Big Boss – Chapter 33

Her “deal”

The expression on Shi Li’s face suddenly became delicate. She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, raising an eyebrow at Ye Youqing and then lifting her chin.

Ye Youqing shook her head, about to suggest waiting for her to finish bathing before entering, but to her surprise, Shi Li reached out and pushed the door open, simultaneously pushing her inside.

The door behind her closed abruptly, causing Ye Youqing to stagger and steady herself. All she could see was a hazy mist of water ahead. The window beside her was covered with thin gauze and curtains, only allowing a faint light to seep through.

Below the window was a bathtub, with a woman sitting with her back towards her inside. She couldn’t see her facial expression, only the graceful curve of her back as she leaned softly against the edge of the tub. The mix of the round contours of her skin with her slender bones, illuminated by the dim light, exuded countless charms.

Ye Youqing suddenly felt something was amiss, yet couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong. She cleared her throat, allowing her voice to return after the momentary sensation as if she had an egg stuck in her throat.

In a low voice, she said, “I’ll wait for you to finish washing before coming in.”

As she was about to turn around, the woman in the bathtub suddenly spoke, her voice soft and pleasant with a touch of resignation, “Can you stay a little longer?”

“I’m scared.” Her voice trembled slightly, her jade shoulder moving forward as if recoiling.

A young woman going through such a bloody experience had every right to be afraid, Ye Youqing thought. After hesitating for a while, she finally took a step forward and stood in a place where she could only see the woman’s back.

Clearing her throat again, she said, “Then I’ll stand here.”

Inside the room, only the gushing sound of water remained. For some reason, Ye Youqing felt increasingly hot all over, especially her head, as if it had been thrown into a bonfire, crackling and burning.

“How did you find me?” Ci Ke’s voice came through, cutting through the layers of mist like in the tales of the Monkey King in the Cave of the Silken Web, bringing memories to Ye Youqing.

“Just happened to be passing by and saw you.” Ye Youqing replied.

A derisive laugh came, “Such heavy rain, and the Eldest Miss is in such a romantic mood.”

Ye Youqing awkwardly touched her nose.

“Do you worry about me?” Ci Ke suddenly turned around, her two lotus-hands emerging from the water, sparkling droplets cascading down, splashing on the floor as she placed her hands on the edge of the tub, lifting her upper body slightly, her gaze intense.

Ye Youqing shifted her gaze elsewhere and made a sound of acknowledgment.

She did not see the slight widening of Ci Ke’s eyes, as if she hadn’t expected the confirmation.

“Now that you are working beside me, I must be responsible for your safety. Moreover, how can you just run out without a word? What reason is there for this?” Ye Youqing frowned, walked over to the table and chairs on the side, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Ci Ke remained silent, simply gazing at Ye Youqing through the mist, then slowly stood up after a while, stepping out of the bathtub.

The play of light and shadow enveloped her body in a dreamy haze, and Ye Youqing suddenly felt her head throbbing even more. She twisted her head to the side again, unable to see Ci Ke anymore, yet the shadow on the wall was crystal clear to her.

The slender waist, the enchanting figure like a fairy in a painting, bare feet touching the ground as she walked to the screen to pick up her dry clothes.

Something didn’t quite feel right, Ye Youqing thought.

In truth, ever since Ci Ke went to the Duke’s residence, she had noticed that Ci Ke seemed somewhat peculiar compared to before. However, she had brushed it off as the necessity of restraint when under someone else’s roof and hadn’t dwelled on it further.

At this moment, that semblance of normalcy seemed to have been shattered.

“Eldest Miss, have some tea.” Ci Ke’s voice rang out from behind, accompanied by the fragrance of bathing. A hand reached for the teacup on the table, but Ye Youqing hurriedly grabbed her wrist, feeling a chill as cold as ice in that wrist.

She had just come out of the hot water, why was it so cold? A question crossed Ye Youqing’s mind, but before she could speak, Ci Ke set down the teacup and sat down beside her.

Her clothing partially revealed her delicate figure, her hair still damp, droplets trickling down her shoulders, the fabric clinging tightly to her body.

The woman’s body leaned forward slightly, a certain…

Ye Youqing abruptly stood up, wrapping the clothes that had been dried by her body warmth tightly around herself. She turned in place, then finally sat on the bed with a sensation of something foreign stuck in her throat growing clearer, her mind feeling somewhat hazy and heavy.

“What’s going on here?” Ye Youqing spoke up, her tea-colored eyes blinking as she fixed her cool gaze on Ci Ke.

“It’s Qin Wang,” Ci Ke replied. “He wants to kill me.”

Just as Ye Youqing had suspected, she placed her hand on the edge of the bed, her slender fingers lightly tapping, “Why does he want to kill you?”

“He wants this.” Ci Ke gestured towards the scattered papers beside the bathtub. “These are the evidence that can expose his lies from years ago.”

As she spoke, her gaze turned fierce and filled with resentment.

Ye Youqing felt the pain in her head intensify, instinctively reaching to press her temples, her gaze shifting towards those few sheets of paper, and she questioned, “If they are so important, why were they thrown on the ground?”

“I rewrote them. If he snatched them, it wouldn’t matter.” Ci Ke suddenly curved her lips, rising and walking to Ye Youqing’s side. Startled, Ye Youqing attempted to move away, but Ci Ke unexpectedly grasped her shoulder, applying gentle pressure, causing Ye Youqing to sink softly back down.

