Chapter 302: He’s Taking a Shower
The gentle trickling of water could be heard.
The bathroom was hazy with steam.
The young man braced a hand against the white tiles, letting the cold water pour over his head. It soaked his dark hair and eyebrows, then ran in tiny streams along the lines of his muscles and into the drain.
Veins stood out on the back of his pale hand, raised from the pressure he was exerting.
Xie Youchen tilted his head back, his mind replaying the scene in the bedroom from moments ago—
After she’d asked to sleep with him, the girl’s cheeks had flushed pink. She glanced at him before looking down, her voice soft and gentle. "Okay?"
She probably had no idea just how dangerous she looked in that moment.
Effortlessly inciting countless filthy fantasies.
Xie Youchen closed his eyes. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he suppressed the name that threatened to escape his lips.
...
Jiang Qingli hugged the blanket and rolled over again.
’This Xie Youchen... he said he was taking a shower, so what’s taking so long...’
’It’s been almost half an hour. Is he being so thorough that he’s scrubbing his fingernails spotless?’
Feeling a bit bored, Jiang Qingli pulled out her terminal and opened her social media app.
The moment she opened it, she saw blinking notifications from her Beast Husbands.
Jiang Qingli didn’t dare open any private messages, afraid the "read" receipt would give her away.
But the next second, a flood of messages pushed to the top.
The family group chat, usually silent, was now buzzing with activity.
Qin Muye sent the first message: [@everyone Where is she? Why isn’t she replying? Did something happen to her? Are you guys protecting her properly?]
Gu Nian replied instantly: [Protecting her is my responsibility, but I don’t know where she is right now.]
Qin Muye was furious: [You must be fucking clinging to her! I knew it! That’s why she isn’t replying to me!]
Gu Nian sent a series of ellipses, then tagged Ye Linyuan: [@Ye Linyuan Old man, you disappeared right after you walked in. Did you go somewhere with her? Can you tell us? [Cute emoji]]
Ye Linyuan didn’t reply.
Qin Muye also sensed something was off and started a roll call, directly tagging Yuan Shimo: [@Yuan Shimo Did you seduce her? Where are you?]
Yuan Shimo: [...]
Yuan Shimo: [Prince, I don’t believe I’m obligated to answer your question.]
Yuan Shimo: [However, I am also very curious as to where our female master is right now, and who she is with.]
The moment he spoke, the one who hadn’t said anything seemed particularly suspicious.
Gu Nian started spamming @Ye Linyuan, as if he’d lost his mind with anger.
Seeing the situation in the group about to escalate, Jiang Qingli bit her lip, debating how to respond, when a new message popped up.
Baili Jing: [Sorry everyone, Xiao Li is with me right now. We ran into a childhood friend and are catching up. [Smile emoji]]
Qin Muye: [Fine.]
Seeing this message, Jiang Qingli breathed a sigh of relief.
But her relief was cut short when a skeptical message appeared.
Gu Nian: [But how come I just saw you chatting with the CEO of Hongda Technology, old man? Are you really with her? You’d better not be lying to us.]
Jiang Qingli tensed up instantly.
Baili Jing replied smoothly: [I’m in the lounge right now. Do you want to come over? But if your rudeness ruins her mood, you’ll have to bear the consequences yourself.]
Gu Nian replied reluctantly: [Got it.]
Baili Jing: [I’ve retracted the messages. We are all males, so it’s inevitable that we get jealous and vie for our female master’s attention. But I hope you’ll resolve any issues privately and not bother her with them.]
The other Beast Husbands stayed silent, except for Qin Muye, who replied with a [1].
A moment later, Baili Jing retracted all his messages.
The group chat looked calm and peaceful again, a picture of harmony.
’What a reliable first husband.’
Jiang Qingli opened her chat with Baili Jing and sent him a thumbs-up sticker.
Baili Jing replied instantly: [Why are you looking at messages? Has Youchen gone back?]
Jiang Qingli: [He’s in the shower.]
The "typing..." indicator appeared for a moment, then Baili Jing sent just one thoughtful message: [There are some things you might need in the nightstand. All sizes are there.]
After a pause, he added: [Don’t stay up too late. You’ve been exhausted these past few days.]
’He’s always so considerate.’
Just as Jiang Qingli was about to reply, the door behind her opened and Xie Youchen walked in.
Only the floor lamps were on in the bedroom, casting a dim glow.
The young man closed the door and walked slowly to the bedside. He glanced at the terminal in her hand. "What are you looking at?"
Jiang Qingli locked her terminal’s screen and said, "Nothing."
Xie Youchen acted as if he hadn’t seen a thing. He nodded and sat on the edge of the bed.
His back was straight, but he was visibly tense.
He was wearing loose, pure cotton pajamas with the same pattern as the ones Jiang Qingli had on. She had bought two sets back then, thinking Xie Youchen would never wear his.
A small smile played on her lips. Jiang Qingli rolled further into the bed twice, making room for him.
Xie Youchen pressed his lips together and lay down beside her, his movements stiff.
There was a gap of at least two handbreadths between them.
Jiang Qingli glanced at the young man, who was lying straighter than a soldier at attention, and was silent for a few seconds. "...Are we just going to sleep like this?"
Xie Youchen was also silent for a few seconds before looking at her.
’Does he think that when I said "sleep," I just meant... actually sleeping?’
Jiang Qingli moved a little closer. Xie Youchen’s movements grew even more rigid. He held his breath, averting his eyes from her face, his fingers clenching at his sides.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and burrowed into his embrace, nuzzling her head against his chest.
With her face pressed against his collarbone, Jiang Qingli sensed something was off. "You’re so cold. What’s wrong?"
Xie Youchen paused. "I took a shower."
Jiang Qingli: "Did you take a cold shower?"
He hummed softly in agreement.
Even on such a hot day, there was no need to take a cold shower. The reason was obvious.
"Never mind." Jiang Qingli felt a pang of pity for him. "This is fine, too."
"What’s wrong?" Xie Youchen’s voice was tight. "Did I make you unhappy?"
"I’m not unhappy."
Jiang Qingli thought for a moment. Xie Youchen had always been old-fashioned, a true conservative. They had just confirmed their relationship; pushing things forward too quickly wasn’t his style.
"I won’t do anything to you tonight," Jiang Qingli said, turning the tables and teasing him. "You look like you can’t take it after just one kiss. If this keeps up, I’m afraid I’ll break you."
Xie Youchen put his arms around her and stroked her hair, saying softly, "Our Ah Li has really grown up."
’She says whatever she wants. She’s so much more direct than I am.’
"It’s not just my age that’s grown up," Jiang Qingli huffed. "You’ll see a lot more in the future."
After she said that, she felt the young man holding her fall silent again. The collarbone her face was pressed against was now noticeably warmer.
Realizing belatedly that her words could be misinterpreted, Jiang Qingli quickly tried to correct herself. "I mean, my way of thinking! I have an adult mindset now!"
’...That sounds even weirder!’
Jiang Qingli heard him chuckle. Feeling vexed for a second, she decided to just move on. "Sleep, sleep."
"Okay."
The young man let out a low laugh, letting her find a comfortable position in his arms to sleep.
Jiang Qingli had originally planned on waiting for Xie Youchen to fall asleep so she could feel his abs, but she couldn’t stay awake. Her eyelids soon began to feel incredibly heavy.
Before drifting off, she sleepily called out to Xie Youchen, who answered in a soft voice.
Jiang Qingli asked, "Will you still be here when I wake up?"
"I will."
Along with his affirmative reply, a soft kiss landed on her lips.
Xie Youchen promised softly, "I’ll be here in the future, too."