Proof showed that skipping hair-drying after showers could trigger more than just headaches—it could unleash pure chaos.

Take what happened right now.

Water droplets from Yao Star-yan’s damp hair hit Momo-jie’s worn wooden floor. The slick surface, combined with the hallway’s narrow squeeze and Yao Star-yan’s obvious effort to avoid brushing against me, made her lose balance.

“Huh? Hey—wait!”

I got dragged down with her.

Her eyes flew wide as she tipped backward in slow motion.

“Danger!”

Instinct made me shove my hand under her head—even while falling together.

Totally reflex! Not like I *wanted* to protect her!

Seriously! I swear!

*Thud.*

We crashed down, tangled. My hand—wedged between her skull and the floor—throbbed.

Good news: it wasn’t my injured hand.

Bad news: now *both* hands were useless.

I blinked open my eyes. Yao Star-yan’s face hovered inches away. I could count every delicate lash on her eyelids.

Pink lips parted, exhaling sweet warmth. Petal-soft, like cherry blossoms—

*Damn. She’s cute.*

Flawless. Unreal. Like she’d stepped straight out of a movie.

Post-shower heat radiated from her soft body against mine.

Her dazed expression said she hadn’t processed this yet. *Please don’t let my face look like I’m enjoying this.*

She seemed unharmed.

Then realization hit. Her cheeks flushed crimson—*alarmingly* fast—and she squirmed to get up.

“Wahhh—!”

“Ow!”

The cramped hallway trapped us. We tumbled again, faces nearly touching.

That’s when we both understood.

My injured hand… was cupping Yao Star-yan’s bare breast.

*No bra. Still wet from shower.*

Wait—

*Not just top half.*

Dread coiled in my gut. I glanced down. Our legs were tangled tight. Her shirt had ridden up—

*Is this… heaven?*

“Wha—wha—wha—?!”

“Wait! Let me explain! Total accident!”

All that hard-earned好感度—*gone*. My heart shattered.

“WAAAAH—!”

A shriek tore from the hallway entrance. Yao Star-yan froze, face ashen, staring past me in horror.

I already knew.

Slowly, I turned.

Momo-jie stood there. Her earlier promise to “trust me” now felt like ash. However dramatic the accident, I’d lost my “pure pretty boy” status in her eyes forever.

“Xiao… Xiao Hua… you’ve… really grown up…”

*Misunderstanding!* But the words died in my throat.

“To think you two are already this close…”

*Why did it turn out like this?!*

A gust of wind slapped my cheek. *Crack.*

Another ear-slap.

*Sigh.* Expected.

…

Later, palm-print still burning on my face, I trudged into the bathroom.

Yao Star-yan had even threatened: *“Drink my bathwater and I’ll kill you.”*

*What kind of pervert drinks bathwater?!* Pork bone soup tastes better! And it’s just *water*—where’s the “soup”?!

I’d explained the accident to Momo-jie. She nodded understandingly—but that smirk in her eyes? Doubtful.

Yao Star-yan knew the truth too… yet her glare hadn’t softened. My hard-won “1:1 score” against her now read “2:1” against me.

“Idiot! Pervert! Horny bastard! Die die die!”

She cared less about the fall. More about my hand on her chest.

*Not like I planned it!* Her chest was… underwhelming. My first touch—*so tragic*.

Besides, Momo-jie’s bandages muffled all sensation. Just… softness.

Still. Breasts were weird. Flat as they looked, that yielding warmth felt *real* when touched.

I lifted my injured hand, staring at it. Minutes ago, Yao Star-yan’s small breast had fit right here. I savored the memory.

“…Yeah. This feeling. Gotta jot it down in my notebook later.”

The slap-mark still glowed on my cheek post-shower.

Way harsher than Willow Ran’s.

Back in Momo-jie’s “living room”—just a table and three chairs—we sat.

She’d not only let us shower but fed us dinner too. My sanctuary.

Yao Star-yan, though? Swaddled in borrowed clothes, she shot me wary glances.

I sighed inwardly. *No real service enjoyed… yet punished like a criminal. This baby’s heart is bitter.*

Momo-jie chuckled at our dramatic faces.

Not warm. But… peaceful.

Rain faded after dinner.

“I’ll wash and return these clothes, Momo-jie.”

Yao Star-yan stood to leave first.

“Keep them if you like, Star-yan!”

After brief goodbyes, she vanished.

I checked my watch. Time to go. Yesterday’s new novel *Slaying Immortals* waited halfway read.

“Thanks for everything, Momo-jie.”