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

Chapter 98: Washing Hair

In the changing room, Shi Hai waited outside while Tian Shui changed inside.

At first, he wanted to ask, “It’s just washing your hair; is there really a need to change clothes?”

But Tian Shui used the excuse, “This is the outfit you gave me. I don’t want to get it wet,” to shut him up.

Shi Hai had only given her this spare set of clothes for safety reasons. Seeing her treat the outfit like a treasure made him feel a bit awkward.

After a while, Tian Shui emerged from the changing room wearing a bathrobe.

The two then made their way to the sink.

Even though Tian Shui’s home was enormous and full of her strange collections, it didn’t include something like a hair-washing chair from a salon.

So, they had to wash her hair standing up.

Fortunately, the sink in Tian Shui’s house was spacious enough for both of them to stand side by side without feeling cramped.

Looking at herself in the mirror, with Shi Hai standing beside her, Tian Shui couldn’t help but smile.

In the past, she had always stood respectfully by Shi Hai’s side, fetching his water, squeezing toothpaste, handing him towels, and even assisting with… post-bathroom cleanups.

Now that their roles were reversed, there was a thrilling sense of triumph.

Noticing her smug expression, Shi Hai tactfully adopted a respectful tone and said, “Well then, Milady, please lower your head.”

“Mmm~~~”

Tian Shui hummed in response, elongating her tone. But instead of complying immediately, she stared at Shi Hai through the mirror with a playful smile before finally lowering her head.

She was savoring the sight of this version of Shi Hai she had never seen before, committing it to memory.

In the future, whenever she thought of this scene of Shi Hai humbling himself, her mood would surely soar.

Shi Hai, on the other hand, didn’t feel humiliated. Instead, he thought that as long as Tian Shui was happy, he didn’t mind playing along.

After all, she had provided him with a lot of useful information today. Letting her enjoy herself a bit seemed like a fair exchange.

Besides, Shi Hai felt he had already received plenty of “benefits” today. Tian Shui was far too “generous.”

He felt it was only right to repay her by serving her, keeping things balanced.

Shi Hai picked up the showerhead, adjusted the water temperature and flow, and began washing Tian Shui’s hair.

As Tian Shui enjoyed Shi Hai’s attentive service, her mood lifted so much that she blurted out thoughts without filtering them through her brain.

“You seem to be getting the hang of this… Why not just become my butler permanently?”

“Milady, if you say things like that, I might misunderstand and think you want to keep me as your personal servant.”

“That’s not a misunderstanding. I do want to keep you.”

“Uh…”

Shi Hai momentarily broke character as the “butler,” visibly flustered.

Is senior not even trying to hide it anymore?

Due to the running water, Tian Shui couldn’t open her eyes and thus couldn’t see his expression. But when she felt his hands pause, she asked, “Why did you stop?”

Shi Hai quickly came up with an excuse.

“Oh… It’s nothing. I was just captivated by your neck.”

“Heh, my neck? Do you think it’s beautiful?”

“It is. Very white, very clean.”

That was the truth. Tian Shui’s neck was indeed captivating.

In fact, to make it easier for Shi Hai to wash her hair, Tian Shui had deliberately loosened her bathrobe, exposing her shoulders and part of her shoulder blades.

It looked almost like she was wearing a backless dress, though not as revealing as an actual one.

“I heard that most men are drawn to a woman’s exposed neck,” she remarked.

“Probably because most women have long hair, and their necks are usually covered. So when you catch a rare glimpse of something normally hidden, it’s quite striking.”

“Then… did it make your heart skip a beat?”

“Of course. I was mesmerized.”

Hearing Shi Hai compliment her neck, Tian Shui’s sense of elation soared even higher, leading her to continue blurting out unfiltered thoughts.

“Hehe... so, what do you think about what I said earlier? If you agree, you’ll get to look at my neck as much as you want in the future!”

Tch, still can’t dodge this topic, huh…

Shi Hai clicked his tongue silently, while Tian Shui kept offering her tempting deal.

“Of course, I’d pay you. How about 30,000 yuan a month? No, wait, that sounds too low… Let’s make it 50,000. That’s all I can afford with my current resources, but when I accumulate more wealth, I’ll pay you even more. You definitely won’t lose out.”

That’s not the issue here!

Shi Hai didn’t even know how to respond. The very idea of “Senior Tian Shui wanting to keep me” was absurd.

He began to wonder what kind of relationship they might have in the timeline Senior Tian Shui had experienced.

Could I really have been her kept boy toy or something? Why else would she keep teasing me like this?

Shi Hai pondered for a moment, choosing not to ask directly. Instead, he took a roundabout approach.

“I don’t think I’m worth that much.”

“I think you are. If it’s possible to buy you with money, I’d pay whatever it takes.”

“Oh? It seems I hold quite a high value in Milady’s eyes?”

“High value? Hehe…”

What’s with that cryptic laugh?

Before he could guess, Tian Shui gave him an answer.

“To me, you’re a priceless treasure, something no amount of money could buy.”

Hearing this, Shi Hai felt like he finally understood.

Senior Tian Shui had mentioned before, “You’re underestimating yourself.” In other words, she genuinely thought Shi Hai was someone exceptional.

So these seemingly suggestive words were probably just casual proposals in her eyes.

For someone as talented as she perceived him to be, no price would be too high to recruit him under her banner. It felt like she had a talent-scouting instinct—ready to pay any price for the right person.

And considering Tian Shui was a reincarnator, she would know who the “rising stars” were.

It was like traveling back to ancient times and recruiting future warlords like Lu Bu or strategists like Zhuge Liang before they rose to fame.

Most likely, Tian Shui was preparing for her grand ambitions.

She really does have the aura of a queen, Shi Hai thought.

“I see. In that case, I think it’s too soon for me to agree to Milady’s offer. How about I give you an answer after I understand you better?”

“…Hmm.”

Tian Shui was silent for a long moment before giving a soft hum of agreement.

Seeing her quiet down, Shi Hai continued washing her hair.

In truth, Tian Shui was busy trying to regain her composure.

Just now, she realized exactly what she had said.

Did I really just say I want to keep him?

Doesn’t that basically mean, ‘I want you’?!

No matter how good her mood was, those words should never have left her mouth!

Tian Shui could feel her face heating up. Even without looking in the mirror, she knew her cheeks were bright red.

Luckily, she had her head lowered, and her hair curtain was covering her face. Otherwise, he’d definitely notice.

If that happened, there’d be no way to explain herself.

To Tian Shui, what she had just said was dangerously close to a confession.

But she could never bring herself to say anything like a real confession.

“I like you,” “I love you,” “I want you”—these heartfelt words were absolutely forbidden.

Even indirectly revealing her feelings made her feel utterly ashamed.

From a certain perspective, this could be considered tsundere behavior.

But unlike a typical tsundere, Tian Shui wasn’t acting out of pride or a lack of straightforwardness.

Rather, she refused to admit she liked Shi Hai at all.

Because the moment she acknowledged it…

She felt the “Pandora’s Box” buried deep in her mind would burst open.

Right now, it was just a faint voice in her head.

But if that box were to open, she feared she’d merge with the “version of herself that embraced her role as her Master pet.”

All the feelings she had repressed would come flooding out…

Her mind would probably be broken.

She’d likely become a hopelessly lovesick puppy, smiling dumbly while begging for her Master's attention.

Moreover, Tian Shui had no intention of becoming like those overly romantic idiots, with one side of their brain consumed by “love” and the other by “passion”!

It’s just washing hair—don’t let it wash your brain clean too!