48: Chapter 48 Post-Bath Surprise Attack and Countermeasures Alliance

The night was like a sponge soaked in ink, pressing down heavily.

The villa had finally grown quiet.

That atmosphere of a 'shura field,' where things felt like they could explode at any moment, had finally come to a temporary pause as everyone returned to their rooms.

The sound of water in the bathroom ceased.

Huang Mao was the last one to finish bathing.

He emerged wrapped in a bath towel, bringing with him a puff of warm steam. The feeling of his pores opening up made him let out a long sigh of relief.

"Whew—"

It’s good to be alive.

Especially after enduring that high-intensity confrontation of 'three women in one play' just now.

Time spent alone felt exceptionally precious.

Returning to his room, he plopped down into his computer chair. That familiar feeling of being cradled allowed his entire body to relax.

This is a man's true safe harbor.

He casually grabbed his phone from the desk, skillfully swiped to unlock the screen, and opened a social media app.

At this hour, the group of 'idiot netizens' was usually at their most active.

Sure enough.

The group notifications were at '99+'.

A relaxed curve formed at the corners of Huang Mao's mouth. He was just about to lurk and scroll through the messages to see if there were any 'good Samaritan' photos to save.

Right then.

Knock, knock.

Two very light knocks on the door.

The sound was restrained, unhurried, and carried a hint of cautiousness.

Huang Mao's finger hovered over the screen.

He raised an eyebrow.

Who is it this time?

Before he could even ask, a voice so soft and sweet it could make one's bones go numb came from outside the door.

"Master, are you asleep?"

"I have some matters... I'd like to consult you about."

It was Su Muxue.

The corner of Huang Mao's eye couldn't help but twitch.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself countless times, that one word, "Master," was still a bit much for him to handle.

Has this girl gotten too deep into the role? Or does she not see this as a role at all?

And in the middle of the night, "consulting" about something?

Why does this script sound so familiar?

Huang Mao took a deep breath, flipped his phone face down on the desk, and adjusted his posture to look a bit more serious.

"I'm not asleep. The door isn't locked, come in."

His tone was steady and calm.

As a man who had appreciated countless special CGs, he still had this much composure.

The doorknob was turned gently.

There was a soft click.

The door was pushed open a crack, which then slowly widened.

The warm yellow hallway light spilled through the gap, casting a long shadow on the floor.

Following that, Su Muxue's figure appeared outside the door.

The moment Huang Mao's gaze fell upon her, his pupils contracted slightly.

Good grief, she came prepared.

Su Muxue was wearing a silk slip nightgown.

The color was a very pale lotus-root pink, and the material was so light it seemed weightless, clinging to her body like flowing water as she moved.

It accentuated every curve and contour perfectly.

Her long hair wasn't tied up, falling loosely over her rounded shoulders, the tips still slightly damp—clearly, she had also just finished bathing not long ago.

On that pure and innocent face, there was a perfectly measured hint of bashfulness.

Yet her eyes were startlingly bright.

"Um..."

Su Muxue didn't walk all the way in; she had one foot inside the room while the other remained outside the threshold.

This half-in, half-out posture was actually more teasing.

She wrung her hands in front of her, looking at Huang Mao with clear eyes, as if she had summoned great courage.

"Master, you were so busy settling me in today, you must be very tired, right?"

Huang Mao leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, watching her with interest.

"I'm alright, not too tired."

"If you have something to say, just say it. No need for the preamble."

Su Muxue bit her lower lip, the flush on her cheeks deepening several shades.

She took a small step forward, narrowing the distance between them.

A faint scent of body wash, mixed with a certain fragrance unique to a young woman, instantly drifted into Huang Mao's nose.

"I wanted to ask..."

Her voice was very low, carrying a hint of a tremble, yet it was exceptionally firm.

"Since I am your maid."

"Then... do I need to provide you with bathing service?"

"Or... massage your muscles to help you relax?"

Huang Mao was stunned.

Even though he prided himself on being an 'old driver' and usually talked a big game in the group chat.

Faced with such a direct attack, his brain experienced a brief shutdown.

Bathing service?

Massage?

Did this girl think this place was some kind of shady club?

Despite the frantic internal monologue, Huang Mao remained as steady as an old dog on the surface.

Only a perfectly timed hint of surprise flickered in his eyes.

"Do you know what you're saying?"

Huang Mao looked at her, his tone carrying a touch of playfulness.

"That kind of service isn't covered by the rent deduction."

Su Muxue seemed to misunderstand his meaning.

She looked up urgently, her eyes, like those of a young deer, filled with sincerity.

"It doesn't need to be a rent deduction!"

"This... this is a maid's duty. As long as you need it, Master, I..."

