It's All Because You Wanted Me to Draw

"I came because you said you wanted to talk to me."

Yu Xing shifted to the side, her expression not very pleasant. "I don't care if you're truly happy or not. Just say what you want to talk about."

"Oh dear." Xu Wan seemed a little flustered by his distant gesture, her bright eyes dimming slightly. "It's perfectly normal for a mother to want to chat with her son, isn't it..."

Yu Xing glanced at her expressionlessly, as if to say, "Don't you know whether our relationship is normal or not?"

"Well, I know you're still upset with Mom. I admit I was wrong about what you did when you were little." Xu Wan stood up. Now that no one else was around, her apology was much more sincere than when she had apologized in the courtyard before entering the house.

Yu Xing frowned slightly. "If you're just repeating these kinds of things over and over again..."

"I... I wasn't just saying that. Wait a minute, I'll show you something." Xu Wan suddenly turned around, opened the storage cabinet in the room, and bent down to rummage through the middle compartment.

With her back to Yu Xing, the curve of her waist was almost perfect, and her two long, fair legs were clearly visible. Even without cameras, she always presented herself in the best possible position, just like a movie star.

She looked like she was in her early twenties, both in terms of figure and face. The longer you stayed by her side, the more you could feel that she was a completely different person from Xu Wan before her death.

Even though they share the same name, her every move is unlike that of a woman over forty.

More like a strange creature in the skin of a young girl... Yu Xing silently pinched the bridge of her nose. It seemed that her previous feeling was correct. Xu Wan's thoughts now could no longer be simply deduced from the perspective of a fallen female star.

Because Fang Deming was dying, she no longer had any concerns about pretending, and thus allowed herself to reveal her abnormality? Or was it that her condition could no longer be concealed, and due to a distorted understanding, she felt there was no need to conceal it...?

Having a different body, does that mean my thinking is less human than before?

Xu Wan finally found what she wanted and came back carrying a large box, her smile sweet, "I prepared your favorite paints, drawing paper, and brushes for you. I don't know much about painting, so I only bought the best."

Yu Xing was stunned.

An exquisite wooden box—no, this size could already be called a wooden crate—had its lid, carved with intricate patterns, opened by Xu Wan's beautiful, slender fingers. Inside, neatly arranged, were various expensive paints that would make art students exclaim how rich they were, and the paintbrushes were also from the most expensive brands.

There's a reason it's expensive; it's indeed a very good product.

"When you were little, I didn't care about your thoughts. I would buy you things on a whim, regardless of whether you liked them or needed them. I just felt like I was fulfilling my duty as a mother. I know that was just an excuse I made for myself, so I want to start making it up to you slowly from now on."

Xu Wan's eyes were downcast, but she looked very sincere.

"I had no idea where you went until I learned from your brother that you're now a very famous painter. That's truly remarkable."

"So I think you'd like something with an artwork as a gift... right?"

Yu Xing remained silent.

Xu Wan looked up, her bright eyes holding a hidden expectation mixed with a shattering disappointment. "Don't you like it?"

"I like it." Yu Xing's voice was low and slightly hoarse.

"I'm glad you like it! Then, you'll accept this, right?" Xu Wan's eyes lit up immediately. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then at this moment, it was as if many hopping little sparrows had jumped out of her open window.

Those subtle emotions are exceptionally vivid and highly infectious.

Even the viewers who got back to the live stream were moved by her emotions.

The incident where someone was talking in the barrel and suddenly the screen went black and the sound stopped halfway through had already been mentioned in the comments, but the comments could tell that the parts they weren't shown must be system secrets, so they didn't dare to make any more noise, and even jokes were rare.

Now, their attention is undoubtedly focused on the relationship between Yu Xing and Xu Wan.

Wow, she seems really happy to have received her things!

[Suddenly, I realize that aside from that snake, his older brother, sister-in-law, and current mother are all quite good to him. I don't have any relatives in real life, and I'm inexplicably a little envious...]

[Calm down, your thoughts are dangerous. Never develop feelings for a ghost you know to be the enemy!]

