He changed Tiwat

See? I knew it.

"Then... at least help me change my clothes, I'm feeling very uncomfortable right now," Ke Qing said weakly.

In the dream, Han Fulai hesitated, "If... if Lady Keqing insists..."

This is what they call "you have to tear down the house before you can open a window," and you're the one who taught me that!

Hmph, this is called giving someone a taste of their own medicine. I'm so clever.

Ke Qing was extremely pleased with herself.

Chapter 379 I Came at the Wrong Time [4k]

Han Fulai was willing to swear to the divine power of the "God of Contracts," the Rock King Emperor, that he had absolutely no strange intentions in entering Keqing's camp; he was truly just there to visit her in her illness.

The third flood peak is expected to arrive soon, and Mingyun Town will face flood diversion again. Han Fulai's burden is getting heavier and heavier. His mind is full of flood control and disaster relief. He has no time for romance. Visiting Keqing is something he can only do in his busy schedule.

After a subtle yet sharp conversation with Ningguang, Han Fulai rushed over to visit Keqing.

In a sense, this was more like him "making an excuse to run away," not wanting to be alone with Ningguang—he did feel very uncomfortable when Ningguang mentioned the "wedding dress." He knew he hadn't forgotten Ningguang, the sister who invited him to the Jade Pavilion, nor had he forgotten their intimate moment by the Luhua Pond.

The conversation just now actually made him feel quite down.

With this mindset, how could he possibly have any feelings for Ke Qing?

Moreover, Ke Qing is currently ill.

Although Han Fulai was not a rigid saint who strictly adhered to the separation of men and women, he still considered himself a virtuous gentleman.

If he really had any strange thoughts about the sleeping Keqing, or tried to take advantage of her, that would be taking advantage of her vulnerability, and he would curse himself for it.

He only took Keqing's temperature out of concern. After all, he is Keqing's only personal secretary. Baishu and Qiqi are too busy right now, and if he doesn't come to take care of her, there's really no one else who can.

Ke Qing had no maids or attendants, and Jing Cheng and his group of rough men were even less reliable, so of course he had to take matters into his own hands.

He originally only planned to check if Keqing was still burning up and change her wet wipes, and he never thought he would take off Keqing's clothes—or rather, change her clothes.

Given Han Fulai's personality, he would have definitely refused firmly, perhaps even adding something like, "Lord Keqing, please have some self-respect," since he already has a fiancée.

But Ke Qing's coquettish behavior softened his heart.

—That's Keqing, the famous strong woman of Liyue! She's the one who's as capable as any man, dares to confront the Geo Archon and the Grandmaster, is always highly efficient and perfect at work, and is incredibly strong-willed in front of others!

That Ke Qing is lying right in front of him, weakly begging him to help her change her clothes... Who could resist that?

Han Fulai is now bursting with protectiveness and just wants to pamper A Qing.

Yes, it's a protective instinct, not some other desire. "Spoil" means to pamper, not to favor.

Having stood guard on the dike for so many days, no one understands the hardship better than him—look, Ke Qing has collapsed from exhaustion and is still delirious. How could he refuse such a small request?

"Hehe." Ke Qing chuckled softly.

Han Fulai shook his head vigorously, feeling that he might be a little confused—would Keqing laugh like that, like a little devil? Only Hu Tao would do that, okay? He must be delirious from the fever.

Despite his doubts, Han Fulai still got up and went to the small wardrobe in the tent to find clothes for Keqing.

This was also the first time Han Fulai had ever looked through Ke Qing's wardrobe.

That's a portable "storage cabinet" commonly used by adventurers. It's made of flexible frames and fabric, and it can be folded up. When unfolded, it's about the size of a suitcase—adventurers without the Eye of God's storage space usually have one of these.

Unlike the workers and soldiers, Keqing was a girl after all. She could do without cosmetics, but she couldn't go without changing her underwear.

Of course, Ke Qing didn't bring many personal clothes; she only had a few pieces to wear repeatedly, and she did all the washing and changing herself. Doing everything herself was her style, and intimate clothing was something only she could touch.

Han Fulai was still a little nervous about touching such private things. Although he was no longer the virgin he used to be, and wouldn't be so terrified as to get a nosebleed or act like a Japanese manga protagonist just by seeing a girl's underwear, he knew that this was something he would never touch under normal circumstances.