Why did she feel so weak? Just as she pondered, Ci Ke’s face loomed larger before her eyes.

Everything before her blurred, a sense of spinning world overwhelming Ye Youqing’s body. The only thing she managed to do was to support herself, preventing herself from collapsing onto the bed.

“You should rest. We’ll discuss this tomorrow,” Ye Youqing spoke, her voice seeming trapped in her chest, echoing as if from the distant sky.

“I don’t want to be alone; I’m somewhat afraid,” Ci Ke whispered, sitting down with her body closely leaning against Ye Youqing. Cold yet soft to the touch, Ye Youqing heard her own heartbeat as if echoing from the distant sky.

“I’m scared too.” Ye Youqing wanted to cry but couldn’t find the tears, so she desperately tried to change the subject.

“Did you injure the pursuers?” Ye Youqing asked.

“I only injured one. I hid in the courtyard, and the others didn’t notice, except for one who saw the bloodstains and followed me.”

“He wanted to take credit for capturing me without informing the others, planning to hand me to Qin Wang. So, he tried to bind me. As I struggled, I used a hairpin to injure him,” Ci Ke explained softly.

The injury seems quite severe. Ye Youqing nodded and reached out to touch Ci Ke’s shoulder, gently pushing her away.

“I’m leaving,” Ye Youqing said.

“Ye Youqing.” Ci Ke suddenly spoke, her breath fragrant like orchids, her eyes resembling the shimmering light under the morning sun, captivating and alluring.

After dropping the formalities, calling out Ye Youqing’s name always gave a tingling sensation.

“I have something to ask of you. The situation is urgent, and I can’t ask anyone else for help.” Ci Ke said, and at this moment, she seemed to be struggling, slowly clenching her clothes.

“I want to make a deal with you,” she said.

Another wave of dizziness rushed to her head, Ye Youqing felt like a boiling teapot, steam escaping from several openings simultaneously. Hurriedly standing up, her steps felt airy, “It’s not necessary.”

Could it be her slip of the tongue that truly led Ci Ke to misunderstand? Ye Youqing’s mind felt like a muddle, prompting her to retreat repeatedly.

“Aren’t you no longer disgusted by me?” Ci Ke’s beautifully furrowed brows as she took a step closer.

“Yes, but I don’t like women,” Ye Youqing hastily explained, perhaps from the sudden rise earlier, a surge of black mist suddenly engulfed her vision.

“What?” Ci Ke didn’t catch it clearly.

“I said I…”

Before the second half of the sentence could be spoken, the black mist completely occupied her vision, only able to vaguely see the outline of Ci Ke before her body went weak, collapsing into a fragrant embrace.

She actually fainted!

The black mist persisted above her head, and in a daze, Ye Youqing felt someone lift her up and place her on the bed.

“Ci Ke, what have you done to Xiaoqing? Why is she so feverish?” Shi Li smacked her lips with interest.

After a moment of silence, a cool palm covered her forehead.

Then, Ci Ke’s voice came, “She caught a cold.”

The sounds of hands and fists striking followed, “Oh no, she got rained on with you, and I forgot to remind her to drink some warming tonic, she didn’t even change out of her wet clothes.”

Rustling noises were heard, as someone tucked another blanket over her.

“It seems she won’t be able to return to the Duke’s residence today. I’ll ask Ah Gou to inform Qin Xin, and we’ll rest here for now,” Shi Li said, as the sound of the door closing echoed.

She was running a fever, Ye Youqing thought hazily. In modern times, she rarely fell ill, so she hadn’t noticed. She just attributed it to some haunting memories.

It appeared that her body was not as resilient as Shi Li’s.

Someone’s arm passed through her shoulders, lifting her upper body, a cold cloth placed on her forehead. Then a warm bowl came close to her mouth. Ye Youqing unconsciously took a sip, but the bitter taste wrinkled her brow. Dazedly, she ended up vomiting all the medicine she had drunk.

A soft exclamation, a trembling arm behind her, the medicine bowl was set aside, and a clean cloth wiped away the medicine stains from both of them.

“Drink up,” Ci Ke’s voice came through.

Ye Youqing rarely fell ill, and even when she did, there was no one to care for her.

This unexpected warmth blossomed in her heart.

“You have a high fever, if you don’t take the medicine, you might risk your life,” Ci Ke lowered her voice and poured the medicine into her mouth. Ye Youqing endured the bitter taste and swallowed.

The warm broth passed through her esophagus, and Ye Youqing once again drifted into slumber.

After an unknown period, the rooster’s crow echoed, and Ye Youqing only opened her eyes then. Her slightly hazy gaze squinted towards the window still covered by the curtains, being gradually illuminated by the sunlight, slowly clearing up.

The fragrance of Ci Ke lingered in the room, along with some lingering dampness. Her head no longer felt as heavy, but still ached, causing a slight dizziness with every movement.

Peeling off the now completely dry cloth from her forehead, Ye Youqing casually tossed it aside. Then, as she shifted her stiff body, she suddenly realized that her arm was being pressed by someone, already feeling a bit numb.

A wave of heat suddenly rushed to her cheeks, freezing Ye Youqing in place. She reached out to touch herself, only to realize she was only clad in undergarments.

And in her embrace, her back facing her, the woman whom she held tightly was similarly only in an undershirt, her delicate and graceful swan-like neck fully exposed before her.

Ye Youqing’s eyes widened slightly, subconsciously uttered a cry of surprise, and with a swift motion, she kicked the still-sleeping woman off the bed.

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