Yin Feng organized his words for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, very good, it meets my expectations perfectly."
The young man beamed with a radiant smile.
Yin Feng thought for a while, feeling that his former self probably hadn’t been so easy to talk to. Pointing at one of the paintings, he added, "It’s just that the colors are a bit too dark. For example, this painting would be even better with a touch of red, pale yellow, and my favorite color—green."
Both Chen Feng and the young man fell silent for a few seconds.
The young man still wore a smile as he replied, "Alright, I’ll add those colors when I get back."
Chen Feng remained composed and quiet.
Thinking it was time to see the guest off and that he could soon go find You Mingxu, Yin Feng couldn’t help but stretch comfortably. Unexpectedly, the young man suddenly dropped to one knee, his expression solemn and his eyes slightly reddened. "Teacher Yin, we are truly overjoyed that you are safe and sound. We hope you recover quickly. Seeing you like this... it pains us deeply."
Chen Feng’s gaze flickered slightly, but in the end, he remained silent.
Yin Feng was taken aback, pressing his lips together without a word. After a while, he nodded.
——
Since they were already here, Chen Feng suggested staying overnight at the villa during dinner. You Mingxu could tell that Yin Feng was actually quite tempted but was still gazing at her expectantly. After all, he found the villa novel and exciting.
You Mingxu saw no harm in it and nodded in agreement.
"A Xu, come to my room to play tonight," Yin Feng said, his eyes sparkling. "My room is big and very comfortable."
You Mingxu’s temple twitched slightly—how could she not recognize his blatant, clumsy ulterior motives? She replied, "I’m very tired today. Play by yourself."
Yin Feng fell silent.
A moment later, while Chen Feng wasn’t paying attention, he leaned in close, fixing her with his pitch-black eyes, then lightly raised a finger and tapped his own lips.
You Mingxu: "..."
Her heart actually trembled, followed by a surge of flustered anger. Where had he learned this—or had he always been skilled at such things? How dare he flirt with her like this?
You Mingxu: "Sit properly! Put your hand down!"
He slowly straightened up and suddenly remarked, "You can avoid it today, but not forever."
You Mingxu: "..."
He lifted his head and laughed.
Night deepened.
Chen Feng arranged for You Mingxu’s room to be right next to Yin Feng’s. Yin Feng wanted to follow her in, but You Mingxu shut the door right in his face.
"A Xu?"
"Xu Xu?"
"Little lazy pig?"
He called out softly several times outside the door, but You Mingxu ignored him. After a while, the sound of his footsteps slowly faded into the distance.
She walked to the window. A bright moon hung high in the dark blue sky, and both inside and outside the courtyard walls, everything was shrouded in pitch-black shadows. An extraordinary silence enveloped the scene.
She felt somewhat troubled—this restlessness had been bothering her for several days now, yet she was reluctant to confront it. She pulled a cigarette from her bag and smoked it quietly, facing the darkness outside.
What is this? she asked herself. A voice inside her answered: It’s nothing but a moment of confusion, a mix of pity and soft-heartedness. Should I really let things continue so recklessly with him?
She stubbed out the cigarette and decided to take a shower and go to bed.
But after lying down in the dark room, she drifted in and out of sleep, her rest uneasy and fragmented.
At one point, she abruptly woke up.
The ceiling was faintly illuminated by the dim light from outside, and everything in the room was reduced to blurred outlines.
"Hmm..."
"Ah..."Faint, ragged breaths of a man and a woman. She sat up abruptly, hearing another moan from the woman. It sent a shiver down her spine, and she turned to stare at the wide-open window.
On summer nights, she was accustomed to sleeping with the window open. The sounds had come from outside.
Next door.
In that moment, You Mingxu felt strangely detached, her mind blank, as if all her senses were lagging a beat behind. By the time she snapped out of it, she had already leaped from the bed. Reaching the door, she paused for a split second before yanking it open.
Two strides brought her to Yin Feng’s door. There were faint noises inside, but with the door between them, they were less distinct than before.
You Mingxu pushed the door—it was locked from the inside. A surge of anger rose in her chest. She took two steps back and kicked it with full force.
A kick from a judo champion was nothing short of brutal. The door flew open, revealing, just as Yin Feng had described, a spacious room with a large bed at its center, bathed in soft lighting.
The scene before her eyes made You Mingxu’s blood boil.
OpenNovel