Awakened Desire, Bewitchment

Chapter 13: Desire, Temptation. Mo Shaoshang's words left Wen Yicong stunned. For a moment, her mind couldn't process it—what did he mean?

This employer had specifically searched for her phone number, trying to add her on WeChat... and searched three times? No exaggeration, Wen Yicong was so shocked she found it absurd.

Soon, she pulled herself together, suppressed the weird feeling, and explained as naturally as possible: 'My WeChat ID is not my phone number.' With that, she quickly picked up her phone from the table, unlocked it, and opened the add-friend interface on WeChat.

'I'll just add you directly. Is Mr. Mo's WeChat ID the same as his phone number?' Mo Shaoshang nodded. 'Okay,' Wen Yicong responded, sliding through her phone contacts and quickly finding the number that had called her that night at the bar.

She recited a string of digits and then confirmed: 'Is this it?' 'Mm.' Upon hearing that, Wen Yicong immediately copied the number, pasted it into the WeChat search bar, and tapped 'Search.' The internet was fast; almost instantly, a WeChat profile appeared before her eyes.

Wen Yicong glanced at it subconsciously. The profile's nickname was extremely simple—just a capital letter 'M'—and the avatar was a night sky, like thick, undissolvable ink, with only a blue galaxy as decoration.

The overall image looked cold, deep, exuding an unapproachable loneliness. It was... quite fitting for the feeling this employer gave her.

Staring at the night-sky avatar on the screen, Wen Yicong's mind wandered slightly, as if she could feel the endless solitude deep in that night sky. After a moment, she shook her head, moved her fingertip, and tapped the 'Add Friend' option on the screen.

Operation complete. Wen Yicong raised her eyes to look at Mo Shaoshang across the dining table, a professional, gentle smile curving at the corners of her mouth.

She said, 'Mr. Mo, the friend request has been sent. You can approve it later. From now on, regarding Airi's situation, or if you have any questions or suggestions, you can tell me on WeChat—it's indeed more convenient than text messages.' Having said that, she paused for a breath, considering that she might not be able to reply promptly during work, and added, 'Of course, if I don't reply in time, it might be because I'm in class or busy with something else.

Please be patient; I'll reply as soon as I see it after I'm done.' Mo Shaoshang didn't speak immediately. He just lowered his eyes to look at his phone on the table.

The screen lit up, unlocked by a long finger with distinct knuckles, and then he tapped the green social media app icon. Sure enough, a new message appeared in the friend request list.

He opened it. The applicant's nickname came into view: Cheese Sweet Moon. The avatar was a hand-drawn cartoon: a girl with long pink hair, her eyes curved into two cute crescent moons, holding a fluffy little cat in her arms.

The background was dotted with stars, looking lively and warm. Mo Shaoshang raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, his gaze lingering on this cartoon avatar.

Across from him, Wen Yicong saw Mo Shaoshang with his eyelashes lowered, staring at his phone screen with a focused expression, as if examining something. She felt a bit confused and suspicious.

Did it take this long to look at a friend request? While wondering, Wen Yicong also subconsciously looked down at her own phone screen.

That look almost made her choke on her own saliva. Holy crap. She had logged into the wrong WeChat account! Like most diligent working people, Wen Yicong had two WeChat accounts.

One was for work, used to add colleagues, students' parents, and necessary business contacts. This account's avatar and nickname were relatively formal, fitting the social image of a professional rehabilitation teacher.

The other was a purely personal account, her little world to let loose, filled with close friends, family, and schoolmates. The avatar and nickname were naturally much more casual.

And now! She had used this personal account, full of unprofessional and unreliable vibes, to add the employer who had hired her at a high cost as a live-in teacher...

What to do? Would he think she was childish? Or even suspect that her usual professionalism and steadiness were all an act?

Aah! The more Wen Yicong thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt. Her cheeks burned, and she wanted to cry, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

She could only clear her throat, force herself to stay calm, and try to salvage the situation: 'Oh, sorry, Mr. Mo, I used the wrong WeChat account.

I'll switch to my work account and add you again...' But before she could finish, a system message popped up on her phone screen: [M] has accepted your friend request. Wen Yicong: '...' Wen Yicong was silent.

Mo Shaoshang finally raised his eyes, his deep gaze falling on Wen Yicong's slightly stiff face. He said, 'This WeChat avatar is very special.' Hearing this, Wen Yicong became even more embarrassed, the temperature of her cheeks rising.

She couldn't tell if he genuinely thought it was special or was subtly mocking her childishness. She could only cough dryly and force herself to say, 'I drew it casually.

It's not good. Don't laugh at me, Mr. Mo.' Mo Shaoshang didn't look away; he still looked at her calmly and intently, asking, 'Did you draw this yourself?' Wen Yicong nodded, her tone unusually casual: 'Mm.

