Chen Xi had been drawing day and night for two days, revising over ten versions before finally settling on a final draft, yet she still felt she could draw even better.

Tomorrow morning was the submission deadline, and Chen Xi had no choice but to face reality.

When Qin Lie came home from work, he found Chen Xi sitting on the balcony with a straw in her mouth, staring blankly in the direction of the CCTV building while drinking yogurt.

He asked with a smile, “Finished drawing?”

Chen Xi nodded.

Qin Lie walked over and looked down at the finalized characters in the sketchbook.

Chen Xi’s color schemes had always been highly distinctive, carrying the depth of Mogao Caves murals while possessing a strong personal style that caught the eye immediately.

At the Dunhuang night market, when Qin Lie first saw the design on the canvas bag, he had been seized by a certain power.

It was a kind of bright, unrestrained wildness and freedom—no rules, no constraints, no technique.

Only an intense passion for life.

Qin Lie: “Very good.”

Chen Xi looked up at him, “Stunning enough? Can it make you unable to resist?”

She remembered Qin Lie once saying that all characters must conquer a group of people, or even more audiences.

Qin Lie was silent for a moment: “No.”

Chen Xi nodded, “What about this one? What do you feel when you look at it?”

Qin Lie looked again at the first finalized character—a little girl wearing a gauze dress.

Round face, cute bun hairstyle, with features and expressions that were very appealing.

Qin Lie’s gaze was mild, and when he looked up, it carried a gentle warmth: “Not bad.”

Now he couldn’t maintain the businesslike attitude he’d had when they first met—good was good, and what wouldn’t work would be directly rejected.

In Chen Xi’s pursuit these days, from Dunhuang to Beijing, she had set aside her entire world and persistence.

Running toward him desperately and with difficulty.

Qin Lie knew that Chen Xi, wild and unrestrained like a mustang, could suddenly appear on Beijing’s streets and suddenly ignite dreams that weren’t particularly intense.

It wasn’t about what she wanted or what she wanted to become, but that she was also trying to get closer to him bit by bit.

Chen Xi could understand the tenderness in Qin Lie’s eyes.

She asked, “Qin Lie, tell me the truth, like when we used to collaborate. Can this drawing make you fall head over heels?”

Qin Lie hesitated. The little girl before him was simply a very cute 2D character.

Using her to crush all obstacles and unify everyone’s aesthetic seemed a bit far-fetched.

Chen Xi steadied her gaze, her expression becoming serious for a moment, then she looked firmly toward the brilliant sunshine outside the window.

“This design—if I take it on, I must do it to the best, most extreme, most irreplaceable level.”

Finally, she slowly turned her gaze to Qin Lie and smiled, “Qin Lie, I didn’t come here just to conquer you alone.”

Qin Lie looked at the impossibly cute little girl in the sketchbook, pondered for a long time, then returned to his usual concise manner.

“What can stand alone is seeking innovation and breakthrough, not being constrained by one pattern.”

“Chen Xi, you’re self-taught. You don’t need to cater to any market. You just need to draw what you feel in your heart.”

Only that kind of thing could catch Leng Ran’s attention.

He reached out and lightly tapped Chen Xi’s sketchbook.

“No matter how you draw her, as long as she can still be categorized within existing anime styles in the market, she can never become legendary.”

Chen Xi stared at the lively little girl on the paper, her expression blank.

After a long while, her expression became serious. She frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly stood up briskly and jumped off the bed.

Chen Xi casually tied up her hair, grabbed a shirt, and put it on. Her previous dejection, like a shadow, was swept away in an instant.

Yes, Chen Xi was Chen Xi. The sandstorms of the Northwest couldn’t bury her, and Beijing’s prosperity couldn’t suppress the brilliance in her.

Qin Lie felt a fierce wind rising in his heart, and in the howling of that strong wind, he could feel Chen Xi’s wild and soaring love.

Seeing Qin Lie’s dazed expression, Chen Xi smiled and asked, “Shall we go?”

Qin Lie reached out and ruffled Chen Xi’s hair. “Where to?”

Chen Xi thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go to the supermarket to buy pots. Your kitchen has nothing in it. I want to cook dinner myself tonight.”

Qin Lie smiled and said Okay.

The two drove to the supermarket and bought a whole bunch of household items to bring back.

