A string of footsteps from far and near.

Ning Sichen returned to the East Garden from the outside, and as soon as he entered the garden, he first looked at the room where Shu Qingyue lived, the door was closed, and then looked, the door of the study on the far left was open.

Shu Qingyue in the study?

He walked into the study, and Shu Qingyue was still inside. At this time, she was standing behind the desk, holding a brush, with a quiet and serious expression, drawing something on a piece of rice paper on the table. Ning Sichen approached, only to see that she had drawn a portrait, the outline of the person, the hair, the nose, and the lips were all drawn, but there was still a pair of eyebrows and eyes. He looked at the portrait that had not yet been painted, and felt a sense of déjà vu.

Shu Qingyue concentrated her attention, and she didn't notice Ning Sichen coming in, she moved the pen in her hand, and when the tip of the pen fell on the eyebrows and eyes of the portrait, she paused for a long time before putting down the pen, she first drew his eyebrows, and then his eyes. He has a pair of extremely good-looking Danfeng eyes, with slender eyes, the tail of the eyes obliquely extends upward, the black eyes are hidden and not exposed, and the eyes are sharp and cold, cold as ice, and deep as the sea, which makes people dare not force their eyes, and at the same time they are secretive. He is lonely, but he is not ruthless, he rejects people thousands of miles away, does not care about other people's guidance and criticism, but it makes people feel that he seems to hide a lot of things...... Draw the eyebrows and eyes, and the whole portrait is complete. Looking at the portrait again, the person's physiognomy is vividly outlined with one stroke, and you can recognize who it is at a glance. Shu Qingyue painted no one else, it was Ning Sichen.

She put away her pen and looked up, only then did she see Ning Sichen who was close at a late pace, she was so focused just now that she didn't know when Ning Sichen came in and how long she stood next to her?

Shu Qingyue glanced at him, and then looked at his portrait that had just been painted on the table and the ink had not yet dried, her heart actually jumped. That kind of palpitation, like a girl who is just beginning to fall in love, secretly draws a portrait of the person she likes, and the shyness when she is suddenly bumped into.

She thought at the time that she cared too much about him, maybe it was a kind of expression of liking.

"I borrowed General Ning's pen, ink, paper, and inkstone." Shu Qingyue smiled lightly, hiding the embarrassment in her heart.

"It doesn't matter." Ning Sichen said, his eyes moved to the portrait she had just painted on the table, she painted very well, and the portrait was vivid in her pen, especially the pair of eyes, although they were not sharp, but they were also terrifying. Is this what she sees him? Was she afraid of him? Or taboo him?

"Originally, I just wanted to come to the study to find a book to read, but somehow, I drew a portrait of General Ning." Shu Qingyue saw that Ning Sichen was still staring at the painting, she said casually, she was actually very worried in her heart, that kind of uneasiness, as if she was afraid that her heart would be seen through by him, in fact, she didn't do anything that she couldn't see people. Shu Qingyue said, and rolled up the picture with her hands. "It's not a good drawing, General Ning hopes to forgive me."

Shu Qingyue rolled up the portrait and subconsciously held it behind her.

"Miss Shu, can you give me the portrait?" Ning Sichen said.

"General Ning wants it to ......" Shu Qingyue wanted to say, what is the use of him wanting a portrait? But seeing Ning Sichen's serious appearance, she wanted to speak and stopped. After hesitating for a moment, Shu Qingyue took out the portrait from behind her and handed it to Ning Sichen. "Give."

Ning Sichen took the portrait, but he just held it in his hand and didn't open it.

"Is Miss Shu afraid of me?" Ning Sichen stared at Shu Qingyue, and he suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Shu Qingyue didn't understand the meaning of Ning Sichen's words.

"If you're not afraid, how can you paint me so coldly." He said.

"General Ning misunderstood. I just think that people with such eyes must have a different past. Shu Qingyue did not shy away from Ning Sichen's direct gaze, she was not afraid of him, but she didn't understand him.

Is that so? It was the first time someone had said such things to him. Ning Sichen just looked at her, as if he wanted to see her through.

Shu Qingyue also looked at him.

There was no sound in the study, and his and hers' eyes were intertwined again, one cold and dark, and the other more intriguing than usual.

He couldn't see through her.

She likes to look into his eyes, which is very good-looking.

"It's not yet time for dinner, if General Ning wants to play a game of chess with me." Shu Qingyue broke the silence between the two first.

"Yes." Ning Sichen did not refuse.

Ning Sichen asked people to fetch chess, he put the portrait she drew on the desk, and the two moved to the courtyard.

Before leaving the study, Shu Qingyue looked back at the wooden box on the bookshelf, in the end, she still didn't open it, she was not the kind of person who would sneak into other people's privacy.

As for what was in that box, was there any secret it was hiding? Shu Qingyue believes that one day, she will know.

Ning Sichen walked in front and didn't notice Shu Qingyue's strange appearance.

On the stone bench in the courtyard, the two sat opposite each other.

"You go first." Set up the chessboard, Ning Sichen asked Shu Qingyue to make the chess pieces first.

Shu Qingyue was not humble, the "pawn" was moved up one place, Ning Sichen did not consider it, and the "cannon" was moved to the left by one place. Shu Qingyue walked the "elephant", Ning Sichen walked the "pawn", back and forth, only to see the chess pieces on the chessboard staggered, and the chess pieces on both sides were getting fewer and fewer. Every time Ning Sichen walked chess, he was not pressing step by step, but he was strategizing, even if it was Shu Qingyue, it was difficult to restrain him.

"Will." Ning Sichen moved the "cannon" and first took Shu Qingyue's army.

"No, I don't do that." Shu Qingyue said, moving the last piece back to its original position.

"No regrets." Ning Sichen said.

"I was negligent in the moment." Shu Qingyue said.

Just playing chess, Ning Sichen didn't take Shu Qingyue seriously, and gave her regret chess. It's just that he couldn't imagine that she would regret chess when she played chess.

"Have you figured it out?" Ning Sichen saw that Shu Qingyue didn't play chess for a long time.