At dawn, the thunder and lightning had ceased, but the rain continued unabated.
The entire cave settlement was quiet, with no one stirring early.
Xi Yi was also asleep—this was the first time Sha Yi had seen him sleeping.
In the days since her arrival, every morning she woke up, he was never by her side. The only exception was the morning they encountered the giant snake, and even then, he had been awake.
Now, resting her head on his arm and feeling his steady, powerful heartbeat, Sha Yi felt an unprecedented warmth and contentment.
However, his face—half covered in natural stubble and half singed—left her somewhat conflicted. After lying there pondering for a long time, she finally resolved to shave his beard.
Carefully extricating herself from Xi Yi’s embrace, she dressed while mentally reviewing the steps of a modern man’s shaving routine, completely unaware that the light sleeper beside her had already opened his eyes due to her movements.
Just as she sat on the edge of the bathtub and swung her legs to get up, a pair of bronze arms encircled her waist, gently pulling her back. A warm chest pressed against her back.
Xi Yi was awake.
His actions completely thwarted her plan to get up and restricted her movements. Sha Yi sighed helplessly, trying to pry his hands from her waist, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t loosen his grip.
Not only that, he even rested his chin on her shoulder, his slightly curly hair tickling the nape of her neck, making her squirm.
Unable to push him away, Sha Yi resigned herself to indulging him for a while, all the while mentally listing the items she’d need for shaving.
First, she’d need to boil water to soften his beard. Soap could substitute for shaving foam, but the real problem was the lack of a razor. The sharpest tools she had were two fruit knives, and she had never shaved anyone before. Using a fruit knife on Xi Yi’s face would be quite the challenge.
With that in mind, she wriggled free from his embrace and gestured for him to sleep a little longer.
He had barely slept the previous night, and since they couldn’t go out anyway—despite the thunder stopping, the heavy rain made hunting impossible—it was better for him to rest.
Xi Yi, however, was reluctant and insisted on staying with her. Unable to dissuade him, Sha Yi gave in, though he seemed oblivious to her shaving plans.
When she finally told him her decision, his expression turned to shock. He froze for a long moment before gingerly touching his stubble, his exaggerated reaction almost comical.
Seizing the moment of his distraction, Sha Yi quickly got up to fetch a basin of rainwater. Returning, she noticed the fire from the previous night hadn’t completely died out, so she added some dry grass and twigs, lighting them with a lighter.
The amount of water in the basin was more than necessary for shaving, so she decided to use the excess to make soup. Conveniently, the leftover fruits and mushrooms from the previous night were still beside the bathtub, saving her the trouble of fetching them.
Seeing that Xi Yi hadn’t moved from the bathtub, Sha Yi relaxed and patiently waited for the water to boil while retrieving some mushrooms from the large leaf bundle to wash at the cave entrance.
Outside, the rain had lightened slightly, but the sky remained ominously dark, with thick, roiling clouds hinting at another impending storm. Sha Yi quickened her pace, washing the mushrooms swiftly. As she turned to leave, she noticed Sai Na sitting by the cave entrance, leaning against the wall. His complexion had improved since the previous night.
The sight of him reminded her of the incident at midnight, reigniting her frustration. She had helped him, yet he had deliberately strained her relationship with Xi Yi. Then again, hadn’t he also provoked Xi Yi when he tried to assist?
She had once thought his character wasn’t so despicable, but it seemed he truly was ungrateful.
Ignoring him, Sha Yi gathered the mushrooms and prepared to leave, but Sai Na suddenly struggled to his feet and blocked her path, extending a hand toward her.
Startled, Sha Yi instinctively stepped back, putting distance between them.
Her reaction left Sai Na’s hand hanging awkwardly in midair. Seeing her wariness, his expression crumpled in defeat, and he sighed before withdrawing his hand.
Seizing the opportunity, Sha Yi sidestepped him and hurried back to the fire.
The flames were strong, and in the short time she’d been washing the mushrooms, the water in the basin had begun steaming. As it neared boiling, Sha Yi grabbed a large leaf and used a bone knife to slice the mushrooms.
Soon, everything was ready. She selected two small pieces of fur and filled a wooden bowl with hot water before tossing the mushrooms and fruit into the stainless steel basin. Covering it with a leaf, she added a few more dry twigs to keep the fire going.
Back at the bathtub, Xi Yi—who had been sitting and touching his stubble—had lain down again, either from exhaustion or reluctance to shave. Now, he lay on his side, facing away from her.
Sha Yi circled around and ran her fingers over his bearded cheeks before pressing the hot, damp fur against his face.
At that moment, Xi Yi opened his eyes. Seeing her, he assumed she was playing around and reached to pull the fur away. Sha Yi stopped him with a firm gesture, and surprisingly, he obeyed, letting her proceed.
Pleased by his compliance, Sha Yi carefully applied the hot compress before quickly lathering his beard with soap. Finally, she pulled out the prepared fruit knife.
Xi Yi’s eyes widened in alarm, and he recoiled, clearly unwilling to let the blade near his face.
Sha Yi tried several times to approach, but his strength overpowered hers. Frustrated, she climbed onto his waist, pinning him down.
Stunned, Xi Yi froze, giving her the perfect opportunity to begin. The sharp knife, aided by the soap, made each stroke smooth and effortless.
By the time Xi Yi snapped out of his daze, most of his beard was already gone. Though visibly distressed, he had no choice but to submit to her determined efforts.
Overall, the shaving session went smoothly. In no time, Xi Yi’s chin was completely smooth, revealing his strikingly handsome face—
Beneath his slightly curly black hair, his chiseled features exuded wild charm. Thick brows arched over mesmerizing amber-brown eyes, his high nose and thin lips set in a firm line. His bronze skin glistened with moisture, adding a touch of sensuality. Propped up on his elbows, his muscular chest half-raised, he looked up at her with a conflicted, almost pouty expression that made her want to pin him down and ravish him.
Staring at the unfairly attractive man beneath her, Sha Yi vowed to keep one of the fruit knives—her future eye candy depended on it!
Just as she finished shaving Xi Yi and was about to clean up, a section of the fur partition was abruptly pulled aside. Both turned to see Xi Gu, gaping in shock at the scene before him.
And there she was, still straddling Xi Yi’s waist, frozen in their shaving position.
Sha Yi had no doubt—this pose would be utterly misconstrued in Xi Gu’s eyes, escalating into some inexplicably suggestive act!
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