Xia Zhi picked up a towel, carefully dried his hands, and then replaced the rumpled bedsheet with a fresh one.
"Miss Amber, please take off your shoes and lie down on the bed."
"All right."
Amber walked to the bed, bending down to unlace her boots — but then she froze.
She'd been wearing those boots all day, running back and forth from morning till night, and they were definitely sweaty…
Just thinking about it made her reluctant to take them off.
It was a girl's sense of embarrassment.
For a young woman, especially in front of a handsome guy she actually found a bit attractive, appearance really mattered.
She raised her head to look at Xia Zhi, hesitated, and spoke in a small voice, "Mr. Xia…"
"Yes?"
"Could I…keep my boots on?"
"Keep them on…?"
"Since…it's just a simple massage, it should be fine, right?"
"Of course, that's no problem."
Xia Zhi nodded with a smile, easily reading her sensitive, girlish worries.
Amber breathed a subtle sigh of relief.
"Miss Amber, then please lie down directly."
"Okay."
"Don't worry about getting the sheets dirty — they'll be washed anyway."
"All right."
Amber obeyed, lying down on the bed.
"Miss Amber, try to relax."
"I'm not nervous…"
"Where do you feel most tired?"
"My…my lower back, a little."
"Then I'll start with your waist."
"Okay."
Xia Zhi placed his hand lightly on her lower back.
Even through her clothes, he could feel how supple and resilient she was.
Not softness, but flexibility.
As an Outrider of the Knights of Favonius, Amber had years of training and constant patrol work behind her, giving her body exceptional conditioning.
She might look delicate, but she was packed with explosive strength.
In short, Miss Amber's waist felt incredible.
For Amber, the moment Xia Zhi's hands began to massage, a rush of comfort spread from the contact, like a current of electricity running through her whole body.
This incredible sensation…
Ugh…
It was practically cheating…
She could barely take it…
Biting her lip hard, Amber finally couldn't hold back a low, breathy moan.
S-so embarrassing…
That weird sound…
It sounded exactly like those noises she'd heard drifting from other people's homes on her nighttime patrols…
Amber squeezed her eyes shut. She finally understood why Chi Yu had made those strange noises earlier, and why Xiangling had said there was no way to explain it — you just had to try it yourself to get it.
Massage…was this really so wonderful?
"Miss Amber."
"Mm?"
"Does your lower back feel better?"
"Much better."
"Then let me work on your shoulders."
"My shoulders?"
Amber blinked.
Logically, after the lower back, wouldn't you move up to…the chest? Why straight to the shoulders?
Maybe Mr. Xia didn't want to make her feel awkward for her first time.
So considerate…
"Oh, okay."
Xia Zhi moved his hands off her waist.
A moment later, he gently placed them on her shoulders.
Once again, that indescribable bliss flowed through her.
After finishing her shoulders, Xia Zhi also gave her head a short massage.
Then he stopped.
"Miss Amber, the massage is done."
"Huh?"
Amber came out of that dreamy haze, a little surprised.
"That's it already?"
"Yes, this was just the simplest massage. Normally, I'd also work on your legs, but since you're still wearing your boots, it wasn't convenient. So I skipped that part," Xia Zhi explained gently.
"If you soak your feet in hot water later, it'll help as well."
"Oh, I see. Thank you, Mr. Xia."
"You're welcome."
Amber got off the bed, stepping onto the plush carpet.
Her leg muscles still felt a bit sore.
Which was perfectly normal — after a day of patrols, she always had that lingering ache.
But this time, after Xia Zhi's massage had completely wiped away the upper-body fatigue, it left only her lower body still carrying the old tiredness.
That imbalance, in this moment, felt especially awkward.
It would've been nice if she'd let Mr. Xia massage her legs too.
But those boots… after a whole day? No way she could just take them off in front of him!
That would be way too rude!
If only she'd taken a bath before coming, then she wouldn't have had to worry…
Ugh, why didn't Xiangling warn me!
"Miss Amber, go take a bath, all right?"
"Okay. Goodbye, Mr. Xia."
"Goodbye."
Amber stepped outside, her movements just a bit heavy.
It had been a great massage experience.
But at the same time, it had also been…an incomplete one.
Amber opened the door, a faint sense of loss in her heart.
Xiangling was waiting outside and smiled at her. "Amber, how was it? Feel better?"
Amber managed a smile. "It felt really good."
"Right? Go soak in the bath now — I'm going in for my turn."
"Okay."
The door closed.
Ying'er looked at Amber and laughed. "So? Regret it?"
"Regret it?"
"Regret not trying the essential oil massage, maybe…?"
Amber's face instantly flushed bright red.
"N-no way…"
But honestly, deep down, maybe she did regret it a little.
If it felt that amazing even through clothes, then what would it feel like with essential oil? She couldn't even imagine…
---
"Boss."
"Mm?"
"I heard from Amber that the Knights of Favonius have a few master alchemists."
"Oh?"
"She said she'd introduce me to them next time."
"That's good. No matter what field you're in, it's always helpful to connect with others."
"But…I still think none of those alchemy masters could ever compare to you."
"Oh, I'm not that amazing. I just know a tiny bit more than average."
"A huge bit more!"
"Haha, even if you flatter me that much, I'm not giving you a raise."
"I'm not trying to get a raise… It's just, there are so many flowers in Mondstadt, I was thinking of developing some new perfumes again."
"Sounds good. Now, turn over."
"Okay~… Right, Boss…"
"Mm?"
"Did you notice? Lately, Miss Ganyu has had this really nice, special scent about her — kind of like faint coconut milk, sweet and gentle…"
"Yeah, I think I caught that."
"I even went to ask Miss Ganyu about it today, but she said she wasn't using anything, and her face got all red, looking shy and flustered. I wish I could figure out what caused it. That scent is so good — if I could recreate it as a perfume, it would be incredible…"
Ying'er sighed wistfully as she lay on the bed.
Xia Zhi's expression turned a little odd.
The reason Ganyu had that faint coconut-like sweetness was because she'd entered a certain…special phase.
That had actually started before everyone even set out on this trip — it was just that back then, Ganyu had only just entered the phase, so the scent was too subtle for people around her to notice.
Unless she lost control at night and did…certain things, the sweet, milky fragrance wouldn't get that strong.
But as time went on, and she sank deeper into this special period, the scent had become more and more prominent, to the point that even without doing anything, she was now giving off that sweet, unmistakable aroma just like on those nights.
Which meant Ganyu was basically like a ripened fruit, at the peak moment to be picked and tasted.
Or to put it another way, she was on the verge of losing control, ready to give in at any moment.
Most likely…tonight.
Xia Zhi thought to himself silently.
----
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