Chapter 17 Scene “You smell so nice…”

Chapter 17: The Mental Image

"You smell so good..."

"Still not leaving? Waiting to see how much of my innocence remains?"

Following this icy reprimand laced with suppressed anger, Zhong Yao scrambled out of the room in disarray.

She had walked out of the room, but the image of the naked man in the water was stuck in her mind.

This was the first time in over a decade that Zhong Yao had seen a man's naked body, and from such close proximity. The shock was so great that whenever she closed her eyes, the image of a wet, muscular chest would surface in her mind, with a strand of black hair plastered to it by the water...

And what was beneath the water... that was simply unthinkable!

Her face flushed crimson, and she slapped her cheeks lightly several times, desperately trying to banish the image from her mind, when she heard someone say: "Great! You successfully protected my elder brother's innocence. He must be very grateful to you, right?"

Zhong Yao looked up and saw Xue Fang beaming with joy.

Having known him for so long, this was the first time Zhong Yao had seen him this elated. It would have been even better if his happiness weren't built upon her misfortune.

Zhong Yao now realized that Xue Fang was right. That Miss Lian's scheme couldn't possibly harm Xie Chi; there really was no need to come and help.

The reason Xue Fang came with her was simply to mess with her.

She had truly been set up by him.

"You were the one who pushed me in," Zhong Yao said. "I'm going to tell Heir Xie."

Xue Fang wasn't the least bit afraid. "Go ahead and tell him. Do you dare?"

Thinking of Xie Chi's expression earlier, Zhong Yao indeed did not dare.

...Better to escape quickly before Xie Chi has finished dressing!

She patted her cheeks a few more times, glanced back at the tightly shut door, not daring to imagine the scene inside, and tiptoed away, ready to run.

She had only taken two steps when the person inside, as if he could see her, commanded: "Wait outside."

Zhong Yao's lifted foot seemed to instantly weigh a thousand pounds, dragging her to a halt.

"Hehe," Xue Fang snickered gleefully. "I told you to listen to me earlier, but you wouldn't. Now look, you're detained by my elder brother, and I can go wherever I please. Are you satisfied?"

Zhong Yao didn't want to talk to him and turned her back.

Xue Fang didn't particularly want to talk to her either. After finishing his mockery, he turned to leave, only for a new command to come from the room: "Dare to leave, and I'll break your legs."

Xue Fang's expression fell instantly, his head drooping like wild grass frosted over.

The two waited outside the door for who knows how long. When they were ordered to re-enter the room, Xie Chi was already sitting in the outer chamber, fully dressed.

Impeccably dressed. Except for his hands and the area above his neck, everything else was covered up tightly.

However, after having personally seen his naked form, even the most concealing clothing became mere decoration. Zhong Yao only needed to glance at him, and his clothes seemed to vanish.

It was too stimulating!

Zhong Yao hurriedly averted her eyes, fixing her gaze tightly on the table leg as if it were made of gold.

"Who's going to explain?" Xie Chi asked.

Explain what?

What to explain wasn't important. Anyway, Zhong Yao wanted to speak first, finish quickly, and leave. She still needed to find Second Miss Chen.

"I..."

"She!"

Zhong Yao and Xue Fang's voices sounded simultaneously.

Xie Chi took a sip of tea. The tea had cooled and tasted somewhat bitter.

He frowned slightly, set down the teacup, swept a glance over the two before him, and said, "Then Xue Fang will speak."

Xue Fang pouted, unwillingly saying, "Grandmother and Zhong Yao don't get along. Zhong Yao didn't want to stay there, so I took her to my place to rest. On the way, we saw Steward Zou conspiring with someone to cause trouble here. Zhong Yao was afraid you'd suffer a loss and insisted on coming."

After listening, Xie Chi nodded and asked, "Are you two idiots?"

Xue Fang turned to Zhong Yao beside him and said, "My elder brother is asking if you're an idiot."

Zhong Yao kept her head down. "I was doing a good deed. I'm not an idiot. I resent you insulting me like this..."

If she had straightened her neck and maintained a firm expression while speaking, Xie Chi might have praised her for her backbone. But looking at the drooping head before him, he only felt vexed.

Xie Chi rubbed his forehead and asked, "Did you see Mrs. Lian when you entered the estate?"

"I did," Zhong Yao replied.

"All the female members of her household are confined to their courtyards and not allowed out, yet she managed to escape. Why?"

"Because... someone helped her?"

"Who helped her?"

"Uh..."

Seeing Zhong Yao unable to answer, Xie Chi switched to another question: "She finally managed to escape, just to come shout a few times at my door?"

With this question, Zhong Yao realized something was indeed off. If she were Mrs. Lian, having finally escaped, she would definitely seek out reliable people for help, not cause a public scene at the Yong'an Marquis Estate.

Moreover, Mrs. Lian was taken away after only shouting a few times. Surely she didn't come out just to add a bit of commotion to the Marquis Estate?

"A diversion!" Xue Fang said. "She must have been trying to attract attention!"

There were already many guests that day. Mrs. Lian's commotion would certainly cause some disturbance, drawing everyone's attention to the front, making it easier for actions to take place in the back.

When the servant came to inform Xie Chi, he had guessed that someone would definitely cause trouble within the estate. Since it was related to the Lian family, their target must be him.

Therefore, Xie Chi cooperated exceptionally well and, as expected, lured the person out.

Steward Zou and that Miss Lian had long been taken away and confined by the guards. But Xie Chi hadn't expected that, even though every step proceeded as he had anticipated, he still fell into a trap.

Thinking of those shocked eyes fixed on his body earlier, Xie Chi grew angry again.

He took another sip of the bitter tea, but his anger didn't diminish in the slightest. Xie Chi simply stood up, took two strides to stand before Zhong Yao, and looked down to demand: "Such a simple principle, couldn't you figure it out?"

As he approached, the residual moisture from his recent bath mingled with the heat emanating from his body, intertwining like a tidal wave that crashed fiercely against Zhong Yao, then transformed into a large net, enveloping her.

It was somewhat refreshing, somewhat scorching, making her very uncomfortable. Forced to inhale a few breaths of it, Zhong Yao looked uneasily at the dark-patterned golden brocade robe before her, her mind conjuring up the muscular chest hidden beneath it... Her breath hitched, and she instantly felt as if she couldn't breathe.

Zhong Yao dared not look at Xie Chi's body, nor meet his eyes, and lowered her head even more.

"Look at me!" Xie Chi commanded.

Zhong Yao: "..."

She thought it better not to.

Playing dead, a hand reached over, tilting her chin and forcing her face upward.

With this lift, their eyes met—his looking down, hers looking up.

Zhong Yao was quite beautiful. Today, she had taken special care with her appearance. Seen up close, her porcelain skin and full cheeks, paired with those lively eyes glistening with a soft light, made her appear exceptionally radiant and captivating.

For a moment, Xie Chi was momentarily stunned, but then his face instantly darkened.

Because he clearly saw Zhong Yao's gaze darting away, flitting everywhere but not daring to settle on him.

And her exposed cheeks and neck had all turned as red as if dusted with rouge, visibly crimson.

"What are you thinking?" Xie Chi's tone grew low and dangerous, part coaxing, part threat.

"I... I... I..." Zhong Yao dared not look at him, tucking her chin as she said, "...Could you step back a bit... I can't speak like this..."

"What? Am I so ugly it offends you?"

That certainly wasn't it.

"Heir Xie, you..." Zhong Yao stammered, taking a deep breath before whispering the rest, "Heir Xie, you smell so good... so good it's making my head spin..."

Xie Chi's face darkened, truly wishing he could strangle her on the spot!