Chapter Sixty-Four: Are You the One Imprisoning the Girl?

In the spacious living room, Luo Chen gazed with satisfaction at the computer on the desk. The website he had asked Yan He to build a few days earlier was finally complete and ready for use.

On the homepage of the new site, aside from some empty recommendation slots, there were a variety of sections. Unlike the Stardust Platform’s streamlined five categories, this new site, at Luo Chen’s request, included additional sections for anime, dance, novels, and more. If it was to stand apart from similar sites, it needed to offer what others did not.

Whether in its design or the arrangement of each section, it was nearly flawless. It seemed Yan He truly deserved the reputation of being a jack-of-all-trades, an angel capable of anything.

Noticing Luo Chen’s appreciative gaze, Yan He smiled shyly, brushing her hair with a touch of embarrassment.

Yet, despite how perfect everything seemed, Luo Chen couldn’t help but wonder about the conspicuous registration options on the homepage—members could choose between the “Clean Faction” and the “Dirty Faction.” He was certain he’d never requested such a feature.

“I added that myself, inspired by your popularity on the Stardust Platform. I thought it would give fans a sense of belonging,” Yan He explained nervously, unsure if Luo Chen would approve of her initiative.

A sense of belonging? More like a recipe for conflict, Luo Chen thought wryly. Still, as it was a well-intentioned gesture, he decided not to remove it; perhaps it would serve some purpose.

He clicked through the various sections. Aside from a handful of works by himself and Luo Tianyi in the Music and Parody sections, everything else was empty—the vast site was cold and deserted, waiting for him to build it up.

Though it was only the beginning, Luo Chen was already pleased. As a well-known creator, he knew that with continued promotion in his videos, the site’s popularity would gradually grow.

Ding-dong… ding-dong.

Just as he was about to thank Yan He, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Strange, who could be visiting at this hour?

Luo Chen exchanged glances with the girls in the living room. Seeing that none of them seemed to know, he got up and went to open the door.

Click…

“Huh? Why is it you?”

Luo Chen looked in surprise at the girl outside—it was Le Zheng Ling, the girl in red he’d met last time. Why was she at his home?

“Luo Chen? I never imagined you were this kind of person!”

Outside the door, Le Zheng Ling, a little tense, paused in surprise when she saw Luo Chen, then immediately glared and rebuked him.

With a wave of her hand, several burly men surged toward Luo Chen.

…

Ten minutes later, the girl in red stood awkwardly in the living room, while the men who had accompanied her lay groaning in pain outside the door. If Yan He hadn’t been so restrained, it was doubtful they’d have lasted until the ambulance arrived.

“I’m very sorry, it seems I made a mistake,” Le Zheng Ling said with her head bowed in apology to Luo Chen and the others. She had thought…

“A’Ling, what brings you here?” Dai Xinhua put down her sketchpad and went up to greet her friend. When she’d seen the men trying to force their way in, she’d thought something terrible had happened.

“It’s all your fault!” Le Zheng Ling shot a fierce glare at Dai Xinhua, unhappy. “Do you know Aunt Han even called me yesterday, asking if you were at my place after coming home late, and if you’d been acting strange lately? If I hadn’t covered for you, you’d be in real trouble.”

Early that morning, Le Zheng Ling, full of questions, had planned to interrogate Dai Xinhua about her whereabouts the previous night. But her friend only stammered and tried to send her away, so Le Zheng Ling had secretly followed her. Upon seeing Dai Xinhua enter a stranger’s house alone, she feared her friend was being coerced into something dubious and immediately called in a group of bodyguards—only for them to be easily dealt with.

“I’m sorry, A’Ling.” Seeing the concern in her friend’s eyes, Dai Xinhua threw herself into her arms, nuzzling her and looking up.

“Hmm, just don’t hide things from me next time,” Le Zheng Ling said, after comforting her, then turned apologetically to Luo Chen. When she’d seen Luo Chen open the door, she’d assumed he was holding Dai Xinhua hostage because she’d been drawing comics for him and threatening her to keep silent. But after seeing Yan He, she realized she’d been mistaken—there was no way an angel like Yan He would let anything bad happen.

“But what is really going on here?”

Le Zheng Ling looked around at everyone in the room. If things weren’t as she’d imagined, why had Dai Xinhua been keeping secrets?

Faced with her confusion, Luo Chen gave a wry smile and explained the whole story. He hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, either.

“So, you’re just planning to make Xinhua work for you for free her entire life?” Le Zheng Ling glared at him angrily. Even if her friend had made a mistake, this was going too far.

“Not for life—just until I can find someone to replace her. It’s not as bad as you think.”

Reflecting on it, Luo Chen wondered if he really was being too ruthless. He’d only made a casual suggestion, and hadn’t expected Dai Xinhua to agree without protest. So, it wasn’t entirely his fault.

“Hmph, whatever you say, luring a girl to your home is still wrong. Now we’re even. Xinhua, let’s go.” Seeing Luo Chen start to protest, Le Zheng Ling quickly found an excuse to take her friend away—she wasn’t about to let her suffer here.

“A’Ling, you go on ahead,” Dai Xinhua said, holding her back apologetically.

“Huh… What’s wrong? Don’t tell me he’s not letting you leave?” Le Zheng Ling looked at her friend in confusion, then glared at Luo Chen.

“No, I just want to stay and draw comics,” Dai Xinhua replied. The previous night, Luo Chen had told her all about the backgrounds of the characters to help her depict them better. As an artist, how could she not want to bring such vivid personalities to life with her own hands? That was why she’d kept her promise—otherwise, she would’ve already told Le Zheng Ling everything.

A heartfelt thank you to reader Senluo Ye Ke for the reward of 4,000 Starting Coins! Thanks to reader Tang Family Style for the reward of 3,000 Starting Coins! Thanks to reader Ru Yu Gongzi Luan Fusheng for the reward of 500 Starting Coins! Thanks to readers Single Golden Retriever and Dark Night Star for the reward of 100 Starting Coins each. Throwing flowers! Throwing flowers!