Milady's Bath Time

"Ha-Chooo~"

Ye Cheng spat out a Dragon King's breath right at her.

"Xiaxia, I always thought we were bros, but it turns out you were just after my body. You're despicable!"

Ye Cheng crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the head maid before him with a wary expression, and took two cautious steps backward.

The head maid: "..."

Dammit, so her bluff had failed after all. In that case, there was only one option left...

"Very well, Ye Cheng. You have passed my test." The shyness on the head maid's face faded, her blush disappeared, and her tone became calm, as if she had turned back into the composed and effortless head maid she used to be.

Ye Cheng's face lit up with excitement: "Really? So when do I get my grand prize for passing the million-yuan test!"

The head maid: "..."

"Where on earth did you pick up something so bizarre?" The head maid's mouth twitched slightly, and she was left momentarily speechless.

Ye Cheng blinked his eyes with an innocent look: "From my phone. I saw people saying it in videos online. Come on, Xiaxia, we're loaded as a family after all. If I pass a test, it can't be one of those 'here's a million for you' things, right?"

The head maid: "..."

"I'll treat you to BBQ later."

"Just one meal?"

"Plus two bottles of iced tea. The big ones."

"Sweet!!!" Ye Cheng was as happy as a two-hundred-pound kid, raising both hands above his head and running excitedly around the kitchen.

The head maid: "..."

Well, all things considered, it wasn't a bad outcome, even if... stealing the win had failed. And the others probably wouldn't have succeeded either. At least she'd gotten a few hugs out of it. No loss there.

The head maid quickly adjusted her mindset, took a deep breath, and began cleaning up the remaining mess in the kitchen with Ye Cheng.

It took another few minutes before everything was fully tidied up.

Whoosh.

The head maid slid open the glass door to the kitchen, intending to call her young lady over to eat the freshly made papaya pudding and the warm papaya milk that had just been heated.

But... the living room was completely empty. Not only was her young lady gone, the yakuza heiress who had been sitting there reading a book was gone too.

The head maid: "???"

"Where is everyone?" A giant question mark appeared over the head maid's head.

Ye Cheng grabbed a pudding, tossed it into his mouth: "Munch munch munch. Xiaxia, what are you looking at? This pudding seems a bit bland. Should've added more sugar... Huh? Where's the young lady?"

From outside the house, faint sounds could be heard.

"Liar! Idiot! Demon! Nyah nyah nyah—" Xia Tongxin ran past the entrance at top speed.

Hot on her heels, Shen Qinghan also flashed past the doorway, and the two continued chasing each other around the villa... and it wasn't over yet! Xia Tongxin was still putting up a fight!

The head maid: "???"

Ye Cheng: "???"

The two exchanged a glance, shivered in shock, and immediately rushed outside to stop the two from worsening their relationship any further.

A few minutes later.

Xia Tongxin lay on the left sofa in the living room, while Shen Qinghan lay on the right sofa. Both looked completely spent, their bodies limp and drained of any energy.

The head maid was using a hot towel to wipe the dirt off Xia Tongxin's face and the sweat from her body.

As for Ye Cheng's side...

"Here, young lady, give me your hand..." He coaxed and cajoled, using a hot towel just the same. Shen Qinghan refused a few times, but since she truly couldn't summon any strength, she eventually gave up.

In the end, she reluctantly surrendered, simply turning her head to the side and letting Ye Cheng do as he pleased.

That level of exercise was still way too much for the young lady.

When Ye Cheng and the head maid had rushed over, the two had just reached their limits one after another. Xia Tongxin collapsed to the ground first, and Shen Qinghan, holding herself up through sheer willpower, staggered forward unsteadily.

She was almost about to grab Xia Tongxin when... Ye Cheng swooped in, scooped her up, and ran back into the house.

Shen Qinghan: "..."

Her face blushed red. She struggled a few times, but when she found she couldn't break free, she gave up and closed her eyes, resting in Ye Cheng's arms.

Now lying on the sofa, being told by Ye Cheng to raise her arm... naturally, it was all Ye Cheng talking to himself. Asking was just a formality; after asking and getting no reply, he went ahead and did it anyway.

Shoot first, ask questions later, as they say. If you ask, they might say no, but if you don't ask, it's definitely a yes!

Genius!

"Phew..." Ye Cheng let out a breath and wiped a non-existent cold sweat off his forehead.

Alright, all the visible spots were cleaned. The only parts left were the not-so-visible ones... So, should he wipe those too or not?

Ye Cheng rubbed his smooth chin thoughtfully... Well, better to just do it. After all, the young lady liked to be clean, right?

Yes, exactly!

And then...

"Smack!"

A crisp slapping sound echoed from the living room. The head maid, who had been wiping her young lady's body not far away, froze and quickly turned her head toward Ye Cheng.

Ye Cheng was standing there with a straight face, whistling casually, his side profile facing the head maid, revealing only half his face.

"What are you standing there for?" the head maid asked.

Ye Cheng replied: "Oh, nothing. I just crouched too long and my leg went numb. Just standing up to stretch it out. You don't have to worry about me, Xiaxia. You keep doing your thing."

He kept whistling while he talked, acting like nothing had happened.

The head maid: "..."

No matter how she looked at it, something felt off. She craned her neck to look from other angles, but no matter how she turned or shifted, all she could see was the same side of his face that was facing her before.

Ye Cheng was also moving accordingly.

The head maid: "..."

She gave up trying to figure out what Ye Cheng was hiding, and shifted her attention to the yakuza heiress lying on the other sofa.

