The resort had only recently opened, and its remote location meant there were hardly any other guests.
“Whoa, did we just book out the entire place?” He Mingjie excitedly took the lead, looking around with awe.
This resort had the only natural hot springs in the city. The investors had clearly spared no expense, with top-notch facilities and stunning, carefully crafted landscapes.
They’d even set up a petting zoo with adorable little animals that were pretty enticing.
As dusk fell, the lights across the grounds flickered on, turning the place into a wonderland of twinkling lights.
“Perfect—no interruptions,” Sun Haoxiang put down his phone, fishing out his ID. “We can do whatever we want; the whole resort is ours.”
“Right.” He Mingjie patted his stomach with relief. “Lucky there aren’t any girls here; I’d be too self-conscious to go shirtless.”
He glanced enviously at Bo Jin.
Why do people like him even exist?
As if being smart wasn’t enough, he had to be tall and good-looking, too.
When his eyes landed on Xie Ruan standing next to Bo Jin, he mentally added another point.
Oh, and maybe even about to get a relationship going.
Thinking that only made him even more envious…
“Is it that big a deal?” Sun Haoxiang gave him a look of disgust. It’s not like he was idol material; why have the ego of one? Pinching his arm, he muttered, “Most people don’t even have abs.”
He Mingjie, thinking of Bo Jin, blurted out, “But Brother Bo does.”
They often played basketball together, and he’d caught glimpses more than once.
Curious, Xie Ruan turned to look at Bo Jin. Did he actually have abs? No way—he didn’t seem to exercise. Most of the time, he was either reading recipes or napping at his desk.
Noticing the skeptical look, Bo Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, planning to show him soon enough.
“He doesn’t count as normal,” Sun Haoxiang dismissed with a wave. “If you don’t believe me, ask Old Pan. Do you have some, Old Pan?”
Pan Yu: “…”
Why not ask him something nice? All he’d done was walk along quietly; what had he done to deserve this?
He didn’t exactly have abs. He was a bookworm, after all!
Facing everyone’s curious stares, Pan Yu sighed, adjusted his glasses, and blankly said, “Nope.”
“What about you, Xie Ruan?” Sun Haoxiang asked, now really curious.
This sparked something in Xie Ruan, who immediately perked up. “Of course.”
Technically, he didn’t have full abs, but he had a thin layer of muscle over his stomach. And abs are just abdominal muscles, right? So it counted.
“For real?” He Mingjie looked him up and down doubtfully. “You’re so skinny—could you really have abs?”
Who was he looking down on?
Xie Ruan raised his eyebrows, ready to lift his shirt. “Think I’m lying? Look for yourself.”
If it were Sun Haoxiang or Pan Yu, they’d never go over, even under threat. But He Mingjie, bless his oblivious heart, stepped forward without a second thought. “Where?”
In the dim light, he squinted as he leaned in for a closer look, almost like he was about to bury his face in Xie Ruan’s stomach.
Bo Jin frowned. Just as Xie Ruan was about to lift his shirt, Bo Jin grabbed him and pulled him back.
Stumbling slightly, Xie Ruan looked up, confused. “What are you doing?”
“There’s a step ahead,” Bo Jin replied flatly.
Xie Ruan looked up and saw the steps leading up from the garden to the hotel lobby.
“Thanks?”
“No problem.” Bo Jin released him and declined the offer from a staff member to help with the bags. “In the future, maybe try watching where you’re going instead of talking so much.”
“Oh.”
Sun Haoxiang put an arm around the still confused He Mingjie, patted his shoulder, and sighed, “Old He, how can you eat a hundred beans and not taste a single one?”
He Mingjie: “…”
Since there weren’t many tourists, they quickly checked in. Each got a mountain-view room with a large bed and a clear view of the distant volcano right from their rooms.
Xie Ruan’s room was at the end of the hall.
After entering, he put his things away, changed into swimwear, threw on a robe, and prepared to soak in the hot springs.
The resort’s hot springs included both indoor and outdoor areas. They checked out the indoor pools but found it a bit stifling, so they all decided on the outdoor ones.
Among the well-designed gardens, soft lighting and shifting shadows danced around the various hot springs, each steaming attractively. Some were entirely open-air, while others offered partial shade for those seeking a bit of privacy.
“Fish pool, wine pool, milk pool…” He Mingjie examined each, then turned to Bo Jin, “Brother Bo, which one are you guys using?”
Bo Jin looked over at Xie Ruan.
“The fish pool,” Xie Ruan answered, intrigued by the fish.
Before He Mingjie could respond, Sun Haoxiang jumped in, “Then we’re heading to the wine pool.”
Initially, He Mingjie wanted to follow Xie Ruan to the fish pool, but Sun Haoxiang’s suggestion of the wine pool changed his mind. After all, a man ought to appreciate a bit of wine!
He hooked an arm around Sun Haoxiang and grabbed Pan Yu with the other, pulling them along quickly.
Left alone by the fish pool were Bo Jin and Xie Ruan.
Bo Jin casually took off his robe and hung it nearby. Xie Ruan sneaked a glance at him, then paused, startled.
He actually has abs.
Not too bulky, nor too skinny. A perfect balance of youthful charm and strength, a natural beauty.
Bo Jin had been watching Xie Ruan’s reaction, and he smiled in satisfaction.
Bo Jin, shameless as ever, leaned back lazily and said, “If you want to look, just look. Why so sneaky? I’m not stopping you.”
Caught red-handed, Xie Ruan felt awkward, denying it right away, “Who wanted to look? I just accidentally glanced over.”
