Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 70

Dugu Xihui gracefully moved the vegetables to the side of her bowl and continued eating her rice and fish.

Zi Jin was furious. She picked up the greens from Dugu Xihui's bowl and stubbornly held them to Dugu Xihui's lips. Dugu Xihui was stunned for a moment, then reluctantly opened her mouth, put the greens in her mouth, and chewed them little by little with a frown.

Zi Jin felt a little smug after winning the round. She picked up her chopsticks and ate her rice with a carefree attitude. She finally understood how Dugu Xihui had teased her. So this is what it's like to see others suffer. Everyone has a little bit of sadistic desire!

Dugu Xihui was completely under Zi Jin's thumb, and he was naturally unwilling to accept it. After swallowing the piece of green vegetable, he stared straight at Zi Jin. Zi Jin felt her scalp tingle under that gaze, and when she looked up, she met Dugu Xihui's amber eyes, which were as innocent as those of a little fox. She immediately felt dizzy.

Dugu Xihui's lips curled slightly, revealing a captivating, faint smile.

Zi Jin felt her face burning and her breathing becoming rapid. She quickly lowered her eyes and continued shoveling rice into her mouth.

Dugu Xihui leisurely picked up a large piece of fish and put it into Zi Jin's bowl. Zi Jin glanced at her and saw Dugu Xihui reveal that wicked smile again.

To hide her slightly trembling hands, Zi Jin lowered her head and ate rice, even scooping in the large piece of fish along with it.

A victorious smile appeared on Dugu Xihui's lips, her eyes softened, her dimples appeared slightly, and she enjoyed her meal in a pleasant mood.

After a long while, Zi Jin noticed something was wrong and looked up, only to meet Dugu Xihui's smug smile. She gritted her teeth and thought: "That despicable Dugu Xihui! He's using his beauty to seduce an innocent girl again! Doesn't he have a conscience?!"

Despite her resentment and grievances, Zi Jin was now under someone else's roof, so she could only purse her lips in resentment and curse in her heart: "You despicable person!"

Zi Jin couldn't swallow her anger no matter how much she thought about it, and a surge of malice rose within her. She put on what she thought was the most gentle smile, and as a form of revenge, picked up a large piece of vegetable root and placed it near Dugu Xihui's mouth.

Dugu Xihui stared blankly at Zi Jin's smile, and without hesitation ate the vegetable root that Zi Jin gave him. After chewing for a while and swallowing it, he suddenly burst out laughing.

Zi Jin had just won a round and was secretly pleased with herself when she looked at Dugu Xi Hui's smiling face, not understanding why.

"Hahahaha...hahaha..." Dugu Xihui saw Zi Jin's confusion and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. "This is hilarious...it's really hilarious! Lou Shuo...have you ever seen such a ferocious smile?! Hahaha...hahaha!" Dugu Xihui wasn't satisfied with just laughing, so he slapped the table and burst into laughter.

Lou Shuo lowered his face, his shoulders shaking, clearly trying to suppress a laugh.

Zi Jin's face was a jumble of colors—white, red, blue, purple, and green—as if a palette had been overturned, a truly spectacular sight. Enraged and embarrassed, she threw down the bowl in her hand and ran out of the house as if fleeing. If she had added the classic gesture of covering her face with her hands, it would have been a scene of utter despair and tears.

Dugu Xihui was in a good mood. He finished his rice before heading towards the door. A smile played on his lips, and his handsome dimples were faintly visible. From afar, he saw Zi Jin sitting alone on a stone bench in the corridor, her face gloomy. He deliberately made some noise as he approached, then leaned against the railing beside Zi Jin and sat down. "Are you angry?" he asked, his voice unusually gentle.

Zi Jin stared blankly at the rows of strangely shaped trees swaying in the wind outside the corridor, seemingly oblivious to Dugu Xihui's low question: "What kind of trees are these?"

"Hibiscus." Dugu Xihui followed Zi Jin's gaze, paused for a moment, and blurted out the answer. Dugu Xihui frowned in annoyance, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

"Hibiscus...flower...is it pretty?" Zi Jin's dark eyes were filled with a mist.

Dugu Xihui turned her head away: "It doesn't look good."

Zi Jin looked at the rows of hibiscus trees in the courtyard with a puzzled expression. If she remembered correctly, apart from the lotus flowers on the lake, this was the only plant in this large garden: "It's not pretty. Why is it so full of them?"

Dugu Xihui paused for a moment, a hint of annoyance flashing across his face, his eyes darting to the side: "It was like this when we bought the house."

