Very few people have my personal WeChat, and even fewer know it exists. The only way someone could add me is if I gave them my contact details. My heart skipped a beat as I clicked on the verification request.
“Teacher Qin Ran, I’m Mo Wei. Do you still remember me?”
Sure enough. At that time, Tunshe Nalin knocked him unconscious and took me away. Later, I was so focused on escaping that I completely forgot about him. He was hurt because of me… I quickly approved the message, and a new one popped up immediately— ”Teacher Qin Ran, where are you?”
“At home. What about you? Have you left Mutu? Are you safe now?”
“I’ve left. I’m on my way back to Jiangcheng. Can you give me your home address?”
“What’s going on?”
“Last time I told you that I have a Taoist master friend. Do you remember? I asked him to make a talisman for me. It has been blessed, and I want to send it to you.”
“No need, my family has got a Buddha amulet.”
“Buddhist amulet? Teacher Qin, don’t be skeptical. It’s better not to mess with things from Thailand. A friend of mine has a natural sixth sense, and when they went to a temple in Thailand, they said there were spirits everywhere.”
My hand trembled as I lowered my gaze to the Buddhist amulet on my chest.
“That shouldn’t be the case. It’s not like I’m wearing a cursed amulet.”
“Anyway, I’ll send you the talisman first. In case that flesh-eating monster comes knocking and the amulet can’t protect you, what will you do then?”
I hesitated for a moment. “Alright.” Thinking about the strange people in town, I felt uneasy. I typed out the address but deleted it. “Mo Wei, can you video call me? I want to see you. Is that okay?”
After a moment, a video call came through from the other side.
I stepped out onto the balcony and answered the video call. The screen lit up with the face of a blond young man, who greeted me with a wide smile. Aside from some dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept well, there was nothing unusual about him. He smiled exaggeratedly, “Hi, Teacher Qin Ran, I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ve also found the camera. Once it’s edited, I’ll send it to you. This video of mine is definitely going to go viral.”
“No, no need to show me,” I sighed in relief. “As long as you’re okay. By the way… before you left Mutu, did you see him? Was there any trouble in the town?”
He shook his head and smiled. “No, nothing happened.”
“If you happen to have filmed him, remember to delete it. Don’t post it online.”
He was stunned and didn’t say anything. Just then, the video connection was disconnected.
“Sorry, the signal was bad just now,” followed by a string of gibberish[mfn]Btw, he typed it in a messy mix of Chinese, pinyin, symbols and stuff. It was hard to translate the messy symbols into English, so let’s just go with normal text[/mfn]).
“No problem.”
“Why did you want me to delete the video about him just now @#%%^?”
It was more gibberish mixed with text, but it didn’t hinder reading.
“Not safe.” I replied.
“Are you worried about him #&*?”
“I’m worried about you!” I quickly typed. “I still have his power lingering on me, and the people around me are being affected. And you even dare to keep his video? Are you asking for trouble?”
There was a long silence on the other end before a reply came: “Give me the address#.”
I typed out the address and left my personal phone number: “Don’t come before noon. There are bodyguards patrolling the building. Just have the delivery person hand the package to the bodyguards.”
“Ah Ran… who are you texting?”
A soft voice came from inside the room, and the balcony glass door was pushed open.
“Cheng Jie[mfn]Jie means sister[/mfn].” I answered instinctively. Cheng Wan is my agent. I pulled up her message and waved it in front of him. “Let’s go to the studio.”
I was eager to paint Ming Luo, wanting to see if I could paint freely like I did on the snowy mountain. I didn’t want Mo Wei’s presence to cause any misunderstandings or unnecessary conflicts between us. He didn’t ask many questions, only smiling as he took my hand and led me to the studio. The studio was neat and organized, a stark contrast to when I left. All the paintings I had done for him were hung on the walls, clearly showing that he had tidied up early in the morning.
My heart softened as I gently touched his cheek. “Thank you.”
“I’m back, Ah Ran. I will be your muse forever.” He covered my hand, kissed the palm, clasped my other hand, and placed it on his waist. “Come, help me take off my clothes.”
I pursed my lips, grabbed the belt of his bathrobe, and pulled it, and the bathrobe fell apart.
Glancing down, I looked away: “…Calm down for a while first, I’ll go get ready.”
This is why I don’t want to have any relationship with my muse.
Ming Luo smiled, took a step back, and took off his bathrobe in front of me. It is undeniable that he is an extremely handsome man with his own unique, decadent, and unruly temperament, like the wind in the wilderness and the waves in the sea. Whether he is singing with a guitar on the stage or standing in the crowd, he is always the most dazzling star. I was drawn to his looks and demeanor from the very beginning, falling for him at first sight.
If I had never met Tunshe Nalin, I would surely never be able to see anyone else in my eyes.
But I just happened to meet him.
He is the sacred deity of the snowy mountains and also the bloodthirsty god of death in the forest.
No mortal can compare to him.
“Just draw me like this, Ah Ran. Since you want to draw me, you must face my desire for you. Even if you think it shouldn’t exist, it is still a part of my soul.”
I closed my eyes, calmed myself, walked to the prop box, and took out a realistic red fake snake. Then, I grabbed some prop leaves and spread a white fur blanket on the floor.
Since it is desire, then this painting shall be titled “The Serpent of Eden.”
