Chapter 78

"Using sketching?" Victoria repeated his words.

Sketching indeed doesn't require much effort, but it demands a high level of creativity and expressiveness, so Victoria wasn't very confident.

Seeing Victoria's hesitation, Samuel added, "It doesn't matter if you win an award or not, just do your best. I just think that if you use sketching, you might really have a breakthrough."

Victoria pressed her lips and thought for a moment, then finally nodded and said, "Alright, Samuel, I'll do my best!"

After hanging up the phone, Victoria stood up, wiped the tears from her face, patted the dust off her clothes, and headed home.

No matter how difficult it is, no matter if she doesn't get the desired result, she will give it her all.

Back home, she sat in front of her drawing board, gazing at the distant skyscrapers and traffic, and some fragmented images began to form in her mind.

After a long time, she picked up a charcoal pencil and started sketching on the paper.

She stayed up all night, and the once blank paper gradually revealed the images in Victoria's mind.

Most of the picture was of a bustling city's skyscrapers, the concrete jungle appearing cold and oppressive under the gray tones.

The sharp lines and distinct edges spoke of the city's fast pace and sense of alienation.

In the corner of the picture was a small street-side coffee shop.

Warm light spilled out from the windows, illuminating a few tables and chairs at the entrance.

An old man sat there quietly, watching the passersby, his eyes full of stories.

Beside him, a stray cat curled up, enjoying the moment of peace.

Victoria used delicate lines to outline the old man's wrinkles and the stray cat's fur.

The coffee shop's sign was carefully drawn, with the lettering slightly worn, yet exuding a sense of timeless charm.

On the city's streets, Victoria drew people walking hurriedly, their figures blurred and busy, contrasting sharply with the tranquility of the old man and the stray cat.

At the top of the picture, Victoria drew a faint moon with light lines, its moonlight spilling over every corner of the city, as if bringing a touch of solace to the lonely city.

At the bottom of the picture, she wrote a small line: "Find a touch of warmth in the hustle and bustle."

Victoria stopped her pencil, her gaze fixed on that line of small text, unable to look away for a long time.

She didn't know if her painting would win an award, but she had no regrets about trying.

The next day was Saturday, and Victoria took her painting to Samuel's studio.

Seeing her eyes with dark circles, Samuel raised an eyebrow, his tone a mix of surprise and concern, "Did you stay up all night painting?"

Victoria nodded lightly.

Samuel frowned, his tone filled with reproach and concern, "Even if you're in a hurry, don't push yourself like this. Your health isn't great, what if you get sick?"

Victoria forced a smile and explained, "I couldn't sleep, so I just finished it. Samuel, look, how did I do? What needs to be revised?"

Only then did Samuel start to carefully examine Victoria's painting.

His gaze was focused and serious, as if trying to see into the depths of Victoria's heart through the painting.

After a long time, Samuel nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of praise, "Overall, this painting has a lot of potential. It's both creative and full of expression. That said, there are a couple of areas where it could be refined."

He pointed to the skyscrapers in the painting, "The lines here can be more refined to highlight the texture and three-dimensionality of the buildings. Also, the tones can be colder to better reflect the city's indifference."

Then he looked at the street-side coffee shop area, "The lighting effect of the coffee shop can be enhanced to make the warm atmosphere more intense. The interaction between the old man and the stray cat can be more natural to add liveliness to the painting."

"Additionally, the background can be blurred a bit to make the main subjects stand out more."

After saying all this, Samuel looked at Victoria's eyes with dark circles, feeling a pang of heartache, "Victoria, your effort and talent are very touching. But don't push yourself so hard in the future. Your health is the foundation of your creativity; you must take care of yourself."

Victoria lowered her eyes and responded softly, "Okay."

Under Samuel's guidance, Victoria began to carefully revise her work.

She meticulously adjusted every detail, striving to make the painting the best it could be.

When she was too tired, she would rest her head on the studio table for a short nap.

Samuel watched her exhausted state, couldn't help but shake his head, sighed with heartache, and draped a blanket over her.

Victoria only slept for half an hour before getting up to continue adjusting her work.

It wasn't until nightfall that she finally finished the revisions, leaning back in her chair, rubbing her sore neck.

She stretched, moved her stiff limbs, and looked to the side, only to see Samuel's smiling eyes.

Samuel handed her a cup, gently saying, "Have some tea."

Victoria took it, holding the cup, sipping lightly, "Samuel, thank you."

Samuel chuckled, "What's with the thanks between us?"

Victoria was slightly taken aback by his words, then smiled gently without saying anything.

Samuel drove Victoria home, reminding her to rest well before leaving.

Although Victoria felt physically exhausted, her spirits were high. She was about to take a bath and get a good night's sleep when she suddenly received a call from an unknown number.

She hesitated before answering, "Who is this?"

A woman's voice came from the other end, "Ms. Carter, it's Alice."

Victoria's hand holding the phone paused for a moment, then she calmly said, "Ms. Garcia, hello."

"Ms. Carter, do you remember what I mentioned to you at Aroma Garden Eatery last time?"

"I remember."

Alice's voice became cheerful, "Tomorrow is my friend's bar opening, you promised me and Daisy to come and join us."

Victoria hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed.

It wasn't surprising that Alice would contact her.

A woman's intuition was always accurate.

How could she be indifferent to her boyfriend having an affair with another woman?

Alice probably wanted to keep her away from William by inviting her and Daisy out.

That works too, she could use Alice's difficulty to stay away from him.

He cherished Alice so much, he wouldn't want to hurt her again, right?

Victoria smiled bitterly.

After hanging up, Alice stood by the window, looking at William's garden, a smile playing on her lips.

William happened to hear her call, frowned, and asked in a steady voice, "You invited Victoria to the bar?"

Alice put away her phone, turned around, her cheeks flushed, her big eyes curved like crescents, "Yes, I think Victoria is a nice girl. I don't have many friends in Silvermist City, so I thought I'd make a new friend."

"Don't be ridiculous!" William said helplessly, "How is she fit to be your friend?"

Alice stared into his eyes, her lips curling up, smiling as she asked, "It's just making a friend, what's unfit about it? Or is it that you still have something with her, so you don't want me to get in touch with her?"