To be completely honest, Su Mo also didn’t know for sure at first what kind of feelings he had for Wu Xiuyuan. Whether he had really fallen in love with him, or if he was just jealous of Mu Jin and habitually wanted to seize the things that belonged to Mu Jin. Wanting to prove that he was better than him in everything, whether it was painting talent or even their own attractive charm.

So he deliberately seduced Wu Xiuyuan. He was very clear about what kind of person Wu Xiuyuan was. For people like him, they really liked a clean and pure looking appearance, but were also unable to resist someone throwing himself into their arms. If the two of them got together, Wu Xiuyuan would definitely . Just as he expected, he was able to easily seduce Wu Xiuyuan, and would also occasionally show some hidden grievances, making him have the idea that he was indebted to him.

But in the process of seducing Wu Xiuyuan, Su Mo himself actually fell in love with him, and also wanted to receive all of his love. So he became more and more unscrupulous. As long as he could rob Wu Xiuyuan away, no matter how excessively he had to behave, he did it.

Su Mo was jealous of Mu Jin’s talent in painting, as well as of the all kinds of ideas and inspirations that would come out from his brain from time to time. It had been a very long time, but he had been suppressing his envy in his heart the entire time, working hard to not show it. But he still couldn’t control himself from imitating Mu Jin’s painting style, and when Mu Jin talked to him about his inspiration, he couldn’t help but first draw out the picture that he could imagine.

He deliberately fanned false public opinions in the school saying that Mu Jin was imitating his style, and secretly inciting other students to pressure the school to have Mu Jin change his style. He knew how hard it was to form one’s own unique style, and he knew that it was even harder to suddenly change a style that had already been formed. But this was a good opportunity for him to surpass Mu Jin, he had to grasp it firmly.

But he never thought that this time forcing Mu Jin to change his style would allow him to develop a new understanding and breakthrough. When he saw that painting, he knew that it would definitely become famous. His inner jealousy was about to erupt, and he came up with the idea that since he did not have Mu Jin’s talent, he would just think of a way to control his talent for his own use.

He couldn’t resist imitating the painting, making it into his own work, and even taking it to the competition. He just never thought that Mu Jin would tear up his painting in front of so many people, not to mention that Wu Xiuyuan would hit him for his own sake. Wu Xiuyuan’s slap made him very happy, and also gave him a very good opportunity.

In order to create such an opportunity, Su Mo had dispatched people to track Mu Jin. But Mu Jin was either painting in his room or painting at school. Since he received scholarships, he didn’t have to go to work, and he did not even go anywhere else.

After being slapped by Wu Xiuyuan, Mu Jin wandered around the streets for a long time, very depressed. He passed by a bar, so he went in and began to drink.

Hearing this news, Su Mo felt that this was a great chance. He let the stalker wait for him to get drunk, secretly give him medicine, and then take him away and take some incriminating photos.

In the previous life, after Mu Jin was drugged, he was taken away by those men and forced to take many indecent pictures, which all landed in the hands of Su Mo. Su Mo used these photos to threaten him to help him paint, and also to help provide him inspiration. Otherwise, he would not only post those photos for the entire school to see, but also publish them online, so that he could never show his face again.

Mu Jin saw the photos and nearly broke down. He couldn’t believe that the person he thought was his best friend would tell someone to do such a thing to him and even take pictures to threaten him. No matter what circumstances these pictures were taken in, no matter whether or not he was the victim, as long as they were made public, the school would expel him. Even if he continued to paint in the future, no one would be willing to buy a painting from someone involved in a serious scandal. Not to mention that he had no evidence to prove that those photographs had been taken when he was unconscious.

Mu Jin was threatened by Su Mo and could only listen to him. Every once in a while he would provide him a pair of paintings. Mu Jin's extreme pain actually allowed his inspiration to explode, and he created a lot of famous paintings. And these works all became the stepping stone for Su Mo to successfully become a well-known painter. And Mu Jin himself just silently painted for Su Mo.

Later, Su Mo showed those photos to Wu Xiuyuan, and Wu Xiuyuan immediately changed his attitude towards Mu Jin. He would humiliate and deride him, and his gaze when looking at Mu Jin would be like he was looking at something dirty.

