Chapter 98 The Struggle
Am I not pretty enough to be Xiaofu's model?
struggle
Xie Yong had never felt such disgust for Ye Fenglin's face.
He clearly only followed behind me, from Ye's father to me, and could only serve me!
"Ye Zi, you're just my follower, don't get too cocky." A dangerous glint appeared in Xie Yong's eyes. His usual composure and calmness allowed him to maintain his arrogant demeanor, completely disregarding Ye Fenglin.
"So what, Brother Yong?" Ye Fenglin's lips curled up. "Keep being stubborn. Anyway... I'll be the man accompanying Jiang Fu tomorrow."
"Bang!"
A loud noise came from the upstairs room. The servants in the living room all looked up at the same time, and even the little dog lying on the sofa yawned and its ears twitched.
Xie's parents were still attending a friend's party. At this moment, only Xie Yong, the young master, and his childhood friend were at home. This commotion should not have occurred under any circumstances. A moment later, Ye Fenglin straightened his shirt and went downstairs in a very casual manner.
"Young Master Ye, the young master..."
"It's nothing, I just bumped into something by accident." Ye Fenglin said casually. "I'll come back to see him tomorrow. I'm leaving now."
Seeing that nothing unusual had happened to Ye Fenglin, the servants breathed a sigh of relief.
Upstairs in the bedroom, Xie Yongbiao stared expressionlessly at the photo frame that had been knocked to the ground.
That was a group photo of him, Ye Fenglin, and Lin Zhien when they graduated from high school. Glass shattered on the ground. Xie Yong coldly watched Ye Fenglin's carefree smile. He wasn't without memories. He began to slowly recall that while he was Jiang Fu's secret lover, Ye Fenglin wasn't idle either.
He vaguely remembered that one day he was so tired that he fell asleep at her house. When he woke up the next day, Ye Fenglin was already waiting for him downstairs, and Jiang Fu was also exhausted and went back to her room to rest early.
The fragments shimmered with a fine silver light on the ground, making Xie Yong's eyes sting.
Ye Fenglin is just his follower, how dare he be worthy of being his equal?
Xie Yong gave a soft chuckle, his gaze slowly shifting from Ye Fenglin's smiling face to the girl's face beside him.
...
When Lin Zhi'en walked in, Xie Yong was still silently crossing his arms, smoking a cigarette. He had quit smoking after getting together with Jiang Fu, so seeing him smoking a cigarette surprised Lin Zhi'en.
She looked down again and immediately saw the messy floor. Lin Zhi'en smiled. It would definitely be interesting if Xie Yong came to see her tonight.
"Brother Xie Yong?"
The man turned his head at the sound. Lin Zhi'en maintained her elegant demeanor at all times. She wore a dark black dress, pearl earrings, and a hair clip. The accessories were small and exquisite, but they accentuated her noble lady status. She also had a proper smile on her face.
Xie Yong raised an eyebrow: "I haven't seen Xiao Fu for a week."
"I know what you want me to do." Lin Zhi'en sat down gently on the sofa and smiled sweetly.
Xie Yong and Lin Zhi'en exchanged glances. He swallowed hard and chuckled softly, "Keep a close eye on her for me, lest any other man take advantage of her vulnerability."
After listening, Lin Zhi'en slowly raised her hand and touched her ear.
She shifted her position, crossing her right leg over her left. Her snow-white and slender legs were sometimes visible and sometimes hidden in the hem of her skirt, and the Jimmy Choo strappy high heels on her feet made her already beautiful legs look even longer and more elegant.
Lin Zhi'en's usually gentle eyes were now somewhat cold and distant. "Brother Xie Yong, what benefits would I get?"
"...You should help me."
“That’s based on the premise that we will get married,” Lin Zhi’en said, her long black hair falling gently as she looked up. “The current Xie Yong is just a classmate I’ve known since childhood. I can’t think of any benefit for me if I continue to work for you.”
Xie Yong was momentarily unable to figure out Lin Zhi'en's thoughts. However, he knew that since elementary school, Lin Zhi'en had been a girl who appeared gentle and noble on the outside, but was indifferent on the inside and whose thoughts were impossible to discern.
