Jiang Bai had no idea that Aether was currently undergoing experiments with Albedo—otherwise, he would have rushed over to spectate, injured leg or not.
Right now, however, he faced a different problem: How was he supposed to wash his hair?
For someone confined to a wheelchair, washing one's hair or even taking a bath posed quite a challenge.
Bathing wasn't too complicated—he could always fashion a stone chair with drainage holes. But washing his hair? That was trickier.
Of course, it wasn't entirely impossible, but Jiang Bai decided it was a perfect opportunity to bother Hu Tao instead.
It was rare for him to play the role of the patient. Missing the chance to have the director wash his hair would be such a waste!
He scooped Bloop out of the water tank, placed the little slime atop his head, and quickly wheeled himself toward Hu Tao's courtyard.
"Director~" Jiang Bai called out loudly, putting on a pitiful expression.
Lazily lounging on a tree branch for an afternoon nap, Hu Tao opened one eye to glance at him briefly, then remained silent.
"Director, Director, where are you? Your poor subordinate is in trouble! Please come out~!" Jiang Bai raised his voice, eyes darting around the courtyard in search of her.
"Yuyu, you go." Hu Tao muttered quietly.
The little ghost giggled mischievously and floated downward along the tree's shadow, quietly appearing behind Jiang Bai.
"Rawr!"
Jiang Bai felt a chill down his spine. Turning around, he saw Yuyu doing her best to look menacing with her claws bared.
Bloop tilted its tiny head, unimpressed, and casually blew a little bubble at Yuyu.
Seeing neither human nor slime had been frightened, Yuyu deflated, drooping in defeat as she floated away.
Only then did Jiang Bai finally notice Hu Tao sitting on a tree branch.
He flashed a bright smile. "Director! There you are!"
"What do you want?" Hu Tao swung her legs casually, showing no intention of getting down.
Her instincts told her Jiang Bai had nothing good planned if he was this enthusiastic.
"Director, come down please…" Jiang Bai put on his most pitiful expression.
Hu Tao remained unaffected, cold and indifferent. "Tell me what you want first."
"Do I need a reason to come see you?"
"You definitely don't look like you're here for nothing," Hu Tao replied skeptically.
Since Hu Tao wasn't budging, Jiang Bai decided to take matters into his own hands.
With a thought, he formed a stone pillar beneath himself, slowly elevating until he reached Hu Tao's perch.
"Director, can you please help me…?" He tugged pathetically at Hu Tao's sleeve.
"What kind of help?" she asked cautiously.
Jiang Bai lifted Bloop from his head and leaned closer. "Director, look at my hair…"
His normally clean, white hair was now messy and tangled with dirt and grass, appearing more gray than white.
"So?" Hu Tao raised an eyebrow.
Jiang Bai glanced at his immobilized legs, looking utterly miserable. "It's all because my injured legs aren't cooperating. I tried to wash it myself, but just ended up soaking my clothes without even managing to wash it properly…"
Hu Tao silently watched his performance.
"Director, could you help me?" Jiang Bai continued, tugging on Hu Tao's sleeve, purposely acting pitiful enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
Hu Tao turned away in disdain, unable to bear watching.
"My beloved Director, my greatest, kindest Director, please, please…!"
Seeing Hu Tao stubbornly ignoring him, Jiang Bai shifted to her other side, persistently trying to get her attention. After several rounds of relentless pestering, Hu Tao finally caved.
"Fine, fine! Enough already!" Hu Tao rubbed her arms as goosebumps rose, reluctantly agreeing.
This guy's skill at being shameless seemed to improve every day.
"Long live the Director!" Jiang Bai instinctively jumped up in excitement—completely forgetting his immobilized leg. Immediately losing balance, he stumbled forward, about to plunge head-first off the stone platform.
In a flash, Hu Tao moved, catching Jiang Bai securely with one arm under his back and another beneath his legs, rescuing him from a painful landing and bringing him safely to the ground.
Held like a princess in Hu Tao's arms, Jiang Bai's face flushed scarlet. Yet, he shamelessly decided to enjoy this position as long as possible, making no move to get down.
Hu Tao eyed him suspiciously. "Why are you blushing?"
"I'm shy..." Jiang Bai responded coyly, poking his fingers together bashfully—an obviously exaggerated imitation of some drama he'd seen.
Hu Tao's expression instantly transformed into one of utter disgust. She immediately released him, dropping Jiang Bai unceremoniously to the ground.
She jumped back, looking as though she'd encountered something utterly repulsive, pulling out a talisman and waving it around frantically.
"Evil spirits, begone! Evil spirits, begone!"
Jiang Bai froze, then shattered internally like a stone statue the moment she took out the talisman.
Bloop hopped down from the stone platform, nudging Jiang Bai's face gently, restoring some moisture to help him recover from his petrified state.
Jiang Bai sat up miserably, realizing his plan had spectacularly failed.
Using a cute act was clearly way ahead of his time…
He lowered the stone pillar, bringing his wheelchair back down. Supporting himself with the tree, he carefully sat back in the wheelchair, staring mournfully at the sky.
"Have you returned to normal yet?" Hu Tao poked his cheek cautiously.
Jiang Bai remained unresponsive, still deeply melancholic.
Hu Tao wondered briefly if she'd overreacted—maybe she'd genuinely upset him.
After a pause, she hesitantly asked, "Weren't you asking me to help wash your hair? Still want me to?"
"Yes! Absolutely yes!" Jiang Bai instantly revived, energetic as ever.
Hu Tao's mouth twitched slightly as she pushed him toward the back courtyard.
Having washed Hu Tao's hair countless times, Jiang Bai knew exactly how her backyard was laid out.
He quickly constructed a stone washing station, happily reclining back and eagerly awaiting his beloved director's gentle hair-washing service.
Hu Tao fetched a bucket of hot water, rolled up her sleeves, grabbed a bar of shampoo soap, and vigorously scrubbed the little slime. Soon, Bloop was transformed into a bubbly, foam-covered slime.
"Your Director shall now wash your face," Hu Tao announced grandly.
Jiang Bai, eyes closed, had no idea what was happening. Overjoyed by the unexpected extra service, he obediently tilted his head back in anticipation.
Instead, he was greeted by the cold, slimy sensation of a bubble-covered slime plastered directly over his face.
Jiang Bai: "!!!"
Cool, jelly-like slime now fully enveloped his face, feeling like a bizarre facial mask.
"Help! Help!" came Jiang Bai's muffled cry from beneath Bloop.
Hu Tao, wearing a triumphant smirk, casually hummed a tune while pouring water over his hair, completely ignoring his clearly exaggerated cries for help.
It was her first time washing a man's hair—and short hair turned out to be surprisingly fun.
She played around, styling his hair into spirals, pulling strands into two pointed ears. If the bubbles had held their shape better, she might've even tried shaping a little ghost atop his head.
After half an hour of playful experimentation, Hu Tao finally rinsed his hair clean. By then, Jiang Bai had already drifted off to sleep.