The girls grabbed their towels, bought a few bottles of water, and decided to wait half an hour for their food to digest before heading to the hot springs.
Qin Yunhe forcefully dragged Su Qingwan away, leaving Xu Lin alone to return to the couples’ suite, suddenly feeling a wave of loneliness.
Lying on the tatami bed, he looked utterly dejected. If things had gone according to plan, he would be touring the stupa with Qin Yunhe, then coming back here for a hot spring soak. In the afternoon, he’d check on the store’s renovation, and in the evening, they’d have a candlelit dinner, followed by a relaxing evening at her place.
Damn it, this was frustrating!
With the room temperature being quite high, he soon felt sleepy and quickly got up.
“Forget it, I’ll just soak in the hot spring. The private one must be really nice.” Without bothering to bring any clothes, he stripped and immediately sat in the pool.
Instantly, he felt the warm water envelop his body, and the slight discomfort in his ankles and arms turned into a tingling sensation.
“Ah—” Xu Lin exhaled deeply, reaching for his phone, only to notice a strange mark on the inside of his arm.
“What’s this?” Startled, Xu Lin quickly examined it, worried it might be some kind of skin disease.
But on closer inspection, it didn’t look like a skin problem; it resembled a birthmark or a tattoo, possibly depicting an animal.Just then, the door opened. Xu Lin quickly submerged himself in the water. “Teacher Su, I’m bathing. Don’t come in yet.”
But the footsteps quickened, making Xu Lin nervous. What’s going on?
As the glass door slid open, he saw Qin Yunhe walking in with a mischievous smile.
“Why is it you?”
“You really wanted Qingwan to come, didn’t you? Dream on.”
“No… it’s just that your friend was acting a bit strange today.”
“Strange? Did she do something odd?”
“Uh… how do I put it? She seemed eager to join me in the hot spring or something.”
“As expected!” Qin Yunhe knew her friend well enough to understand. Despite being a teacher, Su Qingwan often acted on a whim.
“You must have said something to her, right?” Xu Lin asked, but Qin Yunhe quickly waved her hands.
“I didn’t say anything. She probably just felt… you know, a bit envious seeing me with you. She has a bit of a girlish mind.”
“Really?” Xu Lin looked at Qin Yunhe, still skeptical.
“Xu Lin, let me scrub your back.”
“But they said you shouldn’t scrub in the hot spring.”
“There’s a shower over there. Once you’re done soaking, come out, and I’ll scrub your back.”
“I didn’t even notice the shower. I’ll soak for a bit first. What about the others?”
“They’re playing games. The room has plenty of board games and cards. Miss Liu and Bai Xiaoxiao have also woken up.”
“And you sneaking over here won’t raise suspicion? Didn’t you say no one should know about you being here?”
“Don’t worry. I told them I was coming to discuss the previous case with you.”
“Qin Yunhe, when I first met you, I thought you were all serious and proper. Didn’t expect this~”
“You don’t like me like this?”
“I do.”
Before Xu Lin could finish, Qin Yunhe had already changed into something cooler and jumped into the hot spring, clinging to his back with a soft embrace.
“Yunhe, stop teasing me. Aren’t you…”
“Yeah, so I’m just here to enjoy the hot spring. Feels great, doesn’t it?”
Qin Yunhe smiled, let go of him, and picked up the remote control by the pool to turn on the TV. But as Xu Lin watched her lean against the poolside, watching a drama, he felt a pang of guilt.
He gently leaned over, wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her slender neck. “I’m sorry. We were supposed to have a proper date. I should have gone hiking with you, soaked in the hot spring, had a candlelight dinner, met your father, and then gone to the zoo to see that big tiger.”
“It’s okay. It’s partly my fault for insisting on bringing Qingwan. She’s pretty pitiful too. I can’t just forget my best friend because I have a boyfriend.”
“But it’s also my fault for not insisting back then. I’m sorry…”
Before he could finish, her lips silenced him. Looking into Qin Yunhe’s sparkling eyes, he held her tightly. A few seconds later, she smiled and said, “Never say sorry to me.”
“Yunhe… thank you.”
“I didn’t accept your proposal back then because I didn’t want to regret it later. So, I don’t want to hear you say sorry to me, alright?”
“Okay. I, Xu Lin, will definitely marry you.”
Ten minutes later, they leaned against each other, chatting and watching TV, feeling a bit dizzy from the heat.
“It’s time to get out.”
“…Ah! Qin Yunhe?”
Xu Lin was about to stand up and carry Qin Yunhe out, but to his surprise, she gave him a princess carry instead!
“Haha, you’re so light.”
“I weigh about 120 pounds.”
“You need to exercise more. You’re good at martial arts, but you need to work on your muscles.”
She pinched his arm and then noticed something.
“What’s wrong?”
“You have a red mark on the inside of your arm. It wasn’t there before… what is it?”
“Oh, I noticed that too. I thought it was a skin condition at first, but it looks like a tattoo.”
“How could a tattoo just appear suddenly…”
Qin Yunhe took a closer look and came to a surprising conclusion. “It really is an animal… is this a tiger?”
“A tiger?”
Xu Lin got out of her arms, dried himself off, and looked closely. It did look like a tiger from the correct angle.
“Even if it looks like a tiger, it could still be a skin condition. You should go to the hospital and check it out.”
“Yeah, I will.”
“But if it’s a tiger, that’s pretty fitting since I’m a tiger in the Chinese zodiac.”
“Yes, yes, my big tiger girl!”
“Who are you calling tiger girl? That’s what my grandma calls me!”
“By the way, if your best friend keeps making moves on me, what should I do?”
“Can’t you resist?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then it’s fine. But if Su Qingwan gets clingy, most people can’t handle it. It’ll test your willpower.”
“Alright.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, making Xu Lin nervous since he wasn’t dressed.
“Who is it?” Qin Yunhe called out.
“It’s me.”
Su Qingwan’s voice made them both breathe a sigh of relief.
“Wait a moment.”
“What are you guys doing in there?!”
“Keep your voice down, just a moment.”
Xu Lin and Qin Yunhe had a quick competition to see who could get dressed faster, with Xu Lin narrowly winning.
When they opened the door, Su Qingwan barged in, immediately hugging the just-steady Qin Yunhe and sniffing around intensely before running over to the bed and rummaging through it.
“Qingwan, what are you doing?”
“Did you two do something naughty?”
“No, we just soaked in the hot spring together.”
Su Qingwan was momentarily stunned. She had planned to soak with him herself, but now that chance had been taken.
“Really, we didn’t do anything else. You know it’s that time of the month for me…”
“Qin Yunhe, that’s too much. You told me to try it, but then you sneak in yourself.”
“I didn’t! You can do whatever you want. Xu Lin will decide, right?” Qin Yunhe glanced at him, and Xu Lin could only nod helplessly.
To be honest, he really wanted to soak in the hot spring with Su Qingwan too. But how could he say that out loud?
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