Brother, You Smell So Good

The word "Daddy" felt like a red-hot branding iron, stuck fast in her throat; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't force out a single sound. Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson in an instant, the color spreading all the way to her earlobes and neck in a vibrant shade of pink.

To have her, Wang Dong, the apple of the Clear Sky Sect leader's eye, the little princess cherished and pampered by everyone since childhood, call someone she had known for less than half a day—someone so detestable and hateful, someone who bullied others by relying on his strength—"Daddy"?!

This was an utter humiliation! It was ten thousand times harder to accept than being defeated in front of a crowd, or even falling into his arms! This wasn't just about the title; it was a total psychological surrender and... an indescribable shame.

Su Chen watched her state—her pretty face flushed red, her powder-blue eyes brimming with moisture, a mix of intense shame, resentment, and struggle. Her delicate nostrils flared slightly, and her lips were bitten white by her teeth. She looked like someone on the verge of a breakdown, yet still putting up a desperate, death-defying front.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile flashed in his eyes—one he hadn't even realized was there—along with a hint of helplessness.

Fine, he admitted that eighty percent of this request was born from a mischievous desire to see how this impossibly proud little princess would react. Now that he saw it... the effect was outstanding, but perhaps a bit "over the line."

He hadn't truly expected her to go through with it. After all, excessive pressure could sometimes be counterproductive.

Just as Su Chen was considering whether to "show mercy" and offer her a way out—

Wang Dong slammed her eyes shut, her long eyelashes fluttering violently like the wings of a startled butterfly. She didn't dare look at Su Chen, as if that could diminish some of the shame.

Then, in a tone so fast it was almost unintelligible, yet abnormally clear and trembling, she spat out two words:

"Dad... dy..."

After saying those two words, Wang Dong seemed to have exhausted every last ounce of her strength and courage. Her shoulders slumped instantly, and her cheeks turned so red they looked ready to bleed.

She spun around abruptly, not daring to look at Su Chen again. Like a startled fawn, she scrambled to her bed in a few strides, didn't even bother to take off her shoes, and dove headfirst into her quilt. She wrapped herself tightly from head to toe in the thick bedding, curling into a ball.

It was as if by hiding in this enclosed, private space, that shameful scene from a moment ago had never happened.

Su Chen: "..."

He froze for a moment, looking at the violently heaving, trembling "quilt mountain" on the bed, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

He hadn't expected... she would actually say it.

Though the voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum, and though it was filled with reluctance and shame, she had indeed said it.

This girl... sometimes her stubbornness and her way of clinging to principles were truly... enough to make one laugh and cry at the same time.

"Hey," Su Chen looked at the pile of bedding and, on a whim, replied with a hint of playfulness and amusement, "Good girl."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet dormitory.

The "quilt mountain" stiffened violently, then began to tremble even more intensely. Faintly, a muffled sound, like the whimpering of a small beast, could be heard from within.

The curve of Su Chen's lips deepened, but he didn't press his advantage or say anything more. He understood the principle of knowing when to stop; if he really pushed this little princess too far and she ended up crying or snapping, it would be quite troublesome.

He shook his head, stopped paying attention to his ostrich-like roommate, sat cross-legged on his own bed, closed his eyes, and centered his mind, beginning to circulate his soul power to enter a meditative state. For him, seizing every second to improve his strength was what mattered most.

The dormitory fell silent, save for the faint sound of their breathing and the occasional chirping of insects outside the window.

After a long while, the trembling of the "quilt mountain" finally subsided. A moment later, the edge of the quilt was quietly lifted, and a pair of damp, powder-blue eyes, still flushed with lingering redness, peeked out like a thief, cautiously observing Su Chen on the opposite bed.

Seeing that Su Chen had already entered a deep state of meditation, with extremely faint yet remarkably solid soul power fluctuations swirling around him, Wang Dong breathed a slight sigh of relief, but immediately pouted.

"This hateful guy... he's actually quite hardworking." Wang Dong muttered in a voice only she could hear, her tone complex. "Really... he doesn't waste a single moment on cultivation. No wonder... no wonder I can't beat him..."

Thinking of her shameful "surrender" and... that title from earlier, Wang Dong's cheeks, which had finally cooled down, flared up again. She shook her head vigorously, trying to banish those images from her mind.

"Hmph!" She suddenly popped out from under the covers, sat up on the bed, and waved her small fist toward Su Chen's direction in a defiant, self-encouraging gesture, even though he couldn't see her. "I, the Great One, won't admit I'm worse than you! It's just cultivation! Who can't do that!"

"Just you wait, Su Chen! When the time comes, I, Wang Dong... I, Wang Dong, will definitely cultivate hard and swear to avenge today's insult!"

"I'll definitely beat you... beat you until you're crawling on the floor! I'll make you call me... call me..." The word "Daddy" rolled on her tongue, but she ultimately lacked the face to say it, so she angrily settled for, "I'll show you!"

After venting, Wang Dong took a deep breath, mimicked Su Chen's posture, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate her soul power, attempting to enter a meditative state to prove her determination not to lose.

However...

The ideal was plump, but reality was skeletal.

Perhaps it was because of the emotional roller coaster today, or the massive mental exhaustion, or perhaps she was just... prone to three-minute enthusiasms?

In any case, before she had even cultivated for a quarter of an hour, Wang Dong felt her eyelids growing heavier, her consciousness blurring, and her posture becoming crooked.

Finally, after another bob of her head like a chick pecking at rice, her body tilted, and with a "thump," she collapsed onto the soft bedding in a sprawling, heroic "X" shape, breathing evenly as she fell into a deep sleep.

She even let out a tiny, adorable snore.

On the other side, Su Chen, having just finished his cultivation, slowly opened his eyes. When he saw Wang Dong's uninhibited sleeping posture on the opposite bed, he was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

Wang Dong was lying on her back in an "X" shape, one leg draped over the edge of the bed, the other curled up, her arms spread out casually. Her short powder-blue hair was scattered messily across the pillow, her small mouth slightly agape, and her cheeks still held a faint, post-exertion flush. She slept with absolutely no defenses, looking incredibly sweet. Where was the proud little peacock from the day? She was clearly just a sleepy child.

Su Chen shook his head, got out of bed, and walked over to Wang Dong's side. He gently moved her leg, which was about to fall off the bed, back onto the mattress and adjusted her posture so she could sleep more comfortably.

As he leaned in, that extremely elegant and fresh fragrance drifted into his nose once again.

At this closer distance, the scent seemed even clearer, carrying a unique fragrance belonging only to Wang Dong. It really did smell... very pleasant.

Su Chen looked at Wang Dong's flushed, innocent side profile and subconsciously muttered in a low voice, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing:

"Bro, you smell so good."