Chapter 152: Permission Granted There was no reason to hide the truth, and Xin didn’t want to lie to her, especially considering all that Seraphina and her father had done for him and his family.
It seemed only fair to be honest with her.
Seraphina’s smile faded, and her expression grew a bit serious. "Is that so?"
Xin felt a sudden chill in the air. He understood her potential displeasure; after all, who would want their portrait to be auctioned in front of strangers?
"If you don’t want to, it’s okay. I can find another subject," Xin offered.
Seraphina’s expression darkened even further. "Find another subject?"
Xin was taken aback by her reaction and didn’t know how to respond. "I . . . I mean, I’ll find another person to paint."
"Another person, like another woman?" Seraphina probed further.
"It doesn’t have to be a woman," Xin replied, feeling the need to clarify himself.
Silence hung in the air as Seraphina stared into Xin’s eyes, making it difficult for him to look away.
After what felt like an eternity, Seraphina sighed and mumbled to herself, "I should have known . . . this is so typical of you."
Xin was puzzled by her comment. "What do you mean?"
Seraphina shook her head slightly and then her face brightened once more. "It’s okay."
"Okay . . . ?" Xin queried.
"You have my permission to paint me," Seraphina said, her expression changing.
Xin blinked in surprise. "Really?"
"You don’t want to?" Seraphina inquired.
"No," Xin replied without hesitation. "I . . . I want to."
Xin found it hard to believe that she had agreed to his request.
"Could we draft it on paper, just in case you change your mind?" Xin asked cautiously.
Seraphina chuckled. "Whatever makes you sleep peacefully at night. Speaking of which, I suppose I’ll be spending the night here quite often."
Xin’s head tilted in confusion. "Huh?"
"So you can paint me. It wouldn’t be convenient to do it at school, right? It would cause quite a trouble for you, if you know what I mean."
"Well, that’s . . ." Xin knew what she meant. It would indeed cause trouble for him if someone saw them together.
"Then it’s settled," she declared, flipping her hair. "We’ll have our panting sessions every night."
"Eh?" Xin was left flabbergasted.
Before he could react further, Seraphina had already left the room.
"If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me or the concierge on the ground floor. I left my number by the telephone."
Xin opened his mouth but no words left his lips until the elevator door closed and Seraphina was no longer in sight.
It took him a minute to process what had just happened.
The word "often" had suddenly turned into "every night," and Xin couldn’t quite grasp the idea that she had not only agreed but was also willing to work with him every single night.
Was that alright?
Come to think of it . . . would it be alright if he painted her? No one would know until the auction day and usually, artist didn’t get into trouble just because they painted a person.
So Xin guessed that it would be alright.
In fact, he bet that her legion of fans would thank him for they got the chance to possess a portrait of her.
Even when Xin returned to the dining table, he was still lost in his thoughts.
"What’s going on with you?" Xiaxia asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Your face is red."
"Egh?" Xin touched his face and realized it was hot.
Xiaxia eyed him knowingly and jumped to her feet, marching over to Xin.
"You!" She pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Don’t even think about pursuing Seraphina. Meilyn is one thing, but that woman is on a whole other level. Do you have any idea how aggressive her fans are? And have you seen how many rich and arrogant suitors she has? They’ll come after you! They’ll definitely come after you if they find out you spent a night with her in the same bed!"
Xin’s face remained composed, and he brushed away Xiaxia’s pointing finger. "What are you even talking about? I’m not crazy enough to consider pursuing someone like her," he replied, sitting back down.
Xiaxia’s hand rested on her waist as she issued a final warning to Xin. "You better stick to that decision. That woman is nothing but trouble. If you want a peaceful life, then stay far away from her."
With those words, Xiaxia briskly walked away.
Evelyn, who was left alone with Xin, suddenly reached out and took his hand on the table, gazing at him with a serious expression.
"Xin . . . if you happen to have feelings for Lady Seraphina, I won’t judge you. She’s a truly beautiful lady," she said earnestly. "She may be wealthy, but don’t let that deter you. In the eyes of God, we are all equal."
Xin stared back at his mother with a stony, impassive face.
"Mom, I don’t want to hear that from you," he responded and stood up, leaving the dining area.
Evelyn watched him go, her head tilted in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
In one of the empty bedrooms, Xin found Xiaxia rummaging through what was left of their belongings salvaged from the fire.
"Ah, I’m so relieved I have my phone and headgear intact," she exclaimed, fondly caressing her phone and helmet against her cheek.
Xin sifted through the boxes and discovered some of his drawing materials, a few items of clothing, his headgear, and his phone.
A sense of relief washed over him as he realized they had managed to save his phone and headgear, sparing him the expense of replacing them.
Within minutes, Evelyn entered the room, as well, and tears welled up in her eyes when she found her bag, along with her phone.
It became clear to Xin that, in case of another emergency, their top priority would be saving their phones.
After setting his phone to charge, Xin powered it on and was inundated with notifications, the majority of which came from Victor’s missed calls and messages.