"..." Yu Xing reached out and closed the box, her fingertips slowly stroking the openwork patterns on the lid.

His eyes were deep and unfathomable; he knew that accepting the gift would distort his perception, but at this moment, he did not refuse it. Instead, he said, "So you know how to be a good mother in a child's eyes."

Xu Wan stood there, a hint of shame appearing on her face upon hearing these words, and she became somewhat uneasy.

"If you had put this much effort into it twenty years ago, Fang Xiao and Fang Xing... Fang Xiao and I could have had a much easier childhood." Yu Xing's tone was ambiguous, seemingly somewhat cold. "Even if that doesn't change the existing predicament, at least you wouldn't be like the straw that breaks the camel's back, not knowing when you'd become the last straw."

"Crush your child."

[Am I mistaken? I felt that when Xu Wan gave away the painting, she was perhaps empathizing with the plight of the Fang family son...]

[That's just how it is; they always treat people well too late. What were they doing all this time? -- That's what Xing was trying to say, isn't it?]

"I'm sorry!" Xu Wan heard his distressed words, and tears welled up in her eyes. A misty fog covered her face, and her eyes reddened. "I know, but the past can't be changed. I can only... please allow me to make it up to you in the future."

Yu Xing asked, "Where is Fang Xiao?"

"What?"

"Are you only sorry to me? Don't you feel any remorse towards Fang Xiao? He's your son too. Even though you didn't abuse him, he had to endure Fang Deming's torturous upbringing at such a young age, and you, as his mother, stood by indifferently like a stranger."

Yu Xing wrote, "Fang Deming put the corpse in front of Fang Xiao, forcing him to be exposed to death and all sorts of dark and shady businesses at such a young age. What were you doing then? Taking care of your face?"

Xu Wan's face drained of color. Faced with such a blunt accusation, she was powerless to refute it, let alone respond.

After a long silence, she forced a smile, "You... you really care about your brother. I thought it would take a long time for your relationship to improve, just like it is between you and me."

"They're different." Yu Xing's cold voice held a hint of determination. "You're completely different; you can't compare to him."

"So that's how it is." Xu Wan blinked, her hands nervously twisting together.

Beneath her dejected and reserved exterior, Yu Xing could already imagine that she was secretly smiling.

Xu Wan is quite capable; at least in terms of acting, she has a lot of depth.

Her over-the-top, exaggerated manner during their first meeting makes her seem incredibly believable in comparison. If one didn't consider that this was also a display of acting skills, they might actually be moved by Xu Wan.

She can deliberately exaggerate her acting, and she can also deliver truly nuanced performances; after all—she was once such a popular movie star.

After Yu Xing guessed that Qianjie had controlled most of Fang Xiao's thoughts and treated Fang Xiao as a puppet, she also had many speculations about Xu Wan, the only one left in the Fang Mansion who was both free and had a high status.

Qianjie would not allow an uncontrollable person to play an important role in the Fang family. Therefore, Xu Wan is likely also being manipulated by Qianjie. The reason why the two seem to be somewhat competitive is because their own minds have not been completely replaced.

They were all doing what they thought they wanted to do, but in reality, under Qianjie's distorted perception, they were all striving in the same direction, each fulfilling their role as puppets.

Xu Wan is very important to Qianjie, and there is no doubt about that.

Yu Xing still remembered what he heard in Medusa's memory: the wife of Boss Wang had said, when she thought Medusa was unconscious, "When will she become a big star...?"

These words clearly originated from Xu Wan's subconscious.

She suffered a back injury at the height of her fame, forcing her to give up her acting career. After learning the truth about her marriage to Fang Deming, she must have been extremely resentful and missed her time as a star.

Therefore, Xiao Qianjie's consciousness must be deeply connected with Xu Wan. Incidentally, it also needs to use Xu Wan's experience in acting to organize this huge movie.

