Chapter 2: The Hunter  

Good advice is often ignored, but those who heed it never go hungry.  

After that brief encounter with Lu HuaiChuan at the bar, Shen Simo had already sensed the depth of his cunning. As a freshly graduated 22-year-old, she was no match for him—she would undoubtedly become his Plaything.  

The fact that Lu HuaiChuan had merely glanced at her outfit and deduced she was just dragged along as a favor, then casually ordered her a glass of warm milk, sent chills down her spine.  

Such deliberate thoughtfulness felt far too calculated for a place like a bar, where boundaries were practically nonexistent.  

So after they added each other as friends, she didn’t reach out to him. Fortunately, Lu HuaiChuan remained silent on his end as well.  

Yet these past few days, that hazy, morning-fog-like ambiguity had been teasing at her heart, faint but persistent. Whenever she had a moment to herself, her mind would fill with images of Lu HuaiChuan.  

Staring at the empty chat screen, she hesitated over whether to delete him. But she couldn’t bring herself to give up the potential resources he might offer. After all, art and modeling were closely linked—more connections meant more opportunities.  

Shen Simo sat down beside Li Xue, idly playing with the eyeshadow palette on the vanity. “Hey, what exactly does Lu HuaiChuan do? He said he’s in the art industry—painting? Sculpting? Photography?”  

“No idea. I only know he majored in art in college, and even that was just hearsay. He’s probably got some weird quirks too. You know how artists are—none of them are exactly ‘normal.’ And don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m jealous you managed to connect with someone of his caliber. It’s just… well, how do I put it…” She set down her makeup brush, frowning as she met Shen Simo’s gaze in the mirror. “Have you two been in touch these past few days?”  

“No, I was just curious, so I thought I’d ask.”  

Once Li Xue finished her makeup, the two headed out to the art exhibition—the one hosted by Lu HuaiChuan’s friend, where tickets cost a staggering 388 yuan. But upon arriving, Shen Simo couldn’t see what made this exhibition any different from the others. It was filled with incomprehensible abstract paintings and equally baffling explanations.  

Who knew what kind of prodigy this artist, who went by the pseudonym “Sleeping,” was supposed to be? How could such expensive tickets and a bunch of color-splattered abstract paintings attract so many collectors?  

Standing in front of a gradient painting blending blues and oranges, Shen Simo covered her mouth and whispered to Li Xue, “These days, anyone can call themselves an artist. Let’s just snap a few photos and leave. I could paint this stuff too. Maybe I should switch careers and get myself an ‘artist’ title.”  

“Let’s stay a bit longer—388 yuan, remember? Plus, the lighting here is great. Every shot looks like it has a story. Hold still, this pose is perfect—let me take one.”  

Shen Simo sighed, resting her forehead in her palm as she waited for Li Xue to take the photo.  

*Click!*  

The sound of a camera shutter came from behind them. Both Shen Simo and Li Xue turned toward the source and saw Lu HuaiChuan holding up his camera, looking faintly apologetic as he met Shen Simo’s gaze.  

Behind him stood a woman with a striking figure and bold fashion sense. Her face was oddly familiar, but Shen Simo couldn’t quite place where she’d seen her before.  

Today, Lu HuaiChuan was once again dressed in an unremarkable white T-shirt and black trousers—except for the Blancpain dive watch now adorning his wrist.

“Sorry, did I disturb you? That moment of Sisi was just too beautiful, like an angel… My apologies. If you mind, I can delete it,” Lu Huaichuan said.  

Shen Simo glanced at the woman behind him, then at Li Xue, who wore an expression that clearly said, “See? I told you so,” even raising an eyebrow at An Yunzhou. Finally, she turned her gaze to Lu Huaichuan. “Lu Huaichuan? You came to see the exhibition too?”  

Before Lu Huaichuan could respond, the girl behind him spoke first. “This exhibition was actually organized by Teacher Lu.”  

At this, Shen Simo blinked rapidly, lowering her eyes to stare intently at Lu Huaichuan in his wheelchair. She had expected him to be embarrassed by his own lie, but instead, Lu Huaichuan nodded calmly. “Yes, this is my exhibition.” Then, waving a hand at the girl behind him, he added, “I’ll be fine on my own.”  

Li Xue tugged at Shen Simo’s sleeve and immediately offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Teacher Lu, we’ll just—”  

Before she could finish, the woman pulled her away. Shen Simo watched dumbfounded as Li Xue kept turning back, winking exaggeratedly, forcing herself to maintain a polite smile while awkwardly rubbing her hands together.  

Lu Huaichuan looked up at Shen Simo with a grin. “Care to join me for a walk? It’s almost lunchtime—we could grab a bite. Last time we met, the place was too noisy, and I didn’t get a chance to properly thank you. Would the angel grace me with her company?”  

Shen Simo had been unsettled by Lu Huaichuan and Li Xue’s words these past few days. She had already rehearsed a rejection in her mind, but when she looked down and saw his starry eyes and that ¥200,000 watch, her resolve softened.  

Walking through an exhibition and having lunch—these were things ordinary friends did. It shouldn’t… be a problem, right? Besides, he was a cripple, exuding an air of impotence from head to toe. How unsafe could it really be for her, Shen Simo?  

With that thought, she steeled herself, stepped behind Lu Huaichuan, and pushed his wheelchair deeper into the exhibition hall. Lu Huaichuan wasn’t heavy, and the polished floors made it effortless to wheel him around.  

Her mind was a mess, all her stubborn energy channeled into pushing the wheelchair. She didn’t even notice how fast she was going—the two of them and the wheelchair practically flew through the gallery before abruptly stopping in front of a provocative portrait of a woman. She positioned Lu Huaichuan directly in front of the blush-inducing oil painting.  

The woman in the painting wore nothing above the waist, a white silk cloth draped around her hips as she reclined on a sofa, a burnt-out cigarette between her fingers, her vacant eyes gazing out the window.  

The masterful brushwork transformed a vulgar pose into an elegant “artistic” piece, but there was no denying the perfectly balanced lines of the body, capturing the unique softness and beauty of femininity.  

“That girl in the painting—she’s the one who was pushing your wheelchair earlier, isn’t she?” Shen Simo asked with a mischievous smile. “The resemblance in the eyes is uncanny.”  

Lu Huaichuan admitted it openly. “Yes, that’s her. That’s Duan Yu. Did I do a good job? You recognized her right away.”

“Indeed impressive, as expected from someone in the art industry. I thought you were just joking about your profession to impress young girls.” She leaned down, teasingly studying his profile before continuing in mock complaint, “I just never expected you to be the organizer of this exhibition—and such an accomplished painter at that. And here I was, foolishly believing your line about… introducing me to that artist.”

“Are you disappointed to discover I’m that artist?”

“Somewhat. After all, handsome men always have handsome friends. Who wouldn’t want to meet another good-looking guy?”

Lu Huaichuan’s eyes crinkled at the corners before he burst into hearty laughter. “Alright then, I’ll keep an eye out for suitable candidates to introduce to you. Would you like to see the oil paintings over there? They’re among my proudest works.”

Shen Simo deliberately ignored his suggestion, instead pulling her wheelchair back a few steps to give them both a better view of the 90*120 portrait. Softly, she asked, “Hmm… I never imagined Professor Lu would paint such style portraits for girls around him. Does that mean I might become your model too?”