Back in the room, Zhou Kuangye had already prepared a basin of hot water. The rising steam made the room misty.
She eagerly stripped naked and slipped into the basin, splashing water everywhere with a rustling sound.
When Zhou Kuangye turned around, he saw a snow-white rabbit diving into the dull-colored basin.
The little rabbit was bold, not avoiding anyone at all. Her two round, fair buttocks bounced with her movements, sometimes underwater, sometimes above, shimmering with water droplets after getting wet—eye-catching and alluring.
Zhou Kuangye’s dark pupils were instantly filled with desire. He turned away, opened the wardrobe, picked out her nightgown, and placed it on the edge of the kang within her reach before quickly stepping out of the room.
Su Ying heard the noise, glanced at him, and then went back to bathing without a care, scrubbing her arms, her little belly, and her legs.
Suddenly, she remembered what that wicked woman had said—that she was plump and fair—and her mood soured again.
She wasn’t that fat at all. That wicked woman was just jealous of her good looks.
But just as she was about to wash her chest, she looked down and began to wonder.
They were heavy, and her slender, fair hands couldn’t even cover them fully. They really were plump.
She had observed the women in the village, and it seemed no one was plumper than her.
Even Widow Liu, who lived at the west end of the village and had nursed several children, wasn’t as plump as her. Had she really become ugly?
The thought of becoming ugly made her anxious. She relied entirely on her pretty face to attract men—it was her livelihood, after all.
It was all Zhou Kuangye’s fault. Ever since she’d hooked up with him, she’d grown plumper and plumper, uncontrollably so. He must have been the one feeding her so well, the bad man!
Su Ying huffed and started scrubbing herself again. She’d have to interrogate him properly later.
In the courtyard, Zhou Kuangye, bare-chested, felt his body temperature hotter than the summer breeze.
He picked up an iron bucket of cold water and poured it over his head.
The water cascaded down his short black hair, over his sharply defined shoulders and neck, and wound its way down his powerful chest.
Under the moonlight, every muscle in his abdomen was taut, brimming with vigor, the lines made starkly visible by the cold water.
A few faint veins converged and trailed downward from his lower abdomen, disappearing into his black shorts.
Water droplets rolled down his cold, defiant profile. The image of the woman’s body was vividly clear in his mind, and even the cold water couldn’t dispel his thoughts.
She was born to consume him.
Zhou Kuangye gave up resisting, tossed the iron bucket aside, and strode back into the room.
The woman stood with her back to him, wearing a red strapless nightgown that hugged her waist tightly, perfectly outlining her alluring curves.
Her pert buttocks were like ripe peaches. The hem of the dress was short, reaching only to the top of her thighs. The contrast between her fair skin and the vibrant red made her look like a bewitching spirit in human form.
His breathing grew heavier. Avoiding his gaze, he quickly moved the basin out of the room.
“A-Ye, have you seen my nightgown? The sleeveless one. I want to wear that, not this dress.”
When she’d bought clothes, she’d just waved her hand without really looking at what she was getting.
This dress had a plunging neckline that revealed half of her… and was so short it only reached the top of her thighs.
She wasn’t a still sleeper, and even the slightest movement could expose her. How embarrassing! She refused to wear it.
This outfit is definitely meant to fool idiots—so little fabric, yet so expensive, not worth it at all.
If it weren’t for breaking up with him, she would never have fallen for it.
“Stop looking, just wear this one. I put the others in the washbasin; I’ll wash them tomorrow morning.”
The man had somehow appeared behind her, and she could feel the scorching heat of his chest against her back.
When she turned around, his gaze was startlingly bright, like a wolf spotting its prey.
Fine, if he wouldn’t let her change, she wouldn’t. After all, they’d long been completely open with each other over the past two years. She stretched out her arms, putting on a spoiled tone, “Carry me to the bed, hurry up, I want to sleep.”
She hadn’t forgotten her mission—to stick to her lazy persona to the very end.
Now she wouldn’t even climb onto the kang herself, insisting he carry her. He must be annoyed inside.
Zhou Kuangye seemed to have been waiting for those words. He scooped up her legs, lifted her in one swift motion, placed her on the edge of the kang, and pressed down on her almost instantly.
As the sweetness touched his lips, every drop of blood in his body stirred, clamoring to devour her whole.
His hands worked with practiced ease—one lifting her skirt, the other pulling down a shoulder strap…
In no time, Su Ying’s spaghetti-strap dress was bunched up around her waist.
The man’s palms were rough, his touch firm, sending tingling waves of pleasure through her. Su Ying was too embarrassed to admit she actually wanted him to be even… rougher.
His lips frantically nipped at her neck, the sharp pain snapping her back to reality.
She remembered—she still had to interrogate him today.
Pushing him away, she sat up and pinned him down.
Perched on his abs, she looked down at him from above.
Her dark hair cascaded messily over her chest and back, the jet-black strands creating a stark contrast against her fair, delicate skin.
Like plum blossoms blooming defiantly in the snow.
His eyes turned bloodshot, his breathing grew heavier, and a certain part of him stirred rebelliously, eager to take her right then and there.
His large hands gripped her arms, trying to pull her down, but Su Ying petulantly shook him off.
“Zhou Kuangye! I need to settle accounts with you.”
Su Ying fetched two large steamed buns from the breakfast shop they ran together and held them up accusingly. “Look, did you overproof the dough? They’ve gotten so fat, so huge—who’s going to buy these?”
Zhou Kuangye swallowed hard. “They are plump, plump and rich—all because I fed them well. I love them.”
Su Ying hit him angrily. “How are we supposed to run a business like this? We’ll go bankrupt! Everyone likes them small. No one likes them this big. Are you deliberately trying to ruin me?”
Zhou Kuangye watched as the woman provocatively waved the two buns in front of him. His blood felt like it was about to boil over. Unable to hold back any longer, he grabbed her arm and pulled her forcefully into his embrace.
Cupping the two buns, his voice trembled. “Let me weigh how much heavier they’ve gotten. No matter how heavy, they’re mine. Sell them only to me. I love them, I can’t get enough—give them to me!”
His hunger, starved for days, could no longer be contained. He buried his face in the buns, tearing off a huge bite, chewing and swallowing frantically, barely finishing before going in for a second mouthful.
No customers had arrived at the shop yet; the only sound in the hall was his wild, greedy gulping.
In the end, still unsatisfied, he flattened the two buns, pressed them together, and devoured both in one bite.
Su Ying couldn’t stop him in time. She could only watch helplessly as he lost control before her eyes, powerless to intervene.
Zhou Kuangye ate while still keeping the main task in mind. Once the shop’s steamed buns were finished, there would be none left to sell tomorrow. He had Su Ying take up the thick rolling pin and start kneading the dough, pounding it with the rolling pin, over and over again…