Ye Li is very thin, the thinnest of all the women Chu Ge knows. In the words highly praised among women, her bone structure is one many women envy.

Her hands are the same, with fingers that are long and slender, lacking much flesh.

These days, countless women are desperately pursuing a slim figure like Ye Li's, using a variety of weight loss methods. However, most of those intentionally losing weight have a certain level of economic strength, or come from well-off families.

Yet, looking at Ye Li, it seems more like her slenderness is due to long periods of not eating well.

As Chu Ge thought about this, his gaze shifted back to Ye Li's hands.

Although her hands aren't exactly rough, they aren't particularly delicate either. This clearly shows these hands have done some hard work. When such hands gently touch Chu Ge's feet, he feels indescribably comfortable.

Sitting on a small stool across the foot basin, Ye Li washes Chu Ge's feet meticulously, rubbing between each toe several times, and occasionally pinching and pressing on the soles of his feet.

After pressing a spot, Ye Li would look up and slightly nervously ask, "Brother Chu, does it feel good?"

Whenever Chu Ge nodded and responded with a smile, "Yes, it feels good," she would reveal an immensely happy, childlike smile.

Under the stimulation of the hot water and Ye Li's small hands, Chu Ge feels much of the day's fatigue fading away, his whole body relaxed.

Seeing Ye Li's smile, Chu Ge feels a sense of admiration; this girl is really wonderful. He and she are indeed connected by fate, both having come from the same orphanage. At her most challenging time, he met her and resolved her troubles.

Chu Ge is truly thankful for this coincidence, and believes he should consider her as a sister.

Unconsciously, Chu Ge let out a subtle sigh.

"Brother Chu, what's wrong? Is my washing uncomfortable?"

Though the sigh was barely audible, Ye Li still heard it, lifted her head, and asked somewhat puzzled.

"No, it's very good, almost done, no need to keep at it."

"No problem, I'm not tired, Brother Chu, I'll add some more hot water for you to soak a bit longer."

Ye Li smiled with a content little happiness, picked up the electric kettle beside her, poured a little hot water into the basin, and continued to gently hold Chu Ge's feet.

During this process, Ye Li didn't say a word, occasionally giving Chu Ge an embarrassed smile, and when she met Chu Ge's gentle gaze, she would lower her head.

Ye Li added hot water to the basin several times, washing Chu Ge's feet for over ten minutes in total.

Honestly, being cared for like this makes Chu Ge quite comfortable, while Ye Li feels a little anticipation, a little nervousness, and a small dose of happiness.

After washing Chu Ge's feet, Ye Li carefully wiped the water droplets from them before taking off her own socks and placing her equally slender feet into the water basin Chu Ge had just used.

"Ye Li, this water is dirty, take your feet out quickly."

Looking at Ye Li, Chu Ge couldn't help but feel a bit speechless. Just now, he thought Ye Li was being disdainful, but it turns out she wasn't. Not only did she serve him by washing his feet like attending to a master, she even used the very water he had soaked his feet in.

"Brother Chu, there's no need, this saves water, and your feet aren't dirty. My mom always said feet are cleaner than hands, soaking them a bit is okay."

Seeing Ye Li's content and greatly satisfied expression, Chu Ge felt a bit choked up. Only someone who has truly experienced poverty would think of saving in every little thing.

Even counting the water cost of a basin is something unimaginable for most people Ye Li's age. They would probably laugh it off and sneer at such behavior.

"What do you mean okay, listen, your Brother Chu isn't short of this bit of water fee."

Seeing Chu Ge's unwavering attitude, Ye Li finally took her feet out of the basin. However, just as she was about to towel them dry and fetch more water, she noticed Chu Ge had picked up the foot basin.

Ye Li froze for a moment, "Brother Chu, what... what are you doing?"

Chu Ge turned back to look at Ye Li and said with amusement, "What am I doing? I'm going to get you another basin of foot-washing water."

Upon hearing Chu Ge say this, Ye Li immediately panicked, not even bothering to dry her feet. "Brother Chu, this... how can this be? You are a grown man, how can you fetch foot-washing water for me?"

Chu Ge immediately laughed, and then jokingly gave her a stern look, "Why can't I? You sit there obediently. If you dare get up, I'll kick you out right now. I'm telling you, I mean it."

"I..."

Initially, Ye Li intended to grab the foot basin, but faced with Chu Ge's "warning," she didn't dare move, fearing he would actually kick her out, especially since she had managed to stay with some difficulty.

