Bubbling over with beauty

Xia Zhi opened her eyes without a care, only to realize she had been tricked. She hurriedly shut them again to resist his beauty.

"Lu Heng, you lied to me!"

Lu Heng was in a wonderful mood. He slowly bent down and whispered in Xia Zhi's ear, "If you don't open your eyes, I'll start touching you."

Xia Zhi was startled at first, but then she remembered that the villain had already felt her all over last time. Remembering, too, that he was gay gave her confidence.

"Go ahead. It's not like you haven't touched me before."

Gay?

The faint smile that had just appeared on Lu Heng's face instantly froze. This woman really thought he was gay?

He decided to teach her a proper lesson.

Lu Heng slipped his hand under Xia Zhi's dress.

"Stop, stop, stop."

After just a few touches, Xia Zhi couldn't help calling for a halt. This clearly wasn't how he had touched her last time.

"I was wrong. I'll behave."

A wise person knew when to yield. Though she was a woman, she understood when to bend and when to stand firm.

Lu Heng feigned ignorance. "What's wrong?"

Xia Zhi's face grew even redder. "You... you're making me uncomfortable."

Unlike last time. That had felt so good.

An ambiguous smile curved Lu Heng's lips. He gazed into the woman's uncomprehending eyes, his own dark and fathomless.

"Where does it feel uncomfortable?"

His voice was low and husky, unknowingly seductive.

His gaze left Xia Zhi blushing, her heart racing. She could only answer honestly, "Everywhere."

It was a very strange feeling that left her uncomfortable all over.

Just then, a knock sounded outside. It was Aunt Liu, who asked cautiously, "Second Young Madam, has Second Young Master gone to sleep?"

"I've reheated all the food. Does he still want to eat?"

Before Lu Heng could answer, Xia Zhi hurriedly called out, "Yes, yes, yes!"

All she wanted now was for the villain to leave quickly, or sooner or later she would bleed to death from her nosebleeds.

Seeing that Xia Zhi had been frightened improved Lu Heng's mood. Besides, he was indeed a little hungry, so he told Aunt Liu outside the door,

"I'll be down shortly."

After Aunt Liu left, Lu Heng went into the dressing room to change into pajamas, then strode out without so much as a glance at Xia Zhi on the bed.

Phew.

Xia Zhi finally relaxed completely.

[Minor, check how much longer my punishment will last.]

Little Sponge counted on its fingers. [About ten more minutes.]

Xia Zhi said, [Wonderful. With how slowly that villain chews, he won't finish eating in under an hour.]

She had barely finished speaking when she suddenly heard a cold, mechanical female voice. [Ding! Target's corruption value -10. Current corruption value: 80.]

Huh?

What was going on?

Why was there no pattern to the way the villain's corruption value rose and fell?

Still, she was naturally happy to see it drop.

The reward came next. How exciting.

[Host No. 438, receive your reward. Host No. 438, receive your reward!]

Xia Zhi was speechless.

It would be even better if they could change that 438.

But Xia Zhi waited for ages without feeling any change in herself, so she couldn't help asking Little Sponge, [Minor, what reward did the system give me?]

Little Sponge replied, [Beauty powder, dear host.]

Xia Zhi asked, [?? What does it do?]

Little Sponge said with a beaming smile, [It'll bring a qualitative leap in your looks. In other words, twice the beauty.]

[Happy now, dear host?]

Xia Zhi replied, [Happy about what? What's the point of being beautiful all by myself in the middle of the night?]

[It'd be more like it if I could dazzle some young hotties or wolfish young hunks when I met them.]

[What a waste, what a waste. Shameful, utterly shameful.]

Little Sponge offered a friendly reminder. [You're not alone, dear host. There's the villain, too. Maybe he'll fall hopelessly in love with you the moment he sees your breathtaking beauty.]

[Who knows? You might even make babies tonight.]

Speechless, Xia Zhi rolled her eyes hard twice. [All you ever remember is making babies. He's gay. Gay, understand?]

[It means that no matter how beautiful you are, you have absolutely no appeal to him. He only has eyes for delicate boys who can't take care of themselves.]

Lu Heng had just reached the bedroom door when he heard Xia Zhi say something that shattered his worldview-

He only had eyes for delicate boys who couldn't take care of themselves?

This woman's imagination really was something else.

He really wanted to pry her head open and see what was inside.

Shit?

Xia Zhi was also shocked to see Lu Heng. H-he hadn't gone to eat? Why was he back upstairs so soon?

"You're finished eating?"

How many minutes had it even been?

The villain walked toward Xia Zhi on his long legs, looking casual. "I didn't have much of an appetite. I had half a bowl of soup."

With that, he went into the bathroom to wash his face and hands and brush his teeth.

*??*

Xia Zhi was baffled. [Minor, didn't you say I'd become beautiful? So beautiful I'd shake heaven and earth and move ghosts and gods to tears? Why didn't the villain react at all when he saw me?]

[Does your lousy system sell fake medicine and fake powder?]

Little Sponge replied, [...]

When had it ever said anything about shaking heaven and earth and moving ghosts and gods to tears?

[Possibly... maybe... perhaps... your looks aren't the villain's type?]

Xia Zhi replied, [How could anyone not like the original owner's looks?]

If he didn't like these looks, what did he like?

Oh, right.

How had she forgotten again? He liked beautiful, delicate boys who couldn't take care of themselves.

An idea suddenly popped into Xia Zhi's head. [Hehehehe.]

Little Sponge said, [Dear host, that laugh is making my skin crawl.]

She was definitely cooking up something bad again.

Xia Zhi said, [Didn't the villain say before leaving that he'd discuss the divorce with me when he got back? I've decided to give him a big gift so he'll know just how magnanimous a wife I am. Then he won't bring up divorce again.]

Little Sponge asked curiously, [What big gift?]

Xia Zhi replied, [It's a secret. Just wait. The villain will be so touched he'll cry his eyes out.]

Before long, Lu Heng came out of the bathroom. He glanced at Xia Zhi, whose beauty practically gave her a halo, knowing that this was like some kind of illusion. What his eyes saw wasn't real.

He wasn't bewitched. Instead, he instructed Xia Zhi coldly, "Change the sheets in a bit. You've stained them with your nosebleed."

Then he turned and went to the guest room.

Xia Zhi was speechless.

She was this beautiful, and he didn't react at all?

Definitely gay.

Not long after the villain left, Xia Zhi's punishment expired. She stretched her limbs, her arms and legs feeling terribly sore, but that did nothing to dampen her desire to see her stunningly beautiful self.

Unable to help herself, Xia Zhi rushed to the bathroom mirror and switched on all the lights.

Mmm.

She was simply bubbling over with beauty.

Good heavens, even Pan An reborn wouldn't be worthy of a woman this beautiful.

The system hadn't deceived her. The problem was the villain.

But even a gay man should know how to appreciate beauty, right?

The villain must be blind.

Standing before the mirror, Xia Zhi kept snapping pictures. She simply had to preserve her beautiful self so she could admire it every day.

After taking the pictures, Xia Zhi posted them to her Moments without even retouching them, but she set the post to friends only.

At present, her friends list contained only the male lead, the villain, and Ji Qinghe.

When she woke up the next day, she saw that Qinghe had liked her post and commented that she looked gorgeous, asking what brand of foundation she used.

Then she saw that the male lead had commented below, mocking her for using a level-one-hundred filter.

Only Lu Heng had made no response.