Volume 1, Chapter 51: Time to Teach That Old Man a Lesson

That was the blow he took in her stead, shoving Lu Miao into the bar and intercepting the strike meant for her.

Fu Shiyue stood under the shower head, letting the cold water beat against his back. The mirror reflected his expressionless face, his dark eyes exuding a piercing intensity.

Once the pain subsided, Fu Shiyue took two cold showers to thoroughly wash away the lingering scent of blood, before finally grabbing a towel to dry himself.

He paused midway through drying his hands, realizing he had no change of clothes. His old clothes were soiled to the point of being utterly unwimmable.

Calling Shen Lü over to deliver clothes would take time, and there was no way he would walk out bare.

After a brief moment of thought, he picked up his phone and sent Lu Miao a message: "Do I have a change of clothes in your room?"

...

When the polite pleasantries between Fu Shiyue and Lu Yan came to an end, Lu Miao heard the silence outside her door and cautiously opened it a crack to take a peek.

Seeing that nothing seemed to be amiss, she let out a sigh of relief and went to take a shower with a tranquil mind.

Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, she received a message from Fu Shiyue.

[Do I have a change of clothes in your room?]

"Yes, on the shelf in my bathroom."

He had left them there the last time he stayed overnight in her room. She had noticed them while showering earlier and had even wondered if she should bring them out to him.

Fu Shiyue: "Could you bring them to the bathroom for me?"

Remembering how he had bullied her earlier that evening, Lu Miao decided to play a trick on him in return. A playful curve touched her brow as she replied, "Alright, just wait!"

Fu Shiyue waited inside the bathroom for a moment before he heard a knock.

Lu Miao stood outside the door and gave a soft cough. "It's me."

A dainty figure was cast in silhouette against the frosted glass.

Fu Shiyue walked over to the door and cracked it open just a sliver. Immediately, a slender, delicate hand slid in with the slick agility of an eel.

Her fingers hooked around a pair of black trousers.

"There, that's the only pair left. I accidentally dropped your shirt in the water, so I used it to wipe the floor."

"..." Fu Shiyue could clearly feel the intentional retaliation from the young woman.

Seeing that he didn't take them, Lu Miao curiously peered inside, only to inadvertently catch a glimpse of the corner of the mirror.

Since Fu Shiyue had taken a cold shower, there was no steam on the mirror.

Consequently, his waist and hips were reflected with crystal clarity...

A rush of heat hit the bridge of Lu Miao's nose, and she averted her gaze in embarrassment. "Do you still want these, or should I go get a pair of my uncle's clothes for you?"

Without guessing what was going through her mind, Fu Shiyue silently took the trousers and closed the door.

Lu Miao stood outside for a moment with burning cheeks, then turned to leave.

Suddenly, the door to Lu Yan's room clicked open.

Feeling like a thief caught in the act, Lu Miao reacted faster than her brain, twisting the bathroom knob and darting back inside.

Lu Yan poked his head out, looked around, and seeing nothing unusual, shut his door again.

Feeling puzzled, he wondered if he was just hearing things, having clearly heard voices just a moment ago.

Inside the bathroom, Lu Miao let out a long breath and turned around, only to find a solid chest occupying her entire field of vision, nearly colliding with the tip of her nose.

Lu Miao's eyes widened in panic. While wishing the ground would swallow her whole, her eyes had already swept over Fu Shiyue's entire body.

Fortunately, he had put on his pants and wasn't completely naked.

Yet his hormone-charged upper body was so dangerously alluring it was hard to look directly at him.

Putting on a brave face, she whispered her excuse, "...My uncle was just outside."

"We haven't done anything. What are you feeling guilty for?" Fu Shiyue's gaze was deep and brooding.

"I'm scared." Pressing her back against the door, she mumbled, "I'm just scared."

They weren't entirely innocent to begin with, and with a guilty conscience, she lived in mortal terror of her uncle finding out.

"Weren't you afraid when you threw yourself right into my arms?" Fu Shiyue wrapped an arm around her waist, caging her against his chest.

The young woman blushed and remained silent, resting her small hand against his muscular arm. Feeling the rhythmic twitch of his muscles beneath his skin, her own heart raced erratically.

