[HBU] Chapter 2

 [I saw a girl painting in the plaza today. She’s insanely talented—finished a whole painting in just a few minutes and even gave it to me. Compared to her, I’m really nothing…]

Meng Ling was a well-known Weibo influencer. She had graduated with a degree in fine arts and started drawing manhua during her university years. By the time she graduated, she had already become a professional manhua artist.

With several bestselling manhua under her belt, she had gained some recognition in the industry. Her Weibo account had over 3,00,000 followers and any post she made would easily rack up thousands of comments in minutes.

She uploaded a photo of the gouache painting along with a short video to Weibo and it quickly caught the attention of her followers.

The video started midway through Jiang Yu’s painting process, but even with just a phone camera, the quality was surprisingly decent. The first thing viewers saw was the girl holding the paintbrush.

She had fair skin and dark hair. The moment you laid eyes on her, it was as if the world dimmed, leaving only her as the lone source of light.

"She’s gorgeous…"

Everyone watching the video couldn’t help but have the same thought.

The beautiful girl had her head slightly lowered, her gaze calmly fixed on the canvas. Her brush, dipped in paint, moved across the paper with absolute confidence—no hesitation, just smooth, fluid strokes.

Her movements were mesmerising, effortless yet filled with a bold, unrestrained energy. Every stroke was decisive and swift.

A snow-white vase. Bright golden chrysanthemums. A few petals scattered on the slightly darkened wooden table…

Thanks to the way she handled light and shadow, the fallen petals on the table seemed to glow like sunlight, leaving the viewers in awe.

The video was short, only five or six minutes long, but in that brief time, a breathtaking painting came to life, completely captivating the audience.

Meng Ling even took a close-up shot of the finished painting and uploaded it alongside the video.

Still, she felt a bit of regret—no matter how good the phone camera was, it could never fully capture the painting’s true brilliance. The sheer impact of seeing it in person was on another level.

[Who is this girl? She’s incredible… The way she handles lighting and colour is just insane!]

[She didn’t even sketch first—just started painting right away… Are we sure this video wasn’t sped up?]

[I don’t know anything about painting, but she looks amazing! Watching her paint is so satisfying!]

[Am I the only one who noticed how stunning she is? Yuzu, where did you even find someone this gorgeous? She looks better than celebrities!]

Youzi—full name Youzi Eats Candy—was Meng Ling’s Weibo handle and pen name.

[I was just about to say that! She’s not just beautiful—she has this ethereal, almost otherworldly presence. That’s true elegance!]

[Watching her paint is pure visual pleasure. She's gorgeous and insanely talented. As for me, I’ve been drawing for twenty years in vain… My mom just asked why I’m kneeling in front of my phone watching this video.]

At first, people focused on her beauty, then on her art. Most viewers weren’t professional artists, so they were just enjoying the spectacle—until someone hesitantly left a comment:

[…Why do I feel like her painting style resembles the ‘Yipei Technique’?]

Great Master Yipei was a legendary oil painter from the 19th century. Though he was Chinese, he gained immense fame internationally.

He had left China to study abroad at fifteen and only achieved fame at forty-five. The ‘Yipei Technique’ was a painting style he pioneered, known as one of the most difficult techniques to master. It wasn’t something that could be learned through effort alone—it required extraordinary talent.

[The ‘Yipei Technique’? You mean the most difficult painting method out there?]

[Oh my god… I rewatched the video a few times and it really does look like the Yipei Technique… I need to go ask my grandpa!]

Just the mention of the Yipei Technique was enough to make experienced artists take notice. Over the years, only a handful of people had ever mastered it—and without exception, they were all giants in the art world. This alone proved how challenging the technique was.

And now, a young girl… actually knew how to paint in the Yipei Technique?

---

In a family group chat, a junior quickly typed:

[Grandpa, you once told me the Yipei Technique was insanely difficult. Does that mean I’ll never learn it in my lifetime?]
[The Yipei Technique? Why are you bringing that up? What, you can't even crawl yet and you’re already trying to fly? Trying to launch yourself into outer space?]

[…Grandpa, can you answer my question seriously? Just tell me—is the Yipei Technique as incredible as they say?]

