Anne finally confirmed her work for the "PB Portrait Award" painting competition,
What she had to do next..,
Was to send the completed work to the National Portrait Gallery before the competition deadline.
Since she was participating..,
Of course, she hoped to get a good result. This was probably the first time Anne felt a little pressure because of something.
In the past, she had always been a person who was not very motivated. Because she had her family by her side, they had thought of everything and arranged everything for her. She could spend her days as she pleased.
Although there was Shylock now, Anne believed that..,
Even if she did not make any progress..,
Shylock would not dislike her.
But he was so outstanding..,
Anne occasionally hoped that she could make some achievements to make him proud.
Just like when she got the university offer.
Every time she thought of this, Anne felt full of motivation!
As for who Anne's final decision to paint? Mr. Holmes said that of course, there was no suspense. In the past few days, Anne had been observing him quietly. She did not need to use his superb reasoning ability,
The detective saw through everything.
Even Mrs. Hudson said, "I bet that any of your portraits of Shylock will win a prize!"
Because of the landlord's rare wisdom..,
Mr. Holmes decided to temporarily release her from the "semi-permanent silence" of the small dark room.
But after Anne finished painting, Shylock stared at the stunning oil painting in front of him. His beautiful lips, which never admitted defeat, did not say a word for a long time.
"You look a little disappointed." Anne washed the palette and brushes clean and asked the obvious.
Mr. Holmes quickly glanced at her from the corner of his eye,
He asked arrogantly, "Why should I be disappointed?"
Anne said with a small "Oh" and then shrugged her shoulders slightly,
She deliberately tilted her head and leaned under his eyelids,
She held back her laughter and poked his expressionless handsome face.
"You know..,
You're not the only one who can observe and reason..,
Mr. Holmes. "
Shylock looked down at her for a few seconds. Then, he stretched out his index finger and pushed her little head half a meter away.
"Obviously, you have the best person to learn from." The detective pointed at himself without any modesty.
Anne: "…"
Looking at the calm Detective Holmes, Anne didn't feel angry at all. Anyway, you're smart and good-looking. Whatever you say is right.
Anne moved the oil painting down from the easel. She knew why Shylock was unhappy. It was because she wasn't painting him. Annie thought for a long time and finally chose the group portrait in the portrait painting.
She was describing afternoon tea at the Rosings. Therefore, the characters in the oil painting were his mother, Georgiana, Darcy, and two servants.
Anne named the painting "Dream Family".
For Anne, the "PB Portrait Award" was of utmost importance. Because there was no entry threshold for the "PB Portrait Award", adults over the age of 18 could sign up. But the artists who participated in the "Senna Award" were usually selected through various exhibitions held in the previous year.
Anne had never held any art exhibitions, and the upcoming graduation exhibition was only a small one, so she could only place her hopes on the "PB Portrait Award". If she was nominated, her work would be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery. This might win her a ticket to the "Senna Award".
But of course, this wasn't the reason why Anne "abandoned" Mr. Holmes, the "supermodel".
Looking at the angry expression on Shylock's face, Anne really wanted to tell him immediately that she had prepared a super gift for him. Only if she was nominated for the "Senna Award" could she give this gift to him.
Ah! Keeping a secret was torturous! However, as long as she imagined his surprised expression when he received the gift, Anne's heart surged and she couldn't sit still!
But what Anne didn't know was that her "observation and deduction" of Shylock was wrong.
As a "part-time supermodel," Mr. Holmes wasn't dissatisfied because he was "abandoned." What he was really dissatisfied with was a man with the surname "Darcy" on the oil painting that Anne had just completed.
Wasn't his position on the canvas a little too prominent? It took up almost a third of the entire painting.
And the faint smile at the corner of his mouth, pretending to be mysterious.
Oh! And those brown eyes, too big! Nose, too high! Eyebrows, too thick!
...
In short, there was no part of his face that was likable. The only good thing was that Annie was able to portray all the annoying characteristics of him in a realistic manner.
As long as he thought about how Anne had spent nearly a month in this small art room carefully drawing every inch of this man's face, Mr. Holmes was extremely unhappy.
She only liked to draw him in the past!
Thinking of this, the detective's dissatisfaction grew even stronger.
Anne carefully put the oil painting away. She could send it out tomorrow. Turning around, she saw a tall and handsome man still "narrow-mindedly" releasing his resentment.
Anne walked over and hugged him with a smile.
She wanted to let go after hugging him for a while, but the smell on his body was so good that she didn't want to let go.
