Chapter 6: A Beauty Fresh from the Bath

Sister’s coming in?!

Jiang Xiaoyi glanced down at her appearance. Everything that needed to be covered was covered; there was nothing improper about it.

Besides, Big Boss Sister wouldn’t be interested in a small-time nobody like her.

“O-okay.” Jiang Xiaoyi pushed open the glass door of the bathroom.

Compared to peering through the foggy glass, the sight of the beauty fresh from her bath was infinitely more tantalizing, right there before her eyes.

Jiang Xiaoyi’s damp long hair was tied up in a casual bun, with one stray lock of black silk falling against the pale curve of her neck, creating a striking visual contrast. Foam still clung to her collarbones, not yet rinsed away.

Meng Chuning’s gaze finally settled on Jiang Xiaoyi’s face. “Is the hot water out?”

“I-I don’t know. It seems like I broke it while I was trying to fix it.” Jiang Xiaoyi’s slender fingers clutched the corner of her towel. From the pressure, her pink knuckles slowly paled to white.

Meng Chuning stepped over to test the hot water tap. The showerhead mounted on the rack abruptly gushed forth, and from the tampered nozzle, jets of water sprayed out in chaotic bursts.

Caught completely off guard, Meng Chuning was drenched from head to toe.

She was wearing a limited-edition sheer gauze dress—one Jiang Xiaoyi had spotted in a fashion magazine just a few days earlier. When wet, the fabric turned transparent, thinner than tissue paper, yet made from an incredibly durable material. The price tag was far beyond anything Jiang Xiaoyi could dream of affording.

Jiang Xiaoyi hurriedly shut off the valve. “Sister, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Meng Chuning blinked the water from her eyes and licked a droplet from her lips. “We’ll call someone to fix it later. Come upstairs with me and use my shower.”

The bathroom on the first floor was for guests. The second floor held Meng Chuning’s master bedroom.

Wrapped only in her towel, Jiang Xiaoyi’s bare body ventured into Meng Chuning’s private domain. She kept her eyes straight ahead, never wandering, as she followed Meng Chuning directly to the en-suite bath.

“You can shower here. I’ll go change clothes first.” Meng Chuning demonstrated how to work the hot water. Jiang Xiaoyi nodded. “Got it, Sister. I’ll be quick.”

“No rush.” With that, Meng Chuning stepped out and gently closed the bathroom door behind her.

Separated by the glass door, Jiang Xiaoyi breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She peeled off the towel at a leisurely pace—only for her mind to conjure the image of Meng Chuning’s sheer dress, soaked and clinging transparently to her skin. Beneath the sodden fabric peeked lace-trimmed lingerie in a matching hue.

“What are you thinking!” Jiang Xiaoyi slapped her cheeks. She’d only meant to teach Meng Chuning how to make low-fat meals and then leave. Now here she was, showering in the woman’s home.

And she’d ruined Big Boss Sister’s limited-edition dress in the process. This was a total disaster.

Why hadn’t she brought an umbrella? Why hadn’t she checked the weather forecast before heading out?

She wailed silently to herself a few times before finishing her shower and slipping into the fresh change of clothes Meng Chuning had left out: a long white button-up shirt, carrying only the faint scent of laundry detergent.

It barely skimmed the tops of her thighs, and only then did Jiang Xiaoyi realize it was essentially a shirt dress.

By the time she emerged from the bathroom, Meng Chuning was no longer in the bedroom. Jiang Xiaoyi hurried out, her bare feet padding across the cool floor as she descended the stairs.

Meng Chuning had changed into a soft dress in shades of pink and white. She stood at the kitchen’s glossy island counter, rinsing vegetables.

Hearing the footsteps, Meng Chuning glanced up and saw Jiang Xiaoyi coming down barefoot.

“Sorry about that.” Meng Chuning gave a small smile. “I don’t have any pants that would fit you, so I found you a skirt instead.”

“I-It’s fine.” Jiang Xiaoyi dashed back to the first-floor bathroom, slipped on a pair of slippers, and hurried over.

The kitchen had been restored to gleaming perfection, with no sign of the earlier chaos that had looked like a bomb had gone off.

“Let me take over, Sister.” Jiang Xiaoyi reached out with both hands to relieve Meng Chuning of the vegetables she was washing.

Today had been one mishap after another, wasting so much of Meng Chuning’s time. She wanted to teach her the recipe as quickly as possible, complete her task, and make her escape.

Her movements sped up unconsciously. After rinsing the vegetables, she dove straight into chopping and prepping, so absorbed in her focus—and her nerves—that she completely sidelined Meng Chuning.

