“What’s wrong?” Seeing her freeze in place, Huo Tao took the initiative to ask.
Shen Guoguo glanced at him, her face slightly flushed.“Well… I want to take a bath.”
“Oh. Uh, I want to wash up too.”
Eh?
The two stared at each other wide-eyed.
Shen Guoguo: I mean, could you maybe wait outside for a bit?Huo Tao: Can’t I just go after you’re done?
Oh…
They stared for a few seconds before realizing how odd that sounded.
“I didn’t mean that,” Huo Tao quickly explained, trying to stay calm. “Not that I want to… together… I meant—”
The more he tried to explain, the worse it got.
In the end, he shut his mouth and simply wheeled himself out of the small room, facing away from the door. Only the bright red tips of his ears betrayed his embarrassment.
Shen Guoguo felt her whole body heat up. She hadn’t even started bathing yet, but her skin was already burning. She took a deep breath to steady her racing heart.
To be honest, she did like rough, straightforward men like Huo Tao—But that didn’t mean things should move that fast.
After a while, she pulled out the big metal basin she had picked up today. The bottom had been patched, and it could now serve as a small bathtub.
Fetching water was easy. She connected a flexible metal hose to the faucet and ran it into the basin, then lit a fire to heat a large pot of water.Before long, her improvised bathtub was ready.
She took one last look at Huo Tao—who was still outside staring at the sky—and quietly smiled to herself.“You can come in when I call you.”
“Mm.”
Closing the door, Shen Guoguo quickly stripped off her clothes and glanced into the half-broken mirror she had scavenged earlier, admiring her new body.
Smooth, flawless skin without a single scar—she couldn’t get enough of it.In her past life, she was always climbing, running, fighting, constantly covered in little wounds. But now her skin was like porcelain, tender and perfect.
Her figure too—curves in all the right places, slim where it should be.
Tsk tsk…
She was mesmerized by herself.
Testing the water temperature with her hand—it was just right.She washed her face first, then wet her hair, and finally lifted a leg to step into the tub.
Ahhh… so comfortable~~~~
If only she had her favorite shower gel.Or even some Safeguard soap… No, Safeguard’s too luxurious—sulfur soap would do.
Unfortunately, she had nothing of the sort. Still, while everyone else had to bathe in the base’s public bathhouse, she could wash at home. That alone was pure bliss.
Outside, Huo Tao wasn’t nearly as comfortable.
A high-level warrior’s hearing was far keener than normal.
The sound of rushing water reached his ears, along with Shen Guoguo’s occasional sighs of pleasure. He could almost hear her small hands sliding across her skin.
It was torture.
He dropped his head, pinched the fabric of his pants, and shut his eyes, silently reciting old-world essays to distract himself.
A few neighbors passing by gave him strange looks.Figures, they thought, he’s crippled now—got kicked out by his wife already…
Inside, the water gradually cooled. Shen Guoguo reluctantly climbed out of the tub. After drying her hair and body, she suddenly realized—she didn’t have any clean clothes to change into.
…???
She froze for a whole minute.
All her old clothes were still at the Shen house, and she had come here alone.The clothes she’d worn today were filthy from the junkyard—definitely not fit to wear after a bath. Otherwise, the wash would’ve been pointless.
She looked around the room. Her gaze finally landed on Huo Tao’s clothes.
Biting her lip, she picked up his shirt and, blushing furiously, pulled it over her head.
Huo Tao was tall, so even just the shirt reached down to her thighs.As for his pants—no way, her waist was too small to keep them up.
Sniffling a little, she folded his pants neatly and took a deep breath—several, actually—before opening the door.
“Um… I’ll change the water for you. You can wash next.”
She thought she’d spoken loudly, but her voice came out as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.Her face turned an even deeper red.
Huo Tao opened his eyes, let out a long breath, and turned his wheelchair around—Only to see a sight he would remember for the rest of his life.
Under the dim light, the girl was wearing his oversized shirt, loose and draping off her shoulders. Her delicate collarbones peeked through, a faint outline of her soft curves visible beneath the fabric, and those long, pale legs—
Uh…
Huo Tao felt a tickle in his nose. He quickly began reciting old prose again, forcing himself not to look.
“No need to change it. I’ll just use your water.”
“Ah!”Shen Guoguo’s mind exploded. How could you… how could you—
“It’s already… cold…”
“It’s fine. Just right.”
Expressionless, Huo Tao rolled himself inside. “Otherwise you’ll have to dump it and refill it. This is easier. It’s fine cold.”
Their little cabin didn’t have a private yard; outside was a public area. He didn’t want anyone seeing Shen Guoguo like this.
Shen Guoguo: …
“Then… I’ll get you some water for washing your face.”
She blushed at the thought of him using her bathwater—for his face, no less. Every inch of her burned.
Whether he agreed or not, she filled a small basin with clean water and brought it in for him to wash his face and hair.
After Huo Tao washed up, she was about to step outside to wait—but he stopped her.
“It’s cold out. Wait on the bed.”
Hearing that, Shen Guoguo froze.“Oh.” She moved stiffly, climbing onto the bed.
But as she lifted one leg, she froze again. Her face instantly turned crimson.
Because… she wasn’t wearing underwear.
Her only pair had been soaked with sweat earlier. Thankfully, Huo Tao’s shirt was long enough to cover her.
Touching the hem, she checked—thank goodness, nothing was exposed.She quickly climbed into bed and wrapped herself tightly in a blanket, facing the wall.
Softly, she murmured, “Go ahead and wash. I don’t have any clothes, so I’m wearing yours for now. When you’re done, just wear your pants, okay?”
“Mm. Okay.”
Huo Tao’s whole body was stiff.He wanted her to look at him, yet dreaded her gaze at the same time.
Conflicted, he undressed, braced his hands on the wheelchair armrests, and lifted himself into the tub.
The cool water rose to his waist, easing the burning in his body—But the moment he remembered it was her bathwater, he felt it was scorching hot again.
He washed quickly but thoroughly, then pulled himself back into the wheelchair. After drying off, he put on his underwear and pants, leaving his upper body bare.
Glancing at his reflection in the mirror—he looked… normal enough.
“Um… you can just leave your dirty clothes on the floor. I’ll take care of them tomorrow,” came Shen Guoguo’s muffled voice.
Huo Tao wheeled to the bedside and transferred himself smoothly onto the bed.
The room fell silent. Only their breathing filled the air.
Shen Guoguo felt completely surrounded by his masculine scent and the faint humidity from his freshly washed body.
It was… suffocatingly intoxicating.
Desperate to say something, she blurted, “Tomorrow, let’s go buy clothes.”
“Alright.”
“And… I want to check out the mutant beast slaughterhouse.”
“Alright.”
After laying out the plans for tomorrow, her mind still felt blank.Not sure what she was thinking anymore, she inhaled Huo Tao’s scent—and drifted off to sleep.