Chapter 24 : Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Bath Time
The bathroom was filled with mist.
Even though it was summer, Zhao Mingyue had deliberately turned on the warm lighting, causing the temperature in the bathroom to become quite high.
She was intentionally taking care of Bai Yu, hoping that this method might make her feel warmer—even if only for a short time.
Standing in the bathroom, Zhao Mingyue removed the thin jacket she was wearing and placed it into the basket. Underneath, she wore a white short-sleeved shirt. Perhaps because the shirt was a size too small, it clung tightly to her body, perfectly outlining the curves of her upper figure.
Zhao Mingyue was not very old—barely past her teens, perhaps not even twenty yet. But her figure was already remarkably good. Her curves were striking without appearing exaggerated or unbalanced. Her waist was slender enough to be grasped in one hand. Her neck was long and elegant like a swan’s. Her skin was smooth and fair like polished jade.
The bathroom was extremely hot, and Zhao Mingyue’s cheeks were damp with sweat.
She gently grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it off. Then she carefully removed her convenience store work pants as well.
Two long, straight legs appeared plainly in Bai Yu’s view.
Bai Yu had seen countless things in her existence as a ghost. She had even killed many seductive women in the past. Although she had never studied their bodies, she could say with certainty that none of them could compare to Zhao Mingyue in either appearance or figure.
Heaven only knew why a girl barely in her teens possessed such a perfect body.
If she had a little more flesh, she would look plump. If she had a little less, she would seem too thin. Yet every proportion was exactly right—so perfect that it made others feel envy and jealousy.
It made one think that heaven was unfair, placing such a carefully crafted masterpiece among ordinary mass-produced people.
Bai Yu lowered her head to glance at her own chest, then looked again at Zhao Mingyue’s.
Her brows knitted slightly.
For some reason, she felt a strange sense of defeat.
What was more noteworthy was that despite Zhao Mingyue’s perfect figure, she did not give off an overly mature or seductive aura.
Instead, she carried the youthful innocence of a girl.
After all, Zhao Mingyue was still just a high school student.
At this moment, Zhao Mingyue placed her hands behind her back, reaching for the clasp of her bra.
Suddenly she sensed something and turned her head toward Bai Yu.
“Um… are you going to take off your clothes too? Do you need help?”
Her cheeks were flushed red.
Even someone with Zhao Mingyue’s carefree personality could not help feeling embarrassed when someone watched her undress.
She lightly bit her lower lip. Her eyes shimmered faintly as if rippling with water. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she blinked.
“Hey, Bai Yu?”
Bai Yu looked up.
Without making any visible movement, the blood-stained white dress on her body slipped off automatically. It fell to the ground and dissolved into countless strands of blood-red threads that vanished into the cracks of the floor.
“No need,” Bai Yu said softly.
The atmosphere in the bathroom gradually changed.
Even Zhao Mingyue felt awkward.
And to Bai Yu, the feeling was even stranger—something she had never experienced before.
Her heart felt like it was beating rapidly.
Of course, she could not blush. She had no blood.
To be precise, she did not even have a heart. Whether a heart beat or not made little difference to her.
Yet the strange sensation still appeared.
At that moment, the two pairs of eyes quietly observed each other.
Compared to Zhao Mingyue’s figure, Bai Yu’s body was far more slender.
Zhao Mingyue always called her “big sister,” but judging by body type alone, Zhao Mingyue was the one who fit that role.
Bai Yu would look more like the younger sister.
There was no helping it. In that regard, Bai Yu was completely outmatched.
Even after removing her dress, Bai Yu was not directly exposed.
Her body was still wrapped in layers of bandages. Like the dress, those bandages were merely formed from blood threads.
Barefoot, Bai Yu walked to the bathtub.
She lifted her left foot and cautiously placed it into the steaming hot water.
She had no idea how a ghost’s body would react to soaking in hot water.
When her foot entered the water, however, the only sensation she felt was cold.
Still cold.
A trace of disappointment flashed through her eyes as she turned her back to Zhao Mingyue.
It seemed this method did not work.
The cold within a ghost came from deep within the soul itself. Hot water could not alleviate it.
From behind her came Zhao Mingyue’s nervous voice.
