Chapter 117 Hot Springs

Chapter 117 Hot Springs

“I never said I wanted to go,” Yan Zhoubai protested, utterly bewildered by how Zhan Jiayu had interpreted his words. He had merely mentioned it in passing, and it was his father who had brought up the place in the first instance.

“Well, I want to go. Let’s spend a couple of days there. It’ll be a good chance to relax. Since our original hot spring plans fell through, we can make up for it with this one.”

Zhan Jiayu didn’t dwell on it. He was set on going, and his decisiveness was remarkable. He immediately altered the navigation route, rerouting their destination to Fengqing County.

“Hey, are you serious? You’re not joking, are you?”

Yan Zhoubai watched, dumbfounded, as Zhan Jiayu changed the navigation destination. This was so unlike Zhan Jiayu, who was never one to act on a whim. Why was he suddenly so determined to go? What about his company responsibilities?

“Of course, I’m not joking. You’re starting college soon. This is your last holiday before university, and you’ve been through poisoning, injuries, and internships without any real chance to relax. This hot spring resort is the perfect opportunity to unwind.”

Zhan Jiayu spoke softly, his hands turning the steering wheel as the car headed towards Fengqing County, already having deviated from the route back to their apartment.

“But what about the company? A trip to a hot spring resort isn’t just a day trip, is it?” Yan Zhoubai asked, his expression serious.

“You’re quite concerned about the company,” Zhan Jiayu chuckled. “The company won’t fall apart without me. I can certainly take a few days off.”

“Alright then, I’ll look online to book a room.”

If the boss himself said it was fine, Yan Zhoubai saw no need to worry. He pulled out his phone and began browsing hot spring resort hotels in Fengqing County.

…

Fengqing County wasn’t far from downtown Jingshi. Taking the elevated highway and then the expressway would get them there in just over an hour.

Yan Zhoubai knew that Jingshi encompassed this small county, but he had never visited. It used to be rather obscure, but in recent years, with the development of tourism, it had suddenly gained popularity.

Yan Zhoubai leaned against the car window, observing the vibrant scenes of the small town outside—a stark contrast to the bustling metropolis of Jingshi. However, being under Jingshi’s jurisdiction, its economic development was far superior to other small counties. Yan Zhoubai didn’t see the kind of older, more dilapidated buildings he had seen depicted on television.

“Aren’t you curious? Have you ever been to a small county before?”

After enjoying the view for a while, Yan Zhoubai turned back and noticed that Zhan Jiayu seemed utterly uninterested in the scenery outside. He couldn’t help but ask curiously.

Zhan Jiayu had grown up in Country A, and the Zhan family wielded immense influence there. It was highly probable that Zhan Jiayu had never visited any small, remote places.

“I have. I’ve been to small towns in both Country A and China. Fengqing is close to the capital, so it’s already quite developed. It hardly counts as a small county.”

Yan Zhoubai moved closer to Zhan Jiayu, seemingly intrigued by the topic. “Why did you go to small towns?”

Zhan Jiayu watched as Yan Zhoubai leaned in, his round black eyes brimming with curiosity. He reached out and ruffled Yan Zhoubai’s hair. “I’ve been to many places. The Zhan family’s training for us when we were young covered a wide range of experiences.”

“Like what?”

Yan Zhoubai had always been very interested in the Zhan family’s situation in Country A.

Based on the system’s descriptions, the Zhan family seemed like something straight out of a movie. The more he learned about Zhan Jiayu, the more he wanted to verify if those descriptions of the Zhan family were indeed true.

Zhan Jiayu smiled, amused by Yan Zhoubai’s current expression. He never showed this much eagerness to learn when accompanying him on business trips.

“Knowing about it won’t do you any good. Those skills are only useful abroad. Not only are they unnecessary here, but some of them aren’t even legal.”

At this moment, Zhan Jiayu sounded like an adult trying to curb a child’s excessive curiosity, his expression conveying a distinct “grown-up matters are none of your business” vibe.

Yan Zhoubai stared at Zhan Jiayu for a while, realizing he truly had no intention of elaborating. He let out a “hmph” and angrily turned away.

He decided to ignore Zhan Jiayu for now—at least until they reached the hotel.

Seeing Yan Zhoubai suddenly sulk, Zhan Jiayu had no choice but to relent. “If you’re really that curious, I’ll take you to the Zhan family’s training ground in Country A when we have time. Seeing it for yourself would be much better than me describing it.”

Yan Zhoubai’s resolve to ignore Zhan Jiayu lasted all of ten seconds before crumbling.

“I can go to your family’s training ground?”

Like a kitten captivated by a cat toy, Yan Zhoubai’s attention immediately returned to Zhan Jiayu.

Zhan Jiayu naturally relished having Yan Zhoubai’s full attention, though he didn’t show it on his face.

“Of course.”

As the head of the family, who would dare stop him from bringing someone to the training ground?

“Yay, that’s great!”

Yan Zhoubai began waving his arms around excitedly, the rustling of his clothes against the car seat and backrest filling the cabin.

