"Chu Yunxi…"Chu Yunxi hung his head low, pressing hard at his throbbing temples.Wait… calm down.He was only eighteen, right at the age of surging blood and vigor. It was normal to have the occasional unprovoked physiological reaction.It had nothing to do with that little madman inside there.Right, exactly!He was straight. This was purely an accident.Just breathe deeply and calm down…In—out!Yes, that's it. Empty your mind, think of nothing…He slowly cracked his eyes open, gaze darting quickly downward—Then shut them again.No good. Totally useless.The harder he tried to stay calm and not think about it, the clearer the images became. The glaring red marks on that pale white skin, the silky, lotion-smooth feel of it beneath his palm.Not only had he failed to calm down—he'd only poured oil on the fire.He took several more deep breaths. Nothing.Chu Yunxi fell silent for two seconds.Then turned around and went back in.Inside the room, Shi Wuxie was applying medicine alone. Hearing movement, he looked up just in time to see Chu Yunxi hurrying in.Before he could say a word, that figure swept past him like a gust of wind and vanished behind the bath chamber door, followed by the unmistakable sound of the bolt sliding shut.The man and the two ghost heads turned to follow that gust of wind with their eyes, then turned back, exchanging a look.【What's got into this kid now?】Shi Wuxie shook his head.【Probably a head that's only just been picked up—still a bit rattly.】Shi Wuxie instinctively protested: "He's plenty sharp."【But I always see him acting silly around you.】Shi Wuxie tilted his head. "Do I?"The man and the ghosts chatted idly through their thoughts.The sound of running water came intermittently from the bath chamber, and after a long while, no one came out.Having waited so long, drowsiness began creeping over Shi Wuxie.He had meant to just wash up quickly, but the bath chamber was occupied, so he could only lean against the bedpost and rest his eyes. Before he knew it, his consciousness grew hazy.In his daze, he felt his body being gently lifted. He frowned and opened his eyes.Chu Yunxi's face abruptly filled his vision.Under the dim yellow light, the tips of the other's lashes still held fine droplets of water that trembled, neither falling nor clinging, as he bent down. The corners of his eyes and the tip of his nose were flushed a damp red, as if steamed by the heat. A few strands of wet hair clung to his temples and cheeks, and the whole sight of him looked, oddly, a little pitiful.Chu Yunxi pressed a hand to his shoulder, trying to lay him down on the bed.Shi Wuxie rubbed his eyes and made to sit up. "Wait, I haven't washed yet.""You have a wound on your knee. It can't touch water." Chu Yunxi's voice was a little hoarse.Shi Wuxie insisted, "Fine, no water—but at least wipe me down. I've been busy all day. I'm sweaty."With that, he gently pushed Chu Yunxi aside, stepped barefoot onto the floor, and headed for the bath chamber.Chu Yunxi watched him walk in, a flicker passing through his gaze, those amber eyes suddenly lighting up with cunning.He caught up in a few strides and said helpfully, "I'll help you!"Shi Wuxie shook his head. "No need.""You can't reach your own back." Chu Yunxi's reasoning was sound, and he even squeezed into the bath chamber first. Then he turned around and watched him with an ill-intentioned smile.Shi Wuxie was about to refuse when Chu Yunxi, brooking no argument, scooped him up in his arms. "The bath chamber floor is slippery, and you're injured. What if you fall again?"Chu Yunxi said all this in the most high-minded tones, then strode over to the wooden stool beside the bath tub and set him down steadily.Then he eagerly went to fetch hot water, pouring it into the clean bathing basin prepared nearby, and even tested the water temperature.After finishing all this, he turned around and saw Shi Wuxie still sitting there, perfectly fine."Why aren't you undressing? How am I supposed to wipe you down if you don't?"Shi Wuxie looked at him and fell silent for a moment, as if hesitating.Chu Yunxi raised an eyebrow, his expression utterly candid: "What, afraid I'll look? Don't worry, I'm not interested in you."Heh. He was currently in sage mode right now.Even if a celestial fairy descended from the heavens and sat naked before him, his heart would remain perfectly still.Besides, if he didn't look, how could he prove his perfectly straight orientation?Shi Wuxie shook his head. "It's