Yu Xing Fang Xiao Xu Wan Xiao in front of Xu Wan. Although Xu Wan herself might not be happy, Qianjie's consciousness in her mind must be overjoyed. It is said that only when others evaluate a person can one be truly honest. Qianjie will definitely have a higher opinion of the brotherhood between Yu Xing and Fang Xiao.

--That's right, all the emotions Yu Xing displayed were fake.

Xu Wan wanted to act, Yu Xing just acted with her.

"Anyway, today is a good start, right?" Xu Wan asked again.

Yu Xing looked up and reluctantly replied, "I guess so. I've accepted the gift, but I still hope you won't be too overly enthusiastic when you see me later. I'm not comfortable with that."

"That's wonderful..." Xu Wan cupped her hands to her chest, her eyes darting around. "Perhaps you're not used to my appearance? Do you think I don't look like your mother, but like a stranger?"

"So you knew all along." Yu Xing glanced at her. "You look younger than me. I couldn't possibly call this body 'Mom,' unlike Fang Xiao. Ha, I really can't imagine how he calls you that so smoothly."

[I'm reminded of my extended family of distant relatives; during Chinese New Year, I have to call an eight-year-old girl "Auntie"...]

[I also have to call a ten-year-old brat my second uncle!]

[Pfft, I can't bring myself to say it either. It's not exactly embarrassing, it just feels weird.]

"That's a problem..." Xu Wan thought for a moment, troubled. "The body that gave birth to you is dead. Now, all I have are my memories... Your brother saw me come back to life, so his understanding of my identity has always been very clear. But you've been away for so long, and it's really difficult for you to accept a strange woman as soon as you come back."

As she spoke, her eyes flickered. "Perhaps we could try a different kind of relationship?"

[Detailed Explanation]

[Have things started to go the way I imagined...?]

Yu Xing responded with a wary yet puzzled expression.

"Fang Deming is completely immobilized, and your brother has your sister-in-law with him. It's actually a little awkward for the two of us to be at home like this," Xu Wan said, her eyes widening as if on a whim. "I suddenly thought of a great idea!"

Yu Xing already guessed what she wanted to say, but pretended not to know anything. "What method?"

"We're not actually mother and son now." Xu Wan smiled sweetly, then twirled around in place. "Look, this body is so young, and even more beautiful than before. In Nanshui Town, there will never be a more beautiful woman than me."

Yu Xing: "..." Actually, just a few walls away, Medusa was more beautiful than Xu Wan.

But he just made that comment without intending to drag Medusa into it, so as not to make it seem like he had any designs on Medusa. He simply kept quiet.

Xu Wan mistook his silence for indifference, and with her sweet face, she made a lively and natural coquettish expression. "Oh my~ Look at me!"

She stepped forward, taking advantage of Yu Xing's lower position, and looked down at him, blinking her big, watery eyes. Then, with lightning speed, she placed Yu Xing's hand on her face.

[!

!

[What is this for??]

[She's so strange. I feel like it's not just a simple case of someone coming back to life and becoming younger; it's like her entire way of thinking has changed!]

[Beautiful girl, let me touch your face too--]

[If I remember correctly, Xu Wan was pieced together from the body fragments of many beauties you mentioned. You really have no taste, sister of the LSP Foundation (°ー°)]

[How dare you! San's hands are more pleasing to the eye than Xu Wan's face, she doesn't deserve it! Take them away! Take them away!]

Xu Wan's skin was exceptionally well-maintained; you could barely see her pores. Whenever Yu Xing touched her, her cheeks flushed like a young girl experiencing her first love.

The warmth traveled from her delicate face to Yu Xing's fingertips. Yu Xing remained calm, but a flicker of panic crossed her face, and she immediately pulled her hand back.

"Don't move." Xu Wan held Yu Xing's hand to prevent him from retreating. Yu Xing noticed that Xu Wan was also very strong, at least not like an ordinary human, because the strength he pretended to have as a normal adult man was completely unable to break free from Xu Wan.

"Feel it again?" Xu Wan placed her small hand on the back of Yu Xing's hand, prompting him to pinch it. This face had no collagen, yet it was very elastic, a world apart from the forty-year-old Xu Wan.

