Chapter 76: “Try It?”

Chapter 76 "Try it?"

"Was this your doing?" Jiang Congyan asked through gritted teeth.

She didn’t need to ask to know the answer. Who else would dare swap her bathtub without asking?

"You said your bathtub was too small, so I got a bigger one—more spacious!" the man chuckled.

Too small? What a joke!

She had said it was too small, but only to him, to stop his shameless antics. For her, it was perfect—no need to change it.

He’d tried to join her in the bathtub before, but she’d shut him down. Now, with this move, his intentions were crystal clear.

Her face flushed crimson, her fair skin turning so red it looked like it might bleed.

"Put me down," Jiang Congyan said, punching his shoulder, but it was like hitting stone—unyielding.

She was mortified and furious, at a loss for how to handle this.

She kept struggling, and the man finally relented, setting her down.

The moment her feet hit the ground, she spun to leave, but Tuo Baxiao yanked her back, his arms locking around her slim shoulders.

"Weren’t you going to bathe? Why run off?"

"I’m not bathing!" she snapped.

"Not bathing?" Tuo Baxiao teased, "You’re usually so fussy about cleanliness—even a drop of sweat on me makes you cringe."

He was goading her on purpose, his tone so maddening she wanted to stitch his lips together.

"I had my bathtub—give it back."

"What’s wrong with bigger?"

"...Is this really about size?" Jiang Congyan deadpanned.

Tuo Baxiao laughed, spinning her around to face him, his voice low as he leaned in, "You know what I’m after."

His deep, gravelly voice and his handsome, eager look were downright intoxicating in this moment.

Jiang Congyan bit her lip, staying silent.

Tuo Baxiao kept whispering in her ear, gesturing to the bathtub, "Give it a try?"

"No," she said firmly.

"Come on, just try."

"No..."

Before she could protest again, he didn’t wait, tugging at the sash around her waist, his strong fingers deftly undoing it.

"If you keep stalling, the water’ll go cold."

She scrambled to stop him, but couldn’t budge him an inch.

For some reason, she suddenly imagined the man ordering someone to craft the bathtub, wondering how he had phrased it and what the carpenter thought. Such a huge bathtub, almost like a small pool, didn’t seem like it was meant for regular bathing.

The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed and upset she became, her expression turning almost pitiful.

“What’s wrong? Are you really that unwilling?” Tuo Baxiao, seeing her on the verge of tears, decided to pause his coaxing and gently stroked her back with his large hand.

He wasn’t about to give up tonight, but he wanted her to be willing.

“Such a huge bathtub, what will others think?” Jiang Congyan whispered.

“I couldn’t care less what they think!” he said indifferently. “Besides, without this bathtub, wouldn’t they still know what we’re doing? We’re husband and wife, what’s wrong with being affectionate? Those with multiple wives and concubines even handle two women at once, and they don’t feel ashamed, even flaunt it in front of everyone…”

“Stop talking,” Jiang Congyan quickly covered his mouth.

His words were blunt but not wrong, though his phrasing was too crude.

Seeing her expression soften slightly, Tuo Baxiao continued, “Since we married, I’ve given you everything you wanted. I haven’t asked for much, just this one thing. Can’t you give me that?”

The man, usually not talkative, had a way with flawed reasoning when it came to this matter.

Jiang Congyan couldn’t find the words to refute him. Except for being a bit too demanding in bed, Tuo Baxiao was almost entirely accommodating in all other matters. Even in bed, if she truly felt uncomfortable and refused him, he wouldn’t force her.

Her quick rise in business and influence was largely thanks to his support.

How could she take without giving anything back? Yet she still felt too embarrassed to relax.

As he spoke, he watched her reaction. Seeing her slowly lower her hand, he guessed she had tacitly agreed, and his fingers began to move restlessly, quickly peeling away her clothes as if stripping bamboo shoots, revealing her tender, pale skin. His eyes instantly darkened with desire, and he quickly removed his own clothes, lifting her into the tub.

