My WeChat profile picture is a moon, a very dim moon, and the composition isn't particularly outstanding.
The original owner of this body, who was never good at asking for favors, sat there for half an hour thinking about how to bring up this matter with Chen Mian.
After thinking it over, he just sent a voice message in a cocky manner: "Chen Mian, is that you?"
The original owner said, "My drawing skills are nothing special. You're so amazing, could you give me your autograph?"
Chen Mian replied quickly: [Liang Shi?]
The original owner responded with an "Mm," and added, "I can give you money too."
After a long time, Chen Mian said to her, "Let's meet."
Then the address and time were given.
The original owner then took Liang Wanwan there. The day they met Chen Mian was still sunny, and Chen Mian carried a black umbrella. When he closed the umbrella handle, the black color contrasted sharply with his sickly white skin, making him stand out.
She is still the same as she was many years ago, not much has changed.
Liang Wanwan sat next to the original owner of the body, her eyes filled with eager anticipation.
The original owner was the first to distance himself, saying, "It's my sister who really likes you. I haven't painted for many years."
Chen Mian chuckled lightly, her voice cool and indifferent: "I never said that you liked me."
Chen Mian asked her, "How have you been these past few years?"
It was like old friends catching up, but the original owner had nothing to reminisce about with her.
They weren't the kind of people who could exchange pleasantries and reminisce when they met.
The person he hadn't interacted with much during his student days was now puzzling to the original owner.
However, this person had always been an oddball, so the original owner didn't think much of it and just gave a perfunctory reply. Then she asked Liang Wanwan to take out the prepared paper and wanted Chen Mian to sign it for her.
Chen Mian refused to sign, sticking to her point of view: "A painter's brush is for painting, not for signing."
So Chen Mian drew more than twenty pictures for Liang Wanwan using sticky notes.
It's a simple line drawing.
Another work was the first one Chen Mian painted, the one of the moon, which she said she wanted to give to Liang Shi.
Furthermore, it was stipulated that Liang Shi should not transfer the document.
The original owner didn't think much about it at the time, accepted her painting that was unremarkable, and casually agreed to Chen Mian's request.
However, after returning home, he directly gave it to Liang Wanwan.
Liang Wanwan didn't dare to accept it, feeling that it was the hard work of her goddess, and that she had been specifically asked to accept it. However, the original owner said, "I don't have the ability to appreciate paintings now, so this thing is only destined to be burned if I keep it."
Liang Wanwan treasured the painting at home, and always carried the album with her.
Liang Shi struggled to recall this memory, and then remembered the quiet and reserved Chen Mian.
Chen Mian is now a well-known painter.
She remains as "strange" as ever.
However, Liang Shi didn't think about it for long before shifting the topic back to Liang Xinran, "Did Liang Xinran wash Chen Mian's picture album?"
“Yes.” Liang Wanwan said sadly, “I was just changing my clothes when she threw my coat into the washing machine. Although the papers were sealed in plastic, they were all soaked.”
...
It seems like Liang Wanwan was the one who was unlucky.
Qiu Zimin called her and said she was sick and that her eldest and second eldest brothers were about to run away from home.
Liang Wanwan was a little worried, so she returned to the villa in the evening after finishing her field trip during the day.
She habitually carries Chen Mian's sketchbook with her, usually keeping it in her bag. Today, she didn't bring her bag, so she put it in her coat pocket. She likes to look through it when she has nothing to do.
Although Liang Shi helped her obtain the picture album, he was unaware that Liang Wanwan had secretly loved Chen Mian for many years.
When Liang Wanwan went to the art studio to find Liang Shi and brought her paintbrush that she had left at home, she saw the girl sitting by the window painting.
The girl's skin was almost sickly white, and her pupils were small. She sat in front of the easel, very focused. The sunlight shone on her almost sickly white skin, which was not particularly beautiful, but it captivated Liang Wanwan.
At the time, Liang Wanwan simply thought it looked good and had a vague liking for it.
I just wanted to get to know that older sister.
I don't know what kind of feelings those are, or you could say that those feelings haven't even begun to sprout yet.
After that, she frequently used the same excuse to go to Liang Shi's studio and saw Chen Mian frequently.
But Chen Mian never paid any attention to her.
Chen Mian was always painting a picture, which depicted the back view of a girl wearing a white dress.
Chen Mian is always melancholic and sentimental, yet very charming.
As she grew older, Liang Wanwan finally understood her own feelings. She hid her affections and dared not approach Chen Mian.
She is a lonely moon, to be looked up at.
He wanted Chen Mian's autograph because he wanted to put an end to his absurd unrequited love.
She couldn't be the most special person by Chen Mian's side, nor could she be Chen Mian's beloved, so all she needed was a special signature.
