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Chapter 59: The Bathroom

Aside from using the bathroom and eating, Jiang Nai had spent almost the entire day on the couch, hardly moving.

Li Qingji had stayed by her side the whole day, only occasionally stepping away to take a call or review some documents.

As night quickly fell, they finished watching another movie, and for once, Jiang Nai actually felt a bit sleepy earlier than usual. However… she wanted to take a shower before bed tonight. Yesterday, she had fallen asleep immediately after changing into her pajamas due to a fever, but tonight, she felt she couldn’t go another night without bathing.

“Are you tired? Want to go to bed?” Li Qingji asked, putting down his phone.

Jiang Nai nodded, then murmured, “I’d like to take a shower.”

She spoke softly, so Li Qingji didn’t catch it right away. “What was that?”

“I said, I want to take a bath. I didn’t get to yesterday, and I feel uncomfortable.”

Li Qingji frowned slightly. “For now, it’s best to keep your leg dry.”

“I know; I won’t let it get wet,” Jiang Nai replied. “Can you just fill the tub up to the steps? I’ll keep my foot on them and just do a quick rinse.”

Li Qingji seemed to think it over. “Are you sure?”

Jiang Nai put on a pleading expression. “I really won’t be able to sleep if I don’t wash up tonight.”

Seeing her look like this, Li Qingji could only give in. “Alright, wait here a moment.”

“Okay!”

Li Qingji got up and went to the bathroom to run the water. After Jiang Nai waited for a bit, he returned and carried her to the bathroom. He set her down on a seat by the tub but didn’t leave, just stood there watching her. They both stayed still for a moment, neither making a move.

Jiang Nai spoke up. “…Can you go outside?”

“With you trying to bathe in this condition, I have to stay here and watch.”

“But with you here, I feel… awkward.”

“What’s so awkward about it?” Li Qingji said calmly. “This isn’t like before. Do you really think I’d be so much of a brute that I’d do something to you right here?”

Jiang Nai was speechless. “…”

“So, either you start undressing now, or you skip the bath tonight. Your choice.”

Jiang Nai pressed her lips together, shooting him a slight glare. Skipping the bath was not an option. Fine, she told herself—why was she being so shy? After all, they’d seen each other’s bodies countless times by now. Resolving her hesitation, she took a breath and pulled her nightgown over her head.

“Help me up.”

Li Qingji reached out to lift her, looking down at her. “Not taking off your underwear?”

Jiang Nai’s fingers hovered at the waistband, gripping the fabric tightly, her ears turning crimson. Seeing her hesitation, Li Qingji gently pulled her against his chest, reaching around her to unfasten the clasp on her back with a quick motion that loosened her body.

Then, his hand settled over hers, gripping the waistband, and slowly helped slide it down.

“Get in, and hold onto me,” he said softly.

Jiang Nai whispered, “The towel…”

Understanding she was still a little shy, Li Qingji reached over to grab a towel and handed it to her. She quickly took it.

The bathtub was large, with a raised step on one side where one could sit. This way, once Jiang Nai sat inside, she could rest her legs on that step to keep them dry. Holding her breath, she sat down, not even glancing up at Li Qingji.

Initially, she thought this setup would be convenient, but once seated, she realized the posture was… rather unseemly, especially since she wasn’t wearing anything.

Her face flushed as she tried to cover herself with a towel, muttering, “Can you turn around?”

“No.”

Jiang Nai didn’t expect him to refuse so bluntly and looked up at him in surprise.

Li Qingji calmly crouched by the edge of the tub, his gaze slightly intense. “Are you always this slow? Is that why it takes you so long to wash?”

“…No.” Jiang Nai felt her whole body heating up under his gaze, muttering, “That’s because you’re here. Are you some kind of pervert, watching people bathe like this…”

Li Qingji chuckled, “A pervert would just watch?”

Jiang Nai was left speechless, deciding to ignore him and hasten through this. She quietly held her towel with one hand, using the other to splash water over herself. But little did she know that her half-covered state only made things more provocative.

Li Qingji’s gaze fell lower.

The clear, rippling water barely obscured her radiant, fair skin, the elegant curves, and her long, gracefully lifted leg. The slightly awkward posture reminded him of certain familiar scenes from previous nights. It was very much like something he had orchestrated.

