Chapter 192 - 160: All Kinds of Flustered in the Bathroom

Chapter 192: Chapter 160: All Kinds of Flustered in the Bathroom

He went into the bathroom and found disposable toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shampoo on a small shelf near the edge. There were two of everything, so he handed a set to Jiang Xueli.

Seeing the delicate packaging, Jiang Xueli cupped it in her hands. "So they come in such small packages. I thought they were the big ones."

Lin Zhengran asked, "Do you need anything else?"

Jiang Xueli appeared to be thinking, but in reality, her mind was a tangled mess, her brain completely short-circuiting. "What else would I need? No, I don’t need anything."

"Good. Go ahead and wash up, then. I need to reply to He Qing and a certain Fox."

"Fox?"

Lin Zhengran went over to the bed and sat down. "Han Wenwen."

Jiang Xueli blinked her big, innocent eyes. She wondered if Zhengran had ever called Han Wenwen that before. Although she did look quite a bit like a fox, Zhengran hadn’t called her that in all these years, had he? Besides... why would Han Wenwen be messaging Lin Zhengran? Was it because of He Qing? Unable to make sense of it, she didn’t dwell on it and simply walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

"I’m going to wash up now," she called out from inside.

Lin Zhengran gave a hum of acknowledgment. "Go ahead."

"Don’t peek, Zhengran."

"How can I peek when you locked the door? The most I can do is eavesdrop and listen to the sound of your bathwater." Checking his messages, he casually teased the girl.

Flushing with embarrassment, Jiang Xueli actually reopened the door, poked her beet-red face out, and scolded, "Zhengran is a huge pervert!"

SLAM. She shut the door.

Lin Zhengran didn’t look up, continuing to lean against the headboard as he replied to Xiao Heqing on his phone first.

He Qing’s message had been sent that morning, and Lin Zhengran hadn’t replied until now: "Zhengran, look at the snacks I bought today! I took pictures of everything and sent them to you. There’s a bag of potato chips, two slices of bread, three packs of spicy meat strips..."

Lin Zhengran looked at the flood of messages and various pictures, which read like an accounting ledger. He replied: "You don’t need to be so detailed."

She replied instantly: "Lin Zhengran, are you done with your work?! I have to be detailed so you know how much I spent. A boyfriend needs to know everything his girl spends her money on."

Lin Zhengran: "How much did you eat today?"

He Qing: "(*^▽^*) I ate it all! That new snack shop is really good. I want to buy more next time."

Lin Zhengran: "..."

He Qing: "But I saved some for you. Here." She sent Lin Zhengran a picture. "These are the ones I thought were really tasty. I saved a portion of them for you to try."

Lin Zhengran: "No need to save them for me. Just eat them yourself tomorrow."

He Qing: "Are you really not going to eat them?"

Lin Zhengran: "Yeah."

He Qing: "Emmm, how about this: next time you want some, I’ll take you to buy them. I’ve memorized all the good ones!"

She truly lived up to the title of a little glutton.

He Qing: "What did you do today?"

After a brief chat with He Qing, he opened Han Wenwen’s chat window. The things this Fox sent were always so direct.

Han Wenwen: "Zhengran, you must remember not to have too much contact with other girls besides Lili, otherwise Wenwen will turn into a Little Fox and stare at you from the dark!"

Lin Zhengran sent a few simple replies. Hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, it was clear that Jiang Xueli had already started her shower.

Inside the bathroom, Jiang Xueli had taken off her coat and clothes, setting them aside. She undid her twin tails, letting her hair cascade over her shoulders.

Turning on the showerhead and listening to the rushing water, she thought about how Lin Zhengran might actually be outside, intently listening to her bathe. Blushing, she thought to herself that Zhengran was indeed a boy after all. Unbelievably perverted.

However... the topic they had discussed on the road earlier surfaced in her mind, making her heart race. She tore open the small packet of body wash and squeezed it into her palm. Lacking a loofah to work up a lather, she could only rub it between her hands before applying it to her smooth, jade-like skin.

Speaking of which, if she were to take the initiative in that kind of thing... how exactly was she supposed to do it in the future?

Although she had never discussed this topic with anyone before, she had... accidentally stumbled upon those kinds of videos online while searching for things in the past. She had watched them once... a few times... maybe dozens of times...

Biting her lip with her little canine tooth, her dewy eyes shimmered. She could only conclude that boys were truly terrifying. She used to think there was only one way to do it, but she hadn’t expected there to be so many methods.

Letting her imagination run wild, her face turned so red that she abruptly squatted down on the floor. But then she shook her head, feeling she was getting way ahead of herself.

Tonight was just about hugging.

But even just a hug... Jiang Xueli found it unimaginable at this moment. Mostly, she couldn’t picture whether the usually stoic Zhengran actually knew how to hug a girl. What if she hugged him later, and he just let his arms hang limply at his sides, completely unresponsive? Wouldn’t that ruin even the most romantic atmosphere?

"Come to think of it, even though Zhengran is a bit of a playboy, he’s probably less perverted inside than other boys," she mumbled to herself. "After all, my classmates say boys our age are reckless and ravenous, but Zhengran isn’t like that at all. He’s probably never even watched that kind of stuff..."

She, on the other hand, was different; she occasionally took a peek.

Outside, Lin Zhengran suddenly asked in curiosity, "What are you saying in there?"

Jiang Xueli hadn’t realized she had been speaking her thoughts aloud. She jumped up so fast she nearly slipped, flailing her arms, her face practically steaming. "Saying what? I didn’t say anything!"

