Although the Mountain Villa wasn’t taking guests at the moment, most of the staff were still on duty.
The moment Shen An stepped into the men’s section, a server came forward to guide him.
What was strange, though, was that it was a female server in the men’s area.
Once he’d changed into his soak clothes, she led him to the room.
It wasn’t much in the way of clothes, really—for guys soaking, it wasn’t that formal. If the bathhouse didn’t have strict rules, a pair of shorts would do just fine.
Take Shen An right now: he had on just a pair of shorts that barely reached his thighs, and he’d take off his shirt once he was in the water.
He figured it didn’t matter much since he’d be soaking alone. If it weren’t for the female server right there, he might’ve stripped naked and gone for it.
Before long, the server showed him into the room, where a pool steamed with hot water.
She gave him a quick rundown and then left, leaving Shen An alone to take in his surroundings.
He wondered if the Hot Spring Spa had any mixed baths. The pool in this room was decent-sized—plenty for him to stretch out comfortably.
At a push, it could fit five or six people, but any more than that and it’d feel cramped.
Sometimes, soaking in a hot spring was like throwing a party. Too few people, and it lacked that certain vibe.
Unbidden, Shen An found himself missing the big public bathhouses up north. The moment you walked in, it was all lively chatter and camaraderie while you soaked.
Well~
No point griping now. Solo soaking had its own charms.
Shen An whipped off his shirt in short order, baring his toned muscles and the stark scars crisscrossing his skin. He stepped to the edge of the pool and leaped in!
Splash.
Water sprayed up around him. He surfaced with a contented sigh and swam a few leisurely laps.
The scalding spring water seeped into every inch of his skin, flushing it bright red and melting away the fatigue from his body.
After swimming for a bit, Shen An settled back against the pool’s edge. He tilted his head toward the ceiling, grabbed a towel from nearby, draped it over his eyes, and quietly savored the bliss of the soak.
Quite a while later, Shen An peeled off the now-damp towel, slick with steam.
He splashed some water idly and let out a soft sigh.
It felt good—blissfully so—but there was a hint of regret too.
If only he had his phone right now…
Just soaking by itself was getting boring!
All he could do was tilt his head back and let the steam rise around him.
It was just like being cooped up in a room where all you could do was sleep.
Damn it!
Shen An rolled his eyes inwardly, mentally cursing Zhao Qingyu for treating him like this.
Luring him here with promises of a hot spring soak, only to stick him in here alone!
But~
Even as he grumbled to himself, Shen An ended up chuckling first.
If Zhao Qingyu had actually been willing to mix-bath with him, that would’ve been the real shocker.
First sharing a bed, then a bath together? That level of intimacy went beyond what even some longtime friends ever managed.
Suddenly, the room’s door creaked open.
Shen An perked up instantly and turned toward the entrance.
“Guest, would you like something to drink?”
His hopes crashed. It wasn’t Zhao Qingyu—it was the same server from before.
“Uh, yeah. A Coke, please.”
Shen An said lightly.
“Right away. Anything else I can get for you?” the female server pressed.
“Nope, just the Coke.”
“Very good. Please wait just a moment.”
With that, she closed the door and left.
Shen An pursed his lips. What a letdown—false alarm.
He grabbed a fresh dry towel and draped it back over his eyes.
Not long after, the door slid open again.
Shen An pointed to the side without looking. “Just set the Coke right there.”
He heard footsteps approaching, then the soft sound of someone crouching down to place the drink where he’d indicated.
Hm?
Shen An’s nose twitched. That scent… it wasn’t the same server from before.
He yanked the towel away—and there was Zhao Qingyu, a teasing smirk playing on her lips!
A short towel draped over her shoulders, her shoulder-length hair pulled up into a neat little bun at the nape of her neck. Shen An’s gaze instinctively drifted downward, only to find her covered head to toe in a form-fitting black swimsuit.
Her long legs, though, were brazenly on full display in his line of sight.
That was it?
Shen An’s expression flickered through several changes over the course of a few seconds before settling into bland indifference.
“Bring in some fruit too, while you’re at it.”
He instructed her.
Zhao Qingyu’s mouth twitched at that. She let out a cold huff. “You really think I’m your personal servant now, huh!”
Shen An shrugged. “Aren’t you cosplaying as a server? I’m just playing along.”
“Bullshit!”
Zhao Qingyu bent down to adjust the drink. Though the tight swimsuit covered her figure completely, it hugged every curve with crystal clarity.
As she squatted down slightly, the faint outline of abs flickered into view on her midriff, while the unintentional press of fabric sent her ample chest undulating in mesmerizing waves. Shen An’s heart skipped a beat.
