Chapter 45: Lonely Captain
R&F Wanda Wenhua Hotel, Executive Suite.
After a relaxing shower, Gu Heng lay on the soft, king-sized bed. He opened the system’s screen and tapped on the faintly glowing [Conquer] challenge.
[Challenge: Conquer]
[Target: Jiang Ruan]
[Current Progress: 35%]
[Progress Rewards: 20% (Claimable), 40% (Pending), 60% (Pending), 80% (Pending), 100% (Pending)]
Gu Heng looked at the available first-stage reward, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
After all, this was the first time he had received a reward from Brother Tongzi since unlocking the first level of the Golden Tower of Wealth.
Gu Heng silently thought ’Claim,’ and the system screen before him immediately reacted.
[Congratulations, Host. You have received the first-stage reward for the "Conquer" challenge: God-Tier Neck Cream.]
[God-Tier Neck Cream: Upon use, this cream will lift and tighten the skin on your neck, completely eliminate all neck lines, perfectly remove any excess fat, and permanently maintain your neck’s youthful elasticity and firmness.]
[Use now?]
Gu Heng looked at the prompts appearing before him, his eyes flashing with excitement.
’A special item reward?’
Although Gu Heng had already learned from the prerequisite mission to unlock the second level of the Golden Tower of Wealth that Brother Tongzi’s rewards would include special items, this was the very first time he had actually received one.
In Gu Heng’s opinion, however, this special item reward seemed a bit useless.
’Neck cream?’
’Don’t even women rarely use this stuff?’
While Gu Heng grumbled to himself, his body was much more honest. He climbed out of bed, strode into the bathroom, and stood before the mirror.
He tilted his head back to get a good look at his neck.
’Neck lines... yep, I have them.’
It’s just that he was young, so they were hard to see without close inspection.
’The skin on my neck isn’t very firm, that’s a bit more obvious.’
Having suddenly lost nearly thirty-five pounds, Gu Heng could now easily pinch the skin on his neck and pull it away from the muscle. It wasn’t exactly sagging, but there was a definite difference compared to people who had always maintained a healthy weight.
All in all, it was just... average.
After carefully assessing the state of his neck, Gu Heng stopped hesitating and mentally selected the God-Tier Neck Cream.
In an instant, Gu Heng’s entire neck grew icy-cool, and his throat felt as if it were packed with mints.
"Hsss..."
Gu Heng drew a sharp breath, a refreshing chill instantly spreading through him.
This feeling lasted for about ten minutes before gradually fading.
Gu Heng stood before the mirror and tilted his head back for another close look.
"It really does look different..."
The most striking change was his Adam’s apple, which had become much more defined.
His once-subtle Adam’s apple was now a prominent, diamond-shaped feature, its cartilage outline as sharp as if sculpted.
With just a slight swallow, it would bob distinctly, exuding masculine charm.
Beyond that, the skin on his neck had become exceptionally smooth and firm. Not only had the fine lines on his neck vanished completely, but there wasn’t a trace of fat to be seen.
If you had to describe Gu Heng’s neck in one word—
Sexy!
The Adam’s apple is a key secondary male characteristic. A prominent one is often seen by women as a sign of sexual maturity and high testosterone. Many women even consider it a man’s most public "private part."
Unlike the niche kinks men have—a thing for hands, or feet, or waists, or legs, or...
’Ah, who am I kidding? A ’thing for’ what, my ass.’
’We’re all fucking dudes here. Let’s stop making excuses. We’re all just a bunch of horndogs.’
Compared to the wide variety of men’s niche kinks, women’s are generally focused on two body parts.
Hands, and the neck.
This is why in manhwa, most artists put special emphasis on drawing the male characters’ hands and necks.
Now, Gu Heng felt that if you looked at his neck alone, he was no different from a man torn straight from the pages of a manhwa.
"Brother Tongzi..."
"This reward is pretty damn awesome!"
Gu Heng gently caressed his smooth neck, unable to help muttering to himself.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
’Don’t tell me... are the next four rewards for the [Conquer] challenge all things like this God-Tier Neck Cream?’
’If my theory is correct, then once the entire [Conquer] challenge is done, will I really become an ultimate dreamboat, as handsome as a guy straight out of a manhwa?’
At the thought, Gu Heng’s heart couldn’t help but pound in his chest.
At the same time, his desire to conquer Jiang Ruan reached a fever pitch.
DING—
Suddenly, Gu Heng’s phone, which he had just casually placed on the sink counter, lit up.
He unlocked his phone and saw a new notification in WhatsApp. It was a message from Liu Nanyi.
He opened the chat. The message read: "Hey, handsome, what’re you up to?"
Gu Heng saw the message and casually replied: "Just got out of the shower."
Ever since the day Liu Nanyi started "making friends via photos," their interactions had been heading in an odd direction.
Gu Heng hadn’t been particularly interested in Liu Nanyi at first, but he couldn’t deny that she had incredibly cute feet. Plus, Liu Nanyi was very generous, sending him some "perks" every few days.
Now, after seeing Liu Nanyi’s message and casually replying, a thought suddenly crossed Gu Heng’s mind.
He undid the top button of his pajama shirt and took a photo of himself with the front-facing camera.
The frame was cropped from his jawline down to his collarbones, focusing entirely on his neck. His prominent Adam’s apple was the clear centerpiece.
Once he was satisfied with the photo, Gu Heng sent it to her.
He didn’t add any text, as if the picture was just proof that he’d just finished showering.
...
Jilin University School of Art, women’s dorm.
Liu Nanyi was in the middle of binge-watching a show when a photo suddenly popped up in her chat with Gu Heng. She froze.
Ever since they’d connected on WhatsApp, it had always been her trying to entice him with pictures of her feet. This was the first time Gu Heng had ever sent her a photo.
Liu Nanyi opened the photo. She stared at Gu Heng’s long, slender neck, his sharp collarbones, and, most strikingly, his prominent Adam’s apple.
She stared intently at the photo, her gaze growing more and more focused.
At the same time, her face began to flush, and without realizing it, her hand reached out and pulled her bed curtain tightly closed.
"How did I not notice how sexy his neck was back then..."
...
After finishing his chat with Xu Mo, Gu Heng had already forgotten all about Liu Nanyi, who hadn’t replied.
However, just as he was about to turn off the lights and go to sleep, a sudden message from Liu Nanyi left him a bit stunned.
"What is she messaging me for in the middle of the night?"
"She’s nuts!"
Gu Heng muttered, completely baffled.
But just as he decided to ignore Liu Nanyi and go to sleep, his expression suddenly froze, and his jaw dropped.
"Holy shit!"
"No way!"
"Don’t tell me..."
Gu Heng had a hunch, but it seemed too ridiculous to be true.
So, he pondered for a moment.
He silently typed back a four-word reply to Liu Nanyi: It’s only human nature.
The next second, Liu Nanyi’s reply came back almost instantly.
"Thank you!"
The moment she sent that message, Gu Heng’s phone began to vibrate uncontrollably.
Liu Nanyi was frantically sending photo after photo—all of them were pictures she had taken of her own feet, and in every single one, she was wearing white, lace-trimmed ankle socks.
All the photos Liu Nanyi had sent Gu Heng before had been of her bare feet.
This was the first time she’d ever sent any with a "cosmetic skin."
Faced with the sudden photo bombardment, Gu Heng took a deep breath.
Then, he opened a video streaming site and, along with countless other internet users, silently began watching a major documentary titled *Lonely Captain*...
P.S. _orz_... To all you handsome, dashing, cool captains out there, if you have any votes, please send them my way!