WMSR — QT Chapter 73

Chapter 73

To this, Fang Ruoming had long since prepared a response, claiming simply that he wanted to express gratitude for saving his father, and therefore wished to do a bit extra. Massaging a paralyzed patient more frequently carried absolute benefits and zero drawbacks.

Having received Wang Dazhi's explanation—coupled with Wang Dazhi's deeply ingrained impression of stellar reliability over this period and zero anomalies captured on the surveillance footage—Xu Jiangzhe ultimately let the matter drop with a gentle wave.

Seeing that Xu Jiangzhe was no longer pursuing the issue, Fang Ruoming let out a massive sigh of relief. In truth, he knew his unauthorized deviation carried considerable risk; writing directly onto the legs that received daily massages would actually have been the method least likely to arouse suspicion.

However, as a professional caregiver, he naturally knew that due to the nature of Bai Yichen's paralysis, his legs lacked normal tactile and thermal sensitivity. Even if messages were written across his skin, it would be extremely difficult for him to perceive them. Having successfully dodged Xu Jiangzhe's scrutiny, Fang Ruoming felt a surge of exhilaration. He had finally established contact right under Xu Jiangzhe's nose; the next step was figuring out how to successfully execute a rescue.

That evening, after meticulously feeding Bai Yichen his dinner, Xu Jiangzhe abruptly yanked back the thin quilt covering Bai Yichen, bending down to scoop him straight up into his arms.

Suspended suddenly in mid-air, Bai Yichen instinctively reached out to grab the fabric of Xu Jiangzhe's shirt, casting a tense, nervous gaze toward him: "What are you doing?"

"I'll give you a bath tonight," Xu Jiangzhe said, smiling warmly down at Bai Yichen. Though his tone mimicked a consultative negotiation, the underlying decision brooked zero disagreement.

Hearing those words, Bai Yichen knitted his brows slightly but remained silent.

Observing Bai Yichen's expression, Xu Jiangzhe couldn't resist stealing a quick, secretive kiss against his cheek before setting him down to go run the bathwater in the bathroom.

Although Xu Jiangzhe had hired a caregiver for Bai Yichen, he had only relinquished responsibilities he was willing to let go of—such as routine nursing massages and daytime physiological assistances. When it came to intimate tasks like sponge baths and personal bathing, Xu Jiangzhe had zero intention of letting anyone else lay a hand on him; no matter how swamped he was during the day, he invariably reserved those duties for himself upon returning home.

After filling the bathtub with a generous volume of temperature-regulated water, Xu Jiangzhe returned to the bedroom, gently peeling away Bai Yichen's silk nightrobe. Scooping the warm, fragile form into his arms, he fought back a wave of reluctance and lowered him carefully into the tub.

Once inside the bathtub, Bai Yichen gripped the edges with both hands, turning his head to stare rigidly at the wall: "You can leave now."

Xu Jiangzhe was deeply reluctant to depart, but remembering his grand strategy to genuinely win over Ziqian, he swallowed hard as his gaze lingered over the breathtaking scenery before him, finally turning on his heel to exit.

Watching Xu Jiangzhe's retreating silhouette reflect against the wall, Bai Yichen exhaled a massive sigh of relief and finally relaxed into his bath.

When Bai Yichen finished cleansing himself, despite his extreme reluctance, he had no choice but to call out for Xu Jiangzhe. True to form, the moment a sound escaped Bai Yichen's lips, Xu Jiangzhe materialized instantly, wearing his signature gentlemanly predator smile and holding a pre-warmed, oversized bath towel to scoop the wet figure right out of the tub.

Even though Xu Jiangzhe had to restrain himself and project an aura of gentlemanly restraint to execute his courtship strategy toward the Ziqian he desperately wanted to devour whole, sneaking a few minor perks along the way remained fair game.

Case in point: carrying Bai Yichen out of the bathroom, Xu Jiangzhe bypassed the bed entirely, sitting straight down on the mattress with Bai Yichen securely draped across his lap as he unrolled a towel to begin wiping him down.

Bai Yichen was acutely aware of Xu Jiangzhe's intentions. However, since Xu Jiangzhe had already conceded a step during the bath itself, Bai Yichen weighed his options and chose to compromise on this relatively minor battleground. Living under someone else's roof meant bowing one's head when necessary; survival was cruel, and while he could stubbornly resist, he feared triggering Xu Jiangzhe's temper and killing the man's mood for his little pursuit game. Closing his eyes tightly, Bai Yichen simply prayed for those agonizing minutes to fly by.

In stark contrast to Bai Yichen's desperate desire to fast-forward through time, Xu Jiangzhe hoped this exquisite moment would stretch out indefinitely. Wielding the towel with painstaking slowness, he meticulously dried every inch of the figure cradled in his lap as though inspecting a conquered territory—sweeping from his neck and chest down to those slender, graceful legs, leaving no square inch untouched.

When he reached those beautiful legs, Xu Jiangzhe finally lost his self-control; sliding his hand beneath the towel, his fingertips brushed against the warm skin, tracing a slow, lingering path upward.

While stealthily petting those legs, Xu Jiangzhe kept his eyes locked onto the face of the man resting in his arms, knowing that since Bai Yichen's legs had lost normal tactile sensitivity following his paralysis, such covert caresses would go completely unnoticed unless witnessed directly. As he stroked the skin, he mentally chastised himself for being such a wicked bully.

Yet, seeing Ziqian reduced to such an utterly defenseless, unresisting state stirred an almost overwhelming desire to bully him. If not for his long-term plan... how could he possibly have practiced this level of endurance until now?

Consumed by these dark impulses, Xu Jiangzhe felt utterly bewitched; lowering his gaze toward the slender, powerless leg he had propped up, he leaned forward and pressed his lips directly against the skin.

While Bai Yichen's tactile sensitivity was heavily impaired, he was hardly a corpse. A moment later, sensing something severely amiss, he snapped his eyes open and his face darkened instantly: "Xu! Jiang! Zhe!"

Amidst Bai Yichen's furious outburst, Xu Jiangzhe lifted his head with a look of profound, lingering regret, offering a soft chuckle as he smoothly deflected: "It smells so good. Is that lavender today?"

Bai Yichen knew Xu Jiangzhe was referring to the massage essential oil, but he harbored zero desire to converse, staring at him with a gaze carved out of pure ice.

Under that piercing glare, Xu Jiangzhe finally deposited him back onto the mattress, pulling the quilt up to tuck him in securely as an implicit gesture of apology.

Knowing he had zero leverage to demand true justice under these conditions, Bai Yichen simply tugged the blanket tight, turned his back to face away from Xu Jiangzhe, and fell into stony silence.

Watching Bai Yichen sulk, Xu Jiangzhe only found his Ziqian infinitely more adorable.

The following day, Fang Ruoming arrived at the scheduled hour to commence Bai Yichen's nursing massage, but the moment he went to lift those legs onto the pristine white towel, he froze dead in his tracks.