Originally, I intended to create this piece for Tunshe Nalin.
Looking at Ming Luo lying on the fur blanket among the scattered leaves, deliberately baring his desire to me, I took a deep breath and raised my brush. The moment I entered the state, I fell into a trance-like dream. I had no idea how much time had passed until a sharp pain struck my stomach, jolting me back to reality. My gaze landed on the painting before me, I stood up in disbelief. I’m alive. I’m alive. I have created a masterpiece that surpasses myself… overcome with excitement, I shouted, “Ming Luo, come quick!”
He wrapped himself in his clothes and walked to my side. Overjoyed, I looked at him, only to see his expression freeze, his gaze fixed rigidly on my painting.
“Ah Ran, who did you paint?”
I turned my head, my gaze landing on the painting once more—and I froze as well.
The painting wasn’t of Ming Luo, entwined by a serpent, it was of someone standing before a tower of human bones, surrounded by circling vultures… it was unmistakably Tunshe Nalin, just as I had first seen him.
The paintbrush dropped to the floor with a sharp clack. I covered my mouth, barely suppressing a startled cry as I took a step back. How could this be? How… how did this happen?
I had clearly been painting Ming Luo…
My wrist was grabbed by a damp, cold hand. Ming Luo pulled me into his arms, cupping my face, staring at me intently: “Who did you paint? Why isn’t it me? Am I no longer your muse? Am I no longer your muse?”
I shook my head, my mind in a daze: “I don’t know, I don’t know why…”
“How could it not be me… You’ve already taken me in, how could you not love me?” Ming Luo muttered repeatedly, tears streaming down his face. His gaze was wild, almost frantic, as he suddenly lifted me over his shoulder, kicked open the door to the studio, and stormed toward the bedroom.
A deep sense of dread surged within me as I kicked and struggled against him. “What are you doing, Ming Luo! Let go of me! Ming Luo! If you keep this up, I’ll call the bodyguards!”
My body was thrown onto the bed, turned over, and pressed down by the heavy body of a man. My previous worries suddenly came true. I screamed and struggled desperately. My hands were tightly held by bony and wet hands. I don’t know where a lot of water came from under me, soaking the bed and my body. Ming Luo kissed my neck: “You are mine… Ah Ran… you are mine, you can only draw me, only love me…”
“Ding Dong”, just then, the doorbell rang.
My body suddenly felt light. I turned around and kicked, but I kicked nothing.
Ming Luo disappeared. The moment I turned around, he disappeared.
Where did he hide?
I sat there panting in shock and only came to my senses when I heard the doorbell ring and got up and got out of bed. But when I looked back, the bed was clean and dry, with no water at all.
Am I hallucinating?
I slapped my face hard and walked out of the bedroom, but Ming Luo was not in the living room either.
Where did he go? How come he disappeared in just a moment?
When I opened the door, I saw a bodyguard standing at the door with a package in his hand. Behind him stood a pretty woman with dyed red hair. Wasn’t that my agent, Cheng Wan?
“Oh, my dear!” As soon as she saw me, she came up to me and gave me a big hug. “Oh my God, luckily you are okay. I was so worried during this period. Abmer, where have you been during this period? Art exhibitions, galleries, auctions, media, and your fans. If you don’t come back, they will drive me crazy!”
“I just went out to gather inspiration, my phone broke, and I lost contact for a while.” I patted her back to comfort her, then asked the bodyguard, “Did you… see Ming Luo leave just now?”
Cheng Wan’s face stiffened as she looked at me in disbelief. “Mr. Ming, isn’t he… already deceased? Are you okay? Did you… take your medicine on time?”
“He’s not dead, just some family issues, and he hasn’t been in touch with me.” Not seeing him leave? I turned to glance around the house. “Come inside first.”
“Young Master, this is a package that just arrived. It’s said to be sent by a friend of yours.”
I looked at the package handed to me by the bodyguard, momentarily stunned. It was wrapped in brown kraft paper, tied with a red string, and there was no tracking number on it. I led Cheng Wan into the room and called out for Ming Luo a few times, but he didn’t respond, which struck me as odd. Had he hidden himself away?
Cheng Wan crossed her arms and glanced around the room. “Qin Ran, why does this room smell like seawater? Have you started keeping tropical fish?”
I shook my head: “I can’t even take care of myself, let alone keep fish. It must be the seafood Ming Luo brought back.”
Is he in the kitchen? Thinking of this, I went into the kitchen, but there was no one there. The sink was clean, but the trash can was emitting a strong smell of the sea and was surrounded by flies. I was packing up the trash bag when I heard Cheng Wan screaming outside: “My God!”
“Did you run into Ming Luo?” I walked out quickly, but I saw Cheng Wan standing in front of the painting I finished last night in the studio, covering her mouth with her hands. Her excitement was beyond words, and tears welled up in her eyes. I was startled, and before I could say anything, she had already taken out her cell phone.
I came to my senses, took a step forward, and grabbed her hand.
“Wait, don’t…”
Before I could say anything, Cheng Wan had already grabbed my hands and held them to her chest: “Too good, too great, is he your new muse? This is your most successful work ever, believe me, Abmer, it will astound everyone who sees it, and it will cause a sensation in the domestic and even international art circles! It will attract worldwide attention!”
My heart jolted.
The most… successful work?
