When she woke again, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted her.
The room was primarily white, with plain, simple furniture. On the desk beside the bed lay several design sketches.
“Predecessor!”
The door suddenly opened, and a figure stumbled in, collapsing onto Lin Xiaojue.
Recognizing who it was, she blinked.
“Xia Yao? I…” Lin Xiaojue tried to prop herself up, but her body was far too weak. The moment her elbow touched the bed, it gave out and she sank back down.
A sharp hiss escaped her. Her whole body ached, and her mind felt heavy and sluggish.
“Predecessor, you need to rest right now. Just lie down.”
Xia Yao tucked a pillow behind her, allowing Lin Xiaojue to look around and examine the room.
It was not large, about ten square meters. On the left was a barred window, and directly opposite it on the right was the door, with a bed between them.
Beside the bed, scraps of fabric and half-finished clothes were piled in the corner, close enough that she could hook a piece over with her foot if she stretched.
At the head of the bed stood the desk she had noticed first. Rulers, scissors, and various tools were arranged neatly on top, though packed densely together.
Nearly every object was placed in the room in a cramped manner. Combined with the lack of decoration, it felt less like a place to live and more like a workspace.
Yet this was Xia Yao’s room.
Lin Xiaojue opened her mouth, only to realize her throat was hoarse and burning, too tight for words. Her nose was also completely stuffed.
‘Looks like I caught a cold.’
“Predecessor, here.”
Just then, Xia Yao brought over a basin of water, thin wisps of steam rising from it. In her hand was a towel woven with penguin patterns. She folded it twice and dipped it into the water to soak.
Soon she took it out, wrung it, and approached the bed with a faint fragrant breeze.
After catching a cold and fever, even the slightest sensation felt magnified. Lin Xiaojue shivered all over, and she realized the sticky sweat on her body had practically glued her clothes to her skin.
‘Eh? What was I wearing before?’
She lifted her head in confusion and met Xia Yao’s gentle eyes.
The warm, soft towel brushed lightly across her forehead. Before she could react, Xia Yao lifted the blanket, revealing what lay beneath.
A thin, translucent white gauze garment. Faintly visible curves. And her underwear, which had long since disappeared.
Full, rolling contours rose and fell, her flat abdomen answering them, and below, a gradually fading line that showed she had already been changed into different clothes.
This… Lin Xiaojue flushed bright red, not knowing what to say.
Her condition was too weak. Since waking, all kinds of sensations had come rushing in.
Sore waist, aching back, dizziness, a foggy mind. She was practically a fragile, sickly girl.
‘By the way, who changed my clothes?’
‘And where did my phone go?’
Lin Xiaojue had many questions. She gestured toward Xia Yao with her eyes, but received no answer.
Instead,
Xia Yao gently held the towel and wiped the sweat from her body.
“Mm… mm…”
Back and forth, almost every time Xia Yao used enough force. Though she was only wiping sweat, to Lin Xiaojue’s overly sensitive body it felt like an unbearable tickling torture.
“Xia Yao… l-lighter…” she pleaded, turning her head aside, biting her lower lip humbly. That did not seem enough, so she bit the blanket too, letting out small, soft muffled whimpers.
“Hm? Ah… o-okay.” Xia Yao froze briefly. Her movements became much lighter, but the frequency increased.
That made it even harder for Lin Xiaojue to endure.
“S-slower…”
Still biting the pillow, she made a voice so faint it was almost inaudible.
“What?”
Xia Yao leaned closer. A shadow fell before her eyes, carrying the scent of gardenia and a faint trace of fabric.
“Slower…”
Lin Xiaojue’s throat felt as if it had been scorched, forcing her to speak word by word with great effort.
Unexpectedly, Xia Yao frowned and let out a dissatisfied “Mm.”
The sound dragged long, and Lin Xiaojue instantly went limp.
“Predecessor,” Xia Yao said seriously, “you have a fever right now. It is serious. You need to be wiped properly, or it will be easy to catch another cold.”
“Mm… I know…”
Lin Xiaojue bit the pillow, gradually unable to loosen her teeth.
“Then I am starting.”
“Mm.”
Again and again came firm pushing and pulling motions. Lin Xiaojue lowered her head, pretty bangs covering her eyes, cheeks flushed red as she let out faint hums like mosquito buzzes.
Finally, her waist was finished.
Then the towel moved upward, advancing toward the twin peaks.
“Mmnh~”
“Predecessor…”
“I know, ah…”
Still the pushing and pulling, but gentler than before, more careful, detailed down to nearly every inch of skin.
It felt almost like a massage for her chest.
Many times Lin Xiaojue wanted to moan aloud, but she forced herself to hold it back.
‘Cannot make a sound.’
‘If I do, what will I do in front of my junior?’
‘But… my clothes were changed, by…’
After an unknown stretch of time, the sensation finally faded.
Lin Xiaojue thought she was freed.
However,
The blanket was lifted further, exposing her smooth, slender thighs.
‘Don’t tell me she is going to…’
Her cheeks burned even hotter. She looked anxiously at Xia Yao, who wore a puzzled expression, as if asking what was wrong.
“Can you skip wiping there?”
Lin Xiaojue pointed downward.
“No.”
Xia Yao shook her head decisively.
“Why…”
She let out a sticky, tearful whine, looking pitiful enough to stir sympathy.
“No means no.”
Xia Yao made a crossing gesture, soaked the towel again, and grasped one soft thigh.
A while later, Lin Xiaojue lay there weakly.
Xia Yao brought over a bowl of medicine, scooped up a spoonful, and held it to Lin Xiaojue’s lips.
“Drink.”
“Not drinking.”
The lingering aftereffects from before had not passed yet. Lin Xiaojue wanted to rest for a while.
“Be good.”
“Not being good.”
Watching the childlike predecessor before her, Xia Yao’s eyes showed a trace of helplessness. She set the bowl on the desk, then sat by the bed.
During the wiping earlier, Lin Xiaojue had gained a chance to sort out her thoughts.
What had happened while she was unconscious? Why had she been rescued? And why was she here?
Most importantly, her phone was gone.
She looked around but did not see her coat.
“Predecessor.”
At that moment, Xia Yao interrupted her thoughts.
She leaned down. Smooth hair fell, brushing Lin Xiaojue’s nose with a ticklish touch.
“Why can you transform, Predecessor? And you were even wearing… something like a wedding dress.”
Lin Xiaojue fell silent. Naturally, she did not want to answer that.
Faced with that urgent situation, the first thing she had thought of was transforming.
At the same time, the simulator was her greatest secret.
So she tried to avert her gaze.
Xia Yao leaned closer. Fragrance and body warmth pressed in together, forcing Lin Xiaojue to meet her eyes.
Xia Yao’s brows knit slightly. Her usually upturned lips curved down a little, carrying a hint of grievance.
In her deep eyes there was worry, and also joy. Lin Xiaojue sensed complicated emotions within them.
The two stared at each other in silence.
After a long while,
“Hey, Predecessor, could it be…”