CH 173

Chapter 173 – Sending a Set of Comics

Mr. Moray sat on the sofa for a while, his fingers never leaving the business magazine. Wei Chen’s interview had made a favorable impression on him. However, if everything today was orchestrated by Wei Chen, then he wouldn’t hold this young man in high regard.

Having capability was one thing, but Mr. Moray preferred straightforward individuals over those who were constantly scheming from the start. While the business world was full of trickery, no one liked being calculated.

Having just given the young painter a business card, if this young man named Wei Chen had been calculating from the beginning, Mr. Moray believed he would receive a call from him soon.

“Daddy!” At this moment, a melodious voice broke Mr. Moray’s contemplation. His daughter, Lena, appeared before him in a black skirt. “Daddy, do I look good like this?” Lena blinked her eyes coquettishly, radiating charm.

Mr. Moray praised, “You look stunning, my dear.”

As a father, he was sensitive. He quickly sensed Lena’s cheerful mood and asked, “My dear, have you found your Prince Charming?”

Originally, it was just a casual question, but Lena nodded firmly. “Yes, Daddy, I found my Prince Charming who left me last year.” With exquisite makeup and sparkling brown eyes, she appeared radiant.

“Is that so?” Mr. Moray was somewhat surprised. “You mean the Chinese guy named Tree?”

“Yes, I met him yesterday. It must be God answering my prayers, bringing my Prince Charming back to me.” Lena held her hands with a devoted expression.

“Since you’ve found your Prince Charming again, don’t let him slip away,” Mr. Moray smiled, his eyes showing fondness. According to Lena, she and her Prince Charming were deeply in love, but last year, due to certain circumstances, her Prince Charming had returned to China.

Mr. Moray had thought that after the contact was severed between Lena and Tree, their relationship wouldn’t progress further. However, now it seemed that fate was determined to bring them together again, allowing Lena to encounter her Prince Charming once more.

“Daddy, you see, even God pities me. Can I stay in China a few more days? Until I can bring my Prince Charming back to the US with me?” Lena batted her eyes, her lips pursed with vibrant red lipstick.

“Alright.” As a doting father, Mr. Moray readily agreed, “But you must stay safe. Daddy will be in the US, waiting for your good news.”

Lena hugged Mr. Moray’s neck and planted fiery red lips on his cheek. “Daddy, then I’ll head out first.”

“Go ahead, go ahead.” Mr. Moray waved his hand, letting Lena leave. There’s a saying in China, “A grown woman should leave,” and it indeed seemed true.

Mr. Moray’s initially somewhat gloomy mood lifted considerably due to this affectionate disturbance. When he glanced at the business magazine on the coffee table, he couldn’t help but give a disdainful snort.

*

Unaware that his actions had left a negative impression on Mr. Moray due to various coincidences, Wei Chen was currently leisurely strolling through the ancient town with Chen Li. The picturesque scenery, with its small bridges and flowing water, was truly delightful.

Of course, with Chen Li around, Wei Chen’s ideal travel itinerary naturally followed the distribution of culinary delights. Chen Li was increasingly fond of food. Whenever food was mentioned, his eyes would light up.

As long as Chen Li didn’t overeat and upset his stomach, Wei Chen allowed him to indulge. He didn’t intentionally control or supervise Chen Li. Chen Li also knew his limits. Once he felt full, he would stop.

It seemed Chen Li had a constitution that prevented him from gaining weight. Despite his increased appetite, he still maintained his slender appearance. Coupled with his big eyes, those who didn’t know him might mistake him for a seventeen or eighteen-year-old teenager.

Wei Chen wasn’t as obsessed with food. However, throughout the journey, not only did Chen Li eat, but he also made Wei Chen eat. Wei Chen wouldn’t refuse Chen Li’s requests, so when the two of them returned to the hotel after touring the ancient town, they didn’t need to have dinner since they had already eaten outside.

Upon returning, they didn’t take a car but walked back. With their stomachs properly settled, they didn’t linger in the lobby, heading straight for the elevator to return to their room.

However, as Chen Li and Wei Chen reached their room’s doorstep, a girl was waiting for them. She appeared somewhat anxious, holding a gift bag in her hand. She paced back and forth nervously, and as the elevator opened, she instinctively took a step back. Seeing Wei Chen and Chen Li step out of the elevator, she lowered her head, seemingly gathering her courage.

“Um… Classmate Chen Li…” The girl finally gathered enough courage and spoke boldly.

Wei Chen and Chen Li simultaneously halted their steps, looking at the girl.

She had a round face, which might have been flushed due to nervousness. Although she managed to call out to them, she kept her head slightly lowered and avoided making eye contact with either Chen Li or Wei Chen.

Chen Li looked at her and recognized her. She sat not far from him in class. He also remembered that the small character he had seen last time was drawn by her. However, Chen Li didn’t know her name.

Wei Chen raised an eyebrow. This situation felt like someone delivering a love letter. His Li Li was truly exceptional; even love letters were delivered to him.

This girl was Huang Zhenzhen. She seemed to sense Wei Chen’s unfriendly gaze directed at her, thinking that Mr. Wei might be jealous. She quickly explained, “Mr. Wei, you… you’ve misunderstood. I only admire Classmate Chen Li…admiration, nothing else. Please… rest assured.” However, Wei Chen’s overwhelming presence and authority left Huang Zhenzhen stumbling over her words.

