Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Spouse of the Disabled Beauty - Chapter 17

A whistle sounded as the red Ferrari sped out, quickly disappearing beyond the gates of the Song family villa.

Xu Luo leaned against the third-floor window sill, watching the sports car which looked noble and arrogant even from the rear drive away. Only when the sound of the engine could no longer be heard did she speak leisurely: “Did Zhou Miao drive faster today than yesterday?”

The Ferrari belonged to Zhou Miao. Every day, she would ride her beloved mount to the Song family villa. Today was the earliest she had left in several days, and also the fastest.

Song Yunran had just finished changing her clothes and was unhurriedly fastening the buttons on her collar. Hearing this, she replied, “Perhaps she has things to attend to.”

Xu Luo agreed. After all, Zhou Miao hadn’t done any work for several days, clinging to the Song villa every day; she surely had some important matters piled up to handle.

Xu Luo withdrew her gaze from the window and turned back. She looked at Song Yunran for a few seconds and noticed that Song Yunran’s hair was still wet. She reminded her, “Your hair needs to be blown dry.”

Song Yunran fastened the very last button on her shirt collar and said with a smile, “Then Luo Luo, help me get the hair dryer.”

Xu Luo went to get it. When she returned and handed it to Song Yunran, she noticed a bruise on the hand Song Yunran stretched out to take the dryer. It was likely from hitting the bottom of the pool when she fell into the water. Stunned, Xu Luo blurted out, “I’ll dry it for you.”

Song Yunran didn’t say a word. She retracted her hand and tilted her head toward Xu Luo.

Xu Luo: “…”

Ugh, her habit of pitying the weak was acting up again.

After grumbling to herself for a moment, she resigned herself to serving the people.

The day after Zhou Miao left Song Yunran’s house midway through, she did not return. Xu Luo swam two laps in the pool alone, but lacking interest, she went back to lie paralyzed under the sun umbrella.

She felt a bit listless. This was definitely not because the house had become quiet without that fellow Zhou Miao, nor was it because today’s watermelon wasn’t sweet enough. Rather, it was a weariness from within that swept through her entire body, making every cell in her protest.

By the time Song Yunran came to call her, she was already half-asleep. Being woken up, she opened her eyes in a daze, her face full of confusion.

She struggled to focus her gaze on Song Yunran’s face and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Song Yunran said, “I’m planning to practice my painting. Luo Luo, come be my model.”

Xu Luo: “…”

Sleepily, she let her eyelids droop and turned over, using the back of her head to answer: She. Would. Not. Do. It.

Song Yunran was not someone easily deterred. She said, “Luo Luo is so heartless. I even brought you cake a few days ago.”

Xu Luo: “…”

She lifted her head slightly, revealing half of her face, speechless: “Song Yunran, are you planning to bring that up for the rest of your life?”

Song Yunran had already used the “cake sentiment” to get her to help with a bath; now she was mentioning it again. It was just one tiny piece of cake…

Song Yunran only smiled a smile that made Xu Luo feel utterly defeated. She sat up, feeling her fatigue recede slightly, stretched, and said, “Alright then.”

Xu Luo eventually agreed to be the model, but she was far from professional. Forget keeping one pose until the end; she couldn’t even last ten minutes. She changed positions countless times midway; if you strung her poses together, they could have made an action movie.

Regarding her constant movement, Song Yunran was indulgent throughout the entire process.

Song Yunran knew how to paint. On the third floor of the villa, there was a specialized studio that belonged to her. Xu Luo had occasionally passed by it, but she had never peeked inside. Thus, this was the first time she saw the true face of this studio.

The studio was quite ordinary, filled with Song Yunran’s past works. At a glance, they were all landscape paintings. However, among the pile of landscapes, one painting stood out as exceptionally different. It was a massive piece placed in the corner of the studio, covered by a thick dust cloth.

It was also the only painting in the studio covered by a dust cloth.

The covering of the dust cloth gave this painting a mysterious aura, as if what lay beneath was not just a painting, but an unknown story.

Xu Luo’s attention was drawn to this painting. After looking at it for a long time, she couldn’t help but ask, “Song Yunran, did you paint that one too? What’s painted on it?”

Song Yunran did not stop her brush; her attention remained on the canvas, but she knew which painting Xu Luo was talking about.

“I don’t know.” Her brush tip moved across the canvas. “Even I don’t know.”

“Huh?”

What did that mean?

“Didn’t you paint it?” Xu Luo asked.

Song Yunran said, “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. I’ve forgotten.”

Xu Luo: “…”

But this painting received such unusual treatment. If it were truly Song Yunran’s work, how could it be so easily forgotten?

Yet Song Yunran’s expression didn’t seem fake. She truly seemed unaware of the painting’s origin.

Xu Luo grew energetic: “Can I go take a look at that painting?”

When she asked this, she thought she wouldn’t be refused, but Song Yunran’s rejection came without any hesitation: “No.”

Xu Luo choked.

Song Yunran stopped her brush, raised her eyes to stare at Xu Luo, and repeated, “You cannot, Luo Luo.”

