Hot flashes

Xiao Jue stood at the door for a while, watching it close, before turning around and going back to his room.

The lights were still on inside, the steam hadn't completely dissipated, and a faint scent of soapberry lingered in the air. He went in and immediately saw the large wooden tub.

The water in the bucket had cooled, and the surface quietly reflected the candlelight. Beside it lay Zhou Heng's strange clothes—a short-sleeved shirt made of a material Zhou Heng had never seen before. And there were his shorts, crumpled and piled up.

Xiao Jue's gaze fell on the pile of clothes, and he paused for a moment.

He suddenly remembered how Zhou Heng had changed his clothes earlier—he had simply lifted his outer robe and taken it off, revealing his bare back.

Then he bent down to take off the shorts. The movement was very natural, without any hesitation.

He didn't dare to look because his back was turned, but he still caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye.

Just for a moment.

Xiao Jue's ears suddenly felt hot.

He stood there, staring at the wooden bucket, lost in thought, his ears growing hotter and hotter, turning red all the way from the tips to the roots.

Footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Young master?" It was a servant's voice. "Shall I come in and carry the water away?"

Xiao Jue was startled.

He turned around and saw the door pushed open a crack, and a servant poked half his head in.

"No need!" Xiao Jue blurted out.

The servant was taken aback.

Xiao Jue stood there, his face flushed. He pointed to the wooden bucket, his voice slightly strained.

"No need to carry it away," he said. "I...I need to take a bath too. Just add some hot water. It'll save you the trouble of carrying another bucket."

The servant blinked, a surge of gratitude welling up inside him.

Young master is truly kind-hearted, showing compassion for their hardships.

"Yes, young master." He replied and went out, quickly returning with two buckets of hot water.

Hot water was poured into the wooden tub, and steam rose up. Xiao Jue stood beside it, watching the steam dissipate, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

"Young master?" the servant called tentatively, "The water is ready, would you like to take a bath?"

Xiao Jue came to his senses.

"Alright, you can go now."

The servant acknowledged and withdrew, closing the door behind him.

Xiao Jue was the only one left in the room.

He stood in front of the wooden tub, watching the steam rise in wisps, and remained there for a long while.

Then he slowly untied his belt.

The water was hot, and soaking in it made him feel completely comfortable. He leaned against the edge of the tub, closed his eyes,

Xiao Jue opened his eyes and looked down at the water.

His face was reflected in the water; his ears were still red.

He reached for the handkerchief beside him, but stopped abruptly when his fingers touched it.

The handkerchief was wet.

It was used by Zhou Heng.

Xiao Jue's fingers froze, as if they had been burned. He pulled his hand back, then reached out again and picked up the handkerchief.

The handkerchief was still slightly warm and had a faint scent of soapberry.

Xiao Jue stared at the handkerchief for a long time.

Then he put it back, shrank into the water, leaving only his head above water.

The steam rising from the room made everything inside seem hazy and indistinct.

When the water was almost cold, Xiao Jue slowly stood up, dried himself off, and changed into clean undergarments.

Xiao Jue lay back on the bed, staring at the top of the tent.

The room was already dark, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering in from the window, casting a hazy, silvery-gray hue over everything. He turned over, then over again, crumpling the blankets into a ball.

My mind is a mess.

A moment later, it was Zhou Heng changing his clothes. He simply lifted his shirt up, revealing his bare back, dazzlingly white. His waist was very slender, and the groove along his spine disappeared into his waistband.

A moment later, it was that handkerchief again. Damp, warm, and carrying the scent of soap. The spot where his fingers touched it when he picked it up seemed to still retain a little warmth.

Xiao Jue buried his face in the pillow and rubbed it against it.

What happened?

It's just that we shared a bucket of water.

What's the big deal about two men sharing a tub of bathwater?

But today is different.

He couldn't explain what was different, but it just was different.

Those images were etched into his mind, impossible to shake off. The more he tried to stop thinking about them, the more they surfaced. His back, his waist, that fleeting glimpse of his curves, and that damp handkerchief…

Xiao Jue turned over again and pulled the blanket over his head.

It was stuffy and hot under the covers, but he didn't want to stick his head out.

He recalled how he felt standing by the wooden tub, looking at the handkerchief. His heart was pounding, as if it would leap out of his throat. His palms were sweating, and his face was burning hot.

He thought he was sick.

My heart was racing, my palms were sweating, and my face was burning.

There was also an inexplicable restlessness surging down from his chest, making it impossible for him to calm down.

Xiao Jue threw off the blanket and gasped for breath.

Moonlight streamed in, falling on the opposite wall. He stared at that patch of light for a long time.

He grew up in the mountains. His master taught him to read and write, martial arts, archery, the ways of a gentleman, and the words of sages. But he was never taught why he would react this way to a man.

He knew about matters between men and women. There were married servants in the manor, and occasionally people would tease them about it.

As for the man and the man...

He had never heard of it before.

No one had ever told him what might happen between two men.

So what exactly was the meaning behind his reactions just now?

Xiao Jue thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out.

He only knew that he seemed to have done something wrong. But he didn't know what he had done wrong.

Xiao Jue turned over and faced the wall.