Facing Zhao Qingyu’s alluring, curvaceous back, Shen An decided to start with her lower body.
His first target: her calves.
The muscles there weren’t particularly sensitive, but the moment Shen An’s large hand gently grasped one, Zhao Qingyu couldn’t help trembling slightly.
This strange sensation stemmed from deep within her heart, not from any sensitivity in her calf muscles.
She was still worrying that he might take the opportunity to cop a feel.
Sure, he had already taken advantage of her countless times—she couldn’t even remember the exact number.
Not to mention what had just happened in the swimming pool, where the glimpse of her spring charms had been anything but ordinary.
But no matter what, the situations were different.
A girl could wear a sexy bikini to the beach or a public swimming pool, facing heated gazes from the opposite sex. She might feel a touch of shyness, but more than that, it would bring a sense of pride and satisfaction.
Every admiring look was an affirmation of her figure and beauty.
Yet she might not be able to accept a man reaching out to stroke her up close, no matter which part of her body.
That was the subtle difference in Zhao Qingyu’s mindset right now. She could wear a sexy bikini without issue, but Shen An’s hands caressing her at such close range felt hard to accept.
It wasn’t outright rejection—just a delicate feeling. His large hands gliding over her skin made her feel like… like she was a plaything in his hands.
When she was little, like any other girl, she had played with dolls, tirelessly dressing them up.
In this moment, she felt just like one of those dolls, with Shen An as her owner.
Of course, he had touched her intimately more than once before, so she should have been used to it by now.
But… the previous caresses had been different from this one.
Before, they had been sneaky, always with some excuse. She had gone along half-heartedly, neither fully agreeing nor refusing.
Now, though… now it was with her explicit permission. She had personally granted him this “pass.”
Hmm~
In short, it felt weird.
Zhao Qingyu quietly gripped the bedsheet, her body tensing up along with it.
“Relax a little.”
Shen An’s gentle voice sounded right by her ear. “Look at how tense your muscles are. That won’t help you relax—in fact, it’ll just make your fatigue worse.”
“Oh…”
Zhao Qingyu nodded vaguely.
In her heart, she grumbled silently: Idiot! No girl could fully relax in a situation like this!
“Relax even more.”
Shen An gripped her calf firmly. Frowning slightly at the taut muscles, he said, “Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and meditate. Imagine yourself at the center of the ocean, drifting with the waves, boundless and free.”
His voice grew soft and drifting, trying to soothe her mentally.
But…
Far from relaxing, Zhao Qingyu grew even more tense.
The ocean?
Drifting with the waves…
Was she a boat?
And he—was he the waves controlling her?
Aaaah!!!!
Strangely enough, though, Shen An had stumbled into success by accident. Thanks to Zhao Qingyu’s uniquely vivid imagination, she actually started drifting off in that direction, lost to the fantasy.
Before long, the muscles in her calves began to loosen. She had finally relaxed a bit.
Time to start the massage!
Shen An began with gentle kneading, warming up her calf muscles.
Eh…
Somehow, it felt… kind of… comfortable?
Zhao Qingyu felt like she had split personalities. One drifted aimlessly across the endless sea, while the other fixated intently on Shen An’s every move. Each action of his replayed vividly in her mind through her imagination.
After sufficient warmup, Shen An judged the moment right.
He precisely located the acupoints on her calf and gradually applied pressure.
Hiss.
She had clearly never had a proper massage before. The instant he pressed the acupoint, her two personalities snapped back together. Her entire brain filled with one sensation: pain.
She let out an involuntary low moan. Shen An raised a brow and said gently, “It does hurt a bit at first, but it’ll feel much better afterward.”
“Really? It’s… it’s fine.”
Even though she had cried out, Zhao Qingyu stubbornly tried to tough it out.
Shen An’s technique was highly professional. An ordinary person kneading their own calf couldn’t produce that kind of pain because they couldn’t pinpoint the acupoints or meridians.
Even at so-called massage parlors, unskilled technicians rarely delivered this sensation.
It wasn’t pure pain—it was the sharp awareness of your muscles and acupoints being worked, a pain that let you feel them distinctly.
Only skilled masseurs could hit the spots so accurately and firmly. If you wanted to try it, a blind massage parlor was a good bet.
They offered the real, unadulterated deal—no funny business.
Watching Zhao Qingyu’s delicate body tremble nonstop, her face twisted as she fought to hold back cries of pain for the sake of her pride, Shen An found it amusing. At the same time, he recalled his own first experience with this kind of massage.
It had been torture at the start.
Since she was so proud, let her keep holding out.
Shen An subtly increased his force, going a notch beyond normal.
He wasn’t deliberately tormenting her—her body actually wasn’t as healthy as it appeared.
This level of intensity was beneficial for her, in moderation.
Of course, it couldn’t be overdone. Once or twice occasionally to clear the channels was fine; too much could damage the body.
Hiss…
Zhao Qingyu… she felt like she was dying.
All the lingering flirtatious thoughts, all her worries about him taking advantage—swept clean from her mind.
Nothing remained but the raw echo of pain.
What… what kind of massage was this? Why… why did it hurt so much!!!
Shouldn’t massages feel good?
Her hands clenched the bedsheet so hard that veins bulged, her knuckles turning pale from the strain.
Seeing this, Shen An asked with a hint of provocation, “Is the pressure okay?”
“F-Fine…”
Zhao Qingyu’s voice trembled.
“Want me to go harder?”
“No!” She shook her head immediately.
