How Had He Grown to Look Like This?

Jinde finally smiled and leaned to the side, propping himself up on one elbow and resting his chin against his hand. "Wait a moment. If I have the honor of being painted by you, then I should make sure I look my best, shouldn't I?"

Leng Jin Yu cleared his throat and nodded before hurriedly looking at the ink. Ah, he definitely shouldn't have agreed to this. It would have been much better to pretend his Master wanted to see him. Or maybe say that his skills weren't sufficient but that he would love to accompany him for a cup of tea. That probably wasn't as tempting as this.

Leng Jin Yu paused. Alright. Maybe he should stop to pretend. There was nothing that wasn't tempting if Jinde was part of it. He just had that kind of natural charm and with the way he acted right now, it was impossible not to feel attracted.

The person in question very happily sorted his robes again and slid into a 'comfortable' position. When Leng Jin Yu looked up …

"Ah … your … your foot."

Jinde tilted his head, making a few golden strands fall down. "What about it?"

"It's …" It's peeking out from below your robe and seriously distracting me.

Leng Jin Yu stared at the pale skin before taking up the brush. Forget it. Jinde obviously wanted to do this. Whatever he said it might just make it worse. It was better to give in to fate and just paint him like this. He could also see it as his punishment for rejecting the beauty that had offered himself up.

Jinde just continued to smile when Leng Jin Yu refused to say anything. Ah, my dear lover, don't think you'll get away this easily. You don't want to take me? Then have a look at what you missed out on! Mn, he would only stop when Leng Jin Yu was completely bothered and unable to think straight. Maybe then he would finally accept his advances!

Honestly, what was with this hot and cold treatment? Hadn't he kissed him this morning to wake him up? But now he was playing hard to get. This was blatantly challenging him to seduce him! Jinde pursed his lips and rested his other hand in front of his abdomen. Mn, he'd adjust some other details later on. He'd really like to see how long Leng Jin Yu could resist!

For the moment, Leng Jin Yu didn't have much of a problem. After he had left for a moment and Jinde had changed his posture, he had already calmed down. Now, he was only faced with a very pleasing sight that he could even pin on paper. Wasn't that a pleasant pastime?

He sketched the general outline of Jinde's body on the daybed before looking at his face again. Those beautiful golden eyes were narrowed right now but he had seen him often enough already to know that they were more on the narrow side even when fully opened. It made them seem longer than they probably were and in that heart-shaped face they gave off a flair of elegance and wisdom as if Jinde had seen more than anyone could imagine. And his lashes shaded part of those eyes as if they were intent on letting them appear even more mysterious.

Leng Jin Yu took his time to paint every little detail as truthfully as he could. Ah, that light reflected in his eyes, those shadows of the building behind him, the way the tips of his lower lashes almost touched his skin …

A breeze rustled in the leaves of the plum tree and once again those white petals rained down. One of them got caught in his hair. Jinde gently shook his head and the petal fell down further but ultimately stopped above his eyebrow.

Jinde chuckled. "Do you want to draw me like this or should I take it away?"

Leng Jin Yu didn't answer immediately. He looked at those thin eyebrows that only slightly dipped down toward his nose and otherwise ran almost straight above his eyes before they disappeared below the golden strands that framed Jinde's face. "I … don't mind either way."

"But I do. I'd like to look my best …" For you.

Leng Jin Yu's lips parted and a shallow breath escaped them. "Then you really don't have to worry. You're looking good either way."

Jinde's lips curved up. "That's not the question. How do I look my best?"

"How am I supposed to answer this?" Leng Jin Yu looked at his scroll of paper again and tried to put those brows down.

Ah, this really wasn't easy. This golden color of Jinde's hair was too distinctive. How could he accurately display him when he just used black ink? He had to find a way to color this later.

He looked up again when he was satisfied with the way he had painted the brows only to be stumped once again. That nose … Could somebody explain to him how Jinde had managed to grow to look like this? Just like with his eyes his nose was narrow, the nostrils hardly pronounced. If it was turned up, it was only so little that he couldn't make it out from where he sat.

Come to think of it Jinde's face looked very symmetrical, very well-proportioned. Drawing somebody like that was pleasant but also a huge burden. Would he really be able to paint well enough to do him justice? He honestly couldn't believe it. Something would certainly seem off.

Leng Jin Yu sighed and shook his head, moving on to Jinde's lips. He stared at them for a moment and his own brows creased. Just what had gotten into him that he had agreed to paint this person? Really, if somebody looked like this and you already felt drawn to them, then you shouldn't attempt to do anything. It would just make matters worse.