Jonathan was truly a master of sketching. Every detail of his figures was just right. The man’s sharp brows and starry eyes, the woman’s dress folds, the student’s fingers gripping the pen, and the dancer’s taut toes, every curve was impeccable. With just a slight distraction, it felt as if the figures in the drawing were walking toward you.
Ruan Nian became gradually engrossed, his fingers instinctively searching around, wanting to pick up a pencil and blend his new insights into a drawing.
And he actually found one.
Ruan Nian fished out a sketchbook and pencil from the sofa cushion and began to draw on the paper.
Still, moving, tall, short, fat, thin. The thousand postures of people bloomed under his pen. Although his skill did not rival the masters, he possessed a delicacy and liveliness that belonged uniquely to Ruan Nian.
After drawing for several pages, Ruan Nian finally stopped, still feeling unfulfilled.
He felt he had grasped a bit of the essence, so he hurriedly picked up the sketchbook lying to the side to flip through it.
He was earnestly looking at the sketches, while Mu Yan was earnestly looking at him.
At first, it was just a hurried glance during his work breaks, but slowly, the time Mu Yan’s gaze lingered on the young man grew longer. By the end, Mu Yan had even stopped his own work, focusing intently on watching every move the Omega made.
His fingers would unconsciously rub the corner of the page while reading, and he would occasionally poke his cheek with the end of his pen while drawing. These small habits, belonging uniquely to Ruan Nian, were clearly reflected in the floor-to-ceiling glass window, each one captured in Mu Yan’s eyes.
The obedient Omega had lowered his guard in front of him, revealing a vivid, different side of himself. Even if it were merely the result of pheromones, it was enough to give Mu Yan a sense of accomplishment.
Suddenly, Ruan Nian looked up from the sketchbook.
Mu Yan withdrew his gaze with lightning speed.
Fortunately, the Omega seemed completely unaware of the hidden scrutiny, rising and leaving the room on tiptoe.
The faint curve at the corner of Mu Yan’s mouth instantly disappeared.
Why did he leave so suddenly?
He pressed his lips together, shifting his attention from the glass window back to the screen in front of him.
While replying to emails, Mu Yan thought absent-mindedly: Perhaps he could add a tatami mat and an easel by the window.
That way, perhaps he would be willing to stay in the study a little longer.
Ruan Nian had drawn for so long that he felt a bit thirsty, so he went downstairs to pour himself a glass of water.
It was just that the original single glass had become two.
When Uncle Rong asked him to help pour a glass for Mu Yan earlier, Ruan Nian had readily agreed. After all, he had read the Alpha’s books, so he naturally would not decline such a small favor as pouring water.
Pushing the door open with his shoulder, Mu Yan seemed to be on a call with someone. The room echoed with the Alpha’s deep, pleasant voice.
“Do not respond to the X Group yet. If they are willing to lower the price by another two percentage points, send someone to negotiate. As for the East District, once the museum relocation is complete, convert it into an art gallery.”
The boss, who was in the middle of a meeting, suddenly stalled. The department heads of Mu Yu Group only saw a fair, slender hand appear in the lower-left corner of the screen, the bottom of a half-full glass cup tapping the desk with a crisp sound.
The word “mall,” which Mu Yan had yet to finish, was swallowed whole.
Department heads: “???”
A second ago, they were gossiping about who dared to interrupt the boss during a meeting, and the next second, they were shocked by the realization that the company was entering the art world and as executives they had no idea.
The virtual meeting room fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone looked at each other, all wanting to speak but holding back, eventually concentrating their gazes on Mu Yan in unison.
This Chief Executive Officer of Mu Yu Group picked up the water glass without changing his expression and drained it in one gulp.
He quickly said that the meeting was adjourned, and everyone watched as the boss’s virtual meeting room screen went black, followed by a cold, mechanical prompt:
“You have been removed from the meeting room by the administrator.”
Not long after, the internal communication module of Mu Yu Group exploded.
The culprit, Ruan Nian, had no idea what a sensation his unintentional act had caused. He even praised himself for his consideration: Although Mu Yan did not even say thank you, he was busy after all, so it was understandable.
Ruan Nian sat back on the sofa and picked up the sketchbook to continue reading.
Mu Yan watched the Omega’s focused profile reflected in the glass window, his mood complex.
The two returned to focusing on their own affairs, and the room gradually fell quiet.
After lunch, Uncle Rong told Ruan Nian that his studio had been cleaned up. After eating, Ruan Nian quickly ducked into the studio to continue mulling over the inspiration he had glimpsed that morning.
The debris all over the studio floor had been cleared away. Aside from the absence of the easel in the center of the room, it was almost exactly the same as it had been before.
Ruan Nian drew by the light wood desk for a while, then moved to the tatami mat on the side. He placed his sketchbook on his knees just as he had on the study sofa, but until the end of his pen poked a shallow red mark on his cheek, Ruan Nian could not enter the state he had been in that morning.
Was that kind of inspiration really something that could only be met by chance and not sought? Ruan Nian threw his pen aside in frustration and rubbed his hair vigorously.
After a while, he picked up the pen again, tucked it into the sketchbook, closed it, and stood up from the tatami mat, preparing to end his drawing practice for the day.
