Warm water cascaded over his skin.
Xu Wanyue held a bath puff in her hand, rubbing it gently over his body until foam covered his chest. Lin Cheng couldn’t shake the strange feeling. He had clearly wanted to refuse just moments ago, but when her fingertip brushed his lips, all his strength seemed to vanish in an instant.
An inexplicable suppressive force.
Xu Wanyue squatted down, squeezing shower gel with one hand while gripping the pink bath puff in the other. She scrubbed with such seriousness, as if polishing a mannequin in a shop window. Lin Cheng didn’t dare move a muscle.
It was so strange. He was never like this in front of other girls. If it had been Lu Xiaoxiao, he might have argued back, insisting on returning the favor and scrubbing bubbles on her instead. But now, why couldn’t he budge? Lin Cheng watched the light fall on her flushed cheeks—they were rosy and utterly adorable.
Her eyes darted shyly about. After a long moment, she stood up, her fingertip trailing lightly down from his chest. Before she could grasp his most sensitive spot, Lin Cheng finally caught her wrist with a gentle pinch. “Okay, okay, I’ll wash myself.”
“Oh…” This time, Xu Wanyue nodded quickly, as if she’d been waiting forever for him to say it. She turned her back to him. “Then… then you go ahead and wash. I won’t look.”
Even with her back turned, she deliberately covered her eyes with her hand. It was adorably silly.
A good while later, Lin Cheng finished up. He sidled up behind her and lightly patted her shoulder. Xu Wanyue whipped around, only to tumble straight into his arms. He caught her shoulders gently.
“You… you go lie down on the bed. I’ll take a shower now.”
“Sure.” Lin Cheng reached out and pinched her cheek softly before turning and leaving the bathroom.
Lin Cheng slipped into his pajamas and waited quietly on the bed. About half an hour later, Xu Wanyue emerged from the bathroom. She’d shed the maid skirt and changed into that thin white nightgown—the short kind. She went to the wardrobe, bent slightly at the waist, and retrieved a pair of white stockings. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she began putting them on with careful focus.
Lin Cheng gazed at her flushed profile and muttered in confusion, “Why wear stockings to bed?”
“Mm…” Xu Wanyue didn’t answer directly. Soon enough, she had them on—knee-high, sheer stockings that looked especially cute. They were probably something she wore daily; with her flawless figure, anything suited her without seeming out of place.
She sat at the foot of the bed, then suddenly turned her head. She lifted one leg slightly, her toes lightly pressing against Lin Cheng’s chest. Her fingers clutched the bedsheet as her upper body leaned back a little, her eyes watching him timidly. “Do they look good?”
“They look good, sure, but thanks, I’m not biting.” Lin Cheng nodded vigorously. Her toes were nearly brushing his throat now—what was this girl up to?
The pose stretched her raised leg taut, its slender lines perfectly proportioned and graceful. Her skirt hem was a touch disheveled. Her toes slid slowly downward as she mumbled, “I didn’t say you had to eat them… I just… wanted you to play with them…”
Lin Cheng was speechless for a moment. Suddenly, explaining that he wasn’t some pervert felt incredibly difficult.
“You liked playing with them before… so today, you can… play as much as you want…” Xu Wanyue’s lips pouted slightly as she mumbled, turning her face away, cheeks burning red.
She was clearly shy, yet trying so hard to act nonchalant and generous.
If he didn’t do something now, he’d come off as hopelessly clueless. Lin Cheng reached out and grasped her ankle lightly, as if he really intended to do something. Xu Wanyue’s grip on the bedsheet tightened. Her small foot was soft and smooth, like a delicate work of art. The white silk felt silky and fine against his skin. But from start to finish, she never dared look at him.
After a long while, she finally turned her head slowly and mumbled, “Lin Cheng…”
“Yeah?”
“My foot cream… ran out. Can you… lend me a little?”
Lin Cheng froze for three seconds, then his eyes sharpened with suspicion.
…Wait, wasn’t that a line from the heroine in one of my treasured doujinshi?!
If this followed the script, shouldn’t he reply, “That depends on your effort, Miss Xu Wanyue”?
Oh no—he’d blurted it out on reflex.
Snapping back, Lin Cheng saw Xu Wanyue lifting both legs now. She sat facing him, her raised legs trembling slightly, as if unsure where to put them. After a moment, she whispered, “I… I don’t know what to do… It might hurt a little… I’ve never looked at the kind of doujinshi you read…”
As if struck by a thought, she scooted to the nightstand and pulled out two delicate bottles. “Do you like jasmine or rose scent?”
