This was the first time Jiang Xiao faced, head-on, the wild, almost animalistic frenzy of human beings in their mating season.
Some reservoir of knowledge in his mind was steadily increasing.
Then, Jiang Xiao’s large hand was seized and pushed away by a pair of small, slippery hands.
A girl’s shy, moist eyes were revealed, glistening as she blinked warily; the crystal droplets clinging to her lashes shattered into even tinier beads.
She once again faced the playful scene of a couple, and her gaze darted away, embarrassed.
She recalled the end of that false romance, the shameful things she and Jiang Xiao did on the bed. The memory made her so embarrassed she wanted nothing more than to let go of Jiang Xiao, to splash into the hot spring with a plop and hide herself in the lowest part.
But the couple had already done what they came to do; she no longer wanted to even breathe in the scent of the hot spring water.
Even though the hot spring should have self-sterilizing properties and, in theory, there was nothing to worry about, seeing it all so directly—
Psychologically, she still couldn’t accept it.
Unconsciously, she stood on tiptoe, lifting her little rear and rubbing her soft, flat belly upward, trying to keep that part of her body as far as possible from the now “unclean” water surface.
In the next second, the towel that had struggled under its burden for so long finally slipped, softly dropping into the water.
Feeling the firm muscles of Jiang Xiao’s abdomen, her body stiffened—and then she clearly sensed him stiffening as well.
She hesitated, lifting her gaze, and collided with the eyes of the person pressed tightly against her. Dazed for a moment, she anxiously licked her lips, trying to create some distance between them.
Her tensed toes threatened to drop her back down, her little feet almost touching solid ground.
“Need some help?”
Jiang Xiao lowered his face, meeting her escape-bound gaze.
In that instant, it was as if he could see right through her thoughts, even catching the desperate need she herself tried to hide.
Under the pressure of his masculine presence, Song Qiuyu shrank back ever so slightly. She bit her lip, paused for a moment, then glanced downward.
“But I’m worried, with ‘soft jade in his arms,’ Jiang Xiao must be under a lot of pressure.”
“Don’t worry, I can handle it.”
Seeing she didn’t refuse, the corners of Jiang Xiao’s lips curled up ever so slightly. He lowered his head, bringing his lips to her ear and speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.
A truly clever hunter—
Knows to hide their fangs and claws before fully securing the prey.
But once the prey is his, he will vent all the patience and restraint he’s built up, devouring her completely.
By then, Xi’er would never have the chance to turn back. As he spoke, he wrapped his hands around her thighs and, with a bit of strength, effortlessly lifted her entire body out of the water.
“Mm!”
Song Qiuyu pressed her lips together tightly, doing her best not to make too much noise. Her arms instinctively wrapped around Jiang Xiao’s neck.
After such a long time, with their skin pressed together like this again, she lost all strength and courage to speak, letting her gaze fall.
Above the thunderous pounding of her own heart, she could no longer hear the couple’s amorous sounds, and with a burning sense of shyness, like a fledgling desperately seeking security, she buried her feverish face deep against his solid chest.
Jiang Xiao’s strong, steady heartbeat sounded clearly in her ears. Slowly, she closed her eyes completely, breathing in that addictive scent.
How could she feel so at ease? How could she like it so much?
Jiang Xiao’s lashes drooped, watching the girl clinging to him, nestling in his arms with the utmost docility and trust. Suddenly, a greedy thought surged in his heart.
He hoped that couple could keep going for three hundred more years. As long as they kept “fighting,” Xi’er would probably let him keep holding her.
But then again, someone would probably die at that rate.
Song Qiuyu didn’t even know how she left the hot spring. By the time she came to her senses, she was dressed in clean clothes, her hair was dry, and she was walking side by side with Jiang Xiao down the hotel corridor.
They walked in silence, as if nothing had happened. Neither of them mentioned the naked embrace in the hot spring.
