Pinning Her Archenemy Against the Bathroom Wall

After Lu Xiaoxiao returned home that evening, she sat in her room and waited quietly for the system to issue a task.

By this time on previous days, 037 would have jumped out to hurry her along.

Today, it was unusually quiet.

"037?"

There was no response. Panic gripped Lu Xiaoxiao. She waited a few more seconds, and just as she was about to ask again, a voice finally sounded in her head, its tone unusually flat: [You and your archenemy seemed to be getting along so well that I, an emotionless system, felt embarrassed to interrupt.]

Lu Xiaoxiao froze for a moment, then remarked, "When did you learn to tease people?"

037 said calmly, [I always knew how. You just never noticed.]

"Then tell me," Lu Xiaoxiao asked softly, leaning against the headboard, "who was it that got me killed?"

As if it hadn't heard her, 037 changed the subject: [Task 17: Pin your archenemy against the bathroom wall for five minutes. Countdown: 14 minutes and 59 seconds.]

Lu Xiaoxiao: "..."

She sighed inwardly. Forget it. Completing the task came first.

Shao Enci was staying in the guest room at the very end of the hall. Lu Xiaoxiao crept out of her room, afraid someone in the family would catch her.

The hallway lights were off, and only a sliver of light spilled from beneath the door at the far end.

She walked up to the door, but the moment she put her hand on the handle, she bumped into a warm wall.

She looked up to find Lu Jiayan standing in front of her, his face frighteningly cold.

He had just brought Shao Enci a change of clothes and, on his way out, had run into his sister, looking as guilty as a thief.

He leaned lazily against the doorframe and lifted his chin. "Lu Xiaoxiao, go back now, and I won't call Mom and Dad."

"I just want to say something to him." As she spoke, she looked past his shoulder. The bathroom light was on, and the sound of running water hadn't stopped.

Lu Jiayan didn't move aside. He reached out and pressed his index finger against her forehead, pushing her half a step back. "You're a girl. Can't you be a little more modest?"

"I know."

"You know, and you're still sneaking into a man's room?"

Lu Xiaoxiao opened her mouth but couldn't find the right words.

037 announced the time in her head: [Countdown: 9 minutes and 58 seconds.]

She looked away and obediently turned around. "Forget it. I can just send him a message."

She took two steps, still able to feel Lu Jiayan's gaze on her back. After a few seconds, she heard his footsteps as he turned and went back to his room.

Three minutes later, the sound of a door closing came from next door.

Lu Xiaoxiao waited a few more seconds in the dark, then pushed the door open, slipped inside, and locked it behind her.

The water was still running in the bathroom. She had no time to be shy and braced herself as she went forward.

Fortunately, the door wasn't locked.

When she pushed the bathroom door open, a wave of steam rushed over her.

Shao Enci had just turned off the shower. Hearing the noise, he paused, then pulled on the pajamas beside him. He hadn't wiped the droplets from his skin, and the dark gray cotton fabric grew damp and clung to his shoulders, back, and waist, outlining their contours.

Before he could turn around, the girl had already walked up to him. She raised her hand, pushed him back half a step, and pinned him against the wall.

Her palm pressed against the skin below his collarbone, and the heat made her fingertips curl.

Shao Enci looked down at her in shock. Droplets fell from the strands of hair over his forehead and struck the floor tiles, the sound especially clear in the small bathroom.

The air instantly grew charged with intimacy.

The steam mingled with the scent of body wash, which didn't smell as good as the mint and locust blossom fragrance on him. When she lowered her head, she happened to see a droplet hanging from his collarbone. It slid down his skin and disappeared beneath his collar.

Lu Xiaoxiao was pressed too close to see the abs beneath his clothes. She could only vaguely feel something in front of him... pressing against her. Inexperienced as she was, she frowned in innocent confusion and blurted out, "Why did you bring your phone into the shower?"

She simply thought it was a phone.

When her words fell, desire lurked in the young man's deep black eyes. His palm braced against the cold wall, every vein standing out on the back of his hand.

"Why do you always choose a time like this to come in?" His thin lips parted, and his voice was huskier than usual, as if soaked in steam.

Lu Xiaoxiao didn't answer. She moved her hand from his collarbone and braced it against the cold wall.

Seeing this, the young man's breathing quickened, and his voice took on a seductive allure. "Do you have any idea how hard it is for me not to touch you when you're like this?"

Every syllable sounded as though it had been squeezed from his throat, making her ears tingle.

The bathroom fell silent for two seconds. She could feel his breathing grow heavier.

The sound of Lu Xiaoxiao's heartbeat filled her ears, and her mind was a complete mess. Clutching the hem of her clothes, she said, "Just stay like this for two minutes. I'll leave as soon as the time's up."

037 was counting down in her head: [Time remaining for the task: 1 minute and 53 seconds.]

She held her breath and tried to talk herself through it: Lu Xiaoxiao, don't panic. Stay steady.

Shao Enci's breathing grew heavier and heavier, his chest heaving violently. The corners of his eyes burned, and his voice was low. "You're pressing on me. It hurts."

Lu Xiaoxiao's eyelashes fluttered. She shifted her body, then suddenly realized what it was, and her cheeks flushed bright red.

Her cheeks scarlet, she stammered in a fluster, "S... sorry, I... I didn't mean to..."

Shao Enci held himself back so hard that the veins over his cheekbones throbbed. Hot breath spilled from his nose and brushed her ear as he said hoarsely, "If you don't get off me, we'll both be done for tonight."

He closed his eyes for a moment, as if holding something back.

Just then, 037 sounded in her head: [Congratulations, Xiaoxiao, on completing task 17. Task 18: Tease your archenemy in the guest room and hook a finger into his waistband. Countdown: 19 minutes and 59 seconds.]

Lu Xiaoxiao hurriedly pulled away from him, her whole face flushed red. She turned and ran out, moving as fast as if someone were chasing her.

Shao Enci watched the girl flee in disarray, and only then did his body, taut to the limit, relax a little.

He walked to the sink, cupped cold water in his hands, and splashed it on his face repeatedly, trying to suppress the heat surging through him.

He lifted his head and glanced at the mirror. The corners of his eyes were still red, so he cupped another handful of cold water and splashed it on his face.

Shao Enci stood at the sink washing his face for nearly ten minutes, over and over, until his breathing steadied. Only then did he head out.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he looked up and saw the girl sitting demurely on one side of the foot of his bed, rubbing her palms together in helpless confusion.

He paused. "You didn't leave?"

She didn't dare look him in the eye. Biting her lip, she let her gaze wander, avoiding his. "...I came tonight mainly because I needed to ask you something."

"What was so urgent?" Shao Enci picked up a bath towel and dried his wet hair. He raised his eyes to look at her, one corner of his mouth curling. "You had to come find me late at night while I was showering?"

Lu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, stood up, and summoned the courage to walk over to him. Her gaze fixed on his lean waist and abdomen, she pointed and said, "I just wanted to ask, could you let me hook a finger into your waistband?"

Shao Enci: "?"

He set the bath towel aside. His tall figure blocked the light from her face. His eyelids flickered, and his lips curled as he asked lazily in a low voice:

"Lu Xiaoxiao, so you forced me to stay the night because it would make it easier for you to make a move on me?"