She didn't know her, and they hadn't even met before today. Du Ruoxin knew this… it was too magical!
Du Ruoxin smiled faintly, "I not only know you like to paint, but I also know you have worries."
Aitain's face was solemn, looking shocked as if her mind had been read.
"We have a discipline in China called the I Ching," Du Ruoxin said mysteriously. "Do you know what the I Ching is about?"
Aitain shook her head, her expression now dull.
She looked like an ignorant elementary student, attentively listening to her teacher explain wondrous knowledge.
Du Ruoxin continued, "Metaphysics, which is fortune-telling."
"Divination, feng shui, and physiognomy all have traceable origins and logical reasoning."
Aitain listened, utterly bewildered: …So profound! What was that discipline called again?
Du Ruoxin continued softly, "Divination involves tossing a few copper coins to know the past and deduce the future."
"Feng shui can be explained as a quantum energy field, the art of geomancy, explaining the harmony between humans and nature, with the primary goal of warding off misfortune and inviting good fortune."
"Physiognomy, through a person's facial features, reveals their character, future, blessings, and misfortunes."
"In simple terms, it's probability theory under big data."
Aitain listened, completely lost, as if hearing gibberish. "..."
Finally, after Du Ruoxin finished speaking, she gave a polite, awkward laugh.
If she said she didn't understand, she felt it would make her seem like an idiot. If she said she understood, it would be a blatant lie.
At this moment, besides smiling and adding a few agreeable phrases like, "What you said is so profound. If I have a chance to visit China, I will definitely study it diligently," she couldn't think of any other reaction.
Du Ruoxin herself only had a superficial understanding of the I Ching, so she didn't pursue the topic further.
She smiled, "You are most welcome. China is the most magical country in the world, with a culture passed down for over five thousand years, worth your exploration."
"Do you know Shirley?"
"Most of her landscape painting inspiration comes from China."
"Shirley?" Aitain excitedly grasped Du Ruoxin's hands.
If she had any prejudice against Du Ruoxin earlier, thinking she was a woman who loved money and sold herself for it, she no longer thought so.
Aitain's eyes seemed to glow with fervor. "How do you know her inspiration comes from China?"
"Do you know her?"
"Ruoxin, do you know Shirley?"
"You mean Shirley, the genius young painter recognized by the International Aesthetics Association?"
"She, she, she hasn't appeared for four years!"
Aitain held Du Ruoxin tightly, her eagerness like that of a lost child suddenly seeing a relative and being overjoyed.
But Du Ruoxin's stunned expression made Aitain realize she had lost her composure.
She quickly let go and smiled sheepishly, "Well, I… Shirley is my idol, I really like her."
"If you know her, could you introduce me?"
"I… I will thank you!"
She loved painting. If she could achieve Shirley's level, her grandfather wouldn't object.
She wouldn't be forced to study architecture.
Honestly, she had been clueless about numbers since childhood, geometry principles, measurements…
If she were to design something, a gust of wind might blow the building down!
She simply, purely loved painting, loved the world she depicted stroke by stroke.
"Uh~~" Du Ruoxin's expression became a little serious. "I do know her, but…"