262: Chapter 262 You...you heard it all, you're already here...

Qin Lin was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll go out first. Get dressed, and we'll have a proper talk."

He stood up, preparing to leave.

But just as he turned around, his hand was caught.

Li Ran's hand reached out from the water and grabbed his wrist.

Her hand was wet and slippery, but she held on tight.

Qin Lin stopped in his tracks, but he didn't look back.

Li Ran looked at his back and took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

Her mind was in a complete mess.

He had heard everything she just said.

She had said she "wanted to be with Qin Lin," said she "wasn't good enough for him," and said she "couldn't help but miss him"... He had heard it all.

Li Ran wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

She thought to herself: This girl, how could she set her up like this?

She cursed Su Yuling countless times in her heart, but after cursing, a bigger problem lay before her.

What now?

She had already spoken the words, and he had heard them; there was no escaping it now.

Li Ran closed her eyes, then opened them again, looking at Qin Lin's back.

His back was broad, his shoulders were sturdy, and his waist was lean—he had a great physique.

Li Ran lowered her head and stopped looking at him, her voice as small as a mosquito's:

"You... you heard it all. Since you're already here..."

Qin Lin was stunned for a moment.

Li Ran bit her lip, and after a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "You... you continue."

"What?"

"Continue scrubbing my back," Li Ran's voice was muffled. "You've heard it all, I... I have nothing left to hide. Anyway, since you're already here and you've already started scrubbing, you... you should continue."

Li Ran's voice trembled, but there was a sense of reckless abandon in her tone, as if she had nothing left to lose.

Looking at her, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in Qin Lin's heart.

This mature woman was as shy as a little girl at this moment, yet she possessed a kind of reckless courage.

She had already said the most embarrassing things; it couldn't get any more humiliating than this.

"Alright."

Qin Lin crouched down and put the scrubbing mitt back on his hand.

Li Ran turned around, her back to him, and brushed her hair to one side, revealing her entire back.

Her shoulders were narrow, but the lines were beautiful.

The skin on her back was fair and delicate, glowing softly under the light.

The line of her spine extended from her neck down to her waist, forming a graceful curve at the small of her back.

Qin Lin took a deep breath, placed his hand on her shoulder, and began to scrub.

Li Ran's body trembled slightly, then she slowly relaxed.

Neither of them spoke; there was only the sound of water and the friction of the scrubbing mitt against skin.

Qin Lin scrubbed earnestly, starting from her shoulders, following her spine down to her waist, and then to her arms.

Li Ran's skin was excellent; even through the scrubbing mitt, he could feel its delicacy and elasticity.

Qin Lin's fingers would occasionally brush against her skin, and each time they did, Li Ran's body would give a slight shudder.

"Be... be a bit gentler," Li Ran's voice was very soft.

Qin Lin gave an "mm" and lightened his touch.

After scrubbing for a while, Li Ran suddenly said, "Qin Lin."

"Yeah?"

"What... what do you call Han Qing?"

Qin Lin was taken aback. "Aunt Qing."

Li Ran was silent for a moment, then said, "Then from now on... call me Aunt Ran."

Qin Lin's hand paused for a moment, then continued.

"Alright, Aunt Ran."

The corners of Li Ran's mouth curled up slightly, but Qin Lin couldn't see it.

"Aunt Ran, is there anywhere itchy on your back?" Qin Lin asked.

Li Ran thought for a moment. "My shoulder, the left side."

Qin Lin moved his hand to her left shoulder and scrubbed firmly a few times.

Li Ran let out a comfortable sigh. "That's the spot, yes."

Qin Lin continued scrubbing, from shoulder to arm, from arm to back, from top to bottom, and from left to right.

Li Ran's body slowly relaxed under his hand, changing from its initial stiffness to softness.

She leaned against the edge of the bathtub, her head tilted back slightly, revealing her slender neck.

Qin Lin's gaze involuntarily fell upon her neck, then her shoulders, then...

He took a deep breath, looked away, and continued scrubbing her back.

But his mind was filled with the images he had just seen.

Li Ran's figure was indeed very good.

Although she was forty-one, her skin was well-maintained—no sagging, no excess fat; instead, she had the unique fullness and charm of a mature woman.

Her body wasn't slender like a young girl's, but rather full, soft, and brimming with femininity.

As Qin Lin's hand moved across her back, feeling the warmth and texture, the fire in his heart burned ever hotter.

But he restrained himself.

Now was not the time.

"Take off the scrubbing mitt."

"Alright."

Hearing Li Ran's words, Qin Lin decisively tossed the scrubbing mitt aside and used his bare hands.

He had wanted to take it off for a long time.

His hands slid from her back to her shoulders, from her shoulders to her arms, not missing a single inch of skin.

Her curves were just right, and she felt wonderful to the touch.

Qin Lin's fingers roamed over her skin, feeling the delicate texture.

Li Ran closed her eyes, savoring the moment.

It had been a long time since she had been touched like this.

Ever since Su Zhenyun started keeping young mistresses outside, he had never touched her again.

She could no longer remember the last time she had been touched by a man.

And now, a young man twenty-one years her junior was crouching by the bathtub, earnestly helping her scrub her back.

A strange feeling welled up in her heart—not shame, not nervousness, but a warmth from being cherished.

"Aunt Ran," Qin Lin spoke again.

"Hmm?"

"Does it feel good?"

Li Ran nodded gently. "Mm."

Qin Lin smiled and scrubbed even more earnestly, especially in certain places.

He scrubbed from her arms to her fingers, one by one, as if he were working on a delicate piece of art.

Li Ran looked at his hands; his fingers were long, with distinct knuckles, and looked very powerful.

She suddenly reached out and took his hand.

Qin Lin was stunned.

Li Ran held his hand in her palms, gently stroking it.

"Your hands are very nice," she said.

Qin Lin smiled. "Yours are beautiful too."

Li Ran looked up at him, their gazes meeting amidst the mist.

The temperature in the bathroom was high, mist filled the air, the lights were dim, and the atmosphere was ambiguous to the extreme.

Li Ran suddenly said, "Qin Lin, do you... want to come in?"

Qin Lin was startled. "What?"

Li Ran's face was so red it could bleed, but her eyes was firm. "We're both already bare anyway. Come in and wash together; I'll help you scrub your back, too."

Qin Lin's heart rate accelerated.

He looked at her, she looked at him, and they stared at each other for a few seconds.

Qin Lin took a deep breath, stood up, and stepped into the bathtub.

The bathtub was large enough to hold three people, but for some reason, it felt a bit cramped with the two of them inside.

But it was precisely this intentional crowding that made their bodies inevitably press against each other.

Li Ran leaned back slightly to make some room for him.

Qin Lin sat down, the water rising past his waist.

They sat face to face, knees touching, so close they could see every droplet of water on each other's faces.

Li Ran lowered her head, not daring to look at him.