167: Bai Jie, who was suffering greatly

After dinner,

Bai Jie helped Sister Qin with the dishes, her movements somewhat absent-minded.

Her gaze kept drifting involuntarily towards the living room—

where Xiao Qian was practically glued to Li Zhan's side, chattering animatedly about amusing things from school.

Li Zhan, lounging lazily on the sofa, listened with a trace of indulgent smile at the corner of his mouth,

occasionally reaching out to ruffle Xiao Qian's hair.

That picture of intimate closeness made the strange feeling in Bai Jie's heart grow even stronger.

She had seen the subtle, undercurrent tension of mature attraction between Li Zhan and Sister Qin before,

but seeing him with Xiao Qian now...

Was this just overly close sibling affection,

or...?

She didn't dare think too deeply about it,

only feeling her ears growing hot again, and quickly lowered her head to focus on wiping the quartz countertop.

Once everything was tidied up, Sister Qin yawned,

"It's been a long day. I'm going to take a shower first."

With that, she took her pajamas and went into the bathroom.

Xiao Qian jumped up, exclaiming,

"I want to shower too! Mom, hurry up!"

Then she continued pestering Li Zhan to watch TV with her.

Bai Jie quietly returned to the guest room that was temporarily hers, sitting at the desk but unable to read a single word.

Outside the window, the night grew deeper,

and her heart was in turmoil.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom, first from Sister Qin, then from Xiao Qian.

She heard Xiao Qian finish her shower, humming a tune as she ran back to her own room.

A little while later, the sound of the TV in the living room also stopped.

She heard Li Zhan get up, his footsteps heading towards the bathroom.

Not long after, the sound of water started again in the bathroom.

Bai Jie felt her mouth go dry and was about to get up to pour a glass of water,

when she suddenly heard a very faint sound, distinctly different from the water flow.

It sounded like... suppressed panting and a certain rhythmic...

The sound seemed to come vaguely from the direction of the bathroom.

Her heart gave a sudden leap, an unbelievable suspicion flooding her mind.

Holding her breath, as if guided by some unseen force, she opened her door ever so slightly,

creating a narrow crack.

The sound became clearer!

Mingled with the rushing water,

was a girl'sSuppressing it as much as possible, and a man's heavy panting... unmistakably...

Bai Jie clapped a hand over her own mouth,

eyes wide with shock, her heart pounding wildly, almost leaping out of her chest!

So it was true! They... Li Zhan and Xiao Qian... they really were...!

Did Sister Qin know?

The thought sent a chill down her spine.

Just then,

she seemed to faintly hear an extremely subtle sound from the master bedroom next door too—a rustle like someone turning over, or perhaps a sigh.

Sister Qin...

was also awake?

Had she heard it too?

Bai Jie flinched as if burned,

quickly pulling back into her room and gently closing the door.

Leaning against the door, she gasped for breath, her face burning.

The blush-inducing sounds from the bathroom seemed to still echo in her ears,

bizarrely overlapping with the memory of that chaotic, shameful dream of hers,

making her whole body restless with heat, an unfamiliar sense of emptiness spreading from deep within her abdomen.

After what felt like an eternity,

the sounds of water and movement from the bathroom finally ceased completely.

Extremely faint, stealthy footsteps sounded in the hallway, as if someone was sneaking back to their room.

The night grew deeper still.

Bai Jie lay in bed, wide awake,

the restlessness in her body and the chaotic images in her mind making her toss and turn.

Finally unable to bear it, she quietly got up again and peeked out through the crack in the door.

The hallway was silent. The bathroom door was open, dark inside, clearly empty now.

Like a thief,

she tiptoed into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

Turning on the cold water, she tried to douse the flames in her body and the turmoil in her thoughts.

The icy stream flowed over her feverish skin, bringing a shiver, but it couldn't calm the storm within.

After finishing her shower,

she felt slightly calmer and was about to hurry back to her room,

when suddenly, another extremely faint yet unmistakably clear sound of a woman suppressing...

drifted out from the crack under the door of Sister Qin's master bedroom...!

