Chapter 12: Socks Don’t Need to Be Taken Off

Lin Yi: Where are you?

Jian Shuye: You took fifteen minutes longer than necessary.

Lin Yi: Sorry about that (sweating little bean.jpg)

[The other party has shared a location with you]

Lin Yi opened it and her pupils shook.

Wasn’t this just the Victoria Grand Hotel next door?

Why was Jian Shuye on the island today too?

Jian Shuye: Get here within ten minutes.

Lin Yi sighed, turned off her phone screen, and strolled along Brick Stone Avenue in the afternoon.

Arriving at the hotel entrance, Lin Yi marveled at how this 1885 Western European classical-style building still looked quite new.

She’d heard it was even a nationally protected cultural heritage site.

She glanced at the front desk.

Many lavishly dressed men and women were checking in at the door.

She felt a bit hesitant to go in, because she was just a poor girl, afraid that even breathing inside might cost money.

Just then, a woman wearing sunglasses and looking at her phone by the entrance raised her head, walked over, and stood beside Lin Yi.

“Take the elevator directly to the eighth floor, Supreme River View Room. Here’s the key card.”

Before Lin Yi could react, a key card with a room number was already in her hand.

She looked back, and the woman had already returned to her position in front of the hotel, resuming her phone-scrolling posture.

A bodyguard?

But how did she know Lin Yi was here to see Jian Shuye?

Never mind.

Lin Yi took the key card and boldly walked inside.

Following the front desk’s directions, she took the elevator straight to the eighth floor.

The interior decoration wasn’t bad either.

She’d heard a French president had stayed here once, though she didn’t know if that was true.

Lost in her thoughts, Lin Yi quickly found the corresponding room and swiped the card to enter.

The first thing that greeted her was a reception room.

Before this, Lin Yi had never seen a hotel room with a bed that also came with its own reception area.

In stark contrast to the exterior decor, the room inside was filled with Chinese-style furnishings, with window lattices and embroidery visible everywhere.

A Chinese-style long bench was covered with brown sofa cushions.

The simple, antique decor exuded an atmosphere of simplicity and gentleness.

Lin Yi particularly liked the warm yellow lantern in the corner.

In front of the sofa was a long, lacquered wooden table.

On it were arranged the traditional four treasures of the study: brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

A single ink-wash lotus flower lay quietly on the rice paper, remarkably lifelike.

She was debating whether to take off her shoes when she heard Jian Shuye’s voice, clear and cool yet undeniably elegant.

“Come in.”

Lin Yi looked at the soles of her round-toe leather shoes, thinking that if she ruined this carpet, she probably couldn’t afford to pay for it.

So she obediently changed into the disposable slippers by the door and walked in.

With a combined mental age of over forty, Lin Yi had still never stayed in a hotel outside before.

Let alone now, about to be in a river view room with a girl whose beauty shattered all known limits.

It felt a bit… delicate.

After entering, the semi-circular window in front of the desk had curtains drawn to both sides.

The view of White Goose Pond outside the window was fully visible, breathtakingly beautiful.

Jian Shuye was sitting in a Taishi chair.

On either side of her exquisite face fell impossibly smooth, straight black hair, covering the fragrant shoulders that should have revealed perfect curves.

In stark contrast was the white dress she wore today.

Her two snow-white legs were well hidden within the gauzy skirt, with only a few pink toes peeking out onto the carpet.

In front of Jian Shuye was an easel and canvas.

Completely different from the traditional Chinese painting on the table, what she was painting was an oil painting of the river view.

If she could take a photo right now, it might make the cover of a modeling magazine without any editing needed.

“Um…”

“Starting the timer.”

Jian Shuye glanced at her phone’s time.

“Stand in front of me.”

Straight to work as soon as she arrived?

Lin Yi had no choice but to follow Jian Shuye’s instructions and stand in front of the easel.

Jian Shuye swept her gaze over Lin Yi from head to toe, making Lin Yi feel rather uncomfortable.

She didn’t seem to have any thoughts about Lin Yi being late; she was simply observing Lin Yi’s attire.

“Slippers, take them off.”

“Huh?”

Lin Yi looked at the disposable slippers on her feet.

