Chapter 54 It's Not Like I Haven't Touched It Before

Seeing the housekeeper holding a mop in the living room, Shin Yuna's head went suddenly blank.

Oh no, she had forgotten that he lived in a wealthy household with a dedicated, visiting housekeeper.

If she had only known, she would have fixed herself up and knocked on the door before walking in...

In Shin Yuna's imagination, the housekeeper of an affluent family was always the person who held the most information and most frequently interacted with other family members.

She didn't dare to imagine what the housekeeper might say about her later to the other chefs and drivers.

The girl offered an awkward smile, closed the door sheepishly, and put her coat back on.

"Hello, um... I'm... a friend of Xia Xing's."

"A friend?"

Like someone who had seen it all, though slightly surprised, the housekeeper quickly grasped the general situation and pointed toward the room on the second floor:

"He's working out."

"He told me early this morning to pick out and prep some light-colored athletic sweatpants for him. So that was because of you."

As Shin Yuna was changing into indoor slippers with the housekeeper's help, she stiffened at the keyword "light-colored athletic sweatpants."

He really was a rebellious guy; she had already told him not to wear light-colored pants outside.

"Could you please help him find a pair of black pants, Auntie? Preferably a bit loose."

Imagining what Xia Xing looked like wearing those kinds of pants, Shin Yuna suddenly found it rather funny and couldn't help laughing out loud:

"Never mind... I'll just pick out his clothes later."

"Alright, I was just about to make breakfast anyway. Have you had breakfast yet?"

Shin Yuna frowned slightly. She had come to start a wonderful day with Xia Xing, not to spend too much energy communicating with a housekeeper.

Besides, the mere thought of a housekeeper being in the house made Shin Yuna feel somewhat constrained.

"Auntie, just leave breakfast to me. If you don't have anything else to do, you should head out."

Feeling the gentle push from Shin Yuna urging her toward the door, the housekeeper hesitated: "My laundry over there hasn't been hung out to dry yet."

"Anyway, Auntie, just leave it to me. He won't give you a hard time, I promise."

Seeing the anxious expression on the young girl's face, the housekeeper could only let out a slight sigh: "Alright then, you guys... be safe."

"We are... very safe."

***

The gym door was gently pushed open, and the mechanical whir of the treadmill belt running at high speed first caught Shin Yuna's attention.

She poked her head in cautiously, her gaze gradually moving upward from the treadmill.

Well-proportioned and sturdy leg muscles—clearly belonging to someone who combined cardio and strength training to perfection.

Although she didn't work out much herself, Shin Yuna knew that guys liked to train their upper bodies, but when leg day rolled around, their necks and backs would ache, leading them to cancel workouts for various excuses.

To train his legs this well... he must be very self-disciplined.

The muscles in other areas were probably developed to an equally impressive degree.

Her gaze traveled up the thighs to a pair of athletic mid-length shorts of an unknown brand, and further up to the waist and abdominal muscles with a tightly controlled body fat percentage.

Thicker and more solidly built than lean muscle, with clearly visible contours and lines.

Looking at Xia Xing's sweat-covered back, Shin Yuna gave a soft cough before handing over a sports drink she had taken out of the fridge and specially warmed for a bit.

"Have some water."

"Thanks..."

Because his entire focus had been on the treadmill, the ten-kilometer run had now reached its most exhausting and crucial final sprint.

So when Xia Xing caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of Shin Yuna timidly turning her face toward the doorway, he maintained his running posture for a few full seconds before reacting.

"Yuna, why are you here?"

Because he had previously addressed her directly as "you" or "Shin Yuna," the sudden and affectionate use of "Yuna" unexpectedly made her feel shy.

Shin Yuna was absolutely, positively not blushing because she was too embarrassed to stare directly at his physique.

Since it was the final sprint phase, to finish the workout a bit earlier, Xia Xing notched the speed up by two levels. The treadmill running at an even faster pace produced a sound that made Shin Yuna extremely attentive.

"If you want to look, just look. It's not like you haven't touched before."

A slightly breathless voice feigning aloofness came from the treadmill. Granted permission, Shin Yuna giggled, her lips puckering out higher than anything:

"Don't talk nonsense... I only sampled a taste that time."

The final 500-meter sprint took about 70 seconds.

During those fleeting seventy seconds, Shin Yuna's puckered lips gradually formed an "O" shape as she stared quite infatuatedly at the figure on the treadmill.

As the final sprint ended, Xia Xing breathed heavily. After stepping off the treadmill, he naturally took the towel handed over by Shin Yuna, wiping his sweat away while doing static stretches.

"Didn't you say we'd meet at noon? Why did you come in the morning?"

"Because I missed you, so I came."

Openly admitting what was in one's heart was the most moving thing of all.

"Silly..." He looked with tender heartache at the sweat beads trickling down the girl's temples. "Did you climb all the way up? I'll go apply for an elevator card later."

Shin Yuna didn't refuse. Remembering something else, she hurriedly reminded him:

"And the parking space, remember to rent one for me. Running here from Hangang Park is really tiring."

"You ran here?"

Feeling the intensity of the girl's desire to see him, Xia Xing felt a warmth swell in his chest, his heartbeat staying elevated entirely because of her.

"Silly, we'll have plenty of chances to see each other every day from now on."

"I've been so proactive in coming to see you, shouldn't you give me some reward?"

Gradually growing accustomed to interacting with him at such an intimate distance, Shin Yuna's restless streak drifted from her eyes to her hands.

"A reward? Shopping this afternoon... Where are you touching?"

Feeling a sudden chill across his waist and abdomen, Xia Xing looked down and saw, predictably, Shin Yuna's mischievous fingers tracing the contours of his muscles.

"We're boyfriend and girlfriend now, you can be a bit more generous."

Seeing that he didn't resist, and connecting it to the sense of insecurity she'd felt earlier that morning because of Yoon-A, a wave of possessiveness gradually took over her mind.

Thus, her lithe body leaned slightly forward, carrying Xia Xing's one-meter-eighty-five, well-muscled frame backward onto the yoga mat beside them.

Her arms wrapped around his waist, completely unfazed by the sweat that hadn't quite dried on his chest, pressing her tender cheek directly against him.

Her delicate nose twitched slightly, as if sniffing his scent.

His warm breath stimulated her senses, and the tickling sensation made Xia Xing feel as though his body was no longer entirely under his own control.

One of his hands propped up to maintain their balance, while the other tried to adjust his posture, attempting to put some distance between them at the critical spot.

Noticing his little maneuver, Shin Yuna lowered her head and slapped that hand away:

"Who are you defending yourself against? It's not like you weren't touched at the cinema last time."