Her Revenge From Shadow to Sunlight novel Chapter 106

Chapter 106

“Then we really have to put some effort into this–no cutting corners,” one of the students said.

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“But we focus on sketching of modern techniques, and Mr. West is into the classical style. Sure, Mr. Sherman has a point–becoming Mr. West’s apprentice means actually getting into that scene. Still, I want to seriously learn from him, not just chase a fancy reputation,” another added.

“True. What if Mr. West wants us to go all–in on the classical style? If we refuse, we might offend him, and then we’d probably be out of the art world for good,” someone else chimed in.

“Honestly, the classical style just doesn’t interest me that much. Those pieces never look real to me,” another student said.

Listening to their conversation, Alicia felt a little confused. ‘Does Richard even paint in the classical style?‘ she wondered.

But she was sure that back when she was a kid, Richard actually taught her sketching and watercolor of modern techniques instead–he rarely ever taught her anything about the classical style of painting.

Still, she didn’t say anything. ‘Guess I’ll save that question for Richard next time I see him,‘ she thought.

She laid out her drawing paper, picked up her pencil, and was just about to start when she heard Renee say, “You kids are still green and don’t know the half of it. Back in the day, Mr. West was top of his game at sketching and watercolor of modern techniques–he was seriously famous.

“Then, out of nowhere, he vanished into thin air for five years. Nobody knew where he went, and he didn’t produce a single painting during all that time. When he finally returned, he switched styles and went all in on the classical style.

“At first, no one thought he’d pull it off, but he proved everyone wrong by showing just how talented he really was. So trust me, if you put in the effort, you can make it too.”

Everyone murmured in awe.

“I’m definitely going to become Mr. West’s apprentice. With his connections and skills, I just know I’ll shine in the art world,” one student announced.

“Oh, please, like you can just waltz in and be chosen,” another scoffed.

“You talk big, but do you have what it takes? How about a little competition?” The first student fired back.

The students were all fired up, bouncing with excitement like they’d just gotten an energy boost.

But Alicia was deep in thought. ‘So that’s how it is. The five years Richard went missing… were the very years he adopted me, right?‘ she realized. ‘Just what did Richard go through during those lost years?‘

Her mind was all over the place, so curious it almost hurt. But she forced herself to hold it in. ‘I really don’t want Richard to make me his apprentice just because of our past. I need to prove whether I truly deserve to be his student, she thought.

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Chapter 106

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She cleared her mind of all those swirling thoughts and got to work, completely focused on her drawing. When she looked up, she saw a stack of books sitting in front of her, so she was set on sketching that stack of books for today’s class.

Alicia was the first to hand in her assignment. Renee checked it out and nodded. “Nice job, but you went a little easy with your subject.”

Alicia just smiled in response.

She headed back to her seat and started reading again.

The other students held on to their assignments until the final bell, pouring their hearts into their work like their futures depended on it, all hoping this piece would catch Edward’s eye.

Renee couldn’t stop smiling as she looked over everyone’s pieces.

Time zipped by–before Alicia realized it, a whole week had already disappeared.

The announcement said 2 PM, with everything set to happen back in the lecture hall.

It was another Friday, and the place looked totally different; the lecture hall had been decked out with a projector and a giant screen up on stage.

Even though 2 PM was the official start, by 1:30, everyone was already packed inside–art students and even a bunch of parents too, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the big moment. Landing a spot as Edward’s apprentice was a huge deal, so some families just had to see for themselves.

It was pretty clear the school bigwigs saw Edward’s visit as a badge of honor, so they’d even invited a crew from the school newspaper to cover the event.

Three spots had been cleared in the lecture hall for the school newspaper crew to set up their cameras.

Everyone was clutching their artwork, and almost every single one was framed up like it was ready for a

museum.

But Alicia’s was just an original, unframed drawing, simply rolled up in a piece of oil paper.

It wasn’t that she was too proud to frame it—she just totally forgot.

The students were all trying to scope out what everyone else had made, but no one dared show their own work, worried someone would rip off their concept.

Everyone was there hyping each other up just for show, but there wasn’t much genuine feeling in it.

Someone came over and asked Alicia what she’d made. She just smiled and said, “A landscape,” blunt as ever.

No one expected Alicia to be so straightforward, answering whatever they asked. But nobody wanted her to actually reveal her piece, because if she did, she might ask for theirs in return–and that would put them in a spot.

No way were they showing their work now. If they did, the element of surprise would be gone when they got

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Chapter 106

up on stage, and besides, someone could snatch their inspiration and run with it.

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There was no way they could whip up a whole new art piece now, but they could still tweak a few details.

After that, no one bothered starting up any more conversations with Alicia. She just sat quietly by herself, waiting for things to get started.

Good thing Alicia didn’t show up super early; she only had to wait about twenty minutes before things got rolling.

At exactly 2 PM, the school administrators walked in with Edward, followed by a group of art teachers–one for sketching, one for watercolor, and one for the classical style.

The administrators and Edward sat together in the front row, while the teachers took their seats in the row behind them.

The administrators told everyone to add their signatures to their work, and then started displaying the piece

on stage.

Most students had expected to go up there and present their pieces themselves, maybe even give a little speech–many had prepared one just in case.

But instead, someone just went around collecting all the art pieces, mixed them up, and spread them out on the stage.

After Bruce wrapped up his grand and passionate speech on stage, Janice Randall, a girl from the broadcasting department, walked up with a microphone.

She was dressed in a formal gown, looking every bit the professional host.

Her voice was smooth and confident. After a rousing introduction, she announced, “Now, let’s begin presenting our artwork. Whose piece will be the first one up?”

As soon as she finished, a staff member slid a drawing over to the projector, and it flashed up on the big

screen.

It was a sketch of a glass building, its shining windows reflecting the passersby out on the street. The level of detail was impressive–even the tiniest facial expressions in those reflections were spot–on. You could tell right away–it took real creativity to pull this off.

Janice smiled and said, “This piece comes from Gary Pratt, one of our sketch majors. Let’s hear what the teachers think.”

The teachers exchanged glances, nodding in appreciation. One of them said, “Pretty clever idea—capturing the whole spectrum of life through those glass reflections.” Another chimed in, “And that detail work is seriously impressive.”

Gary sat in the fourth row, listening to the teachers sing his praises. His heart pounded, and he clenched his fists tight, wondering with excitement, ‘Could I really have a shot at becoming Mr. West’s apprentice? If I actually became his disciple, what kind of future would that mean for me?‘

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Would I become the next rising star in the art world? Maybe my drawings would go for insane prices one day,‘ he dreamed, unable to stop himself from fantasizing.

He was on edge, barely able to contain his excitement as he waited for Edward’s critique.

The school administrators turned to Edward and asked, “Mr. West, what do you think of this sketch?”

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