Chapter 75: Couple

Steam curled through the air, gradually fogging up the glass walls of the shower. Standing under the showerhead, Ming Can rinsed the foam from her hair and body. The warm water carried the crisp scent of the shower gel, gliding gently over her skin. She had never used this kind of cool-toned fragrance before—too neutral, too impersonal. But the scent itself wasn’t unfamiliar. As it grew richer in the confined space, it felt as though every pore of her body was being filled with a fragrance eerily similar to the one on a certain someone. She was practically being marinated in it.

Soft light filtered through the mist, casting a hazy glow on her skin. Ming Can didn’t dare look down. Instead, she sluggishly ran a disposable foaming net and a bath towel over herself. The towel was soft, yet even the gentlest touch over the places that had been sucked too hard sent tingles down her spine. She quickly skimmed over those areas—after all, whatever sweat she had worked up during PE class this afternoon had already been thoroughly licked away by a certain someone.

The temperature in the shower continued to rise, but her drifting thoughts kept pulling her back to what had happened just moments ago.

At first, Chi Xiao had the upper hand. To kiss more comfortably, he pulled her close and lifted her up slightly. Ming Can tilted her neck back, feeling a strange contrast between the growing heat in her chest and the dizzying sense of height. But with her personality, there was no way she’d just let herself be passively devoured. So, later, their positions reversed—she lowered herself to kiss him instead. Chi Xiao, being straightforward as ever, met her halfway. The moment she hesitated, he even provocatively pressed into the spot he had nearly bitten earlier.

It was then that Ming Can confirmed Chi Xiao had already showered tonight. The scent in her mouth was exactly the same as the shower gel she was using now.

Chi Xiao was tall, broad-shouldered, with a build that seemed almost digitally modeled—lean but defined, his muscles lightly sculpted over his frame. His chest, though, had more substance to it; usually, it felt great under her hands. But tonight, for most of the time, it had felt downright uncomfortable—if she had to explain, it was because he couldn’t control himself.

Both of them had fair skin. Ming Can had always thought Chi Xiao was thick-skinned—like he was sculpted from some ancient glacier, unmoved by anything, even if a mountain crumbled in front of him. But tonight, she realized he was actually much easier to kiss red than she was. The moment her lips pressed down, little strawberry marks bloomed effortlessly—it was addicting, almost impossible to stop.

Thinking of this, Ming Can couldn’t help but press her lips together and smile. She had been in the shower for too long, and her head was starting to feel light. Quickly rinsing off the remaining foam, she grabbed the underwear she had worn today and scrubbed it clean.

Finally done, she stepped out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around herself, she wiped away the lingering water droplets on her skin. Her gaze flicked to the neatly folded clean clothes sitting on the marble counter.

There weren’t any of her own clothes here. In her rush to shower, there hadn’t been time to buy anything, so she had no choice but to make do with Chi Xiao’s clothes.

Ming Can pulled on the oversized T-shirt, standing in front of the mirror as she patted her face with a few of the basic skincare products from the counter—just enough to keep her skin from drying out, nothing fancy.

Then she carefully dried her hair. It felt like she had spent a whole century in the bathroom before she finally, slowly, stepped out, hugging a towel to her chest.

Miaomiao was fast asleep on the bed. Ming Can tiptoed out of the master bedroom and walked into the living room, where she saw Chi Xiao sitting on the sofa, watching TV. He was still wearing the same clothes from before, unchanged.

He looked up at her. Her face was flushed, her almond eyes glistening, long hair soft and draping over her shoulders. She was wearing his white T-shirt, which was long enough to cover her thighs. His cotton sweatpants—ones with a drawstring, thankfully—sat loosely on her hips, barely held up. She had rolled up the pant legs, exposing a small section of her pale pink ankles.

She was hugging the towel tightly to her chest. Beneath the slightly damp fabric of his T-shirt, her silhouette was faintly visible—clearly, she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

Inside the towel were her freshly washed undergarments. Feeling a little self-conscious, Ming Can huddled in on herself and murmured, “I’m done showering.”

“Mm.” Chi Xiao replied, standing up. “I’ll go next.”

He walked past her, heading toward the bedroom.

“Wait, you’re showering again?” Ming Can called after him, surprised. “I just finished…”

Chi Xiao nodded, completely unbothered by the lingering heat, scent, or the damp floor she had left behind. He brushed past her with ease, disappearing into the master bathroom.

Ming Can stood there for a moment, pressing her warm cheeks with her hands.

Well… it wasn’t a bad thing if he showered again. It gave her a chance to sneak off and dry her underwear.

Ming Can went into the laundry room, tossed her underwear into the dryer, and sat nearby, scrolling through her phone while she waited.

Twenty minutes later, the drying cycle finished. She grabbed her clothes, ducked into the guest bathroom to put them on, and then returned to the master bedroom. Chi Xiao was still in the shower.

She wasn’t sure how long guys usually took to shower, but twenty minutes seemed like more than enough time, right?

The room had excellent soundproofing. Sitting by the bedside, keeping Miaomiao company, she could barely hear anything from the bathroom.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she started feeling drowsy. Just as her eyelids grew heavy, the faint sound of a door opening reached her ears.

Instantly, she snapped awake, her back straightening against the headboard, though she didn’t move. A moment later, Chi Xiao walked over, towel in hand as he dried his hair. He was wearing the exact same set of clothes as hers—his own, of course—but on him, they looked completely different. His lashes were still damp, and his amber eyes, freshly washed, looked even more striking than usual. His gaze landed on her, intense and unfiltered, making her chest tighten, her breath hitching involuntarily.

“You’re sleeping here tonight,” he said. “With Miaomiao.”

