The Fake Daughter is a Max-Level Green Tea [Transmigrated into a Book] - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Rubbing Her Back

In the countryside, very few people had the habit of taking hot baths. Even in winter, most villagers simply went to the local bathhouse once a week to use the large communal pool. This wooden tub had been specially procured by the program crew. The interior was narrow, just barely accommodating Lu Chaoqing alone. With Lin Chumu standing right outside, the two women completely filled the small temporary bathroom.

The heavy scent of medicinal herbs was somewhat overwhelming for those unaccustomed to it. Fortunately, Lin Chumu had brought mini aromatherapy candles; she lit one on a wall bracket, creating a perfectly balanced blend of herbal and floral scents. Chaoqing took a deep breath. It was a different fragrance from what Lin Chumu usually wore, yet it carried a strangely familiar elegance.

Their tastes had always been similar—neither liked scents that were too cloying.

Amidst the comforting aroma, Chaoqing relaxed significantly. She slowly shed the final remnants of her clothing, revealing her smooth, fair skin without reservation to Lin Chumu.

Whether the other woman wanted to look or not was one thing, but Chaoqing felt quite confident in her physique. After a period of dedicated exercise, she had finally gained some healthy weight, yet she maintained an ideal body fat percentage; the new weight manifested as subtle, beautiful muscle definition.

Lin Chumu, feeling awkward about staring at Chaoqing’s back, shifted her gaze slightly upward, landing on the girl’s rounded, white shoulders. Chaoqing’s shoulders weren’t the “standard” sharp right-angle shoulders; a slight curve broke the cookie-cutter aesthetic, making her look graceful rather than stiff.

The dim lighting reflected off the water, creating ripples as Chaoqing moved. She began scooping water over herself, humming a soft tune to alleviate the lingering awkwardness.

To be honest, since the time she could remember, this was the first time anyone other than her biological mother had helped her bathe. Her mother from her previous world hadn’t been an overprotective person and stopped helping once Chaoqing was capable. Thus, when Lin Chumu carefully pinched the face towel soaked in herbal juice and touched her back, Chaoqing instinctively jerked her shoulders inward.

A splash or two of water dampened Lin Chumu’s hair. She tucked the wet strands behind her ear.

Their current positions were quite peculiar—they couldn’t see each other’s expressions, but they could see every movement. To avoid looking where she shouldn’t, Lin Chumu sat on a stool of medium height. As she moved her hand forward, her fingers immediately met Chaoqing’s silky back.

The girl, who shivered every time she was touched, was like a slippery fish darting through her hands. Lin Chumu had intended to finish the job quickly, but after Chaoqing moved restlessly for the third time, she had to reach out and firmly hold the girl’s shoulder. The large area of skin-to-skin contact made Lin Chumu’s fingertips feel scorched.

She knew she liked women, but since a certain incident, she had rarely engaged in intimate contact, let alone bathing someone like this. To Lin Chumu, the smooth skin beneath her hand felt like a brand—to touch it was to be burned.

“Sit still and don’t move!”

She couldn’t help but raise her volume, trying to sound stern. But the “Little Green Tea,” who usually obeyed such a tone, let out a soft giggle. “I can’t… it’s too itchy, I can’t help it…”

Chaoqing wasn’t faking it; she really was ticklish, especially with direct contact without any fabric in between. Furthermore, Lin Chumu’s touch was incredibly light, as if she were handling a fragile piece of porcelain.

“How about you go faster? I can finish the rest myself.”

“Then sit still first.”

“I am sitting still!”

Chaoqing moved forward a bit, leaning her chest against the rim of the wooden tub. The rising steam partially veiled her slender body. Her lips, moistened and reddened by the heat, parted slightly, creating an aura that was both innocent and alluring.

She was completely unaware of how suggestive her posture appeared.

Though she knew it was inappropriate, as Lin Chumu rubbed her back, fragmented images she shouldn’t have seen from certain websites began to surface in her mind. Her fingertips moved up and down on the girl’s snowy back; though she was merely applying herbs, her untimely imagination had corrupted the purity of the moment.

Moments later, Lin Chumu realized her self-control was crumbling in the undulating water. She forced herself to close her eyes as she applied the second layer of medicine. The subtle fragrance in the air, combined with the medicinal scent, finally allowed her to detach from those improper thoughts.

Just as Lin Chumu was about to stand up and leave, she noticed the girl’s shoulders rising and falling rhythmically. She had fallen asleep. After a whole day of hiking and the physical toll of the recent activities, it was no surprise she was exhausted.

The heat had given the “Little Green Tea’s” face a light flush. Leaning against the hard wood of the tub, her sleep seemed restless; her brows were slightly knit, and her body was slowly sliding downward. In her fatigue, she didn’t realize she was about to slip entirely into the water.

Lin Chumu froze for a second before immediately reaching out. She slid her arms under Chaoqing’s armpits to pull her back up. Had she been any later, the girl’s face would have hit the water, potentially leading to a dangerous situation.

Chaoqing wasn’t in a terminal sleep. The moment she felt a touch, her eyes snapped open with alertness, though her lashes were heavy with mist. She looked back and saw Lin Chumu.

Unable to bear the weight of the water droplets, her lashes fluttered. Chaoqing blinked quickly to clear them.

