Chapter 092: Soaking in the Hot Springs

Jiang Yao returned home to find Ye Yiyi sitting on the sofa, wearing a strange smile as she watched her.

“What are you laughing at?” Jiang Yao asked.

Ye Yiyi clicked her tongue twice. “I was just on the balcony, you know, and I saw something I’m not sure I should have seen.”

The balcony?

Jiang Yao swallowed hard. Right, the view from the balcony here was especially good—Ye Yiyi must have seen her and He Yunqing from there.

“Well, you saw it, so be it.” Jiang Yao decided to let go completely. No matter how much Ye Yiyi gossiped, she’d just let her; she never intended to hide such things from Ye Yiyi anyway.

Ye Yiyi, seeing Jiang Yao’s attitude, sidled up and slyly asked, “Ah Yao, so you really are together with He Yunqing?”

Jiang Yao sat down on the sofa. “Yes.”

Ye Yiyi immediately went to the fridge, grabbed two cans of cold beer and some peanuts, handed a beer to Jiang Yao, and looked at her with an eager expression, like she was about to hear a story. “When did it happen? Tell me, hurry, tell me everything.”

Jiang Yao opened the can with a “pop,” then deliberately took her time drinking, teasing Ye Yiyi.

“My dear Ah Yao,” Ye Yiyi pleaded, shaking Jiang Yao’s arm, “you know if I don’t get all the juicy details, I’ll be miserable! Come on, just tell me.”

Jiang Yao tapped Ye Yiyi’s forehead helplessly. “It was during those days abroad, remember when we ran into those robbers?”

“And then? And then?” Ye Yiyi’s eyes sparkled.

Over the next two hours, Ye Yiyi unearthed every detail she could.

Jiang Yao talked until her throat was dry and nearly hoarse. “Is that enough? Is there anything else you want to know, my lady?”

Ye Yiyi nodded thoughtfully.

Jiang Yao drained the last sip of her beer, then suddenly joked, “You wouldn’t sabotage me just for He Yunqing, would you?”

Ye Yiyi slapped Jiang Yao’s thigh. “What are you saying, Ah Yao? How could any man compare to you? Besides, I already have a new boyfriend.”

“A boyfriend? That Luo Yixian?”

Ye Yiyi lowered her head, beaming with happiness.

“You’re already dating him?” Jiang Yao was surprised.

“Mm, he confessed to me tonight,” Ye Yiyi hugged Jiang Yao’s arm. “Ah Yao, I’m going out with him tomorrow—help me with my makeup, make me look pretty, okay?”

“I can do your makeup, but… are you sure he’s reliable?” Jiang Yao had her doubts.

Ye Yiyi patted her chest confidently. “Yixian is a great guy—gentle, kind, and considerate. Don’t worry, you still don’t trust my judgment?”

Jiang Yao swallowed back the words she was about to say.

It’s precisely because it’s your judgment that I don’t trust it…

The next evening, He Yunqing invited Jiang Yao out.

The drive lasted nearly three hours before they finally arrived at He Yunqing’s chosen destination—a vast open-air hot spring.

“I’m sorry, I could only meet you at this hour,” He Yunqing apologized.

Jiang Yao understood; during the day, with so many people around, their meeting would inevitably attract trouble. Only at night, when all was quiet, could the two of them avoid prying eyes.

“Actually, if you’d like, I could make this public…”

“I don’t want that.” Jiang Yao cut him off immediately.

She had spent some time learning about the entertainment industry lately—she knew there were many invisible rules, and she knew how fanatical those fans could be. She’d even prepared herself: if their relationship were ever exposed, she wouldn’t mind if He Yunqing distanced himself from her.

Together, they entered the hot spring. The swirling mist made visibility especially low.

He Yunqing changed clothes and got in first; Jiang Yao followed.

Through the haze, they could barely see each other’s blurred figures.

He Yunqing’s handsome features took on an air of mystery, as if he belonged to another world entirely.

Jiang Yao glanced at the scars on her body, gently touching them with her fingertips, lost in thought.

From the neighboring hot spring came the sounds of a couple laughing and playing.

Perhaps neither expected anyone else to be around at this hour and place, so they acted boldly.

“Come on, let me hold you, just for a bit!” came the man’s voice.

The woman responded coquettishly, “You’re so naughty!”

Then followed a series of sounds best left undescribed…

Jiang Yao’s cheeks flushed, her gaze involuntarily drifting toward He Yunqing.

Only then did she notice that He Yunqing had disappeared from where he’d been moments before.

“He…” Jiang Yao began softly, wanting to call his name.

Suddenly, a large hand appeared on her slender wrist.

She hadn’t noticed when He Yunqing had come to her side; his hand, warmed by the hot spring, felt scorching to the touch.

The man gestured for her to keep quiet, then leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Ah Yao, your face is all red.”

His voice slipped into her ear, sending a tingling sensation through her whole body.

Jiang Yao shrank back slightly. “It’s just the hot spring—it’s too warm.”

He Yunqing smiled lightly, gently encircling her in his arms. “That’s the best part about hot springs.”

His tone was full of ambiguity.

It was hard to tell if he meant the temperature should be hot, or that holding her was what made it so good, or perhaps, like the couple next door…

Jiang Yao tried to pull away.

But the man’s strong arms gave her no chance to escape.

“Don’t worry. Until you’re ready, I won’t touch you,” He Yunqing said in a gentle voice.

If anything, his words only made Jiang Yao’s face redder.

“Why would I be worried? What are you thinking about, anyway?” she retorted stubbornly.

“You haven’t thought about it?” He Yunqing countered.

“I…” Jiang Yao bit her lip. “Of course I haven’t.”

He Yunqing buried his face in her neck, laughing softly. His laughter, mixed with the heat, seemed to seep into Jiang Yao’s ears, making her whole body feel even hotter…

“Yixian, you’re always so busy, yet you still make time for me,” the woman next door said sweetly. “It’s all my fault—I got upset with you before.”

Yixian? Luo Yixian?

Jiang Yao’s attention sharpened instantly, wondering if she’d misheard or if it was someone with the same name. She listened more closely.

“Are you still upset?” the man called “Yixian” asked.

“Just a little. If you buy me the bag I liked before, I’ll forgive you completely,” the woman teased.

“All right, all right, I’ll buy it,” the man replied.

More laughter followed.

Jiang Yao shot a questioning look at He Yunqing, lowering her voice, “That voice… is it Luo Yixian?”