Chapter 60: This Is Called... Asserting One's Claim

Picking up the paintbrush, he held it upright and squinted one eye, comparing the structure of the beautiful girl painting displayed on the windowsill. Gradually, a rough outline began to emerge on his canvas.

“Boss, painting really takes talent!” Ji Ya kept stealing glances at Lin Yu out of the corner of her eye, quietly trying to learn from him. Officially, she was the apprentice here, but she would never admit it.

When Lin Yu caught her peeking, he lifted his hand and added a streak of blue paint to her cheek.

Ji Ya’s cheeks puffed up in annoyance, her eyes almost spitting fire. The celestial detachment of her features was now tinged with a touch of earthly charm. The usually aloof and regal queen now looked a little more human.

Lin Yu grinned at her, pride gleaming in his eyes at his little victory. But before he could laugh out loud, her face fell and a sob escaped her throat.

Wait, was she crying?

Lin Yu was instantly flustered, reaching out in a panic, belatedly realizing that his hands were still smeared with paint. For a moment, his hands hovered awkwardly in the air.

Seeing Ji Ya’s head sink lower and lower, and hearing her sobs, he grew even more at a loss. Without thinking, he wiped his hands on his clothes, accepted the tissue kindly offered by the proprietress, and was just about to lift Ji Ya’s face.

But unexpectedly, the sobs turned to laughter. Holding her face in his hands, he saw clearly—she wasn’t crying at all, but secretly laughing!

She was laughing so hard her shoulders shook and her body trembled like a flower in the wind.

Seizing her chance, Ji Ya grabbed his collar, as if afraid he’d escape, lifted her chin, and flashed a triumphant smile after her successful prank.

“Ha! That’s what you get for messing with me!”

With that, Lin Yu’s face too was marked with a splash of paint.

He recovered in an instant, eyes narrowing dangerously. Snatching up more paint from the palette, he wiped a bold streak across her face!

Ji Ya dodged swiftly and leapt up, fleeing madly. Lin Yu chased after her and cornered her against the wall.

Ji Ya looked up at him, eyes sparkling with mischief. Her hands were balled into fists, and on closer inspection, she was hiding a whole handful of paint behind her back.

Of course Lin Yu noticed her trick. He pinned her wrists above her head with one hand, advancing on her with paint in the other.

Ji Ya glared at him, but in front of him her combative spirit seemed to have lost all its defenses, ready to be breached at any moment.

“With thunder, shatter the darkness!”

With her battle cry, Lin Yu’s “villainous” fingers extended just one and lightly tapped her between the brows, leaving a touch of red that lent the goddess a hint of seductive allure and softened her icy aura with warmth.

“Proprietress, doesn’t my boss look just like the beautiful girl on the windowsill?” Lin Yu called out.

The proprietress craned her neck for a better look, clear amazement shining in her eyes.

She was breathtaking! This wasn’t just a beautiful girl—she was a fairy who had wandered into the mortal world by mistake!

Even the cameraman was entranced, his lens fixed on Ji Ya’s face, zooming in without finding a single flaw.

“Stunning,” he said simply.

Ji Ya was surprised. The camera crew had filmed plenty of celebrities, and female stars were all renowned for their good looks, but even the most beautiful faces grew dull after a while. For the cameraman to offer such high praise was no small thing—it was the highest compliment.

Her beauty was truly peerless, beyond what any actress could achieve. Even under the harsh scrutiny of the live broadcast, her looks were flawless, astonishing the audience and flooding the screen with exclamations.

“Heavens! That face is too beautiful! Sis, you’re killing me!”

“Wait—just a touch of red between her brows and she looks even more bewitching! Lin Yu, your makeup skills are impressive!”

“To have such a woman, life would be complete!”

“‘Dignity’ is now online, everyone! Go listen! It’s amazing! I can’t get enough!”

“Five hundred likes in the comments and I’ll go win my ex back!”

“Damn it, a beauty like Miss Ji is already taken? That hurts more than death!”

“Lin Yu, pick up your weapon—let’s duel!!”

…

The painting continued. Lin Yu finished the sketch and was inking the lines, while Ji Ya was still comparing her own draft to the original.

After all, she was the boss—a beautiful CEO at that—so Lin Yu’s heart softened and he stepped in to help.

He guided her hand with his own, stroke by stroke, correcting her technique.

“Boss, start with the outline. Draw the heights and dips on both sides first.”

Their skin touched, and Ji Ya’s heart raced, though she kept a calm façade and obediently followed his lead.

After a lifetime of being strong-willed, this rare moment of submitting to someone else was unexpectedly thrilling. Ji Ya quickly accepted the feeling.

With Lin Yu’s hands-on guidance, in less than five minutes, her sketch of the beautiful girl had taken form.

She examined it from every angle and couldn’t find a single flaw—the foundation lines were masterful.

“Quite impressive!” she praised.

Lin Yu smiled modestly and strode back to his seat, whispering, “Don’t touch anything until I finish my own painting, Boss.”

“Leave the rest to me.”

Since she had already broken her own rule and followed his lead, Ji Ya found she rather enjoyed the feeling. Immersed in it, she had no more objections, and did exactly as Lin Yu said.

At the moment, she embodied the very picture of a gentle, domestic woman.

As for the man beside her—indeed, a man focused on his work was at his most handsome.

She stood up, moved her chair to sit beside him, and watched him carefully outline the final draft.

The beautiful girl he painted was even more vivid and lovely than the original. Not lingering to admire his work, Lin Yu immediately began mixing colors—his own vision of the beautiful girl, not the usual blue, white, and pink.

He intended to merge superhero and beauty, not just softness, but a sense of coolness and strength. Just as he finished blending the colors, Ji Ya snatched them away.

“I’ll do it!”

What?

Lin Yu eyed her doubtfully—she couldn’t even manage the sketch, and now she wanted to handle the colors? If she messed up, his hard-won lines would be ruined. He reached out to stop her.

“Boss, we agreed to finish our own works separately. If you’re bored, you can try mixing your own palette.”

Ji Ya ignored him, rolling her eyes as she picked up a brush and scribbled her name on the canvas: Ji Ya.

Her signature was bold and flamboyant—a declaration of ownership.

Without a second thought, she grabbed Lin Yu’s brush and added a cartoon dog to his painting. Satisfied with her mischievous handiwork, she clapped her hands and returned to her own work.

Lin Yu looked at the dog’s head—a clear, if teasing, symbol. The corners of his mouth twitched.

“Boss, isn’t it a bit harsh to mock your own employee like this? Do I not even merit a signature now?”

Ji Ya arched an eyebrow at him. “Since you’re already sold to the company, of course the boss decides everything.”

“Why do you think capitalists are called evil? Only by being completely unreasonable can they wring the most value and profit.”

Lin Yu: …

I give up!

Let me be clear—I sell my art, not myself!

It was obvious that resistance was futile. The combination of the dog and the female CEO was now carved in stone.