“No… I’m not refusing!”
The words burst from Li Xin’s lips before she could stop them.
“I’ll drink it!”
As soon as she spoke, a wave of shock washed over her.
Why had she agreed so recklessly?
Reason screamed that this was absurd, even nonsensical.
Yet, when she caught the fleeting spark of anticipation in Mu Xi’s eyes, tinged with a barely perceptible trace of hurt, something inside Li Xin shattered.
Her heart felt as though it had been struck, hard, and all her doubts and hesitations dissolved like mist under a blazing sun.
Almost as if guided by some unseen force, she leaned forward.
She didn’t pause to consider whether the medicinal bathwater was safe to drink or dwell on the fact that it was the very water Mu Xi had bathed in.
Mechanically, she opened her mouth, and as Mu Xi’s hands gently offered the liquid, Li Xin drank, sip by warm sip.
The liquid carried an odd, enchanting fragrance—not the repulsive scent one might expect from bathwater, but a delicate blend of floral herbs and a faint, cloying sweetness, like some exotic spice.
As it touched her tongue, the warmth was the first sensation, sliding down her throat with a subtle, almost imperceptible bitterness.
Soon, the sweetness bloomed in her mouth, reminiscent of cheap syrup or the lingering creamy scent that clung to Mu Xi’s skin.
It was almost too sweet, yet it held a strange familiarity, a seductive pull that tugged at something deep within her.
Her mind went blank, stripped of thought, driven only by instinct as she swallowed, again and again.
Mu Xi’s hands were steady, cradling the liquid with care, her gaze soft and focused, as if what Li Xin drank wasn’t bathwater but some divine nectar.
Li Xin could feel the warmth of Mu Xi’s fingertips, separated only by the thin layer of liquid, brushing against her lips.
It was scalding, sending her heartbeat into a wild gallop.
The world around her faded.
There was only Mu Xi—her hands offering the liquid, her eyes brimming with expectation.
Reason shrieked at her to stop this madness, but a deeper voice, raw and unyielding, urged her to keep going, to drink more, to accept anything Mu Xi offered, even if it were poison.
The liquid was gone too soon, the last drop sliding down her throat.
Only then did Li Xin snap back to herself, the weight of her actions crashing over her.
A tangled storm of emotions surged within her—shame, absurdity, and a faint, unspeakable… thrill?
She had drunk Mu Xi’s bathwater, willingly, even eagerly, with a secret longing she couldn’t name.
Mu Xi lowered her empty hands, the anticipation in her eyes giving way to an enigmatic expression, a mix of satisfaction and a subtle, almost mocking amusement.
She reached out, her cool fingertip brushing away a lingering drop from the corner of Li Xin’s mouth.
The touch was like a spark, igniting a fire that raced through Li Xin’s veins, setting her entire body ablaze.
“Was it good?” Mu Xi’s voice was soft, teasing, a featherlight caress against Li Xin’s ear, sending shivers rippling across her skin.
Li Xin’s mind was a chaotic whirl, incapable of forming a response.
Say it was good?
That would sound perverse.
Say it wasn’t?
She feared disappointing Mu Xi’s “expectation.”
Her lips parted, but her throat felt sealed, no sound escaping.
Seeing Li Xin’s stunned expression, Mu Xi’s smile deepened.
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, laced with a seductive edge.
“Or perhaps… Sister Li Xin likes the taste of me?”
The words struck like lightning, jolting Li Xin’s heart.
She snapped her gaze upward, meeting Mu Xi’s clear yet piercing eyes.
Her cheeks burned crimson, as if kissed by flames.
Liking… Mu Xi’s taste?
The thought took root, spreading like wildfire through her heart, impossible to suppress.
Li Xin fled.
Her footsteps echoed frantically down the silent corridor, each one a mirror of her racing, disordered heartbeat.
She feared that lingering even a moment longer would lead to something irrevocable.
That absurd craving, that wild impulse to meld Mu Xi into her very being, burned like a wildfire, threatening to consume her reason entirely.
She didn’t stop until she reached her room, collapsing against the cold door, gasping for breath.
Her chest heaved, her face scalding as though pulled from a furnace.
She lifted a trembling hand, fingertips brushing her lips, where the faint warmth and that heart-stopping sweetness lingered.
Bathwater… Mu Xi’s bathwater…
She had drunk it, savored its sweetness, and—God help her—found it… delicious?
The thought coiled around her heart like a venomous snake, sending a shudder through her.
Shame flooded her, drowning her in its tide.
How could she, Li Xin, harbor such filthy thoughts about Mu Xi?
To drink her bathwater—unforgivable!
Yet, deep within, a forbidden excitement stirred, a yearning she couldn’t name.
That cloying sweetness held a strange magic, drawing her in, intoxicating her, urging her to want more—to draw closer to Mu Xi, to claim her in ways she dared not articulate.
Li Xin squeezed her eyes shut, fists clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palms, the sharp pain doing little to quell the wild emotions surging within.
She was loyal to Ye Lan, sworn to protect the estate and its master.
But Mu Xi was a dangerous temptation, unraveling every principle and boundary she held dear.
Meanwhile, Mu Xi watched Li Xin’s retreating figure, a sly curve tugging at her lips, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
The outcome had exceeded her expectations.
This cold, stoic woman in black wasn’t as indifferent to her as she seemed.
“What a hypocrite,” Mu Xi murmured, her tone laced with playful amusement.
The more Li Xin fled, the more it revealed the turmoil within her.
And that was exactly what Mu Xi wanted.
Rising from the wooden tub, she reached for a soft towel, gently wiping the water from her skin.
The scent of the medicinal bath lingered, sweet and ambiguous, like an invisible web ensnaring them both.
The maids entered quietly, clearing away the remnants of the bath.
Mu Xi slipped into a silk nightgown, settling on the edge of the bed.
Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, framing her porcelain-doll face, delicate and fragile in the dim light.
Night deepened, the chirping of insects drifting through the window.
Mu Xi lay on the soft bed, closing her eyes, but sleep eluded her.
Her mind replayed Li Xin’s flustered, dazed expression, her flushed cheeks.
“What an intriguing woman,” Mu Xi whispered, a smile playing on her lips as she rolled over, burying her face in the pillow.
The scent of cream and milk, mingled with faint herbs, filled her senses, bringing an inexplicable calm.
At some point, she drifted into a hazy sleep.
But in her dreams, she heard faint footsteps in the corridor, hesitant, pacing, as if someone lingered, torn by indecision.
Mu Xi’s eyes snapped open, sleep vanishing.
She rose, walked to the door, and gently pulled it open.