As soon as she touched the water, Jiang Congyan’s eyes widened in surprise: “My hair!” She hadn’t tied up her hair.

Tuo Baxiao: “…”

He looked over and indeed, the ends of her hair below her shoulders were soaked, floating in the water.

Her hairstyle today left more hair down.

Tuo Baxiao felt a rare pang of embarrassment; he had been too hasty and forgotten.

“I’ll dry it off for you later,” the man simply said, then pulled her into his arms.

The bathtub was so spacious that even Tuo Baxiao’s large frame had plenty of room.

He pressed forward, pinning her against the tub’s edge.

Before he could push further, her soft, delicate voice cried out, “It hurts!”

“It hurts, my back is getting bruised!”

He retreated slightly, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her back, brushing aside her dark hair floating in the water. Her skin was like ice and jade, her neck and back flawless and pale, now tinged with a faint blush.

She was truly delicate.

The bathtub, made of sturdy, hard wood, was naturally less comfortable than a soft bed and quilt.

Tuo Baxiao thought for a moment, then simply switched their positions, sitting against the edge of the tub and lifting her onto his lap, holding her waist.

...

The hot water steamed, blurring the surface and waves, leaving only the sound of water lapping the sides, occasionally interrupted by a sudden splash.

Jiang Congyan felt overwhelmingly hot, the water was hot, she was hot, and the man she was leaning against was even hotter.

The bathroom was humid and stuffy. She had to part her red lips to breathe, trying not to faint from lack of oxygen, but she still felt dizzy, her body as soft as a willow, letting the man hold and move her.

Thick mist enveloped the girl, condensing into tiny droplets upon touching her skin, the transparent droplets shimmering under the bright candlelight. Her damp eyelashes trembled slightly with the rise and fall of her body, the tiny beads at the tips trailing a glistening arc in the air.

The girl's cheeks were flushed, her snow-white skin turned pink by the heat, her whole body emitting a hazy soft glow. Her black hair floated on the water like kelp, making her appear and disappear.

Tuo Baxiao finally slowed down, glanced at her, but was immediately aroused by her current appearance, his eyes turning red. Gripping her soft waist, he pressed her down heavily.

By then, she had completely lost her strength and would have slipped into the water if not for the man holding her.

In truth, the water had cooled down a bit, but neither of them noticed.

Tuo Baxiao snatched a large towel to wrap her, drying the droplets on her body, then took another one, lifting the wet hair clinging to her snow-white neck and back to wrap it, before placing her back on the bed.

Just this brief moment almost made him lose control again.

Her jet-black hair intertwined with her snow-white neck, still damp, like ink spilled on fresh parchment, was utterly intoxicating.

He suddenly remembered that day, when she reached out to touch the eagle, Li, it was also such a striking contrast of black and white.

As if bewitched, Tuo Baxiao’s throat tightened. He grabbed her soft hand and placed it on his waist, his gaze dropping.

His skin was dark, but not as black as charcoal, yet her skin was so white, the whitest woman he had ever seen. His waist and abdominal muscles were firm, the two overlapping, evoking that same stark contrast.

"What are you doing?" Jiang Congyan opened her eyes groggily, feeling the man holding her hand, unmoving for a while, afraid he might be scheming something again.

"Ahem, nothing, go back to sleep," the man released her hand.

Jiang Congyan was utterly exhausted, letting out a soft yawn under the covers, and mumbled a command to the man, "Dry my hair for me."

Even in summer, sleeping with wet hair could easily give you a cold.

Hmph, his mistake, so he should be the one to fix it.

The man complied without hesitation, even seeming to enjoy it.

He grabbed a dry towel and started drying her hair.

"Ow!" Jiang Congyan gasped sharply.

She was nearly asleep, but the pain jolted her awake.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes snapped open, glaring at the man in anger.

Tuo Baxiao, towel in hand, froze awkwardly mid-air.

"...I'm drying your hair."

"..."

Are you drying my hair? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to yank it out.