On Saturday, Hua Jie arranged to meet Shen Mo at 9 AM in the studio, where she planned to paint him.
Hua Jie, who started learning to paint at 10, arrived an hour early specifically to have some time alone to sketch him from life.
Before leaving, Shen Mo took a special bath, changed into a good-looking vest, and a brand-new sweater, thinking that if she found his outfit unappealing and insisted he take off his shirt, he would be prepared.
Although he also changed into new, nice underwear, Shen Mo was clear-headed: even for the sake of art, he absolutely would not unbuckle his belt.
With a slightly nervous heart, Shen Mo sped to the youth center on his bicycle.
After locking his bike and entering the main gate, he carefully adjusted his hair and wiped his face, making sure he was in perfect condition.
Imagining Hua Jie waiting alone in the studio for her top-tier model, his face darkened the moment he pushed open the door.
The studio was packed with her classmates; evidently, all her art class peers had shown up.
Scheduling him an hour early wasn’t to finish painting him before art class started, but rather to add an extra hour in case they couldn’t finish…
…
As soon as Shen Mo entered, the girls in the art class couldn’t take their eyes off him.
Wow!
So handsome!
How lucky Hua Jie is to have such a beautiful model for free!!!
It’s said he’s her desk mate from school; what bliss to have the school’s heartthrob as a desk mate.
Tang Yang and Bai Lu immediately recognized him as the notorious figure who had transferred from their school, known for his fierce fighting skills.
Such a fierce, formidable figure standing in front of Hua Jie turned out to be a compliant desk mate who’d willingly come to model for her???
Is Hua Jie a professional animal trainer?
Even a wild beast like Shen Mo is tame under her hand?
“Shen Mo, please sit here,” Zhang Xiangyang said with a warm smile.
Keeping Hua Jie in the studio for free turned out to be the right decision; not only does she consistently produce excellent work to use as a model for promotions and displays, but she also attracts such high-quality models for free.
One can imagine, with a handsome young guy like Shen Mo sitting there, all the impatient female students would surely be able to sit still until the end of class.
Shen Mo’s gaze landed sternly on Hua Jie as he glanced at the wooden chair in the center of the crowd.
“…” Hua Jie hurriedly handed him the blueberry juice she had prepared in advance, smiling up at him pleasingly and raising her little fists, pretending to fawn over him by tapping on his shoulder.
“…” Watching her puppy-like demeanor, the anger in Shen Mo’s chest suddenly dispersed.
After giving her a stern look again, he stepped towards his ‘throne’, settling down like a graceful lion, proudly surveying the mortals surrounding him with a nod, signaling that they could begin.
Zhang Xiangyang clapped his hands, and all the students instantly sat down.
Those who were not good at sketching should sit farther back and sketch his full body quickly.
Hua Jie chose a 45-degree angle with Rembrandt lighting1Rembrandt lighting is a technique used in photography and painting that is named after the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn, who was known for his dramatic use of light and shadow. This lighting technique involves illuminating the subject in such a way that it creates a small triangle of light on the cheek opposite the light source, while the other parts of the face are mostly in shadow., starting with the basic lines and then using her expertise in gouache for coloring.
Today, her main goal was to paint his portrait, and she dared not use her newly learned watercolors in case the painting went wrong and he might literally blow her head off.
Tang Yang, facing Shen Mo, initially wanted to impress him with her drawing skills, hoping he might like her painting enough to ask for it. What a glorious moment that would be.
Perhaps even a scenario from a recent silent Taiwanese drama might unfold.
With such girlish hopes, Tang Yang began to feel deflated after a while.
Because her rough sketch wasn’t even ready yet, while Hua Jie had already started mixing and applying colors…
Shen Mo quickly noticed that everyone else was using pencils, while only Hua Jie switched from pencils to watercolor pens.
“Do you draw better than everyone else? Why are you the only one using colors?” He was always bold and spoke his mind, never bothering to consider others’ feelings.
Thinking this, he just asked.
“…” Hua Jie was momentarily stunned, then realized everyone was looking at her, her ears turning red.
Although she did consider herself the best artist there, with 17 years more experience than a typical teacher-level mature artist, it was somewhat unfair to compare herself to teenagers.
