Zhou Zichen, currently on the show, remained oblivious to this turn of events. He happily donned a friendly expression, ready to head to the cinema with Shen Ruan.
Although Wen Ze had withdrawn the demonic aura that had been clouding his judgment, Zhou Zichen was not conscious of the fact that he had been acting out of character lately. For a pure-blooded high-ranking succubus like Wen Ze even one who was still a minor ordinary angels might not be able to withstand his influence, let alone a mortal living in an age of declining magic.
The group gathered for breakfast. It was simple rice porridge and green vegetables a very healthy diet that made one reasonably suspect the television station hadn’t allocated much of a budget to the production team.
The production crew drove Wen Ze and Gu Chao to their task location, an art studio.
Things were a bit awkward between them at first. After all, they had only met once, and it wasn’t the place to discuss those prior events on air. But the awkwardness soon vanished; the audience watched, wide-eyed, as their conversation grew increasingly animated, turning into the easy rapport of long-lost friends.
Wen Ze, who was usually gentle and soft-spoken, was no longer gentle, slapping the leather chair with loud thwaps. Gu Chao, usually cold and arrogant, was no longer cold; he leaned in with a smile, listening intently as if he had truly become a young man again.
What, then, were the two discussing?
It started with a popular Western fantasy-themed anime. While praising it, Wen Ze complained that the modeling of the demons was unrealistic having seen real demons, he was an authority and to his surprise, he found he was perfectly in sync with Gu Chao. The two began a deep, profound discussion about demons. Wen Ze was so radiant and spirited that the audience was dazzled, though the content of the discussion left people feeling lightheaded.
【So, do all demons have horns? All angels actually only have two pairs of wings, and there’s no distinction between six-winged and eight-winged? Angelic halos can regrow?】 【Does the Bible… say that? Are these two religious?】 【Didn’t you see their disgusted expressions when talking about angels? Their eyes only lit up when talking about demons; if they believe in anything, it’s definitely a cult!】 【Shock! Popular celebrity promoting a cult live on air!】 【Hahahahaha, Wen Ze was a pitiful outcast hated by ten thousand people just a few days ago. Is he already on his way to being a top celebrity?】 【They don’t feel like they believe in religion; they feel like extreme, toxic fans of demons.】
The last comment received a massive number of likes, and a clip of this segment was even recorded and posted online. The two were so detailed, as if they had genuinely seen it, that even fans of the anime itself agreed, leaving the official studio account overwhelmed with tags, debating whether they should just redo the character modeling. As for the art team having to work overtime until they went bald… well, wasn’t that already an industry where people lose their hair?
Since the two subjects weren’t being cursed behind their backs, one could see that the general public was quite open-minded.
It wasn’t until they entered the studio and received their task that everyone understood what the director meant yesterday when he said “it won’t be easy if you don’t have a foundation in art.”
The task was: Portray the person in your eyes (create a portrait of the other person; any medium: watercolor, sketch, realistic, or abstract).
Wen Ze’s mouth twitched, and he turned to ask Gu Chao beside him, “It’s actually okay, right? Can I just draw a stick figure?”
Gu Chao’s gaze was resentful. “Am I that thin in your eyes?”
“Prosperity, democracy, civilization, and harmony,” Wen Ze said with a smile. “No ‘adult’ content, please.”
Gu Chao became even more resentful. But this didn’t stop the audience from laughing hysterically:
【Is this the ‘domestic hierarchy’ of President Gu?】 【A henpecked husband is not acceptable!】 【Where is the legendary ‘domineering president’? I see the president, but where is the ‘domineering’ part?】 【Eaten by the president, I assume →_→】
Gu Chao protested, “Either way, no stick figures! That’s too perfunctory!”
Wen Ze set up his drawing paper and arranged his paints. His skillful movements gave the audience an ominous feeling:
【Wen Ze… he doesn’t look like someone without ‘artistic foundation.’】 【Yes, it looks like he’s been tempered by fire.】 【Is this the legendary ‘someone else’s child’? This 3-year-old (246-month-old) baby is shivering in fear.】
The audience had hit the truth. As a demon with a long life and a good family background, the skills Wen Ze mastered were actually quite numerous. Although he was still young, demons were a species that were born with knowledge; there was no childhood to waste, and coupled with the influence of his family atmosphere, it would be hard for him not to know these things.
Gu Chao pondered for a while before saying, “I see you really like demons. How about you draw me in my ‘demonic’ form?” He added, worried that Wen Ze wouldn’t understand: “Whatever you imagine I would look like if I turned into a demon.”
An interesting concept.
Wen Ze gazed intently at the man, as if trying to find some hidden traces on his face. How can a human be drawn in a demonic form by a demon? In most cases, of course, it wouldn’t happen; if this form truly manifested, the person would be consigned to being a demon for all eternity.
