This hot spring hotel is very large, and the rooms are arranged according to the location of the natural hot spring. According to the staff, Lu Tingzhou's room is at the very back, near the foot of the mountain.
Because the journey was a bit far, the manager specially arranged for a waiter to drive them there in a shuttle bus.
Four wheels are faster than two legs, and a few minutes later, the two arrived at the room safely. Lu Tingzhou swiped his room card to enter, and Qin Jia followed quietly behind him.
This is a large suite with two bedrooms, a living room, a game room, a bathroom, and a semi-open-air hot spring pool.
Qin Jia took off her high heels and changed into hotel slippers. Then, she leisurely walked into the living room, put down her handbag, and sat down comfortably on the sofa.
Several fruit platters were placed on the coffee table, piled high with washed fruit, including grapes, lychees, cherries, wax apples, cantaloupes, and raspberries, all brightly colored and fragrant.
Qin Jia sat on the sofa staring at the fruit plate. Seeing this, Lu Tingzhou smiled and said, "Eat if you want."
She glanced at him, got up to wash her hands in the bathroom, and then came out to eat some fruit. Having already eaten, she only ate a small amount and didn't eat too much.
Before soaking in the hot springs, you need to take a shower. While waiting, Lu Tingzhou went to the bathroom to shower, while Qin Jia went to the game room to play video games by herself.
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She was a complete novice when it came to games. She got familiar with the rules in the first two rounds, and by the third round she was basically in control and quickly became proficient.
As Lu Tingzhou finished the seventh game, he came out of the bathroom, dried his hair, and went into a bedroom. Qin Jia went to another room, seemingly lost in thought.
The bedroom wardrobe contained seven or eight swimsuits, three white bathrobes, and four or five sets of women's clothing. In addition, several sets of sports bras in the same color scheme were neatly arranged in the drawers below the wardrobe.
All clothes are one size fits all and suit all body types.
Qin Jia closed the drawer, picked out a swimsuit based on her eye, and took the clothes into the bathroom.
After a quick shower, her body warmed up. She changed into her swimsuit, wrapped a towel around her neck, and went to the hot spring pool.
The hot spring is semi-open-air, with a small portion inside and most exposed outdoors. The spring water is 40 degrees Celsius, milky white, and steam rises from the surface, creating a light mist.
Lu Tingzhou wore a simple black swimsuit, a T-shirt and shorts, with only his limbs exposed.
Compared to him, Qin Jia's swimsuit was slightly more daring. She wore a light pink floral dress, off-the-shoulder, and above the knee.
The two entered the water one after the other and sat down side by side.
Qin Jia leaned against the edge of the pond, tilting her head slightly to look at the sky. A full moon hung in the sky, and a few scattered stars twinkled in the areas not reached by the moonlight.
As time went by, the heat rose, and her body temperature continued to rise. She was extremely agitated, so she grabbed a pack of wet wipes from the low table by the pool, opened it, and hastily wiped her face.
After soaking for a while longer, Qin Jia felt even hotter. She didn't know if it was because she was naturally sensitive to heat, but she really wanted to get out of the tub and go back to the living room to eat fruit.
She opened the second pack of wet wipes, wiped her face, and asked Lu Tingzhou with utter confusion, "You people..."
The man turned his head at the sound. "Hmm?"
Qin Jia silently swallowed the rest of her sentence, smiled at him, took a bottle of water from the low table, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and after composing herself, asked, "Lu Tingzhou, why do you think most couples like to soak in hot springs together?"
After she finished speaking, she looked at herself, then at him, and couldn't help but frown. "What's the point of the two of us staying in the pool?"
Such a boring activity is surprisingly included in the list of 100 things couples should do, and it's even ranked quite high.
Qin Jia couldn't understand it.
Just as she was racking her brains, Lu Tingzhou replied, "Perhaps our approach is wrong."
She asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Lu Tingzhou didn't say anything, but moved his body closer to her.
He pondered for a few seconds and said slowly, "There's a scene in episode 18 of 'Perfect Lovers' where the male and female leads soak in a hot spring together. Perhaps we can learn from that."
"You've already watched up to episode 18 of this show?" Qin Jia asked in surprise; she had only watched up to episode 13.
"Hmm." Lu Tingzhou nodded gently, then asked for her opinion, "Should we..."
"...Follow the practice?"
Qin Jia replied without hesitation, "Sure."
This saves her a lot of trouble. She thought to herself.
She wanted to see what effect soaking in hot springs had on romantic relationships between men and women.
Lu Tingzhou picked up the tablet on the low table, opened episode 18 of "Perfect Lovers", dragged the progress bar to 25 minutes and 38 seconds, and selected "continue playing".
Qin Jia turned slightly to the side and leaned against the pool to watch the show.
