Chapter 518 - 352: A Difficult Choice

Chapter 518: Chapter 352: A Difficult Choice

With the unspoken tension between them finally broken, they both breathed a sigh of relief. The immense weight on their hearts vanished without a sound.

Since they had come this far, there was no point in being shy. He asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Based on my looks, I should be practically invisible in South Korea, right? I also made a point to keep my distance and avoid physical contact with you. So why did you end up developing feelings for me?"

"Oppa, you’re too humble. Since you know how much Koreans care about their appearance, you should also realize that we’ve gotten aesthetic fatigue from it. Plus, there’s a very important point: handsome men, just like beautiful women, are a scarce resource."

"Most girls like handsome men, and with all the competition, they tend to be proactive. This gives handsome men a sense of superiority, making them feel like they can get any woman with just a crook of their finger. Naturally, they don’t have much respect for women."

"On top of that, South Korean culture leads to widespread male chauvinism, and even the idea that men are more valuable than women. That’s why it’s become more popular to find boyfriends from Great Xia in recent years. We want to be respected, too!"

"From the day I arrived until now, you’ve always been very respectful to me, Oppa. I also saw how you respected and cared for the workers. Anyone who can treat working-class people like that is definitely a good person at heart. And then there are all your accomplishments... all of those things are what attract me to you."

"Looks? Ha, I don’t care about that at all. Besides, it’s not that you’re not handsome, Oppa, you just don’t like to dress up. If no woman in the world wore makeup or dressed up, the percentage of ’beauties’ would drop by eighty percent. I’m no exception."

Lin Chen stared blankly at her delicate face, her makeup long since faded. He answered instinctively, "Not at all. You’re beautiful without makeup, too. It’s just a different kind of beauty than when you’re wearing it."

"?!"

Jin Meiyan’s expression changed. As if realizing something, she quickly covered her cheeks with her hands, her voice growing flustered.

"Is—is my makeup... has it all c-come off?"

Although she had prepared herself to be seen without makeup before she came, when the moment actually arrived, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of panic.

Seeing her shy, evasive expression, Lin Chen shook his head, amused. "Who was it just now that called me humble? I think you’re the one who’s truly humble. Someone as beautiful as you are without makeup should wear it less often. Give the other women a chance."

"Wow..." Jin Meiyan’s eyes widened in shock. "Oppa, where did you learn such sweet talk? Don’t tell me you’ve used these sweet nothings to charm plenty of women. Was I wrong about you?"

"That’s sweet talk?"

Lin Chen looked baffled. "I had no idea. We Da Xia People make these kinds of jokes online all the time. But compliments like this usually only show up in the comments section for beautiful women."

"If that doesn’t count as sweet talk, I don’t know what does. My heart fluttered for a second there!"

She stole a glance at Lin Chen. Seeing his honest expression, he didn’t seem to be lying. The heart that had leaped into her throat settled back into her chest.

"So... you mean I’m pretty in your eyes, Oppa?"

"Yes. I think not just me, but any Asian man would find you beautiful."

Hearing him admit with his own lips that she was beautiful, Jin Meiyan’s heart filled with a sweetness like honey. She couldn’t suppress the smile on her face, and her big, pretty eyes curved into crescents.

She blinked a few times, then suddenly lowered the hands covering her cheeks.

"Since you worked up the courage to tell me what’s in your heart, Oppa, I’ve decided to give you a dance as a reward!"

Without giving him a chance to respond, her entire demeanor abruptly changed.

The shyness in her eyes was replaced by a deep, inscrutable emotion. She gazed affectionately into his eyes as her dance moves transformed into the sexy style of K-pop.

Her already form-fitting T-shirt and leggings now became the ultimate weapon, showcasing the perfect curves of a mature woman. Paired with her exquisite face and affectionate gaze, it was like a heavy hammer striking his heart.

’This is cheating!!!’

He subconsciously swallowed and forced himself to look away.

Before he could speak, Jin Meiyan took two steps forward, coming right up to him. She placed a delicate hand on his shoulder and began a sensual close-contact dance.

He never would have imagined that this kind of move, something he had only ever seen on Korean variety shows, would one day be used on him. The intentional-yet-unintentional brushes of her body as she danced, in particular, gave him a potent taste of what silky-smooth skin felt like.

If her previous dance was pure art, what Jin Meiyan was performing now was the ultimate seduction.

She wasn’t actively making physical contact with him. Most of the time, she was just performing dance moves—classic ones like hip swaying, body waves, hair flips, and squats, as well as more recent, popular moves like neck-grabbing gestures and tracing her collarbone with her fingertips.

There wasn’t a single explicit move, yet his heart began to pound uncontrollably, and his breathing grew heavy.

Strangely, even though she had been sweating and swimming in the wild and should have only smelled of sweat, his nose was now filled with a faint, sweet fragrance.

