Genius Art Girl (continued)

Si Ming tried to subtly inquire about his master from Pan De, but received the same reply: he knew nothing about it.

"Forget it. With my current strength, even if I knew, I wouldn't be able to help at all. It would only add to my troubles. I'm not the wise type; I can't use my brain to come up with solutions. Maybe Master considered this, which is why he didn't tell me the truth."

Although the reasons were clear, Si Ming still felt somewhat uneasy. He fiddled with the black box containing radioactive metal as he walked home, feeling depressed.

"What's wrong? You look like you need to poop but don't know which muscle to use."

Yao Bilian walked towards us.

Si Ming's lips twitched. "Your analogy is a bit... Of course it's the sphincter muscle."

"Pfft!" Yao Bilian crossed her arms, assuming a gesture of catching the wrong answer. "The correct answer is the abdominal muscles. When a person defecates, three muscles are needed: the sphincter muscles, the muscles on both sides of the buttocks, and the abdominal muscles. So don't underestimate defecating. The human body is very amazing. What seems like an ordinary little movement actually requires the cooperation of multiple nervous systems to complete."

"While the reasoning is perfectly sound, please use a more reasonable example."

"Okay, so do you know how the muscles used when going through anus are different from those used when defecating?"

"This example is even more abnormal! This is happening on the street. Even if you've thrown away all your morals and don't care about other people's opinions, I still care a lot about my social standing!"

After exhausting himself with his complaints, Si Ming caught a glimpse of a dog-shaped wooden box behind Yao Bilian. This box had four metal legs and would move forward with Yao Bilian, just like a remote-controlled toy, which piqued his curiosity.

What is this?

Yao Bilian chuckled like a lecherous old man and said, "Want to know? If you do, grant me one request..."

Si Ming decisively said, "I don't want to know anymore. Goodbye." He then made to leave.

"Wait a minute! I'll tell you, you're so boring at such a young age, what will you do when you grow up?" Yao Bilian sighed.

"You're so funny, yet you're still single."

If it were a typical shut-in, hearing this would probably be a huge blow, but Yao Bilian, a woman with no morals and full of energy, clearly wasn't one of them. She laughed heartily, puffed out her chest proudly, and said, "At least I've been carefree before, and besides, you might not even have as many women as I have in the future!"

If a man had said such a thing, Si Ming might have been indignant, but when a woman said it, his feelings were quite complicated, so he put on a face that showed "no inner turmoil".

"No jokes, this is a new product developed by my Lineage's company called a multi-functional self-regulating suitcase. Simply put, it's a smart suitcase that doesn't need to be pulled by hand; it will automatically follow you."

As Yao Bilian spoke, she walked around the street several times, and the dog-shaped wooden box really followed her around; wherever she went, the wooden box went.

Then, Yao Bilian clapped her hands three times and said, "Xiao Ming, I need to get something."

The two mechanical eyes at the front of the dog-shaped wooden box blinked, and its body opened to the sides, revealing a variety of clothes tied with rubber ropes.

Holy crap! That's cutting-edge technology!

Si Ming stared in disbelief. "Leaving aside that inexplicably annoying title for now, you're saying this is a new product developed by your Lineage's company? Can this thing really be commercialized?"

In a past life, someone might have created similar intelligent robots, but the high cost meant they could only be used to enhance prestige and could never be put on the market because very few people could afford them.

"It's still in the testing phase. Once the quality tests are passed, the next step will be large-scale assembly line production to reduce costs. The estimated price for the final market launch will be similar to that of high-end suitcases. What do you think? Do you think it will sell?"

"If I had the money, I would definitely buy one. Regardless of whether it's really convenient or not, at least it would make me look more prestigious and classy."

Si Ming felt increasingly confused about the technology tree of this world. Even though Su State had the highest level of technology, it was actually only equivalent to the America in the mid-20th century. Yet, in some areas, it was more advanced than the America in the 21st century. He wondered which side had gone astray in developing its technology.

For example, while computer technology is generally underdeveloped here, their intelligent technology is quite advanced, thanks to a chip called an autonomous circuit, which is inexpensive yet highly practical.

"Even you think so, which proves that this product really has great potential."

Yao Bilian then used a command to automatically close the smart suitcase, and then said to Si Ming, "I'm going out of town soon, for about half a month. I've also heard about Ying Zhou's medical treatment abroad. In short, during this time, it'll just be you and Hongdou in the orphanage. Don't think you can do whatever you want to Hongdou just because everyone else is away."

"Do you think I'm like you? Besides, don't forget that Lu Mao is also a resident of the orphanage."

"Lu Mao registered at Xianglan High School yesterday. Because he showed off his superb cooking skills, Xianglan High School waived his tuition and allowed him to join the class midway. Also, Xianglan High School is a boarding school, so he will only come back on weekends. You will have five days a week to spend alone with Hongdou."

Si Ming frowned and said, "He didn't even say goodbye before leaving. He's being too polite."

"He asked me to pass on a message, but I accidentally forgot," Yao Bilian chuckled. "Oh, right, before he left, I asked him about a dish that supposedly makes people more sensual and greatly increases their libido."

"It was just an aphrodisiac, wasn't it?"

"I've written down the specific cooking steps on a piece of paper, which is on the table. You can figure it out yourself, but remember not to cause any 'death'!"

Yao Bilian waved her hand, turned and left, the multi-functional self-regulating suitcase wagging its tail and following behind her. Except for the missing head, it really looked just like a dog.

Talking to her is more tiring than practicing martial arts.

Si Ming sighed, shook his head, and continued on his way home.

Fifteen minutes later, Si Ming returned to the orphanage, unlocked the door with his key, and looked at the empty corridor. Suddenly, he felt an unusual sense of loneliness. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, since even though Yao Bilian and Ying Zhou lived there, they didn't have much daily interaction.

"Hongdou should be in the basement."

He remembered Auntie Liu's request, so he went down the stairs to the underground and came to the door of the studio. He found it was unlocked and pushed it open.

Upon entering the studio, one finds a spacious, empty room that resembles an art classroom. The room is undecorated, with various painting materials scattered haphazardly on the floor, along with numerous canvases arranged haphazardly. Some of the works on the canvases are complete, while others are still unfinished. In addition, there are two long tables specifically used for creating long-format ancient paintings.

Ancient painting refers to the traditional painting method using a brush, while new painting refers to oil painting. Since oil painting in the Sea Continent was also created by Painting School, it is impossible for it to be called "Chinese painting". Based on the differences between the old and new painting methods, Painting School are divided into two schools, and there are often disputes between them.

However, a century has passed since the advent of oil painting, Painting School and their disciples have long accepted this way of painting. In recent years, comics have caused new controversy. The art world generally feels that this form of painting is frivolous, lacks artistic sense, and is too Songs of the Rustic Folk.

The veteran Painting School refused to acknowledge that comics were also an art form. Even the oil Painting School had suffered discrimination in the past seemed to have forgotten the unfair treatment they had endured, and sided with the traditional Painting School, becoming the very kind of people they used to hate, using the same methods to exclude and suppress Painting School.

However, none of this mattered to Si Ming. He had no intention of becoming Painting School. Moreover, when he stepped into the studio, he was so impressed by the works that he forgot to think for a moment.

Even without much artistic talent, Si Ming could feel the brilliance emanating from these works, as if each painting contained a different soul, deeply attracting his gaze.