"You..." Lin Feng stared at Tang Tang. She was already breathtaking, but now that she had clearly dressed up for the occasion, he found himself momentarily stunned.
The woman looked like she had walked straight out of a classical painting.
"What? Is there a problem?" Tang Tang looked at Lin Feng with a face full of suspicion. Her pale fingers gripped her phone tightly, the camera lens pointed directly at him, a tiny red dot blinking on the screen.
She was recording.
"You... you wore a cheongsam?" Lin Feng regained his composure and asked hesitantly.
"Well, yeah. Didn't you say this was for Taobao modeling? Of course I'm going to dress the part!" Tang Tang said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Then, as if remembering who she was dealing with, her gaze sharpened, and she stared at him warily.
"Let me tell you right now—I'm recording this whole thing! If you have any 'unprofessional' intentions or try to make me wear anything weird, I'm leaving instantly! If you try to stop me, this video becomes Exhibit A!"
As she spoke, she instinctively reached up with her free hand to clutch the collar of her dress.
In reality, the high-neck Mandarin collar was designed so modestly that it didn't even show her collarbones. There was literally nothing to hide.
"Just come inside and we'll talk."
Lin Feng looked at her gorgeous, classical face. She might as well have written "YOU ARE A CREEP" across her forehead in calligraphy. Her extreme level of alertness was both frustrating and hilarious to him.
He stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter.
"You go in first!" Tang Tang commanded sharply. She took half a step back, refusing to even brush past him in the doorway.
Heh, interesting. This reaction immediately spiked Lin Feng's interest.
The more she played the "pure and untouchable" card, and the higher she built her walls, the more it triggered his primal urge to conquer. Compared to the girls who fell for a few cheap favors, this thorny, difficult-to-catch prey was exactly the kind of challenge Lin Feng lived for.
"Fine, fine, fine." Lin Feng let out a playful chuckle and raised his hands in a mock surrender, leading the way into the apartment.
Tang Tang exhaled a tiny sigh of relief but kept her phone raised, filming the layout of the room as she cautiously stepped inside.
At the entryway, she politely leaned over and slipped off her high heels, revealing a pair of perfectly manicured feet. She stepped onto the cool floor with her bare toes.
Lin Feng closed the door and turned around, sounding a bit exasperated. "Can you turn that thing off now? I told you, we're just taking some photos. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do."
He threw his hands up. "Besides, we live in a society ruled by law. If I actually did something to you, you'd just call the cops and I'd be screwed, right?"
"If you do something bad, the police should catch you, but why should I have to be bullied by you first!?" Tang Tang shot back instantly, backing away a couple of steps to maintain a safe "combat distance."
She backed into the living room and noticed that Lin Feng's phone was already mounted on a high tripod, lens aimed toward the sofa.
In front of the sofa lay a plush, pure white long-pile rug, flanked by several professional-grade fill lights. It actually looked like a legitimate setup—as if this really was today's shooting location.
Seeing the professional equipment, Tang Tang's guard lowered just a fraction.
Strangely enough, since entering the room, she felt an inexplicable sense of calm, causing her tight nerves to relax ever so slightly.
Maybe... I'm overthinking it? she thought. Maybe this Lin Feng guy really just needs a model for some photos?
"Can you put the phone down now?" Lin Feng pointed at her dedicated "supervisor" device. "How long are you going to record? It's going to mess with my shots."
"You take your pictures, I'll record my video. We won't interfere with each other!" Tang Tang remained on high alert, her voice meticulous. "Whatever pose you want, I'll do it."
"Are you sure you want to keep that running?" A wicked smirk suddenly played on Lin Feng's lips, his eyes dancing with mischief.
"If you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid of me recording!" Tang Tang responded righteously, though her cool voice held a hint of tension.
She was clearly flustered, but she was trying her damnest to act like she was in total control. Unfortunately for her, compared to Lin Feng, she was still an amateur.
"I have nothing to hide," Lin Feng said, slowly sauntering toward her and looking down at her from his height. "But some people do have things to hide. Otherwise... why would they show up the second I asked?"
"You... that's a lie!" Lin Feng bringing it up so bluntly shattered Tang Tang's forced composure.
The color drained from her elegant face, leaving her ghost-white. Even the hand holding her phone started to shake uncontrollably.
"I have nothing to hide! Th-that photo was Photoshopped!"
"Oh? Really?" Lin Feng pressed forward, his voice heavy with psychological pressure. "If you really didn't steal that lingerie, you could have just ignored me. If your conscience is clear, you shouldn't be afraid of shadows, right?"
He paused, watching her eyes fill with panic, and enunciated every word: "The fact that you're here proves that what I caught was real. You stole that gear, you're afraid of the word getting out, and you're afraid of the police. That's why you agreed to model for free, isn't it?"
Lin Feng laid the whole thing out in one breath.
"No, that's not it! It's not how he's making it sound!" Tang Tang panicked completely. She instinctively turned the phone camera toward her own pale face, trying to explain herself to the recording.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that in this situation, any explanation would just make her look guiltier. It would basically be a confession of her own insecurity.
But if she didn't explain, Lin Feng would keep the upper hand.
Her mind went blank. In her frantic state, her finger finally hit the "Stop Recording" button.
The moment the screen went dark, she realized she'd been played. He had said that on purpose! He bet his life that she wouldn't dare let that conversation stay on the record.
She realized that if she dared to start the video again, he would just say it all over again, keeping her in a total stalemate.
"You... you're despicable!" Tang Tang looked up, her beautiful phoenix eyes flashing with genuine anger for the first time. She bit her lip, hissing the words through her teeth.
She was a perfectionist who always liked to be prepared. She thought the recording was her shield, only to find the guy had used it against her yet again.
"Alright, enough small talk. Let's get down to business. Time to take some photos."
Lin Feng stopped teasing her and made a "please" gesture toward the sofa.
Tang Tang followed his finger to the coffee table in front of the couch. When she saw what was on it, her entire body froze.
There, neatly arranged on the polished glass table, were several sausages of varying lengths and thicknesses.