Before she could finish her sentence.

"Ahem!!"

Two extremely deliberate, extremely loud, and even somewhat murderous coughs abruptly rang out from outside the door.

It was like a sudden thunderclap, instantly shattering the romantic atmosphere.

Huang Mao instinctively looked toward the door.

He saw that the previously empty doorframe now held two "door gods."

Leng Qingxuan and An Ran.

The two of them were like ghosts, appearing there without a sound.

And judging by their posture, they clearly hadn't just happened to walk by.

They had likely been camping outside the door for a while.

Leng Qingxuan was wearing a set of conservative deep blue pajamas, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Her face was expressionless, like a moving iceberg.

But her eyes were fixed intently on the thin nightgown Su Muxue was wearing.

Her gaze held thirty percent disdain, thirty percent vigilance, and forty percent subtle envy.

"Um..."

Leng Qingxuan's cold voice rang out, like a bucket of cold water poured over the sultry air.

"I don't mean to interrupt you."

"But didn't Huang Mao just finish bathing?"

"Since he's already clean, there's no need for any 'bathing service,' right?"

A logical statement.

Standing beside her, An Ran's face was flushed bright red, whether from anger or embarrassment.

She was wearing a set of cartoon pajamas with a Pikachu print, clutching the hem of her shirt, looking somewhat awkward.

But after hearing Leng Qingxuan speak, she seemed to find her backbone and immediately chimed in.

"Right, exactly!"

An Ran stammered, her voice loud enough to sound like a bluff.

"And... and Huang Mao's health is perfectly fine! He doesn't need a massage at all!"

"He wouldn't care for... for those kinds of messy services anyway!"

After speaking, she stole a glance at Huang Mao, as if to confirm whether he truly "didn't care for" them.

The scene was momentarily awkward.

If it were an ordinary girl caught in such a "late-night offering" by her roommates, she would likely have died of shame and run away with her face covered.

But Su Muxue was clearly not an ordinary person.

The moment these two "sisters" appeared, a flash of disappointment did indeed cross her eyes.

It was the annoyance of having a good thing interrupted.

But in just an instant, she regained her composure, and even the flush on her face faded quite a bit.

She turned around to face Leng Qingxuan and An Ran, her face once again wearing that signature, faultless smile.

Then.

She gave a slight bow, performing a standard curtsy.

The movement was as elegant as if she were attending a royal banquet.

"I'm sorry, Muxue was inconsiderate."

"I only thought of letting Master relax, but I forgot it was so late and that I was disturbing Master and the two sisters' rest."

This move of retreating to advance was truly brilliant.

Not only did it resolve her own awkwardness, but it also conveniently labeled the other two as being "disturbed."

It was as if she were the sensible, wronged little wife.

Watching this, Huang Mao couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

If this acting continued, no one would be getting any sleep tonight.

"Alright, alright."

Huang Mao waved his hand. "Don't just stand there like statues."

"I have indeed finished bathing, and I don't need a massage. I just want to sleep now."

He stood up, walked to the door, and scanned the three women.

"None of you are sleeping this late—don't you have 8 AM classes tomorrow?"

"If anyone can't get up tomorrow morning, I won't be responsible for providing a wake-up service."

Although these words were blunt, they were actually giving everyone a way out.

Su Muxue smartly took the hint.

"Yes, Master."

She bowed again, her voice soft and submissive.

"Then I shall head back first. Goodnight, Master."

With that, she didn't linger at all and turned to leave.

As she passed Leng Qingxuan and An Ran, she nodded politely, as if nothing had happened.

Leng Qingxuan and An Ran watched her return to her room, then exchanged a look.

Though the process was a bit perilous, the result was good.

Home successfully defended!

Both their faces showed a "victor's" expression.

Like hunters who had driven away a chicken-stealing fox.

"Then... you should get some sleep too."

Leng Qingxuan tried her best to make her tone sound natural, but her eyes couldn't help but peek into the room.

"Goodnight! Hurry up and close the door to sleep—it's best if you just lock it from the inside!"

An Ran, on the other hand, gave a crisp wave and then pulled Leng Qingxuan back.

She looked as if she were afraid Huang Mao would change his mind and call Su Muxue back.

Thud.

The door closed in front of them.

With the sound of the latch clicking into place, silence returned to the hallway.

Standing behind the door, Huang Mao listened to the footsteps fading away and shook his head helplessly.

"Is it really over for tonight? I feel like it's far from finished..."

...

After An Ran returned to her room, she threw herself onto the bed.

She tossed and turned, like a pancake on a griddle.

Even though she had successfully stopped Su Muxue's "night raid," as soon as she closed her eyes, the image of Su Muxue in that lotus-root pink nightgown would appear in her mind.