That painting had always been in her studio, and even she herself had never looked at it. She had passed by it countless times and wanted to reach out to lift the cloth countless times, but a voice seemingly told her from the darkness not to do so.

Xu Luo was still curious. her gaze kept lingering on that painting as if she wanted to stare through the dust cloth. But she didn’t bring up seeing the painting again; it was too impolite to persistently pester someone about something they were unwilling to do.

She just… couldn’t sit still. Her curiosity made it feel as though there were thorns under her backside.

Seeing this, Song Yunran sighed.

She put down her brush and came before Xu Luo. She raised both hands and placed them on Xu Luo’s cheeks, one on the left and one on the right. In an instant, the squirming Xu Luo was “sealed” by these hands and stopped moving.

Feeling the slight coolness from her cheeks, Xu Luo blinked: “What are you doing?”

Song Yunran applied a tiny bit of force, using her palms to gently turn the face toward the window, then held it there.

“Just like this, Luo Luo. Hold this pose and don’t move,” she said softly.

Xu Luo: “…”

So she was being annoyed for moving around…

Xu Luo pouted, unwilling to admit she was an unprofessional model: “I didn’t move.”

Song Yunran followed her lead: “Mm, you didn’t move. It’s just that I have a new requirement.”

Xu Luo said, “You sure have a lot of demands.”

Song Yunran smiled apologetically: “It’s my fault.”

Xu Luo seriously accepted her apology.

Song Yunran almost laughed out loud.

She returned to her position and continued painting. However, Xu Luo was truly not cut out to be a model. Before long, her posture slowly began to warp, and eventually, she made a request: “I’m a little hungry. Can we take a break midway? I’ll go downstairs and have an ice cream.”

Song Yunran: “…”

She sighed: “Luo Luo—”

Xu Luo looked at her with big blinking eyes, her gaze full of anticipation.

Facing such eyes, Song Yunran ultimately couldn’t utter words of reprimand. She went quiet for a moment and sighed, “Then come back early after you finish the ice cream.”

Before she could even finish her sentence, Xu Luo had already stood up from the chair and vanished toward the studio door like she was teleporting.

Her conscience wasn’t completely dead; she still remembered Song Yunran.

“Do you want to eat ice cream? I’ll bring one for you.” She still remembered to ask if Song Yunran had any ice cream needs.

Song Yunran declined politely: “It’s fine as long as Luo Luo eats well.”

As the words fell, Xu Luo hummed an out-of-tune tune and ran off in a flash.

Song Yunran: “…”

When Xu Luo left, Song Yunran looked toward the corner of the studio, her gaze quietly falling on the massive painting.

The dust cloth had piqued Xu Luo’s curiosity, and it had piqued Song Yunran’s as well, but she just watched it—from this distance that was neither too near nor too far quietly watching it, just as she always had.

She couldn’t remember the first time she saw this painting. It seemed to have always been there, silently waiting for her to uncover it.

But Song Yunran had never done so, and this time was no different. After looking at it, she withdrew her gaze.

She picked up her brush and painted.

Her model had run away, but the memory of the model seemed to remain in her heart. She remembered the other’s features, her figure, and the curve of her lips when she smiled.

She didn’t often paint human figures, but she did not find it stagnant to do so.

The sound of footsteps came from behind her. Song Yunran did not look up, only saying, “Just put it on the table.”

Mother Fu, who had come in carrying tea, did as she was told. Soon, an additional scent of tea filled the studio.

Mother Fu saw the person on the canvas. She did not leave, standing aside for quite a while.

“I don’t understand,” Mother Fu spoke up.

“Hmm?” Song Yunran was in a good mood and engaged in conversation. “What does Mother not understand?”

Mother Fu’s eyes were complex: “Miss likes Madam very much.”

Song Yunran crinkled her eyes.

She used a smile to acknowledge those words.

“But not long ago, Miss still deeply distrusted Madam,” Mother Fu said.

The employer she looked after was very suspicious; even she herself was not necessarily trusted by the other.

However, Xu Luo had received special treatment from Song Yunran there was no doubt about that.

But why?

The old woman was puzzled.

Song Yunran’s mood was indeed good. She explained with a smile, “Because Luo Luo is different. She is very kind, soft-hearted, and very good to me.”

Mother Fu still didn’t understand.

Song Yunran saw this. She put the brush into the washing jar and used her finger to peel off the pigment stuck to her index finger.

“Mother, I’ve been reading a book recently. The book says that humans are social animals; a person cannot survive alone. For a normal human, needing people and being needed by people are both very important.”

“Mother, I just suddenly felt that I can also learn to live like a normal person.”

“Luo Luo came to my side and was extremely good to me. I have never encountered such a good person.”

“So, I am learning to need her, and working hard to make myself needed by her.”

Song Yunran bent over, holding the brush to stir it in the washing jar, then lifted it out. The originally dirty brush had become clean.

She looked up and smiled at the old woman. She said, “Mother, Xu Luo is mine.”

“She came to my side and was chosen by me.”

“So…”

“She is mine.”

She was saying that she had taken an interest in a human, and thus the other was hers.

nothing more, and it had nothing to do with love.

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