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The little girl slept soundly, her peaceful expression making her look utterly adorable.
Lu Xian chuckled softly. "Kids are so easily pleased. Unlike Naiqi, who just gives me the cold shoulder all the time. Not cute at all..."
Taking good care of the little one could only be a good thing—who knew, maybe the Empress would be deeply moved by his efforts one day. Then, with a grand wave of her hand, she'd declare, "From now on, I'll take care of you! Look, this entire Beidou Empire—it's all yours!"
If such a stunning, peerless Empress really decided to keep him, even if it meant living the dream of being surrounded by beauties and indulging in luxury, he'd gladly accept!
Ahem, it was late at night—probably not the best time to daydream. He'd save that for the morning.
Yawning, Lu Xian carefully got out of bed, feeling drained after a long day. Clearly, the best solution was a hot bath to relax.
To avoid waking the little girl, he tiptoed toward the bathroom and gently turned the sturdy wooden door handle, cracking it open.
Huh?
The bathroom light was on?
Wow, this hotel really went above and beyond! They even left the bathroom light on, just in case guests couldn't find their way. How considerate!
Lu Xian made a mental note to leave a one-star review when checking out—to make sure they wouldn't keep wasting the country's electricity like this. That would be a truly shameful act.
As he pushed the wooden door fully open, steam curled up in the small bathroom. The sound of water splashing lightly echoed from the bathtub. Then, a pair of beautiful, panic-stricken eyes looked up, meeting Lu Xian's stunned gaze as he stood frozen at the doorway, hand still on the doorknob.
Ah… what a wonderful moment…
Wait… what the hell?!
White… big… no, that's not right!
Big white… shocking? No, that's still not it!
This was… a major disaster! Just one little mark away from total catastrophe!
Lu Xian had officially seen it all today.
Why was the little kitty bathing in his room?
Didn't she always go back to her own room?
After a brief moment of confusion, he suddenly felt overjoyed.
Who cared why?!
Right now, he had three choices:
Cackle evilly and pounce on her—"I'm gonna eat you up!" Pretend to be a gentleman, apologize, close the door, and then find a gap in the door to peek through. If there was no gap, he'd make one himself. Uh… take care of himself first?
Before he could make this extremely difficult decision—
"Close the door!"
The little kitty's furious yet embarrassed voice rang out. Her cheeks were flushed a deep red, though it was hard to tell if it was from the hot bath or sheer humiliation. Her delicate features were dazzling, like a freshly bloomed rose after the rain.
"Got it!"
Lu Xian slammed the door shut and leaned against it, patting his chest in relief.
"Whew, that was close. Almost lost my status as a proper gentleman. This is way too unfair. No peeking, no speaking, no listening—ah, screw it, let me peek just a little…"
"Pah! How could I, Lu Xian, take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state? I'm a scholar of the classics!"
Just then, a piece of clothing came flying at him.
It landed perfectly on his head, blocking his view. Honestly, he'd only stolen a few hundred glances—why was the little kitty being so stingy? If she wasn't going to let him look, then maybe he'd just have to use his hands instead.
For justice, of course!
"I told you to close the door and leave! Not come inside and then close the door!"
The little kitty was practically steaming, just like a pressure cooker. She shrank into the bathtub, only her head peeking out, her embarrassment and frustration obvious.
Leave?
Only a true gentleman would choose to leave.
What a coincidence—Lu Xian was…
The exact opposite!
A wolf in sheep's clothing!
The fabric draped over his head still carried the warmth of her skin. A faint milky scent lingered in the air around his nose. Lu Xian pulled the clothing down and smoothed it out for a look—oh, it was… underwear. No wonder it smelled like fresh dairy straight from the prairie!
How did that song go again?
Ah—this is the Tibetan plateau—home of Mongolian milk!
The scent was intoxicating, like pouring hot oil onto a raging fire. Lu Xian felt his head throb, his thoughts growing restless.
No, not that head.
"Shhh…"
He pressed a finger to his lips.
"The little girl just fell asleep. Kitty, you wouldn't want to wake her up and have her come see what's going on, right?"
Sure enough, the little kitty went quiet, lowering her gaze in panic.
Lu Xian smirked smugly, like a big bad wolf closing in on its prey. In a few quick strides, he was at the bathtub, crouching down. He reached out a finger and lifted her soft, flushed chin.
"Wasting water is a terrible thing. If we bathe together, we could save an entire tub's worth of water—think of the poor kids in the desert who need it!"
"Pah! You pervert, you scoundrel!" Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth, her arms crossed over her chest as she blushed furiously.
She had already been taken advantage of by Lu Xian too many times to count. But never like this. This was a whole new level—utterly humiliating!
Pervert? Scoundrel?
Lu Xian raised a brow.
"Tsk, tsk. The little kitty's got a sharp eye. She sees me for who I really am!"
"Don't move. Let Brother Lu check on your injuries—see if they've fully healed…"
A glimmering ribbon of spiritual energy swirled, detaching from his body and coiling around his palm. This artifact wasn't all that powerful in combat—but in situations like this, it was blindingly fast. Too fast for anyone to react.
The moment his perfectly sculpted figure came into view, the little kitty's pupils shook violently as if experiencing an earthquake. She instantly turned her head away.
SPLASH!
The sound of water sloshing and a stifled yelp filled the air.
The little kitty fought back. If he was going to be shameless, she wasn't going to hold back either! She launched a fierce counterattack, like a warrior defying fate, determined to break free of her chains.
But her fighting skills were no match for Lu Xian. Within moments, she was pinned down, gasping for breath. Good thing he was there to give her some "assistance"—a little artificial respiration, a bit of CPR. And just like that, he confirmed everything—her limits, her abilities.
A mere wild kitten.
Nothing more!
She tried to run, but where could she possibly escape to? The great Buddha Lu's hand of suppression had her firmly in place.
Lu Xian lounged in the tub, feeling completely satisfied, a look of utter bliss on his face.
If joy could be measured…
It would sound something like—
"OH LEI WA~ OH LEI WA~~!!!"
Unmatched hand-feel!
"....."