It Seems I’m Not The Only One Who Reincarnated (Patreon)

Chapter 97: Serving

If she asked him to stay with that request, Shi Hai would surely agree to stay.

But that would be meaningless.

After all, he wasn’t going to do anything inappropriate.

She had just tried seducing him so blatantly, yet he didn’t react at all... This man’s self-control was off the charts.

What would be the point of asking him to stay the night?

He’d probably end up doing push-ups all night to suppress any rising desires.

So Tian Shui gave up on having him stay overnight. But...

She could still ask him to stay until she fell asleep.

“Dear junior, I just thought of something you can help me with,” she said.

Seeing Tian Shui’s mischievous smile, Shi Hai felt a slight unease in his heart but still gave his verbal assurance.

“Senior, just say it. I’ll do my best to accomplish it.”

Tian Shui rested her chin on her hand and gazed at him with a teasing expression.

“Then… could you help me get ready for bed?”

Shi Hai’s lips twitched, and he raised an eyebrow in response.

“This… Senior, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Seeing his feigned seriousness, Tian Shui couldn’t help but laugh and teased him further.

“Oh my~ Junior, were you thinking something indecent?”

“How could it mean anything else? I think anyone would associate it with ‘sleeping together’... regardless of gender.”

“Heh heh, that’s not what I meant at all. I wasn’t asking you to warm my bed; I just want you to help me with my bedtime preparations.”

Tian Shui raised her hand and took off her hair tie, letting her hair fall over her shoulder.

“Before bed, I have a whole routine: a proper bath, changing into comfortable clothes, trimming my nails, and drinking a cup of warm milk to help me sleep… Today, I want you to help me with these things.”

“Oh, I see. Like a butler’s duties?”

“Exactly. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

“No problem, leave it to me.”

Shi Hai finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Her request wasn’t too excessive after all. He had thought Tian Shui might ask him to kneel and lick her feet or act as her chair, given the kinds of things she’d said before.

After all, she had hinted at those ideas before, showing she had such thoughts.

In comparison, just helping with her bedtime preparations seemed relatively easy.

However, among the tasks she mentioned, there were some he preferred to avoid.

The most troublesome, of course, was bathing and changing clothes.

“Didn’t you just take a shower earlier?” Shi Hai asked.

Tian Shui pouted and complained.

“How could that count? Earlier, I just rinsed off the sweat from exercising. Have you ever seen a girl finish showering in under ten minutes?”

“Alright…”

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t.

His own mother would spend at least an hour in the bathroom every time she showered.

Shi Hai had always wondered why it took so long, and from his mom’s explanation, it seemed washing hair and doing skincare routines were the main reasons.

Given that, Shi Hai resigned himself and said, “Alright then…”

“In that case, senior, when you take your bath, I won’t go in to assist. But after you’re done, if you need help washing your hair, I can do that. How about it?”

Shi Hai’s greatest fear was Tian Shui asking him to help bathe her body.

If it were just watching, he could manage by controlling his gaze.

But if he had to actually touch her, it would be impossible not to react.

The best way to prevent a fire is to avoid striking a spark in the first place.

However, Tian Shui had no intention of letting him off the hook so easily. She was determined to make him utterly infatuated with her.

Right now, this naive university student version of Shi Hai was far easier to handle than the formidable Shi Hai from her previous life.

Given that her charms were now working without resistance and proving exceptionally effective, there was no way she wouldn’t take full advantage of the situation.

“That won’t do,” Tian Shui said, lifting Shi Hai’s chin with her finger. “Didn’t you just promise to help with anything you’re capable of? Helping me bathe... Is that something you find hard to do?”

“…”

“Or could it be that something as simple as helping me bathe would make you have... thoughts you shouldn’t? Heh heh…”

Now things were getting tricky.

Shi Hai knew that no matter how he answered, he would be wrong.

If he said yes, he’d essentially be admitting he had special feelings for his senior. Tian Shui would definitely seize the opportunity to tease him even more.

If he said no, he’d have to grit his teeth and help her bathe, which would lead straight into a host of potentially compromising situations.

For instance: “Oops, I dropped the soap.” Or “Make sure the front is clean too.” Or even “Why don’t you come in and join me?”

Shi Hai wasn’t sure if he could maintain his composure in such circumstances.

He’d never experienced anything so provocative before.

If he overestimated his willpower, he’d likely drown in Tian Shui’s overwhelming allure.

So, he decided he couldn’t keep playing by her rules. Shi Hai needed to deflect the question and throw it back at her.

“In other words, senior, you don’t mind me seeing or touching you?”

On the surface, the question seemed simple, but it was actually a clever trap.

If Tian Shui said she didn’t mind, Shi Hai could counter with, “So I’m just a servant to you, then? Alright, I’ll treat this professionally.” She would then have to maintain a strictly professional tone, without creating any more ambiguous situations.

If she admitted she did mind, that would be even worse, as it would imply, “I care about you romantically.”

That wouldn’t be ideal for Tian Shui either. In relationships, the one who expresses their feelings first is often at a disadvantage.

Shi Hai would gain the upper hand, knowing “This woman likes me.”

This was not the outcome Tian Shui wanted.

Thus, the situation reached a stalemate.

Realizing they were wasting time, Tian Shui decided to retreat for now, conceding to Shi Hai’s suggestion.

“Alright then, let’s do it your way. Help me wash my hair… but you’ll also need to wash my feet. That should be acceptable, right?”

“That’s fine,” Shi Hai agreed.

He had washed his mother’s feet before.

Not out of filial piety, but because he couldn’t stand the odd smell that lingered when he washed her stockings.

Initially, he thought the strange odor came from her feet, so on her birthday, he pretended to be thoughtful and offered to wash her feet. During the process, he scrubbed them thoroughly with a strong deodorizing soap.

To his surprise, her feet weren’t smelly at all, nor were they dirty.

That’s when he realized the smell came from the stockings themselves.

What Shi Hai didn’t expect was that, ironically, washing his mom’s feet ended up making the stockings’ odor even stronger...

Back to the present, with both parties reaching an agreement, it was time to proceed.

Tian Shui extended her hand and said, “Well then, junior… no, my servant, take me to wash my hair.”

“As you wish, milady.”

Shi Hai imitated a butler’s mannerisms, even bowing slightly as he took her hand to escort her to the washroom.

And so began Butler Shi Hai’s service to Lady Tian Shui.