21: Chapter 21 Bathroom Romance

Seven or eight hours passed, and the sky had completely plunged into an inky blackness.

The bathroom door opened and closed repeatedly. All thirty-odd girls had finished washing up, and the carriage was filled with a clean, refreshing scent of soap and cotton. The tense atmosphere, previously caused by the Awakening Cards, had dissipated imperceptibly amidst the steaming everyday routines.

The girls gathered in twos and threes, softly sharing their relief at surviving. The cracks left by earlier arguments seemed to be slowly mending with this long-awaited peace.

Jiang Ning was among the last group.

When it was her turn, she quickly walked towards the bathroom, keeping her head down the entire time, deliberately avoiding Fang Che's direction. But just before pushing the door open, she couldn't resist. She suddenly turned back and quickly shot Fang Che a glare.

That look was very complex, carrying a hint of shame and annoyance, a touch of resentment, but even more, a kind of anticipation that she herself hadn't even noticed.

Then, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she instantly turned and darted into the bathroom, forcefully closing the door.

Fang Che leaned against the carriage wall not far away, watching all her small actions.

This woman, though sharp-tongued, cared deeply in her heart.

That glance just now was a silent invitation.

The sound of rushing water started again, like a fuse, igniting a certain expectation in Fang Che's heart. His increasingly vigorous energy, enhanced by his improved strength, began to surge through his limbs and bones.

A familiar, power-hungry heat began to gather.

He recalled that exhilarating sparring session with Jiang Ning, the pleasure of extreme power collision and mental fusion, which remained fresh in his memory.

Especially the enormous energy feedback from the twenty-times Critical Hit at the end, which gave him the thrilling sensation of his strength soaring like a rocket!

[Talent: Absolute Critical Hit]!

He needed power, stronger power!

And now, an opportunity to solidify their relationship and trigger the special protocol again for another Critical Hit reward was right before him.

He had no reason to refuse.

Fang Che estimated the time, waited for about ten minutes, and when he thought Jiang Ning should have finished rinsing, he straightened up and walked towards the bathroom.

The bathroom door wasn't fully closed; it was ajar, leaving a gap, as if deliberately left for him.

Through the crack in the door, besides the rushing water, faint, intermittent moans, deliberately suppressed, could be heard.

Fang Che's heart stirred.

She seemed to be enjoying this rare moment of relaxation.

He no longer hesitated and gently pushed the door open.

"Boom—"

A wave of scalding, humid steam, carrying the scent of shower gel, rushed at him, instantly blurring his vision.

The bathroom was already enveloped in a thick, white mist so dense that he couldn't see his outstretched hand. Light was refracted into fragments here, and all sounds became muffled and distorted.

Through the hazy mist, Fang Che vaguely saw a blurred figure with her back to the door.

The person was slightly bent over, standing under the showerhead, letting the warm water wash over her soft, long hair.

The mist obscured most of the details, but the indistinct outline was enough to make any man's heart pound faster.

It wasn't Jiang Ning's usual explosive, athletic physique, but a... more mature, more voluptuous curve.

Rounded shoulders, a slender waist that seemed too delicate to grasp, and... a breathtakingly full curve that swayed slightly with her movements as she rinsed.

A perfect waist-to-hip ratio outlined a deadly temptation.

A fleeting doubt flashed through Fang Che's mind.

Is Jiang Ning's figure... that exaggerated? It seems more toned and firm.

Perhaps her physique changed due to strength training recently?

This thought lasted only a tenth of a second before being completely swallowed by the surging tide of desire for power in his heart.

He had been overwhelmed by the striking silhouette and his own judgment; his reason was skewed at this moment.

An incredibly bold, incredibly stimulating thought grew wildly in his mind.

He wanted to give her a "surprise"!

His heartbeat thumped against his eardrums. He silently closed the bathroom door behind him with his backhand, and with a soft "click," he fully locked it.

The figure inside seemed startled by the slight sound, pausing her movements. But she apparently thought the door had merely locked itself due to the steam, and didn't turn around, only straightening up slightly.

Now!

Fang Che, like a lurking leopard, silently stepped into this mist-shrouded forbidden territory.

One step, two steps...

He slowly approached the alluring back. The other party was completely immersed in the comfort of the hot water, totally unguarded.

He could even smell a more elegant, more mature shampoo scent emanating from her hair, different from the other girls outside.

He no longer hesitated.

Driven by the impulse to confirm his target, Fang Che's hands, with irresistible force, wrapped around that slender waist from behind, pulling her into his embrace!

"Mm!"

The woman in front of him let out a short gasp, her entire body instantly stiffening like stone.

So soft!

An astonishingly soft sensation transmitted through the thin clothing, snapping the last string in Fang Che's mind. He didn't even have time to ponder why this soft touch was completely different from Jiang Ning's firmness in his memory.

He only knew that he had to complete this interaction!

He lowered his head, his lips close to her ear, just about to say something, when the body in his arms suddenly erupted in violent trembling.

It wasn't the expected feigned resistance, but an uncontrollable tremor stemming from extreme fear.

It was at that instant, with skin touching and breath audible, that Fang Che's brain was finally sharply jolted awake from that damned impulse by the harsh reality.

No!

Everything was wrong!

The touch in his arms was wrong!

The terrified, speechless reaction and the almost shattering tremble were even more wrong!

This wasn't Jiang Ning!

Jiang Ning's personality would never have such a fear reaction, on the verge of collapse!

A suppressed whimper, mixed with intense pain, shock, shame, and disbelief, barely escaped from the lips tightly bitten in agony on the body in front of him.

"Mm—!"

This voice!

This voice!!!