...
Yin Jixue stiffly turned her head away, awkwardly sitting down on the edge of the bed—ready to make a run for it if needed.
It wasn't that she was afraid Lou Zhao would hurt her. She just figured... maybe Lou Zhao needed a moment to cool off.
Lou Zhao, meanwhile, was completely shutting down.
Still trapped in his fluffy "outfit," he could only sound pitiful:
"They made the clothes too small... I'm stuck and can't get out."
Yin Jixue let out a breath of relief.
Ah, so it's just clothes...
But still... was her boyfriend's real body always this small?
Once she carefully freed him from the too-tight outfit, it was like discovering a whole new world.
"Wow," she whispered, enchanted.
He's... way too cute?!
Of course, she didn't dare say that out loud—she didn't want to hurt his pride.
Lou Zhao's true form was a deep emerald green so dark it almost looked black. His scales were smooth and glossy, distinct from anything snake-like.
But the most adorable part? His big, watery eyes, blinked up at her so innocently.
Yin Jixue felt her heart melt into a puddle.
She scooped him into her arms and tried to kiss him, but he squirmed away.
"No kissing! I'm covered in that silly tiger's drool!"
Laughing, Yin Jixue hugged him close.
"Then how about a bath? I'll give your real form a good wash!"
Lou Zhao brightened for a second—but then drooped again.
Still, seeing how happy she was, he couldn't stay upset for long.
Yin Jixue carried the tiny dragon over to the indoor hot spring. She placed him carefully in a little wooden tub, making sure he didn't sink.
Halfway through, she realized—wait, dragons can swim, right?
But... better safe than sorry!
What if he's tired?
Lou Zhao's small body fit perfectly into the little tub. Yin Jixue ladled warm water over him and scattered some rose petals into the bath.
Lou Zhao wrinkled his nose at the petals but didn't resist. Instead, he bit one angrily.
"Ptooey! Ptooey!"
He spat it out immediately.
Tasted awful!
As it turned out, in his true form, Lou Zhao was even more childish—and Yin Jixue found herself loving him even more.
It's like getting to see the childhood version of him that she missed out on.
Because he was so embarrassed, Lou Zhao stubbornly refused to transform back into human form—especially while still soaked in drool.
So Yin Jixue patiently scrubbed him clean.
"Want some body wash? It's camellia-scented," she asked gently.
"Yeah," Lou Zhao agreed.
Anyway, nobody else can smell it but her...
Floating belly-up in the tub, the little dragon let her scrub him as much as she wanted.
At that moment, Bai Baobao sneaked into the bathhouse too.
He wanted to bathe with Dad!
Yin Jixue hurriedly blocked him.
"Good boy, wait outside a bit, okay? I'll bathe you afterward."
She worried Lou Zhao would get mad if the little tiger barged in.
Bai Baobao obediently squatted by the door, waiting patiently for his turn.
Lou Zhao pretended he hadn't noticed.
Anyway, the embarrassment was already irreversible. Best to just play dead. His queen wouldn't spread the word of this shameful scene... right?
Quietly, he nuzzled Yin Jixue's hand with his tiny head.
His little body was warm to the touch, and his breathing made his scales gently ripple.
Yin Jixue stroked him lightly twice, then withdrew her hand.
Lou Zhao pouted.
"You're still thinking about fluff, aren't you?"
Yin Jixue blinked.
"What do you mean 'still thinking about fluff'? I've never thought about it!"
But Lou Zhao didn't listen. He mumbled his grievances:
"You like fluffy things! That's why I asked them to make that fuzzy outfit for me—so you'd like me more. And now you despise me..."
Yin Jixue didn't know whether to laugh or cry—but deep down, she was incredibly touched.
Lou Zhao was trying to get her attention in his clumsy way.
Their feelings were very much mutual.
She gently lifted him from the bath and kissed his freshly washed little snout.
"Fluff? The only thing I think about—aside from official business—is you."
Lou Zhao sulked,
"But you love that silly tiger most."
Yin Jixue patiently explained:
"That's a different kind of love. He's a child. My love for Baobao is the love you have for a kid. How could it be the same as what I feel for you?"
Lou Zhao froze—he instinctively sensed this was a dangerous question.
"I didn't mean it like that! I just... want you to pay more attention to me. I want to sit on your lap when you're working and have you scratch my scales..."
Yin Jixue: …
Well, he's the man I chose. Gotta pamper him. What else can I do? Divorce? Pfft.
Luckily, the air was warm enough that touching Lou Zhao's true form wasn't chilly at all.
Still, she felt the need to explain:
"I didn't know your true form was this small! I thought you were the kind of dragon that could block out the sun and command the weather."
Lou Zhao drooped his little head.
"That is a Demon King's ability... but right now, I'm still in my juvenile stage. At most, my full size would be like... a mountain."
Good grief—a mountain's pretty darn big too.
Curious, Yin Jixue asked,
"Then how do you grow up? Do you just need to live long enough?"
Lou Zhao's cheeks heated—good thing he was still in dragon form, or she would have seen him blushing.
"There are two milestones. One is what you said—reaching a certain age. The other is... being able to... reproduce."
Yin Jixue's ears turned beet red.
Panicking, she babbled, trying to hide her embarrassment:
"I think the first milestone is enough! You're already super powerful! You don't need to worry about boosting your strength with your real form. And... we don't need the second kind right now!"
Lou Zhao had already guessed she'd react this way—and he wasn't too disappointed.
"Usually the first milestone is enough. Not every Demon King even gets to the second... not everyone is lucky enough to marry a queen."
Hearing this, Yin Jixue felt a tiny pang of sadness.
Why didn't he keep talking? Why didn't he argue with me a little?
If he had... maybe I would've just agreed...
Ugh. I shouldn't have pretended to be so reserved...
She sighed silently to herself.
Because Lou Zhao was now a tiny, squishy dragon, Yin Jixue didn't summon the maids to help dress him.
Instead, she gently placed him on the pillow.
"You're not going to transform back?"
The little dragon shook his head.
"Not tonight. Let's sleep like this."
Also... a perfect excuse to sneak a peek at his queen changing clothes.
But just as he was sneaking glances, Yin Jixue casually tossed her outer robe—right over his head.
Instant blackout.
"Oh no! Did I hit you? Are you okay?" she asked, worried.
Her robe wasn't heavy, but still—Lou Zhao's true form was tiny.
Buried under the faint fragrance of her clothes, Lou Zhao struggled out, dizzy and flushed:
"I'm fine."
It wasn't the weight of the robe that overwhelmed him—it was her natural scent, faint and sweet.
Not from perfume or incense, but her own body's fragrance.
Lou Zhao's mind fogged over in a haze of heat.
If he were in human form right now, he would have a nosebleed.
After hanging up her robe, Yin Jixue lay down on the bed.
The little dragon automatically snuggled into her arms, resting his head over her heart to listen to her heartbeat.
Even though he didn't manage to see anything, Lou Zhao's imagination more than made up for it.
Yin Jixue absentmindedly stroked his little head, thinking—
This kind of life... is not bad at all.