Chapter 44: No Strangers Allowed
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It wasn’t too late when then stepped out of the restaurant. Walking through the hall, they saw a bunch of people wearing bathing suits. They were clothed in coats or covered with towels. Outside the window, the city was soaked in darkness and the lights faintly shimmered. It could be seen indistinctly that the hot springs, scattered around the stone steps, steamed as tourists bathed in them.
Lin Qian didn’t want to miss these spiritual hot springs. She turned around and asked Li Zhicheng, “Shall we go in?”
Lin Zhicheng had no objections.
It was warm in the hotel, so almost all the tourists walked to the hot springs with their bathing suits on. They brought a change of clothes and went back to their rooms after bathing and showering.
Lin Qian realized what would happen only after following him to the room.
Darn it! We need to get changed in the same room.
This wasn’t something outrageous because there was a bathroom in the room. But it was frosted glass instead of a wall that separated the bedroom and the bathroom. Although a person couldn’t see what was going on in the bathroom clearly, a blurry outline was visible.
Lin Qian changed in the bathroom and quickly put on a coat. During this, Li Zhicheng sat on the sofa outside, gazing at the glass. She came out of the bathroom and he didn’t express any emotion. He then went into the bathroom with his swimming trunks.
Lin Qian felt differently about the situation. She didn’t stare at the bathroom, not even the slightest bit. She was the type of person who could take things easy. And now, after getting changed, and knowing that she would frolic with Li Zhicheng in the springs soon, she felt sweet.
Li Zhicheng came out of the bathroom in no time. Like her, he only wore a coat besides the swimming pants. Lin Qian snuck a look at his legs, which were firm and slender. She blushed and followed him out of the room.
There weren’t many people in the springs, possibly because it was still early. It was a cold crisp in the evening in the mountains; they walked for a while with towels on and found a pool without people by the hillside.
Li Zhicheng took off the towel, put it on the hanger and walked into the water. Lin Qian looked at him from the back and found it difficult to look away.
Lin Qian was obsessed with handsome faces. In the company accommodation, when she had run into Li Zhicheng coming out of a shower, she knew that he was in great shape. He had the body of a soldier—of an officer. He was fit but not muscular, skinny but not delicate. Looking at his body, the first word that would pop into your head was “invulnerable.” And when you looked at his face, the next word would be “handsome.”
How could she not like his appearance?
Li Zhicheng sat in the pool and reached out a hand to her. “Come in.”
Lin Qian watched him stare at her as she took off the towel. She had often gone to hot springs and beaches with Lin Mocheng in America, all while wearing a bikini. And, of course, men had stared at her from time to time. She had never taken them seriously.
However, being gazed at by Li Zhicheng like this made her feel shy—and a bit smug.
She wore a tankini. The top piece was a v-neck that stopped just below her breasts with a bow that made it pretty and unique. The bottom piece was an extremely short floral swim skirt.
She stood beside the pool, glanced at Li Zhicheng, slowly walked into the walker and sat down beside him.
“The water’s pretty warm,” she said comfortably.
“Yes.” Li Zhicheng was frugal with words. He put one of his arms on the edge of the pool and stared at her naked back under the dimming light. On the one hand, her swimsuit looked modest, with her shirt-shaped top and moderate skirt. On the other hand, her body was considerably exposed. Her fair skin together with that pink fabric made her look impeccable.
After a short while, several young men and women came, and they were all dazed seeing the two. It was normal for them to react like this: Lin Zhicheng and Lin Qian were a perfect couple with great physiques. The man’s shoulders and upper chest were above the surface of the water, broad and well-proportioned. As for the woman, her shoulders were slightly visible above the water, smooth and snow-white. Under the water, there was a scene of delicate and alluring whiteness; people’s imaginations roamed with such an image in mind.
The newcomers started to talk to each other, leaving Li Zhicheng and Lin Qian in the corner. Li Zhicheng squeezed her hands gently while Lin Qian said with a smile, “Let me give you a massage?”
