A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 52

The car stopped in front of Ying Ran’s place.

Nan Xue’s phone was lit up as she glanced at the chat with Lin Lan and then opened the door to get out.

A cold breeze hit her under the night sky, and the touch on her forehead was icy. Small, still-forming snowflakes drifted gently down.

The driver handed her a black umbrella from inside the car: “Miss Nan, it’s snowing again. Here you go.”

Nan Xue shook her head: “It’s just a short walk. I’m fine.”

The driver insisted, but Nan Xue pushed it back: “You keep it.”

She tucked her sleeves and walked inside. The door opened, and as she turned, her silhouette disappeared into the corner of the white wall.

The driver glanced at her departing figure before driving away.

Lights illuminated the small courtyard. Inside, all the lights were on, and through the transparent glass windows, a figure with long hair swayed gently. With black hair, a slim waist, and a soft white profile.

Nan Xue’s eyes brightened slightly. She walked to the eaves; the door was loosely closed and opened easily.

“Sister.”

Shu Yubai turned around.

She was dressed warmly in a down jacket and felt a bit cold from the outside. The temperature had dropped, and from the window, the black land beneath the cedar trees was covered in a thin layer of white snow.

“It started snowing again?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Shu Yubai nodded and moved a small stool from the corner of the room to sit on. In front of her was an easel.

The chill from outside hadn’t fully dissipated yet. Nan Xue exhaled a breath, and white mist dispersed. Shu Yubai looked up at her under the light, dressed in a short, loose gray sweater with a thick white lamb wool coat over it, and light blue jeans.

Her eyes were bright and dark, her skin snowy white, making her red lips stand out.

Shu Yubai picked up a pencil and loosely sketched a rough outline on the canvas. Nan Xue stood there, puzzled.

“Sister, what are you doing?”

She asked.

Nan Xue was preoccupied with Lin Lan’s advice from the car, trying to figure out how to start, but felt utterly confused.

“Painting.”

After finishing the rough outline, Shu Yubai stood up, feeling a bit nervous. Her fair fingers subtly clenched.

“You could…”

She asked, but didn’t finish her sentence.

“What?”

Nan Xue’s eyes brightened slightly.

“You could be my model.”

“I need to submit three pieces, one of which is a portrait, and I’m missing a model.”

“Ying Ran said that painting sculptures all the time isn’t suitable.”

“I need to start drawing real people now, and I don’t know enough about human anatomy.”

Shu Yubai finished speaking quickly, with many thoughts running through her mind:

Would Nan Xue agree? Being a model is time-consuming, requiring long periods of sitting still. On the other hand, although she only needs to submit one portrait, she would have to paint many drafts and choose the best one to submit… Does Nan Xue have that much time?

If she agrees…

Shu Yubai’s cheeks warmed slightly. It would be perfect to paint the girl she liked.

“Model?”

Nan Xue seemed not to fully understand, her eyes flickering with hesitation.

Shu Yubai said, looking up: “Many famous paintings in the world have models. It’s not possible to just imagine someone.”

She then looked down, seemingly absentmindedly erasing the paper with an eraser, her long black hair tied loosely, hanging down her shoulders, waiting for Nan Xue’s response.

Nan Xue watched her silently.

She neither agreed nor refused.

She seemed to be in a complex internal struggle, unsure whether to agree.

Shu Yubai tentatively looked at Nan Xue, as if trying to clarify something, and continued: “It was your uncle who suggested it. He said you’d be the most suitable model.”

Nan Xue looked at her, her dark eyes flashing with an emotion Shu Yubai couldn’t quite read.

She turned, walked to the door, and gently closed it. With a click, she locked it. The sounds and cold air from outside were cut off, and it became very quiet. She then went to the side and pulled the curtains tightly.

Once everything was done, Shu Yubai felt something was off.

Nan Xue’s white ears were tinged with a blush.

She stood there, gently lowering her head, her pale fingers undoing the zipper of her coat, removing it, and hanging it on the coat rack.

Underneath was a thin gray sweater.

Her slim, youthful waist was faintly visible.