But such girls firmly occupy the top spot in the school, and this ability is not something that can be achieved simply by having good grades or a good family background.
This was a transaction, and Xie Yong understood Lin Zhi'en's intentions.
"What do you want?" Xie Yong looked at Lin Zhi'en with a negotiating wariness. He extinguished his cigarette, no longer treating Lin Zhi'en as just another follower, but as a rival who could match him. Xie Yong wore a familiar calm and arrogant smile, his eyes revealing unfathomable emotions.
Xie Yong always maintained a state of ease and composure befitting someone in a high position.
Lin Zhi'en calmly pondered for a long time before looking up.
"I want to stay by her side and never leave her."
Lin Zhi'en's expression remained unchanged, her long hair casually draped behind her: "Brother Xie Yong, you know exactly what I mean. I am interested in Xiao Fu, but I am not Ye Zi. I have no interest in ruining your relationship with her."
Xie Yong remained silent for a moment, then pinched his brow. Lin Zhi'en, on the other hand, gently and gracefully tucked the stray hairs behind her ear.
She waited patiently for Xie Yong's reply.
Xie Yong's gaze swept over Lin Zhi'en from head to toe. She posed no threat, and Xie Yong knew better than anyone that Jiang Fu's interest in men far exceeded her interest in women. She would never leave him because of Lin Zhi'en.
Jiang Fu, on the other hand, happens to need a friend.
Hidden in the shadows, these shameless men coveted Jiang Fu and were eager to take her home. They always found a way to seduce her.
However, Jiang Fu is also a girl with extremely poor willpower.
She always falls for people so easily, and then gets together with men who are new and exciting to her.
However, there was only one exception. Xie Yong appeared indifferent, but he shared similar thoughts with the Jiang brothers, Jiang Zhao and Jiang Mingzhuo. He also had a voyeuristic desire to see how the man named Yu Xu interacted with Jiang Fu.
What kind of magic did he cast on Jiang Fu to make her like him so much?
"Brother Xie Yong, you agree, right?"
Lin Zhi'en's voice pulled Xie Yong back to reality. Reason also controlled him, causing him to once again display that rational and arrogant demeanor when facing Lin Zhi'en.
...
My date with Lin Jindong was much more pleasant than I had imagined.
He was very generous, taking me shopping at luxury stores. If I glanced at something, he would quietly pay for it and buy it for me. As for the beautiful clothes and jewelry, Lin Jindong would patiently wait for me to try them on.
I walked out wearing that pure black belted dress. The dress was a fitted style, with a prominent bust and a slender waist. I never deliberately hide anything about myself, and although the back of this dress was mostly open and I could only use breast pads, which added some restrictions, I still quite liked it.
The shop assistant kept praising me, and even glanced at Lin Jindong from time to time.
In their eyes, Lin Jindong was a handsome and tall man. Moreover, the way he swiped his card and signed the bill was very impressive, making him look like a very wealthy man. When I worked in the store, I usually liked men like him who spent money like water.
The shop assistant's gaze lingered curiously on Lin Jindong and me, as if she were judging our relationship. Were we lovers, a young couple on a date, or... a woman being kept?
These relationships determine whether Lin Jindong is willing to invest more money in me.
My gaze briefly fell upon him. He had extraordinary patience with women, coupled with a gentlemanly demeanor completely different from his usual work manner, and an unfathomable wallet—all of which could win a woman's heart, including those shop assistants who were curious about our relationship.
"Do you like this?" Lin Jindong suddenly stood up, walked to my side, pressed my shoulder, and looked at me in the mirror.
I turned my head slightly and met that sharply defined, cold and piercing face. My eyelashes drooped slightly. "I do like it a little, but... I can't think of an occasion to wear it."
The dress is clearly a formal gown, and I almost never wear such clothes except to end-of-term college parties. That kind of glamorous world is a bit far removed from me now.
Lin Jindong was silent for a while, his eyes dark and deep. "My family will be hosting a charity gala in a few days. Would you like to go?"
"A charity gala? Can I?" I looked at him curiously.
He said coldly, "There's nothing wrong with that, but if you're with me, you'd better be prepared to be ignored."
"Why."
