If an unattractive woman has heavy body hair and a beard, so be it; that’s like saying one more louse doesn’t mean more itching. But if a beauty, exceptional in every other way, happens to be a bearded woman, that’s simply devastating!

Anyone who has undergone hair removal knows that the claims made by treatment centers are often unreliable. Consider yourself lucky if the hair only returns; it’s quite common to find that the removal process actually makes it worse. Xu Chu had been battling dense body hair since puberty, a struggle spanning seven or eight years now, yet with minimal results, leaving her entire family at a loss.

Wax stripping, epilation with tweezers, laser burning, cryolipolysis, intense pulsed light—she had tried nearly every conceivable method, both modern and folk remedy, yet none could conquer the annoyance of her pervasive hair.

Xu Chu’s grandfather was, after all, the top official in the Jiangzhou Medical Administration Bureau, yet even he was powerless against his granddaughter’s congenital issue. The Xu family lineage itself is prone to heavy hair growth; it was never a serious concern when it appeared on the sons, but Xu Chu’s mother was also hirsute, and the combination of the two parents had tormented Xu Chu mercilessly.

Wang Zhuo stared at Xu Chu’s photograph, his expression somewhat peculiar.

As the saying goes, you can water the flowers you care about all day and they won’t bloom, yet the unplanned willow grows shade. While the weight-loss drug hadn't materialized, the bald little white mouse had brought an unexpected surprise.

Subsequent research revealed that the failed experimental formula, ineffective for weight loss, had a startling effect on hair removal. When the second batch of test mice sequentially turned into completely hairless rats, Wang Zhuo decisively halted the weight-loss drug’s research track and pivoted toward developing a depilatory agent. To put it in the style of a leader’s address: “The results are gratifying, the research is successful, the prospects are bright, and the future is promising!”

During the period of intense rivalry with the Central Intelligence Bureau, Wang Zhuo wasted not a single day, dedicating himself entirely to the subsequent experiments on the hair removal medicine. Just ten days prior, the first group of patients who had signed volunteer agreements entered clinical trials.

Under the magnificent banner of Wang Zhuo’s reputation, coupled with the comprehensive clinical trial environment provided by the affiliated hospital of the Medical University, this trial was absolutely up to international standards. In addition to volunteer patients, a cohort of “clinical human-mice” also participated.

These human-mice, actually individuals who contributed their bodies to medical research at the risk of their own health in exchange for substantial remuneration, have a more palatable name: volunteers. For instance, in this first round of clinical trials, those taking the oral medication could earn about ten thousand Yuan monthly, while those using the topical application received around five thousand.

Putting aside the digression, after ten days of experimentation, the strengths and weaknesses of the new drug have started to emerge, and no severe harm to the human body has been discovered yet. The only noteworthy issue is a slight negative impact on kidney function, but this is quite common in pharmaceuticals and remains within acceptable limits.

Solving this impact can be done in two ways: either refining the drug formula, or establishing precise dosage guidelines and treatment courses, while restricting use among individuals with poor kidney function.

“If this Xu Chu were no longer a bearded woman, the campus would surely gain another campus beauty, wouldn’t it?” Wang Zhuo grinned, settling down in front of his computer.

The market potential for a hair removal drug, while significantly less than that for a weight-loss drug, is still a high-end market. Although domestic attention to this area is currently lacking, in developed nations, it is undoubtedly a massively lucrative market with huge potential.

Si Yuan had once expressed surprise at the bare smoothness of the men and women in European and American action films, but Wang Zhuo had told her that was merely a fresh shave; otherwise, it would be a veritable tropical rainforest, dense enough to block out the sun.

Nine out of ten foreign women shave. And five out of ten foreign men do as well.

“I can create a beautiful campus beauty, but I am not that nutrient-rich pile of manure,” Wang Zhuo hummed, shaking his head as he opened the report document detailing today’s clinical reactions, which he had just received in his e-mailbox.

A volunteer taking the oral agent reported discomfort in his eyes today. Doctors found that a few of his eyelashes had fallen out, with one getting lodged in his eyelid, causing the issue.

Wang Zhuo frowned slightly. The oral agent indeed has this problem, and users also face the risk of baldness.

How should this be resolved?

He swiftly became immersed, losing himself entirely in thought.

Hu Zhiyuan had been very busy lately. This semester would conclude his graduate coursework, after which he would begin his internship.

He possessed an extremely clear plan for his future, a grand blueprint with lofty objectives.

First, establish an emotional foundation with Xu Chu, aiming to destroy Wang Zhuo’s image in her mind. Then, once the internship begins, distance himself from and break up with the plump girl, Li Mengru, to establish a romantic relationship with Xu Chu.

What follows? Naturally, winning the goodwill of the Xu family. Hu Zhiyuan was confident in his social aptitude; he believed this wouldn’t be difficult.

Once the Xu family’s favor was secured, his internship would conclude, and Hu Zhiyuan assumed the Xu family would arrange a respectable job for him. With Grandpa Xu’s position, arranging an industry job for a potential son-in-law would be effortlessly simple.

If he could rise to the rank of division chief during the old man’s tenure, and with further effort, seizing certain opportunities, and latching onto even higher-level patrons…

Are kings and generals born to their stations? Hu Zhiyuan was filled with impassioned fervor, not daring to dismiss fantasies of reaching the level of Minister of Health!

