20 – vol.2 Cloud Top Cheese
Soon, Wen Ruosui’s Cafe Vanilla in Pucheng officially closed its doors.
The shop keys had been returned to the landlord, sellable items from the store were sold off in the secondhand market, and she had also moved out of her rented apartment. During this time, she even bid farewell to her friends in the city one by one.
As for Xiao Hui, Wen Ruosui gave her a generous bonus. Additionally, she helped recommend new job opportunities for the young girl, leaving it up to her to decide whether to take them or not.
Early in the morning, Wen Ruosui carried her modest luggage into the airport departure hall.
Xiao Hui had specially come to see her off today.
The young girl followed closely behind Wen Ruosui all the way to the check-in counter, unwilling to leave even after Wen Ruosui had completed the boarding procedures.
Holding her documents and boarding pass, Wen Ruosui said softly to Xiao Hui, “Xiao Hui, head back early. No need to accompany me further inside.”
Xiao Hui was still helping her pull her carry-on suitcase and pointed ahead, saying, “We’re almost at the boarding gate anyway. A few more steps won’t make a difference.”
Wen Ruosui tucked her documents and boarding pass into her bag, gave the girl a gentle hug, and asked, “Didn’t you say you got off work very late last night? Aren’t you tired?”
Xiao Hui had recently stopped working part-time at the bar and switched to a hotel front desk job, working the late shift the previous night.
The young girl rubbed her eyes and shook her head. “It’s fine. Seeing off my Suisui sister, of course I’m not tired.”
After a pause, she added with a smile, “Once I’ve paid off all my family’s debts, maybe I’ll come to Beicheng to find you.”
“How much is left?” Wen Ruosui asked.
“Not much. Including the bonus you gave me, it’s just a few tens of thousands left.” Xiao Hui felt deeply grateful. Reluctantly, she hugged Wen Ruosui tightly and whispered, “Suisui sister, thank you.”
Wen Ruosui smiled softly and hugged her back, saying gently, “It’s nothing. I have to go now. I’ll wait for you to come find me in the future.” With that, she patted Xiao Hui’s shoulder.
“Okay. Goodbye, Suisui sister!”
“Goodbye.”
…
Wen Ruosui’s flight was delayed due to certain factors. After waiting in the departure hall for an hour, she finally boarded the plane.
As the plane took off, the scenery outside the window gradually grew smaller and blurrier.
Gazing down at the landscape from high above, she fell into deep thought.
Ending a five-year relationship, leaving the city she had lived in for six years—all she took with her was a small suitcase and memories that were far from pleasant.
But sometimes, one must be resolute and look forward to avoid being drowned by the pain of the past.
Wen Ruosui snapped out of her reverie as the high-altitude scenery outside the window grew increasingly indistinct. Coincidentally, at that moment, a flight attendant was pushing a dark blue, elongated cart, asking passengers, “What would you like to drink?”
Wen Ruosui asked for a glass of water.
Her seat was the window seat farthest inside. When the flight attendant leaned over to hand her the water cup, it was a bit difficult, so the young girl sitting next to her lent a hand.
Wen Ruosui politely thanked the girl, “Thank you.”
The girl replied softly, “No problem.” Then she picked up the pen on the table and began sketching something in her sketchbook with swift strokes.
The two seats were very close. Wen Ruosui glanced down and saw the drawing on the white sketchbook.Red candied haws on a stick, brown paper bags of roasted chestnuts, a copper hot pot bubbling with steam, zhajiang noodles topped with shredded cucumber and bean sprouts, succulent roast duck…
This was a hand-drawn collection of simple food sketches.
It looked adorable and charming.
Vibrant colors, clean and flowing lines, orderly and well-structured composition. Using just a few simple colored pencils, the girl had outlined each food illustration with remarkable precision, while still capturing the texture of the ingredients.
“It’s drawn very beautifully,” Wen Ruosui couldn’t help but softly praise.
The girl seemed a bit embarrassed. She glanced quickly at Wen Ruosui, then scratched behind her ear, shyly saying, “I was just bored, doodling casually.”
Perhaps because the ice was broken, the girl started chatting with Wen Ruosui.
“Miss, are you traveling to Beicheng?”
“No. I’m going back to live there.” Wen Ruosui curved her lips into a slight smile and asked, “What about you?”
“I’m going to Beicheng to take an exam.”
“An art school entrance exam?”
“Yeah, how did you guess?”
Wen Ruosui pointed to a corner of her backpack, where a pamphlet with the words “National Academy of Fine Arts” was peeking out, and said, “Are you going to take the exam for the National Academy of Fine Arts?”
The National Academy of Fine Arts was the country’s premier art institution, an artistic sanctuary for countless aspiring art students. Those who could get in were no ordinary people.
“You even noticed that?” The girl grew even shyer, her ears turning bright red, and she couldn’t quite meet Wen Ruosui’s eyes. “I’m just giving it a try. Someone like me probably won’t get in.”
Her eyes flickered nervously, full of insecurity.
It reminded Wen Ruosui of when she first started her shop—hesitant, uncertain, and lacking confidence.
“If your casual doodles are already this good, imagine how amazing they’d be if you put your heart into it?”
After a pause, Wen Ruosui added earnestly, “I believe in you. You can get in.”
Anyone encountering a stranger on a plane probably wouldn’t take such words seriously. The girl was no exception; she naturally assumed Wen Ruosui’s words were just polite conversation.
The girl said, “Thank you, miss. I’ll do my best.”
But Wen Ruosui wasn’t just being polite.
She could tell that the girl had an utterly pure passion for drawing—a love free from any hint of ulterior motives.
She believed someone like that would surely succeed.
As the plane began its descent, a flight attendant came by to collect trash.
The girl tore the illustrated page from her sketchbook, seemingly about to throw away the draft drawing.
Wen Ruosui had a sudden thought and stopped her. “Don’t throw it away.” After a pause, she politely asked, “Could you give this paper to me?”
“This paper?” The girl seemed very uncertain, almost disbelieving. “You mean this draft?”
“Yes.” Wen Ruosui nodded seriously. “I really like this drawing. Rather than throwing it away, why not give it to me?”
She continued gently, “But if you feel it’s inconvenient, then never mind.”
Yet, in an instant, the girl’s eyes suddenly lit up.
It was a light ignited by encouragement.
Compared to the earlier words, Wen Ruosui’s action seemed to uplift her heart even more. Her eyes sparkled like stars, shimmering with an extraordinary glow.
“It’s convenient, it’s convenient,” she said repeatedly.Then, she carefully tore off that piece of paper, her movements tinged with a hint of fluster.
The girl quickly scribbled a string of numbers in the bottom right corner of the paper with a pencil before handing it to Wen Ruosui.
She said, “Sis, this is my Little Green Book account. You can follow it. I draw lots of things, and if you like them, maybe someday I can draw more and send them to you.”
Wen Ruosui solemnly tucked the paper into the book she carried with her, handling it with great care. “Alright, I’ll follow it,” she said.
Then, smiling at the girl, she added, “As for this drawing, I’ll treasure it well.”