Decode her
The heat from the puff was transmitted upwards, and Zuo Xiao felt his whole face getting hot.
"Brother, you're here!" Amid cheers, the tall and burly man stopped by the pool and stretched out his hands towards the white bathrobe.
His slender fingers stopped on the straps around his waist, and his deep eyes unexpectedly fell into Zuo Xiao's eyes, catching her staring blankly.
Hastily, she turned her head, her gaze fixed on the figure that stretched from the edge of the pool to the surface. She saw the shadowy figure reach out, remove its robe, and drape it over the back of a nearby chair. Then, as the water rippled, the shadow and its owner merged into one, domineeringly invading her field of vision.
The pool was too small for her to avoid looking at him, watching the broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted figure slowly sink into the water, watching his strong, muscular arms stretch out and rest on the smooth, wet stones.
He was too tall, and after entering the water, his pectoral muscles were exposed, the moonlight illuminating his deep ravines and alluring highlights. Suddenly, Zuo Xiao thought of Michelangelo's sculptures, the ancient Roman Colosseum, the unyielding Sisyphus, steel hammered by flames, and reefs pounded by waves...
Soon, these romantic images receded like the tide, revealing the most straightforward word, which hit her hard on the head.
It's sexy.
She felt breathless and reached out to grope for the bottle of mineral water by the pool. She drank half a bottle of ice-cold water in one gulp, finally managing to calm the rising restlessness.
She felt both ridiculous and unhappy with her own disappointing reaction.
So what if this man had a great figure? So what if he had overflowing hormones? He could only secretly crush on her! She had long ago decided not to flirt with him, and she was even more confident that she wouldn't develop a relationship with him beyond the boundaries, lest it lead to a lot of trouble and trouble. Therefore, she couldn't bear the fact that she had been attracted to his body just now, and even lost her composure.
With a playful smile on his face, Zuo Xiao raised his chin and said, "You have a nice figure. Do you work out every day?"
Beside him, Zhuang Jinghao took a short breath. The man being criticized was silent as usual. After a moment, he answered honestly, "Almost."
Zuo Xiao was happy to take the initiative into his own hands and asked, "Why are you so active in fitness?"
"Initially it was because I was busy with work and needed to maintain sufficient physical strength and energy. Later it became a habit and a bit of an addiction."
Zhuang Yu'an's tone was gentle and warm, and his last sentence even had the air of a casual, playful joke. He handled it with such ease, yet Zuo Xiao felt strangely offended.
"If you want to improve your physical fitness and energy, most people would choose aerobic exercise, like running or swimming," she said. "But it seems like you're mainly lifting weights. Is it more for muscle building and body shaping? Do you take body management very seriously?"
Zhuang Yu'an thought for a moment and said, "I usually do more strength training, as well as burpees, mountain running, rope skipping, sit-ups, and the like. These types of anaerobic exercises are more effective. Even if you can only spare 10 to 20 minutes a day, they can significantly improve your basal metabolism, cardiopulmonary function, and core strength. As for body management, it's been an unexpected bonus."
Zhuang Jinghao listened carefully to the conversation between the two and always felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange.
She imagined the scene of the two of them blushing as they chatted about places they'd been, their favorite music, and so on, their feelings gradually heating up in an increasingly ambiguous atmosphere...
But the reality was: her brother was completely obedient, answering whatever was asked, completely devoid of any emotion. Zuo Xiao was even more worrying... Perhaps it was her imagination, but she felt that Zuo Xiao was in a bad mood tonight, as if he was arguing with someone. But she couldn't put her finger on what was wrong.
Without giving it much thought, he casually changed the subject: "Do you want some oranges? Or some drinks? I'll get them."
"I'll go." Zuo Xiao said, "I'm a little dizzy after soaking in the water, so I'll take a break."
With that, she calmly rose and stepped ashore amidst the shimmering water. Out of the corner of her eye, the man who had been watching her hastily lowered his head, as if fearing an offense from his gaze resting on her exposed skin. This realization slightly brightened Zuo Xiao's mood. She pulled up her bathrobe, her lips curling up.
