Chapter 673 Have You Fallen Out of Love as Well?
Joseph gulped and turned timid in a second. “Okay, I’ll do as you say, alright? SK belongs to you, anyway. However, I’m putting up a disclaimer right now that I won’t be responsible if it gets a bad reputation.”
After that, he accepted Tiana’s task using the admin status and sent his WeChat account profile over. Tiana quickly sent him a friend request without wasting even a second.
“What should I do?” Joseph asked, holding up his phone.
Elise took the phone from him, then plopped into the couch next to him and propped up her legs.
Meanwhile, Tiana had spent five million on this task. Then, as she thought that she had found the real QH, she eagerly asked to be an apprentice.
‘Sir, I like the calligraphy phrases you created very much, and I wonder if I have the chance to receive some pointers from you?’
After hitting ‘Send’, she thought her text lacked sincerity, so she added another line. ‘If I can be your apprentice, sir, I’m willing to pay tens of millions for your expenditure in your line of work.’
Elise sent her a warning directly as she was sick and tired of dealing with her. ‘I don’t take any apprentice. Also, just because some things are not exposed for the time being doesn’t mean they will remain hidden forever. The only way to prevent people from knowing is to not do it. So, please refrain from doing something that will only harm yourself in the future.’
After she sent the text, she deleted Tiana’s contact, tossed the phone into Joseph’s hands, and walked out of the room.
The words that appeared on the screen frightened Tiana, and her heart started to race.
What does QH mean by this? Does he already know that I copied his works for the calligraphy contest? But didn’t he hide his identity and not bother himself with the world anymore? Who’s the one who told him about all of this?
Tiana adjusted her emotions and wanted to quibble, so she typed the words, ‘I don’t understand what you mean’ on her screen before hitting ‘Send’. In the end, she saw a red exclamation mark, with two rows of small characters, stating, ‘You are not in the receiver’s contact list. Please send a friend request before sending a message.’
Stunned, she thought, The contact I bought with five million is gone in less than five minutes?
She felt devastated as she leaned back into the chair and stared at the ceiling in a daze. Initially, she wanted to get some copybooks from QH in the name of being his apprentice, but unexpectedly, she received a warning instead.
Now, QH has struck off this last option as well. What would she use to convince the judges at the last freestyle part of the Calligraphy Contest?
Furthermore, the fact that QH was still alive in this world was akin to a ticking bomb. Once he saw the broadcast of the Calligraphy Contest on TV, it was very likely that he would jump out to expose her. At that time, how would she prove herself, then?
While she was in a trance, the corners of her eyes caught sight of the S-Class badge from the Calligraphy Association, and an idea suddenly popped into her mind.
Although everyone highly sought the font created by QH, the ones made by the S-Class members of the Calligraphy Association were also something that ordinary people could only look forward to. If she could find the owner of this badge, maybe that person would be willing to sell some copybooks for her emergency use.
Just like this, I will end up pleading with Elise Sinclair again, she realized. No, this won’t do.
Elise’s name was also on the finalist list of the Calligraphy Contest this time. After the experience with the ‘National Goddess’ contest, almost all netizens in the country were comparing both of them.
At a time like this, she definitely couldn’t display her weakness.
It feels like an endless loop. She threw back her head and let out a long sigh. I’m trapped.
——
After the monthly test, Elise rarely stayed in campus, but she returned to her dorm on this day. When she walked in, Mica had the lights on and was practicing calligraphy at her own desk.
“Oh, you’re very serious,” Elise said casually. “Did you meet any master calligraphers you like at the Calligraphy Association?”
Mica only kept her head low in silence, and after about half a minute, Elise sensed something amiss when she vaguely heard the soft sounds of sobbing. When she moved closer, she realized that Mica was crying, and the copybook in front of her was soaked with tears. The sharp and well-defined words were now smudged by her tears, looking like black peonies blooming across the pages.
“What happened, Mica?” she asked in concern while handing her a tissue.
Mica bit her lower lip as she sobbed and didn’t dare raise her head to meet Elise’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Elise. I lost your badge, and I can’t find it anywhere.”
Elise felt amused when she heard this. “That’s it? Don’t be sorry. That thing isn’t worth much, so don’t cry anymore.”
Mica sniffled, raised her head, and her eyes were red and puffy. “Elise, Sebastian broke up with me. He said that we’re not suited for each other. I’m neither passable as a good girlfriend nor a reliable friend. I’m such a failure.”
Then, Elise recalled that Julius had told her that Sebastian had given the badge to Tiana, and she reckoned that their breakup had something to do with Tiana.
It could be considered a blessing to break up with a man who was drooling over another while having his own girlfriend; there was nothing to be sad about.
Still, this was Mica’s first love, and Elise didn’t want her to discover the ugly truth behind everything. Hence, she kept mum about all of it.
Instead, she said assuringly, “The problem doesn’t lie with you. In relationships, some people make it all the way to marriage, and some couples end up in a breakup. Both of you are fine individuals, but maybe you’re not the best choice for each other. Falling out of love is an inevitable part of life, and you may be in pain, sad, and miserable, but it will be fine as long as you make it through this. Just one thing, though. Don’t look back, okay?”
Nodding her head obediently, Mica asked in a daze, “So, have you fallen out of love before too, Elise?”
Huh? This…
“Yeah,” Elise lied in embarrassment. “I was younger back then, and I didn’t feel much about it, but look at me. I’m living well now, aren’t I? So, don’t worry too much about it. Everything will be alright.”
“Okay, I believe you!” Then, she wiped her tear-streaked face with her hands. “I’ll work hard and enrich myself, so I can be worthy of my Mr. Right in the future.”
“Yes, that’s the way.” Then, Elise patted her shoulder gently, turned to look at the copybook on her desk, and asked, “Look at it this way. Can you feel the mood of this calligrapher when he was writing these words?”
Mica shook her head. “Maybe I’m too dumb. I can only copy some forms, and there’s probably no chance that I can make it similar.”
Elise pursed her lips into a smile, picked up the pen and paper, and walked to her own desk. “Come here, watch me when I write.”
After that, it turned into a session where Elise taught Mica personally, and before leaving the dorm, she even wrote down a verse of Sonnet 18 for Mica to study.
In the meantime, Mica was deeply impressed after seeing her calligraphy skills, and for several days, she was engrossed in practicing her writing.
However, when she walked out of the small white building on Friday, she bumped into Sebastian, and her devastation of falling out of love flooded back to her. She wanted to pretend that she didn’t see him and tried to avoid him, but he stopped her, held her by the hand, and dragged her away.
——
…
After the variety show event ended, Ronald brought Craig to a lounge backstage. When they walked through the door, Craig saw Jack sitting on the couch, his dominating presence creating a tense atmosphere in the air.
