In the first class on Monday morning, the creative challenge officially started.
Cheng Ke Song arrived in the classroom early, sat at the desk marked with the group, and looked at the creative requirements in his hand.
Their group's theme is "stairs," a simple word. They need to create a short story with a beginning and end around the word, they need to do a graphic survey of the steps, they need to draw a storyboard of the story from beginning to end, and three fully colored hand-painted drawings.
"Good morning, Croissant."
Hugo came in from outside the classroom door, threw his schoolbag on the table, and leaned slightly closer to Cheng Kesong.
Cheng Kesong went up to meet Hugo's cheeks and left. This left and right twice, completed a veneer that can be seen everywhere in Paris.
"How, do you think this topic is difficult?" Hugo laughed.
Cheng Kesong's nasal cavity was still filled with the woody fragrance carried by the other party, and there was a faint pungency of tobacco, but it was not unpleasant.
"Stairs, I don't think it's difficult."
"Indeed, steps can symbolize many things, and they can also have many meanings. It is a bridge connecting the low and the high, and it is also a tool for climbing up." Hugo sat casually on the table.
"Connection, bond, this is not bad." Cheng Kesong said.
"There are actually many legends about stairs. Are there any fables or stories about stairs in China?" Hugo asked.
Cheng Kesong said with a smile: "In ancient China, the emperor would build the palace on a very high platform and create many steps, so that every time the officials went to court, it was like climbing a mountain. The magnificent scene will give people It left a very shocking impression in my heart, making people feel that the emperor is aloof and full of majesty."
Hugo raised his eyebrows a little, and the drill nails flashed with his amazed expression: "It's like a pilgrimage, it can also be in one direction!"
During the conversation, four other members of the group also arrived.
"Hey, good morning, Valentine! How was the battle yesterday?"
"Morning, Bruno. Don't mention yesterday, I just started the game less than five minutes ago, and my mother sent me out to buy her onions..."
"Good morning, Leia!"
"Morning, Julia!"
"Good morning, Ke Song." Julia stepped forward to greet the team members one by one, looked at Cheng Ke Song again, and smiled, "Yesterday, Simon from your class came to me and said that you are 'all-powerful'. Little croissant', expressing jealousy of my good fortune."
Cheng Kesong said modestly: "I can only draw some things, and I have a headache when I hear the research report."
Julia raised her eyebrows: "Just leave the research report to Hugo, he is the best at doing this!"
Valentine chimed in at this point: "Speaking of which, what's there to say about the steps?"
This sentence immediately boosted the atmosphere of Zhou's challenge.
After an hour of brainstorming, everyone decided that they should walk around Paris more, find some steps with their own characteristics or stories, take pictures or draw them, and prepare for future research reports.
The six students were divided into three groups, in pairs, to do a graphic research about the steps.
"Cross, just come with me." Hugo smiled.
Cheng Kesong readily accepted.
The two packed up their things, Cheng Kesong brought a sketchbook and water-soluble color pencils, and filled the tap water pen with water, and then walked out of the school side by side with Hugo.
This is the first time he has walked side by side with Hugo.
Hugo and Cheng Kesong are both nearly 1.8 meters tall. It is difficult to judge who is taller when they walk together. It's just that Cheng Kesong was keen on fitness when he was in China, and his muscles were well-proportioned, while Hugo looked a little too skinny. He also prefers to wear some loose and casual styles, which makes him look more empty, as if the wind can blow people away if a little bit stronger.
But Hugo does not appear too weak. His aura was not at all weakened by his lean body and delicate facial features, but instead had a feeling of strong bamboo in the wind.
"Speaking of the steps in Paris, I have no idea." Hugo said, "You have just come here, are there any steps that impress you?"
"Of course there is." Cheng Kesong said with a smile, "When I first arrived in Paris, there was a step that really gave me a headache."
"Tell me." Hugo stared intently at Cheng Kesong's eyes.
"At that time, I was still living in ninety-four provinces and rented a very cheap house. There was nothing in the house except a bed, so I had to go to IKEA to buy a desk by myself." Cheng Kesong said, "I thought Paris There are elevators in all the subway stations, and the barrier-free facilities are in place, but I didn’t expect that in the subway station where I transferred, it was just in time for the elevator maintenance.”
"So you have to carry the desk up the steps?"
"Yeah." Cheng Kesong laughed, "The key is that I not only bought a desk that day, but also a small bookshelf. With packaging and some odds and ends, it's more than 30 kilograms. From IKEA to where I live, I have to take two buses and a subway, and finally take a tram. And the steps are only two meters wide and very high…”
Hugo made an exaggerated expression with his delicate face, and said in surprise, "That's really impressive!"
Cheng Ke Song smiled.
"But you have such a good figure, you should have a lot of strength." Hugo made a joke.
