Qing Xinxue felt a surge of both anxiety and irritation. Why wouldn’t Lan Yucheng simply behave and heed her words?
“What is it, that you won’t let me see?”
Though Lan Yucheng spoke, she made no move to remove the towel from her head.
“No… you just can’t look!”
As Qing Xinxue spoke, her eyes remained fixed on Lan Yucheng’s form. The steamy mist offered some concealment, yet it did nothing to obstruct Qing Xinxue’s keen sight.
She, meanwhile, was enjoying the view immensely.
“Alright, alright, hurry up and wash. I’m getting a little cold.”
Having said this, Lan Yucheng turned her head back, deliberately hugging herself tighter, as if genuinely chilled.
“Oh… okay.”
Qing Xinxue quietly removed the towel, her fingers trembling slightly as they threaded through Lan Yucheng’s hair.
The diffused steam blurred her vision, yet paradoxically, it made the exposed expanse of back before her appear even clearer.
Water droplets traced the elegant curve of Lan Yucheng’s spine, slowly descending to her waist before finally dripping onto the floor.
“Is the water temperature okay?”
She tried to make her voice sound natural, but a hint of nervousness still betrayed her.
“Mm, just right.”
Lan Yucheng sighed contentedly, completely oblivious to the tumultuous emotions of the person behind her.
Qing Xinxue’s gaze uncontrollably roamed—from the slender neck and shoulders to the subtly protruding butterfly bones; every contour shimmered in and out of view amidst the mist.
She knew perfectly well this was wrong, yet her sight felt enchanted, stubbornly clinging to that expanse of skin.
When her fingertips inadvertently brushed Lan Yucheng’s nape, both women shivered subtly at the same instant.
“Sorry, my hand slipped a bit,” she hastily explained, her ears burning.
“It’s fine,” Lan Yucheng’s voice held a hint of amusement. “You can continue.”
Qing Xinxue took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus on the lather in her hands.
Yet, each rub became a sweet torment. The fresh scent of hair intertwined with the warmth of skin, creating a dizzying aroma.
She secretly watched as water droplets meandered down Lan Yucheng’s spinal groove, gathered into a glistening bead at her waist, and finally fell to the floor.
When it came to the final rinse, her movements unconsciously slowed.
Her fingertips lingered in the soft strands of hair, cherishing this rare moment.
It wasn’t until Lan Yucheng let out a soft sneeze that she snapped back to reality.
“Almost done!” She quickly turned off the water and grabbed a dry towel, gently wrapping it around the wet hair.
In that brief instant, her gaze once again swept over the exposed skin, then she forced herself to look away.
“Turn around, I’ll help you dry your hair,” her voice was soft.
“Just like this?”
Lan Yucheng, still smiling, asked her.
“Um… wait… I’ll put on clothes first…”
Only then did Qing Xinxue realize that if Lan Yucheng turned around now… she would definitely turn crimson! Absolutely!
“Alright, you can go out. Take my clothes with you too, by the way.”
Lan Yucheng said, wiping her own hair with the towel.
“Don’t do anything naughty with my clothes, okay?~”
“Who! Who would do anything naughty!”
Qing Xinxue’s face, already slightly flushed from the steam, now glowed a vivid red, as if painted with a dazzling red oil.
Clutching the clothes from the basket with one hand, she fled, practically running out and closing the door behind her.
****
After Qing Xinxue left, the bathroom fell silent, save for the drip-drip-drip of water falling to the floor.
‘My favorability… it must have increased,’ she mused.
A faint smile played on her lips as she recalled Qing Xinxue’s tone of voice earlier.
‘Favorability…
It seems it did increase.’
“Honestly… Sister Cheng always knows how to tease me…”
Qing Xinxue mumbled softly after putting her clothes back on. Yet, as she looked at the remaining pile of ‘clothes imbued with Sister Cheng’s scent,’ the earlier words involuntarily echoed in her mind:
“Don’t do anything naughty, okay?~”
“Who would do anything naughty!”
Qing Xinxue tried to self-hypnotize, but simply looking at the pile of clothes rendered all such efforts utterly useless!
It was as if two tiny figures were battling in her mind.
On one side, a small figure with beautiful, pristine white wings, representing an angel.
She whispered into Qing Xinxue’s right ear:
“You mustn’t do that! Sister Cheng said not to do anything naughty!”
On the other side, a small figure with black horns and a wagging tail, representing a demon.
She whispered into Qing Xinxue’s left ear:
“Sister Cheng is still in the bathroom! You won’t get caught! Even if you are discovered doing such a thing, Sister Cheng will forgive you!”
Qing Xinxue bit her lip, her heart wavering greatly.
Embracing the thought that such a good opportunity might not come again,
Qing Xinxue ultimately leaned towards the demon’s suggestion.
She first glanced towards the bathroom, then tiptoed towards the balcony. She placed most of the clothes in the sink, keeping only one item in her hand.
‘Even if Sister Cheng finds out, I’m not afraid!’
Thus, Qing Xinxue, feeling a little nervous, held the clothes and slowly brought them closer to her nose…
“Hiss… how could I forget to grab my clothes?”
Lan Yucheng dried herself and then admired her own beauty in the mirror.
“Should I ask Xiao Xue to get them for me again?”
She considered it. She had just troubled Qing Xinxue, who might already be asleep, waiting for a bedtime story.
“No, I won’t bother her.”
Wrapped in her bath towel, Lan Yucheng opened the bathroom door and instinctively glanced towards the living room.
“Hmm? Where is Xiao Xue?”
Not seeing Qing Xinxue in the living room, her first suspicion was that Qing Xinxue had secretly snuck into her bed.
But when she entered the bedroom and turned on the light…
Hey, Qing Xinxue still wasn’t there.
Though puzzled, Lan Yucheng first changed into a nightgown.
“Is this thing really so comfortable to wear?”
Lan Yucheng felt the fabric of the nightgown with her hand.
“This feels much nicer than any of my previous clothes.”
Indeed, Lan Yucheng, who used to stay home all day, hadn’t paid much attention to her quality of life. Clothes were simply something to wear; comfort was hardly a consideration.
“Right, Xiao Xue isn’t in the living room or here. What else could she be doing?”
She turned off the light, changed back into her cotton slippers, and began searching for Qing Xinxue.
The balcony was conspicuous. Lan Yucheng had barely taken two steps, not even having called out a name, when she spotted Qing Xinxue.
From her back, Qing Xinxue appeared to be washing clothes, and Lan Yucheng’s favorability towards her increased by another notch.
‘If I manage to conquer her later, will Xiao Xue handle all the housework?’
With this thought, Lan Yucheng instinctively began to approach her, step by step.
But upon reaching a position where she could see Qing Xinxue’s full profile, Lan Yucheng’s initial thoughts were gradually replaced by speechlessness.
‘What, is she really that fond of my scent?’
Qing Xinxue, of course, hadn’t noticed Lan Yucheng. The moment her nose touched the clothes, she was already lost in her own world.
Even with Lan Yucheng’s gaze fixed on her, Qing Xinxue remained unaware.
This piqued Lan Yucheng’s interest a little.
She wanted to see when Qing Xinxue would finally notice her.
“Mm… I’ve already smelled it, so… so can I be a little bolder?”
Qing Xinxue thought blankly, an unavoidable blush spreading across her cheeks.
‘Wait! Why is her face red!’