This was a rather considerate suggestion. Li Zhicheng smiled faintly and said, “Sure.” He turned around in the water and laid his torso down on the edge of the pool with his back facing her.
Lin Qian had learned how to give a proper massage and knew that he would prefer strength, so she rubbed and kneaded his muscles with all her might. Nevertheless, he said he could barely feel anything when she asked him.
Lin Qian snorted and wanted to get mischievous. She rubbed her hands and squeezed his back very hard, which was indeed a little painful. Li Zhicheng laughed in spite of himself and flung his arms around her waist. “You really used your strength, didn’t you?”
“Of course!” Lin Qian looked up at him. Her face was bright like a pearl after soaking in the water. Li Zhicheng looked down at her for a few seconds and then pecked her lips.
Lin Qian’s heart missed a beat after such a sudden kiss. She immediately remembered there were people around after the kiss, so she turned her head to look at them.
Li Zhicheng also remembered. He glanced over—everyone was staring at them. They soon acted like nothing had happened and looked away, but Li Zhicheng could tell that the looks in the men’s eyes were a mix of spectating, surprise and jealousy.
Li Zhicheng murmured, “Let’s go to another pool, okay?”
It was said that the different pools complemented each other with different components in each, so Lin Qian quickly said yes, expecting another experience. They exited the pool, the others following with their eyes. Right after they got out of the water, Li Zhicheng picked up the towel and put it on her.
Lin Qian knew exactly what he was thinking, peeked at him and felt her heart buzz.
Li Zhicheng shot her a glance, which made Lin Qian’s heart skip a beat and rendered her silent. She stared ahead as if she were a serene statue.
She thought about what was going to happen tonight again.
Tonight…
They returned to their room after spending around an hour in the hot springs. They agreed to go back after Li Zhicheng immediately said yes the moment Lin Qian had asked whether he wanted to go back or not.
And there was a reason why Lin Qian left the springs and sent herself back to the room and his lips.
It went without saying that she attracted lots of men around the spring, but a similar thing had happened to Li Zhicheng.
There were more women than men at the springs, and the groups of friends consisted of women of all ages. For Lin Qian, this was the first time she had realized that women were bolder when gazing at others than men were. Wherever Li Zhicheng had gone, women stared at him.
And everything had gone wild when they were in the pool named “Red Wine Pool.” Several middle-aged women sat opposite them. They talked about the spa and debated who had the longer and fairer legs. When they saw Li Zhicheng and Lin Qian, they couldn’t take their eyes off him.
Lin Qian could totally understand their reactions—she would do the same thing if she were one of them. Everyone loved pretty things. But when it happened to her boyfriend, she had a different feeling about it.
All she wanted to do the whole time in the pool was cover his whole body with a cloth and yell “Look away!” to all those women.
She finally couldn’t take it when a woman started flirting with Li Zhicheng. “Hi, handsome. Where’re you from?”
Li Zhicheng answered politely while trying to keep a distance. “Lin City.”
“What a coincidence!” the women said. “We’re from Lin City too!”
An older woman said, “You’re really well-built. Are you an actor? Or maybe a model?”
Lin Zhicheng smiled faintly without addressing the question. He turned and glanced at Lin Qian. “How’s the temperature?” He asked this question to evade the women.
Lin Qian looked at him and asked, “Shall we go back?”
“Sure,” Li Zhicheng said.
As they walked by one pool after another and headed toward the dressing room, Li Zhicheng glanced over at her. He began to mimic her: “Shall we go back?” he teased.
Lin Qian giggled and pretended to be furious with her hands on her hips. “I’m a very controlling person! You’ve got a problem with that? Don’t show your legs and arms in the future! I’ll stamp a ‘Belongs to Lin Qian, No Strangers Allowed’ sign on you tonight!”
She said this fearlessly. Hearing this, Li Zhicheng grinned and murmured, “Sure.”
Lin Qian had said those things to toy with him, and he did the same thing but with only one word. Her cheeks turned red and she peeked over at him.
