She had only washed his hair two days ago, but the poor conditions outside had left it tangled with blood clots and dirt again. Patiently, she worked through the knots with her fingers, then applied shampoo and massaged it into a thick lather, carefully cleaning every strand.
Zhan Haoting felt a fragrant, unfamiliar liquid being rubbed into his hair, creating a dense layer of foam. Her fingers slipped through his locks, gently massaging his scalp.
He closed his eyes, savoring this strange and extravagant care. His heart was a tangled mess of emotions.
He had once lived in luxury and fine clothes. He had also trained and fought in military camps, endured injuries, and gone hungry. But never had a woman shown him such meticulous—and utterly extraordinary—care when he was at his most wretched and disheveled.
“Why…” His hoarse voice broke the silence. “Why, when you have a secret refuge like this, would you choose to suffer alongside me?”
“Because you’re worth it.” Cheng Yao joked, “You’ve accumulated great merit and possess tremendous luck. How could Heaven let you die so easily? So it sent me, this fairy, to save you. Until the day you rise again, I won’t leave.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhan Haoting suddenly caught her hand, his grip tightening again and again.
His already bloodless face grew even paler. His thin lips moved, but no words came out. He simply stared fixedly at her, as though afraid she would disappear the next second.
Under his gaze, Cheng Yao’s heart tightened. She tried to pull her hand away, but he loosened his grip and said hoarsely, “Don’t go.”
Her heart fluttered.
To be honest, she had accompanied him on this journey entirely out of respect.
A great man who had devoted himself tirelessly to his country and people—how could he be reduced to a stepping stone for the male lead, who had accomplished little in the original story?
Ridiculous!
Absurd!
Cheng Yao simply refused to accept it. She was determined to overturn this ridiculous, melodramatic plot and rewrite the miserable life of his that was so tragic even a dog would shake its head at it!
As for her feelings…
They existed too. They simply weren’t the main reason she had chosen to follow him into exile.
Cheng Yao lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze. Her fingertips stirred ripples in the water. After a long moment, she smiled and said, “I was only joking. There’s no such thing as heavenly laws or a fairy, silly.”
Zhan Haoting’s expression did not improve in the slightest. Instead, his eyes gradually reddened.
She carried a “fairyland” with her, one that allowed her to travel back and forth instantly while taking him along. She could produce all kinds of strange medicines and food whenever she wished.
She remained calm and decisive in the face of danger. Her knowledge and experience far surpassed those of ordinary men…
A remarkable woman like her—if she wasn’t a fairy, then what was she?
She really would leave him one day!
Cheng Yao saw the emotions surging in his eyes—burning desire, and the panic of someone about to lose what mattered most.
At last, her tone softened. “The promise I made will always stand.”
Her promise?
That was right. As long as he did not leave her, she would never abandon him.
The tension in Zhan Haoting’s back suddenly eased. He reached out and carefully drew her into his arms.
He controlled his strength perfectly, making sure not to touch her injuries at all. He only buried his face in the hollow of her neck, his breathing trembling faintly.
He had always been cool and self-controlled, never making a sound even when injured. Yet now he was like a clingy child, his warm breath brushing against her neck until it grew hot.
Cheng Yao stiffened, clearly feeling the rise and fall of his chest, as well as the hand beneath the water that quietly wound around her wrist.
She wanted to push him away, but was afraid of hurting his wounds. So she could only scold him softly, “Be careful. Your injuries haven’t healed yet.”
He moved away from her slightly, his voice carrying a hint of uncertain anxiety. “You really won’t leave me?”
His expression amused Cheng Yao. She lightly brushed her fingertips across the stubble on his chin and said gently, “I really won’t.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, a soft sigh escaped his throat. He suddenly leaned forward, his warm lips brushing the corner of hers, so quickly that it was almost an illusion.
Before Cheng Yao could react, he had already leaned back against the edge of the tub. The tips of his ears quietly flushed red, but the smile in his eyes was impossible to hide.
