Truth be told, when Erik had first taken on this account months ago, he had briefly harboured a crazy suspicion that Qiao Meixia herself might actually be Master M. However, after witnessing a sample painting she had casually presented to him in the past, he had instantly discarded that wild theory.
Her amateurish, clumsy brushwork back then was night and day compared to the refined, flawless execution of Master M. In his logical mind, there was simply zero possibility that she could be the same person.
What Erik failed to realise was that Qiao Meixia had deliberately painted that earlier sample terribly on purpose, specifically to throw him off her scent.
She had intentionally ensured that the terrible art piece he saw was completely devoid of her true, master-level technique. That way, Erik would never in a million years suspect that the quiet, unassuming teenage girl standing casually before him was actually the mysterious, world-renowned "Master M" he worshipped so intensely.
