In the misty bathroom, an intimate atmosphere permeated the air.
Ning Yu sat with her back to Shen Yiyue, her beautiful silver hair wet and held in Shen Yiyue's hands.
She was helping Ning Yu wash her hair, her cheeks puffed up in annoyance:
"You sneaky little Yu! So you just dragged me here to do your dirty work!"
Both were wrapped in bath towels, though one's towel lay flat while the other's showed more prominent curves.
The ventilation fan wasn't on, and in the steam-filled bathroom, even the air felt incredibly humid.
Ning Yu had invited her to "bathe together" but really just wanted Shen Yiyue to help wash her hair.
She had never managed such long hair before - during previous missions when she had to dress as a woman, she had used wigs that could be discarded after use.
But the hair on her head now wasn't something she could just throw away.
She had been washing it carelessly before, but since Shen Yiyue had walked right into this, she might as well press her into service and learn proper hair care while at it.
"What's wrong? You're the one who said we should bathe together."
Ning Yu turned back with a smug look that said "this was all voluntary."
"Hmph."
Shen Yiyue picked up the shower head and turned on the water, carefully beginning to rinse the soap from Ning Yu's hair.
"I've always wondered, Yu, is your hair naturally like this? It's so beautiful..."
Feeling the delicate silver-white strands slip through her fingers, Shen Yiyue couldn't help but feel envious.
"I don't know either."
Ning Yu had been this way since arriving in this world, and apparently her sister Ning Xuan had the same color hair - perhaps it was natural.
But in the photo in that golden pocket watch, both their parents had healthy black hair, not silver-white.
Could it be some recessive gene?
After rinsing out the soap, Shen Yiyue took out more shampoo.
"Why wash it again?"
Ning Yu asked, confused at seeing her take out more.
"The first wash is mainly to clean dirt from your hair strands, the second wash is for cleaning the scalp..."
Shen Yiyue explained in a sisterly manner as she lathered up Ning Yu's hair again.
So troublesome... Ning Yu internally complained.
"It's a shame we don't have conditioner, or I'd give you another treatment~"
Shen Yiyue glanced around the bathroom, which only had basic toiletries - no luxuries like conditioner that were rare in this post-apocalyptic world.
In fact, they were lucky to even have baths and electricity, thanks to the Ark Base.
Especially the electricity, which they owed to the zombies laboring below the base.
It felt somewhat surreal when you thought about it - as if the zombies had become the exploited working class while the people living above were the capitalists.
"Alright, now it's Yu's turn to wash my hair!"
After rinsing Ning Yu clean, Shen Yiyue turned around and leaned back against her like a boneless creature.
Ning Yu automatically caught her, gathering up her black hair:
"Should I follow the same steps as you did?"
"Mm-hmm! I always help Qianqian wash hers, but no one's ever washed mine, hehe."
She smiled happily, tilting her head back to look at Ning Yu with sparkling eyes:
"I wish these days could last forever..."
"Hmm?"
Ning Yu hadn't noticed her gaze, busy picking up the shower head Shen Yiyue had been using to wet her hair.
"Nothing!"
Shen Yiyue averted her eyes, turning her head away, then finding that position uncomfortable, sat up straight again.
"Your hair is beautiful too, why would you envy mine?"
Ning Yu complimented while handling her hair.
"Really?"
Shen Yiyue seemed delighted by this, suddenly turning around:
"Do you think I'm pretty?"
"Hey, you idiot, don't turn so suddenly - you splashed water all over my face..."
Ning Yu wiped away the water droplets before continuing:
"Besides, I was talking about your hair... uh... but yes, you're pretty too."
She corrected herself halfway, showing at least basic emotional intelligence.
"Hehe."
Satisfied with the answer, Shen Yiyue started to lean back into Ning Yu's arms again.
"Hey, we still need the second wash, sit up, sit up!"
Ning Yu stopped the silly girl and propped her back up.
A while later.
The bathtub was filled with hot water, and the two were relaxing in this rare moment of peace.
Ning Yu, being slightly shorter, rested her head on the edge of the tub.
Shen Yiyue, who had been on the other side, suddenly moved closer and sat next to Ning Yu.
"It's cuddle time!!"
She cheered, leaning against Ning Yu's shoulder, her wet black hair cascading over Ning Yu's towel.
After spending so much time together, Ning Yu had almost gotten used to her cuddle-monster personality.
She just smiled softly, letting her snuggle.
Sitting side by side, the contrast in their towel-covered chests became quite apparent.
Ning Yu felt that if she stood up, she could see her feet clearly, while Shen Yiyue probably couldn't.
Such an obvious difference in curves - people really could be quite different.
Right beside Ning Yu, Shen Yiyue keenly caught her glance and broke into a mischievous smile.
"Where are you looking, Yu? How naughty."
"Don't worry, they'll grow eventually. No need to envy big sister."
She proudly nudged Ning Yu, as if having won some strange victory, launching a reverse teasing attack.
Ning Yu narrowed her eyes, slowly turned to look at her.
Then she scooped up a handful of water and splashed it at Shen Yiyue.
"Ah! You sneaky Yu, attacking me!"
Still basking in the happiness of cuddle mode, Shen Yiyue was caught off guard but quickly prepared to counterattack.
"Take this!"
"Don't dodge!"
"Got you... Ah!"
"Waaah! I surrender! I surrender! You cheater, Yu!"
The bathroom was suddenly filled with joyful sounds.
Outside the bathroom door, a small figure was eavesdropping on the activities inside.
Shen Qianqian had her ear pressed against the bathroom door, listening to what her sister and Sister Yu were doing.
Only when she heard sounds suggesting they were finishing up did she dash back to the sofa, pretending nothing had happened.
In her heart though, she was nodding: Hmm, definitely suspicious! Too suspicious!
......
Around dinnertime, Ji Mengyao came by to give them the exchange vouchers earned from this mission.
"How is Wu Di doing?"
Ning Yu, who had just opened the door, was now wearing a light blue chiffon dress for lounging, her freshly dried silver hair falling loosely.
Ji Mengyao hadn't seemed to have changed yet, still with traces of blood on her, and replied:
"His body is fine, he just needs a few days of rest."
"But..."
She seemed hesitant, as if there was something she wanted to say but wasn't sure if she should tell Ning Yu.
"But what?"
Ning Yu was puzzled by her hesitation and pressed further.
"The situation with Wan Heng is strange..."
"We couldn't find his mission records."
Ji Mengyao's brows furrowed, and hearing this, Ning Yu also adopted a thoughtful expression.