A man who appeared later grabbed her hand and twisted it forcefully behind her back, rendering her immobile.
Mr. Yu, still smiling, said, "Be gentle with Miss Sophie. She used to be a girl from those foreign neighborhoods. It's probably been a while since she last did it, so she's learned to be shy."
Sophie flinched in fear, conditioned by reflex. She didn't understand how this so-called Mr. Yu knew about her past.
Ever since she arrived in Lancheng, besides Susu and her husband, who were her closest friends, no one else should have known these things.
"Let go of me! If you keep this up, I'm calling the police!"
"Calling the police?" Mr. Yu chuckled. "Sure, you can call the police. The moment you do, I'll release these photos."
He then produced several photographs, all depicting a man and a woman embracing.
The woman in the photos was clearly Sophie, and the man was a Black man twice her size.
The Black man held her waist tightly. Anyone looking at them would know what they were doing.
Sophie stared at the photos as if she had seen a ghost, screaming loudly, her entire being on the verge of madness.
She remembered that when she was in that kind of place, she would sometimes encounter clients with a penchant for photography. Even if she refused, there was nothing she could do.
This was also why she never wanted to return to Paris, yet she never expected such shameful photos to surface in Lancheng.
"Scream all you want. Even if this window is open, the wall behind it is soundproof," Mr. Yu said dismissively, glancing at her. He motioned for his subordinate to release her and began setting up the easel.
Sophie quieted down after screaming for a while, her gaze vacant as she looked at the three men in the office.
Seeing her frozen in place, Mr. Yu said, "Do you need me to have them help you undress? What's there to be awkward about? Dedicating yourself to art is better than the things you used to do."
Sophie knew she had no chance to escape. Her phone and bag had already been taken by the man in the hat.
"I'll do it myself," she said, reaching for her clothes' buttons.
Mr. Yu pointed to the spot where the model should stand with his paintbrush. "You don't need to advertise for my gallery. Someone offered a high price for a nude painting of you, and I'm just doing this for the money. As for your personal exhibition, there's no problem, but from now on, you have to listen to me."
Sophie stood under the strongest spotlight like a puppet and asked, "Who paid for it?"
Mr. Yu shook his head. "I can't reveal that. What pose do you want? Lying down, sitting, or standing... I'll have them cooperate with you."
"Whatever," Sophie said, her shame and hatred evident as she shed her clothes.
...
Susu returned home. After having dinner with Tianyi, she noticed it was completely dark outside, but Sophie still hadn't returned.
While she and Tianyi were in the nursery with the children, she kept glancing at the time on her phone.
"What's wrong? You seem distracted," Tianyi said, seeing her lack of focus even while playing with the children.
Susu replied, "Sophie took leave this afternoon to discuss something with a sponsor, but she hasn't returned yet. Could she be in danger? I'm so worried."
Tianyi said dismissively, "Didn't you always hope she'd go out on dates at night and make more friends? She just hasn't come back for dinner. She's an adult, what's there to worry about?"
"That may be true, but tonight is very unusual. No matter how much I tried to persuade her before, she always liked to come home on time..."
Before Susu could finish, she heard Xiaomei's voice from outside, "Miss Sophie, you're back! Have you eaten?"
"I have," Sophie's voice responded.
Susu hurried out of the nursery and saw Sophie changing her shoes as she was about to go to her room. Susu stopped her and asked, "How did your talk with the sponsor go?"
Sophie instinctively shrank back, wanting to keep her distance from Susu. The thought of standing naked like a statue, scrutinized by three men and six pairs of eyes for hours, made her feel utterly ashamed.
She lowered her head, unconsciously fiddling with the hem of her clothes, eager to get back to her room.
Susu assumed the talk hadn't gone well and comforted her, "It's okay if that calligraphy dealer doesn't sponsor you. I can use my private savings to fund your personal exhibition. Don't be so downcast."
Sophie thought with bitter resentment, *Why didn't Susu say this earlier? Then I wouldn't have had to meet Yu Wei.*
*Why is Susu so cruel to me? Why is everyone so cruel to me!*
But no matter how much she hated it, she had to face it. She raised her head, a smile on her face, and said, "I was just teasing you. It went well. I'm going to have a personal fashion exhibition that combines elegance with fine art."
"That's wonderful!" Susu exclaimed, happily taking her hand.
At that moment, Tianyi came out of the nursery holding Tiantian and asked them, "What's making you so happy?"
Susu praised Sophie, "Sophie is so amazing now! She secured sponsorship for her personal exhibition all by herself."
"Congratulations," Tianyi said, looking at Sophie.
Sophie gazed intently at the man who had captivated her. Her heart sank to the bottom, filled with desolation and a sense of utter insignificance. The growing feeling of powerlessness, of him being increasingly out of reach, made her even more jealous and resentful of Susu beside her.
"Thank you both. Without your help, I wouldn't have been reborn," Sophie said gratefully before making a hasty retreat to her room, citing the need to shower and change.
As Susu and Tianyi returned to the nursery to play with the children, Tianyi casually remarked, "Did Sophie really secure the sponsorship? She doesn't seem as happy as you."
"She must be so happy that she doesn't know how to express it," Susu thought. She felt Sophie had no reason to lie about this. If it was secured, it was secured. If not, it didn't matter.
She had already told Sophie that if worse came to worst, she would cover the expenses for the personal exhibition. It would get done somehow.
Hearing Susu say this, Tianyi didn't think about it further.
As soon as Sophie returned to her room, she locked the door and tears poured out like a broken dam.
Clutching one of Tianyi's shirts, she tried to stifle her sobs. *Why must I endure such humiliation, while Susu gets to possess all the good things in this world?*
...
After Sasha hung up the phone, she immediately received a photo of a nude painting.
She looked at the painting with satisfaction, feeling her money had been well spent. As long as she could use Yu Wei to control Sophie, she would have opportunities to deal with Gu Susu.
Xie Qining, holding a wine glass, limped over behind her. He saw Sophie in the painting and became interested, asking, "Who is this woman? She has a decent figure."
Sasha closed the picture on her phone, preventing Xie Qining from seeing more. "This woman is Gu Susu's best friend. I specifically hired someone to threaten her this way to get revenge for you."
"Revenge for me? Who is Gu Susu?" Xie Qining couldn't recall for a moment.
Sasha poked his head, saying impatiently, "You think you can contend with Qin Tianyi and Xiao Anjing! Gu Susu is Qin Tianyi's wife. If you don't even know this, haven't figured it out, how can you get revenge!"