The girl's sweet voice spread through the bathroom.
The air seemed to freeze.
Lin Mo realized what she had just said, and her heart skipped a beat.
Dummy, what are you even saying?
Xie Guanyan is just pretending to be a maid, not actually one.
How could he possibly give you a massage?
Making such a request while sober, without a drop of alcohol in your system—
Xie Guanyan must be shocked!
Too bold, way too bold!
Just as she was about to say something to salvage the situation, a deep, velvety male voice resonated in the air.
"Alright."
Lin Mo: "..."
Internally, Lin Mo screamed like a giddy fangirl.
Ahhhh! Xie Guanyan actually said yes!
The next second, she heard him ask, "Are you sure?"
Xie Guanyan instinctively couldn’t refuse any of Lin Mo’s requests.
But when his brain finally processed what this entailed, he wanted to confirm one more time.
Massaging her in the bathroom meant he might see things he shouldn’t.
She’d read plenty of steamy novels—wanting to try a bathtub massage was understandable.
But she needed to weigh the risks.
He didn’t want her to regret this later.
Are you sure?
Lin Mo’s peach-blossom eyes flickered.
So he impulsively agreed and now regrets it, huh?
Well, she wasn’t about to let him back out.
"Absolutely sure!"
Xie Guanyan’s emerald-green eyes remained fixed on her, unblinking.
Truthfully, he had prepared meticulously for tonight. In fact, Lin Mo didn’t even need to turn off the lights.
He had planned to disappear after entering the living room.
With his sister, who had been dead for eleven years, suddenly returning, Shen Sizhan wouldn’t spare a single glance at a mere maid.
Even if his disguise was exposed and triggered him, private doctors were already stationed nearby, ready to sedate him immediately.
Yet, despite all his thorough preparations, he hadn’t anticipated the girl asking for a massage.
Right now, his eyes weren’t brimming with manic excitement but with nervous hesitation.
He had never given anyone a massage before.
What if he did it poorly and disappointed her?
And if his body reacted too obviously, what if it scared her?
Countless thoughts tangled in Xie Guanyan’s mind, but his expression remained unreadable.
"Then I’ll step out for a moment. You go ahead and soak first."
Lin Mo nodded, her long, curled lashes fluttering slightly.
Sure, her mind was swimming in spicy fantasies, but in reality?
She was the kind of person who, after accidentally kissing him, had panicked and climbed a tree!
The idea of undressing in front of him was downright impossible.
Just recalling the brief, soft sensation from earlier made her heartbeat spike.
But Xie Guanyan hadn’t shown any reaction—had he even noticed?
Once outside the bathroom, Xie Guanyan’s breathing grew uncontrollably ragged.
The little bow on his maid outfit rose and fell with his heaving chest.
A thin layer of sweat glistened on his forehead—whether from the wig or something else, it was hard to tell.
Leaning against the wall, he pulled out his phone with his slender, well-defined fingers and frantically searched for massage techniques.
After roughly five minutes of studying, Xie Guanyan exhaled deeply.
I hope I don’t disappoint Shanshan.
Knock, knock.
A soft rapping sound drifted through the air.
Lin Mo, now completely naked, instinctively curled in on herself.
When clothed, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now, bare as the day she was born, an inexplicable shyness washed over her.
Thankfully, the bathroom was stocked with bubble bath soap.
A thick layer of foam now floated atop the water.
Xie Guanyan wouldn’t be able to see a thing.
Just like last time when she had walked in on him showering.
She slid deeper into the water until it lapped at her collarbone.
Only the faintest hints of snowy skin were visible.
Not that she minded.
She wanted Xie Guanyan to know she had a great figure.
The man was a true gentleman.
That day she wore a dress, his gaze had barely lingered on her exposed skin.
"May I come in?"
His warm, polite inquiry followed the knock.
Lin Mo clenched her fists underwater and took a steadying breath.
"Come in."
It was autumn, so the bathwater was on the hotter side.
The moment the bathroom door opened, a wave of warm steam rushed out, carrying the intoxicating blend of her natural fragrance and the sweet scent of peach shower gel.
Xie Guanyan quickly shut the door behind him to keep the cold air out.
Standing at the entrance, he peered through the mist.
There she was—submerged in the bathtub, her hair tied into a loose bun, her face flushed a delicate pink.
Her temples were slightly damp, and the corners of her peach-blossom eyes glistened with moisture, so alluring it made his heart stutter.
His breath hitched, desire surging in his gaze.
Habitually, he reached to adjust his glasses—only to remember he wasn’t wearing any.
He forced himself to look away, restraining his breathing with sheer willpower.
The strikingly beautiful man cut through the steam, his presence both cool and devastating.
Lin Mo tensed, her legs pressing together involuntarily, but she maintained a breezy smile.
"Just the shoulders, please. Thank you, masseur Xie!"
Other areas could wait—her heart couldn’t take it yet.
Xie—the masseur—Guanyan nodded. "Understood."
He moved behind her, his steps silent.
Soon, a gentle weight settled on her bare shoulders, followed by the warmth of his touch.
His hands were usually cool, but not tonight.
Yet Lin Mo’s body trembled slightly all the same. She glanced back, though she couldn’t twist far enough to see him.
Instead, her gaze landed on the bathroom mirror—a peculiar material that, by day, was transparent but now reflected the room with crystalline clarity.
And there it was: the breathtaking sight of the man kneeling behind her.
The skirt of his maid dress pooled around him, accentuating the lean, powerful lines of his waist.
A billionaire tycoon, untouchable and revered in public, now dressed as a maid, kneeling to massage her.
The sheer contrast was sinful.
A closer look revealed his elegant fingers pressing into her shoulders, his knuckles flexing with controlled precision.
The veins on his pale arms stood out faintly—both refined and indecently tempting.
He was kneeling, his warm breath ghosting over the crown of her head.
A tingling sensation raced down her spine, her toes curling in response.
Lin Mo’s heart hammered, her entire body flushing pink.
At this moment, every steamy novel she’d ever read paled in comparison.
Hand me a pen—I could write something even hotter!
Then—
Xie Guanyan’s eyes flicked to the mirror.
Beneath the long, dark wig, his devastatingly handsome face, paired with those emerald-green eyes, was nothing short of devilish.
Their gazes met in the reflection.
For Lin Mo, it was like being struck by lightning.
Every strand of hair on her body stood on end.
Water sloshed in the tub as she shifted.
Realizing something, her ears burned scarlet.
She whipped her head away, refusing to look at the mirror’s indecent display any longer.
But in that split-second connection, Xie Guanyan had seen it—the faint dampness at the corners of her eyes, the dazed haze in her gaze.
He tilted his head slightly.
Had he… met her expectations?
Under his fingertips, her skin was like polished jade—soft, flawless.
How lucky he was, to even be allowed this much.
He was trying so hard not to stare, but it was a losing battle.
Her delicate frame, the elegant curve of her neck, the way her shoulder blades fluttered like butterfly wings beneath his touch—
Every detail was maddening.
Xie Guanyan's eyes gleamed with excitement, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly as he murmured in a hushed voice, "Does it feel good?"
