Chapter 1263 Comics

Zijing was somewhat surprised to receive Hen's communication invitation. This battle-hardened warrior, Gretchen's elderly father, seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally avoiding him lately. Occasionally, when they bumped into each other at the academy, Hen's gaze was so complex that it was as if Zijing were some unstable factor that required high vigilance.

The call connected, and a slightly stiff smile appeared on Hen's resolute face. In the background, Blanca's soft reminder could be heard: "...Be a little nicer..."

“Ahem, Amethyst.” Hen cleared his throat, his voice sounding lower than usual. “Are you free tonight? Come over for a casual dinner. Blanca… and Gretchen are both quite interested… uh, Blanca made some new dishes and would like you to try them.”

This attempt to cover up the truth, coupled with the obvious reluctance written all over Hen's face, made Zijing instantly realize who was really in charge of this dinner. He suppressed a smile: "Okay, I'll be there on time."

After hanging up the call, Zijing seemed to hear Hen's silent sigh, filled with the anxiety of his father, through the air.

In the evening, Zijing, carrying a fruit basket as a gift, knocked on the Hen family's door right on time.

The person who opened the door was Blanca with a gentle smile. "You've come in, please come in, no need to be so polite." She warmly took the fruit basket, while subtly nudging Hen, who was standing next to her with his arms crossed and a serious expression on his face, with her elbow.

Hen reluctantly forced a smile and said, "You're here? Have a seat."

The room was decorated warmly and invitingly. In a corner of the living room, a quiet figure sat before an easel, focused intently on her paintbrush. She seemed oblivious to the arrival of guests, completely absorbed in her creative world.

"Gresh, the amethyst is here," Blanca whispered a reminder.

Greta then looked up and saw Amethyst; her beautiful purple eyes brightened slightly. She put down her paintbrush, stood up, and nodded politely, "Good evening, Brother Amethyst."

"Good evening, Gretchen." Amethyst responded with a smile, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over the easel, which appeared to be a preliminary draft of a beautifully composed and smoothly drawn landscape painting, perfectly matching her public image as a "traditional art cartoonist."

However, Zijing and the Hen couple knew that this seemingly serious cartoonist had a small, unknown hobby in private—creating comics with dramatic plots, complex character relationships, and "taboo" themes aimed at a specific female readership. Moreover, Zijing noticed that her appearances in Gretsch's "private creations" seemed a bit too frequent.

Everyone tacitly agreed to maintain the appearance that "we know nothing" so as not to embarrass her.

Although Greta herself knew that everyone probably guessed it, in order to maintain a calm facade and avoid shame, she stubbornly maintained the illusion that "you are all kept in the dark, I am just drawing a proper comic."

The dinner atmosphere was harmonious, except for a few barbed questions about relationships from Hen, while Blanca chatted about everyday things. Greta sat quietly to the side, occasionally offering a polite reply, like a well-behaved and quiet ordinary girl.

After the meal, Blanca cleared the table, and Hen was sent to help. Just as Amethyst was thinking it was time to leave, Gretchen approached, her hands slightly clasped in front of her, her eyes filled with a mixture of expectation and barely perceptible nervousness, and she spoke softly:

“Brother Zijing, um... if you’re not busy right now, could you come to my studio? I’m currently working on a character design and need some action references... I think your physique would be suitable. It won’t take up too much of your time.”

Zijing was taken aback. Model for him? This was a first for her. Looking at Gretchen's sincere yet slightly pleading eyes, he nodded: "Of course, as long as it helps you."

Greta's studio was filled with an artistic atmosphere, with various painting tools and sketches arranged in an orderly manner. She had Amethyst stand in front of a blank wall and then began to fiddle with a camera with a time-lapse function.

"Brother Zijing, please relax and stand still, just lean against the wall," Greta said as she adjusted the camera angle, trying her best to maintain a professional tone.

Zijing did as instructed, still wondering what movements she was supposed to follow.

Just then, Greta set up the time-lapse camera and quickly walked up to him. Before Amethyst could react, she suddenly reached out and slammed her hand against the wall next to his ear, attempting a "wall slam" motion.

However, Gretchen was much shorter than Amethyst, so this action, which should have been imposing, lacked any sense of power because she had to stand on her tiptoes and look up at Amethyst. Instead, it had a clumsy contrast.

Amethyst was completely stunned, looking down at Gretchen who was so close to him. He could see her slightly flushed cheeks and her somewhat darting eyes. She seemed to be embarrassed by her abrupt action, but was still trying to maintain an expression that said, "This is a serious job."

The two remained in this awkward position, a subtle tension and awkwardness filling the air. The camera clicked at just the right moment, capturing the scene.

The sound of the shutter seemed to startle Gretsch. Like a frightened animal, she abruptly withdrew her hand, took two steps back, and her cheeks were even redder than before. She hurriedly avoided Amethyst's gaze, whispered "Okay," and quickly walked to the camera to remove the memory card.

Greta inserted the memory card into the computer, and the photo from before immediately appeared on the screen. In the photo, Amethyst looked down in astonishment, while Greta looked up with a flushed face; her failed "wall slam" pose looked both awkward and somewhat cute.

Looking at the photo, Zijing felt both amused and exasperated, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Gresh, what... what character is this reference for?"

Greta didn't turn around immediately; her back seemed to stiffen for a moment. After a while, she turned around, her face still flushed, but she had tried to regain her composure. Pointing to the screen, she said in as steady a tone as if analyzing composition, "Hmm... this angle is very useful for showing the subtle height difference between characters and... and the atmosphere. The lighting effects are also good... Thank you, Brother Amethyst, you've been a great help."

Her explanation sounded reasonable, but Zijing noticed that as she spoke, her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, and her eyes were somewhat unfocused, unlike when she usually discussed painting with such concentration and composure.

Zijing found it somewhat amusing to see her trying to appear calm despite her obvious shyness, but considerately refrained from pressing further: "I'm glad I could help."