At dawn the next day, the courtyard was silent, with dewdrops falling from the verdant green leaves, rippling the crystal-clear pond, as a few red koi swam sporadically over the pebbles at the pond's bottom.

The program crew gathered in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by curious family members who chatted and laughed. The director gestured, and once everything was ready for filming, the program officially began.

Jin Zhenghan stood there drowsily, with dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot eyes, in a daze for a long time until someone reminded him, and he finally reacted:

"Everyone, following our professional team's exploration in the town last night, ahem... they obtained information about the sealed anchor points from the residents," he said, "One is in the residential area to the west of town, the other at the sea-side Siren Mansion to the east of town."

Anyone could tell that Jin Zhenghan didn't seem quite right, sometimes making 'ho-ho' sounds as if phlegm were stuck in his throat as he spoke.

"Captain, didn't you have a good rest?" Amy asked with concern.

Tang Xin glanced at Amy, then at Jin Zhenghan and became vigilant.

"Hmm, just a slight cold."

Jin Zhenghan didn't pay it much mind, having gotten caught in the rain yesterday and fell asleep in the hot spring, only waking up when program crew members found him after midnight. Since he habitually kept his mouth open in the hot springs, his throat was hoarse last night.

John, who was standing closer to Jin Zhenghan, frowned, uncertain if it was just his imagination but he caught a faint fishy smell from his presence.

"Anyway, we are on a tight schedule, let's split into two teams like yesterday. If anything happens, contact through the walkie-talkie," Jin Zhenghan said.

After reminding everyone of a few things to be mindful of, they set off in different directions.

Ten minutes later, Xu Xiaoyou gently knocked on a door, and Amy's voice came from inside.

"Who is it? I'm changing clothes with Xin."

"It's me, are you ready?"

"Oh, what's the rush? Neither of us is dressed yet!" Amy said. "Xin, could you help fasten the back?"

Xu Xiaoyou stood there helplessly, suddenly feeling a gaze upon her. She looked up to see a strangely dressed man standing at a half-open trellised window on the second floor of the main house.

The man wore a bell-shaped hat and a black trench coat that wrapped his entire body, even his wrists were covered with gloves. Through black sunglasses, she could also sense the man's lifeless gaze.

It was as if what stood there was a lifeless sculpture.

She recognized this man, Purier, from the Withered Flower family, the biggest sponsor behind "Paranormal Explorer," who almost monopolized the high-end lipstick business under the Star of Art.

The man smiled to greet her, although the smile was so stiff.

Xu Xiaoyou returned the smile and turned away, no longer looking in the man's direction.

The man stood frozen like a withered tree for a moment, examining the young girl below before a voice from the female model urged from behind:

"Are you ready, Mr. Purier?"

Turning his head, he saw the model sitting on the bed's edge in just simple underwear, crossing her legs, propping herself up with her hands. Despite the impatience in her eyes, her swan-like perfect body curves still highlighted her extraordinary charm, thanks to the man's devil-like body management requirements.

"This version, still not satisfied," Purier shook his head and sighed.

On the easel in front of him, a surrealistic painting almost replicated every detail of the woman, from the graceful body to the greed for profit in her eyes. It seemed that a slight shake of the canvas would make the painted woman blink and move.

"This is already the fifteenth pose I've made this morning!" the model angrily stood up and walked over to the canvas, turning it around. Looking at the exquisite and lifelike self in the painting, she nearly boiled with rage.

"What on earth are you still dissatisfied with? She looks more like me than I do!"

The man's expression didn't change with the model's outburst, maintaining a casual smile:

"Let's change the pose, start again."

"I am willing to pay Miss Ya five times the reward."

The model clicked her tongue, if not for the man offering such high remuneration that she couldn't refuse, she wouldn't want to serve these maniacs in the family. She had long heard that the wealthy often had peculiar hobbies.

The man in front of her, named Purier, was, in her impression, a maniac with too much money to spend. Picking her up from the debauchery of Flower Street, signing a confinement contract with her, giving her endless money to spend, he never sought anything from her body, just fancied her physique to create the most perfect portrait.

So she contentedly became the man's exclusive model, using his money to simultaneously date five boyfriends, living a life she had fantasized about countless times.

The man seldom made excessive demands on her and never asked about her keeping five boyfriends. Yet she felt suffocated because his demands for her body management were nearly pathological, strictly devising her daily diet and exercise regimen.

She witnessed once, when she sneaked a small piece of cake, and saw the scene where he raved like a furious lion -- it was the first time she saw this man, who usually treated others with a gentle smile, in a rage. Every time she recalls the man's gaze back then, she shivers.

Since then, she always had difficulty raising her head before him, never daring to make any demands on the body management plan.

The model seemed to lament her fate of being controlled, secretly swearing to escape the man's clutches once she had earned this last sum of money. Yes, before leaving, she planned to smack Purier hard across the face, living freely ever after.

Thinking this, the model pursed a sweet smile and posed cooperatively.

Purier painted without emotion, recorded the model's shrewdness, and when yet another flawless surrealistic painting came to be, clusters of green-blue veins crept around his eyes.

...

Seeing Tang Xin's new outfit, Xu Xiaoyou's eyes lit up.

Tang Xin slightly lowered her head, her expression hidden under a hat woven of wheat straw, the straps tracing the delicacy of her shoulders, and the blossoms on the pure white skirt just blooming. The upper corset artfully veiled her naivety, revealing soft lines at her waist.

As she walked toward Xu Xiaoyou, the slightly swaying skirt hem revealed her long calves, stepping in thick-soled lace-up sandals. The overall fresh beachwear style looked as if the summer sprite suddenly emerged on the beach by the sea.

"Does it look good?" Tang Xin asked.

"It suits you well," Xu Xiaoyou nodded.

"Hmm..." Tang Xin's face showed a healthy redness, with her hands behind her back, touching the ground with the tips of her thick-soled shoes.

Amy's gaze darted between the two, her intuition telling her there was something amiss; the two were cuddly when they woke up this morning.

"And me?"

Amy's swimwear was rather daring, a bikini style, unbothered by others' gazes, cradling her swim ring, she blinked and asked.

"Are you here for a vacation?" Xu Xiaoyou said mercilessly.

Amy's face froze: "We are at the seaside, at least play with some sand..."

"You two go ahead, I still have something to do and will be over later," Xu Xiaoyou said, looking at Tang Xin.

"Be careful when it's just the two of you, let me know immediately if anything urgent happens."

Tang Xin nodded: "You too, You."

Amy: "..."

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