This scent was like a fatal poison, relentlessly teasing his fragile defenses.

"O-Okay, that’s enough."

His voice hoarse, he reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. With a pained smile, he said with difficulty, "Don’t dance anymore. I don’t think any normal man in the world could resist you when you’re exuding this much charm. I’m no exception."

After dancing for less than five minutes, a fine layer of sweat had already appeared on Jin Meiyan’s forehead. Dancing sensually next to the fire was much hotter than she had imagined.

Her clothes, in particular, were already warm from the long exposure to the heat, and after dancing like that, she could faintly feel them getting damp with sweat again.

Her chest rose and fell gently as she regulated her breathing. Clasping her hands behind her back, she playfully leaned her head forward.

"Just a little while and you can’t handle it anymore, Oppa? That won’t do. Your resistance is so low. What if a bad woman tricks you in the future?"

"If I remember correctly, on the show, Erica Oppa even tried to seduce you by taking off her clothes. Oppa, don’t tell me you decided to give her a chance just because you couldn’t resist the temptation?"

What she didn’t say was: ’I managed to break through Lin Chen’s defenses without even showing any skin. Doesn’t that mean my charm is greater than Erica’s?’

Just thinking about it made her feel a little smug.

’If only I had met Oppa two months earlier,’ she thought. ’Then I wouldn’t be in such a difficult situation.’

"That was part of the reason," Lin Chen admitted with a sigh, not intending to hide anything. "To be honest, I haven’t been in a relationship for a long time. Then suddenly, this beautiful, mixed-race woman shows interest in me. As a man, it’d be a lie to say I wasn’t moved."

"I’m just an ordinary guy. That’s the truth. When I see a beautiful woman, I can’t help but look twice. I might even fantasize about something happening between us. I’m not as great as you imagine."

"So, Oppa, have you thought about something happening with me?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

The corners of Jin Meiyan’s lips curved up, her two charming dimples exuding a breathtaking allure.

Her slender arms suddenly wrapped around his neck. Her bright, limpid eyes gazed affectionately at him before slowly closing.

?????

Lin Chen’s eyes widened. His mouth went dry, and he began swallowing nervously, his gaze subconsciously falling on the girl’s slightly pouted, pink lips.

A bold and crazy thought began to spiral in his mind.

’There are no cameras here. We’re on a deserted island. There’s absolutely no way a third person could show up.’

’She’s given such a clear hint. If I don’t seize this opportunity, can I even call myself a man?’

’This is a beautiful influencer with over a hundred thousand fans, which means tens of thousands of Korean guys are interested in her.’

’A stunning beauty like her is offering me a kiss. As a man, is there anything more thrilling than this?!’

Sensing his hesitation, the girl even rose slightly on her tiptoes, bringing herself a fraction closer to him.

Lin Chen’s breathing grew ragged. It was as if the entire world had shrunk down to the maddening cherry lips before him. He wanted nothing more than to lower his head and kiss her senseless.

Just as the tension in his nerves was about to snap, Erica’s face suddenly appeared in his mind’s eye.

’That night at the hotel, after drinking, the two of them had been in a similar situation.’

In an instant, his mind snapped back to clarity. A chill ran down his spine, and he violently slapped himself across the face.

SLAP—

The fiery sting on his cheek completely scattered all his impulsive thoughts. Clarity returned to his eyes.

Before he could pull away, Jin Meiyan had already let go and taken two steps back. She gazed at him with a complex expression, then bowed deeply.

"I’m sorry, Oppa. I was intentionally testing you just now."

"I couldn’t make the decision myself, so I had to put the choice in your hands."

"You’re the first man in five years to make my heart race. I don’t want to miss out on this rare connection, but I also don’t want to ruin your relationship with Erica Oppa."

"You just reminded me that people are selfish, and in the end, only one person can be by your side. That’s why I deliberately seduced you. I wanted to see how you would react."

"It was a seduction that came shortly after we met, just like with her. You resisted Erica Oppa’s advances. If you hadn’t resisted mine, it would have proven that you were more moved by me, and then I would have fought for you, no matter what."

"I had even made up my mind just now. If you had been willing to kiss me, I wouldn’t have minded whatever you wanted to do."

As she spoke, tears began to well in her eyes. With a look of heartache, she reached out to gently caress his slightly red cheek.

"But you didn’t. You resisted the temptation. You’re just as upright as I thought you were. You’re a good man with principles and integrity. You shouldn’t have to face such a difficult choice."

"Let’s just film this survival experience for three days. After we get back, we’ll go shoot the whale-watching video right away."

"Don’t worry. After we finish filming the whale video, I’ll leave. I’ll give the space back to you and Erica Oppa. I won’t be an obstacle between you two."

"But... I have one request."