Then it was Ganyu's turn.
The moment she stepped up to the bed, Xia Zhi caught a strong whiff of that sweet coconut-like scent.
It was delicious.
He looked down and couldn't help laughing softly.
Ganyu sat by the bed, curious. "What are you laughing at?"
"Oh, I just thought of something happy."
"What happy thing?"
"Not telling."
"Ugh…"
Ganyu pouted.
Xia Zhi guided her to lie down and asked in a soft voice, "Is it getting hard to hold back?"
Ganyu froze, cheeks flushing red. "I'm…still okay…"
"But your scent says otherwise."
"Ugh, I can't help it…"
"Ying'er came to ask you about it today, right?"
"She did. The things she was asking — how could I ever tell her the truth?"
"She probably thinks you're using some kind of special perfume."
"No way."
"I know. So…shall we keep taking it slow?"
Ganyu closed her eyes, voice small. "Whatever you want…"
When a girl says "whatever you want," it usually means she's giving permission.
Xia Zhi nodded quietly. "So tonight…am I coming to you, or you coming to me?"
Ganyu's face turned even redder. "E-either is fine…"
"I'll let Shenhe know later."
"Eh? Do we have to tell my junior sister?"
"She might come looking for me."
"Then…okay, maybe tell her…"
"Mm."
—
Shenhe, as usual, was the last to come in for a massage that day.
"Boss, you must be tired."
"Not really."
"Lie down, let me give you one for a change."
"Sure."
In the end, girlfriends really did know how to take care of you.
Even if Shenhe's technique still wasn't quite as good as his own, she'd improved a lot since the first time she tried massaging him.
"Boss."
"Mm?"
"I saw senior sister outside earlier. I greeted her, but she seemed a bit…off tonight."
"Oh? Maybe she's nervous."
"Nervous?"
"It's her first time."
"First time? Oh, I get it. Senior sister is finally… Boss, you'd better go easy on her."
"Mm."
"That way things will be so much better from now on."
"Better how?"
"With senior sister's help, I'll get to take it easier too."
Shenhe's eyes glimmered with a mysterious little smile.
----
"Wow, that's a huge bath!"
"Right?"
"The water feels amazing!"
"Doesn't it?"
"I really wanna toss a Jumpy Dumpty in here!"
"...No, you really don't!"
Yaoyao looked helplessly at this new friend she'd just met today.
She realized Klee seemed to have a particular obsession with bombs. Whenever Klee saw something fun, her first instinct was to associate it with a Jumpy Dumpty.
Yaoyao suddenly had a bit of sympathy for why Klee was always getting grounded by the grown-ups.
On the other side, Xia Lin didn't say a word; she was just soaking quietly in the water, eyes half-closed, savoring the warmth of the moment.
If only Daddy could join me in here, she thought wistfully.
Klee splashed around on her own for a while, then swam over to Yaoyao and gave her body a curious look.
"Yaoyao."
"Mm?"
"This is weird."
"What's weird?"
"We're about the same age, but why are you so much taller and bigger than Klee?"
"...Well."
Yaoyao blushed a bit.
She leaned over and whispered in Klee's ear.
"It's because I drank a kind of Sunsettia Soup."
"Sunsettia Soup?"
"Mm. Actually, last year I was about your size. I only shot up these past month or two."
"Really?"
Klee's eyes sparkled.
"Klee wants to grow up fast too! Klee wants to drink Sunsettia Soup! Hmph! Once Klee grows up, the grown-ups won't be able to scold me all the time anymore, and then I can go fish-blasting in broad daylight!"
"But…it's not just any Sunsettia Soup."
"Huh?"
"It has to be the kind big brother makes, all creamy and milky white."
"Ohhh…"
Klee took Yaoyao's words to heart very seriously.
I want to drink big brother's creamy milky soup too! (Don't report me guys)
—
Not far away, Amber was also soaking in the bath, feeling incredibly relaxed.
Every time she did missions in the wild, unless there were special circumstances, she had to spend the night outside.
If she was lucky, she'd find a cave to hide in; if unlucky, she could only curl up in a tree and catch a bit of sleep.
And if it rained? Then the night felt even longer.
Today was by far the most comfortable night she'd had since becoming a scout for the Knights of Favonius.
Not only had she eaten the most delicious dinner of her life, she'd also enjoyed a massage treatment she'd never experienced before, and finished it all off with a hot bath.
Most of her fatigue had melted away under Mr. Xia's hands, and the warm water had taken care of the rest.
Completely warm and relaxed, Amber's eyelids drooped, and she nearly dozed off right there.
Just then, Xiangling came out of the changing room.
Amber opened her eyes to see Xiangling, wrapped in a towel, walking toward her.
Xiangling had gone for her massage after Amber, and she'd chosen the full package, which took longer than Amber's simpler one.
The light of the bathhouse lamps shone on Xiangling's skin, giving it a glossy sheen.
Just like that Chi Yu lady Amber had seen earlier.
That was what happened after an essential oil massage.
But what really grabbed Amber's attention was that Xiangling's figure had changed a lot compared to a few months ago.
With clothes on during the day, it hadn't been obvious, but now, with nothing but a towel, the difference was striking.
Xiangling stepped into the water beside her and smiled. "How do you like our bath?"
Amber stared for a moment, then nodded. "It's really nice…"
Xiangling noticed where Amber's gaze was going and laughed. "What are you staring at me for?"
"It's just…your body. Last time we hung out, didn't we look about the same?"
Amber looked at Xiangling, then down at herself, confusion written all over her face.
"How come your figure is so much better than mine now?"
Xiangling giggled. "Jealous?"
"How did you do it?"
"Wanna know?"
"Please tell me!"
"Come closer."
Amber hurriedly leaned in.
Xiangling whispered in her ear, "It's all thanks to Master."
A spark went off in Amber's mind, and she blurted out, "The massages actually have this kind of effect?!"
Xiangling laughed. "Not the massages. Well, okay, massages can have that effect — even Director Hu tried it before… But mine wasn't from the massage. Mostly it was from drinking a special Sunsettia Soup that Master made."
"Sunsettia Soup?"
"Yeah. Actually it happened kind of by chance."
"Tell me!"
"I have this childhood friend named Hu Tao — she's great, except her body's a bit flat. She lives next door to Master's little shop, so she got to know him pretty well. Chi Yu is Hu Tao's older sister, you know. Anyway, everyone realized Master's medical skills were amazing…"
"Mr. Xia knows medicine too?"
"He does. Doctor Baizhu from Bubu Pharmacy — the most famous doctor in Liyue — even had an illness Master helped treat."
"!"
"So basically, Master prescribed Hu Tao a medicinal recipe and made her a special dish."
"Sunsettia Soup?"
"Yup, but not ordinary Sunsettia Soup. He used fruits he grows himself, they're super fragrant and sweet, and apparently after drinking them, your body will develop more beautifully. Once he saw everyone was interested, he made some extra. I drank it too, and little by little, my figure improved."
"That's amazing! Did Diona do it too?"
"Yep."
Amber looked again at Xiangling's now curvier figure.
So envious.
But just hearing how precious that kind of ingredient must be, she felt she had no right, as an outsider, to ask Mr. Xia for such a thing.
Oh well.
She was still young — she'd keep growing eventually, right?
----
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