her phone, she saw that the one tagging her now was Xu Ming.

Lu Qingqiang couldn’t help but reply.

A Deer’s Safe Journey: Young Master Xu, what’s up?

Translator’s Notes