Chapter 179: Winning Over Ling Luochen
Before the hotel's tall window, Ma Xiaotao lay softly against the glass, her body relaxed.
Behind her was Ye Chen.
"Hey, you scared her off. Why didn't you go after her?" Ma Xiaotao murmured weakly, voice tinged with weariness.
"How was it me? You're the one who provoked Luochen-jie…" Ye Chen replied helplessly.
Ling Luochen had already started getting used to their dynamic—until Ma Xiaotao's teasing pushed her over the edge.
Ling Luochen was still a bit of an innocent senior sister; how could she handle Ma Xiaotao's brazenness?
"Hmph…"
Ma Xiaotao snorted lightly, choosing silence. She was clearly exhausted from Ye Chen's intensity.
After holding her for a moment while they rested, Ye Chen helped her to the bath.
She was too tired, half drunk, and before long had fallen asleep in his arms mid-bath.
Ye Chen could only shake his head, finish bathing her gently, and then carry her to bed.
…
Once Ma Xiaotao was settled, Ye Chen slipped out of the hotel to find Ling Luochen.
After all, he was the one who brought her along, and Ma Xiaotao's teasing had gone too far. He couldn't just ignore her afterward.
Still, this wasn't bullying through strength but rather through shamelessness—Ma Xiaotao simply embarrassed Ling Luochen, who was too shy to fight back.
Even Ye Chen hadn't found a way to intervene.
…
Along a quiet path within the academy's inner courtyard, Ling Luochen walked unsteadily toward her dorm, her face flushed and her lips muttering softly.
"That Ma Xiaotao… just because she's thick-skinned… So unfair…" she grumbled under her breath.
Yet, despite her indignation, the memory of what happened at the hotel kept replaying in her head—
Ma Xiaotao sitting on Ye Chen's lap.
And herself—helping…
It was supposed to have been just that, but then Ma Xiaotao grabbed her and tried to drag her deeper into things alongside Ye Chen.
Thinking of that scene, Ling Luochen's face grew hotter and hotter.
Thank goodness she ran when she did—or that shameless woman might've gone too far.
If it was Ye Chen alone, she might not have minded…
But not with Ma Xiaotao there as well.
"Luochen-jie, there you are."
A familiar voice sounded behind her.
"Ah—Xiao Chen, you… how come…"
She turned, startled. He was standing there—when he should've been with Ma Xiaotao.
Why had he come after her instead?
"Luochen-jie, that's just how Xiao Tao-jie is. Don't take her seriously," Ye Chen said softly, stepping up to wrap an arm around her slender waist.
He truly worried Ma Xiaotao might've left a bad impression on her.
"Hmph, I wasn't going to anyway," Ling Luochen said, though the faint smile on her face betrayed her delight. His concern warmed her heart, melting away any lingering frustration.
"Come on, let's head back. We can take a bath together," Ye Chen suggested, steering her gently toward the dorm.
"Hmph, this is all your fault," she replied with a blush, voice playful but shy.
After all, helping him earlier had left her a bit of a mess—and she hadn't even had time to clean up before bolting.
Still, she didn't refuse his offer.
"Let's go, let's go~"
Seeing her unopposed, Ye Chen's eyes lit up.
He loved the thrill of three-person games, sure—but quiet moments alone with Ling Luochen had their own charm.
Ma Xiaotao had grown bolder lately—what began as shy hesitation had turned into outright initiative, sometimes even leading him along. It unnerved him a little.
Ling Luochen and Zhang Lexuan, though—they still had that balance of shyness and allure he found most captivating.
…
Under the cover of night, Ye Chen guided a slightly tipsy Ling Luochen down a secluded path, sneaking through the back door of her dorm.
His bond with Ma Xiaotao was no secret across the academy.
If anyone saw him being intimate with someone else, gossip would spread like wildfire.
Ye Chen didn't care much for rumors, but he worried they might affect Ma Xiaotao—or Ling Luochen.
…
They arrived inside the dorm.
"You go upstairs, grab me something to change into, and start filling the bath," Ling Luochen said, giving him a gentle shove toward the stairs, her cheeks rosy.
"Alright, alright~" Ye Chen smiled, heading upstairs.
He knew her room well—he'd been there before, after all.
Opening her wardrobe, he began looking through her clothes.
Pushing aside a few formal outfits, he soon spotted a square box tucked neatly into a corner. Inside were her undergarments.
He rifled through it briefly and picked out a set he particularly liked, grinning as he made his way downstairs.
…
In the bathroom, the large tub was already filled with warm, fragrant water.
White bubbles floated across the surface, faintly scented, and scattered flower petals drifted lazily among them. Soft lighting filled the room, and the air was perfumed by burning incense.
"Luochen-jie, is the water ready~?"
Ye Chen poked his head in.
"Not yet! Why are you back so fast?"
Startled, she almost dropped her towel. She had planned to slip into the tub before he returned—but he was quicker than expected.
"Looks about ready to me. Let me help you," he said smoothly, stepping behind her to unzip the back of her dress.
The fabric loosened and slid gently to the floor.
Beneath it, she wore a delicate sky-blue lace set she'd chosen carefully.
The upper half was a thin half-cup design, its fine lace outlining her soft curves, the slender straps leaving faint impressions upon her white shoulders.
Her flawless back gleamed like polished jade—perfect, almost too perfect.
Below, a silk low-waisted panty clung lightly to her hips, edged with lace and almost transparent. It covered only what was necessary, leaving bare pale skin gleaming in the dim light.
Then came the thigh-high white stockings—fine, sheer, tightly hugged to her curves and held up by hidden grips that would not slip no matter how she moved.
"Luochen-jie, this set looks amazing on you~"
Ye Chen's gaze softened appreciatively. He clearly loved how she looked in it.
Ling Luochen's figure wasn't as explosively curvy as Ma Xiaotao's, but her proportions were exquisitely balanced—graceful, refined, and youthful.
Compared to Zhang Lexuan, she was a few years younger, less mature, but more pure and quietly alluring—an S-class beauty in her own right.
"Hmph~" Ling Luochen turned slightly, sitting by the bathtub with her legs pressed together, arms crossed shyly over her chest. "So—who's prettier, me or Ma Xiaotao?" she asked, half teasingly.
"Of course you are," Ye Chen answered without hesitation.
"Hmph, smooth talker. Handsome boys always know how to lie," she said, though her tone was pleased.
Women were always like this—wanting to hear sweet words, truth or not.
With a little pout, she nudged his leg playfully. "And these stockings—take them off for me. You got them dirty."
She had tried to clean them with a bit of soul power earlier, but traces still remained.
Besides, she'd already noticed—Ye Chen seemed to have a thing for this sort of look.
No wonder Ma Xiaotao had suddenly taken to stockings lately.
It was all Ye Chen's doing.
(END CHAPTER)
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