Chapter 6: Host  

This won’t do, that won’t do—just what exactly will do?  

Shen Zhansi frowned slightly, feeling both displeased and aggrieved. What had she done wrong to be treated like this?  

Yan Qingye walked to the bathroom door and turned her head slightly, speaking coldly to Shen Zhansi, “Come here.”  

Huh?  

Shen Zhansi’s eyes widened instantly, as if uncertain. “Are you going to help me wash?” she asked.  

Yan Qingye shot her a glance and strode into the bathroom without another word, starting to fill the bathtub with water.  

Standing outside, Shen Zhansi bit her lip anxiously, clutching the hem of her clothes. Her head was already aching, and now, with all this turmoil, the pain only intensified.  

“Get in here!”  

Yan Qingye’s voice rang out from inside, cold and impatient, like ice beads clattering onto a plate.  

At the sound, Shen Zhansi instinctively shivered. Gritting her teeth, she finally shuffled slowly toward the bathroom door.  

The closer she got, the hotter her entire body seemed to grow. Her heart fluttered restlessly, tangled in embarrassment over what was about to happen.  

Was Yan Qingye really going to bathe her?  

Though having her do it was better than anyone else, the thought of stripping naked in front of the person she loved still filled her with shame.  

Once inside the bathroom, Yan Qingye cast her a casual glance and commanded, “Undress.”  

Shen Zhansi: “…”  

Her face burned hotter. Why did this feel like she was the one serving an emperor?  

The more she thought about it, the more unbearable it became. Swallowing hard, Shen Zhansi raised trembling hands to unbutton her shirt.  

It was the same blouse she had worn when she went out earlier, now stained with blood—clearly unsalvageable.  

As she worked on the buttons, Yan Qingye stood silently nearby, making the whole situation feel even more bizarre.  

Here Yan Qingye was, fully dressed, while Shen Zhansi had to strip bare?  

With each undone button, glimpses of skin came into view. The more she exposed, the more nervous Shen Zhansi grew—yet at the same time, a strange sense of resignation settled over her.  

After all, they were married. Who knew how many times they had seen each other naked in the ten years she couldn’t remember? What was there to be ashamed of?  

The thought made her nose sting with unshed tears, and a pang of jealousy twisted in her chest.  

Even if it had technically been her in those lost years, she still envied that version of herself—the one who had memories of Yan Qingye that she no longer possessed.  

Yan Qingye watched her with an icy gaze, making no move to help. But as Shen Zhansi shed her blouse, a flicker of something unreadable passed through her eyes.  

At least this imposter had done one thing right—she had maintained Shen Zhansi’s original figure perfectly.  

When the real Shen Zhansi returned, she’d probably be pleased, wouldn’t she?  

A bitter ache spread through Yan Qingye’s chest, carving out a hollow space inside her. The emptiness throbbed, feeding a desperate craving—a craving to be filled.  

But the one who could fill that void… was gone.  

Her hands, hanging stiffly at her sides, twitched with the urge to clench into fists. But she refused to reveal too much emotion in front of Shen Zhansi.  

After removing her shirt, Shen Zhansi glanced around the bathroom for a laundry hamper. Finding none, she tossed the garment onto the sink counter and reached to unbutton her pants.  

“Hmph—”

Shen Zhansi groaned, her vision darkening again with waves of dizziness and nausea. Just as she felt herself swaying unsteadily, two hands reached out to steady her and helped her lean against the wall.  

Propped against the wall, Shen Zhansi’s vision remained blurred, her breathing noticeably heavier.  

The moment she had swayed, Yan Qingye’s heart had trembled as if struck by an earthquake, terrified she might fall and worsen her injuries.  

Once Shen Zhansi was stable against the wall, Yan Qingye no longer stood by indifferently. Instead, she bent down to help her remove her pants.  

But just as her fingers touched the waistband, a hand shot out and gripped hers tightly, preventing her from pulling them down no matter how she tried.  

Yan Qingye straightened, meeting Shen Zhansi’s flushed face—her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, brimming with humiliation.  

The two locked in a silent standoff, but gradually, under Yan Qingye’s indifferent gaze, Shen Zhansi relented. Her grip loosened bit by bit, her face burning as she turned her head away, too embarrassed to look.  

Yan Qingye swiftly tugged the pants down, then crouched and instructed her to lift her feet.  

Shen Zhansi closed her eyes and lifted each foot in turn, feeling the fabric slip away completely. Then, the tightness around her chest loosened.  

Her entire body tensed, and she instinctively wanted to open her eyes—only to realize in the next second that Yan Qingye had undone her bra.  

Shame flooded over her like a tide. Even though she had mentally prepared herself beforehand, in this moment, she wished desperately for a crack to crawl into.  

“Get in.”  

Yan Qingye’s voice was strained.  

Her gaze didn’t deliberately avoid Shen Zhansi’s body. In fact, as she looked directly at her, a faint daze flickered in her eyes, an unavoidable surge of resentment rising in her chest.  

