The smile did not vanish; it merely transferred from Xia Yanchun's face to Shen Nian's.

Xia Yanchun rested her bare feet gently on Shen Nian's lap.

Her toenails were neatly trimmed and clean, and the tops of her feet had a delicate, soft glow. She quietly curled her toes, spreading a soft, squishy sensation, like a little ball of cotton landing on him.

A faint ripple stirred in Shen Nian's heart. For Xia Yanchun, her feet were considered a sensitive area, yet now he could openly and freely touch them.

Thinking about it was somewhat thrilling, though it was hard to say exactly what was so thrilling about it.

Inevitably, Shen Nian reached out and stroked them. They were smooth and a bit cool, especially around the toes. Shen Nian couldn't help but wrap the front of the young girl's feet in his palms to warm them up for her.

So comfortable...

Xia Yanchun didn't say anything. While scrolling through her phone, she quietly enjoyed Shen Nian's tenderness.

She should have made Shen Nian warm her feet like this ages ago.

She muttered in her heart, it really was Shen Nian's fault for liking her so late. He really had no taste in the past.

Sweeping and mopping didn't require walking many steps, so how tired could her feet really be? Shen Nian knew Xia Yanchun just wanted him to give her a massage, so he dutifully massaged her ankles for a while.

When the massage felt particularly good, Xia Yanchun would flex her foot and scratch his hand. Her feet were quite nimble.

Shen Nian didn't actually know how to massage. He had only massaged his dad's back and shoulders in the past. Massaging Xia Yanchun basically meant randomly kneading and pinching everywhere. Fortunately, Xia Yanchun wasn't actually tired, so even casual kneading made her feel comfortable.

Xia Yanchun felt so comfortable she was practically melting, and her feet were warmed by Shen Nian's grasp.

"Comfortable?"

"It's alright," she hummed.

Shen Nian smiled and lightly tickled the sole of her foot. The sensitive girl immediately curled her foot up, her eyebrows knitting together as she glared at Shen Nian. She neither spoke nor got angry.

She was just using her eyes to tell Shen Nian, 'Stop tickling.'

Shen Nian obeyed her. After finishing with her ankles, he rolled up her pant legs to massage her calves, his fingertips kneading the girl's muscles inch by inch.

"Chunbao."

"Hmm?"

"Tell me, where is the starting point for the two of us?"

Xia Yanchun glanced at Shen Nian, confused. "What starting point? You're talking in riddles."

"Forget it, asking an idiot like you is like not asking at all."

"What the hell, you're the one not making it clear."

Xia Yanchun lifted her foot and gently kicked Shen Nian's thigh, pressing him, "Hurry up and tell me what you mean. Is it the starting point of us making up, or what kind of starting point?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

"Pretend you didn't say anything, but you insulted me. I have reason to suspect you just wanted to insult me. Here's another kick for you."

"..."

It wasn't that Shen Nian didn't want to explain it to Xia Yanchun; it was mainly because he didn't know either. The system's task was vague and confusing.

He only knew that the task required him and Xia Yanchun to stroll around a place defined by the system as the "starting point."

He didn't have a single clue. He wouldn't even give his bathwater to the system now.

The rain was getting heavier, accompanied by some thunder, which was quite scary.

Resting at home during a heavy rainstorm really had a great vibe.

"Are you comfortable now? My fingers are starting to ache." Shen Nian hadn't paid attention to the time and didn't know how long he had been massaging Xia Yanchun.

"I'm comfortable, hehe. Who knew my stinky little brother was so good at this." Xia Yanchun pulled her feet back and patted Shen Nian's shoulder. "Hurry up and go wash your hands. So dirty. Once you wash them and come back, I'll give you a massage too."

"Can I choose where you massage?"

"No, hurry up and go wash your hands."

Shen Nian's face fell in disappointment, and he ran off to wash his hands.

He came back with soaking wet hands. Acting on muscle memory, before Xia Yanchun even looked over, he flicked water at her like a water jutsu.

