Chapter 138: A Beautiful Misunderstanding

"Th-this is my..."

Li Rui had not expected Zhang Xiaolan to fail to notice that this portrait was not a recent creation, but one that had aged with time. A sudden sense of relief washed over him.

"Oh! I know, you mentioned last time that you wanted to paint another portrait of me in beautiful ancient attire. I didn't like the one from the Summer Villa; wearing my own clothes felt a bit odd. This one is much better."

Zhang Xiaolan seemed unable to tear her eyes away from the painting. She naturally assumed this was the portrait Li Rui had promised her back at the Summer Villa, a promise she might have forgotten entirely had she not seen it tonight.

Still, she harbored a few doubts. The clothing in the painting was unlike anything she owned—far more ornate—and the expression in her eyes appeared gentler. She reasoned that perhaps Li Rui had simply "beautified" her into the perfect image he held in his heart.

"Lanlan, I am glad you like it," Li Rui said, his lips curling into a slightly unnatural smile.

Watching how effortlessly Zhang Xiaolan had misunderstood the situation, he felt a weight lift from his heart, sparing him from his frantic worries. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder if this counted as a deception.

He had no time to dwell on such moral quandaries, as he was truly unprepared to explain the truth to her. Since it had become a "beautiful misunderstanding," perhaps it was simply "destiny," he consoled himself.

"But I still remember what you said earlier—that this was something 'inconsequential'? Is my portrait really so unimportant?" She feigned anger with a playful pout, not to hold him accountable, but merely to tease him.

It wasn't that she was being difficult; she simply found Li Rui’s sensitivity rather strange. It was just a portrait, after all! Why had he hidden it from her? It was finished, and she would have received it sooner or later—was there really a need to be so nervous?

"No, no, I just... I just..." Li Rui stammered, his words faltering as he struggled to put a coherent sentence together.

He had just begun to feel at ease, only to be rendered speechless by her question. He had thought he could muddle through the situation, but he realized he had been far too optimistic.

"Sigh! Stop with the 'just's. I know you wanted to surprise me. Between the seal I discovered by accident last time and this portrait I stumbled upon today, it’s no wonder you were so nervous, right?"

Zhang Xiaolan shook her head helplessly. It was impossible to joke with a man like Li Rui; she decided it was better to provide the excuse for him, lest she drive him to his wit's end.

"Yes, exactly! Lanlan understands my heart perfectly."

Li Rui seized the opportunity, finally managing to pick up the thread of conversation without further struggle.

Internally, he let out a sigh. When had he become a man who had to resort to such things? He felt like laughing and crying all at once.

"I didn't realize you were so talented, Brother Li. To paint such a lifelike portrait from memory without a model... but the inscription seems a bit melancholic: 'The wind sighs, the Yi River flows cold; affection severed, the spirit wanes.' Why would you write such lines?"

Zhang Xiaolan praised his exceptional memory and technique, but the inscription struck her as ominous, as if it spoke of a life-and-death parting.

"It holds no special meaning. I was simply moved by a sudden emotion at the time and wrote them down unconsciously. I had intended to paint another one with a more cheerful inscription."

This was the most complete, clear, and articulate sentence Li Rui had spoken to her all evening. It was the only part that was entirely true, requiring no fabrication, and he truly did want to paint another one for her.