It's all his fault for being an artist!

Chapter 12 Bedroom, Profile, Wooden Figure

Cheng Wang returned to his bedroom first to prepare the art supplies he would be using.

Not long after.

A knock was made on the half-closed door.

dong dong——

"Enter."

Mu Ziling cautiously peeked out, as if looking around, her gaze sweeping across the bedroom.

Relatively neat, standard for male high school students.

These past few days, Cheng Wang has been painting in a state of blissful tranquility, as if he's in a sage mode.

Fortunately, after his rebirth, he did not have certain habits that caused him to turn his restless passion into spoils of war that he had no time to collect.

Many art supplies were temporarily piled on the ground, but it did not appear too cluttered.

"Hey sis, this isn't the first time you've been to my room, why are you acting like you're doing something thief?"

"Before, after I knocked on the door, you would always say you needed to tidy up a bit before letting me in," Mu Ziling said curiously, averting her gaze.

"It's quite clean. What exactly needs tidying up?"

"..."

Cheng Wang remained silent for a rare moment.

Have you seen the movie Men in Black?

"An alien-fighting movie? I don't really like those, but I vaguely remember it."

"I'll use the same memory-erasing technique on you now, and let's drop this topic."

"oh."

Mu Ziling nodded honestly.

Sometimes Cheng Wang does wonder if he was too dull in his past life and didn't know this old acquaintance well enough.

I have a feeling...

Hidden beneath the sea are huge monsters!

It was a minor incident, but it didn't waste much time in the end.

Since he was determined to show off his skills, Cheng Wang decided to stop trying to fool people and present a sketch at a normal level.

Start with the basic shape and define the framework.

No reference photo was provided.

Draw what you have in mind on the spot.

Let your inspiration run wild and record your ideas with pen and paper.

The bedroom quickly became quiet.

Cheng Wang was aware of the gazes around him, which never stopped moving between the paper and his own hands.

But after entering the drawing state.

All of these seem to have disappeared, leaving only the resonance between technique and painting materials, driving him to complete each step smoothly.

The next stroke, I think, should be...

……

Boom!

The sky is covered with heavy, rain-laden clouds.

Startled by the thunder, Mu Ziling shuddered from her reverie.

The supporting hand that was gently supporting her cheek slipped, pushed forward, and hit the tip of her nose.

She turned to the bedroom window and saw that it was tightly closed, preventing rain from entering the room. She then looked at Cheng Wang's sketch again.

The sudden thunderstorm seemed to have no effect on him.

Water droplets covered the outside of the window, sliding down the glass and shattering, the transparent liquid scattering in all directions, creating a messy yet beautiful scene.

From Mu Ziling's perspective.

Cheng Wang's profile, focused on sketching, happened to overlap with the view through the window.

No matter how you look at it, his appearance is just average.

Perhaps for someone of high school age, Cheng Wang's usual demeanor is quite refreshing, slightly above average.

However, at this moment, he was completely absorbed in the interaction between pen and paper.

The rain scene, as the background, accentuates her slender features, making her appear even more capable.

Mu Ziling was quite surprised to find that she seemed to have gotten to know Cheng Wang all over again today.

Was he like this when he used to draw?

If so.

Let's not even talk about the highly difficult entrance exam for the Yuhang Academy of Fine Arts.

Would I worry that he might even fail the city-wide joint exam?

Even Mu Ziling couldn't explain what she was thinking in front of Cheng Wang, whom she had never seen before.

curious?

That should be true.

I must have been curious to keep an eye on Cheng Wang's techniques for creating details.

Art students have long, slender fingers.

It looks pretty good.

"Cough cough."

Cheng Wang put down his paintbrush and coughed as he reminded him.

Mu Ziling responded blankly, "Hmm."

"I've finished drawing."

"it is good."

"Has Teacher Mu turned into a wooden figure?"

"No... let me show you how to revise the drawing."

Reminded by Cheng Wang, Mu Ziling belatedly came to her senses.

She first lowered her head, smoothed her bangs, and then slid her right hand down to unconsciously press it against her cheek: "You drew this...wait, is it...me?"

A girl on paper, half-body image, slightly turned to the side, looking back.

The faint smile was captured precisely, and the dimples on the cheeks were vividly depicted by Cheng Wang using some clever techniques.

Charcoal pencil outlines the hair strands, with fine bangs falling across the forehead, all transformed into delicate hatching lines that sway gently in the wind.

The entire sketch is devoid of color.

With just the rhythm of black, white, and gray, the image of youth is fully integrated into the dynamic temperament of light and shadow interwoven—

It was a clarity that was captured in a pencil, uniquely hers.

This is the first impression.

Cheng Wang's paintings were not in the style of the Joint College Entrance Examination, but rather products created based on his personal preferences.

From the perspective of the joint entrance examination, this work may even be at a disadvantage in terms of scoring.

However, in terms of her own feelings, she simply couldn't bring herself to offer a fair and reasonable commentary without going against her conscience.

The fact that Cheng Wang can create a sketch like this is enough to illustrate something very important.