“Alright.” Ming Can nodded. Then, without thinking, she asked, “What about you?”

“I’ll find another room.” He looked at her for a beat, then suddenly chuckled, an unreadable expression flickering across his face. “Though, this bed is actually big enough.”

“I don’t think it is,” Ming Can replied immediately.

Chi Xiao raised a brow. “That’s not the point.”

Then, his voice turned even more indifferent. “The point is, if we sleep together, we might wake the kid.”

Ming Can: “…”

Ming Can’s mind flashed back to just moments ago—just hugging and kissing had been enough to fill the room with the sounds of ragged breathing and soft, wet kisses, making the air thick with heat.

And yet, Chi Xiao hadn’t even used much force. Still, she had ended up whimpering uncontrollably. She had no idea what was wrong with her—her voice just kept slipping out on its own.

Bringing it up now only made her even more embarrassed. Her face burned as she snapped, “Just get out already!”

Before she could finish her sentence, Chi Xiao suddenly tossed the towel over his shoulder, leaned down, and caught her chin in his hand. Then, he kissed her.

His lips brushed against hers, slow at first, then firm—before his tongue pressed forward, forcing its way in and stealing a taste of her sweetness.

Just as quickly, he pulled back. His fingers pinched her flushed, soft cheek as he murmured, “Goodnight.”

Ming Can leaned against the headboard, breathing heavily as she watched Chi Xiao’s retreating back. That kiss—brief as it was—felt far too intense, leaving behind a lingering heat that made her feel sticky all over again, despite just having showered.

At least he hadn’t suggested they sleep in the same room. If he had, she might have grabbed a pillow and smacked him out the door.

After leaving the master bedroom, Chi Xiao casually picked a guest room and stepped inside.

Aside from the master bedroom, the rest of the house had been furnished with little thought—just whatever was convenient at the time of renovation. The bedding and furniture were basic, good enough for his friends or brothers when they stayed over, but not for Ming Can and Miaomiao.

It was late. Chi Xiao glanced at his phone; the issue with the model had mostly been resolved.

He lifted the covers and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling for a while. Then, he suddenly raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

That goodnight kiss… he might have gone a little overboard.

Maybe he should take another shower.

–

The next day.

In his dream, Miaomiao felt as if he were tightly wrapped in soft vines. His first instinct was that his mother was holding him, but when he sniffed the scent, it also seemed a little like his dad.

When he woke up, he was the only one in bed.

Rubbing his eyes, Miaomiao climbed down. Hearing the noise, Ming Can peeked her head out from the bathroom. “Sweetie, you’re awake.”

“Mom.” Miaomiao called out in his soft, milky voice and walked over to her, leaning against her leg as he yawned. “You’re dressed so weird today.”

Ming Can cleared her throat lightly. “This loose, oversized style is trendy now…”

Miaomiao tilted his head. “It looks like Dad’s clothes.”

Ming Can: …

She couldn’t keep making things up.

After helping Miaomiao wash up, they headed to the dining room. On the table, several insulated food containers were neatly arranged. Ming Can opened them one by one, revealing an assortment of delicate breakfast dishes.

Chi Xiao walked out of the kitchen, holding bowls and chopsticks. Ming Can teased him, “Why did you buy breakfast from outside? I was hoping to taste your cooking.”

“I woke up late today.” Chi Xiao yawned lazily. “Just make do with this.”

He was certainly confident—calling store-bought breakfast “making do.”

Miaomiao climbed onto his chair, his big eyes darting between his parents before he suddenly asked in surprise, “Why are you two wearing the same clothes?”

The air went silent for a moment.

Chi Xiao glanced at Ming Can, raised an eyebrow, and smiled faintly. “It’s called couple’s outfits.”

Ming Can sat down, cupping a warm cup of soy milk in both hands, slowly sipping through a straw, and didn’t refute him.

Miaomiao’s eyes widened. “What’s a couple’s outfit?”

Chi Xiao tapped his fingers on the table twice, casually saying, “It’s clothes that couples wear.”

Well, that was obvious.

Ming Can’s lips twitched slightly. She set down the soy milk cup, raised her hand to pinch her earlobe, and looked into Miaomiao’s eyes. A little nervous but extremely serious, she said, “Miaomiao, there’s something I need to tell you.”

She took a gentle breath and continued, “Dad and Mom are dating.”

Miaomiao was stunned.

Dad.

And Mom.

Are dating?!

“Dating…” His little brain worked at full speed. “Does that mean Dad likes Mom, and Mom likes Dad too? Is that what it means?”

“More or less…” Ming Can stammered a little, finding the situation unbelievably surreal.

A pair of biological parents actually had to formally announce their relationship to their own child.

Miaomiao’s eyes grew even brighter. Suddenly, he propped both hands on the table and excitedly stood up on the chair, looking at Ming Can as he asked, “Mom, do you like Dad?”

Ming Can froze, not understanding why he singled out this question to ask her again.

“Uh… mm.” She pressed her lips together, feeling a little awkward as she forced out a syllable of affirmation from her throat.

Miaomiao had clearly heard his Mom’s heart and her words say the same thing, yet he still looked a little doubtful. He asked again, “Really? Mom, do you really like Dad now?”

“Why do you keep asking…” Ming Can felt a bit helpless.

Miaomiao still remembered that his Mom once told him she would never like Dad.

Mom was just the child’s Mom. Dad was just the child’s Dad. They would both love Miaomiao, but there didn’t need to be love between them.

So now, Miaomiao had to make absolutely sure about this!

“Mom, I think your answer wasn’t sincere enough.” Miaomiao offered his opinion. “You should look into Dad’s eyes and say loudly that you like him!”

Ming Can: “……”