not that. It's just that this sort of thing should be left to the servants—there's no need to trouble you."With that, he began undoing his garment.The buttons of his official robes came undone one by one, revealing the snow-white silk undergarment beneath.Chu Yunxi took a cloth from beside the tub, soaked it in the warm water, and wrung it out until it was half-dry.When he looked up again, he saw Shi Wuxie with his back to him, pulling off the undergarment, the fabric making an extremely faint rustling sound as it slid.The garment slipped down, pooling at his waistline. A slender neck was fully exposed, a few loose strands of hair clinging to the side of his throat.Beneath a pair of shoulder blades that seemed ready to take flight as wings, his waist narrowed swiftly, curving downward in two breathtaking arcs, the dimples of his back half-hidden beneath the waistband of his undershorts.In the candlelight and steam, the beauty's half-concealed back only added a touch of unspoken allure.Chu Yunxi's breath caught, his gaze frozen.The half-damp cloth in his hands fell back into the basin with a splash, sending up a few droplets of warm water that wet his sleeve.Hearing the sound, Shi Wuxie turned his face slightly, extending one slender arm toward him. "The cloth."In the silent bathing room, that voice was so clear it made Chu Yunxi's heart skip a beat.That impossibly beautiful hand was right within reach. Chu Yunxi completely forgot what he'd followed him in here to "verify," and dumbly handed the cloth to Shi Wuxie.Shi Wuxie took the damp cloth, turned around, and began wiping his shoulders and neck.He raised one arm to wipe his back, water droplets rolling down his taut forearm and sliding over the dimples of his lower back. Backlit in silhouette amid the swirling mist, the pose was as beautiful as a statue.But some angles were awkward, and after two tries he still couldn't get enough leverage.Shi Wuxie stopped, twisting his head to look back at Chu Yunxi, who was standing there motionless like a block of wood, and couldn't help feeling puzzled.Wasn't he supposed to be here to help him wash his back? Why was he spacing out again?[I told you this kid's a bit of a fool!] The Ghostly Shadow snickered.Whatever.Shi Wuxie couldn't be bothered to press the matter. "In that case, go call a servant in for me."Only then did the dazed Chu Yunxi snap back to his senses. He hurriedly took the cloth to wipe Shi Wuxie's back. "I'll do it."The warm cloth glided over his skin, and wherever it passed, faint pink marks immediately rose from the heat and friction.Chu Yunxi stared fixedly at the marks that kept appearing with each stroke, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, as if some wicked thought were about to surface.This was bad!Chu Yunxi's hand trembled, and he tossed the cloth back into the tub. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he said hoarsely, "I… I'm no good at this. Let me call someone for you after all!"Without waiting for Shi Wuxie's response, he strode out the door and called to the attendant keeping watch in the corridor: "Go in and help!"The attendant rubbed his sleepy eyes, climbed up from his floor bedding, answered with a sound, and entered the bedroom in a complete daze.Chu Yunxi stood under the corridor. The night wind carried a chill that struck his face, sweeping away the heat in his body and the steam he'd brought from the bath.He closed his eyes and drew a long breath of cold air, then carefully lifted one eyelid and peeked down.All was calm.His eyes suddenly brightened, and he gratefully clenched his fist, giving a silent pump in the air.He knew he was straight!What happened just now really was an accident!He was extremely satisfied with his "test results" and couldn't help the corners of his mouth curling up.He stood under the corridor letting the cool wind blow over him for a good while longer, until he was chilled from head to toe, purged of desire inside and out. Only then did he turn and head back to his room, relaxed and at ease.Chu Yunxi climbed onto the bed with light steps and rolled to the inner side. He pulled the brocade quilt over himself, tucking it in snugly, closed his eyes, and tried to coax himself toward sleep. The corners of his mouth never once flattened.It wasn't until the bathhouse door creaked open, followed by the attendant's light, quick footsteps, and the door being carefully closed behind him—A moment later, another set of steady