[The Yipei Technique is known as the most difficult painting method. Of course, it’s impressive! This isn’t something you can learn just by studying—it requires talent. Do you understand what talent is? Ah, you silly kid, you’ll probably never be able to learn it… This technique is just too difficult.]

[…But I think I saw someone using the Yipei Technique…] The younger generation hesitated before typing this out. If this were a phone call, his tone would definitely sound strange.

[???]

Similar conversations were happening in many other places.

"Teacher, take a look—doesn’t this resemble the Yipei Technique you mentioned?"

"The Yipei Technique? Could it really be?"

Unbeknownst to Meng Ling, her Weibo post was attracting more and more attention. Among the people who took notice were individuals whose mere presence could shake the art world.

The tone of the comments under Meng Ling’s post shifted. At first, it was all about admiring the girl’s beauty and lighthearted praise. But now, the discussion had turned serious, almost like an academic forum.

[It really does look like the Yipei Technique. At first glance, it seems chaotic, like random brushstrokes scattered all over. But in reality, there’s an underlying order in the chaos… and that controlled chaos is the hardest part to master.]

[It’s not just the Yipei Technique—this girl has an incredibly solid foundation. Her colour techniques are so refined, far beyond what an average artist can achieve!]

[How old is she, anyway? She looks about the same age as my grandson… I wonder whose child she is. They’ve really found a treasure.]

Meng Ling’s followers were completely confused, watching the comment section unfold in real time.

Who am I? Where am I? Did I wander into the wrong place?

Then, they went to Baidu the Yipei Technique. After reading about it, only two words remained in their minds: "Holy sh*t!"

Currently, only three people in the world were known to have mastered the Yipei Technique—all of them renowned painters from foreign countries. The method had originally been pioneered by a Chinese artist, yet no Chinese painters had successfully learned it in recent times. It was truly regrettable.

So when people realised that the girl in the video was using the Yipei Technique, the entire art world was shaken.

Before long, Yipei Technique skyrocketed to the #1 trending topic on Weibo. At first, people assumed it was just another celebrity marketing stunt. But when they clicked in and saw the serious, scholarly discussions in the comments, they were stunned. And when they checked the top replies, they were completely floored.

These… these were all major figures in the art world!

---

While the internet was in an uproar over Jiang Yu’s use of the Yipei Technique, she was simply walking home with her painting supplies in hand.

Jiang Yu was from Jiangshan Village, a picturesque place surrounded by mountains, with a pleasant climate and breathtaking scenery. Over time, the village had been developed into a popular tourist destination in S Province.

Right around this time, Jiang Yu recalled, the government had issued documents to develop their village further. Every resident would receive a significant compensation payment. Because of this, her uncles—her father’s elder and younger brothers—had seen her as an obstacle and tried everything they could to drive her away.

Even though years had passed, Jiang Yu still felt a pang of sadness when she thought about it. But in truth, even if her uncles hadn’t tried to push her out, she wouldn’t have accepted any of the Jiang family’s compensation money. After all, she wasn’t their biological daughter—she had been taken in by Grandma Jiang.

But Grandma Jiang had passed away when Jiang Yu was just thirteen.

Lost in thought, she soon arrived at Jiangshan Village by bus. The road leading from the county to the village wasn’t in the best condition. In summer, every passing vehicle would kick up a cloud of dust, leaving passengers covered in grime.

As she passed through the village, the locals greeted her warmly. So many years had passed that their faces had become blurry in her memory. She couldn’t recognise them, so she simply smiled in return.

"Tsk, no matter how many times I see her, I still think Jiang Yu is such a beautiful girl… I don’t know what her parents were thinking, abandoning her like that. And now Jiang Quan and his family want to kick her out, too. So pitiful."

Jiang Yu had always been strikingly beautiful. Even among the village girls, she stood out with her fair skin and dark hair. She had been a beauty since childhood, naturally attracting people’s affection.

Unfortunately, despite her beauty, she had a hard life.

Whenever villagers spoke about her, their words would be filled with admiration—only to end with a sigh of "what a pity”.

The pity, of course, was for her fate.

The Jiang family had long since split into separate households and her uncles had never been willing to support an outsider. They had divided their properties, leaving Jiang Yu and Grandma Jiang to live on their own.

Now, as Jiang Yu stood in front of the old, rundown courtyard, a flicker of nostalgia flashed in her eyes.

This moment felt so unreal—like a dream.

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