An Epic Shower and a Devil’s Invitation

Following Gu Wei into a bathroom that dwarfed her entire apartment, Xiang Qing found her worldview utterly reshaped. The massage bathtub, capacious enough for seven or eight people, the shower room akin to a personal steam sauna, and the faucets that gleamed with pure gold—poverty, she realized, had truly constricted the bounds of her imagination.

Gu Wei, utterly unconcerned by Xiang Qing’s dumbfounded stare, began to shed her clothes without a hint of self-consciousness.

Xiang Qing hastily averted her gaze, murmuring, “See no evil, see no evil…”

Gu Wei stepped into the shower enclosure and activated the spray.

“Come in.”

Xiang Qing, a grimace on her face, resignedly rolled up her sleeves and slowly, reluctantly, edged closer.

She had barely reached the threshold of the shower when, before she could utter a single word of inquiry, a hand shot out from the swirling mist and abruptly pulled her inside!

“Ah—!”

Xiang Qing shrieked as she was unceremoniously hauled directly beneath the cascading water. The warm, enveloping stream instantly soaked her from head to toe, a sensation that was chillingly invigorating—no, searingly warm. Her off-white cashmere coat, instantly saturated, grew heavy and clung to her.

“Gu Wei! What in the world are you doing?! My coat!”

This was a coat that cost more than a luxurious bathroom in her hometown!

Gu Wei’s hand, already straying to the buttons on Xiang Qing’s chest, was accompanied by a voice brimming with amusement.

“It’s completely soaked. Why keep it on? Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable?”

With a soft click, a button gave way.

Before Xiang Qing could even process what was happening, Gu Wei, with effortless speed, peeled off her soaking wet pink slip dress.

“!!”

Xiang Qing, dead.

She passed away in her twenties, a victim of utter social mortification.

She shrieked, her hands instinctively flying to cover her chest, while her other hand fumbled to shield her lower body. She curled into a tight ball, her face flushed so crimson it seemed on the verge of bleeding.

Gu Wei stood before her, completely unclad, observing Xiang Qing’s mortified state with an amused, almost predatory interest, as though she were a startled little rabbit.

“Since you’re already in, wouldn’t it be a waste of water not to get properly clean?”

“Come on, let’s scrub each other’s backs. Let’s make this quick.”

‘I’d sooner believe in ghosts!’

‘This madwoman is utterly wicked!’

Xiang Qing’s mind screamed in protest, yet her body remained stubbornly honest.

‘Run?’

‘Where to?’

‘Streaking naked out of this opulent bathroom—and into the living room—only to be arrested as an exhibitionist.’ The mere thought of such a spectacle was enough to make her want to die on the spot.

She took a deep breath, deciding to simply give in to fate.

“You… you turn around first!”

To Xiang Qing’s surprise, Gu Wei actually turned around obligingly. Her smooth, porcelain-white back, and a waistline utterly devoid of any superfluous flesh, appeared even more alluring amidst the steamy haze.

Xiang Qing picked up the bath puff and squeezed shower gel onto it, feeling as though she wasn’t merely scrubbing a back, but polishing a priceless treasure.

Soon, it was her turn.

Xiang Qing stiffly turned, acutely aware of Gu Wei’s fingertips tracing over her skin, a sensation both numb and tingly.

The only sound in the bathroom was the rushing water, and the atmosphere grew increasingly peculiar.

Just as Xiang Qing felt she might suffocate from the tension, Gu Wei abruptly broke the silence.

“Do you know why Xiao Ming didn’t die after falling from the tenth floor?”

Xiang Qing paused, perplexed. “Huh? Why not?”

“Because he lives on the top floor, and he fell through a skylight.”

Xiang Qing: “…………”

“What kind of terrible dad joke is that?! It’s not funny in the slightest!”

Gu Wei’s voice, muffled by the cascading water, took on a somewhat suggestive tone as she continued her line of questioning.

“Then, do you know what kind of chicken is the most expensive in the world?”

Xiang Qing’s heart lurched with an ominous premonition.

“…What kind of chicken?”

“An airplane in first class.”

Xiang Qing: “…………”

‘Help, she was already curling her toes in mortification.’

Gu Wei’s hand glided from Xiang Qing’s back to her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, then brushed past her ear, a warm breath caressing her earlobe.

“One last one. Do you know why an elephant’s trunk is so long?”

Xiang Qing clamped her mouth shut. She didn’t know! And she absolutely did not want to know!

“Because it always uses its hands, the one below became unnecessary and slowly atrophied, finally growing onto its face.”

‘Holy hell!’

‘What in the world are these lewd words?!’

