Chapter 539: Am I Handsome?

Chapter 539: Am I Handsome?

“Mm… Then so be it. I’ll reach out to the Gu family first, and we will coordinate shortly.” Li Maoren had merely dropped An Menglan’s name in passing, declining to pursue the subject further.

“Very well, Uncle. I’ll let you attend to it.” Wu Chen finished and hung up.

An Menglan sat in the exquisite makeup chair beside the mirror in the small lounge, her mind in utter disarray. She had paid little heed to what Wu Chen had been saying, unable to hear the voice on the other end of the line. She knew Wu Chen had his own matters to attend to; he was only twenty-two, with his entire life stretching before him. There was no reason for him to court death for a single woman—for her!

If anyone was destined to be driven to the brink, it would likely be her, not Wu Chen!

Perhaps seeing Wu Chen bustling about “his own affairs” with complete ease—unconcerned, detached, and wholly unburdened by tension or dread regarding her father An Huaiguo’s ultimatum—stirred a fierce tide of reluctance and grievance within the emotionally vulnerable An Menglan.

She felt that Wu Chen did not truly care for her that much.

Yet in reality, she had known this from the outset. Wu Chen never concealed his affection for multiple women, having made it clear in advance that the woman he would eventually marry was Li Ruobing.

An Menglan pursed her lips, feeling increasingly wronged the more she dwelt on it, teetering on the verge of tears.

Who could have imagined that a grand superstar ruling the music realm like a fearsome demon king would one day resemble a lovesick, insecure maiden, letting her wild conjectures spiral downward until she had reduced herself to weeping in silent misery, not even daring to voice her grievance aloud!

If word spread that a man had reduced her to such total submission, her fans might launch an online attack against that “wretched man.”

Setting down his phone, Wu Chen adjusted his collar before the mirror once more.

Through the reflective glass, he caught An Menglan’s expression.

“You might feel better if you stopped letting your imagination run wild.” Wu Chen swept a sidelong glance toward her, as though he knew what she was thinking. “It appears the scare your father gave you was even graver than I anticipated. You are not usually such an emotional creature… I wouldn’t even be surprised if you started suspecting I approached you with ulterior motives. A person should never make decisions in the throes of rage, grief, or inner turmoil!”

“You may turn it over in your mind, but don’t hurt yourself. Once today has passed, everything will improve tomorrow.”

Wu Chen seemed to know all, as though possessed of magic capable of seeing through the human heart.

An Menglan recognized the logic in his words, yet derived no comfort from them.

For Wu Chen still showed not the slightest intention of “fighting with everything he had”! He was perpetually so composed, forever cool and incisive, wearing that smile of effortless triumph. Under ordinary circumstances, these were his greatest strengths, offering an immense sense of security to whoever leaned on him! Yet this time… An Menglan truly wished he were otherwise.

It was impossible for him to achieve!

No one could sway her father once his mind was set! An Huaiguo had always indulged An Menglan, never constraining her with rigid rules and edicts, yet men of his mold became fiercer than anyone alive the moment their baseline was violated—ten thousand times more unyielding than those outwardly stern patriarchs!

In An Menglan’s eyes, there was no longer any room for maneuver.

Yet it seemed she alone was drowning in sorrow and heartbreak.

If Wu Chen could pull it off, his poise was supreme confidence; if he could not, it looked indistinguishable from utter callousness! Wu Chen had even rejected her proposal to go to Donghai and drop to her knees before Li Ruobing. If he truly could not resolve this… An Menglan could only deduce that he loved Li Ruobing far more, unwilling to let An Menglan bring any unpleasantness to Li Ruobing’s doorstep.

The more she pondered it, the more aggrieved she felt.

“I must confess, there are times when I am indeed lacking in empathy,” Wu Chen observed evenly. “Perhaps it is because I have witnessed far too much…”

An Menglan naturally could not comprehend the true gravity behind that phrase: witnessed far too much!

