Soaking in the warm water, Chu Lian felt all her exhaustion melt away, stretching lazily. She played with the rippling water with her small hand, a few strands of hair falling down to lightly cover her body's beauty. In the hazy steam, her silhouette looked dreamlike and indistinct.
"This place is actually pretty nice, but it lacks the feeling of home. Maybe I'll come often in the future, but I won't stay long." Chu Lian tilted up her little head, and suddenly the image of Ying Zheng popped into her mind. Startled, she quickly shook her head to drive away the thought of that man.
Letting out a soft sigh, she murmured, "Why did I suddenly think of him?" A wry smile appeared on her face. She hadn't expected herself to think of that man. To be honest, though she had always spoken harshly to Qin Shi Huang, deep down she truly respected the way he sacrificed himself to bring peace to the world.
Even more admirable was that he did it without leaving behind any deeds for later generations to revere. In truth, aside from the accomplishment of unifying China, most of the other things about him were altered or fabricated by later generations to cover up the facts.
Perhaps, before making that decision, he had already foreseen this outcome. Yet he still chose to go through with it. It must be said—without immense perseverance and a grand heart, few could have done so. Chinese history has never lacked passionate men, nor peerless heroes, but those who could be considered timeless figures were pitifully few.
"I wonder if the world I came from was the same…" Once she relaxed, all sorts of odd thoughts began to emerge. Thinking of Qin Shi Huang had only been a passing moment when her mind shifted in that direction. Once she put him aside, other thoughts soon followed.
"La la la, I love bathing, my skin feels so nice. I love bathing, my skin feels so nice. I love bathing, my skin feels so nice~~" Thinking of various things—memorable, sorrowful, and happy alike—she unconsciously sang this cute little tune.
Yes, she only knew this one line. She didn't know the song's name, nor any other lyrics. But really, when bathing and singing, did that matter?
This bath lasted nearly twenty minutes. After washing herself completely clean, she changed into a pure white lace nightdress and stepped out. She folded her clothes neatly on top of her travel bag, planning to sort them out at the next city. With only an hour left, there was no way her clothes would dry, so she could only leave them for now.
Stepping out of the bathroom, she saw the girls still eating in the hall. Thinking that she was already full, she decided not to disturb them. So she summoned her spiritual power, the gentle energy quickly drying her damp hair back into smooth, flowing locks within seconds.
Don't ask why she didn't use this method to dry her freshly washed clothes. This kind of very basic spiritual power application was something she had only just figured out. Using it on her own body was already difficult enough. To extend it outward to clothes was much harder.
"There's still an hour left. I'll sleep for a bit." She glanced at the laptop on her nightstand, hesitated for a moment, but didn't pick it up. Instead, she lifted Tina—who had been lying on her pillow—and placed her on Chu Chu's bed. Then she climbed onto her own bed, closed her eyes, and began to rest.
Outside, Chu Chu and Inori had already noticed that Chu Lian had finished bathing and come out. Not seeing her in the living room, they guessed she must have gone to bed after eating and showering.
"Big Sis is already asleep, so does that mean I can~" Chu Chu's eyes lit up, a plan forming in her mind as she looked at the other two girls.
"Sis Xiu'er, Sis Inori, I'll go bathe first. You two keep eating. Look, I've got food stains all over me. I need to change clothes." Though she had just bathed earlier, after eating so much, the girls had inevitably gotten bits of food stains on their clothes. If they didn't want to bring those into the next city, they'd have to bathe again.
"Go ahead, go ahead. I can hardly move right now, I'm so full." Li Xiu'er's face was slightly red, as if embarrassed, but she still gave a timid smile as she spoke.
"I'll call the waiter later. You go first, but don't take too long." Inori looked at Chu Chu meaningfully as she spoke.
Chu Chu was startled. As expected of Inori, who shared such a tacit understanding with her big sister—just from her words, she could guess what Chu Chu was planning. Fortunately, she hadn't stopped her, or else it would surely have failed.
"Then I'll trouble you, Sis Inori." This time, when she called her Sis Inori, it carried far more feeling than her earlier flattery. Clearly, she herself also acknowledged this form of address. Ahaha, as long as no one stops me from getting close to Big Sis, what's one more 'sister'?
She stood up happily. "I'll go first. You two eat slowly, no need to rush." After saying this, she really did head toward the bathroom…
With her face and hands still smeared with food stains, if she didn't wash clean, then when she later enjoyed the most delicious main course, wouldn't that ruin the taste?
After cleaning herself, she opened the bathroom door, saw that Li Xiu'er and Inori weren't paying her any attention, and quickly slipped out quietly. She tiptoed to Chu Lian's bedside. Looking at the sleeping figure there, she revealed a look of uncontainable excitement. "Big Sis, I'm here."
