Inside one of the private quarters aboard the ship, Ye Juan lay sprawled lazily on a soft mattress. One hand propped up her cheek, while one leg dangled over the edge of the bed. Her eyes, half-open and half-closed, reflected the gentle sunlight filtering in through the sheer curtains.
Her breathing was steady almost as if she were having a sweet dream…
Or perhaps not so sweet after all.
In the realm of her dream, amidst a pale white mist hovering above a secluded hot spring deep within a tranquil forest, Ye Juan stood hidden behind a thick bush, curiously peeking through the leaves with a mix of caution and intrigue. Her eyes darted suspiciously from side to side.
The sound of rushing water and the warm scent of steam wafted against her nose, causing her to frown instinctively.
"Hmm… What is this? There's nothing interesting here at all…"
She muttered softly while squinting into the mist.
Before her were several young men, each with taut, muscular bodies, bare-chested, wearing only thin cloths tied around their waists. They were taking turns splashing hot spring water over themselves. The splashes mingled with low laughter, echoing through the warm, nature-scented atmosphere.
Ye Juan stayed hidden in the shadow of the bushes, her face flushed a deep pink. Her wide eyes sparkled in stunned disbelief. One hand instinctively flew to cover her mouth, but… she couldn't tear her gaze away.
"M-Men…" she whispered, heart pounding.
"I didn't mean to spy or anything… but I just can't stop looking!"
Her cheeks burned hotter than the steam itself, and soon she was giggling in her sleep, clearly enjoying the scene far too much to pull herself out of it.
The sound of flowing water continued softly amid the warm mist caressing the trees and stone paths around the spring... Ye Juan remained hidden behind the bush, face red like a ripe pomegranate, her round cheeks burning hotter than the hot spring itself, eyes glittering as if trying to etch the scene into memory forever.
Until finally…
One of the tall, tan-skinned young men, his body chiseled like it was sculpted from black jade, suddenly turned toward where she was hiding. He furrowed his brows slightly, then widened his eyes and smiled broadly.
"Ah… So our wife was hiding and watching us all along!"
He said in a deep, resonant voice.
Ye Juan jolted in shock.
"H-Huh!? WIFE!? What are you talking about!?"
Before she could move, another man, the closest to the spring, whistled playfully and waved her over with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"How long have you been there, hmm? Didn't know our beautiful wife liked watching us bathe so much…"
"Come on~"
Another voice joined in this one from a fair-skinned young man with long, inky-black hair damp and flowing. He grinned slyly as he stepped out of the spring, water glistening across his chest and shoulders.
Ye Juan froze, feeling her heart about to leap out of her chest. She took a step back but tripped over a bush instead.
Whoosh!
A small vine snapped, and her slender body tumbled out from the bushes landing right in the middle of the group of young men.
"A-Aaah! I-I'm NOT your wife!!"
Ye Juan shrieked, her face now bright red like it had been dipped in molten dye.
But the men only chuckled softly in amusement. Not one of them seemed to believe her. One of them walked up and bent down until his sharp, striking eyes were level with hers.
"But in this dream…
You are our wife, aren't you?"
"D-Dream…?"
Ye Juan stammered, her eyes trembling with panic.
And then…
All the men from the spring slowly began walking toward her, step by step, surrounding her like a tiny queen in a castle of hot water. The sound of splashing water rippled in waves, mixed with the herbal aroma of the hot spring and the subtle scent of their bare bodies drawing ever closer.
She gulped hard, her heart pounding so fiercely it felt like it might explode.
"If you're embarrassed…
I could bathe for you instead,"
Someone whispered into her ear.
"I'm really good at bathing,"
Another one said flatly, though his eyes twinkled with mischief.
"Or… would you rather join us in the spring and try it yourself?"
The last one asked, as he slowly poured water over himself each drop tracing down the ridges of his muscles in a way that was… far too tempting.
Ye Juan let out a dry laugh, her brain in total chaos.
She didn't know whether to scream or laugh…
But one thing was absolutely certain
Her heart was racing more wildly than it ever had before.
But then…
"Ye Juan! Wake up already!"
A sharp, distinctly annoyed voice pierced through the dream, right as she was about to be pulled into the arms of the five rippling dream-men.
Someone shook her arm without mercy.
"OW!!"
Ye Juan bolted upright from the soft mattress, her vision still blurry. Her face was flushed as if she'd just been yanked out of a boiling pot of herbs.
She blinked rapidly, staring around the room in a daze…
...The silken curtains had replaced the white mist.
...The body pillow had replaced the stones by the spring.
...And at the end of the mattress stood Lan Chanzhun, arms crossed, replacing the muscle-bound hunk who had just smiled sweetly at her a moment ago…
"Uh… Uhhhhh…"
Ye Juan's jaw dropped, sweat breaking out along her hairline.
"What exactly were you dreaming about?"
Lan Chanzhun tilted his head with a cool voice, expression calm but eyes clearly judging her.
"You were muttering nonstop…
And look at your face.
You look like an overripe peach."
Ye Juan's eyes widened in horror. She immediately covered her cheeks with both hands.
"I-I wasn't dreaming about anything! Nothing at all! I just… took a little nap, that's all!"
She waved her hands frantically, laughing awkwardly sounding almost like a cartoon character.
"You sure about that?"
Lan Chanzhun raised a brow.
"Positive!"
Ye Juan's voice rose a pitch too high clearly trying to cover up some monumental crime. Then she suddenly flung her blanket aside and leapt off the mattress with lightning speed.
"Anyway! Where's Lian Yi, Xin Tingting, and Bai Wangyan!?
I need to find Xin Tingting right now!"
And with that, she spun on her heel and ran out of the room, footsteps clattering noisily across the ship's wooden corridor, her voice trailing behind:
"Xin Tingting!
Where are you?!"