Lin Jindong gave me a mocking smile, clearly harboring many grievances about his family.
He bought the dress for me and returned to the car. His long, slender fingers were busy playing with his dark-colored lighter. I immediately realized something: Lin Jindong was not like the other young masters from his hometown families.
Compared to those wealthy young masters whose every gesture and manner is ingrained in their very being, Lin Jindong only possesses natural handsomeness and an innate sharpness and aggressiveness. His so-called gentlemanly manners seem to be only superficial, enough to handle ordinary social situations.
“I’ve never been to such an event before, and I don’t really want to go.” I took Lin Jindong’s hand and gave him an innocent smile.
I didn't expect that this smile would provoke Lin Jindong.
His gaze swept across my face, his expression so cold that I had no idea what he wanted to do. He put the lighter back in his coat pocket and silently drove me back to the apartment.
Lin Jindong seemed preoccupied. To be frank, our relationship is merely a physical attraction, far from being one of open and honest communication.
But this is a good opportunity for me.
I silently watched Lin Jindong smoking on the terrace.
A faint crimson glow flickered at his fingertips, and his tall figure, clad only in a shirt, stood in the night.
I don't like him, but I sense a kind of awkward vulnerability hidden beneath his silence. Although his occasional, rare display of weakness is attractive to women, it evokes a different kind of excitement in me.
If I can control Lin Jindong, he might be my bargaining chip for conquering Jiang Zhao in the future.
I didn't disturb him. Instead, I picked up my sketchbook. My sketches weren't particularly outstanding, but they were enough to fool a man who seemed preoccupied with something on his mind. I lowered my head, sat on the sofa, and slowly began to draw, relying on the impressions in my mind.
The pencil fell onto the paper, making a soft rubbing sound.
It was clearly audible on such a quiet night.
The wind on the terrace gently blew one of the sketches down, right to Lin Jindong's feet. I silently curled my lips, stood up, and walked quietly to his side. Just as I was about to bend down to pick it up, his slender fingers had already picked up the paper.
"..."
Lin Jindong frowned slightly. "Secretly drawing me, huh?"
I adjusted my expression, my eyelashes drooping slightly. "Give it back to me. You promised to be my model."
He examined my drawing carefully, then turned off his eyes and went into the room. When he saw that almost all of the drawings on the table were my sketches, his eyes were clearly moved, and his long, drooping eyelashes concealed his usual sharpness and indifference.
When was it drawn?
“These past few days.” I looked at him, then mustered my courage and boldly hugged him tightly from behind. “I don’t necessarily have to go to the charity gala. Rather than that kind of occasion that makes you unhappy, I hope I can have the opportunity to wear this dress for you on another occasion.”
A faint smile played on his handsome, almost burning face as he turned and looked at my cheek.
I bit my lip slightly. "You've made me very worried, brother. You haven't said a word since you came back."
"Do you want to know about my family?" Lin Jindong picked me up and sat me on the sofa. When I looked up, his features were fully exposed under the bright lights. Lin Jindong had already walked towards his bar.
He straightened his cuffs and took out his treasured bottles of liquor, along with his bartending tools.
"Aren't you curious why the Lin family has me as the eldest son, but insists on having my younger sister, Lin Zhi'en, inherit the family business? Am I a prosecutor?"
I looked at him.
Lin Jindong smiled at me, and our eyes met. He put down the bartender and handed me a light pink cocktail garnished with cherries. "You guessed right. This drink is your reward."
"You want to break away from the family and become independent?" I asked.
Lin Jindong laughed sarcastically again, "You're half right, forced to be independent. Because I have to make way for Lin Zhi'en."
A light pink cocktail was pushed in front of me, but Lin Jindong's gaze became increasingly aggressive. "I am not their biological son. To be precise, I am my father's illegitimate son. My mother is a mistress he kept on the side. He and his wife were unable to have children for many years, so they brought me home under the guise of adoption."
Lin Jindong paused for a moment, then continued, "But it's also strange that a few years after I was adopted, my wife became pregnant, which completely shattered my mother's dream of using her son to rise in status. Although I have his bloodline, I have no right to inherit anything."
