“Why does it always feel so familiar?”
With her delicate brows furrowed, the more Jiang Ling looked at the image, the more familiar it seemed.
The sun hat, the dress… she clearly owned both.
She reflexively looked up at Lu Yuyao and asked, “Was there a reference for this drawing?”
“Actually, when we went shopping before, I took some photos while you weren’t paying attention,”
Lu Yuyao said, tapping her chin with her finger, her eyes darting away before she finally spoke the truth.
“You took secret photos again,”
Jiang Ling said with a trace of resentment, staring at her gloomily.
It was secret photos every time.
‘Could Lu Yuyao have been a member of the paparazzi in her past life?’
Jiang Ling sighed and gave her evaluation of the piece.
“It’s very sexy, but seeing myself portrayed with so much eroticism feels a bit strange.”
“So you like it very much, then?”
Lu Yuyao ignored the second half of Jiang Ling’s sentence, choosing to take it as a compliment.
The smile on her face grew wider.
Jiang Ling’s affirmation was even more exciting than receiving a pile of new commissions.
To be honest, she had been a little apprehensive.
Even though Jiang Ling had praised her past works, she was still nervous.
Besides, the drawing she had done of Jiang Ling was far from the highest quality she had ever produced.
Lu Yuyao just felt it was beautiful and meaningful.
She had picked out that dress and sun hat for Jiang Ling herself… it felt like the person in the drawing was closely connected to her.
This sense of participation made Lu Yuyao’s breath hitch — a feeling she had never experienced before.
“I like it, I like it. I like everything you draw.”
Although the picture wasn’t too revealing, Jiang Ling didn’t forget to remind her again, “Remember not to let others see it, or I’ll sue you for violating my Portrait Rights.”
Lu Yuyao huffed.
Even if Jiang Ling hadn’t said anything, she wouldn’t share it with anyone else.
“Actually, if you want to see something even sexier, I have another one.”
“There’s more? How much did you draw in such a short time?”
“Just two. If I do more, I can’t guarantee the quality.”
Only two?
If other artists heard her, they would probably die of jealousy.
Acting a bit carried away by the praise, Lu Yuyao leaned over and swiped her finger across the tablet.
Jiang Ling’s pupils dilated as the screen reflected a beauty wearing a Black and White Maid Outfit.
Immediately, her cheeks flushed bright red.
The same blonde hair, the same familiar face, and the style of the Maid Outfit was similar to the one she usually wore at home.
But!
The torn white stockings covering those plump, slender legs faintly revealed her pinkish flesh.
The fabric across her lower abdomen and the material wrapping her soft chest were also torn.
Large patches of white, pink-tinged skin were exposed.
Compared to what she wore at home, the fabric was nearly halved!
The chest area was even more excessive; one could almost see the pink tips.
“Lu Yuyao!”
Jiang Ling didn’t know if she was happy or angry, but her face was indeed completely red.
She slammed the tablet shut almost instantly and shouted, “Didn’t I say you aren’t allowed to draw things that are too erotic!”
Fortunately, Lu Yuyao was prepared.
She snatched the tablet from Jiang Ling’s hand and jumped back, putting several steps of distance between them.
She rubbed the tip of her nose, knowing she was in the wrong, and muttered softly, “Stop pretending. You were looking at it with such interest that your eyes were glued to it.”
Jiang Ling glared at her in shame and annoyance, but Lu Yuyao didn’t back down.
Her eyes were full of satisfaction with her own work.
“I’m not deleting it!”
Lu Yuyao suddenly grew stubborn, raising her chin.
“Anyway, only the two of us will see it.”
“You!”
In the end, under Lu Yuyao’s repeated promises, Jiang Ling had no choice.
She sat on a chair by the pond, took a sip of her now-cold tea, and whispered, “Remember to send me a copy.”
“Hahaha, I knew it!”
Lu Yuyao laughed so hard she doubled over, slapping Jiang Ling’s shoulder.
Jiang Ling turned her head away, unwilling to see Lu Yuyao’s mockery.
This was her final bit of stubbornness.
‘Since it’s an erotic picture based on me, it’s only natural that I want a copy.’
Jiang Ling comforted herself in her mind.
***
By the time they returned home, the rosy flush on Jiang Ling’s cheeks still hadn’t fully faded.
It really wasn’t her fault.
She had read many fan-made comics and novels.
For her, the sense of immersion when reading was already quite strong.
But now that she had suddenly become the protagonist, the feeling was indescribable and made her heart itch.
Jiang Ling suddenly wondered if she was becoming a bit of a pervert.
In contrast, Lu Yuyao seemed perfectly normal.
She chatted with Jiang Ling on the way back, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Jiang Ling felt like she still had a lot to learn from her.
It was nearly 6:00 PM when they arrived.
The sky had already darkened, and the lights in the living room were on.
“Grandma.”
After entering, Lu Yuyao called out for Dong Hui, but no one answered.
She found it strange.
If Grandma wasn’t home, why were the lights in the living room on?
Dong Hui was usually frugal and wouldn’t forget a small thing like turning off the lights.
Then, a tall figure walked out of the living room.
Both Jiang Ling and Lu Yuyao froze in their tracks.
Fang Chenxi spotted the two of them standing dazed in the yard.
Her delicate brows rose, and her gaze swept over them.
“Grandma went to buy groceries; she isn’t back yet.”
“Fang Chenxi?”
“Chenxi Sister?”
The two spoke in unison, their eyes filled with surprise at Fang Chenxi’s appearance.
Jiang Ling even felt a faint sense of guilt.
After all, Lu Yuyao had just used her as a model for an erotic picture.
With Fang Chenxi suddenly appearing now, she felt a sense of impropriety.
‘Why does it look like Jiang Ling’s face is so red?’
Fang Chenxi’s gaze fell directly on Jiang Ling, but Jiang Ling turned her head away, pretending to be distracted by the sound of a bird in a tree.
Fang Chenxi had arrived only a short while ago.
When she arrived, she happened to run into Dong Hui returning from her Buddhism prayers.
After chatting with the grandmother she hadn’t seen in a long time, Dong Hui remembered she still needed to buy groceries.
Fang Chenxi wanted to go with her, but Dong Hui refused.
“You’ve been in the car for so long, so rest at home for a bit. Buying groceries doesn’t take much effort. Besides, when Yu Yao and Little Ling come back, it’ll be a nice surprise for them,”
Dong Hui said with a smile.
“They’ll surely be happy to see you.”
“They aren’t home?”
Fang Chenxi hadn’t seen them when she walked in and assumed they were in the second-floor bedrooms.
“The two of them went to the Village Entrance Pond to take photos. They should be back soon.”
“Okay, then I’ll wait at home.”
So, Fang Chenxi had been sitting in the living room waiting, suppressing the urge to message the two of them until now.
The moment she saw Fang Chenxi, Lu Yuyao’s mind wandered for a second.
The last time Fang Chenxi had been to New Village was two years ago.
Things had changed.
“Chenxi Sister, why didn’t you send a message in advance if you were coming?”
Lu Yuyao snapped back to her senses and stepped forward first, affectionately hooking her arm through Fang Chenxi’s and pulling her into the living room.
“If we had passed the village entrance, we probably could have picked you up.”
“It’s fine. It’s no trouble coming here on my own.”
As the two of them spoke, a hint of polite formality unintentionally crept into their voices.
Jiang Ling rubbed the tip of her nose, took a deep breath, and followed them into the living room.