Both of them received a knock on the head, though Xing Yao’s was much gentler.
“Who would’ve thought Miss Lin is actually cold on the outside but warm on the inside,” Chen Zhaoyue remarked, watching Yiren’s slightly flushed face. This girl always put on an act in front of her, though under certain circumstances she could get ‘warm.’
“I’m going to give Xing Yao a bath.” Yiren lowered her head, hugged Xing Yao, and escaped.
The moment she saw the young lady, all the momentum she had built up earlier flew away. Was Chen Zhaoyue’s lethality against her really that strong?
It must be that she still wasn’t used to facing pretty girls. When she carried Xing Yao into the bathroom, her face was still a little warm.
Xing Yao’s bath spot was the large bathroom on the first floor. The pale blue décor all around gave the place a dreamy, underwater feeling.
“Wash hair, wash face, wash the body, apply lotion, don’t stay in too long…” Lin Yiren muttered to herself, making sure she wouldn’t forget any steps.
She first took off Xing Yao’s clothes, wrapped her in a towel, and prepared to wash her hair.
“Mommy, aren’t you taking yours off?”
“Eh, do I have to take mine off too?” Lin Yiren’s eyelashes trembled as she pulled off her T-shirt, leaving only a white undergarment.
Did Chen Zhaoyue ever undress too? She couldn’t help imagining that scene.
What are you thinking! Lin Yiren shook the image from her head and quickly hugged Xing Yao to wash her hair.
She remembered how she used to carelessly wash her own long hair, ruining a lovely head of hair. Now, at least she could wash it clean.
Carefully wetting Xing Yao’s hair with warm water and lathering up the shampoo, Lin Yiren’s fingers moved gently through the soft strands.
‘Her hair’s gotten this long already,’ she thought as she massaged Xing Yao’s roots, noticing the hair now reached her shoulders.
She turned on the showerhead. The foamy water vanished down the drain.
“Alright, now it’s bath time.”
Lin Yiren gently wiped Xing Yao’s forehead and cheeks with a towel, then placed her into a bathtub full of warm water, thinking to herself: She’s pretty well-behaved.
“Pa!”
A splash of water landed on Lin Yiren’s arm.
Little Xing Yao slapped the water with her tiny hands in excitement, saying, “I want Little Yellow Duck!”
Her true colors are showing!
Lin Yiren handed her the Little Yellow Duck from the cabinet.
After Xing Yao was done “swimming,” Lin Yiren dried her off, applied lotion, and dressed her in pink pajamas.
After all that, the still-not-very-experienced Yiren was more than half wet herself.
Suddenly, the bathroom door was knocked, and Chen Zhaoyue’s voice sounded: “Are you done?”
“All done, come in and carry Xing Yao out,” Lin Yiren replied.
The door opened, and Chen Zhaoyue stretched out her hands to pick up the little pink bundle that was Xing Yao.
But she didn’t leave right away. Her brilliant eyes lingered on Lin Yiren.
The girl sat there, long hair falling loosely, the porcelain-white skin of her upper body glowing like jade under the light.
Bathing her daughter must have been a bit tiring. Her hair and pants were wet, and even the only piece of clothing on her upper body was damp and a little see-through.
Lin Yiren stood up, noticing Chen Zhaoyue’s stare. Confused, she instinctively looked herself over—her smooth shoulders were exposed.
In an instant, a blush swept from the roots of her ears across her cheeks. That gaze felt burning hot.
Her first reaction was to imitate TV dramas and cross her arms over her chest, but she stopped herself. ‘
It’s just going topless, no need to act so embarrassed—after all, Chen Zhaoyue is a girl.
Lin Yiren put on her clothes with a perfectly calm expression.
Chen Zhaoyue looked at her, the girl’s face flushed red but pretending to be composed, and just gave a light laugh: “You should go take a shower too.” Then she carried Xing Yao back to the bedroom.
Everything was normal. Lin Yiren patted her own face, shuffled in her slippers, and went to get her clothes.
***
The next morning at breakfast, Lin Yiren mentioned her plan to go watch the match.
“It’s being held in Haishi, so it should be doable in a day…”
“Let’s go together then.”
Lin Yiren looked over in surprise and asked, “You like FPS Games too?”
“Not interested, but,” Chen Zhaoyue pointed to Xing Yao, who was hugging a milk bottle and sucking on it, “that area is the New District, so it’s a good chance to take my daughter for a little trip.”
After saying that, her brows furrowed slightly, a rare look of fragility on the young lady’s face: “Let’s take a few days to really have fun on this trip, okay? I’ll leave it to you to arrange. I’ve been a bit tired lately.”
Bang, bang, bang—seeing the girl’s pretty brows knit together, Lin Yiren’s heart pounded wildly. A rush of protectiveness and responsibility welled up from deep inside, making her suddenly feel hot-blooded.
She realized, belatedly, that she still hadn’t escaped the lingering aftereffects of that day the meteor fell. Her confusion at becoming a girl hadn’t disappeared, just hidden. She was still avoiding the issue, and that’s why so many of her actions were pulled along by Chen Zhaoyue. She forgot that Chen Zhaoyue was also just a twenty-two-year-old girl.
Lately, her body had been affecting her in all sorts of passive ways. Thinking of this, she felt a sudden, belated sense of embarrassment.
Time to awaken that dormant will! She looked at mother and daughter with bright eyes.
‘Maybe… one day, I can let the young lady lean on my shoulder and confide in me.‘ When awakening, certain shrimp-headed thoughts slipped out.
Chen Zhaoyue hadn’t expected that one sentence would make Lin Yiren’s mind churn, even giving rise to some impulsive fantasies.
All she saw was the person opposite suddenly cross her arms under her rounded chin, her voice low and a bit cool, “Mm, leave it to me.”
A hint of puzzlement flashed on Chen Zhaoyue’s face, but she didn’t say more, just nodded in encouragement.
These days, Lin Yiren was full of motivation.
First, she put her fitness plan back on the agenda, but didn’t want to work out huffing and puffing in front of Chen Zhaoyue, so she picked times when she could exercise alone, lying on the mat to catch her breath during breaks.
Then she polished her novel, which featured a young hero as her way of expressing her own beautiful wishes.
In the world of her book, she was a sunny and handsome isekai hero, who had just left the beginner village and met a beautiful noble young lady.
She had also laid out her travel plans.
‘Heading out tomorrow.‘ Lin Yiren half-reclined on the bed, idly scrolling on her phone with a fair little foot cocked in the air.
Not being someone who traveled much, she compared each online guide in detail, eventually working out a route she was satisfied with.
This trip to watch the match became secondary—she put down her phone, turned over, and lay on her arm.
The event in Haishi was a pretty high-profile match, with her favorite team participating.
Thanks to the young lady’s financial power, she had managed to secure VIP Seats that weren’t too crowded.
Once upon a time, the boy she’d been had dreamed of feeling the fiery atmosphere of the stadium. But to think, the day it really happened, she was already a child’s mother.
Lin Yiren’s head gradually drooped, and in a hazy daze, she dreamt of the past.