That Smile's Scenery

"The drawing is... pretty good?"

Shang Wu blinked and patted Li Mo on the shoulder.

She didn't know much about this, but at a glance, it did look quite good.

"That's good."

Ying Bing nodded slightly, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Even without seeing her face, you can tell it's her.

This means that the mastery of artistic conception and charm has reached a profound level, possessing Divine Charm.

"Just a minor, insignificant strength."

Li Mo curled the corner of his mouth.

He wasn't being modest; he just knew what he was doing.

This level of skill is the culmination of sixty years of his hard work!

But.

When Ying Bing's gaze lingered on the painting for a long time, her expression somewhat dazed, she noticed...

Suddenly, Little Li's heart didn't hurt so much anymore.

Why aren't you wearing makeup on?

Shang Wu pointed to the blank face of the girl in the painting.

Li Mo said helplessly:

"This is the first time I've drawn a portrait, and I wanted to draw a smiling face."

"Moreover, the composition of this painting depicts a vibrant summer scene; if the figures were not smiling, it would disrupt the overall artistic conception."

"It's just a laugh..."

Shang Wu remembered something before she could finish speaking.

It seems she has never actually seen Ying Bing smile.

Li Mo couldn't quite remember either.

In his memory, he rarely saw Ying Bing smile; it was as rare as the sun rising in the west.

Let alone seeing her smile.

He couldn't even imagine what Ice Block would look like when he smiled.

"Little Bing, why don't you... try smiling?"

Shang Wu urged.

Ying Bing frowned slightly, lowered her eyes, and pondered for a moment, looking somewhat troubled.

But.

It's because she owes Li Mo a favor again.

Since I agreed to be his model until the painting is finished, I will continue to do so.

That can only be...

Ying Bing curled her jade-like lips, narrowed her eyes slightly, and forced a smile onto her usually aloof face.

"Laugh..."

Is it beautiful?

But...

"Hiss..."

Li Mo and Shang Wu leaned back slightly, both feeling a chill run straight to the top of their heads.

It's a laugh, but it's clearly a sneer!

Pure and detached, yet ruthless, like the bright moon gazing down upon all living beings, silently uttering two words:

"Ants."

If you were to draw it exactly like that, this painting would definitely be rated 18+.

Minors who watch this will be traumatized.

"What should we do...?"

Li Mo pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked in the middle with both eyes crossed (see Xiao Pu's street portrait for details), and made a face.

"Pfft... Hahaha, are you stupid?"

Shang Wu, clutching her belly, laughed so hard she nearly fell over.

"?"

Ying Bing Bingdai frowned even more deeply, not understanding what kind of perplexing behavior this was.

Li Mo reluctantly regained his composure and said seriously:

"Looks like it's time for my Joke King to make his appearance!"

I'm sure I'll make you laugh today!

The Autumn Water Pavilion Comedy Challenge begins!

First up is our beautiful master, Shang Wu, the contestant.

With a serious expression and great ambition, she was determined to make Ice Block laugh!

She first looked serious.

"There was a little butterfly, she was flying and flying, when suddenly she got so hungry she couldn't fly anymore... Hahaha... And then... And then..."

The joke wasn't over yet.

She started laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

"Then... she fell into the mud and drowned, hahaha..."

Shang Wu clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

"?"

Li Mo and Ying Bing exchanged a glance.

Is this funny?

What's so funny about that?

"So, Master, what's the funny part of your joke?" Li Mo asked.

"The mud butterfly starved to death (Shaanxi dialect)"

Shang Wu wiped away her tears and said.

Li Mo: "..."

What a terrible pun.

Because the Shang Wu contestant used a pun, points were deducted, and judges Xiao Li and Ice Block unanimously decided to disqualify her from the competition.

All right.

The main problem is that Master's sense of humor is so terrible. If a joke is even slightly longer, she'll laugh herself to death before she even finishes telling it.

Please welcome contestant number two, Little Li!

Li Mo decided to use his ultimate, trump card:

"There's a person whose farts are really loud. Can you guess why?"

"Why?"

Shang Wu shook her head.

Li Mo: "Because he was wearing bell-bottoms."

"Ha ha ha ha..."

"Um?"

Ying Bing tilted her head, looked at Shang Wu who was laughing so hard she was doubled over, and didn't quite understand.

Is this thing funny?

"Aren't you going to laugh?"

Xiao Li's competitive spirit has returned.

He simply refused to believe it!

Half an hour later.

Little Li utterly bewildered.

The beautiful female master almost burst out laughing, exclaiming that she couldn't take it anymore.

The number of question marks on the Ice Block's head kept increasing.

Li Mo's mouth was dry, and he lost confidence.

He strongly suspected that the Ice Block had no sense of humor whatsoever.

"I was so stupid, really."

"Sigh, give up. Little Bing might just not be a naturally cheerful person. My dear apprentice, your jokes are really amazing."

After catching her breath, Shang Wu shook her head as well.

"Oh dear, how could I let her laugh?"

Li Mo racked his brains, poking his lips with a calligraphy brush.

Perhaps they took the joke too seriously.

He didn't even notice that he was holding the brush upside down, and the ink-stained end left several ink streaks on his handsome face.

"Puff..."

"Master, please stop laughing at me."

Li Mo wiped his mouth in annoyance, but the ink smudged and his face looked like Black Cat Detective.

"It wasn't me."

Shang Wu shook her head in confusion.

That's right.

The soft laughter came again, but his master was clearly talking to him.

"Um?"

Li Mo was taken aback and turned around to look.

The setting sun still held a sliver of its afterglow, struggling to resist sinking further into the west.

The last rays of sunlight fell precisely on the girl, making her icy, mirror-like eyes appear to shift between light and shadow.

The gentle evening breeze ruffled her hair, blurring her features and the corners of her mouth slightly upturned.

But the novice artist reflected in his eyes was so clear.

Li Mo suddenly lost track of time, as if time had stood still.

A world-famous painting was right in front of him.

"What are you drawing? Stop standing there!"

Shang Wu patted him on the shoulder.

"Awooo."

Li Mo quickly came to his senses.

Concentrating intently, she picked up her brush and added a touch of radiant smile to the blank face of the young girl on the painting.

I don't know why.

After those few strokes, he felt a sudden emptiness in his mind, and a sense of exhaustion washed over him.

"Is it ready? Is it ready?"

Shang Wu leaned her head closer.

"This... is me?"

Ying Bing also stared intently at it.

The girl in the painting felt both strange and familiar to her.

Because even she herself couldn't remember what she looked like when she smiled.

However.

In Li Mo's writing, a few strokes are all it takes to achieve a Divine Charm beauty.

A sense of coolness and brightness were perfectly blended together in just a few strokes.

That smile seemed eternal, so lifelike, as if another version of her was standing quietly before me.

She met his gaze in the moonlight, and a strange emotion began to spread through her heart.

Rustle--

A gentle evening breeze rustled the leaves.