153: After going such a long detour - 1

Before long, Jiang Ye walked out of the bathroom carrying a steaming basin of water and placed it on the carpet in front of the coffee table.

He straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the two women on the sofa who had complicated expressions and feet dangling in mid-air, not daring to put them down.

The task requirement was not to cause obvious resentment or resistance from the other party... Hmm, I need to find the right balance.

"The water's ready. You two... who's first?"

Lin Wanxing and Su Ning exchanged a glance, tacitly pulling their feet back at the same time.

"Jiang Ye, there's really no need to trouble yourself."

Lin Wanxing spoke first, her tone revealing clear resistance. "Give the basin to me, I can do it myself..."

"How could that be okay!"

Jiang Ye refused decisively, his expression serious. "I initiated this 'ritual,' and I provided the oranges, so of course, I must take full responsibility for the consequences! A man should stand by his actions; that's my principle! I must wash them for you!"

Seeing their faces full of suspicion, he gave a dry cough and pulled a pair of medical rubber gloves from his pocket.

"Of course, I know there's a difference between men and women, and I'm not the type to take advantage. See, I'm wearing gloves! Physical isolation to maximize the avoidance of unnecessary contact, so you don't have to worry."

Seeing him actually put on the gloves with such a serious air, Su Ning tilted her head, her previous suspicions wavering slightly.

Could it be... it really is just simple... responsibility and... being a clean freak?

Jiang Ye put on the gloves, clapped his hands, and let his gaze shift between the two of them.

A woman like Yaoyao definitely wouldn't dare to directly contradict her 'Brother Ye.' If he asked to wash her feet, she probably wouldn't say anything out loud.

But this girl has a quick mind and acts a lot; not a word she says is true. It's very likely she'd be smiling on the outside while cursing on the inside. If she were actually resistant deep down but just didn't dare show it, wouldn't his fifteen minutes of hard work at massaging end in a failed task and wasted effort?

Coach Lin was different.

Although she currently had a face saying 'don't come over here,' she was honest to a fault. Resistance was resistance, satisfaction was satisfaction; her emotions were written all over her face.

This made her easier to manage. If she really felt repulsed, he could spot the signs midway and adjust his strategy in time to ensure the task was completed smoothly.

Mm, to be safe, I'll first conquer Coach Lin, who has a clear difficulty level and provides authentic feedback!

Jiang Ye decisively moved the basin to Lin Wanxing's feet. "Coach Lin, you're the older sister. You go first to set an example for Little Su."

Lin Wanxing looked down at the clear warm water, her body subconsciously leaning back.

"Jiang Ye, really, there's no need. I can do it myself. This is too strange..."

"See, you're being a stranger again, aren't you?"

Jiang Ye sighed and began to lay out the facts. "First, I'm wearing gloves, so we have no direct contact. Second, this sticky mess is all because of me. As a man, I must take full responsibility, or my conscience won't be at peace!"

Lin Wanxing still wanted to struggle. "But... this really is a bit inappropriate, you..."

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly noticed Su Ning's face getting redder and redder, her eyes darting around. She couldn't help but ask:

"Eh? Little Su, what's wrong? Why is your face so red?"

"Ah?"

Having hung around voice chat rooms for half a year, Su Ning, who understood the implications instantly, was currently imagining all sorts of messy scenes. Startled by being called out, she waved her hands frantically.

"No, no, no! It's nothing, nothing! It's probably just... a bit hot! Yes, the heating is too strong! You guys talk, you guys continue!"

Jiang Ye glanced at her and continued his offensive on Lin Wanxing.

"Coach Lin, don't be so polite. The most important thing about living together is fairness and responsibility; whoever makes a mess cleans it up. Think about it, if I made the common area a mess later and just walked away, leaving it for you guys to clean, would you be happy? Put yourself in my shoes!"

Lin Wanxing looked at his moralizing and plausible manner, feeling speechless.

She really couldn't figure out what this man was up to.

If you said he wanted to take advantage, he was wearing gloves and his movements were proper; but if you said he didn't, he was chasing her with a water basin to wash her feet... Holding onto a last shred of hope, she turned to Su Ning, trying to divert the trouble. "Little Su, how about... you go first? You're young and quick to accept new things..."

Hearing this, Su Ning shook her head like a rattle. "No, no, no! Sister Wanxing, there's an order between elders and juniors; we must respect our elders! You go first, you go first! I'll learn from you, learn from you!"

Lin Wanxing: "..."

She looked at her roommate's 'better you than me' attitude, then at Jiang Ye's 'won't stop until I reach my goal' gaze. She gritted her teeth and steeled herself.

"Then... alright."

With that, as if heading to an execution ground, Lin Wanxing slowly and cautiously dipped her beautifully shaped feet—currently stained with orange juice—into the basin. She secretly made a decision:

If this guy made any weird little moves or suggested she wear a blindfold, she would immediately pull her feet out and leave, no matter what!

Seeing her finally put her feet in, Jiang Ye breathed a small sigh of relief.

He crouched down, reached into the basin to scoop some water, and gently splashed it over the instep of Lin Wanxing's foot. "How's the water temperature? Is it okay?"

Lin Wanxing felt the sensation of water flowing over her skin, keeping a close eye on the man's movements.

Fortunately, he remained perfectly proper. Aside from the subtle and strange sensation of the rubber gloves, there was no discomfort or feeling of being offended.

"Yes, it's just right."

Jiang Ye gave an "oh" and began to seriously rub her insteps and ankles, focusing on cleaning the areas stained with orange juice.

Throughout the process, he kept his head down, concentrating on the "foot washing" itself, without any extra words or ambiguous little movements.

Lin Wanxing looked at his focused profile and his busy hands, and her initial vigilance and embarrassment were gradually replaced by a sense of being caught between laughter and tears.

This scene... was truly too bizarre.

After a while, the orange juice on her feet was quickly washed away.

Lin Wanxing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking this farce could finally end, and wanted to pull her feet back. "Is that enough? They should be clean now."

Although she had no psychological burden since Jiang Ye was wearing gloves, the physical sensation of her feet being held and rubbed by a man like this was very real.

Previously, not even her hands had been touched by the opposite sex, yet today she had inexplicably had her feet washed. This was truly... "Almost done."

Jiang Ye responded, but just as she was about to pull her feet back, he grabbed her ankle.

Lin Wanxing's whole body stiffened. "?!"

"Wait a moment, it's not over yet."

As Jiang Ye spoke, he gently pressed her foot back into the basin, then turned to grab his phone from the coffee table. He quickly opened TikTok and found a saved video to play.

"This ancient method of foot therapy isn't difficult for beginners! The key is to identify these acupoints—Yongquan, Taixi, Kunlun... Once you find them, use moderate pressure and keep massaging. It's of great benefit for relieving fatigue and improving sleep! Watch closely everyone, I'll demonstrate first..."

Lin Wanxing, Su Ning: "???"

The two looked at the diagram of acupoints on the phone screen, then at Jiang Ye's "serious learning" expression, a string of question marks popping up over their heads simultaneously.

"Jiang Ye, what is this now...?"

Jiang Ye propped the phone up on the coffee table, fished her left foot out of the water, lightly wiped the water droplets with a towel, and following the video, began to use his thumb to press the 'Yongquan' point on the sole of her foot.

"Since I'm washing them anyway, I might as well use this to practice."

He explained while pressing, "These days, one can't have too many skills! Whenever I see a practical skill, I can't help but want to learn and practice it."

"..."

"..."