Chapter 84 Hot Springs
The afternoon sun streamed through the window lattice, and it was already three o'clock when Chu Yan woke up. Chu Yan opened his eyes and found that Chu Yu, who had said he was not sleepy, was now sleeping soundly, his arm still in the position of a pillow for him, motionless.
Chu Yan blinked and sat up carefully. The slight movement still woke up Chu Yu from his light sleep. His eyelashes trembled, and when he opened his eyes, there was still a hint of haziness from just waking up.
"Awake? It's almost time to get up. Didn't you say you were going fishing?" Chu Yan's voice was hoarse from just waking up.
They said they were going fishing, but when they got to the pond, Chu Yu was the only one there, stubbornly sitting on a small stool, guarding his fishing rod, as if he was determined to fight the fish to the bitter end. Chu Yan, on the other hand, bought a bottle of iced soda from the owner of the farmhouse, found a nice spot with dense shade, and comfortably lay down in a recliner, daydreaming and enjoying this rare leisure time.
"Chu Yan!" Lu Chen's voice came. He took a few pieces of cut watermelon, walked naturally to the empty recliner next to Chu Yan, sat down, and handed over a piece.
"The president is here to slack off too?" Chu Yan took it with a smile. The cool sweetness dispelled the remaining heat of late summer.
"Yeah, running around to arrange things is more tiring than attending classes." As the organizer, Lu Chen was really busy just now, and now he also slumped in the chair like Chu Yan.
"Thank you for your hard work, President." Chu Yan pretended to be serious and clasped his fists, then lay back down like a boneless person, which made Lu Chen chuckle.
The two chatted casually about interesting things at school and the atmosphere was relaxed and harmonious.
Chu Yu, at the edge of the pond, was no longer focused on the float. His gaze drifted to the two figures chatting cheerfully under the shade of the tree. Seeing Lu Chen and Chu Yan lying side by side, chatting and laughing, he pursed his lips, a sense of inexplicable annoyance welling up in his heart. He strained his rod—but the hook was empty; the fish had already taken the bait and fled.
He recalled the "tricks for pursuing people" that Qin Xiao had suggested to him yesterday on the phone. He had originally thought it was absurd and hesitant, but now, seeing Chu Yan's defenseless look towards others, Chu Yu's eyes fixed and he made a decision in his heart.
Dinner was a lively farm meal, filled with the laughter of young people.
After a short rest after dinner, it was time for the evening's highlight: a hot spring bath. The girls, more shy, headed for a smaller pool. The boys, less hesitant, changed into their swimming trunks and followed suit into the largest open-air hot spring.
The warm spring water wraps around the whole body, dispelling the last trace of fatigue of the day, making people unable to help but let out a comfortable sigh.
"Wow!" When Chu Yan changed into his swimming trunks and walked out, a boy who was familiar with him couldn't help but whistle, and his bright eyes fell on Chu Yan, "Brother Yan, how did you get such a perfect figure? It's so perfect!" As he said that, he reached out with a smile to touch his well-defined abdominal muscles.
Chu Yan laughed, but he was quite generous. He didn't try to avoid the opponent. Instead, he joked, "Are you jealous? You got trained by being chased by dinosaurs every day."
[Straight men's tricks are terrifying.] The system silently complained in its mind.
At this moment, Chu Yu also came out. He also had a fantastic figure, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and his muscles were smooth and not overly bulging. He immediately noticed the boy who was trying to "get his hands on" Chu Yan's abs, and Chu Yan's completely defenseless look.
Chu Yu's expression grew colder as he silently stepped into the pool. The warm water covered his chest as he walked over to sit next to Chu Yan. The boys, who had been making a lot of noise, instantly quieted down. They felt that this "Brother Yu" had a kind of intimidating, parental aura that made them want to be more restrained.
The steam was thick, and the rising heat stained Chu Yu's usually calm cheeks red, softening his overly hard features. Chu Yan was leaning against the edge of the pool, closing his eyes and enjoying the comfort.
The water around him was gently surging. He opened his eyes and turned his head as if he had sensed something. He saw that Chu Yu had sat very close to him at some point, looking at him seriously, as if hesitating about something.
Chu Yan gave him a puzzled look.
Chu Yu seemed to have made up his mind. He stretched out his hand expressionlessly and, imitating the others, pressed his palm against Chu Yan's abdominal muscles, where the warm water was flowing. His movements were slightly stiff, but the scorching heat of his palm could be clearly felt through the water.
Chu Yan: “???”
[Is this, is this considered serious hooliganism?] The system was so shocked that it was stuck.
"Brother Yu?" Chu Yan rarely showed a look of surprise.
Chu Yu quickly withdrew his hand, as if nothing had happened. He imitated Chu Yan's previous posture, leaned back against the pool wall, closed his eyes, and only his slightly red ears revealed that he was not as calm as he appeared.
Chu Yan looked at him with an expression that said "nothing happened" and felt neither amused nor helpless, his face disheveled in the steaming heat.
The boys on the other side were bored and started thinking about finding fun.
"Come on, let's play 'I have it and you don't'. The loser will accept the punishment." Someone suggested.
Chu Yu had never played it before and looked confused.
Chu Yan leaned close to him and patiently explained the rules in a low voice: "Everyone starts with ten fingers, and takes turns saying something they've done. If others present have done it, it's fine; if they haven't, everyone else has to put down a finger. Whoever puts up all their fingers first loses and must accept the punishment proposed by everyone."
