CH 24.1

You Paint, I Write Poetry (1)

Ruan Qingmu looked at the message and slightly smiled.

Tang Tiantian comforted Niu Xiaoqing in whispers. When she raised her eyes, she saw Ruan Qingmu had somehow appeared. He reached out a hand and wiped the semi-finished painting on the blackboard, smudging the paints into a mess of blacks and browns.

“Ah! What are you doing?!” She cried out and reached out to stop him. But Ruan Qingmu’s movement was quick and he was able to wipe the painting into a mess in three wipes.

He casually washed his rag in the water basin at the side and continued to wipe it again. The blackboard on the back was soon wiped clean. Niu Xiaoqing’s hard work for half a day thus wholly disappeared just like that.

“Ahhh! I will fight you, sports representative!” Niu Xiaoqing shrieked miserably and threw herself at him, wanting to hit him.

Ruan Qingmu nimbly moved away and avoided her fists.

He looked at the plate of cookies on the desk and twitched his brows. “All right, don’t be too wrapped up in work. Hurry, go to the cafeteria and get something to eat.”

The two girls were dumbfounded. “W-What are you going to do?”

Ruan Qingmu casually grabbed the paintbrush and tried it out on the paint palette on the side. “Be obedient, go to eat. Then, go to play after eating and come back in two hours.”

Niu Xiaoqing blankly looked at him. “Y-You can paint?”

Ruan Qingmu unhurriedly spoke. “Even if I can’t, it won’t be uglier than your painting.”

Tang Tiantian: “…”

The hell! Why didn’t it sound comforting at all?!

When they left, he was alone in the classroom.

Ruan Qingmu took the soft-bristle paint brush, tried it a few times on the blackboard, and then erased it again.

Although it was incomparable to a writing brush, he could still find the feel in his wrist. After trying a few times, he could figure out the strength needed.

He blended the colors on the palette and started to paint after thinking it over for a while.

There weren’t many students left in the school and the school building was also quiet. The midday sunshine shone in and reflected Ruan Qingmu’s jade-white wrist.

Qin Yuan silently stood in front of the classroom door and watched him brandishing the brush and paint; his gaze was dark.

Ruan Qingmu painted for a while and finally felt his arm become a bit sore.

He put down the brush, swung his arm in the air, and did a few sets of chest expansion exercises.

He took a few steps backward, looked at the painting, and was stunned.

It still lacked a human face and the features were still blank. Although there was the feeling of fluttering robes, it didn’t feel lively and alive.

“You can actually draw?” a voice sounded out behind him.

Ruan Qingmu abruptly turned his head. Looking at Qin Yuan behind him, he suddenly smiled.

His smile changed from faint to wanton. In a split second, his features became lively as if seeing something rare.

“Of course. I’ve told you earlier I am well-versed in the four arts.” He reached out and pushed Qin Yuan onto the last row seat with a smile. “Here, sit properly. Let me borrow you for a while.”

Qin Yuan’s face was a little dark as if he wanted to stand up and leave instantly. But once he raised his head, he happened to meet Ruan Qingmu’s shining eyes.

He froze and finally sat still.

Then, he lowered his head and typed on his phone with a cold face.

“Uncle Yan, you can go back first. No need to wait for me. Something came up at school.”

As soon as the message was sent, Ruan Qingmu had already called out to him. “Hey, hey. Don’t move, student shaoxia.”

He unceremoniously stretched out his hand and lifted Qin Yuan’s chin, looking left and right in satisfaction. “Mm, just from this angle.”

Those slender fair-white fingers gently caressed Qin Yuan’s face; it felt soft and slightly cool. Qin Yuan’s face was set in place by him and the base of his ears was somewhat stained with a layer of scarlet instantly.

He silently raised his pupils and glanced at Ruan Qingmu, who was almost within his reach; his neck had stiffened noticeably.

“Good.” Ruan Qingmu casually praised him and picked up the paintbrush with a grin.

In front of the classroom door, Niu Xiaoqing and Tang Tiantian quietly stood there. They wanted to step in but hesitated and halted their steps.

After secretly watching for a while, Niu Xiaoqing pulled the corner of her best friend’s sleeve. They stood on their tiptoe and moved backward.

Standing in the corridor, Niu Xiaoqing slightly stuttered in shock. “Ahhh, Ruan Qingmu drew that?”

Tang Tiantian was slightly dazzled. “I think so. Isn’t he still drawing?”

“So awesome! What is the great class monitor Qin doing here?”

Tang Tiantian’s expression became even more dazzled. “He seems to be his model? Is Ruan Qingmu drawing his face?”

“Yes, it must be! I have even heard him praising Qin Yuan’s good looks before!”

The youth, sitting upright and still, seemed to move a little inside the classroom. Ruan Qingmu immediately told him to not move. “Wait for a moment. Wait for a moment. Just for two minutes.”

He gazed at the face in front with a dazed look. After a long time, he just lightly drew the next stroke.

Sigh. They used to fight until blacking out every time they met, so this was the first time he had the chance to get a good look at his face.

Outside, Niu Xiaoqing poked her head in. “He said it’s only for two minutes but wasn’t this already ten minutes?”

Tang Tiantian nodded. “Mm. It shows that he draws very seriously!”

After the two girls secretly watched for some time, Niu Xiaoqing suddenly asked again, “Our sports representative usually doesn’t like to smile, right?”

Tang Tiantian pursed her lips. “It’s not that bad. He smiles sometimes.”

Sneers and smirks were also considered smiling…

Niu Xiaoqing was slightly dazzled. “But, why does he smile so sweetly at Boss Qin?”

***