The bright yellow light of the Fire Stone bloomed like flowers as Yun Qian sat in the bath, watching Xu Changāan through the misty white mirror as he seriously washed her hair.
Xu Changāan was indeed very serious, carefully holding the soapberry and gently wiping.
He also felt that his attention was extremely focused, completely ignoring the rosy hue on her face, the scant warm breath she exhaled, and even the faint fragrance mixing with the soapberryās scent.
Alright.
Though self-deception is quite foolish, Xu Changāan didnāt think of himself as particularly bright.
Well, perhaps because he had washed away the dayās dust and fatigue, Miss Yun appeared exceptionally beautiful to him now, which aligned with the idea that he saw Yun Qian as a sparkling red gem.
"You drink wine, yet you donāt get drunk," Yun Qian suddenly remarked.
Xu Changāan paused, then nodded, "Itās not the time to get drunk."
Under Yun Qianās "care," he drank wine, then bathed as usual, preparing to rest.
"Blame me for insisting on drinking the wine," Xu Changāan gently wiped the moisture behind Yun Qianās ear with a silk cloth, then said, "Even if I hadnāt drunk, your scent wouldnāt be of wine. Clearly... you have already bathed."
"...Yes."
Yun Qian was quite intelligent.
She didnāt ask Xu Changāan why he didnāt use his Water Attribute Spiritual Qi to resolve the wine scent.
After all, if he used Water Attribute Spiritual Qi, bathing wouldnāt be necessary.
Without bathing... how can one get close to oneās husband?
As for whether Xu Changāan thought the same... that wasnāt Miss Guan Yunās concern.
Her mood was very good.
The reason for her improved mood was so simple that she couldnāt pinpoint it; she just instinctively curved her lips.
"Miss is smiling again," Xu Changāan coughed dryly.
Thinking about it, he suppressed the impulse to tease Yun Qian until now, but the innocent and pure desire to feast his eyes before sleeping, Miss should not understand, right?
Cultivation?
What cultivation?
Donāt joke around; he had used up his Spiritual Qi healing fingers, not for taking advantage of the young lady.
Sometimes, the smaller the matter, the more it reveals whether a person is promising, like now, when Xu Changāan deeply realized that he was really quite hopeless.
Just speaking of bathing the young lady, he had done so even on the island; it should have been a routine, without any psychological ripples.
In fact, each time his heart stirred.
This time included.
As Xu Changāan was pondering, Yun Qian suddenly turned around and stood up in his astonished gaze.
Though in the bath, wrapping a towel was common sense.
Xu Changāan mentioned this, his pupils subtly contracting.
Seeing Yun Qian gently kick, moving the small stool she sat on aside, then... she hugged him.
"Miss...?" Xu Changāan pretended to be calm and patted her back with his wrist, "I still have hair cream on my hands."
Yun Qian released Xu Changāan, seriously stating, "The heartbeat has sped up."
"Missās heartbeat was quite fast moments ago, Iāve tested it," Xu Changāan nodded.
"Not mine." Yun Qian looked at him.
"..."
Xu Changāan laughed, with a hint of helplessness, he embraced Yun Qian backhandedly, the cream-stained hand imprinting on her back, and softly said, "If you want to say something, speak."
Yun Qian had something to say; he could see that clearly.
"Thereās a matter I donāt quite understand," Yun Qian got Xu Changāanās attention, then let him go, slightly squatted, pulling the stool she had kicked aside back, adjusted the towel, sat on it, and handed a strand of long hair to Xu Changāan.
"What is it?" Xu Changāan was accustomed, suppressing a bit of his minor thoughts, continuing to wash Yun Qianās hair.
"I really liked the wine earlier," Yun Qian calmly stated.
"Really liked? How much liked?" Xu Changāan asked curiously, "Thatās not right, isnāt it just me drinking, not you?"
"I liked it very much, very much," Yun Qian tilted her head to make her words more persuasive, "Just like liking Wen Chun... hiss."
Yun Qian spoke, inhaling sharply, she turned, stared at Xu Changāan, expressionless, but her eyes spelled grievance.
"You hurt me," Yun Qian said.
"Iām sorry," Xu Changāan blushed, quickly apologizing.
Though he was quick to admit fault, Yun Qianās mention of liking aspects akin to couple intimacy overwhelmed his mind.
Rubbing the spot he pulled Yun Qianās hair, Xu Changāan sighed deeply, "Liked it, so?"
"Pouring wine for you tires me," Yun Qian said.
"Next time Iāll be careful; I drank too much earlier," Xu Changāan said, next time heād pour himself without Yun Qianās help.
Yun Qian: "..."
Xu Changāanās subtle response stifled what she originally intended to say, leaving even Miss Yun momentarily bewildered.
Xu Changāanās fingers clenched, constantly replaying Yun Qianās brief stunned look in his mind.
How could the young lady be so adorable?
"No, I want to pour wine for you. What I meant is..." Yun Qian seemingly oblivious to Xu Changāanās expression, continued, "Pouring wine tires me, but I like it. Along with Wen Chun itās the same; liking it yet tiring."
"Hmm." Xu Changāan nodded, his gaze toward Yun Qian was exceedingly warm.
How to put it.
To calmly express such shy words, this is one of the cute traits of Miss Yun.
"These things make me happy." Yun Qian asked, "Which is more important?"
Yun Qian was inquiring whether Xu Changāan preferred the warmth of everyday life or couple intimacy.
"Miss always thinks about quirky things." Xu Changāan was quite used to Yun Qianās whimsical thoughts.
In his view, Yun Qian was essentially askingāwhether closeness or "closeness" was better.
"I find both important," Xu Changāan laughed freely, "Both are indispensable."
"Which do you prefer?" Yun Qian asked.
"I..." Xu Changāan was about to answer when his smile froze.
He suddenly realized that Miss Yunās question was quite clever, leaving him unsure of how to respond.
The intimacy of the couple versus their daily life, which is more important?
That really shouldnāt be considered a question.
"Miss Yun," Xu Changāan solemnly said, "Itās not something that can be viewed separately, itās inherently a whole. Altogether, without intimacy, the relationship is incomplete; we should look at it comprehensively."
"Is that so?" Yun Qian nodded, ignoring Xu Changāanās omission of calling her miss, thoughtfully saying, "So, you always wanted to be close to me initially... was that for a complete relationship?"
"Miss."
"Hmm?"
"...I lost."
Xu Changāanās face flushed with heat.
Even as his years increased, revisiting the past where he solely wished to be close to her made his head spin.
Xu Changāan forced himself to calm down, "And then? Surely thereās more you want to say."
"Yes."
Yun Qian responded softly, "I was thinking earlier, if my stamina was better, if you could be completely satisfied, I would favor the intimacy more."