“It’s almost nine o’clock. Let’s go get something to eat.”
Song Qiuyu mustered her courage to break the dead silence. Jiang Xiao’s habit of always accommodating her made her feel both safe and helpless.
This wasn’t the first time Jiang Xiao had played dumb.
He always sensed the things she didn’t want to face and chose not to mention them. Little did he know, this only made her more aware!
When Jiang Xiao nodded and agreed, she forced herself to smile calmly, then nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Jiang Xiao was only doing this to match her pace and keep his promise.
But what exactly was she doing?
She had to treat Jiang Xiao like she did when they were just friends.
With this thought, she suppressed her anxiety, stopped walking, closed her eyes, patted her chest, then opened her eyes and turned to look at him.
“This Da Shangdan Plot—we’re definitely going to win it. Victory is ours!”
“Yeah, victory!”
Jiang Xiao also stopped, turning to see Song Qiuyu’s usual radiant smile, and nodded.
They looked at each other and laughed.
Song Qiuyu’s smile grew even sweeter. She felt as if their relationship was returning to what it once was!
After all, where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Just then, the familiar laughter of a man and woman drifted from the other end of the corridor.
Following the voices, Song Qiuyu looked over and saw two vaguely familiar faces entering her field of vision. The woman also noticed them, her face flashing with surprise.
These two—weren’t they the couple playing in the hot spring just now?
But she hadn’t clearly seen their faces earlier. Had she seen them somewhere else before?
Song Qiuyu searched her memory and, after a moment, recalled vaguely—her heart skipped a beat in fright.
Oh no!
They were the couple they had pretended to be newlyweds in front of, just to get a Little Umbrella!
Jiang Xiao obviously remembered too.
As they exchanged glances, Song Qiuyu’s face twisted into the pained expression of someone suffering under capitalism, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.
If this couple happened to know the clients, or worse, were the clients themselves—
They were probably finished.
“Yo, what a coincidence!” The young woman took the initiative to wave at them, raising her eyebrows as she spoke.
The most common black bathrobe couldn’t hide her hot figure. Song Qiuyu could clearly feel the chasm between them.
She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but the woman seemed even more voluptuous than before.
With this thought, she snuck a glance at Jiang Xiao, and saw his gaze really did seem to linger. Her delicate brows furrowed, her chest tightening in frustration.
Jiang Xiao wasn’t admiring her.
He had simply, like Song Qiuyu, noticed the change in the woman’s chest and couldn’t help but look again.
“Babe, do you know them?”
The burly, muscular man slung his arm around the young woman’s waist, speaking with casual intimacy.
“We’re… acquaintances who borrowed a Little Umbrella from us.”
The young woman eyed the couple in front of her with an ambiguous look, slightly surprised. It hadn’t been that long, but the guy had grown even more handsome, and the girl more beautiful.
“Looks like the newlywed life has been treating little sister well. Love is the best nourishment, especially the kind that blends spice with sweetness.”
The young woman teased with a knowing smile.
Hearing this, Song Qiuyu scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment, clenching her fist and coughing twice. What did she mean by “living well” and “a blend of spice and sweetness”? Was this really Mandarin? What on earth was this woman talking about?
Damn it, this was all because of that Haji Xie guy!
How were they supposed to end this?
She covertly elbowed Jiang Xiao, doing her best to keep her expression obedient and passed him a look of silent pleading.
What Jiang Xiao had done that day was still vivid in her memory. She hoped he would play along today too.
“Big sister, are you here for fun as well?” She ignored the young woman’s teasing and changed the subject, testing the waters.
“Mm.”
The young woman nodded.
Just as Song Qiuyu was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she suddenly felt a tightness at her waist, her body going stiff.
“What a coincidence, my wife and I are here for fun too!” Jiang Xiao slipped his arm around her waist, letting her soft, slender body lean gently against him. Tilting his head to touch hers, he smiled radiantly, looking the picture of happiness as he spoke.