Huang Fei stayed in the bathroom for a long time.
Lu Mingfei sat on a stool, listening to the water splashing inside in waves.
Now and then, he heard her humming softly.
He stared at his toes as all kinds of thoughts spun through his mind.
Then the water stopped.
A moment later, the bathroom door opened, and Huang Fei stepped out wrapped in an oversized bathrobe.
Her long crimson hair hung wet over her shoulders, water still dripping from its ends.
The hot water had left a faint blush on her cheeks, and her smooth skin seemed to glow.
She looked nothing like the frail woman who had been coughing against the headboard earlier.
The sash of her bathrobe was tied loosely, its collar slightly open to reveal her slender neck and a small glimpse of her delicate collarbone.
Huang Fei walked lightly, her bare feet making almost no sound on the floor.
She sat down beside the bed, dried her feet with the hem of her bathrobe, then looked up at Lu Mingfei.
His gaze rested on her face for an instant before darting to a corner of the room.
His ears were burning again.
Huang Fei watched him, the corners of her mouth curving, but said nothing.
She gathered her wet hair, swept the strands lying across her chest behind her shoulder, and spoke in a clear, steady voice:
"Lu Mingfei, thank you for today."
Lu Mingfei shook his head.
"Lady Huang Fei, you were hurt because of me. It was only right that I do all this."
Huang Fei looked at him, a complicated expression flickering through her eyes.
She parted her lips as though she wanted to say something, but in the end she only sighed softly and patted the bed beside her.
"Come sit