Cheng Kesong: "I'm in good shape?"
"Yeah." Hugo smiled and asked again, "You still live in the ninety-four provinces?"
Cheng Kesong was stunned for a moment and shook his head: "I live at the Porte de Versailles now, on the 12th subway line."
"It's very convenient to go to school."
The nearest station to the school is Montparnasse Station, which can be directly reached by Line 12.
"Speaking of the steps of the subway station, it is actually more interesting in the Louvre Museum." Hugo said, "The subway steps there retain the ancient wrought iron handrails and wrought iron ceiling, which is very historically beautiful."
"I think Montparnasse is also good here. It is intertwined and the layers are rich." Cheng Kesong laughed.
Hugo smiled too, with a gleam in his pretty light brown eyes.
"So our theme today is the steps of the subway station? What's the story?"
The two have now reached the Montparnasse station. When they look up, they can see the elevator and steps leading to the second-floor platform. The modern linear handrails extend on both sides of the steps. They turn a corner and continue up.
Cheng Kesong stepped up a few steps in front of Hugo, turned to look at him condescendingly, and said, "The steps of the subway station can tell a story about an encounter."
Hugo continued: "People here come and go in a hurry, and they don't notice each other, but if someone always appears in your sight, you can't help but pay attention to him. And taking the subway to work is a very regular life. It's not impossible to walk the same steps at the same time every day. So this is a love story?"
"Yes, a love story."
Cheng Ke Song looked at Hugo's eyes looking upward through the thick eyelashes, and his tone was very serious.
Hugo's face suddenly changed: "Be careful!"
His voice sounded at the same time as a scream behind Cheng Kesong. Cheng Kesong turned his head to look subconsciously, but saw a huge suitcase sliding down the steps. In the blink of an eye, the heavy suitcase had slammed into Cheng Kesong's calf.
Cheng Kesong immediately lost his balance and fell to the steps.
Hugo stood right in front of him, and at this time took a step forward and took him in his arms.
But Cheng Kesong fell from a height, and the momentum plus his weight brought Hugo to a staggering step, and his step back was also empty.
The feeling of weightlessness came suddenly. In this brief moment, even less than a second, Cheng Kesong only felt that the time seemed to be stretched infinitely - the chest of the two were close to each other at the moment, their breaths intersected, and each could hear the other's fright. And the very clear heartbeat.
Cheng Kesong turned around subconsciously in an instant to protect Hugo above his body, stretched out his left hand and grabbed the guardrail by the steps, and finally stabilized his body in a half-lying position on the steps.
Hugo crouched down on top of him, one hand over his shoulder and resting on the step floor.
The suitcase slid past the two of them and landed on the corner platform at the bottom of the steps without hesitation.
"Oh! My God! I'm so sorry!" A chubby lady stepped on high heels and came to the two of them immediately, with a look of regret and concern, "Are you okay? Are you injured? Oh, I'm really sorry!"
Hugo propped himself up from Cheng Kesong, and stretched out his hand to pull Cheng Kesong from the ground, his face was not very good: "You should go to the elevator with your luggage, it is very dangerous!"
The lady immediately apologized.
Seeing Hugo and the lady argue a few more words, Cheng Kesong pulled his arm: "Forget it, she didn't do it on purpose."
Hugo was willing to let people go.
"Are you okay?" When the perpetrator was far away, Hugo frowned and looked at Cheng Kesong.
Cheng Kesong turned his arms slightly and looked at the scraped flesh on his elbow: "I have to go to the pharmacy."
Hugo's face changed immediately, he stepped forward and grabbed Cheng Kesong's wrist, lowered his head and looked at his wound carefully. After a moment he looked up, annoyed.
"The lady should pay you for the medicine!"
"It's okay, it's just a minor injury." Cheng Kesong smiled indifferently.
Montparnasse Metro Station is an important transportation hub in Paris, connected to the train station and divided into three areas. The station has a large space, and there are many shops in it. You can easily find essential stores like pharmacies all over the streets of Paris.
The two bought disinfectant at the pharmacy at the station and went to the bathroom to clean the wound.
Hugo held the cotton wool and carefully helped Cheng Kesong to wipe the skin around the wound.
"How do you feel, does it hurt?"
"It's okay, it's not serious." Cheng Kesong laughed.
Hugo worried: "Can you still go out and draw and sketch?"
"It didn't hurt the bones, it just broke a little skin." Cheng Kesong really didn't care.
Hugo didn't answer.
Cheng Kesong tried to divert the other party's attention: "Since you said that the subway steps of the Louvre are very characteristic, let's go to the Louvre. I remember that there are also various steps in the Louvre Museum, including the surrounding ones. Sculpture, we can draw a few sketches and put them in the research report in the future.”
This move was very effective, and Hugo raised his head and smiled when he heard it.
"Okay, let's go."