“?”

Shu Yubai didn’t understand. Did Nan Xue dislike the bulky down jacket and want to be painted in the sweater?

But the next moment, Nan Xue’s pale fingers grasped the edge of the sweater and began to lift it.

Underneath was a thin white base layer. The static made the base layer lift along with the sweater, revealing a glimpse of her slim waist and firm abdomen.

Just a fleeting glimpse before it was covered again.

Nan Xue took off the sweater and placed it on the bed.

She was left in a thin base layer, the transparent round buttons fastened from her collarbone down, perfectly snug. The soft fabric clung lightly to her body, making her contours clear.

Her cold white collarbone, slender shoulders, and well-defined figure looked youthful, with a slim waist and upright posture.

“You…”

Shu Yubai swallowed and asked, “What are you doing?”

Nan Xue did not answer.

Her white face flushed with a hint of pink, her tongue licking her lips, which glistened like cherries.

She touched the first button with her fingers and unfastened it;

Then the second.

A small patch of snowy, smooth skin was exposed, with a shallow cleavage becoming noticeable under the light.

She was about to unfasten the next button.

Shu Yubai realized what she intended to do, and a wave of heat rushed to her face. She barely looked down, feeling the cool strands of her long hair brush against her hot cheeks.

Nan Xue must have thought that being a “model” meant being nude.

No wonder she was so hesitant.

Since the sculptures she painted earlier were all nude, Nan Xue might have misunderstood. Those paintings were mainly for practicing perception and understanding of human anatomy and did not imply that every portrait she would paint in the future would be nude.

Shu Yubai suddenly looked down and said softly, “You don’t need to take off your clothes.”

Nan Xue’s fingers stopped.

Her eyes held a hint of confusion, and perhaps… disappointment?

“Why?”

She blinked, with two buttons of the base layer undone, hanging loosely.

“Because…” Shu Yubai’s cheeks warmed slightly as she looked down, trying to hide her embarrassment, and lightly coughed. “I’m painting you in clothes, not a nude.”

Nan Xue looked down, her long lashes fluttering, appearing even more embarrassed. She then looked up, and a thought crossed her mind: “Sister, after you finish the painting, can I have a reward?”

“Uh?”

Shu Yubai was somewhat surprised. This was the first time Nan Xue had asked her for something.

Suddenly, a knock at the door broke the moment’s silence and awkwardness.

“Who is it?”

Shu Yubai asked. The voice from outside was a girl’s, familiar and cheerful: “Sister Yubai, it’s me.”

It was Ying Ran assistant.

What could she want?

Shu Yubai stood up from the small stool to open the door. In the night, the plump girl outside was dressed in a thick down jacket, and her breath turned into white mist. She held a tray with two glasses of milk in transparent glass cups.

The milk was still warm, with a faint sweet aroma.

“Mr. Ying said that Nan Xue should drink this before bed, so I brought two cups. You both drink up.”

“Drink it while it’s hot.”

As she explained, she placed the milk on the table by the window. “Drinking milk before bed is good for health.” She turned to look at Nan Xue, who had a flushed face and disheveled clothes, sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, looking very different from her usual cool demeanor.

It seemed like…

She glanced at Shu Yubai, and a thought crossed her mind. After a moment of surprise, she tactfully turned and left, carefully closing the door behind her.

“Put your clothes back on; you don’t want to catch a cold.”

Nan Xue put on the sweater from the bed and stood up, grabbing the down jacket from the coat rack and putting it on.

Shu Yubai then handed her a cup of milk, saying, “Here.”

The two sat side by side on the edge of the bed, drinking their milk.

Shu Yubai held the warm milk and smiled at Nan Xue. “Do you drink this every night before bed at home?”

Nan Xue nodded, with a bit of milk foam on her red lips, which she gently licked clean. She looked like a little kitten—Shu Yubai glanced at her, smiled, and thought she was really cute.

“What reward do you want after I finish the painting?” Shu Yubai asked.

“We’ll talk about it then.”

Nan Xue had a mysterious look on her face.