Yu Xing shocked and arched her back like a cat with its fur standing on end. "Hey, what exactly do you want to do!"

"Little Xing, why are you so afraid of me?" Xu Wan snorted softly, even her slightly "dissatisfied" expression was a coquettish tantrum. She gently patted Yu Xing's arm with her other hand, "Don't rush to resist, listen to me."

"Look, I married Fang Deming last time, but now, we have no future together." The woman in the white dress looked so pure and lovely, but when she talked about this, it sent a chill down one's spine.

A final, definitive conclusion...

In the old stories of Never Forget Dwelling, the woman who later appeared and followed Fang Deming is always portrayed as having a mysterious identity. Fang Deming never admitted to anyone that she was his second wife, so her existence was always a subject of controversy.

However, after hearing Fang Deming's attitude towards Xu Wan in the story and seeing the scene today, Yu Xing had a guess.

It wasn't that Fang Deming didn't want to announce it publicly, but Xu Wan found an excuse to prevent Fang Deming from saying it. Anyway, given Fang Deming's affection for her, she only needed to say things like, "I don't want to erase people's memories of the original me," or "Let's keep the title 'wife' as my exclusive nickname from before," to keep Fang Deming calm.

Then, she can openly say, like she does today, that she has no relationship with Fang Deming whatsoever.

This made Yu Xing suspect that she had conspired with Fang Xiao to put Fang Deming in a wheelchair and make him a lamb to the slaughter.

She seemed unaware of her true image in Yu Xing's heart. Holding Yu Xing's hand, her eyes sparkled, she said, "I'm very young now. It's hard for you to reconcile me with my previous self. This identity is awkward and saddening between us."

"What if we just got together? You wouldn't be lonely anymore, and I could have a new life—" She sat down next to Yu Xing again, noticing that Yu Xing's face and body were stiff, and chuckled softly, "Don't you think this is wrong?"

Under this question, Yu Xing found her voice and said with difficulty, "Do you really think that doing this... is right?"

"If I were still the same person, I definitely wouldn't have made such a suggestion." Xu Wan gripped Yu Xing's hand tightly, appearing genuinely sincere. "But our situations are different. Don't you really feel even the slightest impulse towards me? That seems to go against your nature."

[So this is how women pursue men? I think I know why I don't have a boyfriend...]

[Lychees, not like that! I want lychees, sisters!]

[Oh my god, how could this be? From the moment I entered the Fang Mansion, I had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Xu Wan definitely has ulterior motives!]

[Suddenly I feel that Xing is very suited to being passive, ah, being proactive is fine too, whatever, as long as she's with me, anything is fine!]

[Haha, I really hope Sachi can be like President Medusa, frequently rewarding outstanding employees. I definitely want to go to that broken mirror!]

Compared to the chaotic and varied comments on the screen, Yu Xing's expression was much more speechless.

He never expected that Qianjie would be so interested in him.

One just got away with it, and now another one shows up. Isn't its intention too obvious?

It suddenly occurred to me that Fang Deming and Fang Xiao both experienced the most rapid personality changes after marriage. Could it be that Qianjie was trying to take advantage of their most confused and uncontrollable minds at night to deepen the effects of cognitive distortion?

Now that Qianjie is eager to turn him into a new puppet and wants to speed things up, the best way is to make him frequently let his mind go blank.

The more Yu Xing thought about it, the more sense it made; she almost wanted to applaud the snake.

What a genius! When he goes to Yin Yang City in the future, he'll have to be careful around Qianjie, that Sixth Brother.

However, while he could cooperate with Mingzhu, he couldn't cooperate with Xu Wan at all. He had no choice but to refuse, and he had to refuse in a way that fit his persona so as not to arouse Qianjie's suspicion.

Yu Xing racked his brains, trying to come up with a suitable response. He took a deep breath, still trying to pull his hand away from Xu Wan's grasp. "Even if you say that..."

"I can't accept that either."

