Lin Che entered the bathroom and took off her clothes, preparing to shower.
The bathroom here was bigger than the living room of her house. Just the hydromassage tub alone seemed big enough to swim in.
However, she seldom used the tub since she always felt a little unaccustomed to it.
She saw that today, the maid had already filled the tub with water that was still hot with steam rising from it. After thinking about it, she removed her clothes and stepped into the tub carefully.
When she immersed herself in the water, sure enough, she felt much more relaxed.
Then, she recalled her stepmother's words and then Gu Jingze's.
Qin Qing was about to marry Lin Li.
She first met Qin Qing in school. He was the captain of the drum corps and she was a drummer. Because of an injury, he brought her back to the Lin residence. With his then thin and weak body, he carried her body that was slightly plump due to baby fat on his back all the way home. When they reached the Lin residence, he was bathed in sweat. The sight tugged at her heartstrings and at the time, she felt that he was the person who treated her the best in this world.
At that time, they were still primary school students.
He also began receiving frequent playtime invitations from the Lin family after they discovered that he was actually the second young master of the Qin family.
Unexpectedly, this was how he met Lin Li.
She washed herself in the bath until her entire body was languid to the point of falling asleep. When she stood up, she only felt a sudden dizziness before she fell down into the tub.
A splash of water resounded.
Gu Jingze heard the noise from outside and quickly ran over.
He pulled open the door only to see Lin Che trying hard to crawl out of the tub. Her face was flushed red and was clouded by the fog. She looked extremely unwell.
Shocked, Gu Jingze ignored everything else and rushed forward immediately to pull her out.
As if she had grasped onto a straw that could save her life, Lin Che wound both her arms around his neck.
Her drenched body pressed tightly against his chest and got his clothes considerably wet.
In large strides, Gu Jingze carried Lin Che out with a few steps.
He placed her on the bed and patted her face. "What happened to you? Lin Che? Wake up."
Lin Che gasped for air. Only then did her clouded and dizzy mind begin to gradually recover.
Standing before her was Gu Jingze with his brows deeply furrowed and his gaze full of worry. Her heart thumped for no reason when she saw that.
"I'm alright. I just feel a little dizzy." She held her hand to her cheek.
"What were you doing?" Gu Jingze asked in a confused tone.
"It's probably because I've never really taken a bath before. I felt like doing it today but in the end, I was laying there for too long. I had felt a little dizzy while in the water, but I didn't expect that sense of vertigo when I got up…"
So that was what had happened. Gu Jingze's worries largely dissipated. It was only when he straightened his body slightly that he noticed…
Lin Che was naked.
The smooth expanse of her skin was tinged pink due to the warm water bath. Under the circumstances, the lines of her curvaceous body appeared before his eyes even more clearly. Her chest area—in particular—was glistening with water, making it impossible to ignore.
Gu Jingze's heart pounded. He felt a surge of heat pass through his brain and in an instant, his lower abdomen followed and began to swell.
Forcing himself to look away from her body, he picked up the blanket and covered her with it.
Lin Che also realized that something was wrong with her. Her face was presently so red that it seemed like it was about to bleed. She clutched the blanket with a deadly grip and her heart was drumming in her chest.
"Have you never had a bath?" Gu Jingze said, "I can't believe you can faint from taking a short bath."
Lin Che said, "Of course. You think everyone is like you and born with a silver spoon in their mouths? When I was in the Lin residence, I stayed in the housekeeper's room the whole time. Of course, there was no place for me to take a bath."
Gu Jingze looked deep into her eyes. "How do you feel now?"
Lin Che glared at him. "Turn around… I'll be putting on clothes."
Gu Jingze was compelled to turn around. "I've already seen what I should see."
"You…" Lin Che's face heated up with anger and her small face began to swell up.
Only after she put on her clothes at lightning speed did she feel a slight sense of security.
Gu Jingze turned his head back to look at her. Her small face was still dark red and her lips had been soaked until they were even poutier. When she wiped her drenched hair with a towel, several beads of water flowed downwards along her hair and fell onto her white neck.
His throat bobbed. Following this, he felt his body temperature increasing slowly.
At that moment, his cell phone suddenly started ringing.
He lifted his phone and saw Huiling's name displayed on the screen.
After letting out a dry cough, he shifted his gaze away from her and picked up the call.
"Huiling, what's up?" he asked.
When Lin Che heard 'Huiling', she also turned her head to look at Gu Jingze, who heard Mo Huiling say over the phone, "Jingze, I went back and thought about it. I spoke too impulsively today. Don't be angry."
Gu Jingze said, "No, I can understand. I'm not angry."
Mo Huiling said carefully, "I got angry only because I love you too much. We've been together for so many years. You understand me best. I lack a sense of security; I get worried knowing that you are together with her. I know that you've always been used to doing things without leaving any middle ground or loopholes for the other person. You were just thinking about the benefits for the both of us. I was too insensible."
When he heard Mo Huiling say this, Gu Jingze said, "You weren't, Huiling. From the beginning, I've been the one who hasn't been doing enough. It's because I still haven't done enough. That's also why you don't feel a sense of security."
"Regardless, no matter what decision you make, I will still support you. You know that I will always be on your side."
"Thank you, Huiling," he said.
By this time, Lin Che had already cleaned her hair with the towel and was about to get the blow-dryer. When she moved her leg, she felt a bit of pain and thought to herself that she must have hurt it due to the earlier fall. She let out a sound of pain and stopped in her tracks.
Noticing her small movements, Gu Jingze walked over with a frown.
"What happened?"
"It's nothing. I may have hurt it earlier. I'll just get some ointment to rub on it," Lin Che said as she stood up and held on to the table for support.
Gu Jingze gazed at her deeply for a long time. When he saw that she still wanted to move, he walked a few steps closer to her and said, "Stop, don't move carelessly."
As he said this, he stretched his arm across her waist without hesitation and lifted her in his arms.
"Aiyo…"
Both her legs left the ground in an instant. As she looked at Gu Jingze's gallant face from this angle, the lines of his face were well-defined and his jawline was shockingly attractive. Combined with his deep and profound eyes, his entire figure was ridiculously perfect.
Lin Che said, "What are you doing?"
"Stay still and don't move. How stupid," he said while looking down to glare at her.
Lin Che's heart pounded, but knowing that he was helping her, she stayed completely still. She did not dare move a single inch. All she did was raise her head to look at him when he placed her on the single-seater couch.
The large bruise on her ankle was extremely obvious.
Gu Jingze said, "It's so strange. How did you manage to survive for so many years until now if you can get hurt to this extent from simply taking a bath?"
Lin Che said defiantly, "I'm used to living in hard times. I just can't enjoy the life of a Young Madam, alright?"
Gu Jingze looked up and glared at her again, "Then start getting used to it now since you'll have to be a Young Madam for a few more years."
Lin Che's heart heated up again. When she thought about living together with him for a few more years… she just felt that it was a little unbelievable.