They really didn’t quite fit the aesthetic requirements.

She took off the slippers, placed them to the side, and stood up straight again.

“Overcoat, take it off.”

“Huh?”

Even though it was a bit hot outside today, the room had air conditioning on.

If she took off her coat…

Forget it.

The other party was the paying client.

What she said went.

Lin Yi took off her outer coat, hung it on the wooden coat rack, and stood up straight again.

Jian Shuye extended her paintbrush, gestured towards Lin Yi with it, and frowned in thought.

“Shirt, take it off.”

“No way!”

Lin Yi absolutely refused this time, tightly protecting her chest.

“There’s only a bra underneath! How can I take it off?!”

Jian Shuye’s expression didn’t change at all, as if she hadn’t heard Lin Yi’s protest.

“You’re sweating. The white shirt is showing the color of your bra. What’s the difference between wearing it and not wearing it?”

“Huh, really?”

But even so, she couldn’t…

“We’re both girls, what does it matter?”

Jian Shuye added a few strokes to the canvas.

“Or do you want to quit?”

Lin Yi gritted her teeth.

An angel and a devil were wrestling in her mind.

Finally, she felt Jian Shuye had a point.

They were both female, so what if she took it off?

She had a C-cup, and I only have an A-cup! I’m not afraid of being seen!

“Then… turn up the air conditioning a bit. I’m afraid of the cold…”

“Do it yourself.”

Lin Yi had to pick up the air conditioner remote, turn up the temperature, and then, trembling, began unbuttoning her shirt.

It was a bit cold.

Especially her smooth, fair shoulders and back, now exposed to the window of the river view room.

There was an indescribable sense of shame.

Lin Yi’s cheeks felt a bit hot.

I’m… unmarriageable now.

Jian Shuye stroked her chin, put down her brush, and stood up.

“Um, can I put it back on now?”

Lin Yi asked pitifully.

“Pleated skirt, take it off.”

Jian Shuye’s tone was firm.

“Absolutely not!”

This time, Lin Yi wouldn’t do it no matter what.

Tears even threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes.

“I never thought it would be like this when I came! A private model isn’t a boudoir model! It’s not like this!”

Jian Shuye didn’t speak, just continued looking at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi pursed her lips.

“Can I ask… why do I have to take my clothes off?”

“Unsuitable.”

Jian Shuye walked over to Lin Yi, staring at her pleated skirt.

“My eyes can’t tolerate point-deducting elements.”

“But that doesn’t mean taking everything off! No, no, absolutely not!”

Seeing Lin Yi’s resolute stance, Jian Shuye’s eyebrows twitched slightly, as if an inner feeling of annoyance was rising.

“This is art.”

Lin Yi argued back.

“Art isn’t a reason to make someone take off their skirt.”

Jian Shuye tilted her head.

“Why? Are you going commando today?”

“Of course not!”

“Fine. Then I’ll compromise.”

Jian Shuye turned and went back to her seat.

“You don’t have to take off your socks.”

Lin Yi was shocked.

“You wanted me to take off my socks too?! Even more not allowed!”

The two stood in a stalemate.

After a moment, Jian Shuye crossed her arms and spoke.

“Dominique Ingres, 1814, Grand Odalisque.”

“Huh?”

“Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1861, Phryne Before the Areopagus.”

“Ah?”

“William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1870, The Bather.”

“Not…”

“Otto Pilny, 1910, Slave Market.”

“Stop, stop!”

Lin Yi quickly made a ‘stop’ gesture with her hand.

“I get it, I get it! Your thinking is completely biased by the West!”

“On the contrary.”

Jian Shuye lifted her chin, looking authoritative.

“Several of those paintings depict Orientalist themes. It seems your understanding of art is not yet complete.”

“But you still can’t make me take it off. I’m a very conservative person.”

“Is that so?”

Jian Shuye picked up her phone and tapped a few times.

Lin Yi’s phone vibrated.

She opened it and saw their chat history had updated.

Jian Shuye: [Congratulations on your prosperity]

Lin Yi’s fingers trembled.

She rubbed her eyes and took two steps back.

The beautiful girl in front of her wasn’t joking.

She was serious.