After soaking for about half an hour, everyone got up. They returned to their rooms to shower and change clothes, then gathered again in the soup house attached to the hot spring, ordering a few bowls of warming, nourishing soup to drink.
"People these days are always going on about health and wellness. Does this count?" Zhang Qian finished his soup and sprawled lazily on the sofa, sighing contentedly.
No one paid him any mind. Everyone was enjoying this rare moment of leisure and didn't want to bother with his chatter.
Zhang Qian rolled his eyes and simply pulled out his phone from his pocket to play.
The private room fell quiet. Yu Shulin finished his soup and leaned back on the sofa, feeling drowsy.
"Sleepy?" Liang Zhou leaned closer to him and asked softly.
He blinked sleepily and rubbed his stomach. "Yeah, ate too much. Don't feel like moving."
Zhao Yun was slumped in Zhao Zhi's arms, his eyelids drooping, also on the verge of falling asleep. Liang Zhou looked at him, then at Yu Shulin, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes—eating until full and then sleeping, just like a little pig.
...Just too skinny.
"Holy crap, Yang Lin joined Ronghua!" Zhang Qian suddenly jumped up holding his phone. Yu Shulin, who had almost dozed off, was startled awake, opening his eyes wide to look at him with a dazed expression.
Zhao Yun was already sound asleep; hearing the noise, he just shifted uneasily, changed his position, and fell back asleep.
"What are you shouting for? So she went, she went." Liang Zhou frowned at Zhang Qian, soothingly ruffled Yu Shulin's hair, stood up, and coaxed, "Shulin, since you're awake, don't go back to sleep here. Let's go back to the room to sleep."
"Huh? Oh." Yu Shulin rubbed his face to wake himself up a bit, stretched, and stood up.
Zhang Qian also realized he had spoken too loudly and quickly lowered his voice. Picking up his jacket, he stood and followed them out, still grumbling indignantly, "Ronghua and Yang Lin are so annoying, always popping up in front of us. I'd love to strangle them."
Ling Chun yawned. After drinking some wine and then some soup, he was also feeling sleepy. "Talk about strangling them when you have the power to do so. How are you so energetic? Let's go back to the room and sleep."
Zhao Zhi adjusted his hold on Zhao Yun and sighed as he walked, "Young people really have good energy. I'm getting old, can't keep up anymore."
Zhang Qian glanced at their overly relaxed faces and felt a black line drop down his forehead. Should he be proud that the itinerary he arranged was so comfortable, or should he worry that these guys were aging prematurely and heading for early retirement?
Yu Shulin was extremely tired. His body felt soft and limp after the hot spring, and the warm, nourishing soup had warmed his stomach, making his mind even fuzzier. He forced himself to stay alert enough to wash up and change into pajamas, then climbed into bed. Before he could even say anything to Liang Zhou, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Seeing this, Liang Zhou shook his head helplessly, put down his own pajamas, went over, and helped tuck him in. His gaze fell on the messily buttoned pajama buttons. His hand paused, then he carefully reached over, undid the buttons, and re-fastened them properly. Disturbed in his sleep, Yu Shulin shifted, turned over, and buried his head under the covers.
Why does he still like to sleep with his head covered like this? Liang Zhou tugged at the covers but couldn't pull them down; instead, he accidentally pulled open one of the pajama buttons he had just fastened. The pajama collar was already somewhat loose, and now with a button undone, not only the collarbone but even a hint of chest was vaguely visible.
Liang Zhou averted his eyes, pulled the covers up around him a bit more, picked up his own pajamas, and went to the bathroom. While washing up, the image of the boy's thin chest and fair, smooth skin flashed through his mind, causing him to space out for a moment. He then frowned and shook his head. Shulin is too thin. Not good. Need to fatten him up a bit. Better feel (?) that way.
Carefully lifting the covers, he lay down on the bed. He turned his head to look at the peacefully sleeping Yu Shulin, let out a soft sigh, reached out to turn off the bedside lamp, and closed his eyes.
In the middle of the night, a half-asleep Yu Shulin got up to use the bathroom. When he came back, not paying attention to which side he had gotten out from, he simply felt his way to Liang Zhou's side, lifted the covers, and climbed in. He shifted around, felt a bit crowded, and pushed at the obstructive "pillow" beside him. Finding it wouldn't budge, he simply threw a leg over and an arm across, hugging the "pillow" and went back to sleep.
Liang Zhou was jostled awake. He looked down at the arm and leg draped over him, then turned his head to see the head buried against his neck. He sighed, turned on his side, pulled the other person into his arms, and fell back asleep with limbs entangled.
Yu Shulin slept extremely soundly, not even dreaming. When he woke up, he felt refreshed and full of energy. He stretched, looked at the brilliant sunshine outside the window, smiled, and scooted to the edge of the bed to get up and wash up.
Huh? Where are the slippers?
Liang Zhou came out of the bathroom with a damp aura about him. Seeing him sitting dumbly on the edge of the bed, he frowned and asked, "What are you sitting there for?"
"Where are my slippers?" He scratched his messy hair, confused.
Liang Zhou shifted his gaze away from his face and pointed to the other side of the bed. "Over there. Go change your clothes, brush your teeth, and wash your face. After breakfast, we're going to the farmstay to fish."
Hearing "fishing," Yu Shulin's eyes instantly lit up. He nodded, crawled to the other side of the bed to put on his slippers, and ran to the bathroom.
