9: Chapter 9 The Girl Who Draws

When Lily came for the second time, it was a Thursday afternoon.

The shop had just finished the lunch rush, and Lin Feng was squatting at the entrance scrolling through his phone. He looked up and saw her walking over with a drawing board on her back.

"Boss Lin."

Lin Feng nodded and pointed inside the shop: "The painting is hung over there, go take a look yourself."

Lily went in and took a look around, and when she came out, her eyes were shining.

"You actually hung it up? In such a prominent spot?"

Lin Feng had a straw in his mouth: "I do what I say. I don't tell lies here."

Lily stood beside him and also squatted down.

Lin Feng turned his head to look at her: "What are you doing?"

Lily took out her phone and showed him a page: "I posted on Little Red Book, and it blew up."

Lin Feng took it and looked—

Title: "I drew a painting at the hottest fried chicken shop in Los Angeles."

Likes: 47,000

Comments: Over 1,000

Comment section:

"I know this shop! That boss is even more miserable than you!"

"It's drawn so well, is the young lady an art student?"

"You actually gave the painting to them? Is it hung up in the shop?"

"Asking for the address! I want to go see this painting!"

Lin Feng stared at that 47,000 and blinked.

He looked up at Lily: "You're famous."

Lily smiled: "Thanks to you."

Lin Feng returned the phone to her and continued squatting to scroll through his own.

Lily didn't leave and stayed by his side.

Lin Feng turned his head to look at her again: "Anything else?"

Lily hesitated for a moment and said: "I want to... draw another one."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow: "Draw what?"

Lily pointed inside the shop: "Draw you."

Lin Feng was stunned.

--

Lin Feng was pressed onto that broken chair at the entrance, feeling restless.

"Can I just squat?" he asked.

Lily shook her head: "It doesn't look good if I draw you squatting."

"Well, I don't look good to begin with."

Lily glanced at him, said nothing, and continued drawing.

Lin Feng sat there awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable all over.

He had lived for over twenty years, and this was the first time he had been used as a model.

People lining up nearby recognized him and started taking out their phones to take pictures.

Someone shouted: "Boss Lin! You're about to become an internet celebrity!"

Lin Feng rolled his eyes: "I was already an internet celebrity."

The crowd laughed.

Lily drew very slowly and very seriously.

Lin Feng, bored, activated his skill: [Emotion Magnifier], locking onto Lily.

[Target: Lily]

[Current Emotion Value: 8.9]

[Emotion Type: Focus + Joy + Slight Nervousness]

[Emotion Trajectory (last 10 minutes): Focus (when sketching) → Joy (halfway through) → Slight Nervousness (now)]

Lin Feng looked at that "Slight Nervousness" and was a bit puzzled.

What was she nervous about?

He asked: "How is the drawing coming along?"

Lily didn't even lift her head: "Almost done."

"Can I take a look?"

Lily's hand paused: "...Wait a second."

Lin Feng was even more puzzled.

He quietly stood up, went around behind her, and took a look at the drawing board.

Then he was stunned.

The person in the painting was not the Lin Feng who was squatting and playing with his phone.

It was a smiling Lin Feng.

It was that kind of carefree, silly smile.

Lin Feng stared at the painting for three seconds.

He remembered where this smile came from—

That night, when Maria stood in the shop and a smile rippled from the bottom of her eyes for the first time, he had smiled just like that.

Lily had drawn him as he looked at that moment.

Lin Feng was silent for a long time.

Then he asked: "How did you know I smiled like that?"

Lily finally looked up at him and said earnestly:

"Because I saw it from the street corner that day."

---

This painting was hung in the shop the next day.

It was hung next to the first painting.

Maria stood in front of the painting and looked at it for a long time.

Then she turned to look at Lin Feng: "What were you smiling about back then?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment and didn't tell the truth: "I don't know, probably just being silly."

Maria stared at the smile on the painting for another three seconds.

Then she said: "This one is better than the last one."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow: "Where is it better?"

Maria didn't answer.

She turned back to fry the chicken.

But Lin Feng's skill automatically popped up a notification:

[Emotion Fluctuation Detected—Target Maria Emotion Value Change: 6.2 → 7.1. Trigger: Viewing the painting.]

Lin Feng stared at that notification for three seconds.

He suddenly understood a little bit about what that painting was smiling about.

---

Lily started coming to the shop frequently.

Two or three times a week, sometimes drawing, sometimes just sitting and drinking coffee.

Lin Feng discovered one thing—every time Lily came, Maria's emotion value would jump up a little.

Not much, about 0.3 to 0.5.

But it was definitely jumping.

He activated his skill: [Happy Smell], scanning the shop.

[Scan Result: Happy Emotion Concentration—Medium to High.]

[Source Distribution: Lilyaria (7.4), Mexican Guy (8.1), Customers (varies from 6.5 - 8.0).]

Lin Feng stared at that "7.4" for aria, lost in thought.

When Lily finished drawing and was packing up her drawing board, Lin Feng leaned over.

"Let me ask you a question."

Lily looked up: "Hmm?"

Lin Feng lowered his voice: "What do you think of Maria?"

