Chapter 71: Look at Me

Gan Qiongying watched as the trousers slid down, her phoenix eyes widening like yo-yos.

Instinctively, she knew she should turn away—she must not look!

She truly wasn’t a lustful person!

Yet she couldn’t help but stare, because the trousers were soaked through, damp and heavy, sliding down at a maddeningly slow pace like a teasing little imp, gradually slipping from Lihua’s waist all the way down to his ankles.

Gan Qiongying stared at Lihua’s trousers, her hands gripping his belt tightly, not daring to move an inch.

She was terrified that even the slightest movement would allow her peripheral vision to catch a glimpse of something she absolutely should not see, imprinting it into her mind.

Lihua, too, seemed to have lost all ability to react, standing there motionless as he gazed down at the crown of Gan Qiongying’s head.

Though both were equally rigid, like two blocks of dead wood facing each other, the reasons for their stiffness were different.

Gan Qiongying dared not move for fear of seeing Lihua’s unmentionable parts, while Lihua dared not move because his legs… his two legs were actually slightly different.

If Gan Qiongying had only dared to lift her eyes, she would have discovered that although Lihua’s trousers had slipped off, he was still wearing a pair of thick shorts underneath. The fabric was sturdy enough that even when wet, it revealed none of the scandalous scenes Gan Qiongying had imagined.

As for why Lihua stood there motionless, allowing Gan Qiongying to undo his trousers, it was driven by a sense of resignation.

Apart from physicians, Lihua had never shown his legs to anyone—not even himself. He found them hideously ugly.

The elderly Momo who had taken Lihua from the palace to raise him had once told him that he was born frail. Compared to Zhongli Zhengzhen’s robust health, his limbs were delicate and slender. In the palace, twins were considered an ill omen, so he became the one to be discarded—the Emperor had ordered him to be dashed to death.

It was then that Lihua’s legs were injured. A tiny infant, he had “stopped” breathing after the fall.

The elderly Momo who adopted him was on her way to dispose of his body when she noticed that his faint breath had returned.

Kind-hearted and unable to bring herself to strangle him, the Momo—who had never married and had saved some money over her years in the palace—decided raising a child would not be a problem.

Thus, she sent him out of the palace and arranged for someone else to care for him.

That person, however, was neglectful despite being paid. Lihua cried incessantly due to the pain of his broken bones, so the caretaker fed him wine to make him sleep.

Children heal quickly, and Lihua’s leg bones mended in their crooked state.

Since young children rarely walk, the slight deformity in his legs went unnoticed for a long time. The elderly Momo could not often leave the palace to check on him, so it was only when Lihua began to walk that his leg abnormality was discovered.

By then, treating it would have been not only a tremendous ordeal but also required re-breaking the malformed bones. Even if they were reset, there was no guarantee he would walk like a normal person, and he would have to endure the suffering all over again.

Thus, Lihua’s legs remained untreated until adulthood, by which time his bones had fully set, making any correction impossible. And so, he became a cripple.

His legs—the right one was robust and well-proportioned, while the left… had a slight twist just below the knee. From the calf downward, likely due to improper bone alignment affecting the blood vessels, it was somewhat thinner, appearing pale and weak.

Compared to his nearly perfect upper body, anyone who saw his legs would feel a pang of pity.

But in truth, it wasn’t so bad. Unless one stared intently or reached out to examine it closely, there wasn’t much noticeable difference when viewed from above.

Yet to Lihua himself, it seemed utterly ugly and twisted.

He had never intended to expose such a flaw to anyone in his lifetime, but tonight, Gan Qiongying made him unable to resist revealing his vulnerability.

Gan Qiongying clearly knew he hadn’t gone for a hot compress, yet she didn’t question his whereabouts. This reminded Lihua of the time in the Consort’s residence when he had removed his human skin mask, only to coincidentally encounter Gan Qiongying looking for him.

At that time, Lihua had no chance to put the mask back on and could only hide under his blanket, trembling helplessly. Overwhelmed by his emotions, he shed tears of despair, even harboring a self-destructive urge to throw off the covers and let Gan Qiongying discover the truth.