I studied drawing for a year before. It's a hobby.' 'It seems Teacher Wen has a wide range of interests,' Mo Shaoshang said, his expression unchanged.

Wen Yicong felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. She picked up her spoon, unconsciously stirring the soup in her bowl, and muttered softly in reply, 'You really like complimenting people.

Now I have to say thank you again...' A professional smile curved at her lips. 'Thank you.' Mo Shaoshang quietly watched the girl in front of him, his index finger gently stroking the white porcelain cup.

He didn't speak again. The room fell silent. In the dining room, only the faint clinking of utensils and the occasional meaningless syllables from Airi could be heard. * During the latter part of this dinner, Wen Yicong tried to pull her attention back and continued to guide Airi in learning some basic life skills.

Mo Shaoshang seemed busy. After the meal, he changed clothes and left the Manor House. Wen Yicong accompanied Airi in playing cognitive card games to reinforce what he had learned during the day.

It wasn't until after nine in the evening, when she handed the yawning child over to the life nanny for washing and bedtime, that she finally had some free time. Rubbing her neck, she returned to her room.

After a hot shower, she felt much more comfortable. Wen Yicong lay down on the bed and habitually picked up her phone to scroll.

Suddenly remembering something, she opened WeChat and tapped on the chat window with the night-sky avatar. Staring at the dark image for a while, she blinked, moved her fingertip, and with a hint of curiosity and probing, she poked into the other person's WeChat Moments.

There was no custom background image, no personal signature, no posts. Mo Shaoshang's Moments interface was completely blank, clean to the point of being cold, exuding a sense of detachment that lacked the feel of a living person.

After looking for a while, finding nothing interesting, Wen Yicong casually exited, thinking: What an unfathomable person. * The next evening, the sunset dyed the sky a bright orange-red. While waiting for Airi's music lesson, Wen Yicong had nothing to do, so she took a walk in the Manor House to digest her food.

Passing by the horse track, she noticed an area next to it was fenced off, with several workers inside constructing something. This discovery piqued her curiosity.

She didn't linger long and continued walking. When she reached the vicinity of the greenhouse, she happened to run into the butler, who was directing a gardener in pruning flowers.

'Heng Shu,' Wen Yicong greeted with a smile. Heng Shu stopped his work and returned a warm smile: 'Teacher Wen.' They exchanged a few pleasantries.

Wen Yicong remembered the scene she had seen by the horse track and casually asked, 'By the way, Heng Shu, I saw some construction going on next to the horse track earlier. Are they building some new facility?' Heng Shu maintained a kind smile and explained, 'The pet that Mr.

Mo ordered earlier is expected to arrive from Mexico next month. We're preparing its new home in advance.' 'Pet?' Wen Yicong blinked.

'Is it a horse?' Heng Shu shook his head: 'It's a rose python.' '...' The smile on Wen Yicong's face instantly froze. Rose python?

In a flash, she remembered the Albino Silver Ring named Silvio that she had seen before in Mo Shaoshang's Study Room. Her heart tightened, and it seemed a chill ran down her back.

Wen Yicong hesitated for a moment but couldn't help asking Heng Shu, 'Does Mr. Mo... really like snakes?' Heng Shu's smile didn't fade, and his answer was watertight: 'We don't presume to guess the master's preferences.' Wen Yicong could tell Heng Shu didn't want to say more, so she tactfully stopped asking.

She just curved her lips and said, 'Heng Shu, you're busy. I'll be going now.' 'Goodbye.' Returning to the third floor of the main house, Wen Yicong prepared to rest in her bedroom.

As she passed through the empty, quiet hallway, a faint, ethereal piano sound suddenly reached her ears. The melody was melodious and lingering, carrying an indescribable melancholy and ethereality, exceptionally clear in the silent evening.

Wen Yicong couldn't help but stop and listen. She realized the source of the sound seemed to be... the master bedroom at the end of the hallway?

The seed of curiosity, sown over the past few days, was watered by this piano sound and finally sprouted at this moment. Thump thump, Wen Yicong's heart suddenly raced.

After struggling for several seconds, her strong curiosity overcame her reason. She lightened her steps, like a cat tiptoeing along a roof ridge, and quietly approached the heavy solid-wood door.

Whether by coincidence or misfortune, luck or bad luck, the master bedroom door was not fully closed; there was a gap left. Wen Yicong held her breath, moved closer, and peered through the crack into the room— The room was dark, the heavy curtains drawn tightly, with only a floor lamp in the corner casting a few faint, dim yellow rays, barely outlining the luxurious yet cold interior.

