Chapter 46: A Coaxing Deception

Bai Hao offered a bashful smile, candidly admitting,

“Well, if I hadn’t called you Aunt Xia, would you have let me in?”

Xia Zhiquiu paused, startled by his words, then indignantly snatched the hairdryer from the young man’s grasp.

“You little trickster!”

Bai Hao touched his nose, and seeing Aunt Xia attempting to blow-dry her own hair, he couldn’t resist taking it back from her.

Xia Zhiquiu, however, showed no further strong reaction. The young man was already inside, and she knew it would be unrealistic to simply make him leave.

And so, as Bai Hao blow-dried Aunt Xia’s hair, feeling the silken strands between his fingers, the atmosphere grew incredibly warm and intimate.

Gradually, Xia Zhiquiu began to feel a familiar weariness creeping in, and with a languid wave of her hand, she said,

“Alright, I’m tired now. You should head back to your own room.”

Hearing her words, Bai Hao naturally had no intention of meekly returning to his room.

After all, wouldn’t his visit to Aunt Xia’s room tonight have been in vain? He hadn’t ‘eaten meat’ yet (TL Note: “Eaten meat” is a euphemism for sexual intimacy in Chinese web novels.).

With this thought, Bai Hao’s eyes glinted, and he spoke.

“Aunt Xia, your fingernails seem quite long. Allow me to trim them for you.”

As he spoke, the young man produced a nail clipper from seemingly nowhere and gently took the delicate, soft hand of the beautiful mature woman before him.

Upon hearing the young man’s words, several ‘black lines’ (TL Note: A common East Asian visual trope indicating exasperation or speechlessness.) immediately appeared on Xia Zhiquiu’s forehead, and she tried to withdraw her hand.

“No, it’s fine. Let go, I can trim them myself…”

Yet, in the face of her resistance, the young man’s tone deepened, becoming more insistent.

“Be a good Aunt Xia, don’t move. It wouldn’t be good if you accidentally got hurt.”

Hearing his coaxing, childlike tone, Xia Zhiquiu’s beautiful face flushed crimson with anger, yet she could only resign herself to the young man’s antics.

Nevertheless, as she watched the young man meticulously trim her nails, his expression one of such earnest concentration that it seemed he wasn’t merely clipping fingernails but rather tending to a precious treasure, a faint jolt still went through Xia Zhiquiu’s heart.

To be honest, she found herself unable to truly fathom this young man anymore. His demeanor towards her could be utterly tender one moment, then overbearingly arrogant the next.

In that instant, Xia Zhiquiu’s thoughts drifted, and she fell into a daze.

Sensing the opportune moment, Bai Hao abruptly pulled the dazed, alluring woman into his embrace, murmuring softly.

“Aunt Xia, do you remember our second agreement? How about we let tonight turn those hundred times into ninety-nine?”

At his words, Xia Zhiquiu’s delicate body trembled, and a flicker of fear immediately crossed her beautiful eyes. Yet, within that fear, another emotion seemed to intertwine.

“No, don’t. I don’t want to make any agreements tonight…”

Xia Zhiquiu subtly twisted her lithe body, struggling faintly, her movements betraying her current unease, much like a startled fawn.

But Bai Hao, at this point, had already drawn his bow; there was no way he would allow Aunt Xia to refuse.

Thus, in the next moment, he continued to coax her gently.

“Aunt Xia, since you’re so eager to leave me, shouldn’t you be more proactive? After all, that’s the only way to divorce me sooner, isn’t it? How about this: tonight’s session will count as two agreements.”

Hearing this, Xia Zhiquiu bit her red lips tightly, seemingly genuinely swayed by the young man’s offer. A trace of alluring haziness seeped into her eyes.

***

A long while later, within the room.

Bai Hao lay contentedly on the large bed, listening to the rushing water from the bathroom, a smug satisfaction evident in his demeanor.

After a considerable wait, Xia Zhiquiu finally emerged. Yet, the moment her gaze fell upon the young man on the bed, the recent scene flashed through her mind, and her eyes instantly filled with a mixture of shame and vexation.

After a prolonged silence, she finally spoke, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

“That just now, it counts as three agreements!”

Hearing this, Bai Hao naturally understood that Aunt Xia needed to be placated. Thus, he readily agreed to whatever demands she made, so long as they weren’t excessive.

“Of course. Congratulations, Aunt Xia, you’ve taken another step towards getting rid of me.”

Upon hearing the young man’s agreement, Xia Zhiquiu’s expression softened considerably. In fact, a thought even crossed her mind: this time, it was truly worth it.

Yet, she knew that the young man had initially coerced her into marriage by threatening her daughter’s life. Now, if they divorced, wouldn’t he have simply enjoyed their hundred ‘agreements’ for free?

Furthermore, while the promise was divorce and eventual liberation, Bai Hao was hardly a man of his word. How could one possibly trust such cunning pronouncements?

Still, at that moment, Xia Zhiquiu’s sole focus was enduring the hundred ‘agreements,’ leaving her no room for deeper contemplation.

Seeing Aunt Xia still standing there somewhat awkwardly, Bai Hao proactively rose and gently pulled her onto the bed.

“Rest assured, Aunt Xia. From now on, I’ll only hold you while we sleep. I won’t do anything else.”

Xia Zhiquiu heard his assurance with a hint of suspicion, but she was utterly exhausted. Consequently, she could only trust the young man’s words as drowsiness began to pull her under.

As Bai Hao gazed at Aunt Xia’s captivating and alluring sleeping face, a tender light flickered in his eyes.