However, looking at Gu Chao’s intrigued expression, he found he couldn’t refuse. If it had form without spirit, it would be a dead thing; if it had both, his suspicion might just come true. So, he heard himself say, “Alright, I’ll make the same request of you; it wouldn’t be fair if you were the only one making things difficult for me.”
Gu Chao agreed without hesitation, even though he didn’t feel this was making things difficult: “Deal!”
The young master actually had some artistic background; even if he hadn’t studied it systematically, he had been exposed to it, and his technique wasn’t bad. But the Wen Ze emerging under his brush looked somewhat different from the person sitting across from him.
The audience, some tactfully and others directly, commented:
【So President Gu is just an ordinary man after all.】 【I sincerely suggest President Gu watch fewer of those manga and anime you can’t find on Baidu.】 【I’d pay a fortune to see the image inside President Gu’s head; the one on the paper barely captures a tenth of it!】 【I’d pay a fortune for a photo-editing master like President Gu, boohoo.】
Gu Chao felt as if his body and soul had separated; his hands were guided by a divine force, quickly outlining a silhouette. That silhouette seemed deeply etched in the depths of his mind, and now it was merely being stripped away onto the page. As the audience said, it barely captured a tenth of the true spirit.
The figure’s physique and appearance were extremely similar to Wen Ze’s, but his build was much better. His hair and eye color had turned into a captivating purple, with a pair of cute, palm-sized horns on his head, a little heart-shaped tail flicking behind him, and a tiny, exceptionally eye-catching tear mole beneath the corner of his eye. Once that light was added to his pupils, the whole image became vivid and alive.
It was mesmerizing, illusory yet real, as if he would walk off the paper in the next second, lift the viewer’s chin to leave a kiss, making one willingly sink into him.
【…I suddenly understand why President Gu despised those character models. If I had hands like that, I’d despise them too!】
Wen Ze’s side was just as stunning as Gu Chao’s. He hadn’t deliberately restrained his brush; rather, the longing for his beloved, once exploded, could not be contained. It was a figure similar to Gu Chao, but the appearance had changed not as steady as the man before him, but instead more irritable and cynical, with a regal aura that would make anyone tremble and fall to their knees with a single glance.
The hair was no longer dyed dark red, but a pure, fiery red. The added shadows didn’t dim it but made it all the more terrifying. The physique was much more robust, with massive chest muscles and well-defined abs, though they were soon covered by clothing, leaving one sighing with regret.
【Just how many layers of beauty filters and filters did these two pile onto each other in their minds!】 【Is this the legendary ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’? I’ve witnessed it.】 【These two paintings are truly stunning, but they are clearly derived from these two people; you can recognize them at a glance.】
The two set down their papers almost simultaneously, in perfect sync, exchanging a smile everything was understood without a word.
Wen Ze leaned over to take a look, and a sense of as expected flashed through his heart. It was as if he were relieved, yet also aggrieved. Relieved that he had someone he could entrust everything to, and aggrieved that this man had kept him in the dark for so long.
However, when he looked up, he crashed into a pair of deep, pleasantly surprised eyes. “Ah-Ze, you draw so well. Am I really this good-looking in your heart?”
Wen Ze froze, not knowing how to react. He… he’d already drawn it, what was the point of pretending?
Seeing Wen Ze’s silence, the surprise in Gu Chao’s eyes slowly faded, like a big dog that had run toward its master full of joy, only to be left unacknowledged.
Wen Ze saw the disappointment in his eyes didn’t seem faked, and he became even more confused. He could confirm this man was Sence otherwise, why would he perfectly replicate his succubus form? But what was going on with this look? Could it be that Sence didn’t bring his memories with him?
Wen Ze’s mind churned, but he smiled and responded, “I was just a bit surprised, that’s all. President Gu actually knew I had a mole under my eye I usually hide it.”
Gu Chao… Gu Chao didn’t actually know. He had just drawn it subconsciously. He asked curiously, “Why cover it up? It’s so beautiful!”
“Ah,” Wen Ze sighed lightly, his eyes hazy, as if remembering some distant event. “Zi… Best Actor Zhou didn’t like it. He said I didn’t look like a ‘respectable’ person, and it made him feel annoyed.”
Gu Chao’s face darkened instantly. “Who does he think he is? A feudal-era patriarch? Judging whether someone is ‘respectable’ based on a mole?”
Gu Chao voiced what the audience was thinking.
【Zhou King-of-Bastards is real, every time I think he’s reached the bottom, he sets a new low.】 【Truly, you can know a person’s face but not their heart what a scumbag, a pity he has such a decent-looking face!】
Gu Chao borrowed some makeup remover from the young women in the studio, looking at Wen Ze with hesitation. Wen Ze smiled fragile yet resilient, as if deciding to bid farewell to some unbearable past. The cotton pad gently wiped beneath his eye, revealing skin even whiter and more tender than his foundation, along with a perfectly placed tiny black mole.
That little mole added a touch of temptation to Wen Ze’s already angelically pure appearance he truly looked like a succubus fallen into hell.