Initially, Li Qingji’s intent was sincere, wanting to ensure she didn’t slip and hurt herself in her current state. But as he continued to look, he realized he might have overestimated his own restraint.

“…Hand me the body wash,” Jiang Nai said.

The body wash was on a stone step on the other side. She had forgotten to place it within reach and now had to rely on Li Qingji. He gave a brief acknowledgment, stood up to fetch it, and to her surprise, instead of handing her the entire bottle, she saw he had already dispensed some into his hand.

Her face instantly flushed. “Li Qingji!”

He knelt on one knee outside the tub, his eyes heavy with intent, and placed his soapy hand on her. “I’ll help you.”

This wasn’t helping at all; it was tormenting her!

Jiang Nai dared not move recklessly, but couldn’t break free from his grasp. Her face and neck were completely flushed, and when his fingers reached below the towel, she quickly caught his wrist.

“You said you wouldn’t do anything here…”

Li Qingji’s breathing deepened. With his other hand, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her fervently.

“Yes, I did say that I wouldn’t.” After a brief kiss, Li Qingji pressed his forehead against hers, sounding almost teasing. “And right now, I’m not breaking my word.”

As he spoke, he tossed the towel aside.

Jiang Nai’s hand reflexively tightened. “You…”

Li Qingji’s gaze remained steady. “Don’t move. Be careful with your leg.”

Jiang Nai’s breathing grew labored. Li Qingji’s mouth curved slightly before he leaned in to kiss her again. Their lips intertwined, entwined in a deep embrace. In the steamy air, it felt as if his essence was seeping into every pore of her being. And beneath the water’s surface, the hidden currents seemed to draw out every last shred of her reason.

It was an intense, almost overpowering experience.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Jiang Nai, overwhelmed by his deep kiss, felt a thrilling, sharp blankness overtake her mind for a few seconds. Her voice was lost in him, trembling as if on the verge of breaking. 

—

Jiang Nai thought she might be unwell; for many days, she hadn’t been sleeping well, yet after staying by Li Qingji’s side, she had slept soundly two nights in a row, even waking up well past her usual schedule. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Li Qingji standing by the mirror in the bedroom, buttoning up his shirt.

She glanced at his fingers, remembering what they had done in the bathroom last night, and quickly looked away…

“You’re awake.” He noticed her in the mirror.

Jiang Nai pulled the blanket up to cover half her face. “Mm…”

“I need to go out for a bit today, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“It’s fine, I can be on my own,” she replied softly.

“Lin Hui will be coming over to keep you company,” he added.

Jiang Nai was momentarily stunned. “Huh? She’s coming? Why?”

“She’s with Lu Feng. I had a call with him earlier, mentioned your situation, and Lin Hui offered to come by. Since Auntie hasn’t arrived yet, I feel more at ease if someone’s with you.”

But Jiang Nai picked up on something else in his words. “Wait, Lu Feng and Lin Hui are together? Didn’t they break up?”

Li Qingji shrugged. “I’m not sure; maybe they got back together.”

“But he said they weren’t suitable. Why would they get back together?”

“You’ll have to ask Lin Hui yourself; I don’t know.”

Li Qingji, now fully dressed, walked over to the bed. He leaned down, as if to give her a kiss goodbye.

Jiang Nai quickly covered his mouth with her hand. “…I haven’t brushed my teeth.”

He didn’t mind. He moved her hand aside and placed a kiss on her lips. “I’m heading out now. Lin Hui should arrive in about half an hour; you can stay in bed until then.”

“Oh…”

After Li Qingji left, Jiang Nai lay there for a while, and upon seeing Lin Hui’s message saying she was on her way, she got up and tidied herself. The door had a keypad lock, and Jiang Nai had given her a temporary code. Before long, Lin Hui arrived.

“Jiang Nai?”

“[The owner is in the bedroom. Go straight, turn right, and it’s on the left.]”

Lin Hui was startled by the voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. “Whoa, what’s that?”

“[Hello, Madam. I’m Smart Assistant 3.0.]”

Lin Hui’s eyes widened. “So high-tech…”

Following its directions, she walked down the hall and soon spotted the open door to the main bedroom.

“Jiang Nai.”

Jiang Nai was also happy to see her. “Lin Hui.”

Lin Hui said, “Your place is really high-tech! That smart assistant just talked to me.”

Jiang Nai replied, “It’s a product the company is about to release. It’s pretty good.”

