Day n of not wanting to be a kept man's canary

Leng Changqing's voice on the other end of the phone was as grating as ever.

He hadn't been home for several days, and this woman hadn't come back all night either. He was so angry that he didn't sleep a wink, and his lips turned purple.

Leng Tingye had given him a hint last time: if this woman went to a bar alone to drown her sorrows and didn't come home all night, what else could she be doing if not fooling around?

"I'm giving you half an hour to come back, or we're getting a divorce."

The phone hangs up.

She was used to this tone; she had no expectations of Leng Changqing and wasn't angry.

She was just going back to get her clothes, it was just a side trip, what she was worried about was how to make Song Renshou shut up completely.

What if Song Renshou finds out she can't come up with the money and reveals her true identity to the Leng family? How should she respond then?

Back at the villa, I heard the sound of things breaking even before I entered.

Mu Yanxin glanced down at the medicine bag in her hand, then stepped inside. The floor was covered with broken porcelain shards, leaving no room to step.

Stepping on a shard of porcelain made a piercing sound.

Leng Changqing got up from the sofa and shouted, "You fucking know how to come back!"

Mu Yanxin didn't say anything, but walked over stepping on the broken porcelain shards, sat down on the sofa, and casually placed the medicine bag on the coffee table.

She was a little tired and couldn't stand up.

His dismissive attitude completely enraged Leng Changqing. "What the hell have you been doing all night?"

He grabbed her thin shoulder with his large hand, as if he wanted to crush it. He was extremely angry and didn't even see what was in the bag she had put on the coffee table.

"Say something! Why aren't you saying anything? Have you been drinking and seeing other men behind my back again?"

Mu Yanxin winced in pain, pushed Leng Changqing's hand away, and said coldly, "What do you want me to say?"

She bent down, picked up the medicine bag, and handed it to him, saying, "I'm sick and in the hospital!"

Leng Changqing glanced at the bag; it really was a bag of medicine. A hint of guilt flashed in his eyes, and half of his anger subsided. "Why the hell did you turn off your phone?"

Saying that, he turned his back and said, "You made me worry for nothing!"

Mu Yanxin sneered, "Are you worried I'll cheat on you?"

How ridiculous! This man is such a hypocrite, acting as if he cares so much about me.

"you……"

His little scheme was exposed, and Leng Changqing swallowed his words.

"If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have come back!" Leng Changqing seemed to be complaining.

"Did you come back specifically for this purpose, or did you only think of coming back because your sweetheart Shen An'an isn't here?"

When Mu Yanxin got rid of Wu Bai, she happened to see Shen An'an sleeping on a bench in the hospital.

Feeling guilty, Leng Changqing stubbornly retorted, "What the hell did you say?"

"You only remembered you have a fiancée at home now that you're not allowed to eat other women's food, is that it?"

Mu Yanxin deliberately asked, "Didn't your sweetheart tell you she's in the hospital?"

Sure enough, Leng Changqing panicked.

"Don't flatter yourself. You think I came back to sleep with you? I came back to pick up a few changes of clothes, and I'm leaving right away!"

After saying that, he strode upstairs, and soon came downstairs with a suitcase and left.

She had deliberately provoked him just now; Leng Changqing was at home, so it was inconvenient for her to go out.

Mu Yanxin leaned back on the sofa, feeling too tired to move. If she could, she really wanted to get a good night's sleep.

But no.

The appointment with Song Renshou was at noon.

She went into the kitchen and cooked a meal; she needed to fill her stomach so she would have the strength to fight back.

The food was right in front of her, but she just couldn't eat it. She forced down two bites and then pushed it aside.

Time is passing slowly; it's only eight o'clock.

Her gaze fell on the handbag, and she suddenly remembered that Zhong Yu had secretly slipped her a note before leaving last night.

But she didn't dare to look. To distract herself, she wanted to see what was on the note.

I opened the note; it contained an address and a line of text.

Find me in my appearance and I'll surprise you.

Whether to kill time or out of curiosity about the so-called surprise, Mu Yanxin found herself at the address on the note.

A sign reading "Physical Appearance" hangs in front of a retro-style building, but the door is closed.

Mu Yanxin felt a little dejected and turned to leave.

With a creak, the door opened automatically.

Since she was already there, Mu Yanxin went inside anyway.

The corridor is lined with lifelike and captivating portraits of beautiful women.

Unbeknownst to her, Mu Yanxin arrived at an art studio, where an easel and various kinds of paints were placed.

"Little Heart, you're here? You don't mind me calling you Little Heart, do you?"

Her gaze swept around the room, but no one was there. Mu Yanxin asked in bewilderment, "How did you know I would come?"

The man removed the magazine from his face, stood up from the recliner, and stared at her, his eyes fixed on her. "Intuition, you know!"

"Master Zhong!"

Zhong Yu waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, don't call me that. I'm not like Ye Ye. I don't like people calling me that. Just call me Zhong Yu!"

"Oh, okay!" Mu Yanxin nodded.

Zhong Yu seemed much more easygoing than that man, and Mu Yanxin relaxed considerably. "You said there would be a surprise when you arrived. May I ask what the surprise is?"

Zhong Yu pointed to the portraits of beauties on the wall, "Look how beautiful these women are! They come to life under my brush, their beauty forever frozen at the moment they were painted!"

"So, you want me to be your model?"

Zhong Yu snapped his fingers. "Little Xin, so clever!"

"I'm sorry!" Mu Yanxin politely declined. Most of the pictures of beautiful women on the wall were nude, which she couldn't accept.

Moreover, Zhong Yu is Leng Tingye's friend, which creates an awkward situation for acquaintances.

"Little darling, your bone structure is so unique; it's something that's hard to come by for a painter."

The woman in front of him was so uniquely beautiful; no wonder someone as picky as Leng Tingye would be interested in food.

"Sorry, I'm not interested!"

Mu Yanxin was about to leave when Zhong Yu ran in front of her and blocked her way. "Little Yanxin, don't be in such a hurry to leave!"

“I’m not that kind of person, I…” Mu Yanxin was angry.

"Pfft!" Zhong Yu was amused. "Little Xin, you must have misunderstood. I didn't ask you to be a nude model."

Even if she agreed, he wouldn't have the guts to draw it.

"Then I disagree." Mu Yanxin had no heart to do anything else; she was only thinking about how to get through this hurdle.

"I'll grant you any request as long as you agree!" Zhong Yu promised.

"Ten million would be fine?"

"make a deal!"

Mu Yanxin had only said it casually, not expecting Zhong Yu to actually agree. The money came too easily. Thinking about the problems she was about to face, Mu Yanxin hesitated.

"Keep it a secret!"

"No problem!" Zhong Yu readily agreed. Keeping it a secret was a given; if Leng Tingye found out, he wouldn't be in a good position either.

"But I don't have time today." She had to meet Song Renshou soon, so there was no time to paint. Asking for money before even starting the painting made Mu Yanxin frown.

"What's wrong, little heart?"

"Can I take the money first and then do the work?"