Lu Chen opened the other folders. Just as he suspected, each folder contained dozens of private photos of the girls: pajamas, swimsuits, casual wear, and of course, the largest number were their performance outfits from their idol careers.
Looking at the large expanse of fair, delicate skin, Lu Chen fell into contemplation. What was going on?
The first thing he thought of was photo collections released by their idol group. This practice was common for idols; what was unusual was having no photo collections.
Furthermore, they were all smiling brilliantly at the camera, clearly aware that someone was taking their picture. There was no way these were secretly taken photos, so he must have acquired them through legal means.
Lu Chen began searching with keywords like 'Polaris,' 'photo collection,' and 'swimsuit.' After more than ten minutes, he dropped his phone in defeat.
According to his search results, the group 'Polaris' had been around for four years, but they maintained a clean image, with no negative news ever surfacing. As for photo collections, there had never been any related news. The most revealing outfits they wore in public were their performance costumes.
In public, they appeared heavily covered, one even more so than the other. Because they were the hottest idol group of the current period, countless eyes were watching their every word and action, so naturally, they kept themselves hidden.
That's what the encyclopedia said, anyway. As for why Lu Chen had so many revealing photos, no one could give him an answer.
It seemed he knew these idols, and they had a good relationship. Otherwise, they wouldn't entrust him with their private photos. Yes, that must be it.
Lu Chen turned off his phone. He dared not look further, because he had just discovered a somewhat alarming fact: even the folder labeled 'Polaris' was only in the third-level directory. There were two parent directories above it, each containing folders that were just as substantial. He couldn't imagine what those might contain.
Lu Chen looked up at the TV screen. The hopping idol girls on the screen took on a different appearance in his eyes. They were wearing swimsuits, maid outfits, showing off their attractive figures and radiating their charm as young women.
The bathroom light suddenly turned off. Noshiro, wearing only a white shirt, walked out. Her head was wrapped in a towel, and she was holding a hairdryer.
Lu Chen looked back, then quickly turned to stare intently at the TV, though his attention was completely off the screen.
Noshiro walked back and forth in front of him. Lu Chen's peripheral vision followed her movements. He couldn't control his eyes. The idol group on the TV no longer held any attraction; after all, they weren't physically present.
"If you want to look, just look. Don't be shy; I am your girlfriend," Noshiro couldn't help but notice Lu Chen's small actions. Her heart was also focused on Lu Chen, but her own movements were discreet, or perhaps Lu Chen was too busy to notice her expression. "But as compensation, you need to help me blow-dry my hair. It's too difficult to do alone. I used to have my sister help me."
Lu Chen was startled. He asked, "Are you sure I can look freely?"
Noshiro plugged in the power cord, put down the hairdryer, turned around in front of Lu Chen, and asked curiously, "Didn't you look enough during the day? Or is my charm doubled after a shower?"
"No. It's because the white shirt is somewhat sheer, and you, cough, aren't wearing a bra," Lu Chen said awkwardly.
"Eh?" Noshiro froze. A flush of crimson quickly appeared on her cheeks. She immediately crossed her arms and squatted on the floor, screaming, "Don't look! P-Please, you absolutely must write a self-critique for that action!"
Lu Chen couldn't see her face, but judging by her earlobes, which were red enough to bleed, this was probably the most serious emotional breakdown Noshiro had experienced today.
"You told me I could look freely," Lu Chen defended in a small voice.
"E-Even so, you s-still shouldn't have…" Noshiro's voice trailed off. She was about to lose her composure.
How could this happen! This makes me no different from those vixen rivals! Didn't I decide to win over the Commander with my gentle personality?! Noshiro wailed internally. She felt she had given the Commander countless 'benefits' today, which wasn't wrong, but she felt it was happening too quickly.
"Uh, how about I apologize?" Lu Chen asked. Although it wasn't his fault this time, he was the one who got to enjoy the girl's beauty, so he might as well pay the price.
"…" Noshiro remained silent.
Lu Chen simply crouched down beside her. "Give me a chance?"
He saw this in movies: when dating a girlfriend, an apology was all that was needed. Although he thought this theory was pure nonsense, he had no other options, so he could only hope the phrase worked.
"...Is it pretty?" Noshiro whispered.
"What?" Lu Chen didn't hear clearly.
Noshiro took a deep breath and asked softly, "Is it pretty?"
?
What a bizarre question. Lu Chen scratched his head. Finally, he spoke his true thoughts: "It's beautiful."
Noshiro was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Were you just apologizing to humor me? Even though it wasn't your fault."
"I think I have some responsibility, too," Lu Chen thought for a moment and explained, "You're so pretty, and you cook well, and you do housework. I feel that if a small concession like this makes you happy, it's insignificant."
"No, you are not allowed to do that," Noshiro said in a muffled voice. "You are Lu Chen. Others should concede to you; you have no reason to concede to others, not even me."
Lu Chen countered, "What if I want to?"
"I would be very happy. It means you care about me," Noshiro looked up. Her pretty face was still flushed, and her eyes were moist, due to being overcome by shyness. "But I want to see a Lu Chen who has his own opinions."
"This is my opinion. I want to make you happy," Lu Chen said.
Noshiro showed a genuine smile. "Yes, that's it. Be a little firmer. You wanted to look, didn't you? Say it! I won't refuse any request from you."
Lu Chen hesitated for a moment, then gently shook his head. "No, I don't want to do that. Doing that would be disrespectful to you."
"But doing that would be respecting my own charm," Noshiro murmured.
"No need. I'll get the hairdryer to dry your hair. You might catch a cold if you leave it too long," Lu Chen stood up.
"Mm," Noshiro replied with a hint of regret. After spending the day with him, she realized Lu Chen was too concerned with other people's feelings. Being too concerned about others meant losing oneself. She would rather Lu Chen be a tyrannical man who did as he pleased; after all, everyone would cover for him, and no matter what he became, everyone would love him consistently.
She didn't want her man to suffer any grievance, but this feeling of being cared for wasn't bad either.