Han Fulai silently recited "In times of emergency, expediency is necessary" and began helping Keqing find clothes.

He didn't touch the small, folded, light pieces of fabric at the very bottom of the wardrobe—well, he'd said he was only changing clothes, not underwear, so Han Fulai wouldn't even glance at them.

He quickly found what he needed.

Terminalia chebula.

It refers to the strapless bra worn by ladies in the Tang Dynasty, also known as a tube top.

Unlike Mondstadt and Fontaine, Western-style lingerie vests or bras are not popular in Liyue. Girls wear either strapless bras or bellybands—the kind of "golden phoenix purple silk bellyband" that Han Fulai had heard Bai Shi talk about before...

Keqing's tube top was a simple moon white, without any fancy decorations, but the material was quite expensive silk, of moderate thickness, breathable and elastic—after all, she was one of the Seven Stars, a true top-tier rich heiress, and no matter how simple it was, it was only relative to heiresses of the same social class; ordinary families couldn't afford such clothing.

The defining characteristic of a tube top is that it exposes the shoulders, upper chest, and back. When worn, it is tied with two ribbons below the bust, which provides excellent support and lift. Additionally, it allows for easy movement, making it a preferred style for martial artists like Keqing.

In fact, the strapless short skirts that modern girls often wear in summer would have been considered "underwear as outerwear" in ancient times.

—As for why Han Fulai knew about underwear styles, well, Shen He taught him, otherwise he wouldn't even know how to untie them.

To be honest, for a modern person, the allure of these traditional-style garments is far greater than that of the modern underwear we're used to seeing in movies.

Meanwhile, Keqing seemed to be getting a little impatient, and weakly urged, "Hurry up."

Han Fulai quickly grabbed a strapless top and went back.

Ke Qing squinted her eyes, and when she saw him return, she pouted her little mouth, lazily raised her wrist, and said two words: "Hug me."

What a spoiled brat… Han Fulai twitched his lips, unsure of what to say.

The usually energetic and impulsive Ke Qing would never say such a thing.

Thinking about it this way, it seems even more obvious that Keqing was already ravaged by illness and fatigue, which is why she showed such a delicate side.

However, Ke Qing was in her prime, which in modern terms would be equivalent to a sophomore in college. In the eyes of her elders, she was still a young girl. Back in Han Fulai's school days, his female classmates would always ask boys for help, even for simple tasks like carrying a suitcase or a water bottle, practically begging them to open their soda bottles. Ke Qing would never do that.

As the star of Yuheng, Keqing usually shoulders so many responsibilities. She works tirelessly every day and shares weal and woe with the frontline workers and soldiers. She suffers far more than ordinary people. What's wrong with letting her act spoiled?

Ah Qing can act all cute today, and I, her personal secretary, have given my permission!

With a determined heart, Han Fulai leaned down to Ke Qing's pillow, grabbed her wrist with one hand, and wrapped the other around her slender neck, lifting her up in a half-hug manner.

Ke Qing's face flushed slightly, but she leaned relaxed in Han Fulai's arms, letting him hold her as she slowly sat up. She cooperated by letting him remove her gray shirt, which was already soaked through.

Han Fulai was suddenly blinded by a snowy white expanse, and then he remembered that Ke Qing was only wearing a tube top, with only two thin ribbons covering her back, leaving her bare shoulders and waist completely exposed.

This was the first time Han Fulai had seen Ke Qing half-naked.

In his mind, Keqing was mostly a workaholic. Although there was also a girlish side to her who "liked to eat golden shrimp balls" and "secretly collected Emperor dolls," as well as a close friend who dragged him to dance in the Jade Pavilion and cared about his safety, and would travel thousands of miles to the Layered Rock Abyss to rescue him, he still had more contact with her through work.

Of course, compared to "Lord Keqing of Yuheng Star, one of the Seven Stars", he preferred "the capable but sometimes unreliable colleague, Aqing".

But they are still colleagues and friends, not closer than that.

Until now, Han Fulai suddenly realized that the person sitting in front of him was the real "beautiful girl Ke Qing".

Finding himself somewhat agitated, Han Fulai quickly turned his face away.

Ke Qing had her back to him, her hands pulling the thin blanket to cover her chest, her face seemed even redder, and her shoulders were trembling slightly.

"...Help me scrub my back."

Ke Qing's voice was still weak, but there seemed to be a strange upward inflection in her tone.

