Shocking! The actress was dragged to the regent's bedchamber every night.

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Wuli looked up at him.

Yu Chen's face remained expressionless, but her face flushed red starting from her neck.

Warm fingertips gently rubbed against the back of her neck, and her ears uncontrollably turned from pink to red.

She neither said yes nor no, and buried her face back in his chest.

The man's chest trembled slightly. She knew he was smiling without looking up, so she buried her face even deeper.

After dinner.

The bowls and plates on the low table were cleared away, and Yu Chen stood by the curtain and said something to the outside.

The sound was not loud, and most of it was swallowed up by the wind.

Su Wuli didn't hear what he said clearly, but she heard someone outside respond and then the footsteps faded into the distance.

After a while, the tent flap was lifted, and two soldiers carried in a large wooden barrel.

They placed the bucket in the middle of the tent and then retreated.

They brought in hot water and poured it into the wooden tub.

Steam billowed from the mouth of the bucket, its white vapor blurring the light of the oil lamp.

The bucket wasn't big; it was just big enough for one person to sit in.

Two soldiers carried the empty bucket out.

The tent flap was drawn back, keeping out the cold wind, leaving only moisture and white mist inside.

Su Wuli stood by the bucket and reached out to test the water temperature.

Yu Chen stood to the side, showing no intention of leaving.

Su Wuli turned her head to look at him, her gaze sweeping across his face.

The meaning was clear: let him go out first.

Yu Chen merely glanced at her, then picked up the clean handkerchief draped over the low table and placed it on the screen.

Then he picked up the folded undergarment and placed it next to the handkerchief.

Then he sat down at the low table, picked up the military treatise, and opened it.

"It's cold outside."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the pages of the book, the light of the oil lamp illuminating his face.

Seeing this, Su Wuli couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

I've known him for so long, and it just so happens to be cold today. He's usually like a heater, and even when we watched the sunset wearing so little, he never complained of being cold.

Knowing he was doing it on purpose, she didn't expose him or urge him to leave.

He didn't leave; he sat there reading but didn't turn a single page.

Su Wuli tapped her fingers lightly on the rim of the bucket twice, without looking up.

Seeing that he wasn't planning to go out, the water would get cold if left to cool down any longer.

Although the two had showered together before, Su Wuli still felt a little awkward in this scene where he was sitting properly while she was taking a shower.

After hesitating for a moment, Su Wuli turned her back to him and untied the tie on her collar.

Her cotton robe slipped off her shoulders and bunched up at her waist; she used her elbows to hold it in place to prevent it from sliding down any further.

The neckline of her inner garment was open, revealing the back of her neck, where the top vertebra of her cervical spine protruded slightly, appearing and disappearing in the steam.

Her hand hovered over her collar, unsure whether to continue or stop.

Behind me, I could hear the sound of pages turning and rustling.

Su Wuli took a deep breath and took off her cotton robe, draping it over the screen.

When the cotton robe fell down, it brushed against the handkerchief, which became askew, but she didn't catch it.

She was still wearing her undergarment, a thin layer that clung to her back, soaked with moisture, and the outline of her shoulder blades was visible through the fabric.

Finally, she stripped all her clothes off.

She stepped into the bathtub somewhat hastily, and the water rose up to her collarbone.

She curled up in the tub, her knees bent above the water, turning pink from the steam.

He then pulled his knees into the water, sinking completely down until only his head was above water.

Yu Chen sat at the low table, still turning the pages of his book, but his eyes were not on the pages.

The light from the oil lamp shone from the side, and the woman's profile in the bathtub appeared and disappeared in the steam.

Su Wuli looked down at the water, her face reflected in the water, her expression obscured by the ripples.

Yu Chen's fingers rested on the edge of the book pages, his thumb slowly rubbing the paper.

I didn't turn the page, nor did I look away.

Even though she was facing away from him, Su Wuli could still feel the man's gaze.

My shoulders instinctively shrank into the water, and the water sloshed and overflowed to the rim of the bucket.

