Chapter 3: Let’s Soak Together, It’s Safer
“Qi Yuan!” Mao Mao stepped forward and pulled Qi Yuan Wei Lian away. Qi Yuan Wei Lian released his grip on Mo Ming’s collar. Mao Mao gently tugged at Qi Yuan’s arm, her face lowered in slight confusion. Qing Ming stood to the side, showing a hint of disappointment as he stepped back, actually ending up hiding behind Xiao Nuo.
Xiao Nuo sighed and shook his head.
Mao Mao kept her face down, her shy expression completely different from her earlier queenly demeanor: “I think… you can definitely become the president’s guardian, it’s just that the president’s heart… right now he’s as unwilling to accept it as you are…” Mao Mao’s voice grew quieter and quieter.
Huh? I was stunned and looked at Mao Mao: “Unwilling to accept what?”
Mao Mao hastily lowered her face: “Sorry, Xiao Lan! But this is the truth. My brother has been taken by you, and although, although I’m really happy about it! But… those who want my brother will all feel unwilling to accept it!” Mao Mao said without daring to look at me, but this was indeed the truth. She secretly glanced at me, “You… won’t be angry, will you?”
I was stunned for a moment, then came to my senses: “Oh, it’s fine. All the girls in the entire Immortal Realm hope to be bullied by Fu Su, but Fu Su only bullies me alone. I’m used to making others feel unwilling to accept it.”
“Pfft.” Mao Mao laughed.
Qi Yuan Wei Lian’s expression finally calmed down slightly, and he looked at Mao Mao gently: “Mao Mao, thank you. I feel much better now. You’re right, the president has always hoped for Mo Ming to become his guardian, but in the end, he was snatched away by a mortal!” Qi Yuan Wei Lian glared at me again, “If it were me, I’d also feel unwilling to accept it. Mo Ming.” Qi Yuan Wei Lian looked toward Mo Ming, “I will defeat you at the Totem Festival!”
“That’s absolutely impossible!” Mo Ming said without giving any face.
Qi Yuan Wei Lian chuckled softly: “I like turning impossible things into possible ones.” After saying this, Qi Yuan Wei Lian turned and walked away. Mao Mao chased after him a few steps: “Cousin Qi Yuan, good luck!”
Qing Ming immediately turned around and bumped into the wall.
Mo Ming looked at Mao Mao, a hint of contemplation flashing through his emerald green eyes: “You like Qi Yuan?”
Mao Mao’s face immediately turned red, and she turned back with puffed cheeks: “Brother, don’t talk nonsense!”
Mo Ming looked at Mao Mao with a serious, expressionless face: “Your face is red.”
“Brother!”
Qing Ming started scratching at the wall beside them.
Sigh, Mo Ming just doesn’t know how to speak properly. I could see that if this continued, Qing Ming would scratch right through the wall, so I immediately said: “Stop talking, stop talking. I’ve booked a room for hot springs, everyone should rest properly!”
“Okay…” Xiao Nuo was the first to raise his hand.
I grabbed Mo Ming: “Let’s soak together!”
Mo Ming’s emerald green eyes immediately widened, and a hint of shyness slowly appeared on his face as he lowered his head: “I’ll go change clothes right now!”
After saying this, he went “whoosh!” and disappeared. My hand was still in the position of grabbing him. Damn! This guy must be thinking something dirty in his mind, running away so fast!
I looked at everyone: “Everyone go change clothes too.”
“Are you really decided to join us?” Senior Jiang Yan drooped his eyelids and looked at me, a mischievous smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. I also felt a bit awkward and blushed as I lowered my face: “But… I don’t want to be alone anymore either. Fu Su doesn’t keep his word. What if he comes again…” Who knows what tricks Fu Su might pull again, “This place is just like a seaside bathhouse. If you don’t mention it… it’s actually not that awkward…” It’s all Senior Jiang Yan’s fault for having to say it out loud, making people feel embarrassed. This is also my first time soaking in hot springs with others, boys… girls… together and all… the first time is always awkward…
“Hmph…” Senior Jiang Yan smiled mischievously, “Wear more clothes.” But he said just these three words, making people feel even more embarrassed.
“Then… let’s separate.”
“No need!” he immediately said, “You’ll get used to it.”
“Mm…”
“Yay~~~~” Mao Mao jumped up happily.
Qing Ming stopped scratching the wall, turned around with a shy smile, grabbed Si Yi Nuo and Jiang Yan and ran off.
“Thump! Thump! Thump!” Hei Mei and her zombie hopped over, boredly blowing a bubble: “Finally everyone’s gone. Are you okay?”
I reached out and grabbed her hand: “Come together.”
Hei Mei’s eyes widened: “Ah? Me?” Mao Mao also grabbed her: “Stop spacing out, come on!”
We pulled Hei Mei along as we ran. Her zombie followed, but Hei Mei immediately stopped with a stern face and looked at her zombie: “You! Get lost!”
The zombie looked somewhat aggrieved as it lowered its face: “Uh—” Then it turned and hopped away.
The entire hot spring was controlled by the Immortal Realm’s cleanup crew. Tourists and service staff all stood stupidly on the roads, some still running around in the hot springs, some dragging trays. The entire hot spring had instantly become like an outdoor wax museum. We walked among them, but it didn’t feel strange.
Now, this place belonged to us, which meant! We could soak however we wanted!
I decisively chose VIP. In the VIP area, there happened to be two adjacent pools with a small path made of large stones in between. This was pretty good too.