I wasn't interested in any of this, but I could only pretend to be gentle and understanding as I looked at him.
“The person my family has always raised is Lin Zhi’en, not me. I was sent abroad to study at a very young age and only returned home for university. Although my father wanted to make it up to me, all he could do was give me real estate and movable property that were insignificant compared to the company shares. As for those shares, he would only leave them to his biological daughter, Lin Zhi’en.”
“But your sister is very good…” I finally couldn’t help but argue.
“That’s your opinion,” Lin Jindong’s voice suddenly lowered. “Lin Zhi’en is a combination of Jiang Zhao and Xie Yong. She’s just more cunning and colder than either of them. Do you really think that just because she’s pretty and can dance ballet, she’s completely harmless?”
“You…” I stared wide-eyed, while Lin Jindong’s hand was flipping through my sketchbook. Suddenly he stopped.
The following pages feature male models who came to the studio in the summer. They had long legs, strong waists, and narrow hips; their physiques were no less impressive than Lin Jindong's.
Moreover, those young and handsome male models were not only sexy, but they were also covered only by a simple bath towel. This is commonplace for art students. Nude models are an indispensable tool for our sketching. But in Lin Jindong's eyes, it seems that his attraction has been completely drawn to the models in his sketchbook.
"It seems you really like this type of man." Lin Jindong abruptly closed my sketchbook.
Before I could explain, he pulled me into his arms, his hands binding my waist. We kissed passionately, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Prosecutor Lin, are you jealous? Actually... even if you don't become a prosecutor, you can still be a model. You're no worse than them."
"You've seen them, but have you seen me too?"
"I haven't seen you before, but I have touched you..." My hand was very bold, and it even started to move downwards. But he suddenly smiled and, before I could react, kissed my neck.
“Come with me to the charity gala,” he suddenly said.
I was very satisfied with the result. I knew that Jiang Zhao would definitely be present at such a gathering of top-level dignitaries. Given Lin Jindong's personality, he might publicly reveal our relationship on such an occasion. I was very interested to see Jiang Zhao's reaction.
He and I were entangled on the sofa. Having just tasted the sweetness of sex, he didn't know the meaning of restraint. And since he was a regular at working out, he had plenty of energy. We went from the sofa to the terrace and finally back to the bedroom, with him holding me tightly the whole time.
My mind is incredibly calm. Rather, compared to the times before when my mind would go blank due to excessive stimulation, I now clearly have control. I can make them even more crazy and obsessed with me, instead of just lying on the chopping block like meat, at their mercy.
I was woken up in the morning by the faint sound of water coming from the bathroom.
Watching Lin Jindong walk out drying his hair, then go into the dressing room to pick out a dark gray suit, I couldn't help but sigh at the pretense men can put on.
He looked impeccably dressed in a suit, extremely gentlemanly, and was adjusting his watch with a satisfied and confident expression on his face.
No one would know how crazy he was in bed last night.
However, thanks to his exceptional talent and excellent skills, I gradually learned to control myself through playing with him.
Suddenly, I heard the bedroom door open.
The security at this luxury apartment building is top-notch. Apart from the owners who have had their pupils and fingerprints recorded here, very few people can enter like this. The woman slowly walked in, then turned her head and saw the mess on the floor...
Lin Zhi'en wasn't surprised; she looked at me lying on the bed.
My face was completely red.
“Brother, I didn’t know you brought your girlfriend home.” Lin Zhi’en quickly looked away. “I stayed up all night at the dance troupe last night and I’m a little tired, so I came here to rest.”
"Okay." Lin Jindong touched my face. "You rest for a while. Someone will make breakfast when you wake up. You and Zhi'en can chat for a while before going to the art museum. I'll pick you up after get off work."
I nodded silently, then habitually looked at Lin Zhi'en.
Lin Zhi'en remained calm and composed, still exuding the air of an elegant and beautiful young lady. I didn't think she was the kind of aloof woman Lin Jindong described. Perhaps it was just a biased perspective, but she struck me as gentle and dignified.
Once the room was quiet again, I still couldn't fall asleep.
