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Shen Tang, for the Nth time, wanted to jump up and perform a craniotomy on Qishan's skull, but considering the tiny bit of friendship they still had, she forcefully held back. Suppressing her anger, she said, "Hmph, why would I be so embarrassed? My drawing is so good..." Qishan: "..." He could truly confirm it now.
Young Master Shen's aesthetic sense was different from that of a normal person. The two stared at each other, eyes wide, neither willing to yield first. Finally, Qishan rubbed his temples, his head aching, and averted his gaze from Shen Tang's confident, righteous eyes. He had seen confident people, but never one quite like this. How could someone with such terrible drawing skills be so confident?
Knowing that communication barriers would affect efficiency, Qishan could only choose a "detour." He pointed a finger at Shen Tang's masterpiece on the table, his tone deep, and asked a crucial question: "No matter how good your drawing is, if that courtesan doesn't appreciate it, can you get paid?" Shen Tang, jolted awake by his words: "..." *Right, if the client isn't satisfied, it won't work.*
She looked at Qishan with eyes that questioned life itself: "How can you be sure his aesthetic sense is the same as yours... that he won't appreciate it?" Shen Tang swallowed the words "aesthetically challenged." It wasn't that she feared Qishan or dared not argue with him; retracting her evaluation was solely for the client's (paycheck's) sake. Qishan took a deep breath, and with a fake smile, he spoke in a sarcastic, passive-aggressive tone: "Most mortals' eyes for beauty are largely the same."
*Young Master Shen's pair of eyes are truly an anomaly.* Unexpectedly, Shen Tang completely ignored the "deeper meaning" in Qishan's words, nodding thoughtfully, her expression regretful, sighing lengthily: "*The higher the melody, the fewer the listeners.* This must be what they call 'a rare kindred spirit.'" After speaking, she shook her head with genuine emotion. Qishan, almost speechless internally: "..." Shen Tang looked at the two paintings on the table with a slight headache, pinching her brow: "In that case... how do I explain to the client, no, to the courtesan? I can't draw this kind of thing you drew." Qishan asked, "Did you sign a contract with the shopkeeper?"
If no contract was signed, she could simply abandon the job. At most, her reputation would suffer a bit, making it harder to get such work in the future. But Young Master Shen didn't rely on copying, writing, or drawing for a living, so a bit of damage was fine, better than forcing herself. Unexpectedly, Shen Tang said, "The contract has already been signed." She had already taken the deposit. Shen Tang took out her small money pouch and clattered out over twenty pieces of shredded silver. Qishan's gaze towards her became increasingly complex—who gave her the courage to take the job and accept a deposit without such drawing skills? Now it was completely messed up; let's see how Young Master Shen would handle this. "What should I do now?"
Although Shen Tang still believed her drawing skills were excellent—after all, it was once her livelihood, not something Qishan's few words could undermine—she also had one concern: no matter how good she thought her drawing was, it wouldn't work if the client didn't buy it. She hesitated: "How about we test the courtesan? Perhaps he is one of the rare 'kindred spirits' beyond the mundane who can discover beauty!" Qishan: "..." *A kindred spirit beyond the mundane???* *Heh heh heh, daydreaming would be faster.* "If all else fails..." Shen Tang was about to say, "If all else fails, let's just try.
If there's a real fight, who's hitting whom is still uncertain," when Qishan simultaneously spoke, "If all else fails, I'll help you draw it to get it done. We should be low-key in Xiaocheng. Try not to cause trouble." "...That works too. It's the same whether you earn this work or I do. But, I'll still need to tell the shopkeeper that the artist has changed. I can't take advantage of you," Shen Tang had no objections and readily agreed, "I'll tell you about that courtesan's appearance and demeanor."
Qishan: "..." Heaven knows how many years it had been since he did this kind of work, and even during his most difficult times, he hadn't done it many times. He grumbled internally, but his ears carefully caught Shen Tang's description, not missing a single detail, and simultaneously constructing the layout in his mind. Thank goodness, Young Master Shen's drawing skills were enchanting, but her language organization skills were not weak; they were clear, concise, and her observations were meticulous. Just listening to her description allowed him to visualize the courtesan's appearance, demeanor, characteristics, and temperament in his mind, giving him a clear idea.
Only— Qishan keenly caught a detail. "You said that courtesan was initially dissatisfied with you?" Shen Tang corrected him sternly: "He was initially dissatisfied, but wasn't that because my appearance was too deceptive? He probably thought I was young and my drawing skills weren't as good as other older artists, but later he discovered my extraordinary talent and gave me the job, didn't he?" Qishan: "He discovered you had a literary heart." Having a literary heart and thus being "extraordinary" versus confirming Young Master Shen had drawing skills and thus being "extraordinary" were two entirely different concepts. Besides, did Young Master Shen even possess such a thing as drawing skills? Shen Tang waved her hand: "It's all the same, all the same." Qishan shook his head: "A courtesan in his prime, how could he recognize your seal as a literary heart seal at first glance? That's a bit odd. And entrusting such an important task just because you have a literary heart seal, without even verifying your drawing skills, is even odder."
A literary heart seal didn't equate to drawing skills. Shen Tang, however, wasn't particularly suspicious. "What's so strange about that? He's a notable figure in Moon Blossom Pavilion, a future top performer. He meets all sorts of people; is it really rare for one of his patrons to have a literary heart? You're not going to suggest that courtesan also has a literary heart, which is why he recognized mine, are you?" Having stayed in this world for a while, she knew that even those with the lowest-grade literary hearts still stood above ordinary people. Unless crippled or encountering other devastating disasters, it would normally be difficult for them to fall into such circumstances. The courtesan's demeanor didn't seem like such a person. Qishan couldn't figure out what the problem was for a moment, so he asked again, "You said his condition was to use the brush, ink, and paper he provided?"
Shen Tang said, "Correct." He rubbed his temples, asking Shen Tang to describe the courtesan again. The two descriptions were word-for-word identical, but he still couldn't find the source of his doubt. Shen Tang watched him frown in deep thought, her arms crossed, completely puzzled: "Yuanliang, what exactly are you worried about?" Qishan: "Not worried, just dislike the unknown." Or rather, he disliked the feeling of being in a situation without knowing the whole picture. He had a hunch that there was something wrong with that courtesan, and until this was resolved, it would weigh heavily on his mind, making him quite uncomfortable.
In Shen Tang's understanding, it was his obsessive-compulsive disorder acting up. Seeing him so serious, Shen Tang said, "If he really has a problem, the clue might be in the brush, ink, and paper he specifically emphasized." A word that woke up the dreamer. Qishan suddenly thought of something. He pulled a sheet from the stack of paper, either holding it over candlelight to bake or splashing water on it to see what would appear. Shen Tang quietly watched him "go crazy." After a long time, she reminded him again, "Perhaps it's related to Spirit Speech?" *Yuanliang, the world is different.* *This is a world that doesn't follow science.* *Scientific methods like baking with fire or splashing with water aren't popular here.* There are still 500 characters to modify QAQ. It's too late to check the information.