Volume 2 Chapter 49: Is This… Me?
“Phew~”
In the quiet room, the only sounds were the soft scratching of the pencil and the girl’s nervous breathing.
Holding this pose was a bit tiring, though she could rest a little from time to time. Still, the feeling of being watched was actually more uncomfortable than the soreness from keeping her arms raised.
No, maybe it was more like embarrassment.
With that feeling in mind, the girl spent a long time feeling shy, while thinking about whether he was looking at her or at the drawing.
Mm…
Anyway, in this situation, their eyes met again and again, and each time it stirred her emotions.
Thinking from her own point of view, the girl complained quietly in her heart. Her rival was really shameless. He said he was drawing, but actually…
He just wanted to see her wearing a cheongsam, didn’t he?
Otherwise, why would he bring that dress?
Hmph~
But if she thought about it carefully, just bullying her didn’t seem enough to explain it anymore. Could it be… could it be that this guy…?
“Lin Lin, it’s finished!”
Gao Liang put down his pencil, compared the drawing with Lin Lin standing there, and then nodded with satisfaction.
Perfect. A masterpiece.
“So fast~”
Hearing that it was done, the girl felt a little shy, but she still walked over to Gao Liang to see how she looked in his drawing.
After all, she hadn’t really looked in a mirror just now.
And besides… how did her rival draw her?
With a lot of expectation, Lin Lin leaned closer and asked, “Can I take a look? Y-you didn’t draw me ugly on purpose, did you?”
“How could I? I drew the real Lin Lin!”
Gao Liang stepped aside to let the impatient Lin Lin see the picture. She leaned in and looked carefully—
A… a 2D anime-style girl wearing a cheongsam.
……
“Bang!”
Gao Liang watched in shock as the girl punched a hole through the paper. She then turned around and glared at him, shouting, “This is not me at all!”
“W-w-what?!”
For the first time, Gao Liang actually started trembling in front of Lin Lin.
“But… this is you, Lin Lin!”
“This is clearly a flat 2D character!”
Lin Lin shouted in protest. Gao Liang froze for a moment, then laughed and shook his head.
“No, no, Lin Lin, you misunderstood really!”
“I stood there for so long, and you drew a flat character?!”
The girl gritted her teeth in anger.
While feeling upset inside, Lin Lin also started thinking…
Does this guy… not like real, three-dimensional girls?
W-wait… does that count as emotional cheating?!
Cough—no, that’s not right. She wasn’t even his girlfriend or anything…
Ahhh, anyway! Watching her while drawing some other girl. This rival was just way, way, way too annoying!
Even if it was a 2D girl, it was still unacceptable!
“Hmph! Hmph!”
“No, no, Lin Lin, you really misunderstood!”
Gao Liang quickly shook his head and smiled, pointing at the drawing.
Luckily, she had punched the edge of the paper earlier. It was torn, but the drawing itself wasn’t completely destroyed.
Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have been able to explain himself.
Gao Liang pointed at the 2D girl in the drawing and said,
“Lin Lin, this is a manga-style version of you that I drew!”
“Hm?”
The girl turned her head doubtfully and looked at the drawing.
Seeing that she still didn’t fully believe him, Gao Liang pointed at the carefully drawn girl in the picture and explained it one part at a time.
“Look, this height fits you pretty well, right?”
“Am I really that short?”
“Ahem, look at this long brown hair. It’s pretty cute, right?”
“Ah… I kind of want to dye it white.”
“Huh? Ahem, then look at these big, watery eyes, and this small, delicate nose. Haha, Lin Lin, I really drew you! This isn’t a simple portrait sketch, it’s a re-creation!”
“Mm…”
Lin Lin thought about it for a moment and felt that… what he said kind of made sense?
But only a little bit!
“You had the real me right there, and instead you made a fan remake,” she said, turning away in annoyance.
Gao Liang scratched his head awkwardly and said, “Ahaha… I’ve been practicing anime-style illustrations lately, so I wanted to warm up a bit. But you’re right, since Lin Lin looked so nice today, how could I not keep some kind of memory?”
He nodded, then took out his phone and waved her over. “Come on, Lin Lin, let’s take a photo.”
“Ah, th-this…”
Once again, Lin Lin was pulled over by her rival. The front camera showed the two of them close together.
This… this angle looked just like a couple’s selfie.
Her face turned red again. Gao Liang didn’t even say “cheese” and pressed the shutter right away.
Mm…
Another ugly photo added to the collection!
Gao Liang, I’ll kill you!
By the way… does this guy like anime girls that much? Hm?
…………………
On the way home, Lin Lin changed back into her normal clothes and sat in the back seat of the car, looking out the window.
Her body felt tired, and her mind was a bit unfocused.
Thinking carefully, she had actually had a lot of fun in the studio today.
“Come to think of it, the competition date isn’t that far away, right?”
Gao Liang suddenly said this and turned his head.
Lin Lin nodded. “But… I learned a lot today, so I feel a bit more at ease now. Thanks for helping me.”
“I’ll go to the competition in person to cheer for you!”
Gao Liang suddenly encouraged her. Lin Lin froze.
Her first thought was…
W-wait… this guy is going too?
Uh… even if it’s to cheer her on, isn’t that a bit too close? Cough, cough…
Second… you can even go to the competition site?
She touched her chin. “You’re not one of the judges, are you?”
“Pfft—no, no! I couldn’t do that. I just… signed up as a volunteer to help at the venue.”
“Oh…”
She scratched her head. “Then… maybe you should just rest at home? Ahem…”
“No, that won’t do! I have to go and watch!”
Gao Liang said firmly. “I really can’t stop worrying about Lin Lin. It feels like watching your student graduate!”
“Tsk—”
The girl rolled her eyes.
If she didn’t still have things to do, she really wanted to cause some trouble at the competition and announce to everyone, ‘Everyone, look at me! I have something to say! I’m this guy’s student!’
Just to see what kind of face he’d make then. Hehe~
…………………
Between the girl’s mischievous thoughts and her daily practice, time flew by.
Before she knew it, she was sitting in Gao Liang’s car again.
Only this time… They were heading to the competition venue.