Chapter 55: Complex Relationships

Shuyan ignored my protests and dragged me straight to the villa area, stopping right in front of the fifth villa. It looked like we had arrived.

Shuyan stood facing me, adjusted my clothes, patted my collar, and said with a solemn look, "From now on, you’re Shuyan’s boyfriend! Don’t embarrass me, even in front of my family! Fix your clothes and make a good impression on my grandfather—that way, passing my mom’s test will be much easier!"

I smiled and said, "Is it really necessary to be so serious? It’s not like I’m doing anything more than a cameo anyway!"

"Even a minor extra needs to act like an award-winner! If you can’t even fool yourself, how are you going to fool others?"

Faced with Shuyan’s bizarre logic, I was truly speechless. Shuyan finished tidying my clothes, smiled at me, and said, "Alright, remember, from now on I’m your girlfriend. When you call me, you have to add my nickname, Mimi. Got it?"

I nodded stupidly, and she pulled me toward the front door of the villa. She gently rang the doorbell, and soon enough, someone could be heard trotting over from inside. When the door opened, a woman in her thirties appeared, wearing a patterned plaid shirt and an apron tied around her waist. Seeing Shuyan, the woman smiled warmly and burst out in a distinct rural accent: "Miss, you’re back!"

Shuyan explained to me, "This is Tsuijie, our family’s housekeeper. Tsuijie, this is my boyfriend, Fuitsu. Is my grandfather home?"

Hearing Shuyan introduce me as her boyfriend in front of someone else for the first time made my body stiffen unnaturally. I smiled and greeted Tsuijie, "Hello Tsuijie-san."

Seeing that I greeted her without a hint of condescension, the simple and honest woman beamed with joy. She quickly stepped aside to let us in and said, "Hello, hello! Professor Shuji is upstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka haven’t returned yet!"

Shuyan nodded and led me inside. The house was a typical multi-story villa, decorated very elegantly inside—not a trace of ostentation or clutter. In short, it felt very comfortable. After we came in, Tsuijie went back to her own work. Shuyan pointed to the sofa in the living room and said to me, "Sit here for a bit while I go upstairs to call my grandfather down!"

I quickly grabbed Shuyan just as she was about to leave and said, "That wouldn’t be proper. How could an elder come down just to greet me? Let me go upstairs with you instead!"

Shuyan looked at me and broke into a bright smile. "I didn’t expect you to have such good manners. You were very respectful to Tsuijie, too—those other guys who came before didn’t give her the time of day once they heard she was a housekeeper!"

I let out a soft huff and replied indignantly, "Well, of course. My parents taught me well growing up—much better than you!" With that, I sorted through the gifts I had brought and pulled out a set of calligraphy brushes.

This time, Shuyan didn’t bicker with me. Smiling faintly, she took my arm and led me upstairs. After passing through a short hallway, we stopped before a sunlit room. The door was wide open, and an elderly man with graying hair was sitting at a long mahogany table, concentrating deeply on a drawing, completely unaware of our arrival. The sunlight fell over him, casting a long shadow across two wide bookcases beside him.

Shuyan knocked gently on the door. The old man looked up, saw Shuyan and me, and a warm, amiable smile instantly lit up his face. "My little Mimi is back?" he said, his voice full of vigor. "And you brought a friend? Come in, come in!" He set down his brush and turned his attention to me.

Shuyan held my arm, acting a bit coquettishly. "Grandfather, this is my boyfriend, Fuitsu!"

I quickly pulled my hand away from Shuyan’s grip, bowed my head slightly, and said respectfully to the elder, "Hello, Professor Shuji. My name is Fuitsu. I’ve heard President Takahashi mention you before. I was busy with military training recently and couldn’t come visit sooner, but I’m truly glad to finally meet you today. I heard you enjoy painting, so I brought a set of calligraphy brushes for you!" As I spoke, I presented the gift and handed it to him.

The old man nodded with a smile, accepted the brushes, and looked at Shuyan with a chuckle. "Mimi has good eyes this time. The young man is very polite! But next time you come, there’s no need to bring anything. Actually, I’ve heard about you for a while now. Principal Jou holds you in high regard—he mentioned your name several times when he called me, and President Takahashi talked about you as well. Very impressive!"

