Zi Xi seemed a little lost, but she quickly regained her composure, nodded, and packed her things.
As she reached the door, she glanced back. Jin Ye still had his back to her, his shoulders tense.
Mr. Jin is so innocent, but there's really no need for this awkwardness... At least it proves he's probably not gay, and that some part of his body functions normally.
Jin Ye, who had his back to her, heard her final thoughts.
After the door closed gently, Jin Ye slowly squatted down, holding a utility knife in his hand.
But this time he didn't point it at himself; instead, he examined the sharp blade closely, as if seeing the utility knife for the first time.
Jin Ye walked up to the unfinished painting, where the body in the painting was still stretching out in pain.
The expression was no longer one of despair, but rather a kind of tranquility akin to nirvana.
"What kind of person are you, really?"
He gently touched the area on the canvas that represented Zi Xi's face and murmured to himself.
In her apartment several blocks away, Zi Xi was applying an ice pack to her aching muscles.
Thinking about everything that had happened today, about Jin Ye's sudden hug and his even more sudden physical reaction, she couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head.
Indeed, there is only a fine line between genius and madness.
*
Su Qingyan stood outside the staff passage at the back gate of the manor, neatly pinning up her long hair and tucking it into her hat, then putting on her thick black-rimmed glasses.
She had bought this men's servant uniform from the black market with her last savings, and the way it covered her chest made her extremely uncomfortable.
"Phew... It's all for a bigger goal."
"Infiltrate and get close to him, find an opportunity to steal the painting or... replace that mute."
Su Qingyan told herself and adjusted her overly loose uniform.
Aside from the models, Jin Ye forbids anyone from entering the studio.
However, the manor has a special warehouse for storing paintings, which is entirely managed by the butler.
The manor is currently short-staffed and needs to hire male servants.
"New here? What's your name?"
The housekeeper opened the door and looked her over.
"My name is Su Qing. The agency sent me to fill in for a month."
Su Qingyan lowered her voice and used a neutral name.
"Go there to the cleaning area, the corridor outside the main building, and the toilets."
"Remember, no one may enter any room without permission. The gentleman hates being disturbed by outsiders."
The housekeeper frowned as he looked at the form, clearly too busy to check it carefully.
outsider?
She will soon become the only person he needs.
Su Qingyan nodded, inwardly sneering.
To her surprise, she was assigned to the outermost area, where she could not even get close to the main building's entrance.
However, Su Qingyan could only obediently complete the assigned tasks and secretly observe the layout of the manor and the flow of people.
She noticed that around 10 a.m. every day, a thin figure would enter the main building accompanied by the housekeeper.
That must be the mute one.
Su Qingyan tried to approach the main building under the pretext of delivering cleaning supplies, but was immediately stopped by security guards: "Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter."
On the third day, Su Qingyan finally found an excellent opportunity.
The servant responsible for delivering meals to the manor was suffering from severe stomach pain, so Su Qingyan volunteered to take her place.
"Remember, put the food cart down and leave immediately. Don't look up or say anything, understand?"
"And the gentleman doesn't like being watched."
The sick maid gave her instructions.
Su Qingyan nodded and excitedly pushed the food cart into the manor.
This was the first time since her rebirth that she had the opportunity to formally enter Jin Ye's territory.
She carefully adjusted her outfit to ensure the uniform fit perfectly, and even secretly sprayed on a touch of neutral-style perfume.
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