Chapter 122: Back Rub 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

(Thanks to reader [Yagami Light II] for becoming the Squad Leader, and additional thanks!)

For someone like Zhang Yurong who has never had to worry about material things since childhood, what matters most in a gift is the thought behind it, not its monetary value.

She was disappointed in Li Yan earlier, feeling let down because she thought he didn’t value her at all, making a big fuss over Yue Yao while forgetting and not even mentioning her birthday. So when she learned he hadn’t forgotten her birthday, that he had prepared all the photos in advance, arranged for today, and prepared flowers, she was already content, and her earlier words were just a momentary expression.

While she didn’t know much about Li Yan’s financial situation, she was very aware of his earnings over the past year. Judging by his expenses, he wouldn’t have saved much, and his savings were probably depleted by Yue Yao’s hospital stay and birthday. Therefore, she didn’t expect or need him to spend lavishly on her; the thought was enough to satisfy her.

Now, hearing him say there’s another gift, she looked towards the table in surprise. She hadn’t noticed anything else earlier, being distracted by the poster on the wall upon entering.

"What is it this time? I’m happy that you remembered my birthday. I don’t need you to waste money on me..." she said softly and then walked over.

Li Yan lazily lay on the bed, "It didn’t cost much, just took some time and effort. You can take it home to watch, or watch it tomorrow. Take the flowers; I need to fill the tub for a bath now. I still smell of smoke and gas."

"Oh, is that so..."

Yurong was already at the table, weighing the wrapped gift in her hand, guessing it might be a CD or DVD. Remembering he said to ’watch’ it and ’it didn’t cost much, just took time and effort,’ her heart fluttered. Could he have composed a song for her, recorded and sung it himself?

Even as the CEO of Paradise Group, she was still a girl at heart and couldn’t help but compare emotionally. Previously, seeing on S University’s forum that Li Yan had hired someone to sing a birthday song for Yue Yao, she felt quite upset and envious. Now thinking he might have recorded a song himself for her, she couldn’t help but feel ecstatic and happy.

Having guessed what the gift might be, Yurong wasn’t in a hurry to unwrap it. Hearing Li Yan say he was going to fill the tub for a bath, she thought he should wash up properly and rest. Who knows if the smoke and teargas have toxins; it wouldn’t be good if they remained on his body.

But given his current state, is he going to blindly fumble his way to the bathtub?

She walked over to Li Yan and said, "You, be the lord tonight, and I’ll be your maid. Wait here, I’ll go run the water for you, don’t let yourself get scalded!"

With that, she went into the bathroom. Even though Aunt Liu comes to clean every other day, and it hasn’t been lived in for two weeks, it’s not dirty. She rinsed the tub and filled it with hot water.

While running the water, Yurong came back out. "You didn’t take all your clothes last time; shall I get you an outfit?"

"Sure, I don’t mind..."

Standing in front of the wardrobe, Yurong added, "Forget it, I’ll just get your pajamas. You can choose your clothes tomorrow when your eyes are better."

"Alright, but..." Li Yan remembered something.

"But what?"

"Oh...nothing. I just felt the clothing earlier and realized I don’t have cigarettes left. There aren’t any here, and it looks like tonight I’ll have nothing to smoke."

Originally, Li Yan wanted to remind her to get him some underwear along with the pajamas, but he usually discarded them after some wear. They’re easy to buy, and he didn’t keep many around. Last time when packing, he took them, and there seemed to be none left here. It’s awkward to mention it, and Yurong couldn’t just go out and buy them for him; not to mention, sleeping in just pajamas without underwear would be embarrassing. So he quickly changed the topic to running out of cigarettes.

While finding clothing for him, Yurong commented, "You’re not a twenty-year-old kid anymore. Why smoke so much? It’s common sense that smoking harms health. Once your lungs feel discomfort, it’ll be too late. Moreover, there’s that overwhelming smoke smell..."

Li Yan chuckled and sat up, deciding against impulsively quitting smoking for her. It’s a habit that has been with him for years, not something easily given up; he didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble for himself.

Having laid out a set of pajamas, Yurong carried them to the bathroom, where the tub was already full. She tested the water temperature to make sure it was fine before exiting. "Let’s go!"

Li Yan agreed, letting her lead him into the bathroom, feeling a bit restless holding her soft, delicate hand.

Did she mean for me to be the lord tonight and her the maid attending to me? Does this include a bath?

Imagining Yurong possibly helping him out of his clothes, applying shower gel, and rubbing his back with her tender hands, Li Yan couldn’t help but feel heated...

...

Once in the bathroom, Yurong guided his hand, explaining where everything was: the bathtub, towels, etc. After giving a quick rundown, she prepared to leave.