A super-rich tycoon? No, just call me the gentlemanly gigolo.

Jiang Ye: "???"

He instinctively rubbed his ears, almost thinking he was hallucinating.

Holy crap?

What's going on?

Coach Lin has a terminal illness? Is he planning to indulge himself, live for the moment, and completely let loose?

"Oh?"

Lu Man, who had just plugged in the hairdryer, paused for a moment, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Miss Lin...did you forget something?"

She lightly tapped the hairdryer handle with her fingertip, her almond-shaped eyes slightly narrowed:

"Young Master Jiang has a girlfriend. Isn't it... a bit inappropriate for you to take a bath together with him?"

"What 'couples' bath'? A filthy person sees everything as filthy!"

Lin Wanxing's ears instantly turned bright red, her toes dug tightly into the ground inside her slippers, her neck stiffened, and she gave a cold snort without turning her head:

"It's precisely because he has a girlfriend that I have to keep an eye on him for Xiao Ye, to prevent him from doing anything reckless!"

"Oh~~~"

Lu Man chuckled, pressed the switch on the hair dryer, and warm air blew out. She continued to dry her wet hair as she worked on it.

"What a thoughtful and selfless friend! Miss Ye is so lucky to have a best friend like you."

She glanced meaningfully at Lin Wanxing's chest, a slight smirk playing on her lips:

"However, Miss Lin, I must warn you, although you can't see anything through the frosted glass in this bathroom, and I don't know what you two were doing in there, but... if you stick your arm around it, then..."

"Damn it! Why do you talk so much? I'll punch you twice and pin you to the wall, then you'll feel better!"

Seeing Lin Wanxing practically fuming from the teasing, Jiang Ye, fearing she might lose her temper and cancel his newly acquired "shared bath" privilege, quickly stepped in to interrupt Lu Man's reckless behavior:

"Wanxing, this is sacrificing yourself for the greater good! You're afraid that with your superior skills, my will might waver and I'll be seduced! What a noble spirit of dedication, don't you understand... cough, alright, alright, you go to sleep first, we'll probably be gone for a while... Come on, Wanxing, let's not stoop to her level, let's go take a shower~"

"Take your hand away!"

Lin Wanxing slapped away his hand that was on her shoulder in an annoyed manner, turned around and glared at him with a flushed face, took several deep breaths, and then braced herself to push open the bathroom door.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the bathroom, the steam had not yet dissipated, and a thin layer of fog covered the mirror.

Although the space wasn't large, it was up to five-star hotel standards, and it had everything you'd expect—a separate shower room, a large sink, a mirror that almost filled half a wall, and neatly folded towels and bathrobes in the corner.

Jiang Ye carefully locked the bathroom door, looked at Lin Wanxing, whose face was flushed and who was awkwardly sitting next to the sink, and pondered for a moment.

We absolutely cannot rush this.

Although the two had met once before in Jinzhou, Coach Lin was too shy and was a typical "passive" type. If he were too eager or too direct, he would definitely alert the enemy and lose a good opportunity.

If you really want to eat her, you have to take it slow and gently break down her defenses.

Um......

Yes, let's start with a heartfelt confession to set the mood before anything else.

"cough......"

He coughed lightly, his face adopting an extremely serious expression, his eyes deep, his voice low and magnetic, as if slowly welling up from the depths of his chest:

Evening Star.

"..." Lin Wanxing's body stiffened instantly, and her toes, which had moved out of position in time, dug directly into the ground.

"You are so beautiful."

"..."

"From the first moment I saw you, I was deeply attracted to you. Your focused gaze when you do yoga and your powerful body lines captivated me."

"..."

"Although I already have Chengcheng by my side, I shouldn't have any improper thoughts about you, but your gentleness, your kindness, your strength, everything about you is like a firefly in the dark night, so bright and outstanding, making me unconsciously fall into it and unable to resist this attraction of fate."

"..."

"Oh right, speaking of Chengcheng..."

Jiang Ye seemed to suddenly remember something, and his tone became somewhat "heavy":

"Actually, our relationship has been very strained lately. We often argue over trivial things, and it's on the verge of breaking down. I guess we'll break up soon."

His tone was sincere, and his face was full of genuine honesty and openness:

"So, Wanxing, you really shouldn't feel too much pressure. This pure and natural attraction between us is completely in line with the great principle of Yin and Yang harmony; it's ordained by Heaven..."

Lin Wanxing: "..."

Her lips twitched violently. The shyness, anxiety, and racing heart she had felt vanished instantly. Her toes were no longer digging into the ground, but trying to dig through the floorboards and escape to the ground floor.

Is this guy a devil?

How can someone be so incredibly awkward that people are practically dying of embarrassment the moment they open their mouth, no matter when or where they are?

The most important thing is!

You could call him a rogue, but even at a time like this, he doesn't forget to bring up Xiao Ye, as if he's afraid she'll forget about Ye Cheng's existence.

You could say he's serious, but he confidently declares things like "relationship breakdown" and "breakup at any time," clearly indicating he's just looking to take advantage of the situation.

Really...