The towel in Cheng Yao’s hand trembled slightly.
Damn it, he had flirted with her again.
She glared at him viciously, then remembered that he could not see. So she pinched the soft flesh at his waist. “That’s what you get for not trusting me!”
He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it with infinite tenderness and care.
Cheng Yao’s face heated up. She tried to pull her hand away, but he kissed the back of it again.
Once.
Then again.
Like a chick pecking at grain, he kissed her endlessly, each kiss gentle and lingering.
Cheng Yao felt her legs grow weak. She suddenly yanked her hand back and said fiercely, “If you keep kissing me, I’ll have my way with you right here.”
Unexpectedly, he looked down toward his waist and replied with complete seriousness, “I don’t mind trying.”
Cheng Yao’s face turned scarlet. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll crush that frail little body of yours?”
“Heh.” A low chuckle escaped Zhan Haoting’s throat, filled with teasing delight.
Cheng Yao pressed his head against the edge of the tub and rinsed the shampoo from his hair with clean water.
Although he could not see, Zhan Haoting could still sense her embarrassed, flustered mood, and the smile at the corners of his lips grew wider.
Cheng Yao poured out some body wash and used a bath sponge to gently scrub the dirty areas of his body, carefully avoiding his wounds.
Then she suddenly stopped. Her fingertip lightly brushed across some old scars.
“You’ve suffered so many serious injuries. It must have hurt terribly back then, right?”
Steam curled through the air.
Her scent was sweet.
Her hands were soft.
Her voice seemed to mingle with the sound of the water, as soft as cotton steeped in warm water.
Zhan Haoting’s back tensed almost imperceptibly. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he gave a low “Mm.” Even his breathing in the warm air had taken on a husky edge.
Cheng Yao felt his body temperature rising, so she leaned forward to adjust the water. Her hair accidentally brushed against the side of his face, carrying the sweet scent of shampoo.
Zhan Haoting suddenly lifted his hand. His palm covered the back of the hand holding the showerhead. His fingers slipped between hers and turned it around, aiming the showerhead at her.
Cheng Yao’s clothes were instantly soaked through.
“What are you doing?” she scolded. “I’m completely drenched!”
“Let’s wash together.” Zhan Haoting’s voice grew even deeper, laced with suggestiveness.
He could tell that the “tub” was quite large. It could easily fit two people.
Cheng Yao’s mind exploded with a loud boom, and heat rushed straight to her head.
A romantic bath together?!
Even as a modern woman, she found the idea embarrassing. How could an ancient man like him dare to think of it?
The tips of Cheng Yao’s ears turned bright red. She flicked him on the forehead. “Dream on!”
She snatched the showerhead back and rinsed him off. Taking advantage of the fact that he could not see, she boldly and greedily looked him over from head to toe.
He was devastatingly handsome, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
Most importantly, he had incredible stamina.
Cheng Yao remembered how intimate they had been before their exile. Her mind filled with mosaics, and she forgot to move the showerhead in her hand.
Warm water flowed over his wrist and across the back of her hand, as though it were soaking both their hearts in a soft, cozy warmth. Even the air seemed to grow sticky and tender.
Cheng Yao swallowed.
Suddenly, she found his idea of bathing together rather tempting.
What was happening to her?!
Good heavens, she really couldn’t control herself!
Cheng Yao kept her eyes lowered and her mind firmly focused. She hurriedly rinsed him from head to toe, leaving everything below the waist for him to wash himself. Then she carried him into the bedroom, fetched a large towel, and began drying his body, carefully avoiding the areas around his wounds.
She did not dare look or think too much the entire time, as though she were simply completing a task.
Finally, she loosely wrapped the cotton towel around his waist and abdomen, shifted his head to the edge of the bed, and picked up the hair dryer to dry his hair.
Who would have thought that the moment the hair dryer came on, he would be startled. Since he couldn’t see, he would definitely have slapped it to pieces if he hadn’t trusted Cheng Yao.
