“…Miss Su, are you saying you want to paint a double portrait?”
After a moment of silence, Meng Wange raised her eyebrows at the suggestion Su Wanli had proposed.
“Yeah. It’s boring for one person to always be posing while the other buries their head in a canvas,” Su Wanli said as she shrugged at Meng Wange.
She lightly lifted the hem of her yukata, fanning herself with a seemingly casual air.
“Since we finally have a chance to paint at home, let’s do something different, shall we? Or do you find it impossible to paint without a fixed scene right in front of your eyes?”
—
That was right. A double portrait, but not just any ordinary painting with two people in it. It was one where the artist would also participate as a model.
To be precise, she and Meng Wange would find the perfect spot in this room, strike the perfect pose together, and after burning the image into their minds, the perfect Meng Wange would paint this perfect piece by hand.
On the surface, this was just to test Meng Wange’s aesthetics and her ability to complete a painting based on a momentary impression; in reality, it was a sinister trap carefully designed by Su Wanli to give Meng Wange a plausible reason to touch her.
—
‘Otherwise, what else could I do? Was I really going to do what I thought in the bathroom — walk up, grab Meng Wange’s shoulders for no reason, and say, “I beg of you, touch me back. I won’t be able to calm down otherwise?”‘
‘I probably wouldn’t even finish the line before my Female Villain Value plummeted to rock bottom.’
The excuse of ‘physical touch’ was actually quite strange.
In Meng Wange’s understanding, simple observation should be enough, and there was no need to touch her at all.
Touching someone’s body was a way to practice shading and memorize human anatomy, skills she must have mastered long ago.
As for letting herself serve as a model for Meng Wange to practice on — that excuse might work at first, but with Meng Wange’s cautious and meticulous personality, a moment of reflection would reveal how fake the claim was.
When that time came, Meng Wange would approach her with that classic, indifferent expression and ask for her true intentions. It would be impossible to explain.
Therefore, this current explanation was the best reason Su Wanli could come up with —
Paint a double portrait led by Meng Wange. She would obediently follow her instructions and pose however she wanted in the room.
Consequently, as a prerequisite for the double portrait, Meng Wange would have to get involved personally, leading to some subtle physical contact…
Thinking about it more deeply, this reason wouldn’t just hide her true motive; it would also allow her to discover Meng Wange’s actual preferences.
‘If given the chance, would she choose to stand side by side with me, face each other, or press our bodies close together…?’
Nursing some unrealistic fantasies, Su Wanli yawned with feigned nonchalance and nodded at Meng Wange with a smile.
“Come on, Meng Wange. I’ll leave the composition to you. It’s fine to try a few different poses. As long as it’s within my limit, I can accept it.”
“My tolerance for art is quite high. What’s wrong? There’s no need to worry about me blaming you during the suggestion phase.”
Seeing Meng Wange still hesitating, Su Wanli arched her eyebrows and extended the back of her hand.
“Besides, you have a fever and I just finished my bath, so our body temperatures are quite similar. Since we share one of these rare commonalities, my tolerance for you is also very high.”
Whether Su Wanli’s far-fetched reason actually worked or Meng Wange had realized something, she finally relaxed her furrowed brow and nodded at Su Wanli with a smile.
“If the composition is beautiful enough, you’re willing to make a small sacrifice, right?”
“…Sacrifice? Did I say it would go that far?”
Su Wanli blinked silently, but she still managed a nod.
“Of course. I know art can involve some bolder elements, which is why I said I’d permit it as long as it stays within my tolerance.”
She didn’t know exactly what Meng Wange wanted her to do, but she decided to make the promise anyway to set her at ease and encourage her to express her thoughts boldly.
Besides, this ‘range of tolerance’ was entirely up to her own interpretation. Whether she stopped it or not would depend on her mood at the time.
Upon hearing Su Wanli’s words, Meng Wange didn’t ask for further confirmation.
She stood up from the bed with a smile and pushed the chair from the desk to face the vanity mirror, positioning it exactly at the boundary between light and shadow.
“That’s good. Next, Miss Su, could I trouble you to sit here?”
“…A chair? And only one?”
Su Wanli frowned slightly.
“Meng Wange, do you remember we’re doing a double portrait? If you have me sit here, what kind of pose are you going to strike?”
Meng Wange didn’t answer. She only smiled as she angled the chair, creating a subtle slant between it and the vanity mirror.
‘With me sitting alone in the chair, unless Meng Wange plans to sit on my lap, it will be impossible to create an intimate or suggestive pose, right?’
‘Had I miscalculated?’
‘Were all of Meng Wange’s previous proactive touches just to make me lower my guard? In reality, she doesn’t want to be close to me at all. Even with such a convenient excuse and setting, she won’t make any boundary-crossing moves…’
Su Wanli’s heart sank slowly, but she still sat in the chair as Meng Wange instructed. She rested her elbow on the armrest and leaned her cheek against the back of her hand with feigned indifference.
Seeing that the ‘model’ was in place, Meng Wange smiled and walked behind Su Wanli. She placed her hands on the back of the chair and looked into the vanity mirror with her.
In the mirror, the beautiful black-haired girl, with damp strands of hair hanging by her ears, looked as if she were lightly dozing in the chair.
Behind her stood the neatly dressed brown-haired girl, waiting respectfully like a professional maid for her Master’s orders.
‘Tch, I suppose it’s a well-composed scene for a double portrait. She really knows how to find loopholes…’
She had gone out of her way to tell her that her tolerance for art and for her was high. Could Meng Wange really not see that she was giving her an opportunity to get close?
Feeling a bit disappointed, Su Wanli bit her lower lip and sighed silently to herself.
“Next, please tilt your head up a bit and look toward your back right.”
“Huh? It’s not over yet?”
And she had to tilt her head up and look back to the right?
Su Wanli blinked in confusion, but she still turned her body slightly according to Meng Wange’s instructions.
In the next second, two cool fingers gently brushed away the stray hairs by her ear, and a moist, soft touch spread from the skin of her forehead.
…!