Chapter 107: Model

Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Model

"I know you can do it." Deng Yuyuan’s voice was soft but carried clearly to her ears as her hands kept moving. "I just wanted to lend a hand so you can finish packing up faster. It’s getting dark."

The girl with a limp also realized this. With the sky turning dark, she accepted Deng Yuyuan’s goodwill, and they walked home together. It wasn’t until they reached her doorstep that the girl finally spoke to Deng Yuyuan.

"Don’t come to pick me up anymore," she said. "It’s really unsafe here at night... I have Aunt Zhao looking out for me, so they usually don’t dare touch me. Because you walked with me today, they were a bit wary, but if you walk alone or with your baby, it’s easy for accidents to happen."

"Then you shouldn’t go back this late either. This place is too remote, and there are no pedestrians after dark. If you run into someone with bad intentions, no one will ever find the culprit." With that, Deng Yuyuan walked through the door.

Feeling her neighbor’s concern, the crippled girl’s heart warmed. How could she not know the dangers? But the money she had brought when she left home was nearly gone, spent on medical treatments and rent. If she didn’t find a way to make a living, she would likely starve to death. If she really met with a tragic end, she would just accept it as her bad luck. Her kind neighbor was both beautiful and warm-hearted, and the girl was genuinely worried about her. In this dilapidated place, there would always be people whose soft hearts led to their utter ruin.

***

Meanwhile, Wei Qi looked at Tuantuan, who was sitting on the threshold gnawing on a corn on the cob, and whispered to his mother, "Mom, is Tuantuan fostered at our house now? Does Aunt Deng not care about her anymore?"

Wei’s mother quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. Even though Tuantuan was too far away to hear, she remained highly cautious. "Don’t talk nonsense. Aunt Deng just had something to do and will be back late. Don’t say things like this in front of your little sister, or she’ll be sad."

"Aunt Deng is not a qualified mother," Wei Shu concluded calmly.

Before Wei’s mother could speak, Wei Yin looked up and snapped at him, "Right, right, you’re absolutely right. I’ll go tell Tuantuan right now that you said her mother is unqualified."

Anxious, Wei Shu jumped off his chair to stop Wei Yin, managing to shoot a glance at Tuantuan in the process. "Keep your voice down! Is this something to be proud of?!"

Their grandparents stepped in to mediate. "Alright, alright, stop arguing. Tuantuan should be almost done with her corn. Are the steamed meat buns ready? Bring one over for her to eat."

Wei Qi raised his hand. "I want a meat bun too."

Tuantuan still refused to eat dinner at the table today, but she was willing to hold her food and wait for her mother by the door. Under Wei Shu’s protests, the whole family was currently stuck snacking on corn as well.

"Aunt Deng leaving Tuantuan at our house for so long shows her trust in our family. Don’t speak nonsense, you two. If Aunt Deng really takes Tuantuan away early, don’t come crying to me about wanting to find her," Wei’s mother said, having the final say and putting an end to the minor dispute.

It wasn’t until Tuantuan finished eating a meat bun on the threshold that Deng Yuyuan finally returned.

She immediately spotted her pouty little cub in her usual spot. Deng Yuyuan stepped forward, picked Tuantuan up, and kissed her chubby little cheeks before pressing ten coins into the child’s hands.

"Mommy went out to earn money for Tuantuan today. Can Tuantuan forgive Mommy for coming back so late?"

Tuantuan’s tiny hands tightly gripped the ten coins. It was a lot for a baby’s hands to hold, making it quite difficult, but Tuantuan held them securely while affectionately nuzzling her mother’s cheek.

"Okay, then Tuantuan forgives Mommy. Next time, can Mommy take Tuantuan with her? Tuantuan will just watch Mommy from the side. Tuantuan won’t make a mess." Tuantuan’s big, round eyes were brimming with fear and insecurity. In this still-unfamiliar environment, she desperately needed her mother’s presence.

Deng Yuyuan didn’t answer her question. She simply patted Tuantuan’s back and held her as they finished dinner at the table.

The little cub was clearly delighted. Her short legs, resting against her mother’s knees, swung back and forth in excitement. The ten coins were carefully wrapped in a handkerchief and placed right next to her rice bowl.

Tuantuan had already eaten quite a lot today, so Deng Yuyuan shared a bowl of rice with her and simply fed her directly.

After taking a bite, Tuantuan couldn’t resist showing off to Wei Shu, who was beside her. "Brother Xiao Shu, look! This is the money Tuantuan’s mommy gave to Tuantuan."

"Mommy went out today to earn money to raise Tuantuan. It was so hard!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Wei Shu said. "Your mom is really good to you."

"That’s right! Mommy loves, loves, loves Tuantuan so much because Tuantuan is Mommy’s little treasure." Tuantuan really wanted to add, "Mommy would never abandon me!" But being a sensible child, she only said it secretly in her heart.

After dinner, Wei Yin approached Deng Yuyuan to ask her to be a model. Wei Yin was both a painter and a photographer, and Deng Yuyuan had given her a lot of creative inspiration. To seal the deal, she offered a high price of ten yuan per hour.

Hearing this, Deng Yuyuan simply looked at Wei Yin quietly, as if waiting for her to continue.

Wei Yin weighed her words carefully. Her gaze lingered on Deng Yuyuan, attempting to grasp the fleeting core of her inspiration. She paused, then explained further, her eyes eventually lighting up as she spoke.

"Your aura is very unique... It’s a sense of ’detachment’.

"The way you look at everything around you is too quiet, too transparent. There’s none of the usual caution, anxiety, or the bewilderment of being swept up in the current of the times. You stand right here, yet it’s as if you’re standing somewhere much higher—quietly observing, scrutinizing, carrying a sort of... almost compassionate clarity. This creates a subtle ’barrier’ between you and your surroundings. You’re like someone inside a glass display case: visible, but untouchable.

"But paradoxically, your posture and expression hold a very rare candidness—a confident and unapologetic acceptance of your own feminine charm. You don’t deliberately hide your beauty, nor do you feel ashamed or burdened by it, much less use it to trade for things. It’s just there, as natural as breathing, even carrying a hint of nonchalance. This relaxed state of ’possessing but not exploiting’ is incredibly generous and captivating. It makes for a phenomenal creative motif."

Deng Yuyuan showed no panic at being seen through. She only displayed the calm and satisfaction of someone receiving a compliment. "Alright, I accept."

Ten yuan an hour just to sit still was a very lucrative deal.

"We can discuss the exact time," Wei Yin asked. "Shall we start tomorrow?"

"Let’s make it three days from now," Deng Yuyuan replied. "Tuantuan and I might be moving tomorrow."

Wei Yin shifted her gaze toward the playing children. "I heard you’re going to study at Jinghua University. What about Tuantuan? Are you going to foster her at our house?"

Hearing this, Deng Yuyuan didn’t answer immediately. She gently rotated the half-cooled teacup in her hands, her fingertips brushing against the smooth porcelain rim. Then, she lowered her head and let out a very soft chuckle. Her smile slowly blossomed, acting as both an answer and a steady declaration. "No, Tuantuan will go to lectures with me, or stay in the dorms. She’s very well-behaved."

"...I thought you were going to let her and Little Shu develop feelings as childhood sweethearts."