Chu Ge did not boil the water again; instead, he directly filled it from the water heater, adjusted the temperature, and carried the basin back to the bedroom, instructing Ye Li as he placed the foot basin on the floor.

"Get on the bed."

"Huh?"

"Sit on the bed. Sitting on this small stool must be uncomfortable. Earlier you washed my feet, now it's my turn to wash yours."

"Huh? No way, Brother Chu, this is absolutely not..."

"Be good. If you're not, I'll kick you out, okay?"

Chu Ge had figured it out; when it came to dealing with Ye Li, this was the best approach. If he wasn't a bit more forceful, she'd end up refusing endlessly.

Sure enough, when these words left his mouth, Ye Li immediately fell silent, biting her lip, hesitantly sat on the bed, and then slowly, slowly dipped her slender little feet into the steaming foot basin.

"That's better. Is the water temperature okay?" Sitting on the small stool where Ye Li had just been, Chu Ge looked up and asked.

"It's okay, very okay..." Ye Li lowered her head and said softly.

"That's good."

Chu Ge smiled and then lowered his head to wash Ye Li's feet.

Even though Chu Ge had lived for more than twenty years and had never washed anyone else's feet besides his own, at this moment, he didn't feel there was anything inappropriate about giving this first experience to Ye Li, nor did he think it was lowering his status.

After all, Ye Li was too kind, too sensible, and too pitiful. Moreover, since they both came from the same orphanage, Chu Ge genuinely felt for her and wanted to give her a bit of warmth.

Even though he had witnessed much unfairness in the world, Chu Ge's heart had not been hardened by society's ugliness; he was far from being cold-hearted.

Why is it that some people are held in such high regard, and it seems like everyone has to cater to them, please them, and do anything for them as if it's only right?

Why should an orphan like Ye Li be so startled and unsure when someone shows her a little bit of care?

Chu Ge firmly believed that in this world, there's nothing that should be taken for granted, and the relationships between people should be like looking into a mirror.

If someone was good to him, he'd be good to them, regardless of whether the other person's status was considered low or noble.

If someone wasn't good to him, he couldn't be bothered with them, and if things got a bit more out of hand, he would have no problem engaging in a confrontation, regardless of who they were, come what may, even if matters became dire, so what?

Despite appearing carefree and as if nothing ever bothered him, Chu Ge's temper was not as mild as it seemed. It's just that there weren't many things worth making him truly angry anymore.

Whether they were Chu Ge's former superiors or his old friends, they had advised more than once about his hidden temper beneath his seemingly casual demeanor, saying it wasn't good, but every time he heard such remarks, he would just laugh it off carelessly, indifferent.

According to his former superior, Chu Ge was a talented leader, capable of managing independently wherever he went. Unfortunately, because of the free-spirited blood that ran in his veins, with his unique rebelliousness and masculine tenderness, he was destined not to become a great commander.

Sometimes, even when Chu Ge knew clearly what the supposedly "right" thing to do was, he would still stick to his "wrong."

It's just... in this world, is the "right and wrong" that most people believe in really the true right and wrong?

However, Chu Ge didn't care. Everyone lives their own way. He found this satisfying, this exhilarating. He wanted to be free like the wind, and precisely for this goal, he put in enormous efforts in the past years, efforts unimaginable to others, to acquire all his current skills.

Of course, he knew that no matter how strong he became, he didn't possess the power to change the world. However, at the very least, he could ensure that he wouldn't be changed by the world.

Chu Ge's hands gently caressed Ye Li's slender little feet, the instep, toes, soles, ankles, just as attentively as Ye Li had done for him earlier.

However, whenever his fingers touched those little feet, Ye Li would instinctively tremble slightly, and her little feet would involuntarily shrink back a bit, allowing Chu Ge to clearly feel her nervousness and anxiety.

Regarding Ye Li's reaction, Chu Ge felt a bit exasperated and helpless, but he didn't say anything, only making his actions even softer.

Chu Ge really felt for her, deeply felt for her. A girl like this deserved his affection.

"Drip, drip."

Two crystal-clear droplets fell into the basin, and then two more droplets followed, falling on Chu Ge's hand.

Without looking up, Chu Ge knew Ye Li was crying again.

A woman like Ye Li seemed truly made of water, and her tears were enough to turn the hardest steel into softness around one's fingers.

Raising his head, Chu Ge's lips curled into a slight smile, "Looks like my foot-washing skills aren't great at all, they've made you cry?"

Hearing Chu Ge's teasing, although Ye Li continued to sob, her shoulders gently trembling, amidst her tears, she began to laugh with tears in her eyes.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.