Painting

"Really?" Hearing this from his former pen pal and current informant, Shen Xingye felt a little sour. "Old Tie is definitely built, sure, but isn't that a bit exaggerated? Besides, what's so good-looking about being covered in muscles like some beast?"

Shi Tiexin narrowed his eyes. "Hey, Shen Sao Ye, I can hear you."

"Sorry, sorry. Just pretend I never said anything." Shen Xingye waved dismissively without the slightest sincerity, then began seriously arguing with the girl. "We're Easterners. Eastern aesthetics value restraint. From ancient times to the present, what people admire is the refined charm of talented scholars, not muscle-bound freaks."

"What do you know?" The girl mocked him as she drew. "Your refined scholar charm means acting like a hooligan?"

"Uh..." Shen Xingye immediately wilted and obediently lowered his head before Miss Chaoyang.

"Besides, talented scholar charm refers to wisdom, integrity, and education. It doesn't mean you have to be skin and bones. Was dancing at the sound of the rooster not something a talented scholar did? Does going forth as a general and returning as a minister not count as charm?" The girl was utterly disdainful. "You just don't have the capital, do you? Dry as a bundle of firewood, all sticks and no beauty."

Excellent! Shi Tiexin nearly applauded. Girl, you were absolutely right. Shen Sao Ye really ought to receive your influence for a long, long time.

"This painter has always focused on expressing the beauty of the human body. Now listen while this painter explains things to you. I've painted many professional models, and I've painted many athletes from photographs, but not a single one could compare to the body before my eyes."

The girl began preaching. "The beauty of the human body comes from the skin, the muscles, and the bones. The people