Chapter 786 Painting Is Great, Painting Needs Learning

At this moment, Liu Li was still feeling depressed about the argument with that ignorant young man earlier.

Li Younan could naturally tell that Liu Li was not in a good mood, so he touched her head and said, "You’re already a big kid, why are you still bothered by little things like this?"

"Annoying, you’re underestimating me again."

Liu Li pouted, but a smile bloomed on her face. She then leaned closer to Li Younan and said, "I’m still a child, you have to manage me when things like this happen because you’re mature... with my personality, I would have to fight that little brat."

"Haha, are you going to fight him?"

"What, do you look down on me? Back in the day, I was a hero at fighting dogs."

Li Younan knew which incident Liu Li was referring to—the time she rushed downstairs and hit the dog’s head with a broomstick—and couldn’t help but smile.

He then pointed towards the scenery by Qinhuang Lake and said, "Come on, let’s go there for a walk, and I’ll paint some beautiful pictures for you."

At this moment, Li Younan was holding a foldable drawing board, some sheets of oil painting paper, and scattered oil paints.

Actually, it doesn’t matter much about the paints; as long as there are three primary colors, any other color can be mixed.

The scenery near Qinhuang Lake is indeed more beautiful. Li Younan and Liu Li distanced themselves from the young people doing outdoor sketches and let Liu Li sit on a large rock.

Today, Liu Li was wearing a fluffy coat and looked very cute.

Li Younan was right next to her and quickly started painting.

Both of them were basking in the sunshine, painting while chatting.

Having spent so much time together, there was never a shortage of topics. Daily trivial matters could be talked about all day if the throat didn’t get dry.

"When are we going to set sail?"

"Definitely after New Year’s; it’s only a few days away. Why don’t you come to my place for New Year’s?"

Liu Li’s face turned red instantly. Looking at Li Younan’s calm expression, she snorted and said, "That wouldn’t work, my brother would probably eat you alive."

Li Younan gently tapped her forehead: "Your brother is really annoying; how about I come up with a plan to send him on a business trip over New Year’s?"

A girl grows up to be independent; at this moment, Liu Li thought of her brother, who has been her companion, and her beloved Li Younan, without hesitation choosing the latter, not bothered by Li Younan’s tactlessness.

She slightly turned her body, her cheeks a bit warm, squinting her eyes and saying, "Actually, even if my brother knew, he wouldn’t do anything to you. It’s not because I’m shy or anything; I’m just thinking if my brother suddenly found out that I became someone else’s girlfriend, especially the excellent Li Younan, he’d really lose me and must feel really sad."

Li Younan blinked, not expecting Liu Li to be reluctant to tell her brother because of this reason.

Liu Li sighed lightly.

Li Younan smiled with an indifferent tone: "Don’t move, a few more strokes, and it will be finished."

Liu Li was taken aback: "So quickly?"

"I’m a top-notch expert, several levels high."

...

A young man named Zhou Feiyu, after abandoning the drawing board and paints, was somewhat regretful at this time.

He sat there bored, while the girl next to him had already finished her painting.

She put away the painting and walked to Zhou Feiyu’s side and said, "Alright, I’ll accompany you to find your drawing board, otherwise your teacher will scold you later."

Facing the girl, Zhou Feiyu suddenly lost his temper, snorting: "You know, I... I’m only learning to paint because of you."

"You really don’t need to do this; our main task is studying, getting into a good college, I don’t care about those things."

"Don’t say that, I’ll prove it to you, I’m definitely not just talking." Zhou Feiyu’s eyes showed a trace of determination.

The girl smiled helplessly, keeping her thoughts to herself, thinking that Zhou Feiyu was still too childish.

She added, "So are you going to find it or not? If not, I’ll continue to draw."

Zhou Feiyu thought about how, if he didn’t find the drawing board, the teacher might send him away, and then where would he chase girls? Plus, his crush accompanying him to retrieve the drawing board was a good opportunity for solitude, so he nodded with a smile: "Let’s go."

"You shouldn’t do such childish things in the future."

"How am I childish?"

"Think about it yourself. I like mature, talented boys."

The two chatted while walking in the direction of Qinhuang Lake.

Zhou Feiyu complained gloomily, "I just wanted to vent a bit, didn’t expect that guy to pick up my drawing board, honestly."

The girl burst out laughing: "You tossed it away, people can’t pick it up?"

After a downhill walk, through the dappled shadows of several willow trees, the two saw Li Younan and Liu Li, as well as... the canvas that had already been filled with quite a bit of color.

