Chapter 2958: You Are My Fashion Darling 17

Min Hengqian chuckled, quickly composed himself, and leaned in closer. "Hey, we've been friends for years—how could you hide this from me? I never imagined… your family actually had something like that happen."

"Sigh, don't take it too hard; it's all in the past. If you're feeling upset, if there's anything bothering you, you can tell me. I may not be able to help much, but I can at least listen."

As he spoke, he suddenly realized something and hurriedly stopped, "Oh dear, maybe I shouldn't have said that… you… you haven't seen it yet, have you?"

Jin Chen: "……" What on earth is this person talking about?

Jin Chen glanced at the camera behind Min Heng, his eyes darkening. He was saying this on purpose for him to hear, or rather, for the countless eyes behind the lens.

Seeing Jin Chen silent, Min Heng's expression shifted, thinking his words had taken effect; he secretly felt pleased and continued to comfort him, "Don't blame the netizens for speaking harshly—they're just… they're just too shocked. After all, Adams caused such a huge scandal back then, and in the end… well."

Adams…

Jin Chen's pupils contracted sharply.

In that instant, the surrounding sounds, the sea breeze, even Min Heng's mouth opening and closing repeatedly, seemed to be pulled infinitely far away, distorted, becoming blurry, as images stained with despair and pain surged uncontrollably before his eyes.

Under the hospital's harsh white light, the man's emaciated, deformed body convulsed violently on the bed; his once perfect, godlike face twisted and deformed, his beautiful eyes filled with bloodshot veins and mad tears, clutching his hand tightly, he hoarsely screamed in broken bursts.

Scattered empty pill bottles lay on the floor, and inside a shattered photo frame was a smiling group photo.

Finally, there was the cold mortuary.

Those memories he had deliberately sealed away, thinking they had long since faded, now surged back accompanied by intense physical pain.

It was as if all the suffering, despair, and final resolve to destruction that his uncle had endured years ago, through the bond of blood, crossed time and space to weigh heavily upon him, nearly suffocating him.

Jin Chen's complexion lost the last trace of color within a few seconds.

Min Heng was still saying something, but Jin Chen could no longer hear him clearly; a fierce headache made his vision darken and his ears ring sharply. He had to summon all his strength just to keep himself from breaking down, from being swallowed by those surging emotions and pain.

"Have you said enough?" Jin Chen's voice was even a little hoarse, carrying a bone‑chilling cold, cutting off Min Heng's incessant comforting.

Min Heng froze at his sudden icy tone and intimidating gaze, the words he'd been about to say catching in his throat.

Without waiting for a reply, Jin Chen lowered his eyes, pushed himself up with some effort using the armrest of the swing chair, and left the balcony in silence.

Min Heng watched his retreating back, feeling inexplicably uneasy and also a bit unwilling.

Is that it? Shouldn't Jin Chen have lost his composure, retorted, even lost control—just walked away like that?

"Tsk."

Min Heng jumped, spun around sharply, and only then saw Gu Chen Zhou rising from behind the potted plants.

Gu Chen Zhou took off one earpiece, casually hung it around his neck, and walked over with his hands in his pockets.

"What are you doing here?" Min Heng blurted out, his heart giving a little jolt.

When had Gu Chen Zhou been there? How much had he heard?

Gu Chen Zhou tilted his head slightly, giving Min Heng a once‑over with the scrutinizing gaze he uses to examine model headshots, and said, "I'm also curious—how did you find out about that online stuff, and why did you come all the way over here, accidentally letting him hear it?"

His tone grew more mocking, unhidden, "Your thoughts are pretty heavy."

： Damn, scared me! Cool guy, why are you here! Were you sitting behind the potted plants the whole time!

： Wait, did I hear that right? Cool guy's speaking up for Homebody? He's directly calling out Min Heng?

： Interesting—after the last ranking was announced, didn't Gu Chen Zhou say that only Jin Chen could be his rival?

： Those remarks Min Heng just made… let's savor them, the fragrance of tea fills the air.

： What's wrong with our Heng Heng! He was just caring for a friend! What gives Gu Chen Zhou the right to say that! Speechless!

： Am I the only one who thinks Jin Chen's state when he just left was really off? His complexion looked terrifying.

——

Jin Chen left the third‑floor balcony, walked down the stairs, but his headache didn't ease with distance—it only grew worse.

The chaotic memory fragments and sharp pains intertwined, making his vision go dark in waves and his stomach churn with nausea; all he wanted was to hurry back to his room, shut the door, and be alone.

However, just as he reached the turn in the hallway on the second floor leading to the dorm area, someone stepped in front of him.

The leader was an athlete Jin Chen knew—Gan Wang, also from the upper tier, his rank consistently among the top few, with two or three teammates who usually got along with him following behind, staring at Jin Chen with ill intent.

The corridor wasn't narrow, but when they all stood there, they had the air of blocking the path to demand answers.

Not far off, the photographer who had been filming the other athletes' daily routines noticed the atmosphere was off and immediately swung his camera toward them.

Gan Wang had once been a devoted fan of Adams.

He entered the modeling industry initially because Adams's peak‑era catwalk strides and striking photos shocked and inspired him.

Adams's later scandal and tragic end meant not only the collapse of his idol for Gan Wang, but also the shattering of his faith.

Therefore, when he learned that Jin Chen was actually Adams's nephew and might possibly "inherit" some bad habit, his inner anger and disappointment could no longer be contained.

Gan Wang sized up Jin Chen's pale, cold face from head to toe; the more he looked, the more that listless demeanor seemed suspicious, his anger swelling, and he bluntly demanded, "Jin Chen, is the online stuff true? Is Adams really your uncle?"

The headache had worn thin Jin Chen's patience; he didn't really want to respond.

But Gan Wang took a step sideways, blocking him again, "Answer my question! Your uncle is Adams—the one who did drugs, went crazy, and finally killed himself, right?"

"With such a disgraceful uncle, how can you even dare to stand on this stage? How are you fit to be a model?"

Gan Wang grew more worked up, "Take a look at yourself—you're listless all day, your face as white as a ghost, after a shoot you're either dying or fighting to stay alive; is it low blood sugar, or do you share your uncle's drug history? Ah?"

Those malicious speculations, mingled with the indistinct echoes in the hallway, felt like needles jabbing into Jin Chen's already pain‑racked brain.

His vision seemed to waver for a moment, his complexion grew even paler, and his lips lost virtually all color.

Jin Chen closed his eyes, then slowly opened them; his languid, peach‑blossomed eyes struggled to focus, vaguely settling on the righteous‑indignation‑filled Gan Wang before him.

Gan Wang felt inexplicably creeped out by that gaze, "Jin Chen, you're just like your uncle—rotten to the core, neither of you deserves to be a model!"