75: Chapter 75 Proof of Enlightenment

The computer case fan was still spinning tirelessly, emitting a faint humming sound, but at this moment, hearing it in his ears felt almost like some kind of mockery amidst the background noise.

Facing Leng Qingxuan's eyes, which seemed to be burning with flames, Huang Mao did not immediately respond.

He sat in his gaming chair, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the mousepad.

He was silent.

This silence was not because he was scared, nor was it because his brain had crashed; it was purely a matter of weighing his options.

He was thinking, if he kept playing dumb at this point, wouldn't it be a bit too impolite?

After all, the girl had already spoken to this extent.

But Leng Qingxuan clearly misunderstood his silence.

In that even one-second hesitation of his, the unease in her eyes began to multiply exponentially.

She was afraid of this silence.

This silence made her feel like a prisoner waiting for sentencing, while the man sitting in the chair held the gavel that would decide her fate.

"You don't need to doubt my determination."

Leng Qingxuan suddenly spoke, her voice even more hurried than before, as if afraid of being interrupted by something.

She stepped half a step closer, her knees almost touching Huang Mao's.

"I am a very stubborn person by nature."

"Once I've set my sights on something, I will absolutely never let go."

Her eyes revealed a terrifying stubbornness.

"It's the same with people."

"In this life, as long as I have decided it is you, then it can only be you."

Having said this, she paused, as if gathering some heavier emotion.

The light in the room hit her face, reflecting that originally cold and aloof temperament in a somewhat desolate and beautiful way.

"Unless... unless one day you are no longer here."

Her voice softened, yet it carried a bone-chilling determination.

"No, even if you die, I will absolutely never look at another man again."

"I will guard this home, guard your things, and remember you for the rest of my life, until the day I die too."

As soon as these words were out, the originally somewhat romantic atmosphere instantly changed.

Huang Mao had been sitting upright, preparing to listen to some moving confession, but the more he heard, the more he felt something was wrong.

How is this a confession?

This is clearly some kind of curse from a horror movie, right?

What's with that sense of déjà vu of "if you dare to die, I'll dare to turn you into a specimen to stay with me forever"?

Also, why say things like "even if you die" to a perfectly healthy, living person in the middle of the night?

Huang Mao only felt a chill down his back, as if a cold breeze was creeping up his spine.

He finally couldn't help it.

That soul of snark carved into his bones awakened at this supposedly sentimental moment, extremely inappropriately.

"Ahem..."

Huang Mao cleared his throat, raised his hand to touch his nose, looking at a loss for words.

"Um, School Beauty Leng, let me interrupt for a second."

"Your words... although they sound quite touching, why do I feel like you're casting a curse on me?"

He pointed at himself, then pointed at the pitch-black night outside the window.

"It's late at night, can we talk about something auspicious? With you saying 'dead' and 'widow' every other sentence, you're making my back feel cold."

"Anyone who didn't know better would think you were reading my eulogy."

This sentence was like a needle, instantly pricking the tragic atmosphere that Leng Qingxuan had worked so hard to create.

Leng Qingxuan, who had been emotionally moved by herself, instantly froze in expression.

Immediately after, that fair, pretty face flushed red at a speed visible to the naked eye; it was the color of extreme shame and anger.

"You!"

She was trembling with anger; that original desolate, fragile feeling was gone, replaced by a frantic, embarrassed rage.

"You!"

She couldn't help but stomp her foot.

Her bare feet hit the floor with a crisp "slap" sound.

"Why do you still have to make snarky comments at a time like this! What on earth are you thinking!"

"I am baring my heart to you! I am revealing my soul to you! Can you be a little more serious!"

Leng Qingxuan was about to go crazy.

She felt like a knight fully armed and charging onto the battlefield, only for the enemy on the other side to not draw their sword, but instead pull out a water gun and spray her in the face.

This sense of powerlessness and shame intertwined, making her feel like she was about to explode.

"I... I am really serious!"

She gritted her teeth, tears even welling up in her eyes.

That was from anger, and also from anxiety.

She felt that language was too pale.

In front of this man who could always derail the topic with strange logic, any language seemed so powerless.

Since words don't work...

Since you think I'm joking...

Since you are still doubting my resolve...

Then I'll let you see whether I'm joking or not!

A rush of hot blood surged to her head, burning through the string called "reason".

Leng Qingxuan stopped talking.

Her eyes instantly became resolute, even carrying a hint of madness.

Before Huang Mao could react to what she was about to do, her hands had already fiercely grabbed the hem of the black T-shirt she was wearing.

That was Huang Mao's clothes.

Loose, baggy, carrying that faint scent of laundry detergent from him.

"Since you don't believe me..."

She let out a low roar and suddenly flipped her hands upwards.

Whoosh—

The sound of fabric rubbing against the air was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

That black T-shirt was like a kite with a broken string, mercilessly peeled off her head by her, and then casually tossed aside.

The clothes traced a parabola in the air and landed softly on the floor to the side.

Without the slightest hesitation.

So crisp and clean it was staggering.

And then.

The whole world seemed to have been pressed with the pause button.

The black barrier that had originally blocked his view disappeared.

Replacing it was a patch of white.

Dazzling, blinding, completely unmasked white.

There was no pink or black lace, nor any pure white cotton fabric.

Underneath that T-shirt, it was actually a completely vacuum state.

Huang Mao's pupils contracted sharply.

He really hadn't expected this.

This girl had actually come prepared.

No wonder her sitting posture was so awkward just now, no wonder she kept twisting the hem of her clothes.

So underneath this so-called "pajama", there was such a big surprise... or rather, shock.