Unexpectedly, the boys arrived first. Mo Ming was in the left pool with his face down, not speaking. His bare shoulders were exposed above the water, already slightly pink from the steam.
Jiang Yan, Qing Ming, and Si Yi Nuo were also shirtless in the adjacent pool, drinking fruit juice, with hypnotized service staff nearby. A floating board drifted on the hot spring with fruits on top, along with small pots of sake, giving off a distinctly Japanese-Korean vibe.
Mao Mao, Hei Mei, and I stood at the edge of the hot spring. This feeling was completely different! So embarrassing!
I thought I would feel indifferent about it, because I’d walked past so many pools before with men and women together, and I felt nothing looking at them. But I had overlooked one important thing: attractiveness!
This pool’s attractiveness level was about to burst the thermometer. How could my heart stay calm! How could I calmly enjoy the hot springs with them after they’d stripped naked? Even though there was still a pile of stones separating us, it was still super inappropriate, okay?
And Mo Ming was still staying on our side!
I looked toward Mo Ming and said with a red face: “Mo Ming, go to the other side!”
Mo Ming lifted his face, which was either red from the heat or blushing like me, and looked straight ahead seriously: “I will never leave your side again, not even one step! I won’t make mistakes again!” He said heavily, as if making a vow.
His words swept away the embarrassment in my heart. In my eyes, only his face filled with deep self-blame remained.
Mao Mao sighed: “My brother must be blaming himself for you being bullied by Fu Su. Xiao Lan, forget it, you’ll get used to it.” As Mao Mao spoke, she took off her bathrobe, revealing a cute polka-dot hot spring swimsuit dress underneath. She was completely natural about it, not embarrassed at all, but didn’t notice that Qing Ming next door was staring at her in a daze.
I looked at Mao Mao, then at Qing Ming, and at Mo Ming who insisted on staying here and wouldn’t leave. Suddenly, something in my brain short-circuited, and without thinking, I blurted out: “Then let’s all just soak together.”
“Pop.” Hei Mei’s bubble burst again.
“Cough cough cough cough…” Jiang Yan immediately choked on his fruit juice, and Qing Ming immediately sank shyly under the water.
So in the end, everyone soaked together. In the adjacent pool, only Hei Mei’s zombie was there alone, chasing flower petals around.
Anyway, the pool was big enough that everyone wouldn’t be touching each other, but still, boys and girls soaking in hot springs together… what to do, it always felt so inappropriate.
Even though we had a row of floating boards between us with all kinds of food on top, and various flower petals scattered across the water surface, it was still embarrassing to the extreme.
We faced the boys, and no one spoke. Xiao Nuo was naked, playing with his little Bai, who swam around beside him. Qing Ming didn’t dare look across and kept hiding behind Mo Ming’s shoulder. Mo Ming stared straight ahead without blinking. Fortunately, Senior Jiang Yan was still his usual self, sipping fruit juice with his face tilted at a forty-five-degree angle, showing off his “I’m an artistic oxygen boy” literary appearance.
On our side, Mao Mao was very comfortable, constantly playing with flower petals. Hei Mei was also gradually getting used to it and starting to eat, which made me feel much better.
“Hey, eat something, or you’ll easily get weak when you get out of the hot spring.” Hei Mei put cola and a bunch of cakes in front of me. Immediately, Xiao Nuo and I both froze, then we turned around and threw up together: “Ugh—”
Mao Mao, Hei Mei, and Mo Ming looked at me, while Jiang Yan, Mo Ming, and Da Qing looked at Xiao Nuo in confusion.
“What’s wrong with you two?” Mao Mao asked us strangely.
Si Yi Nuo raised his hand, blocking the cake: “Take it away…”
I also pushed away the cake: “I’m too full…”
Everyone still looked completely puzzled. Si Yi Nuo slowly turned his face back, hugged Xiao Bai, and looked at me with terror: “We… encountered a cake demon, and then… Sister Xiao Lan… she…” Xiao Nuo widened his silver pupils in terror, looking at me like he was watching a zombie eat a living person. Damn! Are you acting? Do your expressions have to be so exaggerated!
“What did she do to the cake demon?!” Mao Mao asked curiously.
Si Yi Nuo covered his face in terror: “Ate it… so scary… so scary…” His pale, naked arms were exposed above the water as he covered his face, water droplets sliding from his wrists back into the water. Even the steamy hot spring couldn’t give him the pink tinge like Mo Ming had, he remained pale.
“Gulp.” Someone swallowed.
Who! Who was it!
I immediately looked over. Jiang Yan immediately turned his face away and continued sipping his fruit juice. Hei Mei stared at me with her mouth open: “Holy shit! You ate it raw!”
I looked at her gloomily: “I was hungry at the time…”
“You eat demons when you’re hungry—” Her voice carried the flavor of a northeastern tomboy.
I speechlessly pouted and lowered my face. The little fairy flew out from the pocket of a bathrobe hanging by the pool and landed on the cake in front of us. I pointed at it: “Nuo, it’s the one who caused the trouble.”
Everyone looked at the little fairy and immediately showed surprise.
“This is!” Senior Jiang Yan swam over and leaned toward it. The little fairy seemed to really like cake and was eating there again.
“She almost even ate it…” Xiao Nuo pointed at the little fairy tremblingly. Hey hey hey, have you acted enough! Are Fu Su’s good friends really that scary! Xiao Nuo covered his face with one hand, only revealing one widened silver pupil, and said in terror, “Almost… ate it too…”
“Splash splash.” Hei Mei immediately moved three feet away from me, as if I were the real monster.