His potential has already extended far beyond the Joint Entrance Examination!

Until now.

Mu Ziling then examined the entire work in its entirety.

She was initially surprised, not expecting Cheng Wang to choose her as the subject of his sketch.

The warmth intensified as I pressed my palm against my face.

However, this surprise was quickly overtaken by another, more pronounced astonishment.

Is this Cheng Wang's level?

As the top student in the principal's class, Mu Ziling's ability to appreciate art is unmatched by ordinary students like Tan Yuguan.

In addition to solid drawing skills.

The key to her standing out among top students lies in her different levels of understanding.

Therefore.

The layers and details that Cheng Wang's sketches revealed to her far surpassed those of Tan Yuguan and other students in the same year.

he……

Was it at this level before?

wrong.

Even if we don't discuss Cheng Wang separately, let's expand the comparison to the entire art studio.

Before this, at least Mu Ziling had never truly believed that any classmate's work was worth studying and reflecting upon.

If they're not even on the same level, what's the point of comparing them?

When exactly did Cheng Wang evolve to this level?

Those traces, like clouds and rain, shroud the future and cast a shadow over the university's future.

After this sketch appeared, it seemed to completely vanish without a trace.

No wonder...

Why would Teacher Wang from the art studio be so certain about him?

The answer has been found.

Since Cheng Wang started taking leave repeatedly, the unease that Mu Ziling felt, which she herself couldn't quite explain, quietly disappeared.

Um, how am I supposed to help him analyze this?

The result was completely different from what she had imagined, and she couldn't find the right words to describe it.

Mu Ziling stood there dumbfounded, frozen in place.

"Big Head Photo Album, one debt paid off."

Seeing this, Cheng Wang grinned mischievously.

Mu Ziling did not reply immediately, and fell into deep thought.

half an hour.

She raised her small face, her tone firm and resolute, a rare departure from her usual self, her voice resounding with conviction.

"Chengwang".

"How so?"

"You draw better than me."

Cheng Wang asked in surprise, "Really?"

"I won't lie."

The reply was somewhat unexpected.

He believed that given Mu Ziling's personality, she would definitely praise such a sketch.

To my utter surprise, she immediately declared that she was even stronger than me as soon as she opened her mouth.

I know perfectly well what level Mu Ziling is at.

The reason for ranking in the top 50 of the Shanghai Joint Examination is that the ranking can only roughly show the score range within a certain range.

Her final score placed her among the top 50.

In terms of drawing skills alone, Cheng Wang had a long career before his rebirth, but he had not focused on practicing the three major exam subjects for a long time.

In his view, even if his skill level improved by leaps and bounds, it was still no match for Mu Ziling's double buff of virginity and talent.

Reaching a roughly segmented level already constitutes an exceptional performance.

"Mu Ziling, why do you say that?"

"You're drawing what's in your heart." Mu Ziling tucked a strand of hair behind her ear:

"In the past, all my works were based on what I had learned. Even without references, I had accumulated materials to memorize, similar to memorizing from memory."

"Your sketches are different."

Cheng Wang said with a bitter face, "Do you think it's possible that I was actually writing it from memory as well?"

Mu Ziling smiled faintly and looked at him.

The sketches stand together, as if the figures in the painting have stepped out, graceful and elegant.

Cheng Wang probably guessed that there was something ambiguous in his words, which made her laugh.

The explanation is meaningless.

Why not jokingly reply?

"Accumulating drawing techniques can also be considered a way of accumulating materials."

"uh-huh."

Mu Ziling does not deny it.

The humming sounded quite pleasant.

"Chengwang, are you going to give this painting to me?"

"Just kidding, black and white sketches aren't very interesting. I'll draw you something in color later."

"But I really love this piece of art, can I take it with me?"

Mu Ziling pleaded softly, unusually acting coquettishly.

The uniquely sweet and coquettish voice of Shanghai girls.

If someone has a capricious nature, they can easily come across as pretentious.

However, when Mu Ziling spoke, it had a soft, gentle quality reminiscent of Jiangnan opera.

"Whatever you want, I have no objection."

Cheng Wang found an empty painting tube and filled it for her.

Mu Ziling accepted it with both hands, her eyes sparkling, looking very happy.

"Thank you, Chengwang. This is the first time I've received a painting from you. I'm very happy. I'm going back now."

Cheng Wang scratched the back of his head and said, "It wouldn't be considered disturbing... Are you leaving already? Aren't you staying for lunch?"

"No, no, your drawing is so good that it makes me feel a little insecure. I need to practice more too."

"Okay, did you bring an umbrella? If not, I'll find you one."

"Yes, it's in my bag."

Mu Ziling paused, then let out a long, drawn-out "hmm".

Then, she deliberately put on a serious face: "By the way, Cheng Wang."

"Although I think you draw better than me, your exam score isn't necessarily guaranteed. You can't let your guard down just because I praised your sketch."

Cheng Wang smiled.

"I swear."

He grinned confidently, raised his right hand, and stretched out four fingers vertically.

"Give it your all."