Due to her frail constitution, Xia Mengxi quickly grew drowsy after a tiring day.
Noticing her frequent yawns, Lin Xue’er thoughtfully suggested she take a bath first, while she would go afterward.
Xia Mengxi didn’t refuse the offer, nodding in agreement before decisively grabbing the pajamas she had brought and heading to the bathroom.
“It’s time.”
Once inside the bathroom, the exhaustion on Xia Mengxi’s face eased somewhat.
While her drowsiness was real, it wasn’t the whole truth— this was the only way she could ensure Lin Xue’er would let her bathe first.
At first glance, this small act might seem unnecessary, and in truth, it was.
Given Lin Xue’er’s personality, she would have readily yielded if Xia Mengxi had simply asked to go first.
But knowing this and still going through the motions was purely a result of excessive caution.
There was no helping it.
Having experienced Lin Xue’er’s methods during her captivity, Xia Mengxi now meticulously controlled every detail when dealing with her, even when she was confident.
“So, what can I tamper with in the bathroom to delay Lin Xue’er’s time?”
The reason she wanted to bathe before Lin Xue’er was simple: her original plan involved searching Lin Xue’er’s room while she was in the shower.
To buy herself more time, she intended to sabotage the bathroom.
As she showered, Xia Mengxi carefully studied the bathroom’s layout.
Unfortunately, most potential targets were either too obvious or would prevent Lin Xue’er from bathing altogether, leaving her momentarily frustrated.
“Damn it, do I really have to work under such tight time constraints? This is way too nerve-wracking!”
Frowning, Xia Mengxi stubbornly continued scanning the bathroom, hoping to find something that would spark an idea.
Luck was on her side.
During her second inspection, she discovered a solution—a sizable metal “box” that would neither deter Lin Xue’er from bathing nor arouse suspicion, yet would prolong her time in the shower: the electric water heater.
Electric water heaters had many flaws, and one of them perfectly suited Xia Mengxi’s needs-limited water storage capacity.
Thus, Xia Mengxi monitored the remaining hot water level on the heater’s digital display, lingering in the bathroom.
To avoid suffocation, she pressed her face against the bathroom window, breathing in fresh air from outside.
During this time, Lin Xue’er grew concerned she had fainted inside and called out to her several times, but Xia Mengxi deftly deflected each inquiry.
“Finally…”
As the hot water supply neared depletion, the agonizing wait came to an end-but Xia Mengxi’s impromptu plan wasn’t over yet.
Unsure whether Lin Xue’er had a habit of checking the water heater’s storage before bathing, Xia Mengxi took extra precautions.
She filled the bathtub to the brim and made subtle adjustments to ensure Lin Xue’er would have to wait for the water to reheat while soaking in the tub.
As for what kind of trick could make Lin Xue’er unable to shower yet not leave the bathroom, and instead take a bath—it was simple.
The trick was to get Lin Xue’er soaked.
That way, even if she realized there wasn’t enough hot water, she wouldn’t wait for the tank to refill before stepping into the bathroom.
“Sorry, Lin Xue’er. This time, I’ll have to exploit your kindness to achieve my goal.”
Xia Mengxi took a deep breath, suppressing the guilt in her heart, then shouted loudly toward the bathroom door: “Ahhh!”
Because Xia Mengxi had been showering for so long, Lin Xue’er had been standing in the hallway outside the bathroom.
The sudden scream immediately sent Lin Xue’er rushing to the bathroom door in alarm.
However, what she didn’t expect was that when she opened the door, the person inside was looking at her with a mischievous grin, as if planning to startle her when she least expected it.
“Boo!”
Seeing Xia Mengxi standing in front of her, dripping wet and pulling a silly face, Lin Xue’er didn’t know whether to be angry or amused.
But before her racing heart could fully settle, the girl in front of her slipped while stepping forward, nearly falling.
“Xiao Xi!”
Reacting quickly, Lin Xue’er caught Xia Mengxi just in time.
However, since Xia Mengxi hadn’t dried off after her shower, Lin Xue’er ended up soaked as well.
“Ah! I-I’m sorry, Xue’er! I… I…..”
Faced with Xia Mengxi’s guilty, childlike expression, Lin Xue’er steadied her, then draped a nearby towel over her shoulders.
“Xiao Xi, it’s fine to joke around, but you have to pick the right time. I was really worried about you just now, so… please don’t do this again, okay?”
Xia Mengxi nodded obediently, then feigned surprise as she looked at Lin Xue’er.
“Ah… Xue’er, I’m sorry! I got your clothes all wet.”
“It’s fine. I was about to take a shower anyway.”
“But…”
Xia Mengxi hesitated before continuing, “I took a really long shower just now, so the hot water is almost gone. If you try to use it now, there definitely won’t be enough.”
As she spoke, she pulled Lin Xue’er into the shower area and pointed at the bathtub filled with water.
“Luckily, I didn’t drain the tub yet. Why don’t you soak in it for a while first? Ah…! Don’t worry, the water in the tub is from after I showered -it’s not dirty!”
Xia Mengxi put on an anxious expression, as if afraid Lin Xue’er would find it unhygienic, and hurriedly explained that the water was clean.
Lin Xue’er just smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll soak for a bit then. Xiao Xi, you should dry off and get dressed quickly-you’ll catch a cold otherwise.”
“Okay!”
Xia Mengxi responded, then proceeded to dry herself off and put on her clothes right in front of Lin Xue’er.
Before leaving, she made sure to see Lin Xue’er step into the bathtub.
Only then did she let out a sigh of relief—though her heart was heavy with guilt.
After all, this was the first time she had ever acted against her conscience, especially in front of the innocent Lin Xue’er.
“Sorry, Lin Xue’er. If I ever get the chance, I’ll make it up to you.”
Xia Mengxi quickly composed herself, then hurried toward the second floor.
She didn’t immediately return to Lin Xue’er’s room. Instead, based on the second-floor layout and her earlier mental prioritization, she began investigating each area one by one.
The first room she opened was the storage room.
Normally, a room used for storing infrequently used items would be called a junk room.
But Xia Mengxi referred to this as a storage room because its interior was meticulously organized, with every item neatly categorized according to a predefined system.
While this kind of behavior wasn’t particularly unusual, the classification system was as detailed as an index, with some subcategories numbering in the dozens-which was somewhat excessive.
It seemed Lin Xue’er’s parents weren’t just neat freaks; they also had obsessive-compulsive tendencies.