“Nice! I want one at my place too.” Lin Hui walked over to Jiang Nai’s bed, glancing at her ankle. “Are you okay? Feeling better?”

“Much better. Thanks for coming over today.”

“No need to thank me—we’re friends.”

Saying this, Lin Hui helped her get up. “Come on, I’ll help you wash up.”

“Mm.”

Lin Hui helped Jiang Nai to the bathroom, and after she finished washing up, she guided her to the living room and sat her down. She had brought breakfast, which she set on the coffee table and handed over to Jiang Nai.

Jiang Nai took a few bites and glanced at her. “I heard from Li Qingji just now… about you and Lu Feng…”

“Oh, we’re back together—for now.”

“What do you mean by ‘for now’?”

“Well, he’s stopped going on blind dates recently, and he says he enjoys being with me. To be honest, I like being with him too. So after thinking it over, I decided to enjoy the moment.” Lin Hui hesitated, then added, “As for the future, we’ll deal with that later. I’m not asking him for any commitment.”

Jiang Nai understood.

Enjoy the moment.

That was very much like Lin Hui. She didn’t say anything more. After all, Li Qingji had a point: it’s their relationship, so they should handle it themselves.

Lin Hui stayed with her the entire morning. With two girls together, chatting and watching variety shows, boredom wasn’t an issue at all. The housekeeper arrived at ten, carrying bags of groceries. She greeted the two and went straight to the kitchen.

Lin Hui asked, “Will Li Qingji be back for lunch?”

“Mm.”

“I’ve heard some things about you two from Lu Feng.”

Jiang Nai smiled faintly, half-joking, “So, remember when you said that people with family backgrounds like mine must have it easy? Maybe it’s time to take that back.”

Lin Hui gave a small cough. “Why do you remember that so well…?”

“I just wanted to say, the issues I’m facing now are no different from yours.”

“Are you talking about relationships?” Lin Hui shook her head. “Not quite the same—you and Li Qingji are married.”

Jiang Nai responded almost instinctively, “Does marriage mean forever?”

Lin Hui was taken aback, momentarily speechless, since in her mind, marriage was neither essential nor permanent.

Jiang Nai smiled and changed the topic. “By the way, Lu Feng’s old game console is still here. If you’re up for it, we could play.”

Lin Hui took the hint and didn’t pursue the previous topic. “Sure.”

Meanwhile, Li Qingji, done with his work, was driving home, with Lu Feng riding in the passenger seat beside him.

“Hey, babe, I’ll be there soon. What are you guys up to?”

“Why aren’t you replying? Made some new friends and forgot about your dear old one, huh?”

“I’ll be home in half an hour. Want me to bring you something to drink?”

Lu Feng sent several messages to Lin Hui from the passenger seat, but she hadn’t responded.

Li Qingji, frowning at Lu Feng’s overly affectionate tone, finally muttered, “Can you be quiet?”

“What are they doing at your place, anyway? Why isn’t she replying?”

Li Qingji replied, “She’s at my house—what else could she be doing? Chatting? Watching TV? Probably just not checking her phone.”

“Oh.”

Lu Feng finally put down his phone, leaned back comfortably, and asked, “So, how have things been between you and Jiang Nai lately?”

“Fine,” Li Qingji replied, giving him a sidelong look.

“Really fine?” Lu Feng sounded skeptical. “You’re not planning to divorce her anymore?”

Li Qingji’s brow furrowed even more deeply, prompting Lu Feng to quickly add, “I’m not trying to jinx anything here, and it’s not that I think poorly of Jiang Nai—she’s great, really. I’m just surprised. She had a major fallout with her family, and you didn’t even react. It’s…not like you.”

“It’s simple—I can’t live without her.”

Lu Feng had been ready to share more of his own thoughts, but Li Qingji’s sudden, straightforward admission stunned him. “Wait—what do you mean?”

Lately, people had been asking him similar questions. With anyone else, Li Qingji wouldn’t have bothered to explain.

“Before I met her, I made my decisions based on my usual habits. But after meeting her, I couldn’t do that anymore. If I lost Hengchuan, I’d have a hundred ways to start over. But if I lost Jiang Nai…” He paused, taking a deep breath as he recalled the painful emptiness that hit him the day she moved out to stay with a friend. Softly, he continued, “I don’t want to imagine that ‘if.’”

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