Han Fulai nodded blankly, then, remembering that Ke Qing couldn't see him nod, could only say "Oh".

"This is a medical procedure, it's for treating illness," Han Fulai repeatedly told himself.

He reached for a towel on the shelf beside the bed, soaked it in cool water for a while, wrung it out, and then wiped Keqing's bare back without looking at her—which required him to use his hands to locate her.

Through the thin towel, Han Fulai's fingers touched Ke Qing's back.

Ke Qing suddenly let out a soft "Eek".

"Ah...is the water too cold?" Han Fulai asked quickly.

Ke Qing gently shook her head, her two ponytails brushing against Han Fulai's arm and swaying.

It's not that the water is too cold, it's that... my body is burning up.

Ke Qing bit her lower lip. Even in dreams, the body can react, huh? Hmm, I've learned something new.

Ke Qing tried to keep her voice down: "Continue...don't stop."

"Hmm." Han Fulai obeyed the order and continued to wipe Ke Qing's back.

Ke Qing is actually petite, about 1.56 meters tall, and her back is not very wide, but Han Fulai felt like he had been wiping for a long time.

This must be what is called "relativity"—as he wiped Ke Qing's body, a minute felt like an hour—Han Fulai forced himself to think of some inexplicable theories to divert his attention.

In any case, the mission was accomplished.

Han Fulai breathed a sigh of relief.

He had just removed the towel from Ke Qing when she suddenly fell backward.

Han Fulai instinctively hugged Ke Qing.

And so it turned into a scene where Keqing was lying in his arms, with him holding a towel in one hand, suspended in mid-air, and supporting Keqing's bare shoulder with the other.

Keqing's head was originally resting on his right shoulder, but for some reason, she shifted slightly to the upper left, rubbing her head against his neck. Han Fulai shuddered, feeling his neck stiffen. Keqing's two cat ears twitched, as if she were scratching an itch on his chin.

He glanced down and saw a pair of misty eyes looking up at him, their eyes meeting.

Ke Qing's eyebrows curved, and she was actually smiling.

For some reason, Han Fulai had the feeling that he had been caught cheating on an exam by the proctor—he was a good student and had never cheated on exams before.

Han Fulai felt that the current situation was very bad, extremely bad.

Ke Qing quietly raised her hand, grabbed the wrist of the man holding the towel, and slowly moved him towards her.

"Aren't you going to wipe the front for me?"

Ke Qing blinked, her voice soft and innocent.

Even though Han Fulai had quite good composure, he couldn't stay calm now. His intuition told him that there was something wrong with Ke Qing, a big problem.

She definitely hasn't recovered from her fever.

"Uh... Lady Keqing, please don't joke around..."

As he spoke, he pushed Ke Qing forward.

Just then, Keqing let out a "woof" and bit him on the neck.

Gently, like a kitten biting.

"Hmph, don't call me 'Master,' call me A-Qing." Ke Qing said while biting his neck.

"Keqing..."

"Disobedient."

Keqing licked his neck with her tongue.

"hiss……"

Han Fulai was speechless.

"It smells of sweat." Ke Qing actually commented on the smell of his neck in a very serious manner.

Han Fulai felt his mind suddenly become a jumbled mess.

Keqing doesn't seem to have a fever, she seems to be drunk... Uh, would a drunk Keqing have a fever? Or is it that a feverish Keqing looks like she's drunk?

No, I absolutely cannot stay here any longer.

His instincts told him that if things continued like this, something terrible might happen. He had to get out of there quickly.

Seeing his nervous expression, Ke Qing actually smiled again.

In reality, it would be impossible for him to hold me like this; it really must be a dream.

"Hehe, you're still pretending even in my dreams. It's just like you." Ke Qing rubbed against his neck again, seemingly enjoying it. "Hmm, but this is good. I like you like this."

Her fingers teasingly moved upwards along Han Fulai's wrist, caressing the muscle lines on his arm—Han Fulai became hard all over, rock hard.

His reaction in the dream was hilarious. He used to team up with Gan Yu to prank me, but now it was my turn.

This is what they call the cycle of karma; no one escapes the wrath of Heaven.

Ke Qing looked smug.

Han Fu noticed this expression, of course.

Keqing is... flirting with me? Keqing actually flirting with me?

She's sick, very sick!

"Jin, Jingcheng! Quickly call Doctor Bai!" Han Fulai shouted, his voice trembling.