Shylock knew a lot about perfume. There was even an article on his blog about perfume identification, but he never used perfume himself. He had a very light fragrance of shower gel on his body. Anne was very familiar with it because she was the one who bought the shower gel.
Mm, so happy! Every day he was by her side! Anne rubbed her cheek against his neck gently.
Shylock looked down at her sudden intimacy suspiciously.
Anne didn't need to think too much to know what he was doing. She directly reached out a hand to cover his eyes.
"Don't 'read my mind'!" Anne said firmly. "I have the right to keep my privacy!"
Mr. Holmes snorted arrogantly in his heart. He had seen every inch of her body and kissed it. What privacy did she have?
…
No matter how anxious Anne was, she still had to live one day at a time.
The comfortable autumn weather was short as if it was only a moment, and the naughty Siberian cold current was approaching again. The winter was getting stronger, and the weather was getting colder. It had just snowed a few days ago, but the small snowflakes couldn't stay on the ground and disappeared the next morning.
On the weekend morning, Anne came back from her run. As soon as she walked into the living room on the second floor, she saw the two geniuses, Mr. Holmes, sitting opposite each other on the sofa with serious expressions. The topic of their conversation was also a terrorist attack case that was related to the safety of London.
The premise was that if one ignored the surgery game they were playing in their hands.
Mm, this children's surgery game was really suitable for the two Holmes, who would instantly turn into a six-year-old whenever they played together.
Anne put the breakfast on the table, and Mrs. Hudson also appeared from the stairs with hot tea.
The game between the two Holmes also ended in time. The poor patient, Sam, had unfortunately "died" in the hands of the big Holmes.
Shylock was very happy to win against his brother who always boasted that he was smarter than him. He smiled brightly and said, "You should really learn from Anne, Mcauliffe. As a loser, you don't even have Anne's demeanor."
This sentence was really …
Anne served Mcauliffe a cup of tea and looked sideways at the proud detective. "Unfortunately, I don't feel praised at all."
Mcauliffe took the teacup and thanked her, but immediately said, "It's not my fault, Shylock. You know, after all, I don't have as much failure experience as Anne. "
Anne looked at the Government of Great Britain on the sofa speechlessly. Sure enough, they had a poisonous tongue that originated from the same genetic chain.
However, how could an adult argue with a child? Anne was exceptionally generous and ignored him.
However, Shylock snorted coldly and instantly turned into a "wife-protecting maniac."
"If you come to Baker Street a few more times, I believe that your 'failure experience' will soon be enriched." Shylock said, "I don't mind providing a little help for this, my dear brother, although it will take up some of my precious time."
Unusually, Mcauliffe didn't immediately refute. Instead, he looked at Shylock with interest for a while and suddenly changed the topic.
"Don't you want to know why Shylock chose the cute profession of detective?" Mcauliffe looked at Anne. "After all, his dream when he was young was to be a pirate. The difference between the two is a little big, isn't it? "
Anne looked at Mcauliffe and then turned her gaze to Shylock. She was obviously interested in what he had just said.
However, Shylock didn't think this was a good topic at all.
He narrowed his eyes and said to Mcauliffe, "Mommy wants you to come home for Christmas this year."
The Government of Great Britain adjusted its sitting position on the sofa and looked at Shylock calmly. "No, you're the one who's being asked to go home by Mommy."
Detective Holmes smiled wickedly. "I'm happy to inform you that she said that the whole family is going to spend Christmas together. If you don't believe me, I can call and verify it now. "
Mcauliffe's calm face finally showed some stiffness.
He had been able to talk and laugh in the face of a terrorist attack, but he had instantly lost his composure because of a small Christmas dinner. As expected of the amazing Holmes.
It seemed that this was destined to be a lively morning. Before the outcome of the quarrel between the Holmes brothers could be decided, Watson and his wife had also rushed over to join the "battle."
The doctor was like a member of a suicide squad. He rushed in from the stairs first, followed by his wife who refused to listen to his advice and insisted on following him.
Watson pushed open the door to the living room and was stunned to see Shylock and the others standing or sitting at the door. It was only when Mary calmly pushed him from behind that the doctor suddenly reacted.
Anne let the pregnant Mary in and sat her down on a chair before asking in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Watson looked at the instigator angrily and helplessly. "I received a text message from Shylock." The doctor's gaze swept over Mcauliffe. "He said … the enemy has invaded."
Anne: "…"
Mcauliffe: "…"
Only Shylock sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, smiling very happily like a child who had received support.
It was so early that Watson and Mary hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so Anne had to prepare two more sets with Mrs. Hudson. However, Mcauliffe didn't need it. He never ate at 221B.