Taking a deep breath, Huang Zhenzhen calmed her excited emotions and continued, “Today, I’m here to give a gift to Classmate Chen Li. I want to thank him because his work ‘Light’ gave me the courage to pursue my dreams. Now my first set of comics has been published. I want to give this set of comics to Classmate Chen Li. Maybe this gift isn’t very valuable, but for me, it holds great significance. I hope Classmate Chen Li won’t reject it.” Huang Zhenzhen’s voice trembled as she spoke, and she choked up.

She didn’t want to cry. No one wanted to make a fool of themselves in front of their idol. But she couldn’t help it. Pursuing her dream had been difficult, and without that piece of ‘Light’, she might have drifted along, living a life she didn’t want.

With these thoughts in mind, Huang Zhenzhen ended up crying in front of Chen Li, suppressed emotions pouring out.

At that moment, a tissue appeared in front of her. She looked up through teary eyes and saw Chen Li’s slightly blurry face. Choking back tears, she said, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I didn’t want to cry.”

Chen Li didn’t speak; he couldn’t understand Huang Zhenzhen’s feelings, but he knew the pain of persistence.

Huang Zhenzhen tearfully accepted the tissue from Chen Li, trying to suppress her emotions as much as possible.

Chen Li took the gift bag from Huang Zhenzhen’s hand, hesitating for a moment before remembering to say thank you. So, he said to Huang Zhenzhen, “Thank you.”

This thank you shattered all of Huang Zhenzhen’s suppressed emotions. She didn’t want her idol to see her in a miserable state. She turned around, pressed the elevator button, and waited for the elevator while sobbing.

The elevator seemed to understand her feelings; it arrived quickly. The doors had only half-opened when Huang Zhenzhen rushed inside.

As the elevator doors closed, Huang Zhenzhen couldn’t hold back any longer. She crouched on the ground, holding her face in her hands and crying. She even hesitated to use the tissue that Chen Li had given her.

During this time, someone entered the elevator. Seeing Huang Zhenzhen crying so intensely, they wanted to ask what had happened, but considering they were male, they hesitated to approach.

When the elevator reached Huang Zhenzhen’s floor at the hotel, she returned to her room still crying. She had rushed out so quickly and nervously that she forgot to bring her room key. She could only knock on the door.

Her roommate quickly opened the door. Seeing her disheveled appearance, she was startled and quickly helped Huang Zhenzhen inside. She immediately asked, “Zhenzhen, who bullied you? I’m going to find the class advisor right now! If it’s serious, I’ll call the police.”

Huang Zhenzhen quickly shook her head and stammered, “No… it’s… I’m just… too… wuwuwu… too happy…”

“Happy?” Her roommate was puzzled. What could make her usually cheerful friend so happy, to the point of being like this?

Someone spoke, and Huang Zhenzhen finally calmed down. After washing her face in the bathroom, she came out with red eyes, smiling.

“Ah, do you know? Classmate Chen Li thanked me!!!” Huang Zhenzhen exclaimed in joy, throwing herself onto the bed and burying her face in a pillow. Just thinking about it now made her excited all over again.

“Is that so? Is it worth being this happy about?” Her roommate knew Huang Zhenzhen was a fan of Chen Li, but to be so ecstatic over just a thank you from Chen Li, it was hard to understand.

“Yes, and he even accepted the gift I gave him!” Huang Zhenzhen flipped over on the bed, sitting cross-legged.

“What gift? I didn’t see you prepare anything.” Her roommate was confused.

“It’s a complete set of comics I’ve published.” Huang Zhenzhen clenched her fist. Even now, thinking about it made her excited to the point of tears. Her hands were still trembling, and she was even sweating!

“Huang Zhenzhen!” When her roommate heard that Huang Zhenzhen had given Chen Li a set of her published comics, she was shocked. “You… you gave your… comics to Classmate Chen Li?”

“What’s wrong? Is it not okay? It’s thanks to Classmate Chen Li that I held onto my dream. So when I took a step towards my dream, I gave him the very first set of comics that meant a lot to me. What’s wrong with that?” Huang Zhenzhen felt that what she had given was super meaningful. She didn’t understand why her roommate was questioning it.

Her roommate rolled her eyes dramatically. “What’s the content of your comics? Is it about same-sex relationships? Of course, I’m not discriminating against same-sex relationships, but Classmate Chen Li’s values haven’t fully formed yet. If you give him this kind of comic, what if it affects his sexual orientation?”

Huang Zhenzhen knew her roommate cared about Chen Li too, so she said that. Huang Zhenzhen had also considered this issue, but ever since she found out that Chen Li and Mr. Wei were in a romantic relationship, this wasn’t a problem anymore, because Chen Li himself was homosexual.

Seeing Huang Zhenzhen’s indifferent expression, her roommate really wanted to give her a slap. “And… and in your comics, you describe the driving scene so vividly. Aren’t you corrupting our pure Chen Li with these scenes?” This was the main point!

Corrupting? That day, when she saw Chen Li and Mr. Wei passionately… Her depiction of the driving (smex) scene in her comics was probably just a bicycle to Chen Li, right?

Huang Zhenzhen wondered.