The Scenery of That Smile

"The painting is... quite good?"

Shang Wu blinked and patted Li Mo's shoulder.

She didn't know much about art, but at a glance, it did look impressive.

"Not bad."

Ying Bing nodded slightly, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Even without facial features, she could recognize herself in the painting.

This meant the artist had mastered the essence and atmosphere so deeply that the work carried an almost lifelike spirit.

"Just a trivial skill, hardly worth mentioning."

Li Mo curled his lips.

He wasn’t being modest—he just knew his limits.

This level of skill had taken him sixty years of relentless dedication!

But.

Seeing Ying Bing’s gaze linger on the painting, her expression momentarily dazed,

Young Li suddenly felt the pain in his heart ease a little.

"Why didn’t you draw the face?"

Shang Wu pointed at the blank visage of the girl in the painting.

Li Mo sighed.

"It’s my first time painting a portrait. I wanted to capture a smiling expression."

"Besides, the composition is set in the brilliance of midsummer. If the subject isn’t smiling, it would ruin the entire mood."

"Isn’t smiling just..."

Shang Wu trailed off as she realized—

She couldn’t recall ever seeing Ying Bing smile.

Li Mo struggled to remember too.

In his memory, Ying Bing’s smiles were as rare as the sun rising in the west.

Not only had he never seen her laugh,

He couldn’t even imagine what the "ice block" would look like if she did.

"Little Bing, why don’t you... try smiling?"

Shang Wu coaxed.

Ying Bing’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. After a moment of hesitation, she relented.

After all, she owed Li Mo another favor.

Since she’d agreed to be his model until the painting was complete,

She had no choice but to...

Ying Bing parted her jade-like lips, slightly narrowing her eyes, forcing her usually frosty expression into something resembling a smile.

"Heh..."

Beautiful?

Yes.

But...

"Yikes—"

Li Mo and Shang Wu both recoiled, a chill shooting up their spines.

This was a smile, but it was undeniably a cold one!

Ethereal and merciless, like the moon gazing down on mortals, silently uttering two words:

"Insects."

If he painted that, the artwork would instantly be rated R.

Any minor who saw it would be traumatized for life.

"What to do..."

Li Mo pondered, then suddenly crossed his eyes (imagine the classic goofy face) and stuck out his tongue.

"Pfft— HAHAHA, are you stupid?!"

Shang Wu clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.

"?"

Ying Bing’s frown deepened, utterly baffled by this bizarre behavior.

Li Mo reset his face to normal and said solemnly,

"Looks like it’s time for the Joke King to make his grand entrance!"

"Today, I will make you laugh!"

The Qiushui Pavilion Comedy Challenge begins!

First up: Contestant Shang Wu, the beautiful master!

Full of determination, she vowed to crack the ice block’s stoicism!

She began with a deadpan expression.

"A little butterfly was flying along when suddenly, she got so hungry she couldn’t fly anymore... HAHAHA... and then... and then—"

Before she could finish the joke,

She was already wheezing with laughter.

"And then... she fell into the mud and drowned in it, HAHAHA—"

Shang Wu doubled over, gasping for air.

"?"

Li Mo and Ying Bing exchanged glances.

Was this funny?

Where was the punchline?

"Master, what’s the joke supposed to be?" Li Mo asked.

"Hungry mud butterfly."

Shang Wu wiped her tears.

Li Mo: "..."

What a garbage pun.

Due to Contestant Shang Wu’s use of a cringe-worthy pun, Judges Li Mo and Ice Block unanimously disqualified her.

Well.

Mainly because the master’s sense of humor was so rotten that she’d laugh herself to death before finishing any joke longer than three words.

Next up: Contestant Li Mo!

He decided to deploy his ultimate secret weapon:

"A man’s farts were incredibly loud. Guess why?"

"Why?" Shang Wu shook her head.

Li Mo: "Because he was wearing bell-bottoms."

"HAHAHAHA—"

"?"

Ying Bing tilted her head, watching Shang Wu collapse in hysterics, utterly lost.

Was this... supposed to be amusing?

"Still not laughing?"

Li Mo’s competitive spirit ignited.

He refused to accept defeat!

......

Half an hour later.

Li Mo sat in stunned silence.

The beautiful master was clutching her abs, begging him to stop.

Meanwhile, Ice Block’s head was just collecting more and more question marks.

Li Mo, parched and defeated, slumped.

He was starting to suspect Ying Bing simply lacked a funny bone.

"I’m such a fool."

"Give up. Little Bing might just be born without the ability to laugh. Your jokes were great, dear disciple," Shang Wu consoled, finally catching her breath.

"How can we make her smile?"

Li Mo racked his brain, absentmindedly poking his cheek with a brush.

So absorbed was he that he didn’t notice—

He’d grabbed the brush backwards.

The inked tip left streaks of black across his handsome face.

"Pfft—"

"Master, stop laughing at me."

Li Mo wiped his mouth irritably, smearing the ink further until he resembled a certain cartoon cat.

"Huh?"

Shang Wu turned to him.

One glance at his new look, and her barely-contained laughter erupted again.

"Honk honk honk—"

Clearly, this laughter was different from before.

"Hm?"

Li Mo turned.

The last stubborn rays of sunset clung to the horizon,

Casting a warm glow on Ying Bing, her ice-mirror eyes shimmering between light and shadow.

The evening breeze tousled her hair, softening her features—

But the fledgling artist reflected in her eyes was crystal clear.

For a moment, Li Mo felt time freeze.

A masterpiece stood before him.

"Quit staring and paint," Shang Wu nudged him.

"Ah! Right!"

Li Mo snapped back to reality.

Focusing intently, he lifted his brush and finally filled in the blank face on the canvas—

With a smile both delicate and radiant.

Strangely,

As those strokes settled, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

"Done? Let me see!" Shang Wu leaned in.

"Is this... me?"

Ying Bing stared at the painting, transfixed.

The girl in the artwork felt both foreign and familiar.

Even she couldn’t remember her own smile.

Yet,

With just a few strokes, Li Mo had captured it—

A perfect blend of cool elegance and vivid warmth.

That smile seemed eternal, so lifelike it was as if another version of her stood there, gazing back.

Under the moonlight, an indescribable emotion stirred in her chest.

Rustle—

The night wind whispered through the leaves.