Lily was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "She's great. Every time I come, she pours me water and asks if I'm hungry."

"Just that?"

Lily thought for a moment and said earnestly: "When she looks at my paintings, her eyes are bright."

Lin Feng nodded and didn't ask any more.

But he made a mental note of it.

---

On Friday night, after the shop closed, Lin Feng called Maria over.

"You're off tomorrow, what are you doing?"

Maria was stunned for a moment: "Nothing much. Sleeping."

Lin Feng nodded: "Then come with me somewhere."

Maria frowned: "Where?"

Lin Feng took a ticket out of his pocket.

It was a ticket to an art exhibition in Los Angeles, opening tomorrow.

It had a name printed on it: Lily Chen.

Maria stared at the ticket for three seconds.

"This is... Lily's art exhibition?"

Lin Feng nodded: "She invited me. Said there were two tickets."

Maria was silent for a second, then asked: "Did you tell her I'm going?"

Lin Feng blinked: "I didn't. But do you want to go?"

Maria stared at the ticket for a long time.

Finally, she said: "Yes."

Lin Feng smiled.

He saw the color above Maria's head change from calm blue to expectant yellow.

---

The next afternoon, Lin Feng drove Maria to the art exhibition.

When Lily saw them arriving together, her eyes lit up.

She came up to greet them: "You're here!"

Maria was a bit awkward, but tried hard to smile and said: "The exhibition is really well done."

Lily took her hand: "Come, let me show you my paintings."

Lin Feng followed behind, watching the two of them walking together, and suddenly felt a bit redundant.

He simply squatted in the corner of the exhibition hall and scrolled through his phone.

As he was scrolling, he heard Lily's voice coming from afar:

"This painting is my favorite one."

Lin Feng looked up.

Lily was standing in front of a painting, and Maria was standing next to her.

On the painting was a woman standing at the entrance of the fried chicken shop, her face turned to the side, expression unclear. But the tone of the whole painting was a warm orange-yellow.

Maria stared at the painting, silent for a long time.

Then she asked: "Who is this?"

Lily smiled: "You."

Maria was stunned.

Lin Feng was also stunned.

He stood up, walked over, and stared at the painting.

The woman in the painting did indeed look like Maria.

Not that she looked like her on the outside—it was the expression that was similar.

That expression of having gone through a lot, yet still trying to move forward.

Maria stared at the painting, her eyes slowly turning red.

Lily said softly: "The first time I saw you, I felt there was a kind of light on you. Not the kind that is very bright, but the kind—the light that can still shine after going through the dark night. I wanted to paint it."

Maria didn't speak.

But she reached out and gently held Lily's hand.

Lin Feng stood to the side, suddenly feeling really redundant.

He quietly backed away and continued squatting back in the corner to scroll through his phone.

But his skill popped up a notification:

[Emotion Fluctuation Detected—Target Maria Emotion Value Change: 7.1 → 8.6. Trigger: Being seen, being understood, being painted.]

Lin Feng stared at that notification and smiled.

He lowered his head and continued scrolling through his phone.

As he was scrolling, he saw a TikTok—

Title: "I saw the lady boss of the fried chicken shop I often go to at the art exhibition."

In the video was the painting, and the back of Maria standing in front of the painting.

Comment section:

"Who is this painted? The eyes have such a story."

"Isn't this that 'the boss is more miserable than you' shop? That female employee?"

"Oh my god, she looks so gentle."

"What is the name of this painting?"

Lin Feng scrolled down and saw the name of the painting written on the exhibition label:

["Maria"]

Just one name.

But Lin Feng felt that this name was heavier than any flashy title.

---

On the way back that night, Maria sat in the passenger seat and didn't speak the whole time.

Lin Feng didn't either.

Halfway there, Maria suddenly spoke:

"Lily said she wants to paint a series of paintings about the fried chicken shop."

Lin Feng nodded: "That's great."

Maria was silent for a second, then said: "She said she wants to paint you, me, Mexican Guy, Bald Strong Man, Google Girl, the old man... everyone."

Lin Feng nodded again: "Then let her paint."

Maria turned to look at him: "You agree?"

Lin Feng smiled: "Why wouldn't I agree? It's you she's painting, not me."

Maria stared at him for three seconds, then said:

"Do you know why she wants to paint us?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment and said earnestly: "Because she thinks we're interesting?"

Maria shook her head.

"Because she thinks this shop has turned a group of people who had no relationship into family."

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment.

Family?

He had never thought of this word.

He opened this shop to make money, to complete the mission, to...

For what again?

He suddenly couldn't quite remember.

Maria looked at his expression and smiled.

That smile that rippled from the bottom of her eyes.

"Lin Feng, you know—"

She paused:

"You're a lunatic. But you're a lunatic who makes a group of unlucky people feel that they are still wanted by others."

Lin Feng was silent for a long time.

Then he said: "I'll take that as a compliment."

Maria smiled.

The car continued to drive forward.

The night view of Los Angeles outside the window, dotted with stars, the warm yellow streetlights connecting into a stretch.

Lin Feng suddenly felt that this road didn't seem so dark anymore.

[End of Chapter 9]