At the center of this dim light and shadow was a black grand piano. A figure sat before the piano. The man wore only a black shirt, the top few buttons casually undone, revealing his elegantly collarbone and a small patch of firm chest.

His eyes were slightly closed, long lashes casting faint shadows under his eyes, his jawline sharp and clear, like meticulously carved cold jade. His ten fingers, with distinct knuckles, moved nimbly over the black and white keys, leaping and flowing like clouds and water.

Suddenly, as the performance reached an intense moment, he shifted his angle, and Wen Yicong's heart tightened sharply. She saw that on the left side of the man's chest, near his heart, there was a winding pure black snake tattoo, lifelike as if it were alive.

It formed an extreme contradiction yet harmonious visual impact with his cold, focused profile immersed in the music. Dangerous, morbid, sensual.

Enchanting. '...' Wen Yicong's eyes widened. The shock from this scene was too intense; she felt her heart racing almost out of control, and her cheeks inexplicably burned.

Afraid of disturbing the person in the room, Wen Yicong dared not look any longer. She immediately covered her heart and tiptoed away.

The light footsteps faded until they disappeared. The piece ended. Mo Shaoshang slowly opened his eyes. He stopped his fingers that had been caressing the keys, turned his head, and looked toward the empty hallway outside the door.

His blue-black eyes reflected a cold light in the darkness. * For the next two days, Jinghai City was shrouded in continuous rain. The sky was gray, and the air in the Manor House was filled with damp moisture.

One afternoon, during a break in Airi's floor-time course, Wen Yicong saw that the rain had stopped and the dark clouds had finally dispersed. She took the child to a sandy area by the artificial lake.

Nature therapy was one of Wen Yicong's commonly used intervention methods. Letting ASD Children come into contact with natural materials like sand and soil helps with their sensory integration and emotional relaxation.

After the rain, two figures—one big, one small—crouched on the ground, using small shovels to dig in the mud. Wen Yicong had a gentle smile on her face, patiently guiding Airi to feel the moisture and granularity of the soil, when she suddenly heard a steady, unhurried footsteps behind her.

They stepped on the wet grass, making a slight rustling sound. She turned around. The newcomer was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, his posture upright.

It was Mo Shaoshang's assistant, Lin Ke. 'Teacher Wen,' Lin Ke smiled. The people in the Manor House shared an indescribable tacit understanding.

The life nanny beside them, seeing this, didn't even need Lin Ke to speak; she proactively stepped forward to take over and continue playing in the sand with Airi. Wen Yicong then stood up, patted the dirt off her hands, and curved her lips.

'Assistant Lin, good afternoon.' 'Sorry to disturb you, Teacher Wen,' Lin Ke said, glancing at the mechanical watch on his wrist. He asked politely, 'Could I borrow about ten minutes of your time?' Wen Yicong was puzzled.

'What's the matter? Is something up?' Lin Ke was concise: 'Mr. Mo wants to see you.' Wen Yicong was curious but didn't ask further.

She nodded and replied, 'Mm.' Soon, the two arrived at the tea room, one after the other. After leading her in, Lin Ke quietly withdrew, and with a reverse hand, gently closed the door behind him.

The room was extremely quiet. The feeling of tension once again crawled like a spiderweb into her heart. Wen Yicong took a deep breath inwardly and raised her eyes.

Inside the tea room, steam rose, and a light fragrance floated. Mo Shaoshang sat at the host seat of a wooden tea table.

The wood of the tea table had a deep, rich color, its grain like a landscape painting, clearly a treasured piece that had weathered years. Unlike Assistant Lin's focused meticulousness last time, Mo Shaoshang's eyelids were slightly lowered, his expression quiet and casual.

He rinsed the cups, warmed them, took the tea, placed it—a series of steps performed with practiced elegance and naturalness, supremely refined. Wen Yicong didn't speak, just stood quietly to the side.

After a while, a cup of tea was gently pushed in front of her, the bottom of the cup touching the saucer without a sound. 'Teacher Wen, please.' Wen Yicong quickly took it with both hands and said politely, 'Thank you, Mr.

Mo.' She took a careful sip; the tea was rich and mellow, with a sweet aftertaste. Mo Shaoshang watched her and cut straight to the point, his tone calm.

'I invited Teacher Wen here today because I want to ask for your help.' Wen Yicong was surprised. She thought for a moment, then put down the teacup and said seriously, 'Please go ahead, Mr.

Mo. As long as it's something I can do, I'll do my best.' Mo Shaoshang said, 'In three days, I have to attend a Dinner Party.' 'Mm.

And then?' 'Could I ask Teacher Wen to do me the honor of being my date?' '...' Huh? Author's note: ---------------------- Mo Mo: Wants to see Baby wear a pretty dress, wants to dance with Baby. ———— Random 100 red packets~