The girl’s crisp voice, tinged with a hint of panic, fell, and the small, quiet rental apartment went still for a single breath.
Standing at the edge of the warm, misty air from the bathroom, Mu Wannuo paused at the words, then let out a low, soft laugh.
The laugh was faint, woven into the warm air, carrying not a trace of malice, but instead a doting indulgence.
She raised a hand to rest against the bathroom doorframe, her features gentle and warm. All the coldness and distance from their earlier argument had completely dissolved, leaving behind only the softness she reserved solely for Ning Chuxue.
“Afraid of me?”
Just two simple words, light as a feather, yet they struck precisely at the well-hidden little thought buried deep in Ning Chuxue’s heart.
Ning Chuxue instinctively shrank back half a step, her pale, delicate fingers tightening around the loose fabric of her clothes. A faint ripple of panic spread through her eyes as she mumbled in defense, “I—I’m not afraid… it’s just, two people bathing together is too cramped.”
She was truly flustered.
The bathroom was small to begin with, barely enough for one person to wash up. Two sets of soft cotton bath towels were neatly folded on the shelf—one pale white, one light blue—their usual colors, clearly prepared by Mu Wannuo well in advance.
This meticulous thoughtfulness, in Ning Chuxue’s eyes at this moment, carried an inexplicable sense of pressure she couldn’t quite name.
She could be certain that Mu Wannuo hadn’t acted on a whim.
From the locked door, the constant warm air, the perfectly timed hot meal, to the pre-prepared double bathrobes—everything tonight had been arranged by Mu Wannuo long ago.
This was a private cottage far from school, far from Wen Yasheng and Shen Ruqing, a domain belonging solely to Mu Wannuo—sealed off, quiet, where no one would come to disturb them.
Mu Wannuo lowered her gaze to watch the young girl’s flustered, stubborn act of bravado, a trace of faint darkness flickering in her eyes, so brief it was impossible to catch.
She didn’t call out Chuxue’s hollow words. Instead, she stepped aside to make more room, her tone gentle without a single flaw: “It’s not cramped. I’ll help you wash first. I won’t touch you.”
“I can wash myself!” Ning Chuxue immediately looked up to retort, her eyes clear and carrying a hint of stubbornness.
She didn’t want to depend on her elder sister for everything anymore, and she feared that in this sealed, solitary space, she would once again sink into Mu Wannuo’s gentle control and completely lose her own footing.
Watching the young girl push her away, eager to be independent, the smile on Mu Wannuo’s face faded slightly.
She stepped forward slowly, closing the distance, erasing the once-spacious gap between them.
“Is Chuxue still throwing a tantrum at me?”
“No…” Ning Chuxue shook her head rapidly, her lashes trembling, her heart pounding wildly.
“I’m not angry anymore. What happened earlier was my fault. I shouldn’t have sneaked off to the club, shouldn’t have talked back to you.”
She took the initiative to lower her head and admit her mistake, obedient and soft in demeanor, wanting only to quickly defuse the delicate, tense atmosphere.
Hearing that apology, the taut string in Mu Wannuo’s heart loosened slightly.
She reached out, her fingertips gently brushing through Ning Chuxue’s damp, not-quite-dry hair tips. The touch was soft and cool, still carrying the moisture of the rainy night.
“Good that you know you were wrong.” Her voice was low, tender almost to the point of lingering affection. “Elder Sister doesn’t blame you.”
She could never bring herself to blame her.
She was only afraid of her slipping out of sight, afraid she’d trust outsiders, afraid that her pure, gentle nature would be deceived and hurt by others’ feigned kindness.
Ning Chuxue was soothed by her gentle tone, most of her panic dissipating, yet that hidden unease still clung stubbornly to her heart.
Mu Wannuo was too gentle—so gentle that she couldn’t help but depend on her.
But this gentleness had always been a cage wrapped in honey, sweet, yet leaving no room to escape.
“Then let me bathe on my own. Sister Mu Wan, can you step out first?”
Ning Chuxue looked up with wet eyes, pleading softly.
Seeing the cautious hope in her eyes, Mu Wannuo fell silent for two seconds before ultimately being unable to bear pressing too hard.
She gave a slight nod, obediently stepped back, and turned to leave the bathroom, leaving only a reminder: “The floor is slippery, take your time. The water temperature is just right. Call me when you’re done—I’ll be waiting in the living room.”
With that, she gently pulled the bathroom door closed, but didn’t shut it completely, leaving a thin crack.
That subtle act made Ning Chuxue’s heart sink once more.
No lock, no distance. The waiting and watching never once took a break.
Mist filled the bathroom, and the warm, damp heat enveloped her entire body, driving away all the chill left over from the rainy night.
Ning Chuxue slowly undressed, stepped onto the warm anti-slip mat, and let the lukewarm water trickle over her skin, washing away the weariness and disarray.
The rushing water muffled outside sounds, but it couldn’t block the churning thoughts in her mind.
She knew Mu Wannuo genuinely cherished her and protected her.
But she was also painfully aware that Mu Wannuo’s love was too extreme, too obsessive.
She wouldn’t allow her to stray half a step, wouldn’t allow her to have any social ties beyond the three of them, wouldn’t allow her to break free from this meticulously planned stability.
The apology note and gentle reminders she’d seen in the office were still fresh in her mind, yet now, here was this airtight surveillance and control once again.
Gentleness and imprisonment, heartache and obsession, perfectly intertwined in Mu Wannuo, making her soften time and time again, and fear time and time again.
In just a short ten-plus minutes, Ning Chuxue finished bathing and changed into a clean, soft white bathrobe.
The cotton fabric was soft against her skin, carrying a faint, light fragrance, perfectly sized—clearly selected by Mu Wannuo to her exact measurements, meticulous to the extreme.
She towel-dried her long, damp hair and gently pushed open the bathroom door.
The warm yellow light of the living room immediately spilled over her, dispersing the lingering mist from the bathroom.
Mu Wannuo was still in the same position as before, sitting quietly on the sofa, her back straight, her gaze fixed firmly on the bathroom door—never once having looked away.
Seeing her emerge, the young girl’s cool, distant features instantly softened, warmth seeping into her eyes.
“All done?”
“Mm.” Ning Chuxue nodded lightly, the fingers gripping her towel relaxing slightly.
Mu Wannuo rose and stepped forward, naturally taking the hair-drying towel from her hands with practiced, gentle ease: “Your hair isn’t dry. You’ll get a headache. Let me help.”
Before Ning Chuxue could respond, she had already raised her hand, gently covering that head of silvery-white, soft hair, carefully drying the moisture from the strands.
Her movements were impossibly tender, as if afraid that even the slightest pressure would hurt the young girl before her.
Ning Chuxue stood frozen, not daring to move an inch.
The warm presence enveloped her entirely, the clean, crisp scent of Mu Wannuo’s perfume lingering at the tip of her nose—familiar and reassuring.
But her heart remained taut.
The living room was silent, broken only by the faint rustle of hair against the towel and the steady, interwoven rhythm of their breathing.
A sealed cottage, gentle touches, wordless company.
Ning Chuxue suddenly understood.
Mu Wannuo’s so-called retreat was never truly letting go.
She had only found a gentler, more delicate, more irresistible way to keep her firmly at her side.
Forever gentle, forever confining.
Forever, never letting go.