Auntie Qimeng Uses Her Brain Adapting to the Situation (Bonus Update)

With a burst of scalding steam, the temperature in the room seemed to rise several degrees.

Lin Yu stood up, his soul utterly captivated by the "scenery" before him.

Hiss!

This was a completely different sensory experience compared to young girls.

Only those with rich life experience could truly appreciate the allure of a woman like Auntie Qimeng at her age.

Her damp hair, still glistening with droplets, slowly gathered moisture before trickling down onto her shoulders.

The tightly wrapped purple bath towel had been carefully fastened.

Compared to the usual depictions in movies and TV shows, the curves it concealed were noticeably more pronounced.

Every subtle detail betrayed Auntie Qimeng’s current state of flustered panic.

Nervous?

Good.

That was exactly what Lin Yu needed to make his move.

"Auntie Qimeng, you’re done washing up? Do you need to dry your hair first?"

Lin Yu asked with feigned concern.

Chen Qimeng quickly shook her head and replied,

"No, it’ll dry on its own soon."

Her hair was long—blow-drying it would take too much time.

Right now, time was her biggest worry.

She had to finish the cupping session she’d promised Lin Yu before Rongrong returned from her outing.

Though she had little experience with it, Chen Qimeng had a rough idea of how cupping worked.

She knew that once the cups were applied, they usually stayed on for about fifteen minutes.

Any longer, and it might not only lose its therapeutic effect but could even backfire.

Auntie Qimeng’s response was exactly what Lin Yu had expected.

He glanced toward the wardrobe and said,

"Auntie Qimeng, the tools should still be in the wardrobe, right?"

"I didn’t want to go through your things myself, so I waited for you to finish."

Rummaging through her wardrobe without her knowledge would have been unwise.

Having her personally retrieve the "tools of the trade" made all the difference.

Chen Qimeng obediently walked to the wardrobe, opened it, and retrieved the cupping set from the top shelf.

Earlier, after Lin Yu had taken Rongrong out, she had already prepared it in advance.

At the very least, she didn’t want Lin Yu to think she had hidden it away, reluctant to follow through.

Lin Yu noticed every tiny shift in her behavior.

Auntie Qimeng…

She really did spoil him too much.

Or so he thought.

In the past, Chen Qimeng had indeed indulged Lin Yu without reservation.

But after the incident at the mall with the photos, her mindset had shifted—just a little.

While showering, she had turned things over in her mind and come up with a plan.

Handing the box to Lin Yu, Chen Qimeng deliberately touched her shoulder and said,

"Lin Yu, I must have lifted too many things today."

"My neck and shoulders are really sore. I’ve heard cupping can help relieve the pain."

"Today, I might need you to focus on my neck and shoulders."

"If I sit on the folding bed, close to the edge, it should be easy enough."

"Three or four cups should do the trick…"

Lin Yu smirked inwardly.

Ohhh?

He had underestimated Auntie Qimeng.

So this was her game!

By speaking up first and naming the areas that hurt, she thought she could take control and avoid awkwardness.

Sticking to just the neck and shoulders meant her towel would stay perfectly in place.

This way, she could keep her promise to Lin Yu while preventing their relationship from spiraling out of control.

What a clever auntie, finally using her brain…

Too bad for her.

She wasn’t dealing with some inexperienced college boy.

Did she really think such a flimsy trick would work on him?

How naive!

"No problem, guaranteed relief with every cup."

Chen Qimeng’s heart swelled with relief.

Thank goodness.

She had planned her words carefully.

But the next moment—

She realized… she had celebrated too soon!

"Don’t worry, Auntie Qimeng. I’ve studied massage therapy and cupping extensively."

"Neck and shoulder pain means your spine was unevenly strained during physical exertion."

"We just need to apply focused suction therapy along your shoulders, neck, and the sides of your lower spine."

"It’ll promote circulation, relieve pain, reduce swelling, and expel dampness. Let’s begin!"

Seamlessly, Lin Yu dismantled her strategy with a flood of professional jargon.

Chen Qimeng: "!!!"

She had only mentioned her neck and shoulders, thinking she could breeze through the night.

But now—

Lin Yu had dismantled her plan with a barrage of therapy terms, leaving her defenseless.

Spine?

Lower spine?!

Didn’t that mean…

Watching Auntie Qimeng’s reaction, Lin Yu fought back a laugh.

He feigned innocent confusion and asked,

"What’s wrong, Auntie Qimeng? Shouldn’t we start?"

"Or… are there other areas bothering you?"

"Thighs, calves—those work too!"

Chen Qimeng hastily waved her hands.

"No, no, nowhere else hurts."

"I-Is it really that complicated?"

"Can’t we… do it while sitting…?"

She stammered, making one last desperate attempt.

Then—

Lin Yu’s gaze slowly traveled downward from her face:

"Sitting? That won’t work."

"In a seated position, your muscles stay tense."

"There's no way to relax if you just apply suction directly—it'll have the opposite effect."

"And sitting up... won’t some spots be unreachable?"

Lin Yu's words left Chen Qimeng with no room for rebuttal.

She really hadn’t heard of such a thing before.

Who in the world gets cupping done while sitting?

With even the slightest movement, the cups would probably fall off, right?

Worst case scenario,

if sitting didn’t work, she’d have to start over lying down again.

Not only would it change nothing,

but it’d also waste a ton of time for no reason.

And time waits for no one!

Aunt Qimeng fidgeted hesitantly nearby, but Lin Yu pretended not to notice.

Once he finished speaking,

he immediately began arranging the space on the bed.

He set the pillow for her head in place ahead of time.

To prove he had no "ill intentions" or "ulterior motives," Lin Yu also placed two thin blankets

like vertical barriers on either side of the bed.

The narrow space in between was prepared for Aunt Qimeng to lie face down.

The height of the blankets was just enough to block her sides, leaving only her back exposed.

"Qimeng, even though we’ve grown... closer than before,"

"I don’t want you thinking I’d stoop to something so cheap as taking advantage of you like this."

"With these two blankets here, you can safely remove the towel."

"I promise my hands won’t wander, and I won’t disrespect you."

"In my heart, no one is allowed to disrespect you—not even me."

[Ding!]

[A masterful move—his chivalrous sincerity leaves his Dao Companion both reassured and ashamed!]

[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]

Chen Qimeng stood frozen in place.

She never expected Xiao Yu to be so considerate—

or to say something so touching yet embarrassing.

Right.

The Xiao Yu she knew would never have such twisted thoughts.

He probably just picked up a new "skill" and wanted her to experience it.

Meanwhile, she was the one

looking at him through a distorted lens.

She really had gone too far.

...

(Bonus chapter delivered! More to come tomorrow—happy Children’s Day to all you forever-young readers!)