footsteps approached from afar and finally stopped at the edge of the bed.Then the lamp was blown out. The bedding beside him dipped slightly, accompanied by the rustle of fabric.Chu Yunxi felt the quilt on his side being carefully tugged—a very small portion pulled away—and then Shi Wuxie lay down at a polite distance from him.The whole process was utterly silent, yet Chu Yunxi felt his senses had never been so sharp.He kept his eyes tightly shut, but his lashes trembled uncontrollably. Unable to hold back, he cracked his eyelids open a sliver.In the hazy moonlight, Shi Wuxie was slowly lying down. As if sensing the gaze, he lifted his eyes, and his gaze collided squarely with Chu Yunxi's.Shi Wuxie seemed a little apologetic. "Did I wake you?"Chu Yunxi shook his head. "I wasn't asleep.""Then weren't you dreaming just now?"Chu Yunxi: ?"No.""I saw you smiling the whole time."Chu Yunxi quickly smoothed his lips flat. "It's nothing. I just suddenly thought of something happy.""Oh."Shi Wuxie gave a flat acknowledgment, then yawned, showing no interest in this so-called "happy thing."After a long, exhausting day, he was already very tired, so he mumbled a "goodnight" and drifted groggily off to sleep.Before long, even, shallow breathing sounded.Chu Yunxi lay there for a while without much drowsiness, so he carefully rolled over, facing Shi Wuxie.Moonlight filtered through the gauze canopy, tracing the quiet sleeping face beside him. The other man lay perfectly straight, hands folded over his abdomen. His long lashes, like two small fans, hung quietly, rising and falling ever so slightly with his breath.Stripped of his usual coolness and sharpness, the sleeping Shi Wuxie had an unguarded tranquility about him.He looked… rather well-behaved.Chu Yunxi counted those long lashes back and forth, using them in place of counting sheep. After who knows how many rounds, drowsiness finally surged up, and his eyes slowly closed.Deep in the night, Chu Yunxi fell into a long dream.In the dream there was always a blurry figure. Amid swirling mist, that person stood with his back to him, a moon-white inner robe loosely half-shed to the crook of his arms, half-hiding, half-revealing, his jade-colored back glistening with moisture.Water droplets rolled slowly down that impossibly smooth waistline, leaving glistening wet trails with every inch they descended, as if bearing hooks that seized his taut nerves.At last, unable to control himself, he stepped forward and reached out a trembling hand to rest on that person's shoulder.His fingertips met the slick feel of the other's skin, his hand sliding from the shoulder down along the waistline, like caressing the finest silk.His heart pounded in disarray, and instinctively he slowly turned the person around.In the dream, that person's face had always been shrouded in a hazy mist, impossible to see clearly. Only a pair of eyes pierced through the fog and crashed clearly into his—a touch of breathtaking crimson at the corners, carrying an almost bewitching allure.That gaze locked onto him like a hook.The person suddenly rose, and a hand, perfectly proportioned in bone and flesh, pressed lightly against his chest. The fingertips were slightly cool, yet the force behind them brooked no refusal as they pushed him.He truly was like rootless driftwood, easily shoved to the ground.As his vision flipped, a bare foot stepped onto his chest, neither light nor heavy, the warmth of that sole branding itself unimpeded into his skin.The person looked down at him from above, a careless, condescending air flowing through those bewitching eyes.His breathing grew ragged, his whole body boiling with hot blood, his mind a complete blank.As if sensing the tension in his body, that foot paused briefly, then slowly lifted, only the toes pressing against him, neither light nor heavy.Then, those toes traced down along the lines of his chest and abdomen, agonizingly slowly, leaving behind an invisible yet scorching trail across his skin.Finally, the toes came to rest at his waist.Then that bare foot stamped down hard, grinding and crushing maliciously with its sole.A suppressed groan escaped Chu Yunxi's throat, his breath nearly stopping, his whole body trembling.The figure slowly leaned down, close enough that their mingled breaths could be felt. A pair of pale, thin lips parted slightly, the voice carrying an entrancing hook: "Chu Yunxi… does it feel good?"
Chapter 15
My Cold-Faced Wife Wants to Kill Me Again