They were probably massage oils she used daily. Lin Cheng felt the atmosphere growing weirder by the second. Back when he’d first contracted with Xu Wanyue, he’d never imagined getting anything physical from her—definitely not anything steamy. So why was it turning strange now? He hadn’t led her on… so it must be her issue.
Yeah, definitely her issue!
Seeing no response, Xu Wanyue leaned closer, touching his cheek. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Nothing… just feels a bit off.”
“Because… I read in a book that if boys don’t… get release, they’ll get all backed up and hurt…”
“That’s just to fool kids.” Lin Cheng sighed. “It’s usually to trick girls. No release won’t kill you or make you go mad. It’s for gullible little fools like you.”
“Huh?!” Xu Wanyue’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yes.”
Xu Wanyue stared at the two bottles in her hand, hesitating before looking at Lin Cheng. “Want them anyway?”
Damn it, the ball was back in his court.
Lin Cheng wrestled internally, two little figures battling atop his head. The black one whispered temptations: first a kiss, then her legs, light fun tonight, heavy stuff tomorrow, full throttle later. Why pass up a delivered-to-your-door big sis? The white one nagged: You’re the world’s finest package—don’t fall for a bad woman’s temptations. She doesn’t even like you; it’s just some weird debt-settling nonsense in her head. Stupid and childish, like one roll in the hay clears the slate.
The little figures brawled, leaving Lin Cheng dizzy. Xu Wanyue, ignoring him, opened one bottle and squeezed rose-scented oil onto the top of her white silk foot. Her fingertips spread it, making the now-glistening silk foot look sinfully enticing.
“Mm, if you don’t need maid service, then… give me a massage?” Xu Wanyue looked up, eyes innocent.
And the black figure punched the white one dead.
“Eek!”
Xu Wanyue sat on the bed’s edge, carefully peeling off her white silk stockings. She rolled them into a ball, hesitated while holding them, then tossed them into the trash. Without meeting Lin Cheng’s eyes, she slipped into pink slippers and headed to the bathroom. When she returned, the room lights had dimmed to a soft glow. She burrowed under the covers.
As Lin Cheng’s hand touched her cheek, he found it burning hot. So strange—why did he feel like he’d fallen into a woven trap after getting all the benefits? Was she too naive, or was he?
“So why all of a sudden…”
“Because tomorrow night, time’s up.” Xu Wanyue whispered so softly.
“Even if we didn’t do anything steamy, I’d still give you that Evolution Blood.”
“But… it’d leave me feeling inexplicably uneasy.” She whispered back. “And… I don’t dislike you.”
“Is ‘don’t dislike’ the opposite of like?”
“Nooo… I don’t want to like you.”
“Ouch, what does a sister have to do to get you to like me?”
“You’re great, really… but… you can’t give me what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“Mm, a sense of security. If you only liked me, I’d probably like you too? But you’re tangled up with so many women… I can’t compete, so I’d just be an afterthought in your heart. I don’t want to be dispensable. I want… to be the only girl someone’s crazy about.”
Lin Cheng fell silent.
He had to shut up now. A rash promise would make him a real jerk if he couldn’t keep it.
…As long as he didn’t promise anything, it was just heated flirtation. Even lies didn’t matter.
Xu Wanyue nuzzled her head against his chest. She suddenly lifted it, scooting closer until her chin rested on his chest, gazing up at him. “But you really are a great guy… If you actually wanted to do something to me, I honestly wouldn’t know how to say no… I’d probably just let you sweet-talk me out of my skirt… but you didn’t.”
Why did the praise feel oddly hilarious?
“Did I… do okay earlier?” Xu Wanyue asked in the tiniest voice.
“Yeah, super steamy.”
“Not smooth at all… as long as it didn’t feel bad.” Her head drew nearer, eyes closing. “Then reward me.”
Her pink lips hovered close, her long lashes trembling faintly.
…Little vixen.
Lin Cheng shifted her waist slightly, drawing her nearer. Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply for a good long while, until Xu Wanyue pushed him away. Her small fists pounded weakly on his chest. “Don’t tease…”
She readjusted, nestling into his embrace—not clinging this time, but pulling his arm around her, pillowing her neck on it. Head against the pillow, she turned to face him, body curling up slightly.
Like a little cat.