Mu Jin just silently endured all this, until he could no longer bear it anymore. Even then he still didn’t get to do anything, because when he was soullessly crossing the road, he was killed by a car. Before he died, Mu Jin felt no pain at all, but rather a feeling of long-awaited relief. He only regretted that he had not been able to get revenge on Su Mo and Wu Xiuyuan. He thought, if he could do everything over, he would need to double the revenge toward these two men, and also return to them twice the pain that they had made him suffer.

Mu Jin’s original soul had already left for another world, and Jing Yang was the one who came to get revenge in his place. Jing Yang was reincarnated to that time he had been drugged but before he had been photographed. His physical alertness had allowed him to not be taken away by those people, instead running out of the bar and then meeting with his lover in his life, who saved him.

After getting used to the good days and the pampered life, he was very unaccustomed to such a narrow bed. After understanding everything, he sat up and leaned against the wall, thinking about his next plans.

In this life because he had entered this world, Su Mo had failed in his plan to take those photos, so he would definitely find another opportunity to make a move. Jing Yang was not afraid of not having a chance to retaliate against him. And there was Su Mo and Wu Xiuyuan’s relationship, and the fact that they would often secretly get together. He could also take advantage of that. Since in the past Su Mo used those photos to threaten Mu Jin, then in this life, he would use this way to take care of them.

With a plan in mind, he immediately stood up to pack his things. In fact, he really didn’t have anything to pack. He would basically be fine just taking the suitcase under his bed. As for all of the drawings and paintings in his room, he could just have people bring them away after he settled down.

Su Mo was pouring water in the living room when he saw Jing Yang pulling his suitcase out of his room. He looked at him in shock and asked, “Mu Jin, where are you going?"

“Right now it’s just the two of us, you don’t need to pretend anymore. Do you think that as we are now we can continue to live under the same roof?” Jing Yang crossed his arms and said, “How stupid do you think I am? To continue living here and then let you continue to plagiarize my work."

Su Mo felt that his atmosphere and attitude were very different from usual and suddenly felt a little uncertain and timid. But he soon readjusted and spoke the already thought out words: “I did imitate your painting, I apologize to you, but I only did so because I really wanted to win the prize for the competition. Seeing our friendship for so many years, can you forgive me this time? I promise that there will definitely be no next time."

Su Mo had originally thought that after getting his hands on the photos he would no longer have to keep pretending. He would hold the initiative in his own hands and could do whatever he wanted to do. But that plan fell through, and he felt that he should still pretend to continue this so-called friendship for a while longer until he could catch another flaw. After all, Mu Jin seemed to be cold, but he was actually extremely soft-hearted. As long as he tried to get back into his good graces, he definitely wouldn’t tangle up on it too much.

Jing Yang sneered. “Why should I forgive you this time? Whether or not you and I have a so-called friendship, you can’t be clearer about that, can you?"

“Mu Jin, don’t say that, I sincerely think of you as my friend.” Su Mo looked at Jing Yang with sorrow. “There was really a reason I imitated your painting this time. My grandmother is sick and may…may not live long. I told you before, I was brought up by my grandmother, and she was very good to me. Your painting reminded me of my grandmother taking care of me ever since I was young, so I used your painting in the competition, and after winning the prize I could make her happy. After all, I don’t know whether or not she’ll still be able to see me win a prize next time. You should be able to understand my thoughts, right?"

“What does everything you said have to do with me?” Jing Yang’s expression was cold. “If this is the reason you imitated my work and wouldn’t admit to it, then let me tell you, I do not accept your reasons. My work is my work, why should I let you use it to please your grandmother?"

Su Mo’s expression changed. He never thought that Mu Jin would say this kind of thing. “After your parents died, I also helped you a lot, how could you be so ungrateful?"

“Do tell me, what have you helped me with?” Jing Yang walked closer to him and stared at him. “When you invited me to dinner, have I ever not done the same in return? When I lived in your apartment, did I not pay you rent? Have I ever asked to borrow money from you?"

Su Mo stepped back from Jing Yang and fell back on the sofa. He felt like the person in front of him looked the same as the one he was familiar with, but everything else was completely different. Especially his atmosphere, it actually gave him a sense of oppression, like he was a changed person.