That figure...

That look in her eyes...

And those soft calls of "Master"...

No man could resist that, right?

Although Huang Mao usually seemed quite serious, he was still a normal, hot-blooded man after all!

And his, his, his... was so big...

What if?

What if one day they weren't watching?

This sense of crisis grew wildly in An Ran's heart like weeds.

The more she thought, the more agitated she became, and the more she couldn't sleep.

"Aaaaah! This is so annoying!"

An Ran sat up abruptly, scratching her already messy hair.

No.

She couldn't just sit here and wait for death.

On her own, she definitely couldn't fend off that high-level "maid."

She had to find an ally and then have a proper discussion.

Although she usually didn't get along with Leng Qingxuan, when it came to "Protecting Huang Mao," their interests were aligned!

And...

Judging by Leng Qingxuan's reaction earlier, she probably couldn't sleep right now either, right?

Thinking of this, An Ran decisively hopped off the bed, threw on a jacket, and then quietly opened her door and slipped out.

Arriving at Leng Qingxuan's door, she took a deep breath and knocked.

Knock, knock.

Almost the instant the knocking sounded.

There was movement inside the room.

Following that, the door was opened.

Leng Qingxuan stood at the door, still holding a novel—clearly, she wasn't asleep either.

The moment she opened the door.

Her face held a very subtle expression, a mix of expectation and nervousness.

Her voice was also several degrees gentler than usual.

"Is it... Huang Mao?"

However.

When she saw clearly that the one standing at the door was An Ran, with her hair like a bird's nest and bundled up in a jacket.

The expression on her face instantly collapsed.

It was like a face-changing magic trick.

Switching back to her usual cold and disdainful mode in a single second.

"...Oh, it's you."

The disappointment in her voice was so thick it was palpable.

An Ran's eye twitched frantically.

Switching to a battle face in a second, are we?

Where did that gentle little expression go?

Did the dog eat it?

"Hey, what's with that look?"

An Ran rolled her eyes in annoyance and complained in a low voice.

"I'm really starting to wonder if you have a split personality."

"Who was that just now? Were you possessed?"

Leng Qingxuan coughed awkwardly twice and smoothed her hair as a distraction.

"Ahem... It's nothing."

"It's so late, why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing here at my place?"

Even though she asked, she didn't mean to close the door.

Clearly, she had also guessed An Ran's intention.

An Ran didn't waste any words and got straight to the point.

"Stop pretending, I don't believe you can sleep."

"That Su Muxue just now... you saw her too, right?"

At the mention of that name, Leng Qingxuan's gaze instantly turned cold.

She stepped aside, clearing a path.

"Come in and talk."

Without another word, An Ran slipped into the room.

The door closed.

Two rivals who originally couldn't stand each other had, at this moment, reached a strange understanding for the sake of a common enemy.

"I think we need to talk."

An Ran plopped down on Leng Qingxuan's neatly made bed, crossed her legs, and looked serious.

"If we don't team up, I think in less than a month... no, in less than a week, that woman will be in Huang Mao's bed."

"By then, being gradually ignored will be the least of our problems; in serious cases, we might be kicked right out of the room."

Leng Qingxuan leaned against the desk, arms crossed, her brow furrowed.

Though she didn't want to admit it, An Ran was right.

Su Muxue's offensive was too strong.

That kind of bottomless "service," that posture of lowering oneself into the dust, was simply too lethal for men.

It was only because Huang Mao was a bit special; if it were anyone else, several scenes would have played out already.

"I agree."

Leng Qingxuan nodded, her voice cold.

"We need to formulate a countermeasure. We can't remain this passive any longer."

...

The two women whispered in the room, beginning to plot their "defensive counterattack."

And at the same time.

In the guest room at the end of the hallway.

Su Muxue, the one they viewed as their "great enemy," was not dejectedly asleep as they imagined.

Only a single bedside lamp was on in the room.

Under the dim light.

Su Muxue was standing in front of the full-length mirror by the wardrobe.

She had just taken off that lotus-root pink nightgown, tossing it casually onto the bed.

Then, from the bottom layer of the wardrobe, she pulled out another one.

This was a black lace nightgown.

The fabric was pitifully scarce, almost entirely made of hollowed-out mesh.

Worn on her body, the visual impact of that peek-a-boo effect was ten times stronger than the previous one.

It was practically dancing on the edge of legality.

Su Muxue looked at herself in the mirror.

Her fingers lightly brushed over her collarbone, sliding down along her curves.

There was no hint of shame in her eyes; instead, they held a nearly fanatical persistence.

"Tonight..."

"Is not over yet."