Tastes Like Lactic Acid Bacteria

"Older than me?" Cao Xue was slightly stunned. Once she processed it, she pointed angrily at Li Xian's chest and said, "You, you... you're pretty proud of that, huh!"

Her implication was clear: your chest is fatter than a woman's, and you're still proud of it—this was obviously mocking Li Xian.

But trying to hit him where it hurt with his physique was completely useless.

This flab had been with me for over a decade—would I ever look down on it?

Li Xian had long since gotten used to this layer of fat. No matter what others said, he didn't care. If it suddenly disappeared, he might even feel out of sorts.

Habit became second nature; this flesh had turned into a protective shell. Someone who didn't feel inferior about being chubby had already trained their mindset to a certain level.

Besides, Li Xian was at most a little pudgy—he hadn't even hit two hundred jin yet.

He had no real complaints about his body. His thighs and arms were a bit thick, but there wasn't much fat on his belly; he just looked stocky.

The only thing Li Xian was dissatisfied with was the excess flesh on his face. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and sharp features—if his face were just a bit leaner, he'd be a total hunk.

Of course, he was still handsome now.

Don't call it blind self-confidence. Stand in front of a mirror for a while, and you'll find yourself looking better and better.

"Why can't I be proud?" Li Xian puffed out his chest and shot back, then said with full confidence, "I'm not bragging to you—if I wanted to train, I could. When I do..." He pointed at his chest. "This'll be the muscle you'd drool over, and you wouldn't even get a lick. You, on the other hand, really need to bulk up. Eat some papaya, do some lifts and massages. I can work this fat off, but you can't grow that out."

He absolutely wouldn't exercise, but Li Xian was still brimming with confidence. The system wasn't just sitting there for nothing, right? Just dump the mission attribute points in, and it was done—just a matter of doing more tasks.

With money and a system, he was indeed feeling extra inflated.

Li Xian's words were a bit infuriating, and they hit Cao Xue right where it hurt. She widened her eyes and said angrily, "Who says I can't grow? I'm still developing."

"Heh heh..." Li Xian glanced at her cheerfully and said, "How many dishes did you have last night... You really think you're still sixteen or seventeen? Dare to pull out your ID and take a look?"

"You, you... can't I have a second growth spurt!" Cao Xue bit her lip, the flesh on her face trembling.

"Second growth spurt..." Li Xian's invasive gaze swept her from head to toe. After a moment's thought, he gave his honest opinion, "I think you'd be better off with some minor plastic surgery. Adding a little something isn't a big deal, at least compared to..."

"Ahhh~~~ Stop talking! Do you even know how to talk? You're pissing me off, with my short temper." Cao Xue was losing it. She threw down the bath scrub.

Was that too much?

She just couldn't handle the truth.

These kids nowadays just don't have the right mindset.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Hurry up and get to work—making money is what matters." Li Xian turned sideways, exposing his pale, fleshy shoulder to her.

"I'm done! I'm not earning this humiliating money!" Cao Xue said, then turned and walked out.

Li Xian paused for a moment, then immediately asked, "Really not taking it? I was planning to throw in an extra thousand afterward."

Hearing this, Cao Xue's steps faltered, and she stopped at the bathroom door. Li Xian's lips curled up as he added, "Two thousand, you know—Bin City's average salary is just two thousand. If you earn that extra two thousand, you'd make four thousand today, two months' salary for nothing... What a shame."

"You're really adding another thousand?" Cao Xue turned back to ask.

Li Xian shrugged, crooked his finger at her, then pointed at his shoulder and said, "If you satisfy me, maybe my hand will slip and I'll throw in a few hundred more."

I'll endure it!

A small woman knows when to bend and when to stand tall.

Cao Xue was never the type to fall out with money. She had zero resistance to little pink bills, and without any mental transition or hesitation, she immediately went back to the bathtub and picked up the scrub.

In this day and age, was there anyone who wouldn't bow for five bushels of rice?

The answer was no!

If someone said they didn't care about money, they definitely had a mine at home.

"Where should I start?" Li Xian's back was too broad; her small hands didn't know where to begin.

"Start with the neck." Li Xian pointed.

"Fine..."

Cao Xue got to work. To be fair, she had some experience—her small hand rubbed back and forth nimbly on his neck, with even pressure, adding a bit more force at the tricky spots.

But her strength wasn't enough to satisfy Li Xian. Was this a back scrub? This was a tickle.

"Put some muscle into it..."

"Okay..."

"More muscle... Did you not eat?"

"You just figured that out? I haven't eaten." Cao Xue gritted her teeth, pressing her other hand on Li Xian's body for leverage, leaning her whole body forward.

The two of them got closer and closer. Li Xian could feel her faint breath brushing against his skin.

That sensation was subtle—a little itchy, a little tingly, stirring up all kinds of thoughts.

I said put some muscle into it!

Not flirt with me.

Li Xian sighed inwardly. This never happened during a normal scrub.

Those burly guys at the bathhouse—if they didn't peel off a layer of his skin, that was already a win.

"Huff, huff..." Cao Xue raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her top was soaked through—whether from water or sweat, scrubbing backs was definitely a workout.

Her delicate collarbones were especially prominent from heavy panting, and she made no effort to cover her chest, revealing a tempting glimpse of skin.

Making this money really wasn't easy.

Cao Xue sighed inwardly, but then thought—two thousand kuai was enough for her to get a hundred scrubs—and immediately felt reinvigorated.

"Alright, alright, all scrubbed."

"Huh? No, there's still the front," Li Xian said, turning around.

"What? Scrub the front too? Might as well just scrub your whole body," Cao Xue said, her face full of displeasure. She was already exhausted.

Li Xian's lips curled. "As you wish." Scrubbing the whole body was exactly what he needed to complete the task.

"Hurry up. You took over ten minutes just on the back. Scrubbing the whole body would take at least an hour," Li Xian said, standing straight up from the bathtub.

"Splash~" Water spilled out quite a bit, soaking Cao Xue's shorts.

Cao Xue's first reaction wasn't to worry about her clothes—she immediately shut her eyes and shrieked, "What are you doing? Sit back down!"

She thought Li Xian was completely naked and she'd see something she shouldn't, but Li Xian was actually wearing tight shorts.

"I'm not that stupid, letting you take advantage of me," Li Xian said, stepping out of the tub.

Cao Xue slowly opened her eyes. Seeing him in shorts, she said angrily, "Who wants to take advantage of you!"

Li Xian shot her a glare, walked two or three steps into the rainforest shower, and turned on the water. "Take a break, then get back to work. Oh, there's a bottle of red wine outside—should be decanted by now. It's yours."

"You opened a bottle of red wine?"

"The butler opened it. A 2010 Lafite. No idea how it tastes."

"I'll taste it for you..." Hearing red wine, Cao Xue ran faster than a rabbit. She'd already decided—once Li Xian was done washing, she'd hog the bathroom, sipping wine while enjoying the sea view. What a wonderful feeling.

After she left, Li Xian took a can of drink from his system inventory. It was a very small iron can, only a hundred milliliters in capacity.

This can was the Calming Drink he'd won from the lottery.

Gripping the can in his left hand, he gently pulled the tab with his right. Inside was a milky white liquid.

Li Xian dipped his pinky in to taste it and muttered, "Tastes kind of like yogurt."