"How would you know if you don't try?" Xu Wan was actually trying to reason with him. "Think about it, if we change our relationship, when you see me in the future, the first thing you'll think of won't be those sad things from your childhood, right?"

"Besides, you... you harbor resentment towards me, but you wouldn't lay a hand on a girl, so you definitely wouldn't hit me directly, thus leaving no outlet for your resentment. If we change our relationship, you'll have a new way to vent your anger, and I don't mind. This is all the retribution I deserve!"

Is this her retribution or Xing's retribution (neither)?

[I'm stunned. Is he under some kind of love curse? Could Medusa be behind this, hahaha?]

[That's so mean! Why is Medusa messing with him? It's hilarious!]

Why are you all laughing? Doesn't anyone really think Xu Wan's motives are questionable?

That's definitely a problem.

Yu Xing couldn't take it anymore; a vein throbbed on his forehead, and he quickly pulled his hand back.

Xu Wan probably didn't expect him to be so determined, and before she knew it, he had actually broken free of his restraints.

Yu Xing took a tissue from the small table and wiped his fingers with a blank expression, as if he was uncomfortable with Xu Wan's touch.

From Qianjie to Xu Wan, their ideas were all quite beautiful.

Yes, he knows some people say that "being together" is so casual, and he also admits that many people lead decadent lives and have a lot of fun.

However, there are also quite a few who value relationships and won't easily accept new partners.

Yu Xing himself is one; he's become a monster. His personality and experiences have turned completely dark when things get out of control. But at least he can keep his emotions pure and innocent.

--Maybe one day he'll be able to relax and face his feelings squarely, and when he's with someone he likes, he'll act crazy and silly.

But it's definitely not like Xu Wan, who tried to belittle what he held dear into mere desire or venting with just a few words.

He wouldn't allow himself to let down the person he was looking forward to, and he found Xu Wan's behavior of repeatedly and self-righteously seducing him, as if she couldn't understand rejection, truly annoying.

"I'm sorry, I really can't do what you're saying." Yu Xing turned her head, Xu Wan was almost within reach.

He moved to the other side, creating some distance.

"As you can see, I'm really not interested in you. As for being with me, please give up on that idea." Yu Xing's extremely cold expression was the strongest proof of his rejection.

Xu Wan was somewhat unwilling.

She even wondered, "How could that be? What about me doesn't attract you? Aside from the conflicts between us... how could you not be interested in my body alone?"

"Aren't men generally unable to refuse?"

If you look closely, you can also see that Xu Wan has a kind of anxiety about her charm being denied. She subconsciously touches her face to make sure that she has not gotten old or ugly.

Yu Xing didn't say anything more. He could tell from Xu Wan's expression that she could find many reasons to salvage her charm.

"I understand. Little Xing is different from others; he's very principled. This shows that my Little Xing is a truly good man!" Xu Wan had indeed come up with an excuse, then reached up and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I was being presumptuous. Is Little Xing the kind of man who wants to save his first time for his wife? I'm so happy for my daughter-in-law—"

"No," Yu Xing said coolly, "I just don't like you. Whether it's your personality or your looks, you've been a celebrity, you should know that even if ten thousand people are captivated by you, there will always be a few who just don't feel anything for you."

Xu Wan chuckled dryly, "Oh, right, but Little Xing's taste will probably be very picky, and Mom still—"

Yu Xing: "I just slept with Mingzhu."

Xu Wan: "..."

Xu Wan: "?"

The woman's voice trailed off. She stared at him blankly, then realized what she'd just heard, as if doubting her own ears. "Huh? Who were you just with?"

Yu Xing said calmly, "Mingzhu."

Xu Wan: "What are you doing with Mingzhu?"

Yu Xing: "I slept with him."

Xu Wan: "Who slept with Mingzhu?"

"..."

Yu Xing took a deep breath. "I... just now... slept with Mingzhu."

Xu Wan's eyes suddenly became extremely blank, but only for a few seconds before she came to her senses, her eyes widening. "How dare you touch your brother's woman, and how did you manage to keep it from him?"