But… having Shen Mo point it out so bluntly, even she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
Not knowing how to respond to this blunt young man, a classmate next to her took the initiative to speak:
“Hua Jie’s painting is the best among us, Teacher Zhang said she’s already at the level to take art exams immediately.”
“Yes, not only is she good at painting, but she can also give me pointers,” said another student, two years senior to Hua Jie.
“Ah, I wish I could paint as well as Hua Jie does~~” a lively male student couldn’t help but lament.
“I don’t have such high expectations. If I could be half as good as Hua Jie, I’d be thankful enough.”
Listening to this, Shen Mo’s lips curled slightly, like an old father proud of his daughter being praised by others.
Hmm, his desk mate hadn’t embarrassed him.
“Shen Mo, don’t smile,” Hua Jie said while painting his mouth.
“…” The young man quickly straightened his lips. Had he been smiling?
After a while, Shen Mo began to feel back pain from sitting too long and started getting restless.
Noticing him beginning to fidget, Hua Jie quickly clapped her hands to gather everyone’s attention and suggested a break for their supermodel.
The young man eagerly jumped off the chair and started walking around the room, realizing for the first time how tiring sitting could be.
He couldn’t help but glare at Hua Jie again.
Just as he was silently grumbling about her, she suddenly appeared in front of him.
“Tired?”
“Thirsty?”
“Did you have breakfast? Are you hungry? Want me to buy you a bun from across the street?”
“Are your shoulders sore? What about your back? Shall I give you a rub?”
“I have some peanut candy, do you want some?”
She blinked her big eyes, firing question after question, spinning around him like a little top.
“…” His complaints faded away, and he brushed her aside with his hand, continuing his stroll in the open space of the studio.
Oh well, whether he was modeling for her alone or for her and her underlings, it made no difference.
After walking around twice more and noticing everyone staring eagerly at him, Shen Mo suddenly felt like an emperor, followed by a crowd of ministers and eunuchs pleading for his presence at court.
So, lifting his head proudly, he strutted back to his chair like a proud peacock, gracefully swinging his tail, then lifted his noble behind and sat down with deliberate slowness.
Half an hour before class ended, Hua Jie had finished all the details.
Zhang Xiangyang really wanted to ask for the painting to be framed and hung in the studio, but he was too shy to speak up.
By the time many people reacted and wanted to see Hua Jie’s painting, she had already dried it and tucked it into her sketchpad.
Even when Shen Mo wanted to see it, she did not agree.
Walking around the classroom like Zhang Xiangyang, checking on her classmates’ paintings, Hua Jie corrected a few for Jing Nian and others, offering some simple guidance.
Just as Shen Mo’s patience was completely running out, the morning class finally ended.
Shen Mo hopped off the chair, one hand on his waist, the other on the wall, thinking: no matter what, he would never model again—it was exhausting and boring.
“I’ll treat you to a meal,” Hua Jie hurried over to him, eagerly inviting.
Shen Mo snorted, “Make it a good one.”
“No problem~” Hua Jie agreed generously.
However, after the meal, it was still Shen Mo who paid:
“Originally, you were painting my portrait, and the final painting was supposed to be given to me, so this meal should be on me.”
“Thanks, desk mate!” Hua Jie, full and happy, was very pleased.
Shen Mo was really generous.
“But if your painting is ugly, I’ll smash your head,” he glared at her.
“Don’t worry, I guarantee your satisfaction!” she raised her hand and swore.
“Why don’t you show it to me now.” He pointed at the sketchpad on her back, where she had hidden the painting, completely out of his view.
He suspected she might have messed it up, hence her reluctance to show him.
“That would spoil the surprise,” she quickly dodged his hand. “I’ll have my dad make a frame for it; he used to be a carpenter, and his work is excellent. Once it’s framed, it will look absolutely beautiful.”
“…” Shen Mo snorted and left the small restaurant first.
After stepping outside, Hua Jie buttoned up her coat, put on her gloves and hat, fully gearing up before stepping into the cold wind.
Shen Mo turned to ask her, “Are you going home? I can drop you off at the bottom of the hill.”
“No need, I’m not going home,” she shook her head.
Shen Mo frowned, glaring at her as if questioning: Where are you planning to go if not home?
