“I might die tomorrow.”
The bath barrel in the room was already set up, and the rising steam added a touch of humid warmth, making it quite relaxing.
However, Wan Shao’s rambling voice behind her was impossible to ignore. Shang Can discreetly suppressed her amusement and turned to face her.
“No, or rather, I might die as soon as I step out of this room.” Her tone sounded quite certain, mixed with a hint of frustration and despair. “I definitely can’t beat Yun Zhong Jun—but to die because of your scheme, Shang Can? Even if it takes my last breath, I’ll leave a written account saying you were the one who harmed me…”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Shang Can furrowed her brow, puzzled. “Why would Yun Duan want your life? You’re of no use to her.”
“You!” Wan Shao’s tone turned exasperated, her teeth clenched. “When will those holes under your eyebrows ever be of use? I’m begging you, use your brain!”
Suddenly receiving such a reprimand from Wan Shao left Shang Can baffled. Being accused of not using her brain felt like a great insult, so she protested, “What’s this? The great Flower Demon resorts to personal attacks when she doesn’t want to serve? Wasn’t it you who said earlier that I can’t see and that bathing alone is dangerous?”
With that, she raised an eyebrow with feigned interest, mimicking Wan Shao’s tone, and repeated, “Think about it, we’re all women here; whatever I have, you have too. You definitely won’t take advantage of me—right?”
“I think you’re the one taking advantage of me!”
Wan Shao was so furious that she bit her teeth together and shouted, “I don’t want to see it! I don’t want to see you bathing at all!”
As if Shang Can wanted her to watch.
“Oh come on,” Shang Can feigned a pained expression, holding her forehead as if in deep thought. “How can the great Flower Demon say one thing and do another? You were just concerned for my safety; now that the task has fallen on you, you just want to back out?”
“Because your safety is—”
Wan Shao almost yelled out before catching herself, leaning in close and whispering in exasperation, “What are you pretending for? You can’t possibly have a problem taking a bath!”
Shang Can unceremoniously pushed her head away and chuckled leisurely, “Well, isn’t it because the great Flower Demon cares? To put your mind at ease, I’m making a bit of a sacrifice here. What, are you shy now? Didn’t you see enough when you were treating my injuries?”
“What nonsense are you spouting!” Wan Shao nearly shrieked, her voice cracking in disbelief. She pinched her delicate throat and, for some reason, raised her voice in panic, “I’ve never seen that! Who strips fully during treatment? I’ve never done that! I might have only seen your stomach… absolutely nothing above that!”
Shang Can wondered why she was reacting so strongly. She shrugged nonchalantly, “Is that so? I was mostly unconscious then, so I wouldn’t really know. Forgive me for that.”
As Shang Can intended to put an end to this farce, she turned and moved towards the bath barrel, feeling for her belt. Hearing Wan Shao emit a sound like she was about to faint, Shang Can couldn’t help but laugh, “If you don’t want to take advantage of me, just stand in the corner and face the wall. Think about how we ended up in this situation, or just leave. I won’t stop you; as long as you can find a reasonable excuse!”
Feeling as if she had been granted amnesty, Wan Shao hurriedly moved to the side, initially mumbling anxiously about how even if she hadn’t seen anything, being in the same room meant it couldn’t be completely denied, lamenting things like, “Oh, woe is me,” but eventually fell silent. Shang Can didn’t plan to tease her further and paused awkwardly, starting to undress.
Although Wan Shao was shouting like a defiant good woman, she was the one most victimized in this situation. Was she truly satisfied with this predicament? It wasn’t like she had much choice, being forced into this situation between Yun Duan and Wan Shao, leaving her no option but to choose this temporary fix.
The Shang Can who could confidently be the elder sister to Yun Duan had vanished, leaving only a version of herself plagued by unexpressed thoughts.
What a case of shooting oneself in the foot.
Shang Can lifted her hand to remove the white cloth before her eyes and cautiously touched her eyelids, silently sighing.
As she took off her first outer garment, a sudden sound came from the door, as if someone had opened and closed it.
Surely, Wan Shao couldn’t stand the atmosphere and had fled. Shang Can breathed a sigh of relief, feigning ignorance as she called out, “Wan Shao? What’s wrong? I think I heard something at the door.”
Sure enough, there was no response, and the room fell silent, as if only her presence remained.
Ah, she hoped that flower demon would hide well after escaping and not let Yun Duan find out about her fleeing; otherwise, questioning would be another headache. But perhaps this could be an opportunity? After all, during her stay here, she would need to bathe regularly; she couldn’t have this kind of scene every time, which wouldn’t be good for her mental health.
In a flash of determination, she resolved to sell out the escaping flower demon and use today’s experience to show Yun Duan that she could take care of herself. Shang Can happily submerged herself in the water, leaving only her clothes behind.
The water temperature was a bit high, and the hot water caused a pleasant yet gentle sting. Shang Can exhaled softly, awkwardly feeling around her back, guessing there might be a large bruise there.