“I, I…” Even though Su Mo always acted like he had helped Mu Jin a lot, upon closer consideration, he seemed to really not have helped him with anything. He really could not think of anything and could only say, “When you were feeling down, I comforted you many times, haven’t I?"

Jing Yang couldn’t help from laugh from that. “Then I really have to thank you. But I still want to tell you that the value of your comfort completely cannot be compared with my painting and simply can’t reach the value of my painting."

“For the other things, I will have someone come over to pick them up when I settle down. I will pay you some extra fees for storage. If you’re not willing and want to directly throw them out, that’s also possible. I will pay for the cost of throwing them out. You don’t need to return the rent for the next few months. Just take it as the reward for comforting me in the past.” Jing Yang finished and then pulled his suitcase away.

Seeing Jing Yang leaving, Su Mo was frozen for quite a while before coming back to his senses. He was very angry about Jing Yang’s aggressive appearance just now, and he rushed to Mu Jin’s room, wanting to destroy all of his drawings and paintings. But in the end he couldn’t do it when he thought that these things might have value in being used later. He had nowhere to vent, so he kicked the wall a few times, but instead hurt his own feet.

Su Mo sat on the ground rubbing his feet while thinking about what he should do.

Jing Yang found a cheap hotel to stay in relatively close to the school. Because he didn’t have much savings, his situation became quite tough. If he fell into a situation where he needed to pinch pennies, that would be too awkward.

Jing Yang waited in his room until it was dark and then prepared to go out. He knew that Su Mo would definitely still send someone to follow him. Su Mo’s family could be considered rich, but it was impossible to ask professionally trained people to follow him. It was all too easy for him to leave the hotel without the followers being aware.

He arrived at the parking lot in his old neighborhood and after seeing Wu Xiuyuan’s car, he walked into the building.

Putting on his beanie, he put his ear close to the door and activated the system to enhance his hearing. He carefully identified the sounds inside the door, and when he heard the sound he wanted to hear, he took out his key and gently opened the door. He avoided making any noise so he definitely wouldn’t bother the two people currently in the thick of passion inside the room.

The door of the bedroom was not closed, light shining out of a gap about four fingers wide. Jing Yang took out his cell phone and started recording.

The two men were in a state of oblivion and completely did not notice that there was someone standing outside the door recording all of their actions.

Jing Yang waited until both men’s faces appeared on the screen before ending the video and putting the phone in his pocket.

He took off his beanie and stuffed it into his pocket, then took a step back and kicked the door open with one foot.

The door slammed into the wall with a bang, and the two people still tangled together in the room were startled. Staring at Jing Yang standing in the door, the two people were completely frozen, not knowing what to do.

Jing Yang didn’t talk, just looking at them with a cold smile.

“Mu, Mu Jin.” Wu Xiuyuan came back to his senses first and pushed away Su Mo, wanting to get out of bed. “Mu Jin, listen to me explain!"

Su Mo was pushed away like that by Wu Xiuyuan and anger and hatred rose in his heart. He pulled the blanket around his waist and bowed his head, not meeting Jing Yang’s gaze.

“Mu Jin…” Wu Xiuyuan went to Jing Yang and tried to grab his hand.

Jing Yang raised his hand and slapped Wu Xiuyuan in the face, giving off a crisp loud sound. This made Wu Xiuyuan and Su Mo frozen again, staring blankly at him.

“This slap is returned to you. Even though we never started, I would like to tell you that it’s all over and we will never have any relationship in the future.” With that, Jing Yang turned around and left.

“Mu Jin! Listen to me…” Wu Xiuyuan chased him to the door before realizing he was completely naked. He hurried back into the room to put on his clothes and pants before continuing to chase him out. But when he rushed outside, Jing Yang was long gone.

Su Mo looked at Wu Xiuyuan’s panicked and hurried appearance, as if he had completely forgotten about his own existence, and was so angry he almost spat blood, hating Mu Jin even more.

Su Mo didn’t know that Jing Yang had already recorded a video of him and Wu Xiuyuan together. He felt that since Mu Jin had already found out, he could simply convince Wu Xiuyuan to stand on his side, and the two people could work together to deal with Mu Jin.

———

[1] - 手到擒來, idiom, means to stretch out a hand and grab it, very easy