Hua Jie met his gaze, feeling a bit guilty.
Wait… why is she feeling guilty???
The more they interacted, the more Shen Mo seemed to her like a controlling father figure.
If this continued, her status as a fan might be at risk; she’d end up feeling like his daughter or a little robot under his control.
Determined to resist his intimidating look, she decided not to tell him where she was going or what she was doing.
After all, it was none of his business; they were just desk mates, and she had no obligation to report her activities to him!
Even if she idolized him, that was her own business. As long as she quietly did good by him, that was enough.
She didn’t need anything in return from him, so there was no need to report her plans!
With that decided, Hua Jie smiled politely, pulling herself together to say:
“I’m just going to do some of my own stuff.”
That should be clear enough, right?
My own stuff, none of your business~!
That was the gist!
…
10 minutes later, Hua Jie obediently sat behind Shen Mo on his bike.
She needed to buy a bicycle, and he… was taking her there.
Looking at the situation, Hua Jie faced reality.
Being with someone like Shen Mo, a youth of wolfish nature, he would do whatever he wanted, and she just had to go along with it. As for trying to resist him, or trying to act cool in front of him?
Better not even think about it.
A golden rule of surviving in the world: The wise adapt to circumstances.
Hua Jie, triumphant with her “Ah Q-style2Ah Q-style: This term is used critically to describe someone who is delusional about their own circumstances, claiming success where there is none.” success, cheered up again.
Especially with a free ride, let him be as fierce as he wants.
…
The wind was cold, and the high school boy, in his quest to look cool, would absolutely not wear a hat that might mess up his hairstyle.
It wasn’t long before his ears turned bright red from the cold.
Sitting behind him on the bike, most of the wind was blocked by him, yet Hua Jie still felt cold, which made her imagine just how much colder Shen Mo, who was wearing even less, must be.
Looking up at his pale, chilled cheeks and bright red ears, she hesitated for a moment before stretching out her hands, thick with gloves, to cover his ears.
With gloves on, it shouldn’t count as taking liberties, she reasoned, given her soul was in her twenties.
If it were her younger self, not even a hundred and eighty doses of courage would have made her dare to do such a thing.
But now, she was a devoted “mom fan” of Shen Mo.
How could a mom fan stand by and watch her idol freeze without trying to help?
“What are you doing?” Shen Mo was shocked and immediately exclaimed: “Hands!”
Was it appropriate for her to be covering his ears? Was she his mother? His girlfriend?
She couldn’t possibly have inappropriate thoughts about him, could she?
This young potato, with such garbage thoughts in her young mind?
No wonder her studies were lacking!
Startled by his reaction, Hua Jie quickly withdrew her hands.
Her gaze still lingered on his freezing red ears, thinking: It would serve him right if they fell off, becoming one ear, unwanted by anyone!
The cold wind persisted, and after a while, Shen Mo tilted his head to tuck his left ear into his collar, warming it up but leaving his right ear exposed to the wind, making it freeze even more.
He quickly tilted his head to the right to cover his right ear, and then his left ear started to ache from the cold.
“…” Swinging his head from side to side to shield his ears, after a while, he grumpily called out:
“Hua Jie!”
“Hmm?” Hua Jie, cozy in her gloves and hat, looked up.
“… That…” He frowned, his breath hissing in the cold, yet he seemed a bit embarrassed to continue.
Oh no… just a moment ago, he had scolded her not to touch him, and now he was actually inviting her to put her hands on his ears—it felt utterly humiliating.
Shen Mo was conflicted and irritated, thinking to just let it be—if he got frostbite, so be it, he could endure it.
Suddenly, he felt a warmth on his ears.
It was as if the young girl had seen through his thoughts, not waiting for him to ask, she had once again voluntarily placed her hands over his ears.
His ears, nearly numb from the cold and tingling with pain, began to warm up, and the warmth spread to his neck and cheeks as well.
Hua Jie’s hands were gentle, covering his ears with just the right amount of pressure, soft and tender.
In the unusually cold air of early winter, Shen Mo didn’t know if it was because he was pedaling too hard, but he felt his heartbeat quicken and his body heat up.
It must be because the girl behind him was wearing too much, too heavy, making him panic and sweat from the exertion.