After walking two steps toward the wooden cabinet where his art supplies were stored, Ruan Nian stopped.
If he went back to the study, would he be able to find that inspiration again?
Ruan Nian hesitated. He had hit a bottleneck in portrait drawing recently and had not taken any portrait commissions for a while. Now that he had finally found a feeling, he was reluctant to let it slip away so hastily.
Ruan Nian hesitated at the door of the studio, clutching his sketchbook for a long time, before finally pushing the door open.
Since he had finally had a breakthrough, he would absolutely not give up until he had drawn it out completely.
Halfway there, Ruan Nian remembered something and hurriedly turned back to the studio.
He picked out a few charcoal pencils of different thicknesses from the wooden rack and, with the determination of a warrior, stood at the door of the study once again.
He knocked on the door, and after receiving Mu Yan’s permission, Ruan Nian cautiously pushed the door open.
This time, the Alpha was not working. A slightly large book was open on the desk, and judging by its thickness, he had already read two-thirds of it.
Ruan Nian breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried about interrupting Mu Yan’s work, but seeing him reading, the guilt in his heart lessened significantly. He tentatively opened his mouth: “Can I continue drawing here this afternoon?”
The look Mu Yan gave him was one of surprise.
At lunch, Uncle Rong had clearly told the young man that the studio was clean and ready to use, yet the young man had not curled up in the studio as he had subconsciously expected, but instead offered to draw in the study.
Although he was a bit confused, Mu Yan nodded slightly to signal his approval.
Ruan Nian noticed the surprise in Mu Yan’s eyes. He felt a bit hot-faced, but for the sake of his hard-won inspiration, he could only shamelessly linger on the study sofa for another afternoon.
Sitting back in the familiar spot, Ruan Nian first recalled all the details from the morning, practicing for a while in his sketchbook, but no matter how he drew, he could not grasp the main point. Ruan Nian changed his posture, but he was blinded by the sunlight reflected off the glass window.
He instinctively narrowed his eyes and glanced out the window.
On the glass window, the image of Mu Yan reading intently with his eyes slightly lowered was reflected.
Inspiration suddenly came rushing back.
The Alpha’s deep, knife-hewn profile, his high nose bridge, and his slightly pressed thin lips emerged on the paper little by little.
Ruan Nian drew for a full two hours in one go.
This feeling was amazing.
After adding a final bit of shadow and detail, Ruan Nian put away his pen with satisfaction and rubbed his sore wrist.
He re-examined the fresh portrait and suddenly thought of something, glancing at the glass window without leaving a trace.
Mu Yan was still reading, his eyes focused.
Seeing him looking single-minded and completely unaware, Ruan Nian breathed a sigh of relief.
The thrill of sketching someone on the sly like this was exciting.
On the other side, seeing out of the corner of his eye that Ruan Nian had finally moved his gaze away, Mu Yan also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He quickly closed the book, which had long since been flipped to the last page.
The rare book by a famous historian had been wrinkled by the Alpha for dozens of pages, looking quite miserable. Having finally escaped the clutches of the demon, it was carelessly tossed aside by the Alpha.
Mu Yan was a bit itchy inside; he really wanted to see what he looked like under Ruan Nian’s pen.
He wanted to, very much.
The man’s handsome, thin lips opened and closed several times before he finally spoke with resolution: “You…”
Ruan Nian was startled by his sudden opening of his mouth, instinctively thinking that the other party had discovered he was secretly drawing him and was preparing to settle the score.
Caught off guard, he met Mu Yan’s gaze, and, feeling guilty, he instinctively hid the sketchbook behind his back.
The Omega was like a frightened little rabbit, quickly hiding his carrot at the first opportunity. Those shining eyes were full of guilty cover-ups.
Mu Yan suddenly stalled, and the prepared words transformed into something else when spoken: “You have been drawing for so long, does your hand hurt?”
Ruan Nian was blank for a moment before responding: “Huh?” After reacting, he quickly added: “It does not hurt, I just need to rest a bit.”
Mu Yan nodded, then lowered his head again.
A while later, just as Mu Yan was secretly regretting it in his heart, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of him. The Omega stood before him, clutching his sketchbook.
“Um… sorry, I secretly drew you just now without your permission.”
Ruan Nian took the initiative to spread the sketchbook open and showed the portrait he had just drawn to Mu Yan. His ear tips were red, but he was unexpectedly frank.
What Ruan Nian thought was actually quite simple: He had used him as a model without permission, and although he had not been caught on the spot, he could not pretend nothing had happened. Taking the initiative to confess was inevitable, but he was a bit nervous, not knowing if this unsmiling Alpha would be angry.
He hoped he would allow him to keep this drawing. It was the best portrait he had drawn in a long time.
Mu Yan was stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted.
So, this is what he looks like in the Omega’s eyes.
Not bad at all.
The Alpha suppressed the curve of his mouth without leaving a trace and replied solemnly: “It is okay, you drew very well.”
“Then this drawing, I will give it to you.”
Before Ruan Nian could finish his sentence, he was blocked by Mu Yan again.
“You keep it.” Although the Alpha had no expression, his tone was relaxed. He was clearly in a good mood.
Ruan Nian realized that what he wanted to say had been blocked many times today.
How did it come to be a bit stifling?