In the bathroom.
Yu Qing stood frozen in place, her fingers gripping the towel so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her mind racing wildly yet unable to find any reason to refuse!
You keep saying you’re afraid Lin Wei will eat me alive, but clearly, you’re the one with impure motives!
Yu Qing had always thought that the girls in those novels would never be so bold in real life.
Looking at this now, she realized she was still too naive.
On the other side, Zhou Min was already calmly adjusting the water temperature, then skillfully added bath gel.
The foam quickly accumulated on the surface, and as the steamy mist spread, the line of sight between the two gradually blurred, as if this could slightly ease the awkward atmosphere.
“Isn’t it tiring to stand? Yiyi~”
Zhou Min spoke with her back to her, the sound of water carrying the laughter in her tone.
“We’re both girls, what’s there to be shy about?”
Yu Qing bit her lower lip, a fierce internal struggle raging within her.
“Who’s shy? Minmin, don’t talk nonsense.”
Yu Qing tried to sound tough, but her completely flushed cheeks had already betrayed her.
In the end, she chose to surrender, awkwardly shuffling to the edge of the bathtub, using foam to cover herself as much as possible, then quickly slid into the warm water, burying herself up to her chin, leaving only her bright red face exposed.
“Heh, how old are you, still don’t know how to take a bath.”
Zhou Min seemed to chuckle softly.
She slowly stood up from the bath, came to Yu Qing’s back, first gathered her hair into a bundle, then wrapped it with a towel, and finally sat down directly behind Yu Qing, hugging the curled-up person in front of her.
The bathtub was big, but the two of them occupied only a small corner, pressed closely together, feeling each other’s warmth.
The water rippled, foam drifting.
In the spacious bathroom, only the sound of water and their faint breathing filled the air.
This… This isn’t right.
Yu Qing was completely stiff, staring at the foam floating on the water, not daring to move.
She could feel Zhou Min’s gaze on her, light as a feather yet impossible to ignore.
“Relax, Bao~”
Zhou Min’s voice sounded again, softer than usual.
“Why so tense? It’s not like I’m going to eat you.”
Seriously? Do you even believe your own words?
The hot breath on her neck made Yu Qing shrink back again.
She fought the urge to flee, forcing a smile uglier than crying.
“Did you have fun today?”
Zhou Min started chatting casually.
“I mean, using the identity of ‘Fu Yi.’”
Yu Qing felt a bitter taste in her heart.
So she really knew, and even pointed it out so directly.
She lifted her head, turned around, and met Zhou Min’s gaze.
Through the steam, Zhou Min’s eyes were calm and deep, without mockery or anger, only a faint curiosity and a barely noticeable excitement.
“It was okay.”
Maybe because she’d been found out, Yu Qing actually felt less nervous now.
She stretched out more openly, wanting to turn around and face Zhou Min.
“Don’t move.”
Zhou Min stopped Yu Qing, picked up a bath sponge, and started scrubbing Yu Qing’s arm slowly.
“Good girls should be obedient.”
Yu Qing fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly.
“Why does it feel like you’re treating me like a child?”
After shedding her disguise, Yu Qing’s voice was cold and distant, carrying a sense of estrangement that kept people at arm’s length.
“Aren’t you Yiyi’s younger sister? I’m older than Yiyi, so I’m her big sister. Naturally, that makes me older than you too. What’s wrong with treating you like a child?”
Zhou Min explained, but her hands didn’t stop.
After evenly spreading foam over Yu Qing’s arms, her gaze moved to Yu Qing’s chest.
?
Younger sister?
Yu Qing’s brain froze for a moment, but quickly understood the situation.
Well, she did look almost identical to her junior, so being mistaken for twins was understandable.
She just didn’t know why she was considered the younger one.
But…
So this is why your attitude towards me is so strange—because you’ve secretly filled in a bunch of weird scenarios in your head, right?
Yu Qing pursed her lips, continuing to build stories in her mind.
“Why aren’t you talking?”
Seeing Yu Qing silent for a while, Zhou Min curiously leaned in.
“Don’t tell her, okay?”
Yu Qing suddenly spoke in a low voice.
She didn’t know exactly what Zhou Min had imagined, but by saying this, she was fairly sure the other would understand.
After all, this was the truth in Yu Qing’s heart too.
“Mm… Okay~”
Zhou Min seemed to like Yu Qing’s reliance on her, and didn’t ask why.
She just agreed.
After that, Zhou Min didn’t mention Fu Yi again, switching topics to chat about trivial things, from national affairs to the little animals she saw on the road yesterday.
Whatever came to mind, she talked about it, creating an oddly peaceful atmosphere like she was taking care of a child.
Yu Qing gradually relaxed too.
Though still shy about looking around, at least she could occasionally respond.
She found that Zhou Min was actually quite talkative and knowledgeable, a bit different from the calm and restrained demeanor she usually displayed.
Was this Zhou Min’s real personality behind the scenes?
The steam blurred her vision, and the warm water wrapped around her body.
Zhou Min’s gentle, story-like voice drifted in her ears, so comfortable it made her drowsy.
The tension that had been building in Yu Qing all day slowly eased, and her thoughts began to wander.
However, she didn’t realize that Zhou Min’s inner feelings were far less calm than she appeared.
Sitting behind Yu Qing, Zhou Min gently hugged the person in her arms.
Through the rippling water and swirling steam, she could clearly see the body she held.
A slender neck, delicate collarbones, soft curves barely visible under the water, skin so fine that not a pore could be seen…
Zhou Min’s heartbeat grew chaotic.
She had to admit, Yu Qing’s face was incredibly attractive to her.
Even though it was the same face, she felt nothing but friendship for Yiyi, but toward Yu Qing, an uncontrollable urge to dote on her surged up, as if her long-buried maternal instinct was being drawn out.
Even knowing that the little one in front of her was a stranger, the trembling in her heart made her want to get closer.
She forced herself to look away, trying to focus on conversation, but it didn’t help much.
Until the water gradually cooled.
“That’s enough.”
Zhou Min was the first to stand, water droplets sliding off her body.
“Soaking any longer will make you dizzy.”
She wrapped herself in a towel with practiced ease, acting as if sharing a bath just now was no big deal.
Yu Qing heard her and stood up too, turning away to dry herself and put on the pajamas Zhou Min had prepared.
She wasn’t as flustered as Zhou Min.
From the moment Zhou Min voiced her suspicions, Yu Qing had begun thinking about how to use this fact to her advantage.
So during the bath, Zhou Min had completely taken the initiative, and without realizing it, Yu Qing’s body had been thoroughly cleaned by the other.
But even if Yu Qing hadn’t thought so much, she wouldn’t have minded.
Although she was a bit shy about a girl’s body, comparing it to guys bathing together made it understandable.
Like two brothers helping each other scrub, Zhou Min was just making some foam for her, nothing inappropriate happened, so there was nothing to fuss over.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, Yu Qing’s face was still red, but this time it wasn’t from embarrassment—just from the hot water.
Since Zhou Min had seen through her disguise, there was nothing more to say—they were all buddies, so what was there to be embarrassed about?
“……”
Alright, maybe a little.
But just a little!
Yu Qing tightened her pajamas and returned to the sofa.
Zhou Min watched her slightly hurried back, her expression complicated.
Tonight’s harvest…
Seemed greater than expected.