If not for this stranger who had appeared out of nowhere, could she and Shen Zhansi have had a different future?  

Would that tsundere have kept insisting on keeping her distance while secretly inching closer? Would they have confessed their feelings, embraced, kissed, introduced each other to their families, married when they were old enough—would they have been inseparable?  

But all of that had been destroyed. Ruined in that scorching summer when they were seventeen.  

Just as her emotions teetered toward bitterness and hatred, Shen Zhansi’s hesitant voice broke the silence.  

“I… I want to wash my hair.”  

Yan Qingye replied flatly, “Your injury is on your head. How are you supposed to wash it?”  

Shen Zhansi’s expression twisted in discomfort. Around Yan Qingye, she seemed meek, barely daring to raise her voice.  

“But it’s uncomfortable if I don’t wash it.”  

Yan Qingye dragged her to the edge of the bathtub, forcing her inside, unmoved. “Deal with it.”  

Weak as she was, Shen Zhansi was no match for her. Reluctantly, she stepped into the tub, crouching down and curling up miserably.  

“But… it really is uncomfortable. I can’t sleep.” Shen Zhansi tried to bargain.  

This time, Yan Qingye didn’t even bother responding. After wetting her body, she rubbed shower gel between her palms until it foamed, her gaze lingering on Shen Zhansi’s figure.  

Her eyes darkened, her movements slow and deliberate, as if entirely unruffled. But only she knew the storm raging inside her—a flood of emotions threatening to drown everything in its path.

The raging desire in her chest expanded endlessly, yet reason fought desperately to suppress it. Torn between the two, she once again felt that familiar sense of being ripped apart.

Amidst the storm of repression, an infinite ache took root.

Would the person she was now be someone Shen Zhansi could love?

Seeing that Yan Qingye wasn’t responding and was instead looking at her with an inscrutable gaze, Shen Zhansi felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. If she wanted to clear up their misunderstandings and start anew, was there even a chance for them?

“If you don’t wash it for me, I’ll just shave all my hair off when we go out later!”  

Shen Zhansi was furious, her nose still catching the metallic scent of blood on her scalp. How could she possibly endure this?  

At this point, she was too incensed to care about the shame of being naked in front of Yan Qingye.  

Yan Qingye’s fingers paused slightly as they massaged, her gaze inevitably falling on Shen Zhansi’s hair. Untouched by dye or heat, the long strands were in excellent condition, well-maintained and now floating on the water’s surface, smooth as silk, swaying with the ripples.  

Would Shen Zhansi like this long hair?  

Uncontrollably, her thoughts drifted away, back to their youthful days. Back then, Shen Zhansi’s hair hadn’t been this long—just reaching her back, tied neatly into a ponytail. She had been bright and sunny, her smiling eyes curved like crescents, as if holding all the beauty in the world.  

Would this longer hair be easier for her to tie up now? If it were all shaved off, would she be upset when she came back and saw it gone?  

“No,” Yan Qingye said coldly.  

Shen Zhansi’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Yan Qingye. “It’s *my* hair—why can’t I?!”  

She had never met anyone more infuriating than Yan Qingye. How dare she dictate what belonged to Shen Zhansi’s own body?  

Yan Qingye smirked, her eyes filled with a venomous intensity, as if she wished she could tear her apart. “*Yours*? How dare you even say that?”  

Seeing her like this, Shen Zhansi frowned, irritation flaring in her chest. Why did every conversation between them turn into a battlefield?  

Not wanting to argue, she decided she could endure it for tonight. Tomorrow, she’d just ask her mother to shave it off—what could Yan Qingye possibly do then?  

When Shen Zhansi suddenly fell silent and stopped insisting, Yan Qingye was briefly taken aback, though she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she began applying body wash to her.  

The moment her palm made contact with Shen Zhansi’s skin, even through the lather, Yan Qingye could feel the smoothness beneath her fingers.  

Her heart trembled, her hand hesitating.  

This was the first time she had ever touched Shen Zhansi’s body like this.  

“W-Well? Aren’t you going to wash me?” Shen Zhansi bit her lip, her voice laced with embarrassment.  

Yan Qingye glanced up at her before lowering her eyes and focusing on the task, her expression calm but her heart drowning in self-loathing.  

Did Shen Zhansi know how she felt, touching her like this? If she knew that all Yan Qingye wanted was to imprison her within her own body, would she be disgusted?  

At this moment, Yan Qingye was trapped in a vicious cycle of her own making, banging against walls with no way out.  

Shen Zhansi had never once said she loved her.  

She couldn’t escape.  

Hating herself, yet meticulous all the same.

She held a towel, carefully wiping Shen Zhansi’s body, controlling the pressure with caution, constantly checking to see if she had left any red marks on Shen Zhansi’s skin.

“Use a bit more force! How are you going to get me clean like this?” Shen Zhansi was on the verge of tears. Was this person here just to tickle her?

