47: I'll take mine off too...

The faint hum of the ventilation System could be heard.

They could hear each other's gradually accelerating heartbeats.

Lin Wanwan's hand was still holding Qin Lin's, and her palm began to sweat.

"Qin Lin..." she spoke in a low voice.

"Hmm?"

"Tonight... will you be going back to the bedroom?" she asked very implicitly.

"I will," Qin Lin said. "My bedroom has a bathtub, and I'm planning to take a bath to relax."

Lin Wanwan bit her lip and plucked up her courage.

"Then... can I join you?"

After saying this, her face was already so red it looked like it was about to drip blood.

Qin Lin looked at her.

The girl's eyes were very bright, with shyness, expectation, and a trace of hard-to-detect nervousness in her gaze.

Her lips trembled slightly, and the hand she was holding was also shaking.

She was afraid—not of him, but of being rejected.

Qin Lin turned his hand over to grip hers tightly, his voice gentle.

"You're welcome to."

Those two simple words made Lin Wanwan's eyes light up instantly.

"Really?"

"Really."

Lin Wanwan smiled, a very sweet smile filled with a young girl's shyness and joy.

Watching her smile, something in Qin Lin's heart softened.

He stood up and pulled her up along with him.

Then, he made a move that neither of them expected.

He bent down, hooked one arm under her knees and the other around her back, picking her up in a princess carry.

"Ah!"

Lin Wanwan let out a soft cry and subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Qin Lin, you..."

"I'm carrying you over."

Qin Lin spoke very naturally.

"It's only a few steps anyway."

Carrying her, he walked toward Room 000.

Lin Wanwan's body was very light and soft.

She was wearing that pink nightgown, and the hem swayed slightly as he walked, revealing her fair thighs.

Her arms were around his neck, her face buried in the crook of his shoulder, her breath warm.

Qin Lin could feel her heartbeat, very fast and loud.

Like a startled fawn.

In the public bathroom, the sound of water stopped.

The door opened a crack, and Su Yuran poked her head out.

She saw Qin Lin carrying Lin Wanwan into Room 000, and the door closed.

She smiled.

There was gratification and relief in her smile, but also a trace of indefinable complex emotion.

But she quickly shook her head, tossing those complex emotions aside.

"It's finally happened."

She whispered to herself, then hummed a song as she went back to her own room.

Inside Room 000, Qin Lin gently placed Lin Wanwan on the bed.

Then he turned and walked toward the bathroom.

"I'll start the water first," he said.

Sitting on the bed, Lin Wanwan watched his back, her heart beating like a drum.

She knew what would happen next.

She was nervous and afraid, but also... looking forward to it.

She had never been in a relationship; although many people had pursued her, she had rejected them all.

She only wanted to study hard and didn't want to date.

But now, she wanted to very much.

The sound of water splashing in the bathtub rang out.

Qin Lin adjusted the water temperature and added some bath salts.

They were bought from the System Store and had a muscle-relaxing fragrance.

Steam gradually began to fill the air.

He walked back into the bedroom and saw Lin Wanwan still sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands on her knees, sitting as upright as an elementary school student.

"The water is ready," he said.

Lin Wanwan looked up at him, her eyes moist:

"Qin Lin, I... I'm a little nervous."

Qin Lin walked up to her, crouched down, and looked her in the eye:

"If you don't want to, we can stop. At any time."

Lin Wanwan shook her head: "It's not that I don't want to... it's just... I have no experience."

Her voice was as small as a mosquito's:

"I... I've never had a boyfriend, and I've never... never with a boy..."

Qin Lin understood.

He reached out and gently stroked her face:

"It's okay, let's take it slow."

His fingers were very warm, and his touch was gentle.

Lin Wanwan closed her eyes and nuzzled his palm.

"Then... shall we bathe first?" she asked softly.

"Okay."

Qin Lin stood up and reached out his hand to her.

Lin Wanwan took his hand and stood up as well.

The two of them walked into the bathroom together.

The steam grew thicker.