But back then, Gan Qiongying didn’t lift the blanket covering him. Instead, she silently embraced him through the fabric.

Gan Qiongying always knew when to give Lihua the space he needed and when to offer care, firmly grasping his cold hands and leading him into warmth.

Just like today, her silence was the gentlest acceptance in the world.

This acceptance gave Lihua an illusion—that even if he exposed his imperfections before Gan Qiongying, she wouldn’t mind at all.

But at this moment, Gan Qiongying’s reaction differed from what Lihua had imagined.

He nearly bolted away immediately but clenched his teeth and stayed put.

It was unclear how long the two remained locked in this stalemate before Lihua finally spoke: “…Look at me.”

Gan Qiongying, who had been about to turn and leave, shuddered at his words.

Huh?

Wh-wh-wh-what?

“Look at me,” Lihua repeated, his hands clenched so tightly at his sides they nearly creaked.

Gan Qiongying struggled to raise her eyes slightly before quickly tilting her head upward, deliberately skipping the middle section of Lihua’s body, and stared at him with a face full of shock.

Was Lihua running a fever? Had he already become delirious so quickly?

What was he asking her to do?

Look at what?

Only when Gan Qiongying met Lihua’s eyes did she realize he was serious.

“This… isn’t appropriate, is it?” Gan Qiongying’s heart pounded like a drum, gradually spiraling into chaos.

How had things escalated to this point?

She had only intended to help the God of Wealth change his clothes… What nerve had she touched?

She really wasn’t a lustful person!

Gan Qiongying stared at Lihua, desperately controlling her eyes from wandering, almost glaring as she confirmed, “What did you say?”

Lihua had never been so resolute. Even the delicate human skin mask couldn’t fully conceal his complexion, but his ears betrayed his current emotions—the redness spreading from his ears to his shoulders revealed his reckless, all-or-nothing resolve.

“I said, look at me,” Lihua replied.

“I’m looking… I’m looking,” Gan Qiongying said, staring into his resolute eyes.

Lihua took a slight breath, then suddenly raised his hand and pressed down on Gan Qiongying’s head.

He forced her to lower her head with his hand. “Look down.”

Gan Qiongying lowered her head as his palm pressed against her skull, but she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

So spicy.

Is the God of Wealth this wild?

Although Gan Qiongying had no concept of chastity—as a modern woman of the 21st century, it was perfectly normal for something to happen between two consenting adults.

Everyone’s an adult, after all.

But the problem was… they shouldn’t be in this kind of relationship, right?

Hadn’t Lihua always been unwilling? Not long ago, he even bit his tongue to avoid sharing a bed, preferring death over submission.

Did he really have such a sudden change of heart? Even a power drill couldn’t work that fast!

And… and…

Gan Qiongying’s mind was a jumbled mess, her breathing grew labored, and a layer of sweat broke out on her back in an instant. All her senses converged on Lihua’s hand pressing against her head.

Her thoughts were in disarray. On one hand, she thought, “I’m not mentally prepared,” and on the other, she mused, “If we really… cough… if we’re going to be a real couple… it’s not impossible.”

But 200,000 a month would be too little—that was the price for flattering and treating someone like a god.

If the God of Wealth wanted her, that would be a different price altogether!

Before Gan Qiongying could sort out her thoughts, Lihua spoke again.

“Do you see it?” Lihua asked, his voice strained as he stared at the top of Gan Qiongying’s head. “What do you think?”

“Is it… is it very ugly?”

Gan Qiongying felt as if a ghost had grabbed her by the throat.

She also felt like she was on a rollercoaster that had arrived at its destination before she was ready, tossing her around until she was dizzy and nearly threw her heart out of her mouth.

What kind of question was this?!

She kept her head lowered, her back now drenched in sweat, and her eyes squeezed even tighter shut.

That thing… she only knew it came in different sizes and thicknesses, but could it ever be considered good-looking?

Wasn’t it always just… ugly?