章 5: 5. Xu Wei

Lu Chen shuddered involuntarily as he heard He Suyan's sultry voice, filled with an enticing allure. If he hadn't already seen her face, just by hearing that voice, he might have imagined her as a celestial beauty. But now, the sound only made him uncomfortable.

Seeing the look of distress in He Suyan's eyes, Lu Chen sighed deeply and muttered, "What kind of bad luck have I run into?"

Hearing his words, He Suyan's lips curled slightly, and a warm light flickered in her eyes.

As Lu Chen walked with He Suyan towards the school, a newspaper fluttered through the air, landing right at Lu Chen's feet.

Bold headlines immediately caught his eye: "Superstar He Suyan Mysteriously Disappears?"

Below the headline was a photo of breathtaking beauty.

Lu Chen couldn't help but glance at He Suyan, who was holding onto his arm.

He Suyan stared blankly at the newspaper, her gaze fixated on the photo of her former self, tears welling up in her eyes.

Feeling a pang in his heart, Lu Chen blurted out, "Suyan, don't worry. I'll find a way to heal your burns."

He Suyan snapped out of her daze and smiled faintly, "You silly, you don't need to comfort me. I've already given up hope. Perhaps being disfigured isn't such a bad thing after all."

Lu Chen was taken aback by her words, unable to understand her reasoning. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, 'A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.'

But his mind was already racing, trying to recall if his Lu family had any pills that could treat burns.

He Suyan gazed at Lu Chen intently, feeling for the first time that fate hadn't entirely abandoned her. At least it had allowed her to meet this silly man who didn't despise her for her ugliness.

"Oh! Little husband, is this where you live? A one-bedroom apartment—did you buy it?"

Lu Chen mentally blocked out He Suyan's nickname for him and threw his luggage onto the living room sofa. "Unlike you, a wealthy lady, I can't afford to buy. This place is rented. Luckily, the rent is paid for a year, or else we'd have nowhere to stay."

He Suyan knew that Lu Chen's entire fortune amounted to a mere thousand yuan, aside from the large ancestral property in his hometown, which he couldn't sell. That made him nearly a pauper.

"It's a pity all my identification documents were burned. Otherwise, I could have supported you with a few hundred thousand yuan."

Lu Chen took two bottles of soda from the fridge, handing one to He Suyan. "I was planning to get some money out of you, but who knew that this big superstar would be so stingy!"

He Suyan chuckled. "Well, you could always marry me. My dowry is worth billions!"

Lu Chen, peeling off his jacket and heading to the bathroom, replied, "No thanks. I'll stick to being poor."

He Suyan watched as Lu Chen walked into the bathroom and sat lightly on the sofa, a warm feeling rising within her.

Thinking of her now disfigured face and the people who had suddenly changed their attitude towards her, He Suyan deeply appreciated Lu Chen's genuine nature. At least he hadn't been repulsed by her appearance.

As He Suyan was lost in thought, she heard Lu Chen call out from the bathroom, "Suyan, could you bring me some clothes? I forgot to grab them!"

He Suyan responded with a light hum.

Lu Chen quickly shut the door after taking his underwear from He Suyan's smooth, delicate hands. He could still hear her silvery giggle as he did so.

After changing into fresh clothes and stepping out of the bathroom, he noticed that He Suyan was no longer in the living room.

Listening carefully, Lu Chen realized where she was and walked into the bedroom. He found He Suyan tidying up.

Sensing his presence, He Suyan smiled and said, "I'll stay in this room. It's pretty clean; not bad!"

Lu Chen smiled back but suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Suyan, it's best if you don't take a bath."

Just as He Suyan was about to grab some clothes to go bathe, she asked, "Why not? I haven't showered in days. You can even smell me!"

Lu Chen silently chuckled. All he could smell was her faint body fragrance, but he remained serious. "Because your burns have just scabbed over. If they get wet, it could cause problems."

He Suyan's lively eyes dulled slightly at the mention of her burns, but she forced a smile and said, "Well, at least you'll save on water and electricity. That should make you happy!"

Seeing the sadness behind her smile, Lu Chen felt a pang of guilt and said, "Sister Xuan, I need to head to school for a bit. I'll buy some things when I get back."

———

After heading into the campus, Lu Chen went to his advisor to check in. Although it was his senior year, and skipping class wasn't a big deal, Lu Chen was a diligent student who followed school rules to the letter.

Just as he was leaving his advisor's office, someone called out his name.

Recognizing the voice, Lu Chen smiled and turned around, seeing a trendy-looking young man running breathlessly towards him.

"Xu Wei, are you seriously out of breath already? What have you been up to?"

The young man who approached was Xu Wei, one of Lu Chen's better friends. Xu Wei's father was a real estate tycoon, so money was never an issue for him. As for Xu Wei himself, he was the quintessential rich playboy.

However, Lu Chen wouldn't have bothered with Xu Wei if he had been one of those typical arrogant second-generation rich kids who threw their weight around. At least, in Lu Chen's eyes, Xu Wei was a loyal friend who never mistreated women, despite his frequent girlfriend changes, always relying on money rather than coercion.

Xu Wei, seeing Lu Chen, lit up as if he had found a savior. He sheepishly grinned at Lu Chen's comment and said, "Chen, you know my habits. I've been seeing this girl recently, and you wouldn't believe…"

Before Xu Wei could boast about his latest conquest, Lu Chen interrupted, "Alright, enough. What do you need?"

Xu Wei's face flushed slightly, embarrassed. "Chen, do you still have any Vigorous Pills?"

Lu Chen gave Xu Wei a once-over and said, "Didn't I give you fifty pills last month? You can't have used them all already!"

Xu Wei chuckled, "Well, your Vigorous Pills are just too good. They help with endurance and don't harm the body. A few of my buddies took quite a few from me, so…"

Lu Chen could only shake his head and laugh. "Even with the Vigorous Pills boosting your yang energy and nourishing your kidneys, if you keep overdoing it, even the best pills won't save you. If you want to live a long life, you should stop wasting all your energy on women!"

Xu Wei grinned wickedly, his gaze lingering on a passing girl's long legs before returning to Lu Chen. "Chen, not to sound critical, but you're still a virgin in your senior year, despite being so fit. You have no Idea what you're missing…"

"Alright, alright, enough already. How many do you need this time?"

Grinning, Xu Wei said, "Not too many, just a hundred."

"You think they're candy?" Lu Chen retorted.

————

POWERSTONES!