Inori's delicate ears twitched slightly—she had heard the sound from the room. For some reason, her heart ached faintly. She placed a hand over her chest, lowering her head. "What's happening to me? Why do I feel this faint sting in my heart…?"
Meanwhile, inside the bedroom, Chu Chu's night raid had only just begun.
Stroking Chu Lian's cheek, Chu Chu looked at the white lace nightdress she wore. After a few moments of hesitation, she didn't dare try to remove it. Instead, she lowered her head and extended her soft tongue, gently licking her lips, then slowly moved her body downward.
Chu Lian carried her own unique fragrance, mixed with the fresh scent of bath gel. Together, they weren't overwhelming, but intoxicating—breathing it in, one could feel enchanted.
Chu Chu's face showed a hazy expression, her gaze drifting downward until it fell upon Chu Lian's bare delicate feet.
Her ten toes were delicate and fair, her nails glistening like pink pearls. The curves were graceful, her skin fair and flawless, with faint veins visible beneath the surface—her feet looked like the most perfect of artworks.
In front of such beauty, Chu Chu couldn't restrain herself. Her body leaned back slightly, eyes fixed on those delicate feet, as she slowly drew closer…
"Mm-hmm~" In her sleep, Chu Lian felt a tickling sensation at her toes. She instinctively shifted them slightly. Subconsciously thinking she had just brushed against something, she didn't wake up. Seeing she remained asleep, Chu Chu continued.
In Chu Lian's dream, she found herself barefoot by a pool, a playful little fish beneath the water pecking gently at her foot. Softly, lightly. With her toes moving in the water, the sensation of the cool stream only deepened the strange comfort flowing up from her feet.
"Heh, what a mischievous little fish." Her lotus-like feet stirred slightly, and the fish followed, using its lips to brush against her skin as though addicted to the gentle warmth, unwilling to leave.
"You really are troublesome…" Deciding it was time to return, Chu Lian shook her head at the little fish in the water, extending a slender toe and slipping it into its mouth. She let it nibble for a moment before withdrawing. "I should go now. You little lecherous, foot-loving thing, don't do this again. Next time, I might not come back."
As the perfect lotus feet drifted away, the fish in the water stretched its head out reluctantly, lips opening and closing as if trying to say something.
Chu Lian curled up slightly, pulling her legs closer as she shifted drowsily. The movement gave Chu Chu a fright. Realizing she was about to wake, Chu Chu knew she couldn't continue.
So that her big sister wouldn't despise her—or know she had taken advantage of her while she slept, ensuring she'd never have another chance—Chu Chu made a quick decision. Before she fully woke, she had to leave.
But before going, she needed a scapegoat…
While Chu Lian's eyes were still closed, Chu Chu hurried to her own bed, shook awake the drowsy Tina, and tossed her beside Chu Lian's feet. Then she quietly slipped into the bathroom.
Rubbing her eyes, Chu Lian sat up. Looking at the clock on the wall, she saw it was not yet 8:20. That meant she had only slept for half an hour.
She recalled the dream she had just had, still feeling a faint dampness at her toes. Turning her body to the side, she saw Tina lying there. Slightly surprised, she then chuckled and shook her head. "So it was Tina. Since when did you like licking people's feet? What a strange dream, and what a strange cat."
Stretching lazily, the drowsiness from her bath had completely vanished after this short nap. Indeed, she really should sleep more often.
Lying on the bed daydreaming for a while, Chu Lian noticed the time—it was nearly 8:30. It was about time to get ready, so she climbed up from the bed.
"Big Sis, you're awake?" Just then, Chu Chu walked in, brushing her hair, smiling playfully as she asked.
"Mm, I had a strange dream and then woke up." Chu Lian didn't go into detail about the dream, but given what had just happened, Chu Chu could already more or less guess the truth.
Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to expose herself. Instead, she walked over, held her hand, leaned against her shoulder, and said softly: "Big Sis, we're heading to the next city now. Honestly, I don't really care about sightseeing or traveling. As long as I'm with you, I'd go anywhere~"
"You… being this clingy isn't good. You still need to learn to stand on your own." She knew saying this was basically useless, but as an older sister, she still had to say it.
"Got it, got it, Big Sis. Let's wait for them in the living room. They just finished eating, so they'll need to wash again." Chu Chu answered cheerfully, though whether she truly listened was another matter.
"Inori, are you rested?" Entering the hall, Chu Lian saw her sitting on the sofa in a daze. She walked over and asked softly.
"Lian, I'm fine." Lifting her head with a smile, she chose to keep her worries hidden and instead showed her best side to her.
"Mm, in a little while, we'll set out." Chu Lian sat beside her. Seeing the hall already tidied up, her mood lightened further.
As she turned to look at her face, Inori's heart grew slightly dazed. "Lian, what place do you truly hold in my heart?"
That night, a plane took off under the cover of darkness, flying from Chang'an to Tai'an…