Liang Qiaoqiao was shopping with Alen when she received a call from Nanxi.
Alen was a really good tour guide, having visited Japan numerous times. He was quite familiar with the local customs and traditions, which added a great deal of color to her trip to Japan and kept things from getting boring!
Alen would take pictures for her. His shots were casual and natural. She laughed and said, âYouâre taking pictures now, but Iâm going to deduct the time when we get back to Korea!â
Alen shrugged, âI did say that I like to capture everything thatâs beautiful. You are beautiful, so naturally, I wonât miss out on that!â
âSo, if I were ugly, you wouldnât even spare me a glance, right?â
âOf course not! There are many kinds of beauty. At first sight, I was indeed attracted by your physical beauty, but after getting to know you further, I was attracted by your personality and inner beauty! Iâve watched a Chinese movie called âIf You Are the One.â The leading lady in that movie, like you right now, was also searching for love as some kind of redemption!â
Liang Qiaoqiao paused for a moment, then shook her head, âNo, I am not like her.â
She fell in love with a man who was reckless and irresponsible, while the man I fell in love with is too principled and responsible; she never truly fought for love once, while I have been trying my best, but I keep failing; she would commit suicide out of despair for love, but I would instead strive to live a better and more fulfilling lifeâ¦
Another point that is most significant, she at least had sweet memories of love, whereas my ten years have been filled with nothing but unrequited love and self-imposed restrictionsâ¦
Indeed, theyâre entirely different.
Her phone rang. It was Nanxi calling. Nanxi invited Liang Qiaoqiao to join her for a bath in the hot spring at the Hot Spring Manor. The Hot Spring Manor was famous locally, so Liang Qiaoqiao would certainly not miss out!
After hanging up the call, Liang Qiaoqiao looked at Alen with a smirk, âHow about taking a hot spring bath, are you interested?â
â¦
The Hot Spring Manorâs hot spring area was divided into small compartments. Each compartment had a hot spring pool that could accommodate four to five people at most, very suitable for couples or families to bathe in together!
Lu Yinchu booked four compartments. Nanxi and Lu Yinchu occupied one, Mo Yan and Alen occupied another, Liang Qiaoqiao had one to herself, and the last one was for the other two assistantsâ¦
â¦
Inside the compartment, Nanxi glared at the man who was lying there, enjoying himself. âLu Yinchu, you did this on purpose!â
âHuh?â
The man looked at her with a puzzled expression!
âWhy donât you let me stay in the same compartment with my cousin?! With you and me together like this⦠people might get the wrong idea!â
âWhat wrong idea?â
ââ¦â
A sharp pain shot through her arm. By the time she came to her senses, Nanxi had been pulled into the manâs embrace, his hands skimming over her smooth body. The heat from his fingertips made Nanxiâs body tremble!
She pushed him away, âLu Yinchuâ¦â
But the man ignored her, sniffing the faint fragrance of her body and planting small kisses at her neck, âIf I donât do anything, wouldnât that be disappointing to those who are speculating?â
Nanxi: ââ¦â
â¦
Submerged in the warm water, Liang Qiaoqiao let out a long sigh.
Exhausted, she had been feeling tired for days on end. It was unceasing and draining.
She had forgotten why she initially thought about coming to Japan.
She held her own dignity, even though she had been utterly humble in front of him. But now, she was using all her defiance to uphold her last shred of pride!
Thatâs why, she brought Alen with her.
Probably, Lu Yinchu never thought she would bring a man along. He too, was surprised.
She laughed lightly. Life was full of too many surprises and sudden incidents. Whether itâs gaining or losing something, some rejoice in gain while others cry over loss.
But strangely, when you get something, you tend to overlook something else youâve already had; when you lose something, whatever you gain seems insignificant compared to what youâve lost.
Liang Qiaoqiao had never gained anything, yet she had lost too much, so she felt sorry for herself.
The door to the compartment was suddenly yanked open. She jerked her head up in surprise, and her gaze met the man standing at the door. The air froze for a moment. She thought she was hallucinating!
Yes, it had to be a hallucination. Otherwise, why would she see Mo Yan?
âSorry, I⦠I got the wrong compartment!â He sounded flustered and embarrassed as he turned to leave.
Liang Qiaoqiao was dumbfounded. It took her a moment to realize this was not a dream. She cried out almost against her own volition, âWait!â
He stopped in his tracks, but didnât turn around. He just turned his body slightly and asked, âYes?â
Liang Qiaoqiao bit her lip, tightly grasping the towel around her. She spoke up, âWhy wonât you look at me? Are you afraid of me?â
ââ¦â
Liang Qiaoqiao said, âBy leaving like this, arenât you wasting Luâs good intentions?â
Walked into the wrong compartment?
No, a meticulous person like Mo Yan would not make such a mistake. Therefore, someone must have deliberately led him astray!
Other than Lu Yinchu, there would be no one else!
Mo Yan frowned. âItâs okay, I will explain it to Lu.â
Liang Qiaoqiao sneered, âExplain? What do you want to explain? That thereâs no vague relationship between you and me? Or that you never ever liked me, so he should stop wasting his efforts?â
Mo Yan pursed his lips and remained silent, looking somewhat uneasy.
âWhy did you agree to come to Japan? You clearly knewâ¦â he knew, she would be here!
He knew she would come, knew Lu Yinchu intended to matchmake, yet he still came. Why?
ââ¦â Mo Yan remained silent.
âThat day, you asked me if I called off the engagement with Chen Juncai because of you. If I said yes, what would you have done?â
ââ¦â Mo Yan pursed his lips again, still not answering.
âMo Yan, dare to take a gamble?â Liang Qiaoqiao bit her lip, enunciating each word clearly.
ââ¦â Mo Yan furrowed his brows, turned his head to look at her.
In the misty hot spring pool, Liang Qiaoqiao, wrapped in a towel, was sitting there. Her jet-black voluminous hair was all tied up, and a flush was spread across her small face. She looked even more delicate and beautiful than when she was heavily made up!
âMo Yan, do you dare to gamble with me?â She asked again.
The man was silent for a moment, probably only for two seconds. But those two seconds felt like an eternity for Liang Qiaoqiao. Finally, in his usual light and indifferent voice, he asked, âWhatâs the bet?â
âLetâs bet on who will lose their composure first when we bathe in the same pool!â
âLetâs bet that you arenât completely indifferent to me!â
âLetâs bet that my ten years of hard work have not been in vain!â
âSo, Mo Yan, are you willing to take this bet?â
Mo Yan slightly narrowed his eyes, staring at her without saying a word.
Liang Qiaoqiao was becoming flustered. Her fingers clenched tighter and tighter. Finally, she couldnât bear the oppressive silence any longer. She spoke, âIf you donât dareâ¦â
Just then, the sound of a door slamming shut rang out. Liang Qiaoqiaoâs body jerked involuntarily. She watched as Mo Yan efficiently undid his bathrobe and casually hung it on the rack by the side.
His lean but powerful upper body was revealed right in front of her. Liang Qiaoqiaoâs breath hitched in her throat!