Wanting to be a prostitute while also wanting to be virtuous, wanting to be virtuous while also wanting to be a prostitute, jumping between the two sides, trying to gain advantages from both, is utterly shameless!

"Shut up! You stand here!"

Lin Wanxing snorted coldly with a straight face, pointing to a spot in the corner next to the bathroom sink, trying to use anger to mask the turmoil in her heart:

"Stand right there! With your back to the shower, don't move!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ye was immediately taken aback and looked in the direction she was pointing—

It was a cramped corner next to the sink, between the wall and the door frame, just big enough for one person to stand in, but nothing more.

"No way, Wanxing, I came in to take a shower. What kind of behavior is it to make me stand against the wall as punishment?"

His expression instantly fell, his disappointment evident.

"Besides, if I stick my face to this frosted glass, what if Manager Lu outside sees it and starts having all sorts of wild thoughts? How can I, a dignified 18cm man, possibly..."

"Didn't you say that yourself?"

Lin Wanxing, her face full of exasperation, shoved Jiang Ye against the wall. Though her strength wasn't great, her determination was unwavering.

"Come here and face the wall to prevent her from seducing you—you said it yourself."

Looking at the other person's speechless back of the head, she couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile, feeling inexplicably relieved, and even a little amused.

"Okay! That's fine! It's good!"

"..."

Jiang Ye stared at the cold, frosted glass in front of him, wishing he could slap his past self from just a few minutes ago.

"What do you mean, 'face the wall'? You misheard me!"

With a dark expression, he turned around, pushed open the bathroom door, and leaned half his body out, loudly changing his tune:

"Wanxing was afraid you'd seduce me! So she planned to let me in, strip naked, lather herself with shower gel, then hug me from behind and..."

"Hey! Are you trying to die?! Shut up!"

Lin Wanxing felt completely numb, all the blood rushing to her face. She grabbed Jiang Ye by the back of his collar, pulled him back, and forcefully pushed him back into the corner.

"Don't speak! And don't turn around! You just stand there facing the wall! You can wash up after I'm done and I'm out! If you dare turn around... I... I'll tell Xiao Ye! Do you hear me!"

"Sigh... Fine, fine."

Jiang Ye clicked his tongue helplessly, knowing that the achievement of "two people in the bathroom together" was probably hopeless today, and could only sigh in resignation:

"Don't worry, my character, Jiang Ye's character, can withstand any test. If I say I won't turn back, I absolutely won't. If you don't believe me, I can send you a message..."

"No need! Thank you!"

Lin Wanxing's resolute voice came from behind: "Your swearing only makes me more scared, so let's forget about it!"

"Tsk...you have absolutely no trust."

The bathroom was quiet for a moment. Listening to the rustling of clothes behind him, Jiang Ye scratched his head, then suddenly seemed to remember something and raised his hand:

"Um... Wanxing?"

"...What now?"

"Did you bring a change of clothes? Look, there's no place to put your clothes here, and they'll easily get wet if you just leave them on the sink..."

His tone was sincere, as if he genuinely cared about practical issues:

"Do you need me to hang up your underwear and such for you?"

"Hang it up? Hang it where?"

"Don't worry about where you hang it, I'll definitely hang it high up so it won't get wet. Come over here yourself when you're done washing..."

"You! Put your pants back on! Who told you to take your pants off?!"

"You asked me where to hang it, I was just thinking of showing you... Ouch! Stop pinching! Stop pinching! Lin Wanxing, if you pinch me again I'll turn around! Damn it! You're still pinching me? I'm telling you I'll turn around on three! One, two..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next ten minutes or so were undoubtedly the most difficult time for Jiang Ye in recent months.

Although he can't be said to have experienced everything, he has gained a lot of experience and has long passed the stage of blushing and getting excited when he sees a pretty girl.

However, hearing the rushing water behind him, and Lin Wanxing's occasional stern yet cowardly shouts of "Don't move!", "Put your hands away!", "Put your pants on!"...

He couldn't help but let his mind wander, and all sorts of indescribable images flashed uncontrollably through his mind.

The rhythmic changes in the sound of water, the soft click of a shower gel bottle being opened, the subtle friction of hands rubbing against skin...

Each sound was like a small brush, gently and repeatedly brushing against his nerves.

He could even accurately recreate Lin Wanxing's every move in his mind by observing the changes in the direction of the water sounds.

First, I washed my hair. The shampoo lather flowed down my hair, past my long neck and smooth shoulder line...

Then came the shower gel, starting from the shoulders and working down the collarbone...

Lin Wanxing, standing behind him, was in no better condition than him.

She was tense all over, her cheeks were flushed, and her heart was pounding so hard she was almost out of breath. She had no desire to enjoy the bathing process at all.

She simply washed her hair and face, took a quick shower, and then eagerly wrapped herself in a bathrobe, ending this part of the shower with a speed that broke her personal record.

"I'm done washing! You...you go ahead and wash, I'm leaving!"

Without waiting for Jiang Ye's reply, she flung open the bathroom door, rushed out in her bathrobe, leaving behind only the warm steam and the scent of shower gel.