Hiss…
He’d clearly underestimated Zhao Qingyu’s body.
She seemed oblivious to the spark of heat in his gaze. Raising a small hand, she playfully ruffled his damp short hair and asked coolly, “So, how’s the soak? Feeling good?”
“Not bad. Pretty comfortable.”
Shen An shifted his gaze to her, narrowing his eyes in a half-smile. “You finished already?”
Like hell.
Zhao Qingyu rolled her eyes.
She wasn’t wet anywhere—not a drop on her skin or hair.
Shen An was obviously asking just to tease her about taking so long to change.
No wonder her crossbody bag had been stuffed full when she arrived; she’d crammed a whole swimsuit in there.
“I’ll need a bit longer.”
Shen An ignored her eye roll and said mildly, “It’s not every day you get to soak in a hot spring. I’ve gotta properly unwind all this fatigue.”
“Since you’re done, Senior Sister, why don’t you head out and relax?”
“If you can’t wait, you can head back first. I know the way myself.”
A cold glint flashed in Zhao Qingyu’s eyes. She huffed, immediately standing up and turning away, looking every bit like she was about to storm off.
Shen An remained utterly unmoved. He didn’t even glance her way as he draped his towel over his eyes and settled back to enjoy the soak in comfort.
He refused to believe Zhao Qingyu would actually leave.
The moment Zhao Qingyu saw him cover his eyes with the towel, her heart sank.
Then a wave of intense embarrassment and fury surged within her!!!
This damn bastard…
Fine, she’d leave then.
Zhao Qingyu petulantly pursed her lips and marched out of the room without a backward glance.
The door slammed shut with a resounding bang that was almost ear-piercing.
Shen An jumped in surprise. He pulled off the towel, glanced over, and the corners of his mouth quirked up. “Tsundere? Nah, I’m not falling for that.”
About fifteen minutes later, the door creaked open once more.
Zhao Qingyu walked back in carrying a fruit platter, her small face etched with clear reluctance.
Though she was extremely unwilling, she truly couldn’t bring herself to abandon him.
Thud!
She plunked the fruit platter unceremoniously onto the nearby table. The clatter made Shen An slowly remove his towel and glance back over his shoulder.
“Got any watermelon? Grab me a piece.”
I…
Zhao Qingyu drew a deep breath, randomly selected a chunk of watermelon, walked to the edge of the hot spring pool, squatted down, and shoved it straight into Shen An’s mouth.
Mmph~
Shen An flailed his arms and legs in the water in a panic, sending sprays everywhere.
Zhao Qingyu gritted her teeth impassively. “Eat it!”
In the midst of the chaos, Shen An seized the opportunity to grab her small hand and yanked hard.
Zhao Qingyu let out a startled yelp. With no chance to resist, she tumbled into the hot spring pool. Splash! The water sprayed Shen An right in the face and drenched her from head to toe, leaving her looking like a drowned rat.
Ptooey~
She spat out a mouthful of water, wiped the droplets from her eyes, and blinked open in a daze, still somewhat stunned.
Shen An chewed the watermelon in his mouth, grinning cheerfully at Zhao Qingyu, his brows and eyes alight with barely concealed schadenfreude.
“Shen An!”
Zhao Qingyu snapped out of her daze in an instant. She didn’t bother wiping the water from her face but bellowed angrily and launched her small fists straight at him.
She had painstakingly pinned up her hair precisely so it wouldn’t get wet during the soak.
But Shen An’s antics had ruined everything.
“Ow, don’t be mad, don’t be mad.”
Shen An’s reflexes were sharp; he deftly caught both of her swinging fists and began soothing her in a gentle tone.
“You… my hair…”
Zhao Qingyu irritably shook off his hands, her small mouth muttering nonstop.
“It’s wet, so what? I’ll blow-dry it for you later.”
Shen An reached out to brush her hair ends, undoing her hair tie and allowing her neat short hair to fall naturally. Wet and dry strands mingled, with droplets trickling from her forehead across her petite face, a delightful mix of joy and annoyance.
Truth be told, Zhao Qingyu wasn’t actually angry about being pulled into the water.
Or rather, after changing into her swimsuit and dawdling her way over, she had been hinting for Shen An to take the initiative.
It was just that his rough handling inevitably irked her. Couldn’t he coax her down gently for once?
Shen An lifted her silky hair with one hand while stroking her cheek with the other, wiping away the water droplets from her face.
After some playful tussling, the two finally calmed down.
Zhao Qingyu saw that her hair was wet, but he had promised to blow-dry it for her.