"Fang Xiao asked me to do it." Yu Xing glanced at her. "I told you, the relationship between him and me is completely different from yours. He will share everything with me because I am his brother, and I am the most important person to him. And my sister-in-law is also very willing, probably because I am handsome."

"... You, you all... him!" Xu Wan suddenly gritted her teeth, "No wonder he was secretly preventing me from getting close to you, it turns out he had planned to send Mingzhu all along!"

"Mingzhu is nowhere near as pretty as me. You two brothers have exactly the same taste. Who did you take after?"

She was so shocked that she stood up and paced back and forth. "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! Your brother knew you were coming here all along, so he gave you Mingzhu beforehand to steal my thunder!"

Yu Xing: "... You just said you intercepted it, right?"

Xu Wan paused, then looked at him a beat late.

"Intercepting." Yu Xing pondered the meaning of the word. "In other words, what you've told me was premeditated, not a spur-of-the-moment decision. That's why it's called intercepting."

Xu Wan: "No, actually I..."

Yu Xing ignored her, her gaze growing even deeper as she pressed her temples. "Besides, doing this is 'beneficial' for both of you, which is why you and Fang Xiao are vying for this opportunity."

He seemed to be deep in thought, "Are you... using me again?"

"No, no, I'm sincere towards you!" Xu Wan hurriedly stated her position, but her big, watery eyes became a weakness at this moment, and the fleeting evasion in her eyes could be clearly seen.

Especially after she finished speaking, she realized who "you guys" referred to, and added, "Your brother is truly sincere towards you too! He really misses you!"

A cold glint appeared in Yu Xing's eyes, as if once suspicion was set in motion, it had spiraled out of control, growing increasingly sinister with each thought, "You're not being kind to me out of guilt, and he doesn't care much about me either. It's just that my return allows you to gain something. You've teamed up..."

"Oh dear!" Xu Wan was sweating profusely. There was no problem with her seducing him; it was based on her own abilities. Fang Xiao couldn't say anything, so he could only use some tricks to compete with her.

But if Fang Xiao knew that she had spoken carelessly, causing the seed of trust he had painstakingly planted in his younger brother to die before it could even sprout, she would be in a terrible situation!

Originally, Fang Xing had just returned home, and no matter how much ideology was instilled or how much his cognition was distorted, it was still easy to overturn his ideas. His consciousness was like a small boat, swaying left and right. Before his ideas became deeply rooted, the small boat could easily capsize.

They will definitely tell Fang Xing the truth later. Even if he knows that they kept him around to protect the existence of Nanshui Town, it won't have any impact, because Fang Xing will also be wholeheartedly for the good of Nanshui Town.

But that won't work now.

If Fang Xing were to realize this...

"It's really not like that!" Xu Wan Yu Xing so nervous that she stood up and silently moved towards the door, Xu Wan's eyes darted around frantically. She grabbed Yu Xing's arm. "Listen to me..."

She probably didn't realize that whenever she started thinking quickly, her eyes would uncontrollably dart around.

Perhaps no one had ever told her that there were very few living people in Nanshui Town, and even fewer that she would see, so she never noticed the abnormality in her eyes.

At this moment, the two darting eyes had lost their rhythm and shrunk to the size of edamame beans, darting around wildly in their large eye sockets.

The beautiful face instantly transformed into something terrifying and bizarre, carrying an unparalleled sense of disgust. Yu Xing faced this scene head-on, and the viewers in the live stream were also caught off guard.

[I knock! It's a ghost!]

[Oh no, what happened to my beautiful sister? Ugh, I knew it...]

[I was wrong. I shouldn't have said I couldn't resist her. I'm a decent person now.]

I like it even more now!

[Unbelievable]

Yu Xing wasn't intimidated by the scene. His expression remained unchanged as he continued his confrontational stance, "Let go. I hate being lied to the most—"

"I did indeed have my own plans against you!" Xu Wan shouted.