When they were about to start cooking, they realized they had forgotten to buy rice, flour, and oil.

The two stood in the kitchen, smiling helplessly at each other, and ended up ordering takeout.

After dinner, Chen Xi no longer struggled with the sketchbook and went to bed early after washing up.

She had stayed up two all-nighters and was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Qin Lie worked in the study until one in the morning before tiptoeing into the bedroom.

As soon as he reached the bedside, Chen Xi suddenly sat up like a corpse coming back to life.

Qin Lie was startled and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

Chen Xi’s slightly excited voice came from the darkness, “Qin Lie, I can get that admission ticket.”

That admission ticket to leave Dunhuang, enter Beijing, run wildly toward you, and become a radiant person like you.

“I dreamed about my childhood. My mom gave me a set of comic books called ‘Xiao Erhei Gets Married.'”

Qin Lie hummed, “And then?”

Chen Xi: “Those comic books back then had no Japanese manga elements at all, and now I think they were absolutely beautiful.”

Chen Xi grabbed her phone and searched for the comic book “Xiao Erhei Gets Married.”

Qin Lie turned on the light and sat down beside her.

The two looked at the comic book on the phone together.

Chen Xi nodded lightly and said thoughtfully, “I can’t create a new school, but at least I can return to simplicity.”

She leaned over to grab the sketchbook on the bedside table and started drawing rapidly while lying on the bed.

At this moment, as she lowered her head to draw, her hair unconsciously falling over her shoulder, Qin Lie was reminded of how she looked when repairing cars.

She repaired cars because she loved it, and now she was putting all her “love” into drawing, into Qin Lie’s world.

This subtle feeling was like an electric current that instantly penetrated Qin Lie’s entire body. He felt a surging, almost convulsive love filling his body.

Soon, a small village nestled among poplar trees appeared on the paper.

The first time Qin Lie saw this sketch, he felt only two words: “That’s it.”

The small village in the drawing was in a very realistic style, making Qin Lie unconsciously think of that line from “The Peach Blossom Spring”: “The paths crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard.”

It was pure pastoral style, completely different from mainstream 2D art styles.

Chen Xi looked up at Qin Lie: “This is what I want to draw.”

Qin Lie smiled and ruffled her hair, then got up to make coffee for Chen Xi.

The morning sunlight gradually filled the quiet study.

Qin Lie could only hear the sound of colored pencils scratching across paper, occasionally mixed with a few keyboard clicks.

Chen Xi glanced at her phone—there were still two hours until her appointment with the interviewer.

She still had three character designs and two scenes to complete, and there wasn’t enough time.

She instinctively looked back through the night’s work, and her heart surged with excitement.

This was an art style she had never imagined, yet it flowed so naturally from her pen.

Ancient, realistic, abandoning all mainstream 2D aesthetics.

Her brush depicted a small Northwest village ravaged by sandstorms.

In the endless yellow sand, Crescent Spring forever maintained a clear pool, guarding the only oasis in this desert.

The villagers, both men and women, all bore the roughness on their faces from being weathered by wind and sand.

They weren’t beautiful, nor were they dressed decently, but their lives had both bitter and sweet moments.

Even in the poorest places, there were always a few grand courtyards where the girls inside didn’t have rough red cheeks on their faces, yet weren’t necessarily happier than the girls running barefoot outside.

Chen Xi’s brush brought a group of lives buried by time and sandstorms back to life on paper.

Every character was in a fantastical yet realistic style.

Only the little rabbit who was the protagonist, beyond realism, also had a liveliness and playfulness that transcended reality.

Because she was an existence conjured from mortal imagination, transcending reality.

Although she could already transform into human form, her round tail couldn’t be retracted and could only be hidden by her skirt.

When excited, she would either sprout fluffy ears or turn into a three-lipped mouth.

The more Chen Xi drew, the more her inspiration seemed to flow like a spring.

Every stroke made her feel her own vigorous life.

She suddenly looked up at Qin Lie. Behind him was an entire wall of clean floor-to-ceiling windows, brilliantly illuminated by the morning light.

“Qin Lie.”

Chen Xi’s gaze was calm. “There’s not enough time. You just need to let me meet the person in charge.”

She didn’t care about rules or dignity.