Drops of water landed on Xia Yanchun's head. Fuming, she grabbed a small throw pillow from the sofa and swatted him with it.

A man will go out of his way to be annoying if he isn't beaten for three days. The ancestral teachings passed down in our Xia family are indeed correct; the wisdom of our little ancestors is spot on.

"Ah, then I'll have to trouble Miss Grass-By-The-Burrow to give me a massage." Shen Nian lay down in the spot Xia Yanchun had just occupied, looking completely at ease.

"What the heck, take this."

"Damn it, are you crazy?"

The despicable Haji-Chun actually launched a sneak attack on his leg hair. Didn't she know that a guy's leg hair is very precious?

This was the very foundation of a guy's confidence to not wear long johns in winter.

"Who told you to be so naughty? Alright, stop moving around." Xia Yanchun pinched Shen Nian's toe. She didn't really know how to massage either, so she just kneaded randomly.

It was just that Shen Nian's legs were a bit heavy. Resting them on her lap like this pressed down and hurt a little.

Xia Yanchun's clever brain started working. She placed a small throw pillow underneath, and it didn't hurt anymore.

Shen Nian's legs were a bit hard. Xia Yanchun used a lot of strength, but Shen Nian didn't seem to react at all.

"Your feet stink."

"You smelled them?"

"The smell drifted over, okay?"

"I've been wearing slippers since I got out of the shower. How could they stink?"

"Then the slippers stink. There's a plastic smell."

"Nonsense."

Shen Nian knew she was just bluffing and couldn't be bothered to argue back.

He didn't even look at his phone. Resting his head on his hands, he quietly enjoyed the moment. Xia Yanchun's fingers kneading everywhere really felt very comfortable.

After massaging his feet, it was time for his calves. However, Xia Yanchun's fingers were bearing too much force and getting a bit sore. She only massaged Shen Nian seriously for a short while before she started slacking off, secretly plucking his leg hair for fun.

Plucking too many at once caused Shen Nian's pores to bulge out one by one, densely packed like goosebumps. It wasn't until she saw a few broken leg hairs fall onto the pillow that she took a guilty deep breath, blew the broken hairs away, and started massaging Shen Nian again.

"Done! My hands are so sore."

"It's only been a few minutes." Shen Nian lowered his gaze, his eyes landing on the young girl's fair, clean face.

"A few minutes is already impressive. Your skin is too thick."

"Can I get an extension if I call you 'Big Sister'?"

Xia Yanchun's eyes lit up. She adjusted her position, pressing down on Shen Nian with both her hands and legs. Looking down at him from above, she arched her eyebrows.

"Call me that first. If you don't, how will you know if I'll massage you or not?"

"Yeah right, like hell I will. Just teasing you."

"You're so annoying. Take this!" Xia Yanchun pinched his face.

"Damn it, wash your hands!"

"Hahahaha... Whoa!"

Xia Yanchun was pulled up by Shen Nian. She had originally been propping herself up and pressing down on him, but now that Shen Nian sat up, she ended up straddling his lap.

Face to face, Xia Yanchun simply rested both her hands on Shen Nian's shoulders and leaned in a bit closer, resting her forehead against his.

"We're so bold." Feeling Shen Nian's breath, Xia Yanchun's heart raced.

"What does it matter? My sister went to work."

"True."

Xia Yanchun felt relieved at this and finally got her wish, pressing her lips against Shen Nian's.

A warm softness brushed against Shen Nian's lips. Just as Shen Nian stuck out his tongue, Xia Yanchun quickly pulled back a bit and covered her mouth, chuckling softly.

"You didn't wash your hands..."

"...Huh?!"

The sky fell.

Xia Yanchun didn't even have time to be shy. She ran barefoot to the sink and washed her mouth clean with water.

Having just massaged Shen Nian's feet and then covered her mouth with her hands, she wanted to die.

The smile didn't disappear; it just transferred from Xia Yanchun's face to Shen Nian's.

So clumsy and reckless.

Shen Nian looked toward the balcony. Yep, the rain was still pouring heavily.