“An accidental glance?” Bo Jin raised an eyebrow, studying Xie Ruan, who was blatantly lying with a straight face. He chuckled and nodded, “Alright.”
He crossed his arms, leaning casually against the drying rack, eyes fixed on Xie Ruan, saying nothing more.
Originally, Xie Ruan was untying his sash, but with Bo Jin staring at him like that, he suddenly felt he couldn’t do it.
The rogue next to him even taunted, “Come on, take it off. What’s the holdup? Let me have an accidental glance too.”
Xie Ruan: “…”
How does he manage to keep pushing boundaries like this?
Meeting Bo Jin’s teasing gaze, Xie Ruan, unexpectedly unwilling to back down, thought, It’s just showing my upper body. What’s the big deal?
They’re both guys. What’s there to be afraid of?
Determined, Xie Ruan shut his eyes and yanked off his robe.
Under the lights, the slim, youthful body caught the eye. Limbs long and elegantly built, legs pale and straight, strikingly attractive. Although thin, he wasn’t fragile-looking.
Bo Jin’s eyes roamed over him, and he felt an intense rush of heat, nearly unbearable. He looked down, muttered a curse, and quickly stepped into the hot spring.
Xie Ruan: “???”
Although he didn’t have abs, his body wasn’t bad-looking—surely not to the point of scaring someone off with just one glance, right?
A little insulted, Xie Ruan lowered his gaze, slipped off his shoes, and chose a spot as far from Bo Jin as possible in the hot spring.
Bo Jin was busy reciting a mantra in his head when he noticed Xie Ruan had picked a seat practically across the pool, as if they were star-crossed lovers separated by an ocean. Amused, he laughed.
“Come over here.”
Surrounded by a school of fish, Xie Ruan didn’t want to move for fear of scaring them off. He replied coolly, “Why don’t you come over here?”
Bo Jin thought to himself, If I could, would I even be asking?
Gritting his teeth, Bo Jin quickly checked to make sure Xie Ruan wasn’t watching, then stood and moved over, sitting beside him.
Xie Ruan frowned, annoyed, “You scared away my fish.”
Bo Jin looked down.
Maybe it was in their nature, or because they’d been around people so much, but the fish weren’t easily frightened. Soon, they gathered around Xie Ruan’s legs again, nibbling curiously, with a few bold ones venturing up to his waist.
Bo Jin watched, and for a split second, he wanted to punch a fish.
Xie Ruan’s legs and waist… he hadn’t even touched those yet. Now these fish were getting all the benefits.
Bo Jin rubbed his forehead, feeling like he was acting a bit irrational—maybe from unfulfilled desires. He took a deep breath, trying to restrain himself, but his gaze kept drifting to Xie Ruan.
He hadn’t seen clearly just now, but it seemed like Xie Ruan’s… was a faint shade of red…
D&mn! Bo Jin forced himself to look away, not wanting to seem like some creep, staring at him.
If Xie Ruan admitted he liked him, it’d be a different story—he’d be his boyfriend, and everything would be fair game. But their relationship hadn’t been confirmed yet.
Bo Jin closed his eyes, silently reciting a calming mantra.
The little fish nibbling around him helped distract him, easing the restless itch spreading through his body. After a moment, Bo Jin finally calmed down a bit.
Once his rationality returned, he suddenly felt something was off.
He was getting so worked up, but Xie Ruan, who liked him so much, hadn’t shown any reaction at all? It was as if his own eight-pack abs weren’t even as interesting as these silly fish in Xie Ruan’s eyes.
Bo Jin lowered his gaze, about to test him a bit, when he felt a light tap on his arm.
“Hey, Bo Jin.”
Bo Jin turned and, gentlemanly, kept his gaze focused on Xie Ruan’s face.
Xie Ruan looked pleasantly surprised. “This really is a natural hot spring, not just heated water. I’ve only been soaking a short while, and my skin already feels so smooth.”
He held his arm above the water and rubbed it a couple of times.
Bo Jin, struggling to keep his composure, said nothing: “…”
When Xie Ruan saw Bo Jin staying silent for so long, he assumed Bo Jin didn’t agree with him. That can’t be right, he thought, we’re in the same pool; it can’t be that I feel smooth, and he doesn’t.
Without giving it much thought, he reached out and touched Bo Jin’s arm.
Bo Jin jerked his arm back as if he’d been burned and muttered, “Don’t touch me.”
Surprised by Bo Jin’s reaction, Xie Ruan froze momentarily, then felt a wave of irritation. Not letting me touch him, huh? Well, I’m touching him today, whether he likes it or not.
A smirk tugged at Xie Ruan’s lips as he placed a hand on Bo Jin’s shoulder, leaning in coolly. “And what if I—”
Before he could finish, Bo Jin grabbed his wrist tightly, and the world seemed to spin. By the time Xie Ruan regained his senses, Bo Jin had him pinned against the edge of the hot spring.
Bo Jin’s eyes were dark and intense, exuding a powerful aura that pressed heavily in such close quarters.
He tugged slightly at the hair at the back of Xie Ruan’s head, forcing him to look up.
The night was quiet, with only the occasional chirp of insects, as if the world had shrunk down to just the two of them.
Xie Ruan could feel Bo Jin’s slightly heavy breathing.
Then he heard Bo Jin’s voice, soft and close to his ear.
“What if you do what?” Bo Jin chuckled, looking Xie Ruan in the eyes, drawing out his words. “What if you are screwed.”