The girl's exquisite and shapely body was thus exposed without reservation under the bright lights of the room.

Without the adornment of clothing, every inch of skin appeared so real, so impactful.

The lines of her collarbone were as exquisite as if sketched out with a single stroke.

Her slightly heaving chest was tinged with a faint pink from her previous excitement.

A flat abdomen, a slender waist, and those straight, long legs.

This was a body that could be called perfect.

It was a work of art carefully carved by the Creator.

And now, this work of art was less than a meter away from him, opening all its secrets to him.

This was simply a visual nuclear strike.

If it were an ordinary pure-hearted young boy, he would probably have covered his eyes and screamed, or had a nosebleed and fainted on the spot by now.

But Huang Mao was not an ordinary person.

As a "veteran NPC" of this world, his psychological quality had long been trained to be as solid as a rock.

Facing this sudden welfare critical hit, he did not panic and turn around like a Japanese anime protagonist, nor did he shout anything like "don't look at what is improper".

Quite the opposite.

He still leaned steadily against the back of the gaming chair.

Even his posture didn't change in the slightest.

His gaze landed straight on Leng Qingxuan, with no dodging in his eyes, nor any nauseating, lewd lust.

What there was, was only an extremely calm scrutiny.

Just like appreciating a famous painting hanging in the Louvre.

Or like a rigorous quality inspector, carefully checking a piece of precision instrument that had just left the factory.

His gaze swept from top to bottom, bit by bit.

Even on certain key areas, it lingered for a few seconds, as if confirming some details.

This kind of gaze was too calm.

So calm that it even made people feel a bit scary.

Leng Qingxuan had originally made this shocking move with a "go all out" mentality.

She thought Huang Mao would panic, would be shy, would be at a loss.

As long as he was flustered, the initiative would return to her hands.

But now...

Looking at Huang Mao's eyes, which were as calm as a pool of stagnant water, the little bit of confidence in her heart suddenly began to waver.

But he didn't look away.

This at least shows... he doesn't hate it, right?

Leng Qingxuan took a deep breath, trying hard to puff out her chest, attempting to make herself look more imposing.

Although her body was trembling slightly from nervousness and shame, she still forced herself to lift her chin and said in a tone with a hint of provocation:

"You see..."

Her voice was trembling, but she tried hard to control it.

"You didn't turn your head away."

"This just goes to show... you really do have feelings for me... for my body, right?"

This was a counterattack.

It was also the last straw she grasped in extreme shame.

She tried to use this way to prove her charm, to prove that she wasn't performing a one-woman show.

However.

She still underestimated the brain circuit of this person, Huang Mao.

Or rather, underestimated the logical loop of a straight man when facing such a scene.

Hearing her questioning, the corners of Huang Mao's mouth rose slightly, curling into an intriguing arc.

He did not deny it, nor did he follow her rhythm.

Instead, he gave an answer with perfect logic in a matter-of-fact tone:

"School Beauty Leng, let's be reasonable."

His gaze still lingered on her, even examining her up and down with great interest.

"In this situation, if an adult male with completely normal physiological functions chose to look away or close his eyes at the first moment..."

"That would be what's not right, wouldn't it?"

He spread his hands, looking completely open and honest.

"That would only prove two things."

"First, this man has a physical problem and needs to register at the andrology department."

"Second, he is an extremely hypocritical fake gentleman, wanting to look in his heart but still pretending to be a saint."

"Oh right, there should be a third, which is that this person is gay."

Having said this, he paused slightly, his body leaning forward slightly, narrowing the distance between the two.

"Although I always feel like I've already said this."

"But, I still have to repeat it again."

"My body is very healthy, and all indicators are normal."

"And, I have never said that I am some kind of upright gentleman."

"Since beautiful things are right in front of me, and you took the initiative to show them to me, if I don't look... wouldn't that be too disrespectful to you?"

"Just like that night when you first came, when I looked at you wearing only underwear, wasn't it the same?"

This statement was simply a lethal blow.

Logically tight, impeccable.

It directly blocked that little bit of smugness in Leng Qingxuan's throat.

What's more deadly is his gaze.

That gaze, which was too calm, too direct, and even carried a hint of appreciation, was more unbearable than that kind of lecherous peeping.

Peeping at least still carries a bit of guilt.

But him?

He was just short of taking a magnifying glass to study it!

An unprecedented sense of immense shame, like a tide, instantly engulfed Leng Qingxuan.

After the impulse of that moment faded, reason reoccupied the high ground, and what followed was the urge to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

She felt like a skinned white mouse, placed under a spotlight, with all her secrets having nowhere to hide.

The heat spread from her cheeks all the way to her neck, then to her chest, and finally covered her whole body.

Her originally fair skin was now flushed with an alluring pink.

That was the color of shame.

Instinct drove her to want to do something to protect herself.

Her arms subconsciously lifted, wanting to cover the key parts in front of her.

This is a human conditioned reflex when feeling ashamed.

But.

Just when her arms were raised halfway, the movement suddenly froze.

Like a robotic arm that had been pressed with the pause button, it stopped abruptly in mid-air.

No.

Absolutely cannot cover.

Leng Qingxuan bit her lower lip, a thought flashing through her mind.

If she covered up now, that would be showing weakness.

That would be telling Huang Mao: You see, you really weren't ready, those bold words you just said were just an impulse.

Once she showed cowardice, the "resolve" she had shown tonight by risking everything would completely turn into a joke.

She didn't want to be looked down upon by him.

Even less did she want him to think she was just a little girl who could only talk big.

Thus.

A silent game of wits began.