Chapter 333 - 185: Li Bao Is a Bad Woman
After speaking, Li Zhi even wiggled the foot he was still holding. As her eyes shifted, the teasing glint in them deepened.
The young woman’s voice rang out like a light wind chime. "Hey, why’d you stop, Master Shen? A customer tries to make a little conversation and you just stop working? That’s a bit unprofessional, you know."
The "Master Shen" nickname made Shen Yuan’s cheeks flush, but he wasn’t about to take it lying down and wanted to even the score.
He feigned composure and cleared his throat. "My apologies. It’s my first day on the clock. This one’s on me; I’ll add an extra hour for you."
As he spoke, Shen Yuan’s fingertips secretly applied more pressure. The pads of his fingers stopped their gentle circling and suddenly pressed down an inch into the center of Li Zhi’s sole.
The pressure wasn’t strong, but her toes still curled and tightened uncontrollably in his palm.
"Mmph!"
Li Zhi instantly pressed her lips together. Her calf muscles seized up, and her whole body recoiled slightly as her already flushed cheeks took on an even deeper shade of crimson.
"Shen Yuan, you..."
Her voice carried a faint tremor, as if she’d been zapped by an electric current. The sound that escaped her throat wasn’t a complaint, but a breathy, involuntary hum. "...G-gentler, that’s too hard."
Her sensitive reaction made the air grow suddenly thick. Shen Yuan could see the blush on the tips of her ears spread rapidly down the side of her neck.
Shen Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately eased the pressure from his fingertips, leaving only a warm pressure lingering on her sock.
He chuckled softly, a mischievous grin spreading across his face like a prankster who’d just succeeded. "You call that hard? Seems like my client’s liver isn’t in the best shape. Have you been secretly pulling all-nighters to cram for exams?"
Hearing this, Li Zhi scoffed. "Who’s pulling all-nighters to study? I’m not! My liver is perfectly fine!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
The words had barely left her lips when Shen Yuan’s fingertips once again secretly dug into the center of her sock-clad sole, the pad of his finger pressing down firmly.
The move was swift and sudden, giving Li Zhi no time to prepare.
"Ah!"
Caught completely off guard, a short, soft gasp escaped her throat as her toes curled violently in Shen Yuan’s palm.
The sudden pressure exploded against her sensitive sole, sending a paralyzing, electric tingle spreading instantly through her entire body.
The blush that had just started to fade from her cheeks came roaring back with a WHOOSH, even brighter than before.
Their eyes met. Li Zhi was so embarrassed it looked like her ears were about to bleed. Her almond-shaped eyes, shimmering with unshed tears from the sensation, glared fiercely at Shen Yuan.
She tried to pull her foot back, her voice trembling with indignation. "Shen! Yuan! You try pressing like that again on purpose and see what happens! If you do it again... If you do it again, I’m not letting you touch me anymore!"
Shen Yuan looked at her pouting, crimson face, and the last traces of mischief in his eyes melted away completely. His lips curved into a gentle, earnest smile.
"Okay, okay, okay."
His voice grew much softer, taking on a soothing tone, as the pressure from his fingertips became incredibly gentle. "This time I’ll do it properly, I promise. I’ll be serious, no more messing around."
As he spoke, his gaze dropped, falling back to her foot, which was clad in a thin cotton sock.
The pressure from the pads of his fingers became steady and rhythmic. He returned to following the curve of her arch, patiently kneading and pressing, taking meticulous care of every inch.
His movements were no longer deliberately stimulating or cautiously hesitant, but instead carried a steady tenderness, as if he were handling a precious work of art.
As Shen Yuan’s focused and gentle pressure continued, one press after another, the force seeped through the thin sock, its warmth and stability soothing the deep, tired muscles of her sole.
An indescribable sense of relief and relaxation, like a gently flowing warm current, began to slowly spread out from the point of pressure.
It crept up her leg, making even the tight muscles in her calf and along her spine begin to slacken.
"Mmm..."
Li Zhi’s body, which had been pressed against the back of the chair, gradually relaxed, no longer shrinking away so stiffly.
It was as if she had shed a suit of invisible armor, sinking into the warmth that rose from the soles of her feet.
「The night flowed by silently, the moonlight slowly creeping across the windowpane.」
The room grew so quiet that the only sounds were the soft rustle of fabric and their mingling breaths.
As time went on, the nature of Shen Yuan’s massage began to change.
The deliberate massage techniques he had been following earlier became a blur. His tense Concentration was silently dismantled by the soft, warm touch beneath his palm.
His movements grew slower and slower. His fingertips no longer pressed on acupressure points; instead, they began to trace her skin unconsciously.
His palm cupped her slender ankle as his thumb would sometimes gently brush against the sensitive skin of her arch, and at other times, slowly glide along the delicate lines of her toes to their slightly upturned tips.
The thin sock separating their skin now seemed more like a hazy layer of gauze, making every feather-light caress provoke a more delicate, more ambiguous tremor.
Li Zhi’s foot had completely relaxed under his massage, which now felt more like a caress.
Her foot rested obediently in Shen Yuan’s palm, twitching slightly only when his fingertips would occasionally brush across her sole, drawing a sleepy, nasal hum from her.
Half of Li Zhi’s face was buried in a soft blanket. Her visible brow was smooth and peaceful, her eyelashes fluttering faintly with each breath.
The previous fiery blush had faded to a soft, rosy hue, as if her entire being had melted into the warm current that had so gently tamed her.
Shen Yuan glanced down at his phone. It was already 10:00 PM.
His heart gave a slight clench. The soft, delicate feeling of her foot was still vivid between his fingers, and the quiet, intimate atmosphere was truly intoxicating.
After taking a deep breath, Shen Yuan suppressed the intense reluctance in his heart and regretfully pulled his fingertips away from the smooth fabric of her sock.