In the drama, the male and female leads soak in a hot spring together. The female lead wears a halter-neck dress with a light cover-up over it, while the male lead wears a white tank top and swimming trunks.
The two went into the water one after the other. After soaking for a while, they sat closer and closer, exchanged a few nonsensical lines, and then the male and female leads suddenly hugged and kissed.
A romantic interlude then begins, the camera pulls back, revealing only the silhouettes of the male and female leads in the distance. The scene then cuts to the supporting characters, and the segment ends.
Qin Jia was stunned. So, the final step was still a kiss. But she had already experienced it; she didn't find touching lips particularly enjoyable.
But since we're already here, we might as well give it a try. After all, her feelings aren't important.
The important thing is to make Lu Tingzhou feel bored. As similar disappointments accumulate, he will eventually realize that he and she are not suitable to be lovers at all.
Lu Tingzhou rewound the video, and Qin Jia flicked her hair, calmly withdrawing her gaze.
She turned around and sat down quietly, waiting for him to come over. A few seconds later, the man sat right next to her, put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her closer to him.
Qin Jia leaned against his shoulder, tilting her head slightly to look at him. "Shall we... chat casually?"
Lu Tingzhou thought for a moment and then took the initiative to start a conversation: "Have you named those animal robots at your house?"
Qin Jia hummed in agreement. She straightened her head, found a comfortable position to lean against him, and said casually, "The chubby koala is called Da Bao, the polar bear is called Er Bao, and the squirrel is called San Bao. Together they are the 'Three Lucky Treasures'."
"So, what do you think? The meaning is pretty good, isn't it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a low chuckle came from above. Qin Jia sat up, curling his lip in displeasure. "Are these names really that funny?"
"No." He looked at her tenderly, his beautiful peach blossom eyes filled with affection. "You're quite cute."
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The man's eyes seemed to possess a magical power, instantly calming Qin Jia down. She said nothing more, silently shifting her gaze away from him and looking up at the moon in the sky.
Lu Tingzhou followed her gaze to the sky and quietly began to admire the moon.
A few minutes later, Qin Jia rubbed her slightly sore neck and subtly adjusted her posture. @Unlimited great articles, all at Jinjiang Literature City
She took a sip of water, pointed to herself, then to him, and said, "It's getting late. Shouldn't we move on to the next step?"
"Hmm." Lu Tingzhou cleared his throat and beckoned to her, "Come sit a little closer."
Qin Jia put down her water bottle and, holding onto the edge of the pool, sat down towards him. Beneath the translucent surface of the water, her knee accidentally bumped into his thigh, and she quickly said, "Sorry."
"It's alright," he replied gently.
Qin Jia sat up sideways, opened her almond-shaped eyes wide to look at him, and waited for him to come closer. This time, she didn't intend to close her eyes.
A summer night breeze brushed against her cheek, and the man's handsome face grew larger and larger before her eyes. Ripples spread across the pool as he approached, and the soft sound of the water reached her ears.
Their eyes met, and Qin Jia was stunned for a moment, about to ask him why he hadn't kissed her yet...
Suddenly, Lu Tingzhou raised his hand, his fingers gently resting on the back of her neck. He gently lifted half of her face with his palm, then lowered his eyelashes, his gaze falling on her lips as if admiring a work of art.
Perhaps because her body was warm from the hot spring, Qin Jia's face, which was touched by his palm, became burning hot in just a short while.
She felt like she was being burned alive, and all she wanted was to end this quickly so she could leave and cool off. So, she took the initiative to lift her face and kiss Lu Tingzhou's lips.
After the kiss, she stepped back without looking back, staring intently at him, and said dismissively, "See? I told you this activity was pointless. Even if we kissed, it's still... um..."
Before she could finish speaking, her lips were forcefully covered, and she couldn't utter the rest of her sentence.
Qin Jia instinctively struggled, but the man held her slender waist even tighter. Their bodies were pressed together, and she could vaguely hear a strong heartbeat.
In a moment of distraction, her lips and teeth were pried open, and she felt as if she had been fed a gummy candy. A faint fruity aroma spread in her mouth, and she closed her eyes, involuntarily curling her tongue to try to savor the taste of the candy.
The sound of the wind in her ears gradually faded, and her lingering breaths and erratic heartbeats intertwined, slowly becoming noisy. At the same time, a tingling heat spread rapidly from her cheeks and lower back, quickly reaching her entire body.
Another gust of wind blew by, and Lu Tingzhou finally released her. Qin Jia slumped against him, her wet eyes staring at the flowing pool water, panting heavily.
Her face was reflected in the water, the ripples obscuring her expression. However, the warmth of her cheeks told her that she was definitely blushing.
As her emotions gradually calmed down, she raised her head and looked steadily at Lu Tingzhou: "What happened just now—"
"Was it also a kiss?"
The man gave a soft "hmm," his dark eyes looking at her, the corners of his eyes slightly red.