“Is it working?”
Bai Yu hesitated for half a second. She glanced back at Zhao Mingyue and nodded.
“Yes.”
“That’s good. As long as it works.”
Zhao Mingyue smiled—a sweet, genuine smile.
Bai Yu turned back and stepped fully into the tub, slowly lowering herself into the water.
But to her, the bath felt less like hot water and more like an icy spring.
The bandages on her body gradually loosened, revealing her true form beneath.
Her skin was completely devoid of color—terrifyingly pale, faintly tinged with blue. Black lines spread across her body, resembling veins but looking more like cracks.
Bai Yu turned her head away and stopped watching Zhao Mingyue undress.
At that moment she found herself wondering why she had agreed to such a foolish thing.
She had never heard of a ghost needing to take a bath.
“It’s to build a closer relationship with Zhao Mingyue and complete the mission.”
That was what Bai Yu told herself.
To convince herself further, she repeated it several times in her mind.
Just then, Bai Yu suddenly felt another foot step into the water behind her.
Zhao Mingyue placed her hands on Bai Yu’s shoulders and stepped into the bathtub as well.
The tub was large enough, and Bai Yu’s body was small enough, that the two of them could fit together.
But the position was rather awkward.
After entering the tub, Zhao Mingyue sat behind Bai Yu.
Bai Yu was almost sitting on Zhao Mingyue’s legs, leaning back into her arms, gently held in an embrace.
She hardly dared to lean back.
If she did, the startling sensation behind her would make her flustered.
She was not stupid. She knew exactly what she would be leaning against.
“Your body is still so cold. Will this help?”
Bai Yu had been trying to avoid contact, but Zhao Mingyue instead pulled her into an embrace.
Only then did Bai Yu understand why Zhao Mingyue insisted on bathing together.
She wanted to use her own body warmth—what people called “human warmth”—to warm Bai Yu.
And surprisingly, when Zhao Mingyue held her like that, Bai Yu actually felt a faint trace of warmth.
“Mingyue, if you keep holding me like this, something might happen.”
“Do you mean I’ll have bad luck? I’ve heard that if humans get too close to ghosts, they become unlucky. But it’s fine. I’m already unlucky enough. If I were truly a lucky person, my family wouldn’t have suffered what they did. So I’m basically a jinx already. A little more bad luck doesn’t matter.”
Zhao Mingyue spoke softly beside Bai Yu’s ear.
“No. I meant that if this continues, you might catch a cold tomorrow.”
“…Oh.”
Zhao Mingyue scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“Let go. The hot water is enough.”
“Alright.”
After that, the room fell quiet.
Bai Yu did not know what to say. Zhao Mingyue also remained silent.
After a long moment, Zhao Mingyue spoke again.
“Bai Yu, you know something? Even though we met through something so terrifying, I don’t regret entering that world. Actually, I’m grateful for the mission that night.”
“Why?”
“Because it allowed me to meet you.”
“Aren’t you afraid of me?”
“No. I’m not.”
“My instincts tell me that we’ll become very, very good friends. Thank you for saving my life, and thank you for giving me a sense of safety.”
Zhao Mingyue gently tidied Bai Yu’s messy hair.
She was surprised that she could truly touch a ghost’s body.
Bai Yu was so cute, yet she was covered in blood and her hair was in disarray. If Zhao Mingyue could help tidy her up, then even as a ghost she would still be an adorable fierce ghost.
Fortunately for Zhao Mingyue, Bai Yu did not know what she was thinking.
Otherwise she would have fled immediately.
A fierce ghost should look like a fierce ghost.
Being cute would completely destroy the intimidation.
“Mingyue.”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t know what’s going on inside your head. Do you know what you’re doing? We’ve only known each other for two days.”
“Of course I know.”
“But so what? You’re good to me, so I’m good to you. If one day you really want to kill me, maybe when you remember how well I treated you, you’ll hesitate and spare me.”
Zhao Mingyue said it half-jokingly.
Bai Yu said nothing.
She admitted that she could not understand this girl at all.
No matter how carefree someone was, they should not behave like this.
Was Zhao Mingyue really not afraid?
Why did she trust her so much?
Bai Yu truly could not understand.