Chapter 57

Jin Yizhu’s gaze was very bold, fixed on her.

Wei Shuyu had mentally prepared herself, but under Jin Yizhu’s stare, her face grew a little hot again.

She couldn’t keep hiding forever.

Even if she felt embarrassed to the point of covering up today, even for soaking in the hot spring, what if they wanted to do something else?

She was already a mature adult…

Why did she feel so shy!

In just a few short steps, Wei Shuyu’s thoughts raced, and she unknowingly arrived in front of the hot spring.

“Careful,” Jin Yizhu’s voice rang out, “you’re about to fall in if you go any further.”

“…Ah?” Wei Shuyu reacted belatedly. “Oh, oh, we’re already here.”

Her hand pressed against the bath towel, slowly opening it from her chest, revealing the body hidden beneath the soft fabric.

Jin Yizhu had been waiting for her to speak, expecting her to stammer something like ‘don’t look,’ but though Wei Shuyu’s cheeks were flushed, her actions were bold.

She hurriedly averted her gaze. Wei Shuyu tossed the bath towel onto the nearby rack and, watching her reaction, let out a soft laugh instead.

“Jin Yizhu, didn’t you want to look at me?”

That tone carried a hint of provocation.

“Look at me.”

She stepped onto the stairs and descended into the pool step by step.

The hand that had been covering her chest relaxed, gripping the nearby railing instead. Her fair skin contrasted against the dark red wooden railing, making it seem even more snow-white.

The person who usually looked slender and fragile had astonishing proportions once her clothes were off.

From her chest to her waist, and down to a pair of long legs—she seemed delicate, yet clear vest lines defined her waist and abdomen.

Provoked by her, Jin Yizhu grew frank instead, her gaze glued to Wei Shuyu’s body. It traced from her smooth jawline to her swan-like neck, and continued downward…

Noticing Wei Shuyu’s ears turn a bit red, Jin Yizhu smiled. “Very beautiful.”

“…”

Wei Shuyu didn’t need to ask to know what she meant.

Jin Yizhu had no intention of letting her off. Once she entered the hot spring, Jin Yizhu beckoned to her first.

“Come closer. Why are you so far away?”

Amid the steaming mist, Jin Yizhu’s voice was softer and more cloying than usual. With her sharp aura faded, it revealed a touch of temptation.

“Wei Shuyu, you’re really so beautiful.”

Wei Shuyu’s scalp tingled at her words. She had just started soaking in the hot spring, yet she felt like her whole body was burning up, as if her temperature had risen sharply and her heartbeat had become unbelievably fast.

“Jin Yizhu…” She sighed. “You don’t seem like a straight woman at all.”

“Then just say I’m bisexual, pansexual, whatever. Does it matter?”

Jin Yizhu blinked at her, a sly glint in her eyes.

“I never thought about it before. Since I wasn’t interested in girls, that made me straight, right? That’s what everyone says.”

The pool wasn’t wide, but it easily accommodated two people.

In just a few steps, Jin Yizhu reached Wei Shuyu’s side. She had no concept of keeping distance—she simply found sticking to others boring usually.

But Wei Shuyu was interesting.

When she hugged her from behind, she would tremble lightly, her shoulders tensing for an instant, only to relax once she realized it was Jin Yizhu.

Jin Yizhu loved that moment.

It felt like Wei Shuyu guarded against everyone—except her.

In the warm spring water, she hugged Wei Shuyu from behind, feeling her back tense for a moment. Unable to resist, she pressed her face to her shoulder, touching her soft skin.

“Do you care that much?” Jin Yizhu asked. “About my orientation.”

“…I don’t know how to put it.”

Held in her arms, Wei Shuyu felt something subtle.

The pool water was warm, Jin Yizhu’s body was warm, skin against skin with a soft sensation… She knew what it was—it pressed against her back, making it impossible to think.

“I just really want to know about you. Whether you’re a lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or whatever, I just worry I’m not on your menu.”

“Menu, hahaha.” Jin Yizhu couldn’t help but laugh. “Then what’s on your menu?”

“I only like women,” Wei Shuyu answered frankly. “Actually, there’s one other thing I’m really curious about.”

“No, you can’t like women. You can only like me.”

Jin Yizhu corrected her, then blew in her ear—whether out of annoyance or just for fun, who knew.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“For the past two years, I’ve only liked you, and I still only like you now. Is that okay, Miss Jin?”

Wei Shuyu shrank back a little. Her earlobes were sensitive, and with Jin Yizhu blowing in her ear like that, it felt… too much.

Besides, she was trying to say something serious. She couldn’t let her mind wander.

“You said before that you could only accept liking girls mentally. Why?”

“Why? Uh, probably because I only liked her that much?”

Jin Yizhu released her, cradled her head in her hands, and gazed at the empty night sky. Her tone suddenly carried a hint of melancholy.

“Don’t relationships involve kissing and making love? I find it hard to accept. I can’t even imagine it.”

