Holy crap, this belongs in the Louvre!

Thanks to Ji Yunhuai, the Lu Family's banquet to welcome their daughter went exceptionally smoothly.

The young master widely acknowledged as the most willful and unruly in the entire Imperial Capital probably hadn't expected to do a good deed by accident.

But the event wasn't entirely without ripples. The Lu Family had held the banquet with great fanfare, and even members of the Gu Family had honored them with their presence, naturally drawing plenty of reporters that day.

By the next day, alongside reports promoting Lu Jiaoyue's beauty, a few media outlets had published articles suggesting that the two Lu sisters might not get along. Their reasoning was that the Lu Family's eldest daughter hadn't appeared at all.

Lu Xiaoxiao thought these reporters really were sharp. They wouldn't let even the tiniest hint of gossip slip past them.

No wonder they could make a living doing this. They really knew their stuff!

Still, the speculation hadn't generated much discussion online and would probably be forgotten in a few days.

After all, countless new pieces of gossip surfaced every day. Internet users wouldn't keep their attention fixed on any one thing for long.

Over the past few days, Lu Yubai hadn't popped up like an idiot to bother her. He even seemed to be going out of his way to avoid her, leaving Lu Xiaoxiao in an absolutely wonderful mood.

She knew Lu Yubai would immediately suspect her over the snake incident, but suspicion wouldn't do him any good. It wasn't her fault he had no evidence.

The snake hadn't actually been real. It was only an illusion the system had generated for a limited time, and it would disappear once that time ran out. That was why the group searching for it afterward hadn't found anything.

It sounded like a little trick, but it had cost Lu Xiaoxiao quite a few points, which really hurt.

She had truly spared no expense to put that brat in his place.

Fortunately, it had bought her some peace and quiet in the end. Worth it.

Unlike Lu Yubai, however, Lu Bochen had become very attached to her these past few days. He would bring every new painting to Lu Xiaoxiao, then wait for her opinion.

Lu Xiaoxiao knew perfectly well how amateurish and bland her comments were, and she couldn't quite understand why he always seemed so interested.

Besides, wasn't he a little too lively for someone with autism?

At this point in the plot, the autistic character wasn't withdrawn, the real daughter wasn't losing her composure, and Mr. and Mrs. Lu were still so tolerant of her. Lu Xiaoxiao seriously suspected that this world was already showing signs of breaking down, so all she could do was privately urge the system to report to its superiors more often.

That day, Lu Xiaoxiao passed Lu Bochen's room and, sure enough, he called her over again.

"Little sister," Lu Bochen called, sounding almost excited. "I painted something for you."

"Huh?" Lu Xiaoxiao was a little surprised. Although Lu Bochen had shown her his paintings before, and had even invited her to pick up a brush and work on one with him, he had never given her any of his pieces.

The instant she heard that, Lu Xiaoxiao's first thought was that she was about to strike it rich again.

Hehe! Third Brother's paintings are worth so much. Selling it would definitely get me a ton of money!

Lu Bochen froze. His expression grew serious, and he seemed a little unhappy. "You can't sell a painting I give you."

Lu Xiaoxiao instantly wilted.

Come on, dude. Why are you acting like you can hear my thoughts? That's kind of scary!

Lu Bochen stiffened and quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened.

If his little sister found out he could hear her thoughts, she would surely think he was strange and then dislike him, wouldn't she?

Everyone already saw him as someone who wasn't normal. He didn't want to seem even less normal.

Lu Bochen's mental development had been slower than that of other children his age since childhood. When he was younger, he hadn't actually been as reluctant to talk as he was now.

But he usually struggled to quickly understand what other people meant, and he couldn't distinguish sincere words from polite pleasantries. He took everything he heard at face value, which naturally created barriers to communication.

Over time, he had become less inclined to talk to others, but that didn't mean he had lost the desire to express himself.

The paintbrush in his hand was like another mouth for Lu Bochen. He painted all his emotions onto paper.

Lu Bochen's paintings were intensely expressive, but the worlds he created still belonged to him alone. His art wasn't something everyone could understand. People passing by would often give it a polite glance and compliment him on how well he painted.

As for any deeper connection, there was none, of course.

Not only that, but to protect Lu Bochen's self-esteem, no one would openly tell him, "I don't really understand it." Instead, they would rack their brains trying to interpret his work, even when their interpretations were completely at odds with what he had wanted to convey.

The Lu family protected Lu Bochen very well, treating him almost like a fragile piece of glass and constantly soothing him.

But what Lu Bochen truly wanted to hear was the truth.

Words that were direct and unvarnished, even if they might hurt him.

That was why Lu Bochen now liked spending time with Lu Xiaoxiao.

He could hear Lu Xiaoxiao's thoughts, so he didn't have to guess whether the things she said aloud were false. That put him at ease.

At the same time, it had given him a new understanding of Lu Xiaoxiao, and that understanding had also become his inspiration for painting her.

Would his little sister like his work?

Filled with anticipation, Lu Bochen grew nervous the moment he lifted the cloth covering the painting. He even held his breath.

He had already decided that if he heard even the slightest disapproval in Lu Xiaoxiao's thoughts, he would tear the painting to pieces and throw it in the trash.

Lu Xiaoxiao knew nothing of what had been going through Lu Bochen's mind, but the instant she saw the painting, her expression turned to utter astonishment.

There was no other reason: the painting was simply stunning. Its colors were so vivid that they struck the eye at first glance.

It was an oil painting centered on a girl shown from the waist up, her features and expression bearing a striking resemblance to Lu Xiaoxiao. She held her right hand high, pressing a mask over her face.

The mask's lower right corner was damaged, and several cracks ran through it. The features painted on it were exquisitely ornate and made up, with a deep crimson rose tinged with black replacing the left eye. The flower was clearly blooming far too extravagantly, leaving no doubt that it would begin to wither in the very next moment.

Through the cracks and damaged areas, one of the girl's clear eyes was visible beneath the mask. Her real face wore no makeup, and her smile was radiant.

Looking farther down, one could see that the girl wore an elaborate, luxurious dress.

No, perhaps "wore" wasn't the right word, because it looked more like a shell, with none of the visual softness of fabric. Like the mask, its surface was covered in cracks, and through them, a simple, solid-colored long dress could faintly be seen, as though that was what the girl had originally been wearing.

The background behind her was open and empty, with a few drifting wisps of cloud and mist. Their colors were pale, creating an effective sense of negative space.

Lu Xiaoxiao stared at the painting, dumbstruck. Beyond "holy shit," she could offer no other assessment.

Holy crap, this belongs in the Louvre! What a gorgeous painting! Am I even worthy of feasting my eyes on something this magnificent?

Uh... so is this supposed to be me? What's it trying to say? Has Third Brother seen right through the difference between how I act and who I really am? Is he that good?

Whatever, who cares? All that matters is that it's beautiful. When I get back, I'm putting it in a gold frame. An ordinary frame wouldn't do it justice!