It was easy to distinguish tears from steam. Lin Chumu noticed the slight redness in the girl’s eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. Finally, she silently stood up and handed over a bath towel. As she turned her back, she heard Chaoqing’s panicked cry, laced with a faint, imperceptible sob: “I didn’t bring any clothes!”

Lin Chumu: “…”

Ultimately, Chaoqing was carried back to the bedroom in a princess carry.

She was truly spent from the week’s physical exertion and fell back asleep the moment she hit the mattress. Honestly, it wasn’t just this week; it was the relentless schedule she had maintained since her debut. No normal person could sustain it forever.

From the day she debuted, she had virtually no free time. Most of it was spent in the practice room or on group activities. Even on the rare occasions she could go out, she had to be wary of paparazzi or spies sent by her teammates.

When the group first debuted, Lin Chumu could tell that Chaoqing genuinely loved the team.

As a wealthy socialite with Lin Chumu as her backer, Chaoqing could have debuted as “royalty” with endless resources handed to her. With her looks, she could have easily been a “vase” beauty with a massive fan following even without practicing.

But Chaoqing hadn’t done that. She put on no airs, carefully memorized her teammates’ habits, and excitedly asked her parents if she could bring the girls home for dinner.

She hid all the pain behind her practice, showing only the side she wanted others to see. She reported good news to her parents and kept the bad to herself—hardly the behavior of a girl raised in a “honey pot” who had never suffered. Although she had decisively retaliated against Jiang Qishuang—effectively ending the latter’s career—the emotional scars remained.

The “Little Green Tea” was actually quite talkative in the family group chat. Lin Chumu only read those ramblings when she was bored. Previously, Chaoqing talked most about her teammates. Except for Yao Xichen, she mentioned them all with affection. Perhaps someone like Jiang Qishuang hadn’t entirely disregarded her as a teammate, but…

When personal interest conflicts with friendship, most people choose to cut ties and do what benefits themselves.

Jiang Qishuang was clever, but she was outsmarted by her own cunning. She hadn’t considered the impact on the team if Chaoqing’s reputation collapsed; she only thought about the resources shifting to her once the “Center” fell. That backstab destroyed the group and severed the last thread of friendship Chaoqing had for her.

The industry rules were cruel. The constant cycle of new talent meant she had no time to catch her breath. To ensure her previous hard work wasn’t in vain, appearing on variety shows was the best strategy. Thus, she had little time to mourn the betrayal or the loss of the group “Lily of the Valley,” which should have been the dark horse of the year.

This was the first time Lin Chumu had seen such a mature side of Chaoqing. She hid her unhappiness and acted as a perfect idol, projecting only positive energy. Only in front of someone she trusted did she reveal her vulnerability.

Perhaps using the word “trust” for their relationship was a bit presumptuous, but the moment Chaoqing saw it was her and peacefully closed her eyes, Lin Chumu knew she was on the girl’s “trusted list.” She wrapped Chaoqing in the towel and carried her out; the girl didn’t resist at all, only whispering a soft “Thank you.”

That “thank you” made Lin Chumu feel uncharacteristically bashful.

While Chaoqing slept, Lin Chumu found herself wide awake. She began browsing Weibo on the intermittent network. Subconsciously, she clicked into Chaoqing’s Super Topic and saw a pinned post by the head fan club, “Lu Chaoqing Bar — SUNBAR,” containing links for birthday support.

Chaoqing’s birthday was still a month or two away, but large fan clubs always start preparations early. Birthday support usually involves the club organizing writers and artists to create merchandise to sell to fans. All proceeds are used for the idol—public welfare in their name, or buying ad space in subways and malls.

Out of curiosity, Lin Chumu clicked in and saw that the ad slots were partnered with certain brand mini-programs. She had never paid attention to fandom culture before and found it quite novel. Seeing that the price wasn’t as high as she imagined, she thought for a moment and tapped the button for “W8 Mall 24h Promotional Screen”.

— Are you sure you want to pay 500,000 RMB to purchase this “W8 Mall 24h Promotional Screen (5 Cities)” for “Lu Chaoqing”?

— YES

— Purchase Successful!

— You have successfully protected “Lu Chaoqing” and become the Invincible Overlord! A gift will be sent to you during her birth month; please fill in your real contact information.

Lin Chumu thought for a moment and entered the address of the house where she lived with her parents.

After exiting, she noticed her new profile name was glowing, adorned with a small golden badge that said “Sun’s Baby.”

Lin Chumu: “…?” How much do Lu Chaoqing and her fans love the word ‘baby’?

Before she could log out, her Weibo inbox was suddenly bombarded with messages.

Lu Chaoqing Bar — SUNBAR (Private message): “Sister, is this an alt account? Are you a die-hard fan of Xiao Qing??”

Lu Chaoqing Bar — SUNBAR: “You’re amazing!!! You bought out the whole thing by yourself!!! I can’t thank you enough!”

Lu Chaoqing Bar — SUNBAR: “By the way, you surely want to see the results of your contribution, right? Which city are you in? If you’re interested, come join our birthday support event for Xiao Qing! It’s okay if you’ve never done it before, I can guide you! Xiao Qing will have a solo commercial performance in Linlang City, so we can finally see her in person!!!”