Chapter 332 - 185: Li Bao is a Bad Woman
Through the thin cotton fabric, Shen Yuan could feel the subtle warmth and softness of the skin beneath.
He suppressed the frantic fluttering in his chest and the heat surging through him, his fingertips pressing with extreme gentleness onto the center of her sock-clad sole.
Shen Yuan’s movements were deliberate. The pads of his fingers traced light, even circles over the sock, mimicking the massage techniques he recalled from memory as he slowly kneaded from her arch toward her heel.
Holding his breath, Shen Yuan focused all his attention on the small area beneath his fingertips. His touch was so light he seemed afraid of disturbing something. It was less a massage and more a cherished, delicate caress.
Beneath his touch, Li Zhi’s foot gave an almost imperceptible tremble, and the calf muscle resting on the edge of the bed tensed for a brief moment.
The young woman leaned back against the chair with her eyes closed. Her long eyelashes fluttered a few times like the wings of a startled butterfly as a deep blush crept across her cheeks, spreading all the way to the roots of her fair ears.
She could clearly feel the boy’s warm fingertips pressing gently through the sock and against the sensitive, vulnerable sole of her foot.
The warmth and gentle pressure spread in a peculiar way through her tired muscles, bringing an unfamiliar but not unpleasant sense of relaxation.
"Ngh..."
An involuntary sound, as faint as a thread of silk, escaped Li Zhi’s throat. It was like a soft, muffled grunt, suffused with an indescribable sense of relief.
The sound was quiet, but it was perfectly clear in the silent room.
This small lapse in composure made her even more embarrassed, and her pale cheeks instantly felt as if they were on fire.
In a fluster, she slowly pulled the comforter covering her up to the tip of her nose, burying her beet-red face deep within the soft fabric.
Only her eyes and brows remained visible as she tried to conceal her flustered state.
Li Zhi could feel the pressure on her foot falter for a second.
The brief pause was magnified infinitely in the silent air.
It was followed by an almost paralyzing awkwardness, as if the very air had solidified.
Shen Yuan’s mind went blank. His heart hammered like a drum, and he felt his own cheeks begin to burn.
He subconsciously grasped for a way to break the silence. The words tumbled out before he could think, his voice dry and tight with nerves.
"Ma’am..."
Shen Yuan cleared his tight throat, forced a relaxed smile, and mimicked the formulaic tone of a massage parlor therapist he’d seen on TV.
"Is the pressure... okay? Not too hard?"
Li Zhi’s cheeks were still burning from where she’d buried her face in the comforter, but Shen Yuan’s stiff imitation and his tight, dry voice suddenly caused her tension to melt away.
A short, light, uncontrollable laugh escaped her lips. It began as a muffled sound from under the blanket before blossoming into cheerful laughter, as crisp and clear as raindrops on glass.
She hurriedly pulled the comforter away, revealing a face still tinged with red. Her eyes curved into crescents, still shimmering with a hint of moisture from her earlier shyness.
Her voice, still laced with laughter, teased him mercilessly. "Shen Yuan, you’re so practiced... Do you frequent... places like that?"
As she spoke, her toes curled unconsciously beneath his fingertips, as if to emphasize just how ’practiced’ he was.
Her sudden counter-question instantly dispelled the awkwardness in the air, replacing it with playful banter.
Shen Yuan looked up at Li Zhi.
Her eyes were curved in a smile and her voice was like a tinkling wind chime, but Shen Yuan felt his heart only beat louder.
Shen Yuan took a deep breath, forcing his lips into a calm smile, but a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes.
He cleared his throat and drawled, "Well, well—you found me out, huh? Yup, I go all the time. Especially last summer vacation. I had to go every single day."
Li Zhi blinked.
Then, she pouted, a look of clear disdain on her face. The smile in her eyes was instantly replaced by playful mockery.
The young woman scoffed, her voice laced with feigned sarcasm. "Hmph, ’every day’? I think you’re just all talk! You’d probably chicken out the second you got to the front door."
"It’s true! That massage parlor in the east district? I was an apprentice there over the summer. I spent every day practicing on the soles of the old master therapist’s feet."
As he spoke, Shen Yuan suddenly increased the pressure in his hands, and Li Zhi’s toes curled under his fingertips.
Recognizing his little prank, the young woman shot him a glare.
But a second later, she snorted with laughter, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
Li Zhi drew out her words in a tone of teasing realization. "Ooooh—so that’s what it is! No wonder. I was wondering why you suddenly developed this perverted fascination with foot-squeezing."
"Hey, how is this perverted?" Shen Yuan’s voice rose a notch, and the movement of his hands ceased.
He looked at Li Zhi’s flushed, teasingly smiling face and argued earnestly, "This is called a foot massage! It’s a legitimate method of relaxation and healthcare. It makes people comfortable and relieves fatigue. How can you call it... call it a perverted act?"
He struggled to find the right words to defend his honor, his cheeks burning even hotter with a mix of urgency and embarrassment.
His sudden earnestness only made Li Zhi want to laugh more. Seeing his flustered expression, she pressed her lips together, but the amusement in her eyes became even more pronounced.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh, yes, of course. A ’proper foot massage’."