So now, Shylock and Watson sat at the dining table, eating breakfast and reading the newspaper. Anne sat next to Shylock. Mary sat next to Watson. Mrs. Hudson was busy changing hot tea and various food for them from time to time. Mcauliffe was on the side, tolerant and kind (?) Looking at them.
Anne's gaze slowly swept over everyone's face.
This scene was really nostalgic.
Anne suddenly suspected that Shylock might have deliberately tricked Watson. He was really like a child who liked everyone around him — everyone he loved.
However, this was really good.
The burning charcoal in the fireplace made one or two crackling sparks from time to time, and the red carpet under her feet was hazy with comfortable warmth.
The Government of Great Britain came to Baker Street this time, in addition to bickering with their little brother and discussing the upcoming terrorist attack in London, they also brought another piece of news for 221B.
It was about the results of the "PB Portrait Award" competition.
Anne won the second prize. Her work would be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery after Christmas with other winning and shortlisted works. In addition, the second prize winner would receive a prize of 10,000 pounds.
Mrs. Hudson exclaimed happily and immediately came over to give Anne a hug. Watson and Mary also smiled and congratulated her.
However, Shylock sat calmly in the chair, his indifferent gaze didn't even move from the newspaper. In Mr. Holmes' view, Anne winning the award was a natural thing. She had an extraordinary talent for painting.
For Anne, this was really good news.
Her original expectation was to be shortlisted, but she didn't expect to win the second prize. After all, the "PB Portrait Award" had always been known as the "Oscar of Portrait Painting". It was the most influential portrait award not only in the UK, but also in the entire Western country.
Anne subconsciously glanced in the direction of Mcauliffe. He just said that because he knew one of the judges of the competition, he knew the results of the competition in advance. Then …
Anne's thoughts were quickly interrupted.
"It seems that you have some misconceptions about your position, Miss Deboer." Mr. Government of Great Britain raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Do you really think that I will use any special means for your little painting award?"
In fact, Anne immediately rejected the idea as soon as it came to her mind. Of course, Mcauliffe wouldn't do such a boring thing. In fact, Anne was very surprised that he could still pay attention to her "little painting award" when he was worried about the operation and security of the whole of England.
It was just that when there was a pair of eyes in front of you, oh, no, two pairs of eyes that saw through everything, even some fleeting thoughts couldn't escape.
Shylock finally put down the newspaper in his hand. He glanced at Mcauliffe indifferently.
"Anne's only mistake about her position was that she underestimated her own talent." Detective Sherlock Holmes, a true wife-protector, said straightforwardly, "She deserves her results. At least this competition should be proud of its fairness. "
Anne looked at him steadily. "What about you? Are you proud of me? "
"Of course," Shylock answered without hesitation. "Of course I'm proud of you."
Anne sat quietly in the chair and looked at him with a slight blush on her cheeks. Her gentle side profile looked exceptionally fair and striking in this winter morning, and her pair of light green eyes were like the surface of a jade lake that reflected the bright and beautiful sunlight.
Shylock coughed softly, picked up the newspaper from the table again, and looked away from her face.
"But it is undeniable that the choice of the characters in your entry was definitely a mistake. If you had been a little more careful, it would have been more than just the second prize."
Anne, who only won the second prize among more than 5,000 entries from 93 countries, was speechless.
…
No matter what, Annie was very satisfied with her result. Now, it was time for her to face another match.
In fact, Anne had already started to prepare because this was a gift she gave to Shylock, so whether she could be shortlisted or not, Anne would complete it.
She didn't deliberately hide it from Shylock because Anne was confident that he wouldn't be able to guess it this time.
Shylock did come to the studio a few times to take a look. Anne had already completed a few of the paintings, and each of them was a huge painting that was nearly two meters tall.
Anne had always been good at realistic oil paintings of people and landscapes, and she was very good at using lines and colors. She had her own unique style. But this time, Shylock saw an abstract style that was completely different from her previous realistic paintings. He looked at each painting very carefully.
After Shylock finished looking, he glanced at Anne sitting in front of the easel. He pursed his lips and didn't say anything.
Mr. Holmes's knowledge of art wasn't very complete, but because of Anne, he had done some cramming. At least, Shylock knew that the "Seine Prize" was different from the "PB Portrait Award." It wasn't a painting award, but a visual art award. Although painting was included, it focused more on conceptual art.
Before this, very few artists had won this award.
But Shylock wasn't worried at all. He was very sure that a young female artist would be on the list of winners of the Seine Prize this year. Well, his Anne really added a lot of variety to this award.
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