Even in Huacheng, the temperature had dropped considerably compared to midsummer, making summer clothes no longer suitable.
The man sitting on the sofa was dressed in a camel - colored shirt and black long trousers, looking extremely elegant and noble.
At this moment, he was reclining lazily on the sofa, sipping tea carefully.
As if sensing Jiang Li's gaze, Xiao Yanzhi slowly put down his teacup and looked up at her. His cold eyes only had room for her.
There was scrutiny and surprise in his eyes, but more of his usual coldness. He raised his eyebrows slightly.
At the moment their eyes met, Jiang Li was momentarily dazed.
Her first thought was that Xiao Yanzhi was actually here.
Her second thought was that Xiao Yanzhi actually knew Shang Zewen.
Shang Zewen had been looking at the paintings on the wall. When he turned his head and saw Jiang Li, his eyes lit up. "Miss Jiang? What a coincidence."
He walked over, a smile on his face. "Xiao, I know this beautiful lady. It's my honor to introduce her to you. Her name is Jiang..."
"Jiang Li," Xiao Yanzhi said, his thin lips barely moving.
Their relationship wasn't at the stage where they needed someone else to introduce them.
Shang Zewen was both surprised and delighted. "Xiao, you two know each other?"
"Yes."
"No."
Their simultaneous but completely opposite answers made the atmosphere a bit awkward.
Shang Zewen was taken aback. Sensing the subtle atmosphere between them, he shrugged and said meaningfully, "Old friends, or... lovers?"
The word "lovers" carried a rather suggestive meaning and could easily be misinterpreted in a more frivolous way.
Jiang Li unconsciously tightened the hand hanging by her side.
"She's my girlfriend. We've just been having a little spat recently," Xiao Yanzhi glanced at Jiang Li, gave a polite smile, walked towards her, and affectionately put his arm around her waist. He smiled and asked her, "Are you still mad? Stop being angry, okay? Be a good girl."
Jiang Li's nerves instantly tightened. She stared at him with wide eyes, about to expose him, when he suddenly said in a voice only they could hear, "Just listen to me for now. I'll explain later."
Jiang Li pressed her lips tightly together, restraining her emotions. She just stared fixedly at him, wanting to see what he was up to.
"Okay, the world is really small," Shang Zewen said in surprise. "You two are the first and second friends I've made since I returned to China. I didn't expect you two to be a couple."
He walked over and patted Xiao Yanzhi on the shoulder. "Xiao, women need to be coaxed, especially beautiful women like Miss Jiang. They need a man's love to stay with you."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Xiao Yanzhi glanced at his wristwatch, his tone indifferent. "In that case, could you let me spend some time alone with my girlfriend?"
Even though Shang Zewen's Chinese wasn't very good, he could sense the implication in Xiao Yanzhi's words. So he waved his hand helplessly with an ambiguous smile. "I won't disturb you two then."
With that, he left in a hurry.
Watching Shang Zewen's retreating figure, Jiang Li quickly pushed away Xiao Yanzhi's hand on her waist and took a step back imperceptibly, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.
Brother Li stood there awkwardly, rubbing his hands. He hadn't expected the two of them to have such a relationship. "Then... Sir, do you still want to paint?"
"I do," Xiao Yanzhi replied.
Brother Li asked her to sit on the chair and explained the essentials to her. "Actually, being a model is very simple. Just relax as much as possible. Naturalness is the most important thing."
Jiang Li had endorsed too many brands and had countless photo shoots. She naturally knew what poses and angles could best showcase her advantages.
Xiao Yanzhi also unhurriedly set up his drawing board.
As soon as Brother Li went out and closed the door, Jiang Li immediately tried to stand up from the chair. Xiao Yanzhi suddenly said, "Don't move."
His eyes swept over her indifferently. "Is this how unprofessional you are as a model?"
Jiang Li bit her lips. Her innate stubbornness made her stand up and then sit down again, resuming the pre - arranged sitting posture without moving a muscle.
She had a very good figure. Her back was slender and elegant. Sitting upright at this moment, her neck was as long and fair as a swan's. Her chin was slightly raised, and she wasn't at all coy, showing off her body in a standard way.
The studio was very quiet, with only the rustling sound of the pen on the paper.
No matter how good her professional qualities were, holding a single pose for a long time would make her tired. Her leg bones began to feel numb.
That was still bearable. What she couldn't stand was his hot and intense gaze lingering all over her body.
This made her fidgety, and a thin layer of sweat seeped out of her palms, but on the surface, she didn't show the slightest sign of nervousness.
"Why did you suddenly come to be a nude model?" After a while, the man's voice broke the silence. "Isn't the salary Baijiao pays you enough?"
Jiang Li didn't move her body but only moved her lips. "I came with a friend from the drama troupe. She's doing a part - time job here."
"And you decided to give it a try too?" Xiao Yanzhi's pen paused slightly. "In Jiangyu, your endorsement fee for being a model is much higher than this."
Jiang Li didn't know what his intention was for suddenly bringing this up.
Did he think she was cheap now, or that she had downgraded herself compared to her former self?
"Don't get too close to Shang Zewen," his voice dropped a couple of tones, with a slight warning in his words.
Jiang Li bit her lips.
She said, "Then why don't you tell me, Mr. Xiao, which man can I get close to?"
Xiao Yanzhi immediately fell silent.
"Mr. Xiao, I have nothing to do with you. Keep your unnecessary control - freak tendencies in check," Jiang Li said calmly. "Thanks for the reminder, but it's unnecessary, and I may not listen."
"Moreover, compared to other men, I should definitely not get close to you."
Xiao Yanzhi was stunned for a moment. His hand holding the pen suddenly tightened, and his long finger bones turned white.
Her calm words were like a sharp pen tip stabbing into his heart, causing an indescribable pain.
Her gesture of wanting to draw a clear line from him was too obvious.
After an unknown amount of time, the man stopped writing and simply said, "It's done."
So Jiang Li stood up, stretched her neck and arms, and was about to leave.
"Aren't you going to take a look at how it turned out?"
Jiang Li paused. Thinking that it wouldn't hurt to take a look, she walked back and glanced at the drawing board in Xiao Yanzhi's hand.
Actually, she had been surprised earlier. She had never thought that Xiao Yanzhi could draw. This was a side of him she didn't know.
When she saw the finished drawing, she was stunned for a moment and felt a strange sense of unease.
"... You drew this?" Jiang Li said in disbelief.
"Was there someone else in this room just now?"
Sketching was a painting method that could well reflect the painter's inner world.
Since there wasn't enough time to refine and perfect the whole, the painter usually focused on the parts that they cared about subjectively to depict the character, such as the model's figure, facial features, expression, clothing, etc.
So when different people painted the same model, the visual effects on paper would have different artistic conceptions and styles.
In the drawing, Jiang Li's eyes were cold, as if she was a goddess far away from the mortal world. There was an aura around her that kept people at a distance.
The emotions in those eyes were even fainter, making her look extremely cold, aloof, and a bit inhumane. It was hard for people to get close to her.
Was this how she looked in Xiao Yanzhi's eyes?