“Master has never liked me. When I first became his apprentice, he refused to hold a banquet for me, but he’s holding such a grand banquet for this junior of mine. Looks like I really don’t have any talent.”

As she listened to the handsome man mutter to himself, Qiao Xi realized that he was Qi Zhong’s apprentice. However, this apprentice was not well-liked. He did not even have an apprenticeship banquet held for him before, so he was painting alone at the door.

She glanced at the man’s painting. In fact, he was quite skilled, but he lacked his own ideas. Without inspiration, he would never achieve anything by blindly imitating other people’s styles. But if someone gave him some serious guidance, he would surely make a breakthrough.

After thinking for a moment, Qiao Xi walked forward and pointed. “The color here is darker.”

The handsome man looked up in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. He knew that many famous painters had come to the apprenticeship banquet today. Presumably, this lady was also a painter, so he trusted her with his brush.

Qiao Xi took the paintbrush and adjusted the color on the palette. She picked up the paintbrush and painted on the paper. Instantly, a bright but pure rose appeared on the canvas.

She handed the man the brush and said softly, “Paint two more stalks on the side with the color I’ve adjusted.”

The delicate man looked at the vivid roses on the canvas, and his eyes lit up. He began to paint confidently.

Yes! That was the feeling! Each flower had its own stance, bright but pure like the rose painted by the woman beside him.

After the painting was completed, the man was about to look up to thank her when he realized that she had already left. His eyes could not help but be filled with disappointment. However, she should be here to attend his junior’s apprenticeship banquet. He would definitely see her later.

After a while, Qi Zhong came out of Room One. As soon as he stepped out, he saw his apprentice painting at the door. He could not help but frown. Afraid that his painting was too bad and would tarnish his reputation, he hurriedly glanced at it.

However, Qi Zhong suddenly stopped in his tracks. The bright roses on the canvas seemed to have come alive, making one’s eyes light up.

Qi Zhong’s pupils suddenly constricted. He rushed over and asked, “Who painted this?”

The handsome man trembled in fear. “M-Master…”

Qi Zhong’s eyes were filled with shock. He knew every one of his apprentices well. It was impossible for this apprentice to have such standards. “It’s not you. It must not be…”

The man hurriedly got up and was about to bow and apologize when a few painters walked out of the private room. They were holding Tang Ruge’s painting.

Qi Zhong glanced at Tang Ruge’s painting, then at the roses in the man’s painting. He asked excitedly, “Look! Are the roses in this painting and the roses in Ruge’s painting by the same person?”

Everyone here was an experienced painter who had been in the industry for decades, so they could naturally tell that the brushstrokes and lines were similar. They replied affirmatively, “It does look like the same person’s work!”

“Who painted these roses?”

Qi Zhong looked at the roses. The style of these two paintings was very similar, so they must have been painted by Ruge. This apprentice’s casual painting of a rose was so stunning. She was really talented.

Hearing everyone’s exclamations, Qi Zhong smiled smugly. Then, he asked his disciple, “Ruge, you painted this?”

Although he asked this, he was actually already certain that this painting was done by Tang Ruge. This apprentice of his was so smart and talented. She was completely qualified to inherit his mantle. Moreover, she was so accomplished at such a young age. In the future, her achievements would definitely surpass his and bring him even higher honor.

However, in the next second, the handsome man from before broke Qi Zhong’s beautiful dream. He explained awkwardly, “Miss Tang didn’t paint this.”

The smile on Qi Zhong’s face gradually disappeared, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. After a while, he reacted and asked in surprise, “This painting wasn’t done by Ruge? Then who did it?”

“It’s… It’s a woman in a dark green coat. She’s tall, young, and pretty. She’s probably here for the apprenticeship party too.”

Qi Zhong’s expression darkened as a bad thought surfaced in his mind. Could it be that the painting back then was not painted by Tang Ruge? That was because anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the roses in this painting and Tang Ruge’s painting were done by the same person.

Each artist had a unique style, and they had different habits too. Each stroke would be different. Although the two paintings had different concepts, every detail in the paintings were extremely similar.