As soon as Zuo Xiao left, Zhuang Jinghao immediately approached his brother: "Brother, the atmosphere just now was not right, I felt that Zuo Xiao——"
"Quiet." Her brother interrupted her softly, "Let me think about it."
Zhuang Jinghao remained silent, watching his brother stare thoughtfully at the bamboo wall across from him. The cold winter wind rustled the air, and the shadows of the red maple leaves swayed lightly on the courtyard wall, as if they were interpreting some code waiting to be deciphered.
Silence fell until Zuo Xiao returned. She bent down and set down a tray with a bottle of red wine and three goblets on it. Then she pulled a few oranges from her bathrobe pocket and placed them on the stone.
She stood up, took off her bathrobe, and then stepped slowly into the water barefoot.
From Zhuang Jinghao's perspective, Zuo Xiao in the moonlight was so beautiful that it made people feel uneasy. People couldn't help but look at her but were afraid to look at her - afraid because they were worried about losing their sense of proportion and appearing offensive.
Only after she was mostly submerged in the water did Zhuang Jinghao bear to look away. He glanced at his brother and saw that his upper body was deliberately tilted to the other side, almost like the words "Do not look at anything inappropriate" were written on his head.
Zhuang Jinghao felt embarrassed for him: "Brother, just hide if you want, but can you not hide so obviously..."
Suddenly I smelled the fragrance of orange peel. I turned around and saw Zuo Xiao peeling a bright yellow orange in his hand.
Zhuang Jinghao looked at his brother with a hint of resentment. How could his brother, who was usually so attentive, so considerate, and always eager to serve Zuo Xiao, suddenly become so slow?
Zuo Xiao peeled the orange and divided it fairly into three portions. Zhuang Jinghao took his portion and saw his brother take the orange, say "thank you", and then eat it contentedly.
...Well, her brother must have gone crazy from soaking in the hot spring.
At this time, Zuo Xiao turned around, picked up the red wine bottle, and prepared to pour it into the glass.
"Try not to drink alcohol when soaking in hot springs," my brother said, "because both alcohol and hot springs can dilate blood vessels, and the combination of the two can cause dizziness, palpitations, and other discomfort."
Oh my god! My brother is really crazy!
Seeing Zuo Xiao frozen in thought, Zhuang Jinghao quickly intervened, "Just one or two sips shouldn't be a problem, right?" She winked at him furiously. At this critical juncture, she simply begged her brother to be kind, even if it meant using his sesame-sized emotional intelligence.
However, he once again made her deeply despair.
"Don't risk your health," he said sternly. "If you want a drink, I'll have the hotel send over some soft drinks, okay?"
Zhuang Jing was so anxious that she wanted to cover his mouth with her hand. Turning to look at Zuo Xiao, she saw her raise her hand and pour wine into the glass.
It’s over, it’s over, she’s going to be angry…
Zhuang Jinghao quickly moved over and said with a smile, "Brother is too cautious... I don't care, I want to drink some too..." After that, she picked up the glass and asked Zuo Xiao to pour her some red wine as well.
"Cheers!" Zuo Xiao raised her glass, and Zhuang Jinghao clinked it with hers. It was obvious that the corners of her mouth curled up. While drinking, she glanced at her brother and gave him a provocative look.
Damn! This feud is already formed...
Zhuang Jinghao took a sip of wine, looked at his brother with disappointment, and couldn't help shaking his head, thinking that he was hopeless.
The hot spring water was already hot, and Zuo Xiao took two more sips of wine, her cheeks quickly turning crimson, like a crabapple blossom in April. Zhuang Yu'an looked at her calmly and said gently, "That's enough. Don't drink too much."
Zhuang Jinghao's eyelids twitched, thinking that Zuo Xiao would definitely be angry. She racked her brains, but could not think of a way to make her brother's words sound right. She was so anxious that she was sweating.
However, the expected tense situation did not occur. Zuo Xiao simply glanced at him and said with a half-smile, "I know what I'm doing. Do I need you to tell me?"
In the hot hot spring pool, Zhuang Jinghao shuddered suddenly.
