Chapter Forty-Five: Just How Many People Know About This?

"What? You actually believe that?" Li Hua's cheerful expression instantly froze, his lips twitching as he looked at Luo Chen in speechless disbelief. Was it possible that someone could fall for such an obviously fabricated rumor?

"Well, you never know. Maybe Yuan Ning actually hired someone to do it. It's not entirely impossible, is it?" Luo Chen replied with an earnest face.

Li Hua stared at Luo Chen's solemn expression, almost ready to believe it himself, but after wrestling with his thoughts for a while, he stuck to his conviction. "Impossible. I won't believe it, no matter what."

Seeing Li Hua's resolute demeanor, Luo Chen realized that most people probably wouldn't buy into his theory either. It seemed he'd have to come up with another plan; he really shouldn't have acted so impulsively back then.

Luo Chen's house wasn't far from the school, so he usually walked rather than took the bus. But today, Yan He and Luo Tianyi had already left ahead of him, so he found himself riding home alone.

After parting ways with Li Hua, who harbored a strange hostility toward him for being a member of the "clean faction," Luo Chen finally made it home.

Click. Pausing briefly at the door, Luo Chen took out his keys, opened the door, and stepped inside.

"Hmm?"

As soon as he entered the living room, he saw dinner already laid out on the table. His sister was propping up her chin and staring at him with a look of disdain.

Seeing the prepared meal, Luo Chen wondered if Yan He had returned.

"Sorry, Luo Chen. I had something to take care of a few days ago and left for a bit. Hope it didn't cause any trouble?" Yan He walked out of the kitchen, set down the dish in her hands, and scratched her head apologetically.

Luo Chen couldn't help but smile at Yan He's slightly averted gaze, as if she couldn't meet his eyes. It seemed Yan He truly regarded this place as her own home, even apologizing for such a small thing.

But was it really okay for Yan He to visit so often? Luo Chen thought about it; apparently, a certain burly man surnamed Yan hadn’t come looking for trouble over his daughter's frequent visits.

"Aside from Tianyi, nothing much happened. But it's good you're back, Yan He." One only learns to cherish after experiencing loss. Luo Chen hadn’t thought much about it when Yan He was around, but after she left for a day or two, he realized he'd made a foolish mistake. Not to mention, the cost of meals these past few days had been a mystery.

Since Yan He had no issues herself, Luo Chen saw no reason to make a fuss—a maid who didn’t cost anything, and who could cook, fight, and warm the bed... cough, just someone who could cook.

"Is that so?" Yan He's mood lifted seeing Luo Chen's relief. She gave a soft laugh and sat beside Luo Tianyi.

Across from the two girls, Luo Chen ate his dinner absentmindedly, his gaze occasionally drifting over Yan He before returning.

Yan He wore a white shirt with a tall collar split open at the sides, revealing her slightly sunken collarbone. She had on denim shorts, her legs bare from ankles to thighs with no adornment, their slender, smooth lines exposed to Luo Chen's eyes. Around her fair wrist was a black leather wristband, adding an extra touch of allure.

He'd have to remind Yan He to change clothes when going out.

After dinner, Luo Chen suppressed some odd thoughts and retreated to his room.

Sitting quietly before his laptop for some time, Luo Chen finally calmed himself. Exhaling softly, he opened his computer and browsed the web. Everything was as usual on the Stardust Platform; his two works still dominated the top two spots on the popularity chart, though it looked like "Ode to the Millennium Cookbook" might soon overtake them. He had to admit, this world was full of food enthusiasts.

Just look at the so-called Gourmet Street and the Chinese Pavilion—always crowded, never a moment of peace.

As for spots four through ten, they were mainly filled with the bizarre works of Wang Lang and Zhuge Liang. Luo Chen clicked on a couple at random and found that there really were many talented people in this world; all the amusing plotlines from his previous life had been dug out and recreated, leaving nothing behind.

Most of these were typical parody videos, mainly mocking the two characters, showing bromance or romance, many of them without any limits. The audience must have grown tired of them by now.

Luo Chen recalled his conversation with Li Hua on the bus.

Dirty faction and clean faction, huh?

He moistened his dry lips; it was time to change how these fans saw him.

After searching his mind for a while, Luo Chen decided on the video he would make.

"Chancellor & Minister—Virtue Masked as Vice!" This was one of the iconic works from his previous life, a masterpiece that echoed throughout the realm. As the saying goes, parody isn’t frightening—what’s frightening is cultured parody. "Virtue Masked as Vice" was a prime example, the most cultured of all the Three Kingdoms parody videos Luo Chen had seen.

After sorting out his ideas and plot, Luo Chen began his production.

After today, in the eyes of his fans, he would no longer be just the "Hehehe" dirty demon king, but a learned, cultured... little angel.

...

While Luo Chen was working hard to reinvent his reputation, in another room, Luo Tianyi was humming a tune, sprawled out on her soft little bed, legs bent and swinging unconsciously, her hands holding a phone as she read comics stored inside with great interest.

"Tianyi, Stardust Platform sent a contract notice. Should we accept?" At the computer desk, Yan He had stumbled upon a message from the platform's administrator and turned to ask.

"Hmm... let's talk about it later." Luo Tianyi’s eyes stayed glued to her phone screen, lips pursed as she mumbled, not really answering.

Yan He frowned at Luo Tianyi's absorbed expression and quietly walked over.

Looking at the comic on Tianyi’s phone—featuring herself and Luo Chen—Yan He’s forehead twitched. She gave the foodie a hard knock on the head and snatched away the phone.

"Ouch... that hurts." Luo Tianyi, caught off guard, hadn’t even reacted before her spiritual sustenance was taken by Yan He. She could only look at Yan He with tearful pleading.

Yan He, seeing Tianyi trying to get away with it, glared fiercely at her, then, blushing, began deleting all the images stored in the phone one by one.

Could it be that even Tianyi knew? Ah, that damned Dai Xin Hua deserved to die a thousand times!

Yan He felt she absolutely had to teach a certain reckless artist a lesson. Just how many people knew about this?

Thanks to the book friends "Hearing Loneliness Spread," "Senluo Yeke," for the 500 Qidian coins, and "Guarding Your Smile" for 100 Qidian coins. Flowers to you all.