He unexpectedly becomes a father at the start of his life, and the mother of his child is a national

There should be a connection between fish—the direction of their gaze, the trend of their swimming—to form an invisible link, rather than each going its own way.

[Ding! Drawing skill experience points increased by 140]

After finishing the main subject, he began to add background details.

In the distance, the mountain shadows are blurred with very light ink, seemingly there yet not there, creating a sense of space.

Add a few clumps of reeds nearby, and use a dry brush to depict the reed leaves, making them upright and resilient.

A few stones are scattered along the water's edge, their textures rendered using the "cun" technique, some rounded, others rugged.

The composition should have varying degrees of distance, focus, and density—the lotus leaves should be dense, while the water surface should be sparse; the foreground should be realistic, while the background should be blurred.

[Ding! Background added, drawing skill experience points +160]

The whole process was smooth and seamless, and Chen Hao was completely immersed in it.

He could feel his brushstrokes becoming more and more confident, and his control over the ink becoming more and more precise—too much ink would be too dark, and too little would be too light.

They are becoming more and more adept at composing the picture, knowing exactly where to make it dense, where to make it sparse, and where to leave blank space.

Just as he was painting the most crucial part—adding the title and signature to the entire painting—the mother and daughter in the toy corner noticed the commotion.

"Mommy, Daddy's drawing!" Sisi was the first to notice. She put down the castle she was building halfway through, grabbed Lin Caiwei's hand, and...

"Let's go watch Daddy paint! Daddy's paintings are so beautiful!"

Lin Caiwei had actually noticed it long ago.

From the moment Chen Hao got up to go to the studio, her gaze unconsciously followed him.

She was very curious about how that landscape painting, which sold for 160 million yuan, was painted.

Should it be drawn slowly, or completed in one go? Are any special tools needed? Is the process complicated?

The mother and daughter tiptoed to the entrance of the art studio.

The studio door was open, and Chen Hao, with his back to them, was completely unaware.

Just as Sisi was about to call out "Dad," Lin Caiwei put her finger to her lips and made a "shh" gesture.

"Sisi, be good, don't talk, don't disturb Daddy's painting," she whispered in her daughter's ear.

Sisi nodded sensibly and covered her mouth with her little hand, indicating that she would definitely not make a sound.

The two stood at the doorway, watching quietly.

Lin Caiwei doesn't understand landscape painting.

When she was a child, her grandfather forced her to learn a little traditional Chinese painting, but she had long forgotten it. She only remembered how to hold the brush and how to mix the ink.

She only knew whether something looked good or not; as for brushwork, spirit, and artistic conception, she knew nothing about them.

For her, appreciating traditional Chinese paintings is like listening to classical music—she knows they are good, but can't quite put her finger on why.

Even so, she could tell that Chen Hao's drawing was... exceptionally good.

It wasn't the kind of "oh, it looks pretty good" kind of good, but a kind of good that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

His movements were steady, and his strokes were decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

With a single stroke, the ink spreads across the rice paper, creating natural variations in shade, as if it were alive.

When he paints lotus leaves, his brushstrokes are so precise that the leaves look so real, as if you can smell their fragrance and feel their texture.

When he paints fish, with just a few strokes, the fish comes alive, as if swimming in the water, its tail splashing water as it moves.

Lin Caiwei was stunned.

Chen Hao previously said that he sold a painting for 160 million yuan. Although she didn't say anything, she actually had doubts.

It's not that I don't believe Chen Hao, but the whole thing is just too unbelievable.

How can a 23-year-old, without professional training or art school education, create a painting worth 1.6 million?

This sounds like a fairy tale.

She even wondered if the person who bought the painting had misjudged it, or if Chen Hao had been scammed—even though the money had indeed arrived in his account.

But now, seeing Chen Hao paint with her own eyes, she believes it.

She doesn't understand painting, but she understands "professionalism".

Chen Hao's focused expression—his eyebrows slightly furrowed, his eyes fixed on the tip of the pen—made it seem as if the whole world consisted only of him and the paper.

The movements were so fluid and seamless—mixing ink, dipping the brush, putting the brush down, and outlining—all done in one smooth motion, without the slightest hesitation.

That precise control over the ink—the density, the dryness, the wetness—it's just right; not a bit more or less won't do.

This is definitely not a level that amateurs can reach.

This requires at least ten or twenty years of immersion in this art; one must start from elementary school, practice every day, and paint year after year to acquire such skill.

But Chen Hao is only twenty-three years old... Even if he started drawing at the age of three, it would only be twenty years.

Moreover, his records show that he grew up in an ordinary family, and his parents were ordinary people who simply could not afford to send him to learn traditional Chinese painting.

Lin Caiwei's doubts deepened.

There are too many mysteries surrounding this man.

He was good at stock trading—and made millions.

He can write songs—his song "Starlight and Dust" is still in the top ten of the music charts;

She can write fairy tales—Sisi loves them dearly;

Can cook—better than Michelin-starred restaurants;

She's good at taking care of children—she takes meticulous care of Sisi;

Now he can also paint landscape paintings worth millions...

How many more abilities does he have that she doesn't know about?

What was his past like?

How did you learn these skills?

Talent? Self-taught?

Or is there an expert to guide me?

Sisi read it very carefully.

Although the little girl couldn't understand the techniques of calligraphy, she knew what her father was doing—he was creating beauty.

She watched as the ink spread across the paper, transforming into lotus leaves, lotus flowers, and swimming fish, her little face filled with admiration.

She quietly tugged at her mother's hand and whispered, "Mommy, Daddy is so amazing..."

Lin Caiwei patted her daughter's head and nodded silently in her heart.

That's really impressive.

In the studio, Chen Hao had entered the final stage.

He inscribed the title in the upper left corner of the picture, a perfectly placed spot that was neither too crowded nor too empty.

He switched to a small regular script brush, dipped it in thick ink, and wrote: "Lotus leaves are so lush and green, fish play among the lotus leaves."

Summer of the year Guimao (1903), Haolin painted this in the freehand style.

The calligraphy style is running script, characterized by vigorous strokes and smooth lines, which complements the overall style of the painting.

The words are small, but eye-catching, becoming part of the image.

Then the seal was affixed.

He has a Qingtian stone seal, the stone is warm and smooth, and it is engraved with the two characters "Haolin" in relief seal script.

He opened the inkpad box—the inkpad was made of high-quality cinnabar, with a bright and long-lasting color.

Dipping the inkpad in the ink, I found a suitable spot below the inscription and pressed it down firmly.

With a soft "tap," the seal fell, leaving a vermilion mark on the rice paper, adding a finishing touch to the entire painting.

A painting titled "Lotus and Fish in Serene Pleasure" has been completed.

And at the very moment the seal fell—

[Ding! Your drawing skill experience points have exceeded 10000!]

[Drawing skill level upgrade: Proficient → Master!]

The system notification sounded in my mind, clearer and more solemn than usual.

Chen Hao paused, his hand holding the pen still.

Master level?

He felt it for a moment, and it was indeed different.

In the past, when I drew, I had to think about how to draw this part and how to deal with that part;

Now it seems to have become instinctive; I know exactly how to move the pen and how to use the ink.

Just like riding a bicycle, at first you have to think about how to maintain your balance and how to pedal, but once you get used to it, you don't have to think at all, your body will know what to do on its own.