If not for the seatbelt, it seemed like he might have launched himself out of the car.

About ten minutes later, the car finally pulled into the resort hotel.

To Yan Zhoubai’s surprise, the hot spring hotel was much fancier than he had imagined. The area likely boasted abundant hot spring resources, as numerous hot spring hotels were clustered together.

Yan Zhoubai had assumed that, being far from downtown Jingshi, the resort hotels would be average at best. But now, seeing them in person, he realized they were all quite luxurious.

“Didn’t you say your father suggested this place? Think about who your father is. If the hotels here weren’t high-end, they wouldn’t even have caught his attention, right?”

Zhan Jiayu sometimes found Yan Zhoubai quite fascinating. Despite being born into the top-tier Yan family, his understanding of luxury consumption could be surprisingly down-to-earth.

At the same time, he still possessed the habits of a young master. During their time living together, Zhan Jiayu noticed that Yan Zhoubai was quite particular about food, clothing, and daily necessities—he wasn’t someone who would settle for just anything.

Of course, compared to other young masters raised in wealthy families, his pickiness was relatively mild.

After checking in, Yan Zhoubai went straight to his room to change, then eagerly headed for the hot spring area.

Zhan Jiayu followed behind him without stopping him. After all, the purpose of this trip was for Yan Zhoubai to relax, and his lively excitement was exactly the kind of vibe they needed.

Yan Zhoubai’s first impression of the hot spring hotel was very positive. The service was excellent, the environment was quiet, all facilities were well-maintained, and there weren’t too many people around—it was perfect for a vacation.

His anticipation for the hot springs grew even stronger, which was why he was hurrying ahead so enthusiastically.

However, in his excitement, he didn’t notice that the path was empty, and he ended up bumping into someone while turning a corner.

“Ouch!”

Yan Zhoubai stumbled back two steps from the impact. When he looked up, he saw that the person he had bumped into was a woman. She seemed to have just come out of the hot spring, her hair still wrapped up, and his collision had caused her hair to come loose.

“Sorry, sorry! It was my fault for not watching where I was going. Are you okay?”

Yan Zhoubai quickly apologized.

“Yan Zhoubai? What are you doing here?”

The moment the woman spoke, Yan Zhoubai realized it was someone familiar—he had bumped into Lin Qihua. What a coincidence.

“Sister Qihua? What are you doing here?” Yan Zhoubai was equally surprised.

“I asked you first, didn’t I? I’m here for the hot springs—isn’t that obvious?”

Lin Qihua’s hair had come loose from the impact, so she simply reached up to smooth down her now-loosened long hair. She had wrapped her hair to keep it dry while soaking, but she was already done anyway.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Zhan Jiayu had been walking behind Yan Zhoubai. Since Yan Zhoubai had been hurrying ahead, he had fallen a bit behind, but he hurried over when he heard the commotion.

When he arrived, he saw Yan Zhoubai frozen in place, Lin Qihua fixing her hair, and the towel she had used to wrap her hair lying on the ground.

“Miss Lin?”

The moment Zhan Jiayu saw Lin Qihua, his expression tightened. This was especially true after he noticed her messy hair and the fact that she had just come out of the hot springs.

“Mr. Zhan is here too? Did you two come together?”

Lin Qihua looked surprised for a moment when she saw Zhan Jiayu, but she quickly seemed to understand, as if she’d figured something out.

“It’s great you came together—coming to relax together. This place is really nice.”

Lin Qihua ignored Zhan Jiayu’s somewhat hostile look, gazing at him with an “I get it” expression.

But inwardly, she couldn’t help but complain. Hadn't she helped Zhan Jiayu get closer to Yan Zhoubai? And hadn't the collaboration between their families, facilitated through Yan Zhoubai, been going smoothly? She thought Zhan Jiayu would at least see her as half an ally, yet he still held a grudge.

Jeez, he sure holds a grudge. Was he still hung up on that time he saw her pinning Yan Zhoubai to the wall in the restroom? He's still hung up on that?

Yes, Zhan Jiayu still remembers.

Even though after getting to know Lin Qihua, he was pretty sure she wouldn’t develop feelings for Yan Zhoubai, that didn’t erase the possibility that she might have once considered marrying Yan Zhoubai for the Lin family’s benefit.

“Are you here by yourself?”

Yan Zhoubai seemed happy; he was quite pleased to run into Lin Qihua.

But his happiness made someone else nearby unhappy.

Just as Lin Qihua was about to speak, she felt the tension in the air thicken, and her smile froze at the corners of her lips.

“Of course I’m not here alone—I’m with a friend. The one I mentioned last time, the one who’s into Taoist culture.” Lin Qihua composed herself.

“Is she—”

Before Yan Zhoubai could finish, Lin Qihua cut him off:

“This hotel’s main attraction is the couple’s hot spring. Would Mr. Zhan like to give it a try?”

Lin Qihua felt she needed to say something nice.

“Oh? Really? What do you say, Xiao Chuaner? Would you like to experience it?”

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Author’s note: Didn’t get to [the melting scene], next chapter will. Hot spring fun [dog head].