Abruptly, he lowered his handsome face toward her.

She quickly blocked his mouth with her hand. "Tonight is enough. No more kissing."

Fu Shiyue's thin lips stopped right at the tip of her nose. Catching the rejection in her eyes, he let out a soft scoff. With his scorching breath washing over her face and suppressing his burning desire, he finally let her go.

He opened the door and stepped out, with Lu Miao trailing closely behind him.

The bathroom lighting had been dim, but the moment they stepped out into the brighter light, Lu Miao immediately noticed something was wrong.

"What happened to the injury on your back?"

Fu Shiyue paused and glanced sideways over his shoulder.

His back was covered in a crisscross pattern of scars. Though years had passed and they had faded significantly, they still looked fierce and intimidating.

"An old injury from the past," he replied indifferently, quickly walking over to sit on the sofa.

"I wasn't asking you about that." Lu Miao hurried over, wanting a closer look.

He leaned back against the chair, blocking her view.

"Sit up straight."

"Stop looking. You'll scare yourself." He caught her hand, trying to make her sit down.

She yanked her hand away, issuing a bossy command, "Sit straight. I want to see."

When the young woman was stubborn, even Fu Shiyue was helpless against her.

He straightened up. Lu Miao told him to turn around, and he obediently complied, exposing his back to her.

Lu Miao saw the patch of deep bruising, accompanied by broken capillaries and red abrasions.

Unable to help herself, she reached out to gently touch the spot, causing Fu Shiyue's body to instinctively flinch.

She pulled her fingers back. "Did I hurt you?"

"No. Just don't touch it." He couldn't handle her delicate little hands.

"Was that from those thugs?" Lu Miao sniffled.

"I carelessly took a blow from a club..."

Lu Miao felt a pang of guilt. "Thank you for tonight."

Fu Shiyue raised an eyebrow in surprise. The little hedgehog actually knew how to thank him?

"I have some safflower oil at home."

Fu Shiyue furrowed his brow. "It smells awful."

"Even if it smells, you're going to take it." Lu Miao glared at him. "You can endure the pain, but you can't stand a little smell?"

"..." Fu Shiyue was left speechless by her retort.

Lu Miao went to fetch the medicinal oil. "Sit properly, I'm going to rub it in for you."

Fu Shiyue grabbed her wrist. "Don't touch it."

"Do you expect to reach it yourself?" Lu Miao shot him another glare. "Or should I call my uncle out to rub it for you?"

He released her hand. "...Go ahead."

Lu Miao poured the safflower oil into her palm, rubbed her hands together to warm it up, and then pressed it against his back.

Fearing she would hurt him, she chattered away to distract his attention. "Generally, bruises like this need to be massaged out immediately, otherwise it's useless once it spreads by tomorrow."

Fu Shiyue listened in silence.

The pressure she was exerting felt like nothing more than a tickle; there was no way it could massage out a deep bruise.

He must have lost his mind to actually allow her to mess around like this.

While massaging the bruise, Lu Miao couldn't help but study his back.

Countless scars, big and small, dotted his skin. The newly grown flesh appeared pale and slightly raised, and two distinct knife wounds stretched from his shoulder blades down to his ribs.

She knew that special forces operatives carried out extremely dangerous missions, but these knife scars and bullet marks were the living proof of his countless brushes with death.

The air was thick with the pungent aroma of safflower oil.

Fu Shiyue finally stopped her and told her to go to bed.

"Why? The instructions say you have to rub it for ten minutes," Lu Miao said, holding up the instruction leaflet.

Fu Shiyue pressed his thin lips into a firm line and placed a throw pillow across his lap.

Lu Miao froze. His gaze suddenly turned dangerous. "Be a good girl and go to bed."

Realization dawned on her instantly. Her face flushed a fiery red, and she scrambled to her feet. "The temperature is dropping these few days, I—I'll go get a quilt for you."

She scurried into her bedroom, yanked a large down comforter out of the wardrobe, and lugged it toward the sofa.

The quilt was so bulky that it blocked her vision. Without paying attention, she tripped over Fu Shiyue's knees.

"Ah!"