At that moment, she felt that Zuo Xiao's words and the tone of her voice seemed to be...
behave in a spoiled manner?
No, no, it's impossible...
Suddenly, the water in the pond rippled. Turning around, I saw my brother standing up from the water.
He was tall and muscular, standing in the small pond, like a towering mountain, instantly casting a shadow over Zuo Xiao. Zuo Xiao looked up at him, her watery eyes filled with shock and confusion.
"I'll go see if there's any drinks in the fridge," he said as he stepped ashore, grabbed his bathrobe, and took the tray of red wine with him before leaving.
A few minutes later, he returned with a tray. The red wine was gone, replaced by two drinks.
"Wow, what is this?" Zhuang Jinghao spontaneously livened up the atmosphere.
"It's a drink made with sparkling water, plums, and lemon." Zhuang Yu'an squatted down and handed her a cup. "Try it. Is it good? Maybe the plums will be better if you soak them a little longer."
Zhuang Jing took a sip and said, "It's delicious! Very refreshing and heat-relieving!" Then she winked at him, indicating that he should quickly pass a glass to the other girl present.
"Yeah." The brother seemed not to notice her expression. He stood up, took off his bathrobe slowly, and returned to the hot spring pool.
Zhuang Jinghao was so embarrassed that she didn't know what to do. Just as she was about to take over, she saw her brother move a little closer to Zuo Xiao, then reached out and picked up the cup on the tray and handed it to her.
"Your cup has a little tea in it, which will help with the hangover. Would you like to try it?"
The brother before him was as majestic as an ancient Greek god of war bathing in moonlight before going to war, yet his eyes and tone were filled with a gentleness that was almost drowning. Zhuang Jinghao just watched from the sidelines when he felt something hit his heart hard, and then a strong sense of shame swept over him.
It was clearly a perfectly normal interaction, but as an outsider, she could sense a hint of adult content. She had never associated her brother with the word "sexual tension," but now, she could only think of him as the ancient Greek god of sexual tension!
Zhuang Jinghao didn't dare to breathe, staring at Zuo Xiao intently, not missing any of her reactions.
She opened her lips slightly, and her face changed from the tender pink crabapple to the bright red peony. She stared straight into his dark eyes, which were dotted with tiny stars... This look was just like the famous scene in the comic book where the heroine meets Crush!
Oh my god! Oh my god! Is Zuo Xiao moved?
Oh my go my go my go! My brother is so good!!!
Zhuang Jing's face flushed with excitement, and she gazed at the perfect couple before her, her eyes ablaze with emotion. These two, one as beautiful as a flower and lively and bright, the other as tall and masculine as well as gentle and considerate, were a perfect match! It was almost tempting to persuade them to get married right there!
Suddenly I felt hesitant: Should I leave quickly and give them some time for themselves?
But the next second, Zuo Xiao turned his head and said proudly, "I don't want to drink."
Zhuang Jinghao thought Zuo Xiao was so cute, and thought, "Brother, why don't you try to persuade me again?" But he saw his brother put the cup back on the tray and said softly, "Then drink it when you want."
Zuo Xiao didn't give him a chance. He suddenly got up from the water and said as he put on his bathrobe, "I've had enough of the bath. I'm going back to rest first."
Huh? Zhuang Jinghao watched her retreating figure, a puzzled look in his mind.
When she entered the house, she turned around and asked, "What's wrong with Zuo Xiao? Why can't I understand?"
My brother was still staring at the closed door, and said absentmindedly, "I'm figuring it out."
Zhuang Jinghao was silent for a while, then said, "Brother, do you think...people who are particularly good-looking have strong personalities?"
"What's wrong?" the brother asked gently.
"It's nothing..." Zhuang Jinghao said carefully, "I think Zuo Xiao is very strong and decisive... Of course, I don't think this is a flaw, I'm just a little curious... Is it because she's so beautiful and charming that everyone is willing to go along with her, so she's so strong?"
Zhuang Yu'an shook his head and asked, "Do you know what it means to be strong without desire?"