It was almost nine o’clock when the couple who wanted to own and only own each other went back to their room.
Li Zhicheng took a shower in the bathroom before Lin Qian.
Never in Lin Qian’s life had she ever showered in such a thorough way. She was already very nervous and became more nervous during the shower. Only after an hour did she finish and stand in front of the mirror with a towel covering her up.
She saw a woman with wet hair and crimson cheeks after wiping the mist off the mirror.
She started to sort through her thoughts in front of the mirror.
I really like him. I really do.
That’s why I’m willing to be with him.
And do everything with him.
Thinking like this made her slightly relax. She was still nervous, but she also felt sweet and exhilarated.
She dried her hair and started to get dressed. Halfway through dressing, she started to feel an ache in her stomach.
She was bewildered, because she felt the same way every month.
Lin Qian knew why she got her period early. She’d been very busy the last few days and without a proper schedule. Also, after all the strenuous exercise today she’d bathed in the hot springs, which dredged her meridians.
Fortunately, she was always well-prepared for traveling and had put a small box of feminine products in her suitcase, which was in the closet across from the bathroom.
She opened the bathroom door, grabbed the box and went back to the bathroom without looking at Li Zhicheng.
After cleaning herself up, Lin Qian stared at the piece of bloody tissue in the trash. It was difficult to say whether she was disappointed or relaxed—either way, a day’s worth of strain had suddenly lifted off of her. It was a bit hilarious but also a little frustrating.
However, such complex feelings only lasted for a short while, because she suddenly realized that Li Zhicheng couldn’t do anything to her tonight, and that she didn’t need to worry about anything.
After all, she had almost been pushed to the edge by him—especially with his hints on the mountain. Now that she finally had some leverage, she could finally play some games with him.
She opened the bathroom door and saw the dim light.
Li Zhicheng sat on the bedside in a t-shirt and tracksuit pants with his arms folded. He stared at her.
The city was immersed in the dark night. He looked fixedly at her and said in a deep voice, “Come here.”
Lin Qian was about to tease him, but seeing him like this suddenly softened her. She walked to his side, put one of her hands in his palm and said softly, “Li Zhicheng, I—”
She felt her hands being squeezed just as she finished the word “I.” He put his arms around her waist, held her up and put her on the bad. He opened his legs and kneeled on her body, looking down at her.
After a second of eye contact, he bent and licked her body from her neck down. Lin Qian swooned, grabbed his hair and started to breathe heavily.
In the blink of an eye, he took off her top and saw her alluring body. He suckled, nibbled and kneaded her body. The spots his lips and hands touched were set on fire; the feeling quiet but irresistible. Lin Qian moaned, “Li Zhicheng…”
She was now really depressed that her period had come. She hadn’t realized until now that no matter how nervous or shy she was, being intimate with him was all she wanted. Sex with him was the only way to placate her insuppressible lust.
As for Li Zhicheng, he was enjoying the beauty of the woman in the dimming light and having a much stronger feeling than she was. All of the lust inside him—which had been suppressed for a long time—was entirely provoked and had reached the pinnacle point today. It made him hornier and he kissed her harder.
He recalled many versions of her:
The woman he just met on the train with a sweet and soft voice, and a pretty face.
The woman who saluted him and called herself “Deputy Lin.”
The woman who was slapped and cried sadly but stoically.
The woman who introduced the talented advertisement plan to the executives and glanced at him in high and vigorous spirits.
Li Zhicheng pressed his arms against her waist and tried to be as intimate with her as he could. After hearing her groan, he couldn’t hold the desire inside him. He raised his head, looked at her flushed face and reached his hands to the spot he’d never been to.
He pressed that spot gently with his finger through the soft pants.
Lin Qian was almost paralyzed, and just when she was about to open her mouth, she heard his throaty voice. “Lin Qian, give it to me, okay?”
Lin Qian swallowed hard to nurture her dry throat.
“Li Zhicheng, I was just about to tell you: My period came.”