It was probably left over from her fight with that Qin Yi guy. Shang Can frowned, that person was like a lingering ghost, speaking in vague terms, yet they knew all too well about the past she most wanted to avoid, deriving pleasure from it—what benefit did Qin Yi gain from this? What exactly did Qin Yi want?
Recalling the face of that person from the previous night, before she lost control, she couldn’t tell if Qin Yi’s expression had been one of joy or disgust, only that it was irritating.
She had no mind to consider the enemy’s motives now. Shang Can retracted her hand and leaned back wearily. Qin Yi must have sustained severe injuries under her hand recently; at least for a while, he should keep a low profile and wouldn’t dare to show up here again, revealing those old matters to… to Yun Duan.
Just the thought sent a wave of anxiety through her, and Shang Can rubbed her throbbing temples, temporarily brushing off these vague worries, reaching for the soap pods.
But her searching hand suddenly got caught.
Having her hand grabbed in what she thought was an empty room was a shocking experience. Shang Can jumped, nearly tipping the bath barrel over, and was saved just in time, as a familiar cold voice came from beside her.
“…What does A Can want? I’ll get it for you.”
“—”
Shang Can’s mind buzzed, falling into blankness. After a long moment, her first reaction was to pull her hand away forcefully, attempting to bury herself in the water as much as possible, and asked in as natural a tone as she could manage, “You… what are you doing here? Where’s Wan Shao?”
“I was in the yard and saw her sneak out of this room,” Yun Duan replied in a calm tone, unruffled. “I was worried A Can was alone, so I came to check.”
Well, isn’t that just the perfect way to complicate things!
She had run away, but to be caught red-handed! Shang Can’s head throbbed with anger as she was full of thoughts about how to deal with Wan Shao later, but she could only suppress her anger for now and respond to the crisis before her, forcing a dry laugh, “…Well, why didn’t you call out to me? You startled me.”
“…”
Yun Duan fell silent for a moment before softly saying, “When I came in, A Can was undressing, so I… didn’t say anything.”
Shang Can wanted nothing more than to bang her head against the bath barrel.
What is this? What on earth is happening? She fought against the impulse to bolt for the door, curling up in the bath barrel, feeling as if the water temperature had inexplicably risen several degrees, making her feel scorching hot and her head swim.
But she couldn’t faint here! Shang Can shuddered, grimacing as she marked a firm warning in her mind—if she passed out now, she would end up being fished out of the bath barrel by Yun Duan and brought back to her room!
And she wouldn’t be able to bathe by herself until her eyesight cleared up, just like now. Shang Can felt a deep sense of despair, thinking all her meticulous plans were for naught, not knowing what she had worked so hard for, just for a chance to deal with Wan Shao.
“…Yun Duan.” Sensing that this wasn’t a viable path, Shang Can spoke in a low voice, her tone unusually serious, “I… I’m not really used to someone watching me while I bathe. Could you… let me wash alone first?”
Oh, heavens above! This scene felt like a punishment, directly aimed at the unsavory thoughts in her heart.
In the past, Yun Duan would always listen when she spoke like this, but today was different. After a moment of silence, she didn’t move and suddenly asked, “If Wan Shao were here, would that be alright?”
Goodness, Yun Duan was being stubborn!
It had been years since she’d seen the usually polite and obedient Yun Duan act this way. In this critical moment, Shang Can felt a flicker of frustration at not being able to see him and earnestly babbled, “No, no, that won’t do! That’s why she left, right?”
“…”
It seemed she hadn’t convinced him. Yun Duan remained rooted in place, asking again, “When we were at Qing Yu, we bathed together. Why can’t we do that now?”
If only he knew that my feelings now were far from simple! If I opened up, those murky thoughts would probably cloud the water entirely. Shang Can maintained a calm facade, adopting an elder’s tone as she replied, “We were younger then; it’s not the same as now.”
Besides, it wasn’t comparable! Bathing together and washing someone else were two different things. Back then, we undressed together; now it’s just me undressing!
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Yun Duan’s reasoning was off. Trying to help him understand her feelings, she spoke earnestly, “Right now, I’m already relying on you for everything. I’m just someone who’s a nuisance to you — just let me finish. Even for these little daily matters, I don’t feel good about bothering you… Just try to empathize with me, okay?”
Yet, her words seemed to strike a nerve with Yun Duan. Instead of retreating, he pressed in, saying urgently, “I’ve never seen you as a nuisance.”
“I know, I know,” Shang Can instinctively shrank away from her, awkwardly saying, “But think about it. If we switched places, and it was you who had hurt your eyes, wouldn’t you feel embarrassed letting me help you bathe?”
Knowing Yun Duan responded better to gentleness than pressure, Shang Can spoke softly, despite her inner turmoil screaming like a boiling kettle. After a long pause, she finally heard a faint reply.
“…I would.”
What?
Yun Duan’s voice was too soft; Shang Can barely made out the two words. Just as she was about to question it, she heard Yun Duan repeat it softly.
“I would.”
His voice was gentle, almost ethereal, blending with the warm steam and floating lightly to Shang Can’s ears.
“I like you, Shang Can… Please take care of me more.”
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