Compared to this maddeningly light touch, Shen Zhansi was so frustrated she didn’t even care about the movements brushing over her sensitive areas anymore.

Yan Qingye snapped out of her thoughts and shot her a cold glance but still increased the pressure slightly. Watching the redness left by the towel, her lips pressed tighter together.

Whatever Yan Qingye was feeling right now, at least Shen Zhansi felt much better, finally feeling clean.

After finishing the bath, Yan Qingye took another towel to carefully wrap and dry Shen Zhansi’s hair, which had been floating in the water and gotten soaked. Only when it stopped dripping did she let Shen Zhansi step out of the bathtub.

After the ordeal of the bath, any lingering embarrassment had mostly faded. Shen Zhansi didn’t hold back either, placing a hand on Yan Qingye’s shoulder for support as she cautiously stood up, her face slightly pale.

Seeing her so pale, Yan Qingye didn’t say anything sharp this time. Instead, she helped Shen Zhansi step out of the tub, dried her off with a towel, and then brought fresh clothes to change her into.

Though she had never done this kind of caretaking before, Yan Qingye found herself inexplicably adept at tending to Shen Zhansi’s body.

Shen Zhansi’s expression was still a bit down. While her body felt better, her head didn’t—it almost felt like this bath hadn’t made much of a difference.

Guided by Yan Qingye, she left the bathroom and sat down on a chair while Yan Qingye brought a hairdryer to dry the damp ends of her hair.

“Sleep.”

Her tone was much lighter now, no longer as cold as before.

Shen Zhansi watched as Yan Qingye turned and walked straight back into the bathroom. She pressed her lips together, touching her own hair, her heart aching softly.

No matter how she and Shen Zhansi had started, she would make sure Shen Zhansi fell in love with her!

Lying in bed, Shen Zhansi listened to the sound of running water from the bathroom. Gradually, her eyelids grew heavy. As her consciousness blurred, she thought she heard the bathroom door open.

Her eyes couldn’t stay open, and she fell completely asleep.

…

When Yan Qingye came out, she saw Shen Zhansi sleeping peacefully. After a brief pause, she made sure to move as quietly as possible.

She turned off the lights in the hospital room and worked on her phone in the darkness.

Though Shen Zhansi was nominally the chairman of EG Ventures, in reality, Yan Qingye managed everything. She had built EG Ventures from the ground up just so Shen Zhansi wouldn’t return to nothing.

The glow of the phone screen illuminated Yan Qingye’s calm face as she efficiently handled her tasks. Aside from EG Ventures, she also had to deal with matters at Yan Corporation—her workload was undeniably heavy.

Yet her indifferent expression showed no signs of fatigue, as if she had long grown accustomed to it.

She worked until two in the morning before rubbing her dry eyes and glancing at Shen Zhansi in the hospital bed. Seeing her still sleeping soundly, Yan Qingye got up and lay down on the accompanying caregiver’s bed.

Just as Yan Qingye also fell asleep, Shen Zhansi—who had been resting peacefully—suddenly began to struggle in her sleep. Her brows furrowed tightly, her face pale and strained, as if in pain.

In the dead of night, all her struggles were silent, not making the slightest sound to disturb the person on the other bed.

Shen Zhansi’s face twisted in increasing agony, her limbs paralyzed despite her desperate attempts to move. Deep furrows formed between her brows as cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

…

“What’s going on? Didn’t you say her body would be the easiest to take over?”

A crackle of static cut through the air, followed by a cold electronic voice.

“Strange. There’s an additional barrier around her body now. With my current capabilities, I can’t break through it. This needs to be reported.”

“Is this the service you provide? Am I supposed to remain in this state indefinitely?”

“Please wait patiently. We’ll provide the Host with a satisfactory resolution.”

…

“Ugh—ah!”

Shen Zhansi suddenly sat bolt upright, her eyes flying open. The abrupt movement made it seem as though she’d been dragged from water, drenched in sweat.

Her vacant eyes stared into the darkness before her, her breathing ragged, a sharp pain piercing through her skull.

The violent motion instantly roused Yan Qingye, who had always been a light sleeper. She watched Shen Zhansi sitting on the bed, initially ready to scold her for whatever nonsense she was up to now. But when she turned on the light and saw Shen Zhansi’s pale, sweat-drenched face, her expression changed instantly.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Yan Qingye hurried over to check, only to find Shen Zhansi seemingly possessed—showing no reaction to her words, not even a flicker in her eyes.

Yan Qingye’s face darkened further. Just as she was about to press the call button by the bed, Shen Zhansi suddenly moved.

She reached out and pulled Yan Qingye into a tight embrace. Two large teardrops immediately fell from her previously vacant eyes, and her body began to tremble as if finally registering what had happened.

“Yan Qingye… that feeling just now… was terrifying.”

Her trembling voice was filled with fear and dread.

For that moment, she had thought she would never wake up again.

——————–