Chapter 22 The 10086th Girl I Want to Protect

High-rises lined Rainbow Street, and the streets were filled with clean and bright malls, which, to Xu Yi, were close to the commercial districts of the future.

The Yuback art exhibition was at the end of the street, with Xu Yi and Lisa walking side by side.

Lisa had clearly made an effort to dress up that day, but that effort was simply washing her hair before leaving and changing into her favorite white floral dress.

Looking at Lisa's bare-faced beauty, the phrase "born with natural beauty" involuntarily popped into Xu Yi's head.

She didn't wear makeup, nor did she know how to apply it; her only skincare product was a cream to prevent dry skin.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Lisa's cheeks flushed slightly.

"You're so beautiful, wouldn't it be a loss if I didn't take a good look?" Xu Yi walked up to Lisa's side.

He smelled the faint scent on her, not knowing if it was from her shampoo or Lisa's own natural fragrance, but it was especially pleasant.

Lisa's face grew even redder, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Xu Yi.

They reached the exhibition, and Xu Yi stopped teasing Lisa, intending to go forward to buy tickets, but Lisa stopped him.

"Let me do it! Today I invited you to the art exhibition!"

The price of the exhibition wasn't high, but that was for the upper classes; Lisa's family had to think twice before buying a few vegetables, obviously not included.

Lisa pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket, all in small denominations: one dollar, two dollars, and even a few cents in coins.

Xu Yi knew that this money was hard-earned by Lisa, given that her family's situation was even worse than his and she, being a girl, wasn't favored either.

"Do you think I might..." Lisa looked around at the people, suddenly feeling a bit inferior.

The individuals coming in and out here were all dressed brightly and confidently buying tickets without even blinking, using whole bills, unlike her, who had to count out change.

"How could I? People should be envious if anything!" Xu Yi shook his head, watching Lisa quietly.

They say sincerity is the killing move. If a girl were willing to save up money bill by bill, like collecting stars, to take you to the place you've been longing for, even Xu Yi, the old man, couldn't help feeling overwhelmed.

After hearing Xu Yi's words, Lisa's heart gradually settled, and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Let's go!" Xu Yi took the opportunity to grab her hand.

Lisa's hand was very soft, feeling like warm jade, and Xu Yi kind of liked this sensation.

The plain white walls were adorned with various styles of painting: abstract oil paintings, delicate watercolors, dark-toned sketches...

Xu Yi's attention was suddenly captured; he stared at a sketch depicting a hero slaying a dragon.

The dragon's ferocity, the hero's fearlessness, and the villagers' terror were all vividly portrayed on paper, making Xu Yi feel as though he was witnessing the scene.

"So this is what real painting is!" Xu Yi's mind involuntarily began analyzing the composition of the sketch, the handling of dark details.

[Painter Entries Experience +5, Current Progress: 38/100.]

The system's voice brought Xu Yi back to reality, and he hadn't expected that in just this short time, he would have gained five points of experience!

If he had been drawing at home, he probably wouldn't have earned nearly as much all morning.

"Indeed, to gain entry experience, one must find the right method!"

Although the paintings on display here weren't world-renowned masterpieces, they were collections of various masters' works, which are just as important for art appreciation and aesthetic evaluation as they are for people learning to paint.

A thought struck Xu Yi, and he took out the notebook he carried with him.

It was only after they entered that Lisa realized Xu Yi had been holding her hand the entire time, which made her feel shy. She kept looking around, afraid of being seen by acquaintances.

But after Xu Yi released her hand, she felt a sense of loss, her conflicting emotions of a young girl displayed in full force at that moment.

Xu Yi focused on his notebook and took out a pencil to start copying.

He hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming today. A sudden thought had crossed his mind: if appreciating paintings could give him experience, what about copying them?

There were also quite a few artists in the exhibition, and those who couldn't help but doodle in their notebooks upon seeing the exquisite elements in others' paintings were not uncommon, so Xu Yi's behavior did not stand out.

Lisa didn't disturb Xu Yi but simply tiptoed to look at his sketchbook.

Xu Yi sketched quickly, and in just a short while, a miniature version of the "Hero Slaying the Dragon" appeared on the page.

Lisa stared at the drawing on the page, her eyes widening.

She still remembered the stick figures Xu Yi drew a few days ago, which were strictly on the level of a three-year-old's, when did Xu Yi acquire such drawing skills?

Xu Yi's drawing was similar to the exhibition paintings on the wall by about fifty to sixty percent.

Xu Yi was fully focused on copying, and when he stopped his pen, the system's voice rang out again.

[Artist Entries Experience +9, Current Progress: 47/100.]

It really works!

Xu Yi's eyes lit up, this was indeed the correct way to level up the Artist Entries!

With many paintings at the exhibition, Xu Yi kept on appreciating and copying. The experience gained afterwards wasn't as much as the first time, but it was enough to satisfy him.

[Artist Entries Experience +2...]

[Artist Entries Experience +4...]

Lisa quietly followed behind Xu Yi, staring at his earnest profile, and without realizing it, she was entranced.

She wasn't particularly interested in the art exhibition, but the reason she came was that she noticed Xu Yi had recently been learning to draw, so she thought he might be interested in the exhibition and invited him out.

Of course, she was aware of the issue between Xu Yi and Maria.

If it were before, with her usual style, she would have stormed over and demanded to know what was going on with Xu Yi.

But ever since Xu Yi got out of the hospital, he had gradually become a stranger, yet more attractive, humorous, gentle, and appealing... She suddenly became a bit fearful, afraid that Xu Yi would suddenly leave her, and so she didn't even dare to ask.

The art exhibition ended, and Xu Yi left reluctantly.

[Artist Entries, Current Progress: 68/100.]

After one trip to the exhibition, the progression of the Artist Entries had directly surpassed sixty percent. Since the exhibition lasted three days, he planned to continue coming the next day.

By the time they left the exhibition hall, the sky had already dimmed, and the last of the sunset's glow gradually receded.

Xu Yi looked at Lisa by his side and felt apologetic.

Because he was busy grinding for entry experience, he had basically stayed inside the exhibition hall the whole time, and had only quickly eaten a couple of wraps for lunch.

Lisa clearly had little interest in the exhibition, but she quietly accompanied Xu Yi the entire time, occasionally sitting down with a tilted head when she was tired, lost in thought.

When Xu Yi was tired from drawing, he would unconsciously glance over at Lisa.

His gaze fell upon her green-brown pupils, and ripples involuntarily stirred in his heart.

I'm done for! I'm done for!

Xu Yi felt like he had encountered the 10,086th girl he wanted to genuinely protect.

"Thank you for accompanying me to the exhibition, let me treat you to dinner tonight!"

Xu Yi and Lisa walked side by side on the street, with the beginning sparkle of city lights, Rainbow Street was bustling with activity, with people coming and going.

Lisa shook her head, "Let's not, the restaurants around here are too expensive, let's go back to Chinatown to eat!"

Xu Yi found it amusing but did not refuse.

"Alright, then let's go somewhere else to eat."

Lisa's eyes dimmed a bit, but she nodded anyway, and Xu Yi pretended not to see it.