The bathroom was filled with mist, and the warm yellow light filtering through the steam created a hazy and private space.

The bathtub was already more than half full, with white foam and a few dried flower petals floating on the surface.

Su Yuran had put those in the storage cabinet before; she said she liked to use some when bathing for the fragrance.

Qin Lin turned off the faucet and tested the water temperature; it was just right.

He turned around and saw Lin Wanwan still standing at the door, her hands twisting the hem of her nightgown, her face bright red, her eyes darting away.

"Come here." Qin Lin held out his hand.

Lin Wanwan hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked over.

When she stood before him, she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

Qin Lin reached out and gently lifted her face.

"Look at me," he said.

Lin Wanwan raised her eyes, her eyelashes damp with fine mist, moist like a forest fawn.

"If you're nervous, we can just soak and chat," Qin Lin said. "We don't necessarily have to do anything."

Lin Wanwan shook her head, her voice small but firm.

"I want to... I want to be closer to you."

She paused and plucked up her courage.

"Besides, Yuran said... you have some tasks to complete. If I can help you... I'm willing."

Qin Lin's heart warmed.

He naturally knew about that Hidden Task.

Establishing a substantive intimate relationship with Lin Wanwan would unlock a 10% fill rate for the supermarket space.

But he didn't want Lin Wanwan to feel that he was only with her for the task.

"Senior."

He said seriously.

"I do have a task. But even if there were no task, I... like you."

These words made Lin Wanwan's eyes light up.

"Just call me Wanwan."

"Okay." Qin Lin nodded.

"So Wanwan," Qin Lin said finally, "it's not because of the task, it's because of you."

Lin Wanwan's tears fell.

But this time they were tears of joy.

She threw herself into Qin Lin's arms and hugged him tightly.

Qin Lin hugged her back, feeling her soft body and her rapid heartbeat.

After hugging for a while, Lin Wanwan said softly,

"Then... let's bathe."

"Okay."

Qin Lin released her and began to unbutton his pajamas.

Lin Wanwan watched him take off his shirt, revealing his firm and lean upper body.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted downward, seeing Qin Lin untie the drawstring of his pajama pants.

Her face instantly burned, and she abruptly turned around.

"I-I'll strip too..."

Her voice was shaking.

Qin Lin smiled; he didn't tease her and stepped into the bathtub first.

The water temperature was just right, and the moment he soaked in, all the pores in his body seemed to open up.

He leaned against the edge of the tub, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.

Behind him came the rustling sound of clothes being removed.

It was very light and very slow.

He could imagine Lin Wanwan's appearance at this moment:

With her back to him, taking off her nightgown and underwear piece by piece, her face surely flushed deep red, her hands surely shaking.

After a while, the sound of footsteps approached.

The water in the bathtub rippled slightly.

Lin Wanwan cautiously stepped in from the other side, her movements stiff for fear of touching him.

The bathtub was large; the two of them sat facing each other, with a bit of distance still between them.

But the water was connected.

Qin Lin could feel her leg lightly brush against his under the water, before she quickly retracted it.

He opened his eyes.

Lin Wanwan sat opposite him, hugging her knees, curled into a ball so that only the part from her shoulders up was visible.

The foam and petals floating on the surface obscured her body underwater, but her silhouette was faintly visible.

Her face was bright red, her hair was wet and clinging to her cheeks and the side of her neck, and water droplets fell from the tips of her hair, sliding down her collarbone and into the water.

She was beautiful.

Qin Lin looked at her without speaking.

Lin Wanwan felt even more embarrassed being watched by him and said softly:

"Don't... don't look at me like that..."

"Why?" Qin Lin asked. "You're very beautiful."

These words made Lin Wanwan's face even redder, but she plucked up her courage and looked back at Qin Lin.

In the hazy mist, Qin Lin's facial features appeared much softer.

He leaned against the edge of the tub, his arms resting on the sides, his chest and abdominal muscles faintly visible underwater.

Water droplets slid down his firm chest and merged into the water's surface.