Jiang Che took off his robe while soaking in the hot spring, wearing only swimming trunks. He was about to go back to his room to get his phone when he passed by the screen and vaguely saw a figure over there. He subconsciously took two steps over there, but unexpectedly saw Ye Zhao slip and fall. Without thinking, he went forward to catch her.
The moment the warm, soft body entered his arms and their skin touched, Jiang Che froze on the spot.
Ye Zhao threw herself into Jiang Che's arms, her nose touching his firm chest muscles, and her hands instinctively pressed against his chest. Feeling the warm, firm muscles beneath her hands, her old face flushed red in an instant.
Jiang Che held the petite figure in his arms, and for a moment he forgot to let go.
Ye Zhao snapped out of her daze, quickly pushed Jiang Che aside and steadied herself, almost too embarrassed to look up at him: "I'm...sorry, I lost my balance just now."
Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible, and Jiang Che's gaze wandered around. Hearing this, he shook his head and said it was nothing, but both of their faces were slightly flushed, as if they had drunk a little too much.
Their eyes darted around nervously, yet they couldn't help but look at each other's reactions. When their eyes met, they looked away as if burned. The short ten seconds felt like an eternity to them.
Fortunately, the screen and artificial hill provided some cover, so the two people in the hot spring couldn't see what was happening here, otherwise it would have been even more awkward.
Jiang Che composed himself, glanced at her feet, and asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"
Ye Zhao quickly shook her head, pointed behind her and said, "I'm going back first."
She turned and left as if fleeing in panic. Jiang Che watched her figure flash by, a faint smile appearing on his lips. But a moment later, as if remembering something, his face began to flush.
Ye Zhao walked very fast, but just as she was about to reach the edge of the pool, her foot slipped again. Lin Yu frowned and said, "I told you to slow down, or you'll fall."
Recalling what had just happened, Ye Zhao's face couldn't help but turn red again.
Lin Yu looked at her through the light mist and asked, "Why is your face so red? Are you hot?"
It would have been better if she hadn't brought it up, because the more she did, the more uncomfortable Ye Zhao became, and her face grew hotter. She remembered what she had said to Jiang Che that afternoon, and the more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt.
She replied vaguely, "A little, but not really."
Lin Yu didn't notice anything amiss with her and simply said, "Okay, let's soak a little longer and then head out. I heard there's a small movie theater in this hot spring; let's go check it out later."
Ye Zhao seemed distracted, and without thinking, replied "okay" when she heard her speak.
Jiang Che was also somewhat absent-minded after returning, while Xie Ming continued talking to himself, with Jiang Che occasionally replying.
"Shall we go see a movie later? I heard there's a small cinema around here with a nice atmosphere."
Jiang Che hummed in agreement, and Xie Ming nodded, then looked down at his phone, seemingly unsure who to message.
Ye Zhao and the others soaked in the hot spring for a while before leaving. Perhaps because of the hot spring, the heat on her face lingered, and even when they arrived at the movie theater, her face was still slightly flushed.
Having just eaten a lot of fruit, Ye Zhao went to the restroom. When she came back, Xie Ming had taken her seat. Seeing him chatting enthusiastically with Lin Yu, Ye Zhao felt too embarrassed to go over there. Just as she was about to find a place to sit down, someone walked up to her and gently put one hand behind her, saying, "Let's sit in the back."
Ye Zhao subconsciously followed his footsteps and walked forward. On the narrow steps, Jiang Che was very close to her, so close that Ye Zhao could smell the faint fragrance emanating from him. For some reason, she thought of what had just happened, and the heat that had not yet dissipated on her face rose up again.
In the dim light, Jiang Che looked at the petite woman he held in his arms, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Lin Yu didn't see Ye Zhao return for a while, so she subconsciously looked towards the door.
Xie Ming smiled and said, "Don't bother looking anymore, Jiang Che took her to the back."
Lin Yu then withdrew her gaze and asked in a calm tone, "Did you do that on purpose?"
Xie Ming replied without hesitation, "Of course, creating opportunities for them also creates opportunities for you and me."
In the dim light, Lin Yu's ears unknowingly became a little hot.
The movie theater wasn't too crowded, but it wasn't too empty either. Jiang Che led Ye Zhao to a seat that was relatively far away from Xie Ming and the others.
Whether it was her imagination or not, Ye Zhao felt that the seats in this telephone cinema were a bit small and the space was not large. She could always smell Jiang Che's faint scent and the faint warmth emanating from his body.
After sitting for a while, Jiang Che finally asked, "How was it? Did you enjoy the hot spring?"
He spoke to Ye Zhao with his head down, very close to her, so close that Ye Zhao could feel his breath. His clear and gentle voice reached her ears, and Ye Zhao felt as if her ears were on fire. Half of her body felt like it had been scratched, slightly itchy, and covered with a layer of fine goosebumps.
Fortunately, the movie theater was dimly lit, and no one noticed her unusual behavior.
Ye Zhao moved slightly to the side and said with a smile, "It's alright, it's pretty good."
Jiang Che's eyes darkened slightly, and he said gently, "I'm glad you like it. There are other activities here, like camping and barbecuing. Shall we try them tomorrow?"
After saying that, he guessed what Ye Zhao was thinking and added, "President Ye has a caregiver looking after her. I also asked Mu Xu to check on her whenever he has time. Don't worry, everything will be fine."
Fearing Ye Zhao might refuse, he added, "You said you wanted to give me a chance to get to know her, so shouldn't we at least have some time alone together?"
His tone sounded inexplicably aggrieved, and Ye Zhao's lips twitched. She suspected that he was doing it on purpose, just because she was soft-hearted.
“Okay, tomorrow is the weekend, let Xiaoyu and Xie Ming go together.”
"Of course, it's more lively with more people."
As soon as he finished speaking, the lights in the movie theater suddenly dimmed, and the movie began.
Today they watched a romance movie about a man and woman who reunite after a long separation and rekindle their old flame. Ye Zhao sighed silently, thinking that this kind of movie seemed to be destined for her.
According to the timeline in the novel, Shen Du and Xie Yao should have gotten together by now, but for some reason, apart from some unfounded gossip and rumors, there's not a single substantial piece of information circulating online. It's unclear how far their relationship has progressed. Ye Zhao isn't particularly interested in Shen Du, but since he's the male lead in the original book, she's still somewhat curious about how the story is going.
Just as she was lost in thought, the story in the movie slowly began, and she snapped back to reality and focused on watching the film.
However, the movie was really not good. The plot was very boring, and there were even occasional awkward foot-scratching scenes. Ye Zhao watched for a while and then felt sleepy.
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