A drop spilled out, spreading a small dark patch on the ground.

Moisture drifted between the two people, and the light from the oil lamp diffused within it, casting a hazy glow over the entire tent.

My back was pressed against the barrel wall; the wood was warm, the water was warm, and the gaze from behind was warm as well.

The moisture fell on her skin like an invisible hand.

Su Wuli lowered her head and buried her face in the water, leaving only her eyes visible.

Looking at the water, her face was reflected there, and it seemed as if his shadow was also there.

The shadows were only blurry in the light of the oil lamp.

That gaze, however, was inexplicably clear, as if it could pierce through the moisture and land on her, stripping her clothes off.

Su Wuli shrank further into the water.

The steam made her face flushed, it was hard to tell whether it was from being soaked in hot water or from him looking at her.

The only sounds inside the tent were the drifting steam and the faint crackling of the burning oil lamp wick.

And her breathing, softened by the hot water.

However, it cannot stay submerged in water for an extended period.

The water was getting a little cold.

I know I should get up, but I don't want to.

She had to get up to face the man's two gazes.

Su Wuli lingered in the water for a while, then buried her face below the surface and blew a string of bubbles.

Then he raised his head from the water, gritted his teeth, and stood up while holding onto the edge of the bucket.

Water was flowing down my body.

It flows down the waistline of the back and the sides of the legs...

It pattered like a light rain.

Su Wuli was still standing with her back to him, her hand holding the edge of the bucket.

I don't know if it was because I soaked in hot water for too long, but my legs felt a little weak. My knees bent slightly, but I managed to brace myself.

She didn't dare turn around, her back involuntarily stiffening taut.

The lines of the spine stretched from the back of the neck to the lower back, each vertebra clearly illuminated by the light of the oil lamp.

Water droplets rolled down her shoulder blades and slid along her waistline.

It paused for a moment at the lower back, forming a small puddle.

It was full, then overflowed, flowing down the curve of her buttocks and dripping into the bathtub.

Snap, very lightly...

Su Wuli could feel his gaze, and even sense that it was falling on the back of her neck.

Slowly move down the spine, examining each vertebra one by one, leaving no one out.

Her hand gripped the edge of the bucket, her fingers slowly tightening.

She then stepped out of the bathtub and stood beside it, instinctively feeling that the tub could block part of Yu Chen's view, so she didn't move an inch further.

Then he reached out to grab the dry towel draped on the shelf, leaning forward but unable to reach it.

The rim of the bucket was wedged against her thigh, so she could only lean forward a little further.

Her fingertips were still a short distance from the handkerchief when her body swayed slightly.

Immediately afterwards, the man closed the military treatise with a very soft sound.

Su Wuli turned around subconsciously.

He was sitting at a low table, leaning back in his chair, looking relaxed and at ease as he watched her.

Her gaze met the man's eyes, and Su Wuli felt her legs, already sore from being soaked in hot water, tremble even more.

The man's eyes were deep as he slowly moved down her face.

Su Wuli followed his gaze and looked down at herself.

His whole body was completely naked, with water droplets still clinging to his skin, illuminated by the light of the oil lamp.

From shoulders to calves, white, pink, and wet...

Her mind went blank, and she frantically covered her chest with one hand and her bottom with the other.

However, her hands weren't big enough, and she couldn't stop anything from her busy work.

Fair, tender skin peeked out from between her fingers, her pink fingertips curled up.

It curled up and then opened up again, unsure of where to put it for safety.

The man's gaze moved from her face to her hand that she was using to shield herself, then looked away.

But instead of stopping where she was blocking his view, he looked her up and down.

He slowly and deliberately moved his gaze from her collarbone to her chest, then to her waist and abdomen, and finally to the side of her legs.

He walked back from her side and stopped on her face.

Su Wuli's face flushed uncontrollably, and the words escaped her throat, "You—"

"You've covered the wrong place." He stood up, walked over, and bowed slightly, interrupting in a low voice, "You should cover my eyes."