After listening to this, Chu Yu nodded to show his understanding, but a hint of desire to win quietly ignited in his eyes.
The game officially began. The hot spring pool was filled with mist and the atmosphere gradually became lively.
The game started with a boy on the other side. "I skipped classes in high school," he said with a grin. Several boys wailed and bent a finger. Chu Yan smiled and didn't move. Chu Yu, of course, had never skipped classes, so he bent a finger expressionlessly.
The boy next to Chu Yan was next. "I've never been outside the top three in the school on a final exam." The wailing grew louder. Everyone present, except Chu Yan and Chu Yu, curled their fingers with bitter faces. Chu Yan remained smiling, unmoved. Chu Yu glanced at Chu Yan, but also remained motionless.
It was Lu Chen's turn. He glanced at Chu Yan and said with a hint of teasing, "I've had dinner alone with someone I like in the past month." "Oh wow—" A burst of laughter erupted, and everyone lowered their fingers, laughing and scolding the president for being cunning. During their student days, such ambiguous yet explicit relationships weren't something everyone experienced. Chu Yan's eyebrows raised slightly, thinking of the many times he'd eaten alone with Gu Xu, Chu Yu, and Gu Ye—a truly extensive range of experiences. So he calmly kept his fingers straight.
Everyone's eyes turned to Chu Yu, and Chu Yu paused. Someone he liked? He subconsciously glanced at Chu Yan, who stood beside him, seemingly unconcerned. Eating alone? Did they count? Did countless business dinners and the occasional private gathering count? Amidst the jeers of "Brother Yu, give in!" and the ambiguous laughter of "I get it," Chu Yu reluctantly bent a finger. He noticed that Chu Yan's finger was still straight and upright. The air pressure around Chu Yu seemed to drop a little.
After a few more turns, everyone's fingers were almost bent. Chu Yu, who had done well as a student, only had one finger left because of his good deeds such as "not skipping classes" and "not playing games all night."
It was his turn. Chu Yu's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Chu Yan's smiling face. He thought of Chu Yan, who had chatted happily with Lu Chen under the tree that afternoon, and of Chu Yan, who had just been unfazed by someone touching his abs. An unprecedented impulse seized him.
He spoke, his voice lower than usual because of the hot spring vapor, but with seriousness: "I..." He paused to make sure everyone was listening, "...just now, I touched Chu Yan's abdominal muscles." The air was instantly quiet.
Seconds later, earth-shattering laughter and cries of "Holy crap!" erupted. "Brother Yu, hahahaha, you're worthy of me!" "What's that? Committing a crime and then turning yourself in?" "Loss, lose, who can beat that!" "Brother Yan, please take care of this, Brother Yu, isn't that a foul?" Everyone was laughing like crazy, a few clapping their hands in the water as they bent their last fingers—this kind of socially cool yet strangely serious move was truly unmatched.
Chu Yan was also stunned, then burst out laughing. After Chu Yu finished speaking, he forced himself to look away, pursing his lips. Only his red ears and slightly stiff sitting posture revealed that he was far from as calm as he appeared.
[Ding, Chu Yu completes the "Serious Hooligan" advanced achievement. Reward: Chu Yan's Favorability +1] The system plays the sound effect of scattering flowers in Chu Yan's mind at the appropriate time.
The smile in Chu Yan's eyes deepened. After a few more rounds of the game, everyone had almost finished their game, and Chu Yu was the last loser.
"Punishment! Punishment!" everyone shouted excitedly. One boy, who was just watching the fun, said, "Brother Yu, since you've been coveting our Brother Yan's abs for so long, the punishment is that you carry Brother Yan back to his room!"
"Wow—" The proposal was passed by a majority vote. Chu Yu: "..." Chu Yan raised his eyebrows and looked at Chu Yu, wanting to see how he would deal with this punishment.
Chu Yu stared at Chu Yan in silence for a few seconds, seemingly assessing the feasibility. Then, amid the crowd's cheers, he actually stood up from the hot spring, water droplets dripping down his graceful chest and back. He walked over to Chu Yan, bent slightly, and slipped his arms around his knees and back. With a standard princess hug, he easily lifted Chu Yan from the water.
Chu Yan: “???” He hadn’t expected Chu Yu to actually do that. His body instantly felt weightless, and he instinctively grabbed Chu Yu’s neck to prevent him from falling. “Wow—” “Brother Yu is awesome!” “Take pictures, take pictures!” The atmosphere around the hot spring pool was boiling.
Chu Yu held Chu Yan in his arms. If you ignored his earlobe that was red enough to bleed, his face would be considered expressionless. He walked steadily towards the room, ignoring the booing and whistles behind him that almost blew the roof off.
Chu Yan leaned against Chu Yu's chest, feeling his slightly accelerated heartbeat and the solid, steady strength of his arms. In the misty air, he looked at Chu Yu's tense jawline and finally couldn't help but let out a low laugh, his warm breath spraying on Chu Yu's chest and abdomen.
"Brother Yu," he said lazily with a smile, "Who are you punishing?" Chu Yu paused imperceptibly, his Adam's apple rolling, but he didn't look down at him. He just tightened his arms and replied in a low voice: "Shut up."
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