4. HE MET HIM

René was sure that he didn’t recognize the dark-haired girl. Or perhaps he just didn’t remember the girl? He met a lot of people in his life, and he could forget a person or two.

He decided to ask someone about the possibility. Someone close to him probably knew the girl.

The painter walked out of his studio and turned to his bedroom. He was about to pick up his phone from the nightstand when it suddenly vibrated. The handsome painter frowned as he lifted his cellphone from the nightstand.

Once he read the name flashing on the screen, his eyes bulged. The caller was Albert Martin, the Dean in the Faculty of Art in a famous university. The painter immediately answered the call.

“Hello?” René’s deep voice greeted the caller.

“Mr. Huang, did I disturb your rest?”

René’s hand ran toward the nape of his neck and stroke it awkwardly. He didn’t have a proper rest last night, and his body felt tired despite he didn’t do anything in particular.

“Ah, no, Mr. Martin. I’ve been up since this morning. Why did you call me so early?”

“I’m relieved that I didn’t disturb your rest, Mr. Huang. I just wanted to remind you that today will be your first day attending lectures for first-year students in the Department of Fine Arts at our faculty. You didn’t forget, did you?”

René almost slapped his forehead. He had completely forgotten that today was his first-day teaching at the university for this semester.

But, he couldn’t possibly say that he forgot. It would make him look very unprofessional. So, the painter dodged as he said, “I didn’t forget my schedule today, Mr. Martin. I will come to the class on time.”

“That’s good, Mr. Huang. I will be waiting for you in the lecturer's transit room. I’m very grateful that you are willing to take over Professor Richard’s duties. His health is really bad lately.”

“It’s not a big deal for me, Mr. Martin. This isn’t my first time teaching, and I’m also happy that I can serve my alma mater.”

“What a relief, Mr. Huang. You really are a good person. I’ll see you on the campus later.”

“Thank you, Mr. Martin. See you later.”

The phone call was cut off immediately. René had to be quick preparing himself to attend his first class at the university. He had to put aside his anxiety about the mysterious painting. Perhaps the painting didn’t mean anything. Yes, it might be true.

---

The long legs swung steadily. He just came out of the lecturer's transit room to meet Albert Martin. The conversation between him and the dean earlier was full of pleasantries. There was nothing important in the conversation.

No eye could escape the painter’s physical snare. In every tread, there was always a pair of stalked eyes. Not surprising because he indeed had a beautiful face. Moreover, his proportional body was wrapped in an elegant black suit today.

René’s face also still looked young, so students probably misunderstood his age, thinking that the young painter was a student instead of a teacher.

Whispers also accompanied his steps. His pair of ears could clearly hear all the praises regarding his beautiful face, but he didn't respond to them. It was nothing new, so he wasn’t surprised by it.

His step-like model led him to a classroom that would be used for today’s class. As soon as his charming figure arrived in the room, all pairs of eyes in the room immediately turned to him. The girls squealed, admiring the figure of the painter who was wearing round, thin-rimmed glasses. The boys were also half amazed and half envious by his appearance. How could there be a man as handsome as him? They wondered inwardly.

“Good afternoon.”

The simple greeting was met with enthusiasm. Not a single mouth was silent. Everyone respected the handsome painter’s greeting. Of course, no one could deny his charm.

“My name is René Huang. I will be responsible for Drawing and Sketching I for first-year students for half a semester. My profession is not actually a lecturer, but for mutual convenience, you can treat me like you treat other lecturers here.”

All students paid close attention to the handsome painter. Some of the girls were even seen holding back from picking up their cell phones and secretly taking pictures of the painter.

“For the first meeting, I will tell you about some rules you need to obey for the half of the semester,” said the painter as his eyes wandered around the classroom, examining the faces of students who still looked innocent in their freshman year. “Drawing and Sketching I is a two-credit class. Our total face-to-face meetings are approximately eight times, plus one mid-semester exam. To be able to take the exam, you must attend at least 75% of the total lectures. During lectures, I don’t forbid you to bring food or drinks as long as you maintain cleanliness and order. And lastly, during our lectures, I can’t tolerate the students who come la—”

"Sorry, we’re late!”

“—te.”

The attention of all pairs of eyes now turned to a pair of youngsters who had just opened the door of the room harshly and apologized without further ado.

René growled in annoyance. He was just warning the students not to come late, but even before he could finish his sentence, two students suddenly barged in and cut his speech.

He was about to scold the two students when his eyes caught something odd. A pair of emeralds, which were framed by minus glasses, couldn’t be averted from the figure of a young man who just apologized to him.

His appearance was ordinary; navy blue plaid shirt, gray jeans with a few rips at the knees, and a black backpack on his back. Even his face was nothing special out of bounds; his skin was fair and smooth, his brown irises were fenced by a pair of slanted frames, his nose was button-like, and his thin lips were in rosy color. His black hair got a mushroom haircut that looked a bit funny. The young man’s look was just so-so in the painter’s eyes.

But, that wasn’t what René was concerned about.

“Why is his face... similar to the girl in the painting that I painted in my sleep last night?”