Though it is often said that children from poor families mature early, students in ivory towers often harbor unrealistic fantasies and naive ambitions. For someone his age, Hu Zhiyuan’s detailed life planning already demonstrated precociousness and considerable wisdom, but his goals were undeniably soaring too high. If Wang Zhuo, seasoned by years of navigating the real world, knew of them, he would surely laugh his stomach out.

On this particular day, Hu Zhiyuan wore a bright golden Li-Ning tracksuit, his appearance neat and sharp, carrying half a watermelon as he went to visit the women’s dormitory again.

Many male students couldn’t even get past the front gate of the women’s dorms, but Hu Zhiyuan was quite capable. He was on excellent terms with the dorm matron, being both sweet-talker and frequently bringing small, inexpensive gifts—thus earning him the privilege of entering the women’s dormitories.

As for the dormitory rules? Rules are static, people are fluid. The matron was the department head’s sister-in-law, so anyone who disapproved was welcome to file a complaint!

Since Hu Zhiyuan was a well-behaved student who never caused trouble, after a few fruitless complaints, no one bothered paying attention to the matter anymore.

Entering the clean and bright room, he found, as expected, only Xu Chu inside. The plump Li Mengru was still on her way back to campus. Hu Zhiyuan had specifically called to inquire about her location before coming, claiming he would arrive first to wait for her; the chubby girl was likely still stuck in traffic halfway there.

Jiang Yu, the third girl in the triple room, had been introduced by Hu Zhiyuan to a boyfriend who enjoyed outdoor sports. To engineer an ideal environment for contact with Xu Chu, his preparations had been quite thorough.

The ‘lightbulb’ (the other roommate) and her boyfriend had gone out for outdoor activities; the plump girl was stuck in traffic; Hu Zhiyuan happily took a seat at the computer desk, pulled over a nearby chair, and beckoned Xu Chu over.

Xu Chu was tall, about 1.70 meters. She wore a loose Winnie the Pooh loungewear set, vaguely revealing her slender figure underneath. Her exposed arms and calves clearly showed somewhat heavy body hair, and the hair on her face was also quite coarse. If not for her charming features and her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she might resemble a young handsome boy in the throes of puberty.

After she sat down, Hu Zhiyuan smiled and said, “I found out about the thing you asked me to look into.”

“Really?” Xu Chu’s spirits lifted. Her bright eyes blinked twice, her dense lashes looking like two thick brushes.

Aside from her grandfather being the head of the Medical Administration Bureau, the other thing Hu Zhiyuan admired most about her was these expressive eyes, especially those thick, long lashes that seemed artificially applied. If her face were veiled and her bangs covered her forehead, she would possess the most beautiful pair of eyes in the world.

Hu Zhiyuan wickedly imagined a day when he would cover that flawed face with a veil, gazing into those beautiful eyes, sitting on the sofa like an emperor, enjoying the oral service beneath the silk…

“Ahem!” He cleared his throat, adjusting his posture to prevent Xu Chu from noticing any physical change.

“Stop holding out; tell me,” Xu Chu urged.

Hu Zhiyuan then smiled, “The songs he likes aren’t exactly wholesome. Do you really want to know?”

Xu Chu paused, hesitating briefly before saying, “Go ahead, I want to know.”

After more than a year of effort, Hu Zhiyuan had managed to become someone Xu Chu considered a confidant. Xu Chu had very few friends, maybe just a handful of acquaintances, and she rarely participated in shopping trips or other outdoor activities. Hu Zhiyuan was her only male friend.

This was why Xu Chu was completely unguarded around him, not even hiding her secret crush on Wang Zhuo, and even asking him to help inquire about Wang Zhuo’s interests.

Hu Zhiyuan pouted and said, “He loves listening to Lo Baiji’s Blow the Trumpet, and also Hard Dog Kennel’s Angel Number Thirteen, or other songs like that.”

“Blow the Trumpet? Angel Number Thirteen?” Xu Chu frowned slightly. “I’ve never heard of either song.” Hu Zhiyuan chuckled inwardly; he hadn’t actually asked about Wang Zhuo’s favorite songs or movies at all. He was purely trying to smear Wang Zhuo’s name now. With only one semester left to have this kind of access to Xu Chu, he felt it was time to shatter Wang Zhuo’s image in her mind and turn the crush into a thing of the past.

“I haven’t heard those songs either,” Hu Zhiyuan shrugged. “And they couldn't be found on Baidu—it said they couldn't be displayed due to regulations. I finally had to get the MP3 files for those two songs from Taiwanese netizens.” Xu Chu perked up. “Then what are we waiting for? I want to listen!”

Hu Zhiyuan put on a look of helplessness, opened his own media player on the computer, played the songs, and handed the headphones to Xu Chu.

Five hundred meters away on the lawn, Wang Zhuo sat idly beneath a tree on a long bench, a blade of grass tucked in his mouth, a playful smile curling his lips. He was using the ultra-telephoto and X-ray capabilities of his 'See-Through Vision' to observe the scene inside the dorm room.

He had intended to have a private word with Hu Zhiyuan today, but after tracking him for a short distance, he unexpectedly found him heading to Xu Chu’s dorm. This truly was an unexpected gain!