Pei Yunmeng snapped back to reality, stood up, and walked toward her with a smile, "Let me have a look."
She had been painting for so long, still so earnest, that her pose had stiffened. This stirred some anticipation in him; he wanted to see how Emperor Lu Tong looked in her painting, though her painting skills were not that great... But as the person was right there, it would be difficult to make him look ugly.
He approached Lu Tong from behind, rested his hands behind her, and leaned over to inspect the painting on the desk, falling silent as soon as he saw it.
Lu Tong turned her head, "Does it look good?"
Pei Yunmeng: "..."
It was hard to say if the painting was good-looking or not because if she hadn’t mentioned it, it would have been very difficult for anyone to recognize who was depicted. On the white paper, there was just a rough sketch of a skeleton, with names of acupoints written delicately beside the bones.
"Baihui Point, Juque, Tiantu..." Lu Tong kept citing as she compared it to the portrait, "It’s correct, why aren’t you pleased?"
Pei Yunmeng continued to remain silent.
So, she had him sit nicely and assume a pose across from her for so long, just to draw this acupoint diagram?
She hadn’t even fully drawn the facial features.
Although Lu Tong’s painting skills were average, her ability to read expressions was top-notch. She acutely sensed his silence and was somewhat puzzled, "Did I draw something wrong?"
She spread the painting out on the desk, turned around, and — comparing it to the portrait — reached out to touch his face.
"Baihui Point, Touwei..."
"Zanzhu, Sibai..."
Her fingertips touched his brow and eyes, gliding down along the bridge of his nose.
He was startled and looked at her intently, while Lu Tong remained oblivious and continued to touch down further.
"Shuigou..."
Her fingertips brushed over his lips and continued downward, causing Pei Yunmeng’s Adam’s apple to move subtly.
She kept touching, from the neck to the shoulder, and down toward the chest, her breath carrying the sweet scent of wine, "Tiantu, Danzhong..."
Pei Yunmeng could bear it no longer and grasped her hand that was moving downward, "Stop touching."
Lu Tong frowned, "Why not? A healer does not differentiate between genders, I’m not afraid, what are you afraid of?"
Pei Yunmeng: "..."
He was both annoyed and amused.
She was clearly drunk, her words were those of a drunkard, yet she chose to speak with such a serious and old-fashioned tone, making any action feel like taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability.
"Are you really not afraid?" he asked meaningfully.
Lu Tong shook her head.
Pei Yunmeng nodded, pondered for a moment, then suddenly pulled her arm around his neck and lifted her horizontally into his arms.
Lu Tong, being carried toward the bed, was stunned for a moment, vaguely remembering the acupoint diagram she hadn’t finished, and said, "Wait, my acupoint diagram isn’t complete yet."
He chuckled, "Stop painting, I think the acupoint diagram is rough enough as it is. Perhaps Doctor Lu has been neglecting her medical practice these days; it would be better for me to help you review it."
"Nonsense," Lu Tong retorted sharply, "How could I neglect my medical practice?"
"Then you compare it to the real person, see if there’s any difference..."
The bed curtains were pulled down, and the voices within grew softer and fainter.
...
The next morning, Lu Tong got up feeling sore and groggy.
There were vague fragments in her mind, not very clear, but upon closer reflection, she didn’t want to remember. It would be embarrassing, better to let it be, to spare herself and not force the memory.
Pei Yunmeng had left early in the morning for his duties in the Imperial City. She got up and walked to the desk, suddenly pausing in surprise.
There were two paintings on the desk.
One was clearly her own work, with crooked lines and a rough depiction of a person, just a rough skeleton with acupoints labeled, and three big characters: Pei Yunmeng.
Lu Tong: "..."
It was truly an eyesore. To be fair, if it were her seeing this painting now, she would have already thrown it in Pei Yunmeng’s face.
As for the other one...
Lu Tong’s gaze fixed onto it.
Autumn night, lonely lamp, the woman stayed awake, dressed in her chemise, with her hair draping softly, resting her head on one hand while dozing off at the desk, her eyes slightly shut, and a wine pot was tipping over on the desk.
The artist’s brushwork was meticulous and lifelike as if through the painting, one could see the soft moonlight of an autumn night, and the woman was vividly portrayed with her hair fluttering in the wind, starkly different from her own rudimentary skills.
That was her.
She was momentarily stunned, feeling ripples in her heart.
Did he paint this last night, or this morning?
His energy was impressive, but the painting was quite accurate, showing that the image of her was deeply etched in his mind.
Next to the two paintings, there was also a note. Lu Tong picked it up and read.
The handwriting was sharp and strong, beautiful to behold, with two lines written boldly.
"My lady presents me with a painting, and I offer one in return."
"I hope you won’t hesitate to gift another, and that we’ll have another occasion to do so."
Lu Tong: "..."
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