Zi Jin recognized the less-than-clever lie. She tried to make a sarcastic remark with a half-smile, but her smile froze on her face in an instant.

Dugu Xihui turned his head to the side, his long, slender, pale neck peeking out from the wide collar of his snow-white robe. The evening breeze ruffled his hair slightly, adding a touch of ethereal beauty while amplifying his loneliness. His long eyelashes drooped down, obscuring his amber eyes, and the moonlight made his face appear deathly pale, making the scar on his face, now healed, look even more delicate. His solitary figure was like fragile crystal, as if the slightest touch would shatter it into pieces.

Zi Jin's heart ached slightly, aching inexplicably. Why was she always so... concerned and tender towards him?

A gentle breeze blew by, and Dugu Xihui seemed a little cold. He unconsciously shrank back, leaned closer to the corner railing, wrapped his arms around his knees, and buried his head between them.

Zi Jin felt her eyes burning, her heart aching so badly she couldn't breathe, a chill running through her. She wanted to smile at him, but she couldn't manage it. She wanted to touch the scars on his face, to ask if he was still in pain, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Zi Jin felt like she was suffocating. She quietly got up and left without daring to look back.

Dugu Xihui felt the person beside her leave and suddenly had an impulse to keep her. In the end, she closed her slightly open mouth and hugged her knees even tighter.

A prematurely withered green leaf fell beside them, and a tear silently slid down someone's cheek.

"My lady..." A gentle breeze rustled through the hibiscus tree, and someone sighed.

Zi Jin quietly approached, saw the person trembling against the corner railing, and gently draped the cloak she was holding over him. He raised his head slightly, his round fox eyes revealing confusion and a hint of the unease of a small animal.

Zi Jin smiled as she fastened Dugu Xihui's cloak, saying, "You didn't even say you were cold." Her tone held a hint of reproach and a hint of indulgence. She herself didn't realize how intimate and natural her tone was at that moment.

The mist in Dugu Xihui's eyes deepened, and a faint, almost dreamlike smile appeared on his lips.

A sly smile played on Zi Jin's lips as she lowered her head and whispered in Dugu Xihui's ear, "How about I give you a gift?"

Dugu Xihui's amber eyes were veiled by a mist of tears, and she nodded slightly in a daze.

Zi Jin picked up the small, palm-sized plate that had been placed aside, took the finest brush, sat down beside Dugu Xihui, adjusted his face, and began to paint, bit by bit. The brush tip was as delicate as the finest feather, gently stirring the stillness of Dugu Xihui's heart. He gazed at Zi Jin's earnest profile, slightly intoxicated by the most beautiful spring night.

With a deft touch, Zi Jin finished the last stroke, put down her tools, and a smug smile appeared on her lips: "Let's go see how it goes."

Dugu Xihui raised the corners of his eyes slightly, his round eyes half-closed, glistening with moisture, like dimples appearing and disappearing in the dimples. He gazed at Zi Jin's smiling face, unconsciously nodding slightly.

Zi Jin narrowed her eyes into slits, her smile widening. Without a second thought, she grabbed Dugu Xihui's hand and ran toward the lotus lake of her memories.

Dugu Xihui stared blankly at the hand that Zi Jin was holding. It was an overstepping action, but he didn't feel awkward at all.

Zi Jin sensed Dugu Xihui's stiffness and gripped his hand even tighter.

Dugu Xihui felt the warmth of Zi Jin's hand in his heart, smiled, wrapped his hand around Zi Jin's hand, and strode after her.

Lotus leaves of various shapes and sizes were scattered across the still lake surface, and the moonlight gently spilled onto the water, creating layers of mist. Although Zi Jin did not know the name of this lotus lake, she felt that the lake was even more beautiful today. She pulled Dugu Xihui over, and the two leaned over to look at the water.

The smile on Dugu Xihui's face was even gentler than the beautiful moonlight. He glanced at Zi Jin and followed her hand to look at her reflection in the water.

A vibrant, almost faded, gold-plated blue peach blossom, at its most beautiful moment, was perfectly captured in the corner of his eye, echoing the peach blossom around his neck—so natural yet so deliberate.

Dugu Xihui stroked the peach blossoms on his face, his amber-like eyes shimmering. He turned to look at Zi Jin, asking dreamily, "Is it pretty?"

Zi Jin turned her face, her smile freezing on her lips. The lake's shimmering light reflected on Dugu Xihui's near-perfect face, making his peerless beauty both exquisite and breathtaking.