That way, she wouldn't be considered to have wasted her youth.
So she went to Liang Shi.
Liang Wanwan didn't get Chen Mian's autograph, but she got a picture book that was even more precious than an autograph, but she couldn't be happy.
For her, signing an autograph was a way to put an end to her unrequited love.
But the picture book rekindled her hope, and she would always pay attention to Chen Mian on various platforms, following her works and activities.
She only has one person she follows on Weibo: Chen Mian.
That picture book was her only hope, a repository of all her emotions from adolescence to the present.
Liang Wanwan valued this picture album to the point that even Lingdang knew it was absolutely forbidden to touch it.
So Liang Wanwan didn't pay any attention. After returning home, she casually threw her coat on the sofa and went to see Qiu Zimin.
Qiu Zimin had just returned from the hospital. She sat on the bed looking sickly, pale, and much older than her age.
Liang Wanwan sat by the bed to comfort her, and all she heard was the same old story: Liang Shi was too good at bewitching people, and both of her brothers were on her side. Now the family was in chaos, and she really shouldn't have taken Liang Shi in.
The advice given to Liang Wanwan was the same as before: stay away from Liang Shi and don't associate with that kind of person.
Liang Wanwan is tongue-tied and not very good at speaking. She is also introverted and used to being invisible at home.
Unlike Liang Shi, who was flamboyant and enjoyed Qiu Zimin's favor, she could do whatever she wanted.
The things Qiu Zimin said to her most often were: Don't compare yourself to your sister, don't learn from her, and stay away from her.
Liang Wanwan dared not disobey Qiu Zimin, nor did she dare to go against her wishes, so she usually tried not to talk to Liang Shi, especially since she didn't talk to the people in this family often. She was often forgotten when she shared the same space with everyone.
She's used to it.
But anyone would feel uncomfortable hearing Qiu Zimin's words, so Liang Wanwan didn't come back often after she went to university.
She'd rather be invisible at school than invisible at home.
Liang Wanwan knew that her older brothers and sisters were all very nice.
Her two older brothers were much older than her, and although they took care of her, they were not as caring as Liang Shi.
Her junior high school was not far from Liang Shi's school, and it was back then that Liang Shi started acting like a scoundrel.
But Liang Wanwan, as her younger sister, wasn't as capable as her; instead, she was often isolated at school.
Liang Shi once told her, "It's also possible that you're isolating the whole world."
Liang Wanwan is what people often call having a high degree of insensitivity, so she just let Qiu Zimin's words go in one ear and out the other, only telling her to get some rest.
Because she had an early class the next day, Liang Wanwan went back to her room to pack her things and was about to leave when she went downstairs to put on her coat, only to find that she couldn't find it.
She was terrified and called several servants, but they didn't know. Then Liang Xinran smiled and asked her, "Was it the one you were wearing when you found it? I saw that it was splattered with mud, so I took it to wash. I put the new one on the sofa for you."
Liang Wanwan was on the verge of a breakdown. She rushed to the washing machine and almost tried to retrieve the clothes with her bare hands.
Liang Xinran paused the washing machine and asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"
Liang Wanwan didn't bother to pay attention to her at all. She took her coat out of the washing machine, only to find that the sticky notes were soaked in water. They were things that had been stored for several years. How could they be of such good quality?
The best outcome is that it doesn't completely disintegrate.
But that's Chen Mian's picture album.
Liang Wanwan would place it by her pillow every night, imbuing it with the hopes she had for day and night.
It's gone so easily now.
Liang Wanwan glared at her and yelled, "Why did you touch my things?"
The usually quiet and reserved fourth young lady suddenly erupted, startling even the servants.
Liang Xinran stood in front of her, opened her mouth hesitantly, and then said, "I... I saw that your clothes were dirty, so I wanted to help you. It just so happens that last time I went shopping with... Mom, I saw a dress that would suit you. I want to see you wearing pretty clothes."
"Then why didn't you empty your pockets before washing the clothes?" Liang Wanwan questioned.
Liang Xinran stammered, "I...I forgot."
Her innocent expression was infuriating to behold.
Looking at the sketchbook in her hand, Liang Wanwan felt a mix of emotions welling up inside her. She gritted her teeth, thinking of Qiu Zimin, who was still lying sickly in bed, and decided to swallow her anger.
Unexpectedly, Liang Xinran said, "Is this...is this thing really that important? I'm sorry, Wanwan, I'll buy you one."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Liang Wanwan couldn't help but slap her.
A crisp slap echoed through the house, startling all the servants.
Is this... still the same dull and taciturn fourth young lady?
Liang Wanwan said angrily, "You can't afford to pay for it!"
After saying that, he ran away.
//
Liang Wanwan was timid and dared not stay to face Qiu Zimin's anger.