Her eyes quietly returned to normal, which meant she had come up with a way to explain, "Actually, after Fang Deming got old, I realized I still prefer young and handsome men, and the Fang family's genes really suit my taste."

She was on the verge of tears, as if ashamed that her hidden thoughts had been discovered. "I... I thought, since my body has been changed, it wouldn't matter if I married Fang Deming's son, right? I tried to seduce your brother, but he... he fell in love with Mingzhu..."

"With Mingzhu, your brother doesn't even glance at me. I've endured it for so long, just wanting to wait for you to come home and be with you."

Yu Xing feigned a softening expression, her voice still low and her anger unreadable. "And then?"

"Then, you came back. I didn't expect you to be even more handsome than your brother. I originally wanted to take things slowly and let you accept me gradually, but as soon as you stood in front of me, I couldn't help myself."

The woman wiped away her tears. "Fang Xiao knows how I feel, but he already has Mingzhu. I thought he would let me have her, but I never expected him to let Mingzhu steal my thunder. I don't know if Mingzhu did it on purpose, why! Why did she have to compete with me!"

As she spoke, she squatted down, covered her face, and burst into tears. "Now I have nothing left! I swallowed my pride to have you, but Mingzhu took you away so easily. She took away everyone I cared about!"

"Waaaaah... Now I can't even hide it from you anymore, I have no more chances... You've seen all my worst side, I have nothing left!"

She cried so hard; it seemed so genuine.

Yu Xing subtly curved her lips into a smile, then suppressed it, looking down at her hesitantly. "Is this what you've been hiding?"

Xu Wan just cried, her ears turning bright red with shame, looking as if she couldn't bear to see him.

"... Okay, I understand." Yu Xing's icy demeanor subsided, and she stiffly patted Xu Wan's shoulder. "Don't cry, it's not that shameful. I won't laugh at you or look down on you."

"If it's just something like that, I don't care, as long as I make it clear to you that I can't do anything with you."

Xu Wan slowly raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "Don't you think I'm a bad person? I've had feelings for you for a long time, and I kept it from you."

"... I've never had high expectations of your morals," Yu Xing, pursing her lips. "But you don't need to cry like this, making it seem like I've bullied you."

"You have no moral expectations of me..." Xu Wan's face turned pale, and she couldn't stop crying. "How can you comfort me like this... I just wanted to be with the person I love, from the very beginning... and then I was deceived by Fang Deming, I was the one who was deceived too! Waaaaah..."

Yu Xing understood that she had clearly found crying to be very effective. He seemed unable to bear seeing a girl cry, so she deliberately used crying to distract him until he forgot his earlier distrust.

"Stop crying." Yu Xing frowned again. "Why didn't you cry so easily when I was little? You always got angry and hit me."

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, sob sob..."

"Get up. It's not as shameful as you think. Anyway, your brother and sister-in-law didn't care about morality; they've already done those things." Yu Xing closed her eyes. "I really don't like girls crying... Alright, I'll just draw you a picture as an apology."

Xu Wan stopped crying.

She looked up, her eyes red and swollen, and asked in a nasal voice, "Draw me a picture?"

She carried a sliver of feigned hope—after all, she had just said she liked the young and handsome Fang Xing, so she couldn't let it slip.

Is it a portrait? A portrait of me?

Yu Xing sighed deeply, "Yes, is this okay?"

"Okay..." Xu Wan smiled through her tears, a hint of melancholy in her voice, "Even if I can't win your affection, receiving a painting from you is enough."

Saying it like that will always make a man feel even more sorry for her.

Yu Xing wasn't heartbroken; he had no interest in prey that had taken the bait so easily.

The reason he suddenly launched an attack after a brief struggle with Xu Wan was, of course, premeditated.

From the moment he entered the room and sensed Xu Wan's feelings for him, to his use of Mingzhu as an excuse to reject her, which angered her, and then his seizing on a term that wasn't even a loophole to launch into a conspiracy theory, Yu Xing gradually manipulated Xu Wan's emotions and controlled the pace of their conversation.

He wanted to make Xu Wan cry.

