Zi Ye slowly lifted her eyelids, her gaze tracing a path up her arm until it rested upon the handsome features of the man to whom the hands belonged.

He smiled faintly. "I'll give you a massage."

Zi Ye nodded her head, her eyelids drifting downward again.

His hands began to gently work the key pressure points between her shoulders and neck, muscles stiff from a day of exertion. He massaged lightly, searching for the spots, and when she showed no reaction, he pinpointed one and pressed with deliberate force. In the next second, Zi Ye’s eyes flew open with a grimace, a rising tide of anger brewing in her sight.

He soothed her by gently stroking her head. She glared at him twice more before flopping back onto the floor.

He reached over, retrieved a throw pillow from the sofa, and placed it beneath her head. Then, he found the connection point between her shoulder and neck and pressed again. This time, Zi Ye sprang up with a yelp, feeling as if a salted fish had suddenly flipped over.

"Please, be gentler!"

Zi Ye finally couldn't help but speak. Weren't all legendary massages supposed to be soft enough to wring water from? Why was his so brutally aggressive?

He merely smiled. "It feels better after the pain."

Zi Ye snorted heavily through her nose and went back to playing dead.

However, her act of playing dead was proving impossible. She had bounced up no less than ten times after just her shoulders and neck were done.

Later, after much painful consideration, she decided that no matter how much it hurt, she wouldn't move; flailing around was just more tiring.

He moved downward, tracing the spine all the way to her lower back, applying intense pressure with every stroke that brought her near death from the pain.

She suspected she must have once stolen his clothes and never returned them, or perhaps stolen the love of his life, otherwise, why would he be so merciless?

The pain left her utterly speechless. After finishing her back, his hands continued their descent. Her heart skipped a beat, and she reached out to grasp his hand, but he didn't continue downward. He stopped at her tailbone, pressed briefly, and said, "Done. The other side."

Zi Ye looked momentarily bewildered. "Which side?"

He sighed softly. "The front."

Zi Ye flipped over to face him directly. Somehow, seeing him sitting beside her while she lay there filled her with suggestive thoughts—a scene ripe with invitation.

She admitted she felt shy and immediately turned over again, presenting her back to him.

If she couldn't see, the suggestive thoughts would cease.

He sounded surprised. "Why?"

Zi Ye buried her face into the pillow and mumbled, "Just continue massaging my back."

He yielded with a soft sound of resignation. "Fine."

Starting from her head, his hands moved with feather-light, shallow pressure, slowly gliding down her back. The previous massage was now taking effect, bringing an indescribable sense of release to her entire body. Combined with his tender caress, Zi Ye let out an involuntary moan of pure bliss.

The massaging hand suddenly tightened.

Simultaneously, Zi Ye clapped a hand over her mouth in horror, her ears burning crimson. Good heavens, how could she make a sound like that?

Then, she secretly glanced at him and saw his expression was still composed and unflustered. Feeling her own reaction was too intense, she casually removed her hand and continued to enjoy his ministrations.

Whether it was due to the preceding thoughts or some mischievous intent on his part, Zi Ye felt his palms were overwhelmingly hot—burning wherever they touched. Yet, his hands were undeniably gentle, so gentle that the skin beneath his touch seemed to dance, while the untouched cells clamored, desperate for his contact.

It's over...

Zi Ye dared not face the direct reaction of her body, burying her head deeper, biting her lip to keep from making any more strange noises.

"Alright, turn over," his low, tender voice commanded. Zi Ye, completely forgetting to resist, obediently flipped onto her back.

Looking at him again, his expression was gentle, but lacked any hint of flirtation. She tried to deceive herself, thinking the massage was comfortable, and surely, being touched a bit wouldn't cost her anything.

Zi Ye closed her eyes, lying flat to receive the massage.

Her posture surprised him momentarily. His hand moved toward her chest. On the surface, Zi Ye remained outwardly calm, but she kept one eye slightly open. Seeing his 'claws' reaching toward her, her composure instantly shattered. She wrestled internally: should she grab his hand like lightning, or pretend not to notice?

Before she could reach a conclusion, his other hand pulled away her right arm. Zi Ye forced her eyes shut, her eyelashes trembling as if in an earthquake, but he seemed utterly unconcerned, moving his hand just below her armpit and pressing down hard. Zi Ye suppressed the pain and squeezed her eyes shut.

As long as it wasn't targeting her chest, it wasn't a major issue. Hoo—Zi Ye silently let out a breath.

However, this was clearly not the end.

His hand then aimed directly for her chest, and without any warning, he made direct contact, touching the area near her heart.

Zi Ye leaped up in shock, swatting wildly at his head. "Naughty! Bad man! Pervert!"

He caught her hands. "Are you going to keep pretending?"

Zi Ye deflated, collapsing into his embrace. She swung her fists a few times against his chest, but it was as hard as iron, and hitting it hurt. She gave up, found a comfortable position in his arms, closed her eyes, and settled in to rest.

He stopped teasing her then. "Get up and rest on the sofa."

Zi Ye was too lazy to move. "The floor is fine."

He countered, "The floor is cold."

Zi Ye drawled, "It's fine, there's a rug."

"Even with a rug, it's cold. I'll carry you to the **."

Zi Ye stubbornly clung to the floor. "No, I haven't showered yet."

He sighed in resignation. "I'll carry you to the shower."

Zi Ye whined, "I'm too lazy to move."

He considered for a moment. "No problem. I'll wash you."

Zi Ye’s eyes snapped wide open, staring at him with profound disbelief.

He gave a slight smile. "Or you can wash yourself."

Zi Ye pouted and glared at him, but he remained firm. Zi Ye grumbled, "Fine, I'll go wash. You carry me there."

He stood up, carried Zi Ye into the bathroom, and placed her on a stool in front of the tub. He began filling the bath. "You undress yourself. I'll step out."

Zi Ye mumbled, "Weren't you going to help me undress?"

He sighed, walked back, and gently kissed her forehead, pinching her cheek. "Be good. You are four years old this year. Only children under three get that service."

Zi Ye puffed out her cheeks, watching him leave. She huffed inwardly, then, feeling lightheaded, began to climb into the tub. The bathtub was shaped like a Yuanbao (ingot) and made of a specially polished material—very slippery. Zi Ye lost her footing immediately and plunged in headfirst.

Fortunately, the water was almost full, so she didn't smash her head, though her clothes did get completely soaked.

She climbed up, sat upright, and finally sobered up. In a few quick motions, she stripped off her wet clothes and settled into the warm bath with a sigh of contentment.

Too bad the hotel didn't provide rose petals; otherwise, she would have scattered some for a nice scent.

Zi Ye hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time, leaning against the tub in a daze.

Physical exertion was a great way to relax the mind, and spacing out was a perfect method to relax both mind and body.

As long as he was here, she didn't need to worry about anything.

She had intended to ask what he had done to cause Red Hair's opinion of him to change so drastically, but now she felt too tired to think about it. Never mind, she would ask tomorrow.

In the warm water, Zi Ye drifted pleasantly off to sleep. -RS