[Du Yuanqi (Ziyue) x Li Huaibing] [Premium Fiction + Historical Fantasy + Romance + Master and Disciple + Older Man/Younger Woman + Bittersweet + Short Story + 1v1]
When she was eight, he opened up her world with a sesame-seed-sized micro-carving. He was twenty-five that year, wealthy, with a discerning eye for antiques and a whole building full of treasured curios.
When she was twelve, he gave her a rabbit-hair brush and taught her his art. He was twenty-nine that year, a peerless painter, a refined young man whose talent outshone all others in Jiangnan.
When she was sixteen, he painted her a camellia. After that, she never saw him again. He was thirty-three that year, his family fallen on hard times, doors closed to visitors, spending his days only with antiques.
Everyone harbors secret hopes in their heart. Before they are spoken, we cannot make out their shape. Once they are spoken aloud, they die.