“What, does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt! I just think this pressure is perfect.”
“But if it doesn’t hurt, it probably won’t clear the channels properly.” A sly smile tugged at Shen An’s lips.
“Really?” Zhao Qingyu gritted her teeth. “Then… then go a little harder.”
“Sure thing.”
He pressed harder still. Zhao Qingyu sucked in a sharp breath, her whole body starting to squirm uncontrollably.
This is killing me…
Why does it hurt so much!!!
“How’s that?”
“I-It… hurts a little now.” A hint of a sob crept into her voice.
“Ah, in that case, I can probably go even harder.”
Shen An couldn’t resist praising her. “Senior Sister, your pain tolerance is impressive.”
“Heh…”
Zhao Qingyu wasn’t sure if she was laughing or crying.
So Shen An pressed harder once more.
This time, she finally broke. With a fierce growl, she yanked her leg free from his grasp. “It hurts too much…”
She rolled over, glaring at him with a mix of shame and annoyance. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Admit it!”
Shen An put on his most innocent face. “How am I doing it on purpose?”
“You…”
Zhao Qingyu gnashed her teeth. “I’m done.”
“Quitting halfway isn’t good, you know.” Shen An’s large hand swept out, snagging her calf again.
“Ah~ I said I’m done…” Her plea came out soft and wheedling.
“I’ll go lighter this time.”
Seeing he had pushed far enough, Shen An stopped teasing her.
She pouted, forced to roll back over and lie still.
But this time… it didn’t hurt quite so much.
It wasn’t that it didn’t hurt at all; it was just that compared to the earlier pain, this discomfort now gave Zhao Qingyu the illusion that it was “bearable enough.”
Sure enough, everything was relative.
As Shen An’s massage progressed, Zhao Qingyu gradually felt her body starting to relax a little.
The sensation was straightforward, just as direct as the pain had been.
The areas he had massaged felt like clogged river channels that had been cleared, bringing a deeply satisfying sense of relief.
Hm?
This guy actually… knew how to massage?
Zhao Qingyu lay there obediently, her thoughts drifting to this realization.
She had originally thought Shen An was putting on an act, using it as an excuse to take advantage of her.
Or perhaps, like before, he was deliberately teasing her to watch her make a fool of herself.
She hadn’t expected him to actually know massage techniques or that he was genuinely trying to help her.
With this shift in mindset, Zhao Qingyu let go of her lingering wariness and began cooperating more fully with Shen An’s movements.
He started with her calves, then moved to her shoulders and waist, and finally to her neck and the back of her head.
When he began kneading her temples, a wave of lazy comfort washed over her entire body.
It seemed… pretty effective after all.
Zhao Qingyu blinked, finding it a bit miraculous.
After the full session, Shen An rubbed his wrists and asked softly, “Feeling better now?”
Zhao Qingyu turned slightly. “Yeah, a bit better.”
At that moment, Shen An shrugged. “There are still a few spots that need work, but since you’re a girl, I didn’t think it was appropriate, so I skipped them.”
“But this should have cleared things up enough for you to get a good night’s sleep.”
He was baiting her, and Zhao Qingyu—ever the straightforward one—fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
“What other spots?”
“Uh… well, some…” Shen An said awkwardly, “more sensitive areas.”
“Like the inner thighs and such.”
Shen An chuckled lightly. “Plus, you’re still wearing jeans, which makes it even trickier.”
“I could teach you the exact acupoints, and you can handle them yourself.”
“Me, by myself?”
Zhao Qingyu frowned thoughtfully, then looked at him. “Would you do it for me?”
Shen An looked troubled. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” Zhao Qingyu tilted her head. “I’m not scared.”
“No, no, no.” Shen An shook his head. “It’s not just about you.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I’m tired too!” Shen An declared righteously. “You’re just lying there—I’m the one doing all the work.”
Zhao Qingyu blinked at him. “Can’t you help a girl out?”
“Heh, I’m afraid I’d end up working hard for nothing.” Shen An waved her off dismissively, looking thoroughly unenthused.
“I… I wouldn’t blame you.”
Zhao Qingyu’s face flushed. “It’s just a massage. Right now, you’re the doctor, and I’m the patient.”
Hearing this, Shen An swiftly flashed an international hand gesture—the one for “money.”
“Huh?”
“What the hell ‘huh’? This is where we get to the paid service part,” Shen An teased with a light scoff.
“You want to charge me for helping out?” Zhao Qingyu pouted. “You’re such a cheapskate.”
“Hey, that’s not fair. I’m putting in my labor here.”
Shen An bristled at her words. “I was being nice and helping you out of the goodness of my heart so you could sleep well.”
“Now you’re asking for extras—I have to charge more.”
“Free okay?” Zhao Qingyu gazed at him pleadingly.
“Heh, you’re the rich one here.”
“But you still owe me money.”
A sly glint crossed Zhao Qingyu’s eyes. “You can just deduct it from that.”
Shen An’s mouth twitched. “Can’t the rich lady be generous for once?”
“I have money, but does having money mean I have to be generous?” Zhao Qingyu propped her cheek on her hand, teasing him. “Besides, I haven’t even asked you to pay me back yet. As your creditor, haven’t I been generous enough?”
“Now I’m just asking for a little massage—not even interest on the debt.”
“I… want to sleep.” Shen An yawned.
“Fine, pay me back first.”
Zhao Qingyu’s lips curved up, her smile radiant.
Damn it…
Shen An sighed. “Fine, take ’em off then!”
Zhao Qingyu: ???
