Chapter 28: It All Begins With Pretending

Being able to get the money back was already a pleasant surprise, and Xiao Ma was overjoyed. The family matters were growing more complicated by the day. No matter how bold he was, he couldn’t risk going back to pull money again in the short term—there was a real chance he’d get trapped, with nowhere even to call the police.

As an underdog, Xiao Ma suddenly found himself wealthy again. His spirits lifted; just having over a million in hand felt wonderful, even if he didn’t spend a cent of it.

In his happiness, Xiao Ma’s anger dissipated. He no longer cared about what had happened with Feng Chenchen, and he smiled innocently, “Thank you. It’s late, and you still brought this to me.”

Feng Chenchen was momentarily stunned, staring at him in surprise.

She enjoyed stirring things up among the old foxes, but precisely because she was that kind of person, with those experiences, she could best judge everyone’s true worth. Xiao Ma was certainly a rookie, but his smile was the most genuine she’d seen in five years—it touched her.

She wouldn’t call it moving, but with her experience, seeing such a sincere smile, she couldn’t help but start to like this naive young man a little.

While she was lost in thought, Xiao Ma furtively glanced at her figure, his gaze both eager and hesitant.

A chuckle escaped Feng Chenchen—she couldn’t help but laugh.

She cleared her throat and said, “Sorry, my temper was a bit much before and caused a lot of misunderstandings. I came not only to deliver something for Young Master Jiang but also to sincerely apologize. You can’t judge someone entirely by one mistake. At least give me a chance to make things right.”

“Well, since you’ve apologized, let’s just let the past be past. Honestly, I wasn’t thinking much about it anyway,” Xiao Ma replied with a sheepish grin.

Feng Chenchen grew increasingly interested in this naive young man. If someone else—like Zhan Yunfei or Jiang Yaowen—had said that, it would have sounded better but would’ve been just empty talk. Yet, for some strange reason, she felt certain Xiao Ma meant it.

Among all the schemers, Ye Gongmin was already a breath of fresh air; aside from his little penchant for showing off, he was genuinely a good person. That was why she’d chosen him as her boyfriend over others.

Only, he couldn’t restrain himself and got tangled in a certain circle, leading to a host of other troubles.

Having finished her musings, Feng Chenchen sensed the atmosphere had grown a little awkward—Xiao Ma was socially awkward and shy.

She had no intention of leaving, so she sat down on Xiao Ma’s bed and deliberately struck up a conversation, “By the way, what game were you playing just now?”

Then, with a mysterious smile, she pretended to compose herself, adjusting her expensive skirt and crossing her legs in the most elegant way. The pose was both soft and dignified, avoiding any accidental exposure while the angle of her bend was calculated to perfection.

As a top-tier model, no one understood the aesthetics of the body better than Feng Chenchen. The way she crossed her legs and the precise curve she achieved—it was an art. Once you found that sweet spot, the allure of your whole presence would increase dramatically. This wasn’t just about feminine curves, but about showcasing the beauty of long legs to the fullest.

And above all, this technique was best when bare-legged, provided your skin was flawless.

For men with a thing for legs, this was the ultimate weapon. This was Feng Chenchen’s expertise and secret.

Xiao Ma was stunned. He couldn’t recall ever seeing a woman’s legs look this good—truly remarkable.

Strangely, under normal circumstances, in terms of pure attraction, Feng Chenchen and Ni Feihong would be on par—just different styles. Yet now, in that instant, it was as if she had transformed entirely.

Feng Chenchen licked her lips and smiled, “What are you thinking?”

“You… it’s like you suddenly became a different person just now,” Xiao Ma said honestly.

Feng Chenchen paused, then laughed, “Interesting. To put it systematically, this is the art of body language. There’s a lot to it. Seems you have some talent after all. No wonder Mr. Zhou always thinks so highly of you and put you on the cover.”

Xiao Ma asked curiously, “How exactly does it work?”

