But then, with a snap, the light bulb filament went out, and darkness instantly engulfed the entire bathroom like a tidal wave.
The rising steam churned in the darkness, Zhou Qiqi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she bit her lip and mumbled.
"Of all times, the power had to go out, and we haven't even seen the crucial part yet..."
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Huaichuan's body, warm and smelling of soap, enveloped her, his slender fingers brushing across her shoulder.
A drop of water flew from her wet hair and landed squarely on the back of her hand. The cool touch made her shiver slightly.
"Your head..."
Shen Huaichuan's deep voice rang out in the darkness, with a faint hoarseness.
"I didn't peek! I absolutely didn't peek!"
Zhou Qiqi screamed almost reflexively, her ear tips, reddened by the heat, looked as if they were about to bleed.
"My laundry basket is missing! I've come here to find it! Please don't misunderstand..."
Her voice grew softer and softer, with a gentle, sweet tone that she herself didn't even realize at the end.
A soft laugh suddenly came from above her head, like a forcibly suppressed electric current, making Zhou Qiqi's ear tips tingle.
“No misunderstanding,” Shen Huaichuan said, his deliberately slowed tone carrying a hint of teasing. “I just wanted you to move aside.”
Zhou Qiqi subconsciously looked up and saw that Shen Huaichuan's clothes were hanging on the clothesline above her head.
She hurriedly stepped aside, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the small enamel basin on the sink—it was exactly the one she was looking for!
Upon closer inspection, the basin was empty; the clothes that had been soaking inside were gone.
Where are my clothes?
She stamped her foot in frustration, and as she turned around, she accidentally bumped into a warm chest.
Shen Huaichuan looked down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily, and the tips of his ears turning a suspicious red.
"I've washed them all and hung them on the clothesline in the backyard."
Zhou Qiqi's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.
She didn't care about anything else and turned to run outside.
Seeing that familiar pink underwear swaying gently in the wind, she suddenly felt a surge of heat rush to her head. Feeling both ashamed and angry, she ran back into the house and lashed out at Shen Huaichuan.
"Why did you wash it without asking me? If you love washing clothes so much, then from now on, you'll be in charge of washing all the clothes in the house!"
"good."
Shen Huaichuan answered decisively, a hint of a smile flashing in his dark eyes.
This guy can't tell right from wrong!
Zhou Qiqi was so angry that she ground her teeth, but then she noticed his bright red ear tips and hatched a wicked plan.
She leaned close to his ear and said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Thank you, honey."
"Cough cough cough..."
Shen Huaichuan, who was drinking water, was caught off guard and choked, coughing violently.
Clear water droplets slid down his jawline, wetting his vest.
Seeing his flustered appearance, Zhou Qiqi couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
As she handed him the towel, her gaze was suddenly drawn to a hideous bruise on Shen Huaichuan's back.
The marks were shocking against his wheat-colored skin, like freshly scabbed wounds.
"How did you do that?"
Her fingertips gently traced the scar, her voice unconsciously softening.
"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
Shen Huaichuan said it casually.
While working in the afternoon, a platoon leader slipped while moving a pipe and was about to be hit. Without thinking, he rushed over and pushed the platoon leader away, but he couldn't dodge in time and took the hit himself.
"Why didn't you say so sooner? What's the point of having a mouth?"
Zhou Qiqi's eyes welled up with tears. She pretended to be angry and patted his back before turning around to rummage through the first-aid kit.
Even with such a large wound, Shen Huaichuan didn't utter a sound when the medicine was applied.
After applying the medicine, I took out the bedding from the cabinet and prepared to sleep on the floor.
"Sleep in bed!"
Zhou Qiqi snatched the blankets and spread them forcefully on the bed, even pressing the corners of the blankets down with her legs.
"The ground was damp and hard. How could someone injured sleep on the floor like that? Are they crazy?"
Shen Huaichuan stared at her reddened eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he obediently lay down on her.
The bed frame made a faint creaking sound, which was particularly clear in the quiet night.
The two lay back to back, an ambiguous tension filling the air.
"By the way, the bonus for the last mission has arrived."
Shen Huaichuan broke the silence first, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tenderness.
"I'll give it to you tomorrow. Go to the city and buy some new clothes."
He noticed while doing laundry that she only had one decent outfit: a red polka-dot dress. All her other clothes were old and patched up.
These words struck a chord with Zhou Qiqi. Her eyes lit up, and she suddenly rolled over, her hair brushing against his arm.
"Oh, that's exactly what I was going to tell you!"
"I'm thinking of setting up a small stall to do some clothing business. What do you think?"
Now, she has largely gotten used to life in the military dependents' area. Toilets and shower rooms have been built, which has made things much more convenient.
While taking a shower, she was already thinking that it was time to find something to do.
In her past life, she majored in fashion design in college and always wanted to put her professional knowledge to good use.
A few days ago, when she came out of the train station, she saw several vendors selling things, and they were not driven away, which shows that the policies in G city are relatively lenient.
As Shen Huaichuan gazed at her radiant profile, his heart skipped a beat.
He said almost without hesitation, "Okay, whatever you want. Just tell me if you need more money."
A warm feeling welled up in Zhou Qiqi's heart, but she still shook her head.
“Oh, I don’t need any money from home. I have a hundred yuan of my own, which is enough as start-up capital! If I lose money, I’ll write you an IOU.”
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