Meng Chuning watched her: brows lightly furrowed in concentration, slender and elegant fingers wrapped around the knife handle as she meticulously prepared the ingredients.

Just as she’d expected, the white shirt dress looked perfect on Jiang Xiaoyi. Her ankles were delicately slim, her calves long and straight. Fresh from the shower, a soft pink flush tinged the skin around her knees.

“Jiang Xiaoyi?”

Meng Chuning’s voice broke through her trance, and Jiang Xiaoyi blinked back to reality. “Sorry, I got too caught up.”

Meng Chuning smiled at her flushed cheeks and reached out to tuck a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. “I was just reminding you—your hair had fallen loose.”

Jiang Xiaoyi’s ears were a sensitive spot. The moment they were touched, blood rushed uncontrollably to them.

Feeling the heat rise, Jiang Xiaoyi set down the knife. “I’ll tie it back up.”

She thought her casual ponytail looked too messy, so she rebound it carefully, ensuring not a single strand escaped.

With her glossy black hair secured neatly behind her head, Jiang Xiaoyi washed her hands and felt the warmth in her ears finally ebb. “Does it look better like this?”

Meng Chuning took a step closer, narrowing the gap between them to less than half a meter.

Jiang Xiaoyi’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening into perfect circles. Meng Chuning studied her face intently before nodding. “Very good.”

“Um…” Jiang Xiaoyi exhaled shakily, subtly shifting back half a step. Big Boss Sister’s presence was simply overwhelming.

Jiang Xiaoyi adored novels about dominant CEO big sisters in yuri romances. But it wasn’t until she laid eyes on Meng Chuning that those fictional CEOs finally had faces worth fantasizing over.

Sure, she was a sucker for power and pretty faces, but encountering a real-world version of that archetype left her powerless against the tension. Getting this close—close enough for intimate conversation—sent waves of nerves rippling through her entire body.

Even if someone of Meng Chuning’s caliber—a corporate titan—just walked past her, Jiang Xiaoyi wouldn’t dare so much as breathe too loudly. Other thoughts? Forget it.

Head bowed, she poured her attention into the cooking. “Sister, I’ve got all the vegetables chopped. Next, we’ll heat up the wok and blanch them quickly.”

“Alright.” Meng Chuning cooperated, firing up the stove. While they waited for the water to boil, Jiang Xiaoyi began mixing the dipping sauce. “The real secret to a low-fat meal is in the sauce. Sister, just mix it up according to the proportions on the recipe sheet.”

“Mm.” Meng Chuning murmured absentmindedly in agreement. The corner of her eye drifted over Jiang Xiaoyi’s hand, lingering on the back where faint blue veins stood out against the pale skin from her tight grip on the spoon.

The water bubbled vigorously now, the vegetables blanching to just the right tenderness. Jiang Xiaoyi looked up. “Sister, want to give it a taste?”

Meng Chuning’s mind wasn’t on the cooking at all. Without a second thought, she used her chopsticks to pluck a slice of carrot from the scalding pot and popped it into her mouth.

“Sister!” Jiang Xiaoyi lunged too late to stop her.

“…”

The heat jolted Meng Chuning back to her senses—her mouth burned and tingled fiercely.

“Spit it out!” When Meng Chuning didn’t immediately do so, Jiang Xiaoyi panicked and thrust her fingers into her mouth to scoop out the scorching vegetable.

“Mm…” Meng Chuning froze for a split second. She felt cool fingertips brush her tongue tip, followed by a small cube of ice slipped inside. The fiery pain in her mouth cooled in an instant.

Jiang Xiaoyi remained tense as a coiled spring. “Sister, how does it feel now?”

Meng Chuning wiggled her tongue tip. “A little sore.”

“It didn’t burn, did it?” Jiang Xiaoyi frowned, staring intently at her lips. “Should we go to the hospital?”

“It’s probably not that serious.” The ice was melting away in Meng Chuning’s mouth; the intense heat had already faded. And thanks to Jiang Xiaoyi’s lightning-fast reaction, it hadn’t done any real damage.

Still, seeing the genuine worry in her eyes, Meng Chuning couldn’t help but ask, “Could you check inside my mouth? Make sure there’s no damage?”

Jiang Xiaoyi didn’t hesitate. “Of course, Sister. Open up.”

Meng Chuning parted her lips slightly. They were glossy with moisture, reddened from the hot food, but otherwise unharmed.

“Mm.” Jiang Xiaoyi inspected with utmost care. “Now stick out your tongue, Sister.”