Feng Chenchen’s eyes narrowed with a knowing smile. “It’s a bit complex, but with talent, not too hard—you just need to invest the time. Basically, it involves watching a lot, then imitating, then finding your own feeling in the process. It’s hard to explain in detail. If you’re observant in life, you’ll notice: when it comes to, say, dancing, some people have great figures and put in a lot of effort, but something’s just missing. Meanwhile, I have a friend—a woman—who’s a bit on the plump side, even fat. Next time, I’ll take you to see her dance. She’s casual, not trying hard at all, but the moment she moves, even just tilting her neck, you can sense the energy flowing through her whole body.”

Xiao Ma was quietly in awe, even if he didn’t fully grasp it.

Feng Chenchen explained with clear presence, “If I borrow Mr. Zhou’s words, it’s like the difference between an elementary schooler and Lu Xun. They use similar words and sentence structures, but somehow, it’s just not the same—one has soul, the other is all form without spirit.”

“Alright, I’d like to study this with you in depth.”

Now, Xiao Ma believed his key to survival was “acting”—being able to carry himself with a certain presence, even without resorting to the demon lord’s resentment, to intimidate others when needed.

Feng Chenchen was flattered and delighted. She hadn’t expected this naive young man to be so easy to get along with; maybe she could even become his teacher.

“Of course, of course. If you want to learn, I’ll give you anything you need,” she said, her tone full of implication.

So would I—

Xiao Ma, invigorated, asked, “Where should I start?”

“Everything starts with acting,” she replied, adopting the manner of an experienced guide. She took out her MacBook from her bag and opened it. “I’ll send you some videos—these are specially edited by me. Over nine hundred hours total, a collection of film clips, press conferences, fashion shows, all sorts of occasions, capturing the essence of iconic figures in both deliberate and natural moments. It covers all kinds of modes and features. Watch them first. Once you understand why those moments are classic, analyze them in reverse, try to combine your own ideas, and then start to imitate them.”

Xiao Ma nearly fainted—over nine hundred hours.

But then he realized, that’s how learning any skill begins.

No one succeeds easily; even faking it takes sweat and effort.

Once again, the atmosphere grew awkward. Xiao Ma, nervous and fidgety, felt his body instinctively wanted to get rid of this woman.

But as a homebody loser, he didn’t actually mind Feng Chenchen’s company—in fact, he couldn’t call it lecherous; truthfully, no nerd would object to a woman like her. She was definitely more fun than any game, unless she was a terrorist. No matter how bad she might be, every nerd would still want to know what color underwear she wore.

So now, Xiao Ma’s thoughts were in a tangled, awkward mess—he wanted her to stay and talk, but it was getting late, and he felt embarrassed to say so. He was even more afraid she’d use the time as an excuse to leave.

Feng Chenchen had no idea what was on his mind. Actually, she very much wanted to stay and see what would happen.

But she was too embarrassed to lower herself, too shy to be too direct—she needed some kind of opening.

So she said, “If you really want to learn and don’t mind the trouble, I can help you… why not stay at my place? That way, we’ll have more time to learn from each other and get to know one another.”

Xiao Ma thought she was just being polite and didn’t know how to respond, so he put on an act and said nothing at all.

This drove Feng Chenchen a little crazy. She could read the minds of countless nerdy men, but this eccentric guy’s thoughts were mysterious and elusive. After all, she’d never imagined having to revolve around a techie, so she’d never studied their behavior or psychology.

The awkwardness only deepened.

Now and then, Xiao Ma got up and paced around, edging toward the window. He was just looking for something to do, but when he glanced down, he nearly jumped in shock—damn, there was Ni Feihong, bold as ever, pounding on the door downstairs.

Given this body’s instinctive aversion to Ni Feihong, Xiao Ma panicked and leapt up. “Oh no! Ni Feihong’s here—she’ll barge in without hesitation. That crazy woman has no concept of manners. You need to avoid suspicion—hide under the bed. She can’t see you here.”

Feng Chenchen was momentarily dizzy, finding his behavior quite devious. Was he playing both sides?

Still, she was the one woman who truly understood the wickedness of men’s minds, so she dared not go against his wishes.

But she still needed to preserve a little dignity, so she put on a slightly aggrieved and troubled expression and said, “You’re right—Miss Ni is furious with me. I’m not saying I have to rely on her for a living, but having things so tense isn’t good for my career or reputation. Brother Ma, you have to help—think of a way to ease things between us.”