‘What kind of crude, vulgar joke is that?!’

And the most damning part was that these words had come from Gu Wei! From this woman, who possessed the face of a celestial fairy, whose entire being seemed to scream, “I am nobility itself!”—this utterly unhinged rich lady! The sheer contrast was absolutely mind-boggling!

“CEO Gu! Can… can you please be a little more serious?!” She felt her face was so flushed it could fry an egg.

Gu Wei chuckled softly, the tremor of her chest resonating through her palm onto Xiang Qing’s shoulder.

“What, not funny? Your face is completely flushed, I see.”

“That’s just from the hot water!” Xiang Qing retorted stubbornly, her voice already tinged with a whine.

****

At long last, the shower—a truly epic ordeal of awkwardness—concluded. Both women wrapped themselves in pristine white bathrobes. Xiang Qing felt as though she had just emerged from a fierce battle, her entire body limp.

As she walked out of the bathroom, towel-drying her hair, a single thought dominated her mind: ‘Claim the sofa! Even if the King of Heaven himself came tonight, she would sleep on the sofa!’

However, she was still a step too late.

Gu Wei was already gracefully positioned beside the room’s sole, immense bed. She patted the expansive, empty space beside her. The sheets, made of luxurious silk, glowed with a soft luminescence under the lamplight. She gazed at the wary Xiang Qing, a lazy yet dangerously alluring smile playing on her lips.

“All clean now.”

“Time for bed.”

Xiang Qing’s entire body went rigid as she watched Gu Wei’s gesture towards the bed. That languid, perilous smile, in her eyes, was nothing less than a summons from the devil himself!

‘Sleep?’

‘Sleep my foot!’

‘What difference was there between this and willingly throwing herself into the lion’s den?!’

Her scalp tightened, and she felt every cell in her body screaming to flee!

“Um… CEO Gu, I…” Xiang Qing’s mind raced, desperately trying to conjure a hundred plausible excuses. “I’m usually a champion night owl, absolutely bursting with energy! You go to sleep first, please, you first! I’ll sit on the sofa and keep watch for you!”

As she spoke, she stealthily shuffled her feet towards the living room, wishing she could teleport to the seemingly safe modular sofa in the next second.

“Oh, right! I haven’t changed into my pajamas yet! This bathrobe is uncomfortable; I’ll go change!”

Having found what she believed to be a perfect excuse, Xiang Qing turned to make her escape. However, Gu Wei was swifter.

Gu Wei didn’t even bother with words; she simply untied her bathrobe. The pristine white robe smoothly slid off her body, falling onto the expensive carpet.

Then, a physique that rendered all adjectives utterly inadequate was, without warning, completely exposed before Xiang Qing’s eyes. Under the light, her skin was as white and flawless as the finest mutton-fat jade. Her body’s contours were fluid and taut, every inch seemingly sculpted with meticulous care. There was not an ounce of superfluous flesh, yet it wasn’t a gaunt thinness, but rather a beauty brimming with health and strength.

Xiang Qing let out a muffled shriek, abruptly spinning around and clamping her hands over her eyes.

“Ahhh! See no evil! See no evil!”

‘Oh, for crying out loud!’

‘I saw it!’

‘I saw it again!’

‘Though I’d already experienced social death once in the bathroom, that was amidst a hazy, steamy environment!’

‘Now! Under such bright lights! I saw everything crystal clear!’

‘Is this woman a devil?! Has she cultivated some kind of enchanting demonic art?! Who could possibly withstand this?!’

Xiang Qing felt the temperature of her cheeks skyrocketing, as if she could perform a teppanyaki act right there and then.

From behind her, Gu Wei’s lazy, smiling voice drifted over.

“Turn around.”

“No! I won’t turn around even if you kill me!” Xiang Qing shook her head like a rattle-drum.

“Why be shy? What you have, I have too.” Gu Wei’s tone was utterly matter-of-fact.

‘Big sister!’

‘Can it be the same?!’

‘Yours is a weapon of mass destruction!’

‘Mine is, at best, a child’s toy water gun!’

“You undress too.” Gu Wei’s command was simple and blunt.

“I won’t!” Xiang Qing refused without a second thought. “I don’t have a habit of sleeping naked!”

Gu Wei chuckled softly, then began to coax her patiently.

“Sleeping naked is very good for your body; it promotes metabolism, relaxes muscles, and is good for your skin. Just imagine, wearing nothing, lying on silk sheets… that slippery sensation… how comfortable would that be?”

‘Stop!’

‘Please stop!’

‘Don’t talk in that tone anymore!’

‘You’re being indecent!’