### Chapter 18: Fleeting Beauty
“You’re here?”
The female technician spun around suddenly.
No matter how hard she tried to tell herself to stop talking to this potential psycho named Lin Tian, she couldn’t resist.
Was high school cosplay training not enough? Now, she had to teach foot bathing too?!
“You’re not a technician, how could you wash?”
The technician adopted a serious tone, trying to defend what little dignity she had left in her career.
Okay, she could handle being called “not student-like,” but saying she couldn’t wash feet was a step too far!
Did he even know how many men’s feet her hands had touched?!
“Washing feet isn’t as easy as you think!”
Her enthusiasm surged as she addressed Lin Tian earnestly.
“Do you really want to do this?”
Even Gan Yan Yu wore an incredulous expression, her eyes wide open.
“Not like that,” Lin Tian waved his hands.
“What are you thinking? I meant I’d hold your ankle so you won’t wiggle around.”
Upon hearing this, the technician finally exhaled in relief.
What a scare!
Who would pay to go to a foot massage place just to wash their own feet?
What’s next, washing their feet at home because the water at the foot bath city is too dirty?
“I have no objections.”
The female technician glanced at Gan Yan Yu.
“Huh?”
Gan Yan Yu realized that the technician was asking for her permission.
Staring at Lin Tian, she felt a sudden wave of nervousness for some reason.
Should she let Lin Tian hold her feet?
Lin Tian?
Gan Yan Yu bit her lip lightly.
This was far too embarrassing.
She had never let a stranger touch her feet, let alone a boy—a boy she barely knew, a neighbor of her grandpa? A one-night acquaintance? Or a friend?
Earlier, Lin Tian called her “friend.”
But she was more worried about kicking Lin Tian in the face instead.
That would just be embarrassing for him.
No way, she couldn’t risk that; she wouldn’t want to owe him another favor later.
Gan Yan Yu was trapped in an internal struggle for a long time.
Meanwhile, Lin Tian had assumed she agreed.
“I’m coming in!”
Lin Tian’s hands splashed in the water, then reached out.
“Eh?”
Gan Yan Yu wasn’t ready yet.
But before she could react, Lin Tian’s hand had already slipped around to touch her right foot.
His other hand grasped her ankle from below.
His fingers held lightly, like he was clutching two little action figures.
In an instant,
The girl’s feet quivered slightly.
With practically zero frames to react, the female technician tensed up, her body reacting instinctively.
But remarkably, after just a tremor, everything returned to calm.
The anticipated kick never came.
The girl’s pupils widened.
“How does it feel, uncomfortable?” Lin Tian asked.
“Not really.”
“Does it tickle?”
“A little, but it’s okay.”
“Any other feelings?”
“Chest tightness.”
“Chest tightness??”
How was grabbing a foot supposed to affect her chest?
“It’s nothing,” Gan Yan Yu murmured.
Thump. Thump.
In reality, her heartbeat had already soared to the edge of racing.
For some reason, her feet indeed felt calm now.
The earlier sense of unease vanished the moment Lin Tian touched her.
Replaced by a sense of reassurance.
A truly strange feeling.
The girl didn’t understand why it was like this, but she had a guess.
Perhaps deep down, she didn’t want to keep disappointing Lin Tian.
She had already repaid him; she couldn’t cause any more trouble now.
This time, she had to leave, completely alone.
“Your ankles are so small, they’re almost the same as my wrists,”
The boy quipped then.
“If I decide to resist later, you won’t grab them tighter?”
With her mindset restored, Gan Yan Yu shot back.
Seeing that his plan had succeeded, Lin Tian invited the technician to take over.
“Don’t worry, if she moves, I’ll hold on tight!”
Lin Tian said confidently.
With his experience in grip size and strength, there was no way she would escape his hold.
The technician got back to work.
In a fantastic turn of events, with Lin Tian’s help, the girl’s feet no longer resisted.
Instead, they relaxed in sync with the technician’s movements.
Thus, the technician started her signature massage.
Inside the private room, the soft yellow light bathed everyone.
The technician expertly worked away as Lin Tian held Gan Yan Yu’s ankle.
During this process, Lin Tian didn’t have to apply much pressure; his hand seemed to serve merely a visual purpose.
I have to say,
Gan Yan Yu’s feet were even more delicate than he imagined.
Just resting there, he could feel the silky smoothness under his palm.
Though she was 166cm tall, which is considered tall for girls,
She had this pair of charming feet that made one feel sorry for them.
No joke, it felt like something out of a fairytale.
Could it be that precious things in this world are destined to be fragile and ephemeral?
Just like the girl’s life.
Gan Yan Yu, lying on the sofa, moved from initial nervousness and anxiety to completely emptying her mind, sliding into sheer enjoyment.
The technician was skilled; she seemed to know the girl’s sensitive spots, perfectly gauging the pressure.
It felt amazing.
Gan Yan Yu could understand why so many people enjoyed foot baths.
It wasn’t so much about physical pleasure,
But rather this moment of mental tranquility.
In that instant, everything around her became quiet and harmonious.
As if all worries had vanished.
[SAN value: 43↑]
An hour later.
Gan Yan Yu finished the foot massage and changed back into her clothes.
As she walked out of the changing room, Lin Tian flashed her a grin at the door.
“So, how was it? Satisfied?”
“Um.”
Gan Yan Yu nodded.
She recalled how Lin Tian had been holding her feet for a whole hour.
Her cheeks flushed a little as she instinctively avoided his gaze.
“Thanks.”
Gan Yan Yu said.
“What for?”
“Thank you for helping just now.”
“No problem.”
Lin Tian replied, “Next time, when I come to get a foot bath, you can help again.”
“Let’s not.”
Gan Yan Yu thought for a moment, feeling there probably wouldn’t be a next time.
After that hour of massage, she felt much lighter.
Thinking back to how she almost kicked the technician earlier, she even found it a bit amusing.
“But how did you manage it?”
“What?”
“How did you so easily subdue my feet?”
“Actually, I learned foot washing before.”
“Hmm?”
“When I was young, my dad loved to gamble. I had to learn this skill to fend for myself.”
“Is that for real?”
“Not really.”
“Ah?”
A super lame and totally unfunny joke ended.
Lin Tian made a beeline for the door; after a moment of daze, Gan Yan Yu snapped back to reality and followed him out.
Stepping out of the foot bath city, it was already past 11 PM.
Gan Yan Yu looked up at the clear night sky.
A strong sense of loneliness began to wash over her.
“Gan Yan Yu.”
Just then, Lin Tian spoke up.
“Hmm?”
“Are you leaving?”
“Looks like it.”
“Where to, the sky?” Lin Tian suddenly pointed up at the sky.
Gan Yan Yu turned toward him, astonished by his expression.
(End of the chapter)