Lin Zhengran fell silent outside.

Jiang Xueli finally breathed a sigh of relief, though her assumptions were only further solidified. Zhengran probably didn’t know much about these things. She would just have to teach him later.

Half an hour later, having finished her shower, Jiang Xueli pulled down a bath towel to dry her hair.

Hearing the showerhead turn off, Lin Zhengran called out from outside, "By the way, Lili, don’t wrap yourself in the towel later. I still need to use it."

"Oh... huh?!" Snapping to her senses, she yelled back, "You still need to use it?! Then what am I supposed to do?!"

"What do you mean? You use it just like you normally would. Why do you think I let you shower first? Wasn’t it so you could use the towel first?"

Jiang Xueli stared at the towel in her hands. "No, I mean, if I don’t wrap myself in it, how am I supposed to go out?! Wait a minute!" She realized something else, blushing to the absolute extreme. "What do you mean I use it first? Are you saying you’re going to use the same towel I just used?! We’re sharing one?!"

Hearing her make a fuss again, Lin Zhengran said, "What else are we supposed to do? Didn’t I just see only one in there? I can’t exactly walk out soaking wet without drying myself off, can I?"

"B-but!"

Seeing her panic, Lin Zhengran raised his hand and suddenly tapped his knuckles against the headboard. The moment the TAP of his fingers hitting the wood rang out, Jiang Xueli in the bathroom felt as if someone had just swatted her head out of nowhere.

A phantom strike.

It was borderline PTSD at this point; just hearing that tapping sound made her think Zhengran was knocking her on the head again. Inside, she covered her perfectly uninjured head and quieted down.

Lin Zhengran said, "Keep it down! That’s just how the setup is here. Besides, if you can’t wrap yourself in the towel, can’t you just put your clothes on?"

Inside, Jiang Xueli thought about it and realized he had a point. Since Zhengran still needed the towel, her only option was to get dressed. Even so... the idea of him using the very towel she had just used felt so... so indecent. It wasn’t just her hair she had dried, after all.

Blushing shyly, Jiang Xueli turned to look at her clothes, only to find her pants and top sitting on the closed toilet lid, dripping wet...

Jiang Xueli blinked blankly. She bent down to pick up her heavy, soaked clothes, finally realizing what she had done.

"My clothes!" She gasped, her mouth hanging open in mortification, eyes wide.

Normally, when Jiang Xueli showered at home, she would subconsciously wash the clothes she wore that day and change into a fresh set! So she had just casually tossed them aside, completely forgetting that she still needed to wear them tomorrow!

"Zhengran! My... my clothes are completely soaked! What do I do?!"

"Huh?" Lin Zhengran wondered what on earth this girl was doing in there to cause so much trouble. "What do you mean your clothes are soaked? Where did you put them?"

"I put them on the toilet lid!"

"Why would you put them there?! Who leaves clothes they have to wear the next day on top of a toilet?"

"No, I mean I just tossed them there without thinking. Since I always change into new clothes at home, I totally forgot! What do I do now?!"

"Are they completely soaked?"

"Yeah, even my socks are soaked! I can’t wear a single thing!"

Lin Zhengran: "..."

He was truly at a loss with these girls; not a single one of them was easy to deal with. After a moment, he took off his button-up shirt, walked over to the bathroom door, and handed it to her.

"Here, just wear mine to make do for now."

Jiang Xueli opened the bathroom door a crack, reaching her slender, snow-white arm out and groping at the air. Lin Zhengran had to shove the shirt directly into her hand. Only then did she mumble a "thank you," pulling her arm back in with the clothes. She shut the door and locked it again.

Inspecting the single item inside, she asked in confusion, "Zhengran, is it just the shirt?"

"I have my jacket, too. Why did you close the door so fast?" he said, sweat-dropping.

"Oh..."

Seeing her unlock the door again, Lin Zhengran handed his jacket over as well.

Jiang Xueli voiced the same confusion: "What about the bottoms?"

"There are none. If I give you everything, what am I supposed to wear?!" Lin Zhengran explained, "My shirt is huge on you. Once you put it on, just tie my jacket around your waist like a skirt."

Jiang Xueli wanted to argue, but then she realized how smart Zhengran was. As expected of the guy who had always ranked first in their class since they were kids! As expected of Zhengran! Still, she had really made a fool of herself tonight, her brain failing her at every turn.

"I got it, just stop scolding me. I’m going to change now."

"Mhm, go ahead."

Inside the bathroom, Jiang Xueli slipped on Lin Zhengran’s shirt, immediately greeted by the unique scent that belonged solely to him. Blushing, she tied his jacket around her waist, securing the sleeves earnestly like a belt. The result was surprisingly decent. Aside from her calves and a bit of her thighs being exposed, everything else was well covered.

Jiang Xueli checked herself in the mirror to make sure nothing was wrong. There was nothing she could do about going commando underneath. She then opened the door.

"Zhengran, I’m done. I just need to blow-dry my hair. You can go wash up."

As she spoke, Lin Zhengran looked at the girl, her long hair draped over her shoulders fresh from the shower. Jiang Xueli, too, froze for a moment—she was looking at Lin Zhengran, who was bare-chested after having given his shirt to her.

Lin Zhengran couldn’t help but marvel at how pretty the girl was becoming as she grew up, even if certain other areas remained exactly the same as when they were kids.

Jiang Xueli, meanwhile, lowered her head in shy embarrassment, thinking to herself that Zhengran actually had abs... Her heart fluttered wildly like a trapped bird.