Professor Shuji’s words left me utterly confused, and I looked at him in bewilderment. The old man burst out laughing: "You see, your Principal Jou was a student of mine. Last time he called, he told me he had found a mathematical prodigy—and he was talking about you! He even recommended you for a special admission to Tokyo University, but by then, the National Exam was right around the corner, and the timeline couldn’t be arranged in time. He went through a lot of trouble for that matter, even calling President Takahashi, making promise after promise just to get him to agree. He even promised him two bottles of fine liquor for it! But nobody expected you to score as the top scorer nationwide in the National Exam right off the bat! That put young Takahashi in quite a panic, so he turned around and started begging Principal Jou to put pressure on you to choose Tokyo University. Not only did Takahashi miss out on the liquor, but he also had to part with several valuable stamp sets! It nearly drove him mad with frustration. Afterward, I had President Takahashi place you in Mimi’s class, but I really didn’t expect you young man to move so fast! In the blink of an eye, you’ve whisked my Mimi away! Haha!"

The old gentleman was truly witty. I had no idea Professor Shuji and I shared such a connection. Hearing all this made me feel quite embarrassed, and I could only give an awkward chuckle behind him. Shuyan, on the other hand, refused to let it slide. She walked over to Professor Shuji, took his hand, and shook it back and forth, pouting, "Grandfather, don’t call me by my nickname in front of outsiders! It’s so embarrassing! Besides, is this dummy really as great as you say?"

"How is Fuitsu an outsider? Isn’t he your boyfriend? And besides, he’s the student of my student! You’re calling him a dummy—if you’re so capable, why don’t you try scoring 1000 on the exam for your grandfather?"

Shuyan winked at me, signaling that we had passed her grandfather’s test. She then continued holding her grandfather’s arm, chatting playfully about everyday family matters. This gave me time to take a proper look around Professor Shuji’s study.

Apart from the two eye-catching old-fashioned bookcases and the long mahogany desk, there was no other furniture in the room. On the walls hung several landscape paintings depicting flowers, birds, fish, and insects. There was also a piece of calligraphy featuring several bold, forceful characters: "All learning requires first establishing one’s resolve." A few days ago at the library, I had seen this line—it originated from the famous philosopher and educator Fukuzawa Yukichi.

Looking closer at the desk, I noticed an unfinished painting. From its rough outline, it was clearly a tiger, though something about it looked a little odd.

"Fuitsu, do you know about painting as well? Any thoughts on this picture of a fierce tiger?" Professor Shuji noticed me looking at the painting on the table and asked with keen interest.

Hearing his question, I quickly replied, "I was just glancing at it casually, Professor Shuji. How could I offer any real opinion?"

"Young people always have fresh ideas compared to us old folks. Say whatever comes to mind, don’t be modest!" Professor Shuji said with a smile.

Seeing the old man’s smiling gaze, I felt a sudden surge of impulse and said, "Then I’ll just share a small, unrefined thought. Although the painting isn’t complete yet, the image of the tiger has already emerged. But when you just referred to it as a ’picture of a fierce tiger’, I couldn’t quite see that in it."

"Oh? You’re saying what I painted isn’t a fierce tiger?"

Hearing that I actually dared to critique her grandfather’s artwork, Shuyan interjected frantically, "Grandfather, don’t listen to him! He’s just pretending to know what he’s talking about!" As she spoke, she gave me hints with her eyes, desperately signaling me to shut up.

Professor Shuji shook his head and smiled. "I’m very curious to hear what Fuitsu has to say, so don’t interrupt. Go on, Fuitsu."

I gave the annoyed Shuyan a helpless glance and, forced to put on a show, continued, "Rather than a picture of a fierce tiger, it would be more accurate to call it a picture of a sleeping tiger. Though the tiger itself is painted vividly and lifelike, the domineering aura of the king of the jungle hasn’t been brought out yet. The key lies in its eyes!"

Upon hearing my words, Professor Shuji quickly leaned forward and examined the painting carefully. After a long moment, he straightened his back and burst into hearty laughter: "The young generation is truly to be feared! You’re absolutely right! It seems you’re a master yourself—why don’t you paint one so this old man can broaden his horizons as well?"

Now I was completely out of ideas. Commenting on it was one thing, but if I actually had to paint, my cover would be blown instantly. Seeing my hesitation, Professor Shuji said in mock displeasure, "What’s the matter? Looking down on an old man like me? Can’t you let me learn a thing or two from you?"

Hearing Professor Shuji put it like that, sweat broke out on my forehead again. Instinctively, my hand touched my bracelet, and confidence instantly surged through me. I quickly said to Professor Shuji, "How could I ever? In that case, I’ll make a humble attempt—as long as you don’t laugh at me, Professor Shuji!"