Zhuang Jing thought for a moment and said, "It means that if a person has few desires, he or she can be upright and strong, and not be influenced by others... Are you saying that because Zuo Xiao doesn't have many demands on others, he doesn't need to accommodate or please others?"
"Smart, you get it right away." Zhuang Yu'an smiled faintly. "There are three types of strength: first, bluffing and intimidating others; second, having enough power to do whatever one wants; and third, being strong without desire, doing what one wants. Of course, being strong without desire doesn't mean a person is completely devoid of worldly desires, but rather that they control their needs to a relatively low level relative to their own resources and abilities. This reduces their dependence on the environment and other people, giving them the confidence to say no. Such people can be open, independent, and fearless, and are closer to true freedom than others."
"That makes perfect sense!" Zhuang Jing pondered his words and said, "Zuo Xiao seems to be the kind of person you're describing. She doesn't pursue brand names, her clothes and things are very cheap, and she's not too particular about food... Plus, she's indifferent to relationships, as if she could live without anyone... Yeah! She's the kind of person who always makes you feel like, 'I don't care,' so free and easy! Wow, I suddenly think she's so cool!"
However, her brother clearly didn't think so. He frowned and looked at her with a complicated expression.
"Have you ever thought about why she is like this?" he asked.
"Huh?" Zhuang Jinghao was confused by his question. After pondering for a moment, he said uncertainly, "Everyone has their own personality, influenced by genes and the environment they grow up in..."
She also knew that what she said was just nonsense, so she turned to ask for advice humbly: "Brother, how about you elaborate on it?"
He was silent for a moment, then said, "I think her needs are suppressed. She grew up in a single-parent family, and it's obvious that her father isn't very good at responding to his children's emotional needs. When a person's needs aren't always met with sufficient positive and negative feedback, some may develop deep low self-esteem, others may become highly destructive, and some may tend to flatter others for recognition... But her path is to gradually reduce her demands on the outside world, making it less likely to be let down or hurt. You see her independent, free-spirited, and spontaneous side, but behind that, she's retracted her tentacles, shrinking into her self-sufficient little world like a snail."
The mounting pressure from her brother's words weighed heavily on Zhuang Jinghao's heart. She was silent for a long time, then said sullenly, "I think you're right. What girl wouldn't love designer bags and beautiful clothes? Especially since she's as beautiful and dazzling as the sun..."
"There's no need to be so pessimistic," Zhuang Yu'an smiled. "People are rich and multifaceted. They have fragile, dark, and timid sides, but they also have resilient, bright, and brave sides. Just like polyphonic music, the melodies of multiple voices flow and intertwine simultaneously. It's this complexity that makes music so captivating."
Zhuang Jinghao nodded, happily accepting his point. After a while, he chuckled and said, "Brother, how about you analyze me?"
The brother chuckled: "Analyze what?"
"Analyze my personality and the reasons behind it!" She scratched her head sheepishly. "Sometimes I envy Zuo Xiao's decisiveness! But my personality is multifaceted... For example, when it comes to colleagues and friends, I'm always easily influenced and thin-skinned. Even when I have a different opinion, I'm too embarrassed to express it... I even suspect I'm a people-pleaser..."
"Don't label yourself so casually," my brother said with a helpless laugh. "People-pleasing personality, avoidant personality, social anxiety, i... People are so complex and multifaceted. How can they be summarized with a simple concept?"
“Oh!” She pouted. “It’s not that I want to label myself, it just bothers me sometimes… I want to be the heroine too!”
"Look, it's started again." The brother smiled bitterly. Zhuang Jinghao stuck out his tongue: "Stop complaining about me, help me analyze it..."
Zhuang Yu'an looked at his sister lovingly, and after a moment, he smiled and said, "That's because you have a kind and warm heart like an angel. You always care about and understand other people's feelings, and hope to bring happiness to others."
Zhuang Jinghao was overjoyed at these words, yet a little embarrassed. She asked sheepishly, "Am I really that good?"
"Really, and it's much better than I described." Zhuang Yu'an said confidently.
At this moment, Zhuang Jinghao felt dizzy and quickly turned around to support himself on the ground.
"Brother, I think I overdid it..."
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