According to his analysis, when faced with a situation where their purpose might be exposed, someone like Xu Wan, who is adept at using her facial expressions and language to convey emotions, would definitely choose to cover up the truth with even more exaggerated emotions.

The most suitable and quickest way to do this is to cry.

As expected, Xu Wan pretended to wail loudly. With this, Yu Xing's many reactions and inducements were almost successful.

If he were to act as if he could do nothing to Xu Wan when she cried, Xu Wan would inevitably think that she had found a weakness in his personality and would take advantage of the situation to use crying to make him feel sorry for her.

At the very least, it could dispel some of his doubts and divert his attention so that he wouldn't dwell on it anymore, thus preserving some of the trust that Fang Xiao had painstakingly built up in him.

If things were even better, Xu Wan might even use this as an opportunity to continue seducing him, such as using the promise of not crying to get Yu Xing to agree to her request.

At this point, it would be perfectly reasonable for Yu Xing to offer to paint a picture for her as an apology.

Xu Wan would only think that this was an unexpected bonus brought about by her quick thinking and superb acting skills. She would never have imagined that her son, who did not like her and was full of resentment and hatred towards her, had originally planned to paint her portrait.

--And this is precisely Yu Xing's goal.

Why did the system give him such a frustrating Side Quest?

He wanted to paint a picture for Xu Wan. If he asked her directly, Xu Wan would definitely not refuse. But doing so would not fit his public image.

Why should he paint for Xu Wan? He would paint for Mingzhu but not for Xu Wan. At this sensitive time, by deliberately abandoning his public image, he's just asking for trouble.

You can choose to do one Side Quest at a time. Yu Xing doesn't plan to choose Fang Xiao's quest for the time being, and Mingzhu's quest is later on. Doing Fang Deming's quest will definitely cause trouble. After weighing the options, only Xu Wan's quest offers room for maneuver.

The task of painting a picture of Xu Wan and then ruining her face can be divided into two stages.

He'll paint the picture first, and then it will be much easier for him to ruin her face than to kill Fang Deming, because the concept of "death" is sometimes really hard to break.

He himself is an example.

So, from leaving Fang Xiao's place to entering Xu Wan's room, on this not-so-long journey, Yu Xing had already made her plan and began implementing it from the moment she entered.

Surprisingly, Xu Wan actually gave him a box of painting paints and tools, so he didn't have to go to Mingzhu to retrieve the painting tube he had deliberately left behind.

He paused for a moment when he saw the paint, mainly thinking that he had never seen anything so coincidental in its rush to its death.

In short, the goal and objective of the plan is as it is now.

Yu Xing reluctantly opened the box, then asked Xu Wan for a piece of ordinary drawing paper, wearing an expression that perfectly concealed her true intentions, as if to say, "I clearly hate her, why did she turn out like this?"

Xu Wan's eyes were still red, and she said coquettishly, "You can't go back on your word. You already said you'd draw it for me."

Yu Xing paused for two seconds before saying with difficulty, "... I won't go back on my word."

He's such a pitiful person, forced to paint Xu Wan's portrait. Qianjie, did you see that? Don't you think Fang Xing is easy to manipulate?

He had Xu Wan pose, then began sketching, thinking to himself—come on, Fang Xing is so easy to handle, Snake can relax now.

Time flies when you're drawing.

After all, she no longer had to face physical harassment, and as soon as Xu Wan saw him start drawing, she consciously maintained the pose she thought looked best and didn't talk much.

Maintaining one's beauty at all times, and ensuring that the images and pictures left behind are the most beautiful, is something that has almost been ingrained in Xu Wan's DNA.

Yu Xing to paint easily under very quiet conditions.

It wasn't until he was almost halfway through drawing that the comments, which could be interpreted in any way, finally realized what was going on.

[Wait, isn't he doing a mission??]

[This scene suddenly made me realize that, like Xu Wan, I was being led by the nose by Xing.]

[Ah?]

[I really liked one comment from a viewer in the live stream: "Huh?"]