The evening light had already faded into soft purple shadows outside the stone cave house by the time Lin Huahua felt the full weight of everything that had happened settle into her small body.

She sat on the thick pile of furs in the inner room, her legs tucked under her, her fluffy white rat tail limp and tired against the soft hides.

Her white rat ears drooped slightly, her big brown eyes half-lidded with exhaustion, and her cheeks still carried the faint pink flush that refused to leave after everything she had done on her knees for her three males.

The cave smelled of smoke and warm stone and the faint lingering musk of what they had shared, and the low fire in the main area cast long, dancing shadows across the walls.

She felt worn out, her jaw still aching faintly, her thighs a little sore from kneeling so long, but there was also a strange, warm contentment blooming in her chest that made her feel both shy and safe at the same time.

Hu Baiyu noticed first.

The huge white lion beastman had stayed close to her the entire time since they finished, his massive bare chest still warm and steady as he knelt beside her on the furs.

His blue eyes were soft with that sweet, like worry he always carried for her, his white hair falling gently around his face, his lion ears perked forward as he watched her every small movement.

He could not speak, but the way he reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair from her cheek with one big hand said everything. He hated seeing her tired. He wanted to take care of her. He wanted to make her feel clean and comfortable after she had given them so much.

Without a sound, Hu Baiyu stood up, his powerful bare body moving with quiet grace as he disappeared into the back of the cave where they kept the large clay pots for water.

Lin Huahua heard the soft splash of water being poured and the low crackle as he added hot stones from the fire to warm it. A few moments later he returned, carrying a large hollowed-out stone basin filled with steaming water, his lion ears twitching happily as he set it down carefully in the smaller bathing corner of the cave.

Steam rose in soft curls, filling the air with the clean scent of river water and the faint herbal leaves he had crushed into it. He turned towards her ready to carry her.

Lin Huahua’s fluffy white rat tail gave one tired little flick. "You do not have to carry me, Baiyu," she whispered, her voice small and hoarse from everything she had taken in her mouth earlier. "I can walk. I am not that tired."

But Hu Baiyu only looked at her with those gentle blue eyes, his lion ears drooping slightly in quiet sadness because he really wanted to do this for her. He wanted to hold her.

He wanted to feel her small weight in his arms and know she was safe and cared for. He knelt down in front of her, his massive bare chest so close she could feel the warmth rolling off him, and carefully slid one big arm under her knees and the other behind her back.

Then he lifted her as if she weighed nothing at all, cradling her tiny body against his broad chest like she was the most fragile treasure in the entire primitive world.

Lin Huahua let out a soft, surprised sound, her white rat ears twitching as she instinctively wrapped her small arms around his neck.

Her fluffy white rat tail curled shyly around his thick arm, and she hid her burning face against his warm bare shoulder because being carried like this — so easily, so gently, by such a huge lion beastman — made her feel small and protected and strangely happy in a way she had never expected.

Hu Baiyu carried her to the steaming basin and lowered her into the warm water with the same careful reverence he always showed her.

The water lapped gently around her small naked body, soothing her sore muscles and washing away the sticky evidence of what they had shared earlier.

He knelt beside the basin, his massive frame making the stone floor creak softly, and picked up a soft piece of hide cloth. He dipped it into the water, squeezed it out, and began to wash her with slow, gentle strokes.

Lin Huahua’s cheeks burned hotter. "I can do it myself, Baiyu," she whispered, her voice shy and a little embarrassed as his big hand moved the warm cloth over her shoulders, down her arms, across her small breasts, and lower, cleaning her with such tender care that it made her heart ache.

But Hu Baiyu’s blue eyes looked sad when she said that. His lion ears drooped, his white hair falling forward as he paused, the cloth hovering just above her skin.

He could not speak, so he simply looked at her with that soft, pleading expression, his big hand gently pressing the cloth to her collarbone again as if begging her to let him continue. He wanted to do this.

He wanted to wash her. He wanted to take care of his precious female after she had given them so much pleasure. It was written all over his face, in the way his lion ears stayed low and hopeful, in the way his massive shoulders curved protectively around the basin like he would shield her from the entire world if she let him.

Lin Huahua’s fluffy white rat tail gave one shy little curl in the water. She felt conflicted — part of her still whispered that she should not let herself get this close, that she was only supposed to find them good females and leave this simulation eventually.

But another part of her, the part that had been growing stronger every day, whispered that maybe staying here was not such a bad idea. These males were warm. They were gentle. They made her feel wanted in a way no one in her old world ever had. And Hu Baiyu looked so sweet and sad when she tried to refuse him that she could not bear it.

"Okay," she whispered, her voice soft and small. "You can wash me, Baiyu. I... I will let you."