A thought chilled her to the bone:

Could they...

Yet it was accompanied by a bizarre, scorching heat...

She stood frozen in place, unable to move,

feeling only that this night, this house,

was filled with suffocating yet irresistible, twisted and blazing secrets.

She didn't know how she made it back to her room,

only that her heart hammered like a drum, keeping her awake the entire night,

those intertwined, blush-inducing sounds replaying over and over in her ears.

——

Early the next morning,

sunlight streamed through the dining room window, falling on the wooden table covered with a clean tablecloth.

On the table were the simple congee, side dishes, fried eggs, and steamed buns Sister Qin had prepared early, emitting the warm, homely aroma of a family meal.

Li Zhan, wearing a set of dark silk pajamas, sat composedly at the head of the table,

sipping his congee unhurriedly, as if this were his own home.

He had emerged from Xiao Qian's room—this fact,

everyone at the table was keenly aware of, yet maintained a strange, unspokentacit agreement and silence.

Xiao Qian's face bore a flush of having been thoroughly... nourished, her eyes bright,

wearing cute loungewear, she animatedly served Li Zhan food,

occasionally stealing glances at him, full of a young girl's shyness and attachment.

Sister Qin, dressed in decentloungewear, busied herself bringing over the warmed milk.

She looked in good spirits, her features carrying the lush, mature charm unique to a woman of her age,

though when her gaze occasionally met Li Zhan's, a trace of imperceptibly complex emotion would flicker through,

quickly masked again,

replaced by an almost indulgent look as she watched her daughter's interaction with Li Zhan.

Teacher Bai Jie sat beside Xiao Qian, head bowed, taking small sips of her congee, but the food was tasteless.

She wore a high-necked sweater, trying to cover marks that likely didn't exist,

but her reddened ears and occasionally trembling eyelashes betrayed her extremely unsettled state.

She hardly dared to look up at Li Zhan.

The prolonged, suppressed yet clearly discernible panting and... from the bathroom last night,

and later, the faint sounds from Sister Qin's room—those belonging to a mature woman, more drawn-out and restless...

like aEar-piercing noise, replayed in her mind again and again,It challenged her established beliefs and moral values..

She had finally confirmed that terrifying yet... alluring suspicion...

This discovery made her heart race with fear,

yet it was accompanied by a secret thrill and curiosity that she herself found shameful.

From time to time, she would dart a quick, sidelong glance at Li Zhan.

He was socalm, so composed, as if last night'sabsurd things had nothing to do with him.

His handsome profile looked especially captivating in the morning light, his solid chest faintly visible beneath his pajamas...

Bai Jie's heartbeat quickened involuntarily, and she hurriedly lowered her head,

pretending to focus on the congee in her bowl, but felt her cheeks burning.

She remembered that... dream again, and the frighteningly real sensations from it...

Li Zhan naturally noticed Bai Jie's evasive yet curious gaze.

He chuckled inwardly, knowing themovement he'dIntentionally made last night had achieved the desired effect.

This dignified, reserved Teacher Bai,

was clearly plunged into great confusion and a certain unspeakable agony.

He remained impassive, even deliberately, while handing a tissue to Sister Qin,

letting his fingertips 'accidentally' brush lightly against the back of her hand.

Seeing Sister Qin's ears redden slightly,

he turned to Xiao Qian as if nothing had happened, asking softly if she wanted to go shopping with him today.

All these subtle interactions were keenlyCaptured by the unsettled Bai Jie.

She felt like an intruder,

who had stumbled upon a shocking secret,

yet wasInvisibly drawn in this vortex of desire and taboo.

Restless, she just wanted this suffocating breakfast to end quickly.

"I... I'm finished eating.

I have something to do today, I need to go out..."

Bai Jie almosthastily stood up, her voice trembling slightly.

Not daring to meet anyone's eyes, she kept her head down and hurriedly left the dining room.

Watching her almost fleeingBack view,

a barely perceptible smile curled at the corner of Li Zhan's mouth.

The prey's heart was already in disarray.

The agony had only just begun.

He had plenty of patience...