Chapter 161: Chapter 161: His arms were firmly wrapped around Lu Youxi’s waist Chapter 161: Chapter 161: His arms were firmly wrapped around Lu Youxi’s waist “You take your hands off; I’ll get it,” came Zhou Shuyan’s voice by my ear.
It was indeed him, out of the shower.
His voice seemed to carry the humid heat of a freshly taken shower.
The room suddenly filled with the scent of his shampoo and matching body wash, a kind of wooden fragrance.
The deep, woody scent was steady and pleasant, yet it had a kind of domineering presence, quickly invading the air.
Before long, all Lu Youxi could smell was this woodsy fragrance emanating from Zhou Shuyan.
Lu Youxi hadn’t reacted yet when her hands, clutching the blanket, were covered by Zhou Shuyan’s palm.
“Give me the blanket; take it slow,” Zhou Shuyan said.
As he drew closer, his scent intensified noticeably; the back of Lu Youxi’s hand felt a sudden, burning heat from his palm, causing her and her hand to shudder.
Lu Youxi loosened her grip slightly, and Zhou Shuyan took the blanket from her.
Zhou Shuyan temporarily placed the blanket on the bed and stretched out his hand to Lu Youxi, “I’ll help you down.”
“The chair isn’t high; I can get down myself,” Lu Youxi said.
Zhou Shuyan gave a resigned chuckle, “If I couldn’t see, I’d let it be, but I can see now. How could I just let you jump down? Give me your hand.”
Lu Youxi reached out, her hand trembling uncontrollably.
When her fingertips touched Zhou Shuyan’s palm, they burned as if electrified, causing her to jump.
Zhou Shuyan was not faring much better at the moment.
Back at Hexing Village, after separating from the Lu Family’s elders and with Old Madam Lu no longer watching over her, Liu Yushu stopped making Lu Youxi do the heavy household work, letting her help in the kitchen only occasionally.
Doing less work meant the calluses on Lu Youxi’s hands gradually disappeared.
Upon arriving at the Imperial Capital, Lu Xiaohui noticed that Lu Youxi’s hands were a bit rough and still had some lingering calluses.
She then knew Lu Youxi was telling the truth; she really did a lot of work at home.
So, Lu Xiaohui and the others, whoever was applying hand cream, would also apply some to Lu Youxi.
Lu Youxi felt embarrassed to always use theirs, especially since they wouldn’t let her refuse when offering.
Therefore, Lu Youxi simply bought a tube of hand cream for herself, and the four of them would apply it together.
Unwittingly, Lu Youxi’s hands became softer and more delicate.
Lu Youxi’s fingertips, now devoid of calluses from work, revealed the even softer skin underneath.
When her soft fingertips touched Zhou Shuyan’s palm for that instant, it was as if a current passed from her fingertips to his palm.
Zhou Shuyan’s hand swiftly closed, gripping Lu Youxi’s hand firmly within his own.
Lu Youxi felt her entire hand enveloped by his, both palm and back heated by his touch.
Zhou Shuyan’s throat bobbed, “Come.”
Lu Youxi became dazed by his suddenly hoarse voice, her mind going blank.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Shuyan yanked, and she, caught off guard, was pulled off the chair.
Zhou Shuyan hadn’t realized that Lu Youxi was distracted; he thought she was ready to come down.
Fortunately, the chair wasn’t high, and Zhou Shuyan quickly noticed Lu Youxi’s loss of focus.
As Lu Youxi came down, Zhou Shuyan promptly caught her.
His arms firmly encircled Lu Youxi’s waist, ensuring she didn’t suffer the slightest bump.
The height difference between them left Lu Youxi’s feet dangling, with her whole body in Zhou Shuyan’s embrace.
But soon, Zhou Shuyan set her down.
Lu Youxi’s feet planted firmly on the floor, yet she remained in Zhou Shuyan’s arms.
At this moment, Lu Youxi’s mind was blank, entirely stupefied, unable to react at all.
The two were closely pressed together; Zhou Shuyan lowering his head almost brushed against her hair.
With just a slight shift downward, his lips could press against her forehead.
He had just showered, his body still damp, yet Lu Youxi felt an intense heat from him.
That domineering wooden scent completely wrapped around her, leaving her covered with his fragrance.
Zhou Shuyan had hurried out of his bath, wanting Lu Youxi to bathe and relax earlier.
He’d only briefly wiped his hair with a towel and hadn’t dried it thoroughly before coming out.
Now, droplets of water gradually gathered at the tips of the hair on his forehead, teetering on the brink.
A little movement, or a few more droplets, and they would fall.
Lu Youxi, avoiding looking at Zhou Shuyan, naturally missed these details.
When enough droplets accumulated, one fell from his forehead onto Lu Youxi’s.
The burning sensation Lu Youxi felt was suddenly countered by the drop, like ice on her skin, jolting her awake.
She instinctively looked up and saw the water droplet at the edge of Zhou Shuyan’s hair.
This time, Lu Youxi watched as a second droplet fell from his hair, landing right between her eyebrows.
Together with the previous droplet on her forehead, they trickled down her face.
Zhou Shuyan’s thumb caught the droplet at her brow, stopping its descent.
With a light swipe, his thumb dried the droplet, leaving only a damp trace on her forehead.
“Sorry,” Zhou Shuyan’s voice was now even raspier.
Lu Youxi wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for.
Perhaps her confusion was visible because Zhou Shuyan explained in a hoarse voice, “I thought you were ready, that’s why I pulled you down. I didn’t realize you weren’t ready.”
“And…” Zhou Shuyan said in a low tone, “the water droplet fell on your forehead.”
Lu Youxi, too nervous to speak, subconsciously clenched his pajamas tightly.
After what felt like an eternity, Zhou Shuyan, his mouth dry and hot, said, “Are you… going to take a shower?”
“Uh…” Lu Youxi’s voice trembled severely.
Zhou Shuyan swallowed, letting go of Lu Youxi.
Lu Youxi hastily headed for the washroom, her legs nearly giving out halfway, almost landing her on the floor.
Thankfully, she clenched her teeth and held on; falling on the floor would have been too embarrassing.
Lu Youxi burst into the washroom, still filled with the steam and scent of Zhou Shuyan’s shower.
She quickly closed the door and washed her face several times with cold water, but it did little to help.
She took deep breaths to calm herself down.
There, on the washbasin shelf, she noticed Zhou Shuyan’s toiletries neatly arranged.
In the shower cubicle, his hair care products and body wash were on the fixed shelf.
“Everything’s quite prepared,” Lu Youxi muttered.
Just thinking that Zhou Shuyan had already bathed here made Lu Youxi uncomfortable all over.
Lu Youxi was about to shower when she suddenly remembered she hadn’t brought her pajamas in!