Chapter 158 -

Chapter 158: Chapter

She untied her outer robe, pulled it off her shoulders, and tossed the wet fabric outside the basin onto the floorboards. She reached for her inner robe next, but as she looked up, she saw Zhengyu squeezing his eyes shut as hard as he could, his face burning like hot coals.

For a man with such a sharp mouth, he was still so remarkably shy.

Yimei chuckled softly and stopped undressing, leaving her thin white inner garment on. She stood up in the water, grabbed the washing cloth, and stepped closer to him to continue scrubbing his back and shoulders.

Feeling the soft cloth moving across his skin again, Zhengyu slowly opened his eyes, taking a tentative breath.

Her wet hair was plastered against her neck, and even though she hadn’t taken off her white inner garment, the water had made the thin fabric stick completely to her skin. It clung tightly to her chest and waist, outlining the shape of her body clearly for him to see.

His eyes settled directly on her chest. He suddenly remembered how Qinqin had teased her last night, saying her chest had grown bigger. Now, seeing her like this, he realized Qinqin wasn’t lying at all. Her loose daily robes really hid a lot.

The wet, thin white cloth clung so tightly to her skin that it became practically see-through, showing off every curve and making her pink nipples visible beneath the wet fabric.

Zhengyu didn’t even realize he was staring so openly, his breath catching in his throat as his face burned hotter than the bathwater.

Yimei noticed his frozen, intense gaze immediately. She didn’t cover herself or try to turn away. Instead, she found his helpless reaction thoroughly amusing. A small, knowing smirk played on her lips as she kept scrubbing his shoulder, letting him look all he wanted.

Deciding to tease him even more, Yimei moved smoothly through the warm water. She slid closer until she sat right on his lap, her weight resting directly over his lower half.

Zhengyu’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest at her sudden movement. "What is it?" he choked out, trying to lean his head back against the wooden basin. "Why are you so close?"

Yimei tilted her head, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief. "I want to clean your face. Can’t I be close?" She slowly traced her warm fingers down his broad chest, intentionally moving her hips slightly against him. "Is me being close doing something to you?"

Zhengyu didn’t push her away, nor did he stop her. He let her do whatever she wanted, even though he was literally fighting for his life in that moment.

Yimei brought her hands to his face, gently rinsing the soap from his cheeks and skin with warm water. She then picked up a small jar of scented herbal soap for his hair.

"I am going to wash your hair now, so stay still," she instructed smoothly.

As she washed his hair while sitting on him, she leaned forward. Being so close, the thin fabric covering her chest brushed lightly against him with every small movement. He could clearly see her wet, slender neck dripping with water, and suddenly, it looked impossibly enticing.

His hands turned stiff at his sides. He desperately wanted to grab her, but he held back, frozen in place.

As Yimei massaged the soft herbal soap into his long black hair, she felt a sudden change beneath her.

Zhengyu’s entire body went rock hard. Even with his legs weak, his natural body could not ignore her closeness. Down in the warm water, something hard and hot began to erect and press firmly against her thigh.

Zhengyu realized what was happening and panicked internally. He tried his best to shift his hips backward to hide it, but sitting in the tight tub with her right on his lap made it completely impossible.

Yimei felt the hard bump clearly through her wet garments. She paused her hands in his hair, a deep, playful smirk spreading across her lips.

"My," Yimei whispered softly near his ear, her warm breath tickling his wet skin. "Young Master Bai, what is this pressing against me?"

Zhengyu’s eyes snapped open, his cheeks burning like fire. He grabbed her slender waist with both hands, his fingers digging into her wet clothes.

"Yimei... stop teasing me," Zhengyu rasped out, his voice thick, heavy, and completely out of breath. "You are playing with fire."

"Am I?" Yimei asked innocently. Instead of moving away, she intentionally shifted her weight again, rubbing herself gently right over his hard bulge.

Zhengyu let out a low, deep groan from the back of his throat. His grip on her waist tightened, pulling her even closer until there was not a single inch of space left between them in the steaming water.

Zhengyu swallowed hard, his dark eyes searching her face as his breath hitched. "Yimei..." he rasped, his voice rough and uneven. "Why... why are you doing this?"

Yimei didn’t stop her hands. With a small, fond smile, she gently massaged the herbal soap through his wet hair, her fingers moving in calm, soothing circles.

"You told me before that you found me attractive," Yimei said softly, her dark eyes sparkling with a mix of warmth and subtle mischief. "Ever since you said that, all I’ve been thinking about is... did you mean physically, or something else?"

Zhengyu froze under her touch, his hands still tightly clutching her waist. His throat went dry, the red on his cheeks deepening even further.

"You..." Zhengyu stammered, staring up at her in absolute disbelief. "You are bringing that up now? In the middle of a bath?"

"Why not now?" Yimei tilted her head, leaning down just an inch closer, her wet inner garment brushing softly against his chest again. "It is a very simple question, Young Master Bai. I just want an honest answer."

Zhengyu’s breath caught in his chest. His hands remained pinned to her waist, the heat of his palms burning right through her thin, soaked garment.

"You truly are impossible," he muttered, his voice dropping into a low growl. "Must you always corner me like this?"

"I am not cornering you, husband," Yimei murmured smoothly. She took a small wooden ladle, dipped it into the clear warm water, and gently poured it over his head, rinsing the lingering soap bubbles from his long hair. "I am simply curious."

Zhengyu let out a long, defeated exhale, his dark eyes snapping back to hers. "Both. It was both, Yimei."

His gaze flicked down for a brief, breathless second to the wet white fabric clinging to her body, before rising straight back to her eyes. "Are you satisfied now?"

Yimei smiled softly, leaning down closer until her lips almost touched his ear. "And besides... you wanted to feel it, didn’t you?"

She playfully wiggled her chest against him. It turned out she had heard him the other night when he whispered to himself in the dark that he wanted to feel it.

Zhengyu turned completely red, his face burning like fire. "You—!"

Cursing softly under his breath, he slowly pushed her back, trying desperately to save what little pride he had left. His flustered, thoroughly defeated expression was too much for Yimei to resist.

She threw her head back and began to laugh.

Zhengyu froze, the sound instantly pulling his full attention. He remembered hearing her laugh back at the inn in front of everyone, that laugh had been sharp, dry, and filled with acid, completely lifeless. But now, her laugh was rich, warm, and melodious. Her wet hair fell over her shoulders, her eyes squeezed shut with genuine joy, and her whole face lit up in the candlelight.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Zhengyu reached out, wrapped his arms around her wet waist, and pulled her close. He buried his face right into the side of her wet neck, resting his forehead against her warm skin.

"It’s not just your chest I want to feel," he whispered tightly.

Zhengyu leaned in and pressed a soft, lingering kiss right against the slope of her neck.

Yimei froze in his arms, her laugh cutting off mid-breath. As the heat of his lips sank into her skin, a small, genuine smile slowly curved onto her face.