I lay on the bed for a while, bored, clutching the blanket. Then I got up. I was careful not to wake Lin Zhi'en, who was resting at the innermost part of the room. I moved very, very gently, but when I pushed her away, I was still startled by Lin Zhi'en standing at the door.
"ah!"
She hadn't even changed out of her dress; she just stood there with her arms crossed, waiting for me in the hallway.
Lin Zhi'en didn't look like she hadn't slept all night at all. She remained gentle and relaxed, her emotions were excessively stable, and there was no flaw or dishevelment on her face. Her long hair also hung down smoothly.
I was a little embarrassed when I spoke, and Lin Zhi'en smiled gently at me and apologized, "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
"No." I quickly shook my head.
"I was a little hungry, so I didn't sleep. I wanted to wait for you to come out so we could eat together. Auntie has already prepared breakfast," Lin Zhi'en explained to me naturally.
Lin Zhi'en walked behind me, and I walked in front of her as we came down the stairs. During this time, I could feel Lin Zhi'en's gaze constantly sweeping over me.
The housekeeper from the apartment downstairs brought breakfast. Although Lin Zhi'en said she was hungry, I felt that she was clearly more interested in me than in the food in front of her. She picked up a croissant and walked lightly to the sofa where she had been sitting the night before.
The messy sketchbook had been neatly tidied up. Lin Zhi'en picked it up and flipped through it curiously.
The Lin Jindong I drew above is almost indistinguishable from the whole thing... I quickly got up, but Lin Zhi'en just looked at it with a curious expression.
She looked at it very slowly and carefully, even more seriously and attentively than the doctors in the hospital looking at surgical cases. My face was burning.
In my heart, Lin Zhi'en is a gentle character, like moonlight, and everything I've done should have nothing to do with her.
She ate very slowly and watched things even more slowly.
She didn't care until the housekeepers left. She wiped her fingers clean and finally closed my sketchbook. "Xiao Fu, are you using Lin Jindong as your new model?"
"Huh? Yeah, that's right."
"Can you tell me why?" Lin Zhien asked gently and calmly, "What is it about him that attracts you?"
"That's right, he has a great physique, and I happen to be participating in an art exhibition soon, so I just want to paint a portrait of him."
"What do you think of me? Am I suitable to be your model?"
Lin Zhi'en suddenly smiled at me.
I was taken aback.
Before I could react, Lin Zhi'en walked up to me, and her skirt slipped down in front of me. Her milk-white skin was revealed to me, and her slender and beautiful body was on full display. She was very thin, but not frail; you could even see the faint veins on her skin.
It's beautiful; it's a perfect work of art.
Lin Zhi'en's voice was soft and slow, "Am I not pretty enough to be Xiao Fu's model?"
"No, that's not it." I hurriedly shook my head and lowered my head abruptly. I think my face should be so red it could bleed.
I watched her approach me step by step. The light shone on her skin, making it appear even more radiant and translucent. Lin Zhi'en cupped my cheeks and said, "Then, Xiao Fu, let me be your model. You give up Lin Jindong, okay?"
[Author's Note]
I stayed up all night for five consecutive days writing, forcing myself to write until 3 a.m. almost every night after I got home.
Then this story will be finished. You can wait until the end of the month to read the final chapter, or you can check for the automatic updates every night at 11 pm (there are drafts, the system updates automatically, I divided the chapters according to the plot, some with more words and some with fewer words, I have completely finished writing them myself).
After the main story is almost finished, the rest will be written in the side stories.
My original intention for the third playthrough was to write more about the characters who appeared less frequently in the second playthrough, and then tie up loose ends at the end. However, I admit that I was indeed influenced by my real-life experiences, and the comments section didn't seem to be very positive about the third playthrough, so I decided to end it first, cutting some of Xu Ya's storyline and condensing it into the side stories.
The current plan for the side story is to write an "what if" route, which is the story of how Jiang Zhao drove away Jiang Mingzhuo in the previous playthrough, married Xiao Fu, and then Xie Yong and others came out on top.
The second side story is about the fate of Bella, Xiaofu's daughter, after she grew up.
Then I will write the originally planned "black mud" ending, which is the ending where you, in the third playthrough, die in front of Xiao Fu at the very beginning of Yu Xu's story.
All three will be written in the plan
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