In vast Beijing, opportunities were everywhere, but she had only one opportunity, and it could only be this one.

Otherwise, what was the point of coming all this way?

She wanted the opportunity. She wanted every adorable person under her brush to have a chance to walk through this wonderful world.

“I’ll find a way.”

Qin Lie picked up his phone and walked out of the study.

He called Leng Ran’s assistant to ask if she could give Chen Xi more time.

The other party said with difficulty, “Mr. Qin, Ms. Leng just returned to Beijing this morning and will hold the final draft meeting this afternoon. I’m afraid there won’t be time to look at Chen Xi’s work.”

Qin Lie: “It’s okay, just tell me where Ms. Leng is having the meeting.”

After the call, Qin Lie walked to the balcony, lit a cigarette, and looked at the red horizon in the distance.

His instinct told him that Chen Xi’s design was good enough, and that was sufficient.

Given Leng Ran’s personality, even if the previous work had been finalized, she could abandon it at will.

Qin Lie slowly exhaled smoke, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart.

There wasn’t much he could do for Chen Xi, but ensuring that Leng Ran could see her drawings was enough.

Chen Xi drew without eating or drinking until noon, desperately racing against time.

Qin Lie ordered pizza and opened the study door, saying to Chen Xi, “Eat something before continuing to draw.”

Chen Xi hummed but still didn’t look up and didn’t stop her pen.

Qin Lie sighed helplessly, tore off a piece of pizza, took a box of hot milk, and walked to the desk.

Chen Xi was absorbed in drawing when a fragrant aroma reached her nose, and a piece of pizza was brought to her mouth.

She looked up to see Qin Lie holding the pizza, looking down at her with lowered eyes, saying helplessly, “Eat.”

Chen Xi didn’t eat but lowered her head to continue drawing.

That serious appearance made Qin Lie think of the fierce way strong grass bends in a gale.

After three in the afternoon, Chen Xi finally finished the last stroke.

Without time to catch her breath, she changed clothes, got in Qin Lie’s car, and headed straight to Tangdou Film Industry.

There were constant traffic jams along the way.

Chen Xi saw that it was almost four o’clock. “Will we still make it in time?”

Chen Xi’s voice carried a trace of fatigue and hoarseness from staying up all night.

Her eyes had a layer of faint bloodshot, looking haggard and disheveled, but her whole being radiated determination.

Qin Lie said quietly, “Yes.”

He dropped Chen Xi off outside the office building of Tangdou Film Industry and parked by the roadside.

“Can you handle it yourself?”

He asked Chen Xi with a smile.

Chen Xi nodded and smiled at him, “Qin Lie, I’m Chen Xi after all.”

After saying this, she grabbed her canvas bag, got out of the car, and stood by the roadside, waving at Qin Lie with a spirited gesture.

“See you later.”

Qin Lie nodded, “Call me when you’re done, I’ll take you for something good to eat.”

Chen Xi smiled and nodded at Qin Lie.

She stood by the roadside, watching Qin Lie’s car drive away, then turned and strode toward the Tangdou Film Industry building.

She walked to the front desk and gave her name.

Leng Ran’s assistant had indeed given advance notice. As soon as the receptionist heard her name, she smiled and led her to a small reception room.

“Please wait here. Ms. Leng is in a meeting in the room across from here. You can see her after the meeting ends.”

Chen Xi thanked the receptionist and watched her leave the reception room before sitting down.

She took a deep breath, carefully took out her sketchbook from her canvas bag and placed it on her lap, gingerly opening it.

Looking at her work again, she could hardly believe this was something she had drawn in one day and night.

The meeting room across had a frosted glass wall. Chen Xi curiously watched the blurred figures inside, nervously waiting for the meeting to end.

The receptionist brought her a cup of coffee. Chen Xi took a few sips and played with her phone out of boredom.

An hour passed, and the door to the meeting room across remained tightly closed.

Chen Xi leaned back on the sofa and yawned, her eyelids gradually becoming heavier and heavier.

She forced herself to stay alert and looked at her drawings for a while longer.

Having stayed up for three consecutive days, now that she had suddenly relaxed, fatigue wrapped in drowsiness swept toward her irresistibly.

Chen Xi slowly closed her eyes, thinking she would just doze for two minutes.

The sketchbook lay open carelessly on her lap, and she fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.