Liang Zhou watched him enter the bathroom, then turned to look at the messy bed. He ran a hand through his hair, which had long been dyed back to its natural color and straightened, his face showing a trace of confusion and irritation.
The farmstay was quite crowded. Liang Zhou, with a hat and sunglasses, carefully avoided the crowds and was lucky enough not to be recognized.
Everyone gathered their fishing gear and moved to the pond, leisurely starting to fish.
Zhang Qian had no interest in such quiet activities, so he pulled Yu Shulin and little chubby Zhao Yun to play Chinese checkers. With fruit and snacks laid out, it was quite lively.
The morning sun was gentle and comfortable. Ling Chun propped his fishing rod in place, moved a small stool next to Liang Zhou, and nudged him with an elbow. "What are you spacing out for? You were fine yesterday. Why the dark face today? Didn't sleep well?"
Liang Zhou frowned, trying hard to suppress the irritation in his heart. He turned his fishing rod and said vaguely, "Woke up a bit early."
"Did little Yu sleep poorly?" Ling Chun asked with a grin, looking very much like "your unhappiness is my happiness," and teased, "Or did you drink too much of that warming soup and are actually feeling... frustrated?"
"Nonsense!" Liang Zhou threw down his fishing rod with a slap, put on his hat, and walked away. "I'm going to check the lunch menu. You guys keep playing."
Ling Chun stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes. "That reaction... Could he really be frustrated?"
Yu Shulin grew up in the city with his mother and had never been to the countryside. Like Zhao Yun, he found everything novel and kept tugging at Zhang Qian, asking questions nonstop. Having someone to chat with, Zhang Qian spoke with great enthusiasm, talking animatedly, not minding at all that the other was younger than him.
The authentic farmhouse dishes at lunch were very appetizing. Yu Shulin ate two big bowls of rice, which was a rare good appetite for him.
Liang Zhou wore a stern expression the whole time. His mood only improved slightly when he saw Yu Shulin eat an extra bowl of rice. Zhang Qian and the others didn't understand what was wrong with him, but given that Liang Zhou's dark face was the norm in their past interactions, they didn't pay it much attention.
On the contrary, Yu Shulin was quite unaccustomed to Liang Zhou's silent demeanor. After the meal, while everyone was resting and drinking tea, he coaxed Zhao Yun away, sidled up to Liang Zhou, sat down close beside him, leaned in, and asked in a low voice, "Brother, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
The warm breath against his neck was a little ticklish. Liang Zhou instantly straightened his spine, then forced himself to relax, leaning back into the chair. He shook his head. "It's nothing. Just thinking about some things."
"Is it about the company?" Yu Shulin frowned, thinking carefully. "Is it because of that Yang... what's-her-name joining Ronghua? Is she that important?"
Yang Lin? What does she have to do with anything?
He shook his head, his gaze sweeping over Yu Shulin's slightly less chubby cheeks before looking away. He said softly, "It's about going abroad to discuss a collaboration. After Guan Bowen joined Rongguang, he secured a film project on his own and invited me to join. This film has connections to Hollywood, so we need to send someone for further negotiations. If it works out, we'll likely have to go abroad for filming. This film is taking an international route, which is a good opportunity to elevate Rongguang's profile. Right now, Ronghua is trying to get the upper hand over Rongguang. If this succeeds, Ronghua's plans will fall through."
Liang Zhou never kept his work matters from him, so Yu Shulin understood the importance of this situation somewhat. He raised his hand and patted Liang Zhou's shoulder encouragingly. "Brother, you should go ahead. I believe in you! Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
The spot on his shoulder that was patted felt as if it had been brushed by a cat's tail... it was a strange sensation. Liang Zhou's body stiffened again. He shifted slightly, feeling somewhat uneasy. Although the real reason for his restlessness wasn't this, the company had indeed invested a lot of manpower and resources into the film project, and he had expended considerable mental effort. Hearing Yu Shulin's encouragement now was actually very comforting to him.
He raised his hand, intending to ruffle the other's hair as he used to, but his fingers twitched slightly before he silently withdrew it.
In the afternoon, they visited the nearby orchards and fields, joined in the fun by picking some wild vegetables, and experienced the hard work of farming described as "sweat dripping onto the soil below the seedlings." After having dinner at the farmhouse, the group returned to the hot spring resort to continue soaking in the springs.
Yu Shulin, accustomed to early nights and early mornings, fell soundly asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow after returning to the room from the hot springs.
Liang Zhou stood somewhat troubled by the bedside, looking at the young man who was almost snoring in his sleep. After hesitating for a moment, he carefully lay down on the very edge of the bed.
Nothing like getting up in the night and sleeping on the wrong side happened again, but Yu Shulin drowsily rolled over on his own. He draped an arm and leg over Liang Zhou, buried his head in the crook of his shoulder, and settled.
Liang Zhou's eyes snapped open. He turned over, facing away from Yu Shulin, but this position was clearly worse. The other's warm breath now fanned against his neck, and a hand rested on his waist, stimulating goosebumps to rise layer upon layer.
He flipped back onto his back, staring at the pitch-black ceiling, feeling his heart beat a little too fast. He carefully inched outward, only for Yu Shulin to follow and snuggle closer.
Damn it! He cursed under his breath, feeling rather flustered. For the first time, he felt that Zhang Qian might have been right—he really was a beast!