"Do you like it?" he suddenly asked.
Feeling slightly confused, Qin Jia soaked in the pool, her vision blurred. She looked at him, gently stroking her lower lip with her fingertip, and honestly said, "...A little."
Recalling that long kiss, Qin Jia suddenly understood why couples like to stick together.
If it were her, she wouldn't be able to handle it either.
"It's too hot in here." Qin Jia unscrewed the cap and took a sip of water. "Let's go upstairs."
Lu Tingzhou nodded and went up ahead of her, picking up a towel from the recliner to wipe his body.
Qin Jia put down her water bottle, grabbed the edge of the pool with both hands, and used it to get out. Lu Tingzhou pulled her up and handed her a large, thick towel.
She thanked him, dried herself off, and went back to her bedroom with a half-dry towel draped over her shoulders.
Back in her room, she closed the door and casually grabbed a dress from the closet to change into.
Then, she found a paper bag in the drawer, unfolded the bag along its edges, and put her original clothes inside.
After finishing these tasks, Qin Jia carried the paper bag to the living room and sat down on the sofa.
She opened her handbag, took out her phone and glanced at the time. It was 9:15 p.m., a quarter of an hour before their agreed-upon departure time.
She locked the screen and put the phone back in her bag.
At that moment, the door not far away opened, and Lu Tingzhou came out after changing his clothes. He wore a white shirt with casual suit pants, which was simple, elegant, and handsome.
He strode up to her, extended his hand, and said, "I'll take you home."
Qin Jia grasped his hand and used it to stand up. Lu Tingzhou helped her carry the bags, and she held her purse. Neither of them spoke as they walked out in silence.
They slowly made their way to the entrance. Before opening the door, Qin Jia looked up at him and said, "Lu Tingzhou."
Lu Tingzhou lowered his eyes, his burning gaze landing gently on her face. "What do you want to say?"
Qin Jia placed her bag on the shelf behind him, raised a finger, touched her lips, and smiled: "Give me a kiss."
The man put down the cardboard bag he was carrying, took two steps forward, and cornered her. He bent down slightly, gently kissed the corner of her lips, and said, slowly and deliberately, "Like this?"
Qin Jia lowered her head shyly, touched the tip of her nose, pointed towards the hot spring, and muttered softly, "Anyway, kiss me the way you kissed me before, just like that now..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man's long, slender fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to look up.
"That kind of kiss might take a while." He smiled, his soft fingertips pressing against her lips, stroking them as he emphasized, "What about your curfew?"
"Access control..." Qin Jia paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It can be extended appropriately."
"As long as today isn't over, it counts."
The words had barely left her lips when a gentle kiss landed on her.
The man pulled her hand to his neck, wrapped his strong arms around her waist, and held her tightly in his arms.
Light from all directions enveloped them, and on the wall, the two shadows merged into one.
Qin Jia was kissed so hard that her brain was almost deprived of oxygen. They separated briefly and then continued, entwined and completely forgetting about time.
From the entryway to the sofa, and then to the bedroom, the lights gradually dimmed. She sat on his lap, wrapped her arms around his waist, and inexplicably craved his warmth, unwilling to let go.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Tingzhou suddenly pushed her hand away, his well-defined fingers slipping between her fingers, gently playing with the ring on her right hand, and said in a hoarse voice, "Qin Jia."
"You should go back now."
Qin Jia asked groggily, "What time is it?"
Lu Tingzhou swiped open his phone to show her the time.
The large numbers on the screen showed that it was 10:45 p.m., a quarter of an hour before 11 p.m.
Qin Jia rubbed her face. "It is indeed a bit late. You should get some rest too."
"Just take me back on the 15th."
Lu Tingzhou hummed in response, without refuting.
He watched as the girl jumped off his lap, got up, opened the closet door, and grabbed a trench coat.
Outside the hotel.
Fifteen sat in the car with the hazard lights flashing. The moment the lights went out, Qin Jia revealed her true nature, hugging Lu Tingzhou affectionately and gently rubbing her cheek against his neck.
After a while, I felt sleepy.
She released him, her amber almond-shaped eyes blinking slightly. Still half-asleep, she mustered her courage and said, "Lu Tingzhou, for the remaining twenty days, shall we kiss every day?"
She loved deep kisses with him, especially kissing him while holding him, which felt incredibly comfortable—completely different from the simple kisses they used to share.
The man swallowed hard, giving her a complex look. "Everything in moderation—"
"Too much of a good thing is bad."
Qin Jia released him, squinted her eyes and thought for a moment, then compromised: "How about..."
"Like a regular job, five days on, two days off?"
Lu Tingzhou was stunned upon hearing this.
He suppressed the desire aroused in his eyes from the intimate contact, and smiled helplessly yet indulgently, "Never mind..."
"As long as you're happy," he said.