“Warming the bed” was not an unfamiliar term to Xu Yinsheng.
It generally referred to helping someone warm up the bed first, so it would be cozy when they got in.
In the historical textbooks of the Huayuan Federation, the people who did this job were collectively called—tongfang maids.
In the 21st century, warming the bed was usually a term reserved for novels or some nightlife establishments offering certain intimate services.
Xu Yinsheng had experienced bed warming before.
Don’t get the wrong idea.
Although she liked flirting with pretty girls, she was very self-disciplined—she flirted but never slept with them.
She was a rare flower in the playboy circle.
It happened during her university days.
One night she skipped class to go for some street barbecue.
After a while, she got a little tipsy, and one of her rowdy friends dragged her to a nightclub, saying he wanted her to experience life.
At that time, she was still a bit drunk, her mind swirling with all kinds of thoughts, so she just followed him inside.
Once inside, there were two cotton beds in the room.
The blankets were puffed up into small lumps, as if someone was hidden inside.
Xu Yinsheng squinted and realized that this guy really knew how to have fun.
Several student girls were lying under the covers, using their body heat to warm up the big beds.
Once the blankets were fully warmed, they would quietly get out of bed.
After the girls left, the guy immediately jumped under the blanket, hugging the warm quilt and inhaling deeply with a look of blissful intoxication—as if he was floating above the clouds, completely lost in the moment.
Then he gestured toward the other already warmed-up bed, inviting Xu Yinsheng to experience the youthful warmth.
With a black line across her face, Xu Yinsheng refused and ended up playing games on the bed all night.
Later, she had one of her juniors inquire about it, only to find out it was a nightclub promotion—something like those “high school girl lap pillow sleepover” services, called “First Love Bed Warming.”
Ugh… insanely ridiculous!
Now, under the sparse stars and the flight of black crows heading south, Xu Yinsheng looked at the classical wooden door before her.
Behind her, the head maid’s increasingly impatient gaze practically screamed, “If you won’t be dignified, I’ll make sure you are.”
Xu Yinsheng took a deep breath, slowly placed her small hand on the door handle, and gently turned it open.
Inside was pitch dark, with only a desk lamp casting a faint, warm yellow light.
She exhaled in relief and poked her head inside to check—fortunately, no one was there.
Of course, she was warming the bed, not serving in the boudoir.
Xu Yinsheng stepped in quietly, her footsteps muffled by the carpet, and casually shut the door behind her.
She looked around.
The room was about fifty square meters, simply and tastefully decorated.
A large double bed was arranged into a circular lounge chair, and against the wall stood a bookshelf.
The shelves were filled with heavy, thick books. Some of the older volumes showed clear signs of being read, but the others looked surprisingly new, as if just unwrapped.
On the desk sat an empty cup, clearly indicating someone had been here for a while.
Xu Yinsheng shifted her gaze back to the double bed and slowly walked over.
First, she removed her outermost clothing, revealing the tight, sexy inner lining and black lace panties beneath.
She paused at the bedside, glanced down at her own body, then slowly lifted the blanket corner and lay down, sinking fully into the soft bed.
The art of warming the bed was in fully extending one’s body so that the warmth, mixed with a faint natural scent, would gradually fill the entire blanket until the warming session was complete.
In those nightclubs, the so-called alluring scent of the girls was all a bluff.
What you thought was a natural fragrance was actually industrial perfume.
In reality, natural body scent did exist, but the chances were pitifully low.
Why did Xu Yinsheng know so much?
She wasn’t some weirdo with strange fetishes; these were just reports her junior had gathered for her.
She gently flipped the soft cotton pillow a few times and buried her head in it.
A faint lingering scent remained on the pillow, which should have been comforting for stretching out the body.
But the red-haired woman froze in place, as if sensing something yet uncertain.
Her small face buried deep in the pillow, her delicate nose twitched with a sniff.
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Xu Yinsheng suddenly lifted her head, no longer relaxed, her brows furrowing slightly.
“This isn’t right,” she murmured.
“This scent…”
She looked unsure but buried her head again, sniffing carefully.
Her brows tightened and loosened intermittently.
It was familiar, yet somehow foreign.
Xu Yinsheng sat up on the bed, cupping the quilt in her hands and pressing her face into it.
Compared to the pillow, the quilt covered more of the body and was more likely to retain a person’s scent.
Like a cat smelling catnip, she took a deep inhale.
This time, it was fresh and faint, mixed with the aroma of grass and wood.
Had she misread it?
She touched her forehead—her body temperature was normal.
The gentle fragrance still lingered at her nose.
She sniffed the pillow again; the scent was less familiar. Her tension eased.
She involuntarily exhaled deeply.
“I must be overthinking,” Xu Yinsheng patted her chest to comfort herself.
She kept associating everything with Zhao Yicheng, every scent reminded her of him…
Damn it, all Zhao Yicheng’s fault!
He left such a psychological shadow on her!
Xu Yinsheng tucked the quilt around herself, cocooned in warmth, the gentle body heat mingling with the faint, pleasant scent lingering in the bed, slowly warming the space…
During this process, as Xu Yinsheng rested her head on the cotton pillow, that same familiar yet strange scent hovered by her cheek, inexplicably soothing.
Unconsciously, Xu Yinsheng drifted off to sleep.
This was the most peaceful sleep Xu Yinsheng had had since arriving on the island.
The last time she had slept this well was when she accompanied Zhao Yicheng to watch the sunrise.
At that time, the sky was a dull gray.
She and Zhao Yicheng sat by the sea, leaning against the coastal rocks side by side.
The waves slapped the rocks with a rustling sound.
A few big fish leapt up and splashed down, drenching their clothes.
Just having gotten out of bed, Xu Yinsheng was still half asleep, the chilly sea breeze hitting her face, stirring even more drowsiness.
Zhao Yicheng took off his coat and kindly draped it over her shoulders.
Leaning on his shoulder, the residual warmth from the coat seeped through her shirt, softly pressing against her skin, comforting and cozy.
She couldn’t help but sniff.
It wasn’t the sweet, refreshing scent typical of a soft girl but a distinctly masculine fragrance—crisp, pleasant, and deeply warm.
Warm and comforting, yet reassuring.
That was the first time Xu Yinsheng had fallen asleep leaning on a man—not with the intent to escape, but truly at ease resting on Zhao Yicheng’s shoulder, sinking into a deep sleep.
Warm and firm.
She frowned, nuzzled closer into his embrace, finally satisfied once she touched his warm skin.
Then she burrowed down further, burying her entire small face into him.
Actually, when Zhao Yicheng wasn’t acting up, he was quite the boyfriend material.
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