The next morning, the courtyard was quiet. Dewdrops fell from the lush green leaves, and the crystal-clear pond rippled as a few scattered red carp swam over the pebbles at the bottom.
The program crew gathered in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by family members who had come to watch the excitement, chatting and laughing. The director made a series of gestures, and once all the pre-filming preparations were complete, the program officially began.
Kim Jung-han stood in place, dazed. He had heavy dark circles under his eyes, and bloodshot streaks had crawled across his sclera. He remained in a stupor for a long time until someone nudged him, and only then did he snap out of it.
"Everyone, our professional team conducted a survey of the town last night, cough, cough... they gathered information from the residents about the seal anchor points. One is located in the residential area to the west, and the other is in the Siren Mansion by the sea in the east."
Anyone could see that Kim Jung-han’s condition wasn't right. Every now and then, he made a gagging sound, as if thick phlegm was stuck in his throat.
"Captain, didn't you rest well?" Amy asked with concern.
Tang Xin glanced at Amy, then looked at Kim Jung-han, her heart filling with vigilance.
"Yeah, just a minor cold."
Kim Jung-han didn't pay it much mind. He had been caught in the rain yesterday and had fallen asleep in the hot spring, only waking up in the middle of the night when the crew found him. Because of his habit of sleeping with his mouth open while soaking, his throat had gone hoarse by last night.
John, who was standing closer to Kim Jung-han, frowned. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought he caught a faint, fishy smell coming from the man.
"In short, our time is tight. Let's split into two teams like yesterday. If anything happens, contact each other via the walkie-talkie," Kim Jung-han said.
After mentioning a few precautions, the group split up.
Ten minutes later, Xu Xiaoyou arrived in front of a door and knocked lightly. Amy's voice came from inside.
"Who is it? Xin and I are changing."
"It's me. Aren't you ready yet?"
"Oh, what's the rush? We're not even fully dressed yet!" Amy said. "Xin, I can't reach the clasp on my back. Help me out."
Xu Xiaoyou stood there helplessly, suddenly feeling a gaze upon her. She looked up at the second floor of the main courtyard. Behind a half-closed window stood a strangely dressed man.
He wore a cloche hat, and a black windbreaker wrapped tightly around his body, even covering his wrists with gloves. Even through his black sunglasses, she could feel the man's lifeless gaze.
It was as if a statue devoid of vitality stood there.
She recognized the man. It was Priller from the Withered-Flower family, the largest sponsor behind Paranormal Explorers and a business tycoon who almost monopolized the entire Gao Bu Hong district of the Star of Art.
The man smiled and greeted her, though that smile was incredibly stiff.
Xu Xiaoyou returned the smile and turned away, no longer looking in his direction.
The man stood there like a dead tree, watching the girl below for a while longer until the voice of a female model came from behind him, urging him:
"Are you ready, Mr. Priller?"
Turning around, he saw the model wearing only simple underwear, sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed and her hands supporting her weight. Although her eyes were full of impatience, her swan-like perfect curves still brought out an extraordinary temperament, a result of the man's almost demonic demands for physique management.
"This version... is still unsatisfactory," Priller said, shaking his head with a sigh.
On the drawing board in front of him, the surrealist painting captured almost every detail of the woman with one-to-one precision, from her figure to the greed for profit in her eyes. It felt as if the woman in the painting would blink and come to life with just a light shake of the canvas.
"This is already the fifteenth pose I've struck this morning!" The model stood up indignantly and walked to the painting, turning it around. Looking at the exquisite, flawless, and lifelike version of herself in the painting, fire nearly spit from her eyes.
"What on earth are you still dissatisfied with! She looks more like me than I do!"
The man's expression did not change despite the model's outburst. He maintained his casual, ordinary smile.
"Change your pose. We'll start over."
"I am willing to pay Miss Ya five times your usual fee."
The model snorted. If it weren't for the fact that the reward the man offered was so high she couldn't refuse, she really wouldn't want to serve these lunatics from the great families. She had long heard that the rich had peculiar hobbies.
This man named Priller was, in her impression, a madman with money to burn. He had plucked her from the decadent life of the red-light district and signed a contract with her, giving her endless money to spend, yet he had never demanded anything from her body.
It was simply because he liked her body proportions, all for the sake of creating the most perfect portrait.
Thus, she had contentedly become the man's exclusive model, using his money to date five boyfriends at the same time, living the life she had dreamed of countless times.
The man rarely made excessive demands and never questioned her about keeping five boy-toys, but she still felt suffocated. This was because the man's requirements for her physique management were almost pathological, strictly dictating her daily diet and exercise.
She once saw him roar like a furious lion just because she had snuck an extra piece of cake. That was the first time she had seen the anger of this man, who usually treated others with a gentle smile. Every time she recalled the look in his eyes at that moment, she felt a shiver run down her spine.
After that, she always felt a bit inferior in front of him and never dared to raise any objections to the physique management plan again.
The model seemed to lament her fate of being manipulated, secretly vowing in her heart that after earning this last sum of money, she would definitely escape the man's clutches. Yes, before she left, she would give Priller a harsh slap and then live as freely as she wanted.
Thinking this, the model's red lips curled into a sweet smile as she cooperated and struck a pose.
Priller painted expressionlessly, recording the model's market value. As another flawless surrealist painting came into existence, a dense network of purplish-blue veins crawled around his eyes.
Seeing Tang Xin's new outfit, Xu Xiaoyou's eyes lit up.
Tang Xin kept her head lowered slightly, her expression hidden by a straw-woven hat. The straps outlined the delicateness of her shoulders, and small flower buds were beginning to bloom across the white fabric of her dress. The strapless upper part of the dress perfectly concealed the girl's youthfulness, showcasing the graceful lines of her waist.
Walking toward Xu Xiaoyou, the hem of her skirt fluttered slightly, revealing her slender calves as she wore a pair of platform lace-up sandals.
The overall style was that of a fresh swim-dress. When she walked on the beach, it was as if a summer elf had suddenly appeared.
"Does it look good?" Tang Xin asked.
"It suits you well," Xu Xiaoyou said with a nod.
"Mhm..." Tang Xin's face glowed with a healthy blush, her hands behind her back as she tapped the ground with the tip of her platform shoes.
Amy's gaze shifted back and forth between the two. Her intuition told her these two were acting strange; when they woke up this morning, they were still cuddling together.
"What about me?"
Amy's swimwear was more daring—a bikini-style set. Unbothered by the stares of others, she held a swim ring and blinked.
"Are you here on vacation?" Xu Xiaoyou said heartlessly.
Amy's face stiffened. "Since we're at the seaside, I should at least play in the sand..."
"You guys go ahead first. I have something to take care of and will be there in a bit," Xu Xiaoyou said, looking at Tang Xin.
"Be careful when it's just the two of you. If anything urgent happens, tell me."
Tang Xin nodded. "You too, Yuzu."
Amy: ".."
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