“Hence, I am more accustomed to facing matters that others deem catastrophic with an attitude of complete composure. Naturally, my actions do not always appear entirely placid, but that is simply because I loathe coming out on the losing end. I detest being taken advantage of.”

“If one can live life with complete gratification, why endure being shortchanged?”

“In truth, when someone possesses capabilities like mine, it is difficult to avoid falling into this state. I can see the end of countless affairs almost the instant they begin. I know when an event will occur, how it will unfold, and what its final conclusion will be… Because I know the outcome, processes that appear rife with dramatic twists and turns to the rest of the world strike me as entirely natural.”

“Just as your overthinking right now is entirely natural!”

An Menglan was beginning to lose the thread of what Wu Chen was articulating; the words seemed addressed to her, yet also not, resembling a strange personal confession.

Nor was she listening with great care, feeling merely as though Wu Chen was lecturing her, admonishing her for being unreasonable!

“Furthermore! There are times when I deliberately act as though I have no empathy, feigning ignorance of how to offer comfort. It serves as a psychological lever. The less someone believes me, the more difficult they find my demeanor to stomach, assuming I am merely… posturing! Then, when the final outcome materializes, the stark contrast lands with devastating weight. Their emotions plummet from hell to heaven, or the other way around; relationships pivot from hatred to dread, or from disdain to utter infatuation… Nothing stirs the human heart more profoundly than doing the unexpected!”

“The world was never meant to cater to our every whim. It is the undulating waves that make this existence so mesmerizing.”

This was the first time Wu Chen had spoken in such a drawn-out, rambling fashion, the first time he had allowed a sliver of the loneliness in his soul to spill forth.

Everyone who encountered him deemed him peerless, borderline divine.

None of them understood him in the slightest!

That existential loneliness of standing at an unreachable pinnacle occasionally left even Wu Chen mildly wistful.

No matter how extraordinary a woman might be, her personality often barred Wu Chen from speaking such truths to her. Li Ruobing, for instance; Wu Chen would never utter these words to Li Ruobing in this lifetime, content to preserve his image as the “godlike man” in her eyes.

Yet with An Menglan…

Wu Chen felt the hour was ripe. Beneath her formidable exterior lived a little woman; she lacked Li Ruobing’s combative nature, and in this desperate hour of supposed catastrophe, Wu Chen was certain the words he spoke today would yield extraordinary fruit down the line.

Even after laying bare precisely how he manipulated her heart, she would only submit to that manipulation with greater willingness, perhaps even coming to relish the sensation.

If he attempted this with Li Ruobing, it would be no different from handing her a little leather whip.

Naturally, another reason Wu Chen gave voice to this today was his certainty that An Menglan loved him so desperately that, were they truly severed, she might never recover!

“One more thing…” Wu Chen gave his cuffs a final tug, turning fully to face An Menglan. “Am I handsome?”

He offered her an easy smile.

An Menglan had been bitterly dwelling on all of Wu Chen’s flaws.

Yet the moment Wu Chen turned around in that immaculate suit, flashing that radiant smile, An Menglan’s mind was instantly flooded with memories of music, the piano, red wine, and this very man!

That dreamlike tapestry of shared moments came crashing back into her consciousness, and she abruptly burst into tears.

She could not bear to lose this forever.

She opened her arms toward Wu Chen, shifting forward in her seat.

“All right, all right. A hug, then. Don’t cry.” Wu Chen stepped forward and gathered An Menglan into his arms, lifting her entirely before pivoting to sink into the chair with her. An Menglan curled against his chest, her arms locked fiercely around his neck as she wailed aloud.

“I’ll stay a little longer.” Wu Chen patted her back with gentle rhythm.

In truth, there was another reason he had suddenly launched into that philosophical monologue… He had been waiting for Li Maoren’s return call!

He was in no hurry to depart!

More than twenty minutes slipped past.

Ring, ring…

Wu Chen’s phone began to chime.