The youth’s raven-dark eyelashes fluttered upward, revealing clear, glass-like eyes. His soft pink lips were pressed tightly together. The steam from the bath tinted his shoulders a delicate pink, and as he lifted his arms, they emerged from the water.
“Qin Xie,” Yu Li said, enunciating every word clearly. “You said it yourself: I am a precious national treasure. I want you to help me scrub.”
Yu Li’s voice rose slightly, carrying an indescribable sweetness, much like a young girl acting spoiled with her little boyfriend.
Qin Xie could not quite put a name to his own feelings. He only felt that this was inappropriate and ill-timed. Yu Li might not understand anything; he likely did not grasp the implications of having someone else bathe him, nor did he understand that such intimate acts should only be shared with someone he loved.
Yet, his heart brimmed with a secret, thieving joy. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, he indulged and coaxed the timid, pampered Yu Li.
“I am coming.”
Qin Xie moved. With clumsy fingers, he put on the bathing gloves. He crouched beside the bathtub, his black eyes masking every emotion. He took hold of Yu Li’s slender, porcelain-white wrist. It was so thin, so pale.
In his grasp, the wrist felt like a string of shimmering, priceless pearls. A little too much force, and it would surely crumble into dust. Why is Yu Li so thin? Was it due to his long slumber? Is he suffering from severe malnutrition?
The system was screaming in Yu Li’s mind, cheering him on. 【Little Yuyu, your performance is brilliant! If I were the protagonist gong, I would have punched you to death by now! And look, our viciousness points have gone up by 5! This is like having the gods spoon-feed you success! Let us keep ordering him to fetch water every day—that is 2 points a day! In 100 days, we will have a perfect score!】
Yu Li was speechless at the system’s lack of vision. Why stop there?
“Why not think bigger? When the protagonist shou arrives, I will make them both fetch water for me. We will hit the perfect score in 50 days.”
【Hehehehe. Little Yuyu is still the smartest.】 The system chuckled, lavishing him with praise.
Yu Li wanted to add more, but he suddenly felt himself suspended in mid-air. Startled, he shrieked and wrapped his legs around Qin Xie’s waist. His glass-like eyes welled up with a layer of mist.
“Why did you stand up so suddenly?!” he shouted, his voice sharp with anger.
Qin Xie froze, preparing to explain, but when he looked down, he stopped mid-breath.
The youth in his arms was looking up at him, those beautiful eyes wide and round. His dense, dark eyelashes were clumped together with moisture, and tears trembled at the edges—he was clearly holding them back, stubborn and refusing to cry.
Most distracting of all were Yu Li’s slender, soft legs wrapped tightly around his waist. They looked so thin, yet they felt incredibly supple to the touch, the soft, fleshy skin pressed firmly against his abdomen.
It was enough to set a man’s imagination on fire.
After shouting, Yu Li looked up at Qin Xie’s cold, downward gaze and was too terrified to speak. He was fierce, yes, but he was also incredibly quick to retreat when scared. Feeling wronged, he softened his voice to defend himself, terrified he might be struck.
“Do you know how scared I was?”
He performed the “bullying the weak and fearing the strong” act to perfection. Given Qin Xie’s usual attitude—I do not offend unless offended, but if offended, I will strike back—he would have turned around and left a national treasure as difficult as this to someone else long ago.
But looking at beautiful Yu Li’s flushed little face and his pitifully trembling lips, Qin Xie knew it was his own fault. He had been too rough. He could not muster any anger toward such a delicate, beautiful ancient human. It felt as if Yu Li were born to be pampered and spoiled.
Anyone who could not manage that, anyone who could not treat him this way, was not even qualified to stand by Li Li’s side not even he himself.
Qin Xie thought earnestly, his deep voice carrying a tone of supplication. “I am sorry.”
“I will not do it again next time.”
“I just wanted to hold Li Li while I fetched the water,” Qin Xie explained.
Yu Li did not notice the change in Qin Xie’s tone; he only knew he was not going to be hit. His courage returned, and he flicked his eyelashes up. “Go on then.”
The bathtub was large, like a private hot spring. Qin Xie had refilled it several times, and steam was rising in thick, billowing clouds.
After several attempts at testing the temperature, Qin Xie had finally mastered the perfect heat.
Yu Li was not used to undressing in front of others. He sat on a soft chair to the side, his pink, bony toes curled against the heated floor. His lips parted. “I want to eat while I soak. Go get me something to eat.”
It was a display of arrogance at its finest. The youth tilted his chin slightly, his beautiful, fresh face looking innocent yet speaking with blunt hostility.
Qin Xie hesitated for a moment. “Eating while soaking is bad for you; it can cause indigestion.”
“Let me bring you some candies instead, Li Li? To prevent you from fainting from hunger?”
“Fine,” Yu Li replied.
Seeing Yu Li so compliant, a subtle smile tugged at the corner of Qin Xie’s mouth. “I will be back soon.”
As the man left and the bathroom door slid shut, Yu Li checked the mirror—it was frosted glass; he could see out, but no one could see in. He took off his clothes and stepped into the water. The steam surged upward, staining the youth’s porcelain-pale cheeks a soft pink.
Even his black hair was beaded with mist. Yu Li stifled a yawn, settled back into the tub, and began to hum a soft tune.
Soon, Qin Xie returned, carrying a pile of various candies. When he saw the porcelain skin glistening in the water—Yu Li’s head tilted back, eyes closed, long eyelashes curled, pink lips, delicate chin, and a sliver of his fragile, slender neck exposed—Qin Xie’s bronze skin flushed an obvious red. He turned his eyes away, feeling uncharacteristically awkward.
Noticing the movement, Yu Li opened his eyes. Seeing Qin Xie standing frozen, he gripped the edge of the tub, leaned forward, and spoke not with softness, but with a fierce, demanding tone.
“Why are you standing there? Come over here and scrub my arms and legs.”
Seeing the man’s stiff, stoic face crack with shock, as if he were paralyzed by the request, Yu Li curled his lips into a wicked, triumphant smile. “You do not leave until you have scrubbed me clean.”
Qin Xie put down the candies but did not move forward. Before him was the beautiful Yu Li, his glowing white body reflected in the water. Because he was bracing himself against the edge of the tub, Qin Xie could catch glimpses of his long, straight legs and a chest tinged with pink.
Beautiful Yu Li tilted his head, his glass-clear eyes curved as he looked at the man, his voice sounding like he was flirting.
Yu Li waited, neck aching from the anticipation. He is just standing there like a statue—does he think he is a door god?
Yu Li’s beautiful eyes widened, and he snapped, “Hey! Did you hear me?!”