...

Originally, Zhou Feiyu wanted to immediately go over and get the canvas back, but before he moved, he was pulled back by the girl.

Zhou Feiyu turned his head dumbfounded, only to see the girl gazing intently at Li Younan’s canvas.

On the canvas, a pretty and cute girl was bathing in sunlight, a light reminiscent of the sunshine in Renoir’s paintings.

She was different from Zhou Feiyu; she truly understood art and was determined to walk far down this path as an art student. Even her teacher had never given her such a feeling... That painting was truly a masterpiece of nature.

Liu Li leaned beside Li Younan and watched for a while, then shyly said, "The painting is really beautiful."

Li Younan smiled.

Liu Li asked again, "Li Younan, how did you do it? How can you know so much, even paint so well?"

She sighed softly, "You’re so excellent, why would you like me?"

Li Younan said nothing, casually removing the painting from the canvas, then affixed a sheet of new drawing paper, holding the palette in one hand and the brush in the other, sketching once again.

Before long, the paper revealed an image of a girl completely different from her current state. It was still clearly Liu Li, but now it was a girl kneeling on her bed, gazing out at the moon, with the moonlight quietly pouring down.

Li Younan’s final stroke was a line of light drawn with white paint.

Witnessing it all, Zhou Feiyu couldn’t help but glance at the girl beside him, and then saw the girl he liked staring in a daze at the painting. For a moment, it felt as though something inside his head was triggered. He clenched his fists and his knuckles slightly whitened.

Yet the girl had no attention for Zhou Feiyu beside her, her gaze fixated on Li Younan’s canvas.

Truly, such painting skills were incredible, not only beautiful but so fast, as if there was already a perfect picture on the blank paper, and he was merely peeling away the white, bit by bit, to reveal the original image beneath.

Liu Li gently tapped Li Younan’s shoulder with her head, tears shimmering in her eyes, "Is this the way I looked when I was sick before?"

"Yes, do you like it?"

"I really like it."

Liu Li squinted, and it felt as though her heart was filled with honey. Her face reddened uncontrollably, and seeing that Li Younan intended to continue painting, she hurriedly said, "Okay, okay, stop painting, stop painting, otherwise I’ll cry later... I get it! I’ll never doubt your feelings for me from now on..."

"I was planning to paint the way you looked during 318."

The two exchanged sweet words, sickly sweet.

Zhou Feiyu watched silently.

He suddenly realized... Painting, ah, painting needs to be learned.

He glanced again at the girl beside him, noticing that even her gaze towards Li Younan was a bit admiring.

Painful, too painful, what a painful realization.

Luckily, that guy and that girl were a couple.

At that moment, just as Li Younan and Liu Li were about to leave, Zhou Feiyu finally remembered what he was supposed to do and quickly went over to stop Li Younan: "Wait a minute, wait a minute."

Li Younan and Liu Li paused, turning back together in puzzlement.

Faced with Li Younan and Liu Li, Zhou Feiyu’s face looked a bit unsightly, genuinely awkward. He coughed and said, "Um, sorry, I...I want my canvas back."

Liu Li taunted sarcastically from the side, "Didn’t you already throw it away as garbage?"

Zhou Feiyu’s face turned red and white, saying, "I regret it now."

Li Younan chuckled, "You want me to return it to you, it’s possible, 500 yuan."

Zhou Feiyu was taken aback, angrily saying, "You’re robbing me."

Li Younan said, "If you don’t agree, then I can’t give this item back to you."

"But it’s mine!"

"It used to be yours; you just threw it away, and we picked it up as garbage, and many people saw it."

Zhou Feiyu gritted his teeth, finally beaten by Li Younan’s powerful aura: "Fine, 500 it is."

Li Younan took down the painting he made for Liu Li, returned the canvas to Zhou Feiyu, and only after receiving payment did he leave satisfied.

After they had walked some distance away, Li Younan smiled at Liu Li and said, "How was it, did I avenge you?"

Liu Li shook her head, bashfully saying, "Actually, I’m no longer angry, but watching that guy’s pained expression when he had to pay was quite satisfying, hehe."

Watching the backs of Li Younan and Liu Li as they left, Zhou Feiyu sighed repeatedly, frustrated over the 500 yuan he had lost.

And the girl beside him, watching Li Younan’s departing figure, felt her heart throb. But when she remembered that he had a girlfriend, she sighed softly.