“…Was there someone specific you imagined it with?”

After hesitating, Wei Shuyu still asked,

“Was that person a girl?”

“Yeah, back in university, didn’t my family arrange a roommate for me? We got along really well.”

It had been a long time since Jin Yizhu last thought about these things.

She rarely dwelled on the past. Friends who drifted apart, an unfulfilling emotional exploration that left her confused at the time and pointless later—best to forget it all.

But since Wei Shuyu wanted to hear, she didn’t mind sharing.

“You really want to know? I saw online that people don’t like hearing about ex-girlfriends.”

“…When did you look that stuff up online?” Wei Shuyu wanted to laugh, finding Jin Yizhu especially cute right then. “But I want to know everything about you. It makes me feel secure.”

“Really? Then I’ll tell you. Do I have to finish today?” Jin Yizhu asked.

“Just give me the short version. I don’t want details.”

Wei Shuyu finally couldn’t hold back a laugh. She fiddled with Jin Yizhu’s hand in the water, fished it out, pried open her knuckles one by one, and held it in her palm.

“What, are you going to tell me a poignant love story?”

“Sorry to disappoint, mine wasn’t exactly poignant,” Jin Yizhu suddenly leaned close to her face. “Wei Shuyu, are you jealous right now?”

“A little,” Wei Shuyu admitted frankly. “Why, am I not allowed?”

“Of course you are. Jealousy looks good on you—eat as much as you want.” Jin Yizhu quickly pecked her cheek. “You look really cute right now.”

“…”

Wei Shuyu jumped at the sudden kiss, turned to glance at her, and saw Jin Yizhu smiling at her.

“Go on. What do you mean by only accepting liking girls mentally?”

“My university roommate and I got along great. One time, we drove to California, and on the road, she confessed to me. Said she liked me.”

Jin Yizhu kept it brief, her tone calm. So much time had passed, and the feelings hadn’t been deep. Now, it felt like talking about someone else.

“At the time, I thought I liked her too. After all, we were together every day—eating, sleeping, going to class, chatting about everything. I was happy.”

“And then?”

Wei Shuyu furrowed her brow slightly, twisting Jin Yizhu’s hand into various shapes.

Hearing Jin Yizhu talk about liking someone else naturally stung a bit… but it was in the past, a part of her growth.

She didn’t want to meddle in Jin Yizhu’s history out of selfishness, nor let her emotions demand that Jin Yizhu disown her past.

Joy or pain, it all made up who she was.

If she loved Jin Yizhu, she had to accept her past and everything, loving the real her.

“Then she wanted to kiss me, and I felt disgusted, so it ended.”

Jin Yizhu spread her palms, delivering her conclusion.

“I thought about it a lot and figured I just couldn’t accept a woman’s body, so I’m straight. That’s it.”

“…What about men?” Wei Shuyu grabbed her hand back and asked. “Men don’t disgust you?”

“Never thought about it.” Jin Yizhu tilted her head, as if imagining it, then shrank her neck. “Nah, that feels gross too.”

Wei Shuyu tilted her head slightly, looking at Jin Yizhu’s face, and sighed. “So you haven’t actually tried anything?”

“But I kissed you. This afternoon. So now I’m a lesbian.”

Jin Yizhu concluded decisively and asked her,

“Any issues with that?”

“…No issues.”

Wei Shuyu lowered her head, unsure if it was from soaking too long in the hot spring or if her thoughts made her face hot and heart race.

“Jin Yizhu, what if I said that wasn’t a real kiss?”

“Wasn’t it?”

Jin Yizhu’s voice changed too, tinged with tension.

“Then what is a real kiss?”

She knew the answer, playing coy. She knew she was playing coy, and so did Wei Shuyu.

Countless novels and movies had romanticized it. Any adult in the 21st century knew what a real kiss was.

Not just lips pressing lips like little animals nuzzling.

But lips and tongues entwining, heart pounding, devouring each other, merging into the bone and blood.

Jin Yizhu was certain their hot spring was the perfect temperature for bathing—not too hot, not too cool.

But why did she feel so hot now?

Her heart pounded wildly. She looked at the person before her. Wei Shuyu stared at the water’s surface, a faint blush on her cheeks.

Her skin was already fair; after the hot spring’s heat, even her ears were slightly red. Her usually cool, emotionless eyes seemed misted over.

She said nothing, did nothing.

Yet Jin Yizhu felt the urge to draw closer, even more.

Sparks seemed to float in the air, breaths growing scorching. Maple leaves drifted down slowly, falling into the water, tinting the misty steam with pink hues.

Jin Yizhu’s fingers unconsciously stirred the surface, sending ripples outward.

“Jin Yizhu, do you want to know?”

Wei Shuyu suddenly grasped her hand. Slick, wet fingertips transmitted the hot spring’s warmth. The atmosphere was ambiguously charged to the extreme, their distance as close as it could be.

“Want to kiss me?”