Shen Qinghan's face now... seemed even redder than before, didn't it?

Or was she seeing things?

The head maid stared for a while without finding anything conclusive, then turned back to continue taking care of her young lady. After all, her young lady wasn't in much better shape either.

Xia Tongxin, her face flushed red and eyes a little glazed, was still wearing a proud grin: "Xiaxia, I didn't lose. That idiot never caught me. Hehe..."

The head maid: "..."

Please stop talking, young lady. I almost cried from worry just now. Sigh...

The head maid kept wiping with the hot towel. Once her young lady's body temperature came down a bit, she'd take her to the bathroom for a wash, because otherwise her skin would still feel sticky and uncomfortable.

Today's exercise alone was almost equal to a whole month's worth of activity for her young lady. If she had exercised like this before, she might have grown taller... probably?

On the other side of the living room.

Ye Cheng, who claimed his "leg was numb" and was standing there, had a bright red handprint visible on the opposite side of his face.

Yep... the young lady had slapped him.

That single slap nearly drained his entire health bar. Weren't they supposed to be too weak to move? How was she still strong enough to lie to him like this?

Even your hidden backup energy is gone, and you're still treating me like I'm some thief, young lady. That's heartbreaking...

He rested for a bit, and once his HP bar had refilled, Ye Cheng cheerfully scampered back over to continue rubbing his hands—well, of course, it was just for rubbing. There were still a few spots he hadn’t cleaned properly. Nothing more. Absolutely not because he wanted to sneak a few extra touches of the soft, fragrant, lovely young lady. Not at all.

Heh heh, so soft...

Shen Qinghan: “...”

Shen Qinghan just silently fixed Ye Cheng with a look that could kill, but she made no move to resist further—though the tips of her ears were faintly reddening. The hand hidden inside the sofa was clenched tight, and from nervousness, beads of sweat had already started gathering in her palm.

“Do you need a wash?”

The head maid had already finished tidying up and was ready to carry her young lady off for a nice, fragrant bath and a change of clothes.

Shen Qinghan frowned: “No need.”

She didn’t have a habit of bathing in other people’s homes, and besides... there were no spare clothes to change into. Right now she was also feeling soft and boneless, barely able to muster any strength.

Shen Qinghan had a clear understanding of her own situation. It wasn’t safe for her to go into a bathroom alone in her current state—the odds of something going wrong were too high. And that would just stir up a bunch of unnecessary trouble.

If she could foresee it, she’d cut it off early...

She’d just tough it out for a while.

Seeing her refusal, the head maid didn’t insist, merely offering one final polite gesture: “If you’re worried about spare clothes, don’t be. I have plenty here—all new. There will be your size.”

“No need.” Shen Qinghan refused again, coldly.

The head maid said no more, silently carrying her young lady up to the second floor. Before long, the sound of rushing water drifted down from above.

Down in the first-floor living room, Ye Cheng and Shen Qinghan were left staring at each other like two fish eyeing each other across a tank. Shen Qinghan closed her eyes and rested on the sofa, slowly recovering her strength.

Young lady... how about... a wash?

Ye Cheng ventured cautiously. He could tell that, deep down, the young lady really wanted a bath. This cleanliness-obsessed young lady couldn’t possibly be okay with leaving herself all grimy like this. It was just a matter of face—she couldn’t bring herself to ask. Tsundere, you know? That, he understood.

Shen Qinghan opened her eyes: “Come closer. Your voice is too soft—I can’t hear you.”

“Huh? Really? Can’t hear me, huh? Well then, I’ll come a bit closer—is that better? Can you hear me now?” A question mark popped up over Ye Cheng’s head, and without thinking much, he walked over.

Shen Qinghan mentally measured the distance: “A little closer. Still can’t quite make it out.”

Ye Cheng stepped forward a few more paces...

Good. The distance was right.

“Thump!”

Ye Cheng: “...”

Miss, you've changed. You've gotten sneakier and sneakier.

If she’d just said it outright, Ye Cheng would’ve bolted. But by tricking him into coming closer first, he had no chance to run!

The young lady had game too!

A few more minutes passed, and Shen Qinghan, having recovered a fair amount of strength, sat up from the sofa. Though her body was still a bit weak, she could manage simple movements now.

Mm... time for a bath.

“Where do you keep the clothes?” Shen Qinghan looked at Ye Cheng.

Ye Cheng: “...”

Miss, didn't you say you weren't going to wash?

“Thump!”

“Here you go, Miss—this is the spot. Clothes, lots and lots of them...” Ye Cheng put on the look of a treacherous flunky, having led the young lady to the changing area and made an “after you” gesture.

Shen Qinghan came out shortly after, picked out a set of pale blue clothes, and went into the bathroom. Ye Cheng waited outside.

“Click.”

The bathroom door opened, and Shen Qinghan looked at Ye Cheng with a calm face: “Do you need something?”

Ye Cheng blinked and flashed a standard tomcat toothy grin (heh heh heh): "Young Miss, I just didn't want anything to happen to you, you know?"

“Disgusting.” Shen Qinghan said flatly.

“Bam!”

After that jab of contempt, Shen Qinghan shut the door—but she didn’t chase Ye Cheng away.

With a rustle, the sound of clear water soon rang out from inside the bathroom...

Through the frosted glass door, a graceful silhouette could be vaguely seen moving within...

Ye Cheng crouched by the doorway “protecting the young lady’s safety,” and he could swear he heard her muttering something inside... something like...

“Pervert.”

Ye Cheng: “???”