Chapter 274: Whispers in the Warm Waters

After Lin Zheng Ran left, Han Wenwen sat in silence and noticed a cabinet nearby, opening it out of curiosity for a quick look.

Inside, she found a thick manual on hot springs and a portable plastic red button.

Han Wenwen held it up: “What’s this?”

Lily and Heqing swam over to join her and check it out.

Heqing took the button from her hand: “I’ve never seen anything like this. It looks like a missile launcher or a bomb remote from TV?”

Lily hummed in thought and laughed: “Surely a hot spring hotel wouldn’t have something that scary?”

Han Wenwen flipped through the manual.

Her eyes widened as she read something, and she covered her mouth, trembling as she said:

“Maybe Heqing is right. The manual says this place was a battlefield site hundreds of years ago, and it only became a tourist spot later. So, there could be landmines or bombs buried in the mountains.”

Lily was skeptical: “Really? Even if it was a site back then, why would a bomb remote be in a hot spring cabinet?”

Han Wenwen reached out and pressed the button: “Let’s just press it and see. If it’s a bomb, something will explode somewhere.”

Heqing panicked and covered her head: “Ah! Wenwen, what are you doing!”

Lily was shocked and snapped: “Don’t just press it like that! What if it is a bomb? That’s dangerous! We should at least tell Zheng Ran first!”

Less than half a minute later, there was a knock at the door.

The two women jumped, staring toward the door. It was a staff member with a small cart, asking: “Is this for the guest’s hot spring wine? Please come to the door to pick it up.”

Heqing and Lily turned to Han Wenwen in a mix of fear and relief.

Han Wenwen covered her mouth and laughed wildly. She set down the manual: “I was just teasing you two. The book says this button is for ordering wine—just press it, and someone delivers.”

The little fox got out of the hot spring pool, grabbed a blanket from the side, wrapped it around herself, and went to the door to open it.

The staff promoted their hotel’s special wines.

“This is our hotel’s signature hot spring wine. It’s not too strong, with a smooth taste. How many bottles would the guest like?”

Han Wenwen eyed the bottles—they weren’t large: “Two bottles, please.”

“Alright, here you go.”

Han Wenwen took the two bottles and glasses on a tray and carried them back to the hot spring room.

She grinned at the other two.

“Ta-da! Hot spring wine.”

Heqing and Lily both sighed. They were truly floored by this fox.

Heqing said: “Wenwen, you nearly scared me to death.”

They settled back into the hot spring as Han Wenwen opened a bottle and poured three glasses.

She handed them to Lily and Heqing.

“Want to try some? They say it’s quite special.”

Heqing took hers with a thank you, while Lily accepted but added: “I’ll just have a little. I’m not great with alcohol.”

Heqing chuckled: “I don’t drink much either, but back in high school, Wenwen and I would sneak some beer in the dorm on Saturdays to help us sleep.”

Lily was surprised: “You two snuck drinks in high school?”

Han Wenwen: “Just a bit. Don’t worry, Lily, this wine isn’t strong—about the same as beer. Try a sip, and if you don’t like it, we can stop.”

The three raised their glasses and sampled the wine.

Interestingly, the wine was warmed, and it tasted more like juice than alcohol.

Even Lily, who rarely drank, was surprised: “It’s not bad at all—the flavor’s pretty good!”

Heqing added: “It has a fruity taste!”

Han Wenwen covered her face with one hand: “Sipping wine in the hot spring feels so relaxing.”

They each took another big sip; the hot spring made them thirsty.

Han Wenwen poured more for Heqing and Lily.

After one glass, Han Wenwen’s face had a slight flush, and the other two did too—it was hard to say if it was from the wine or the heat.

“Once we start university, we’ll all get pretty busy, right?” the little fox asked suddenly.

Lily sipped more and swirled her glass: “Yeah, the music company has lined up a lot for me. After competitions this year, there are shows to attend, so I won’t have much time at school.”

Heqing nodded, holding her cup with both hands: “I’m okay. I haven’t practiced Taekwondo much because of exams, but once I’m in university, I’ll pick it back up. I want to compete at the provincial level.”

Han Wenwen stared at the wine in her glass: “I’ve barely posted any game videos this year. In university, I need to start streaming seriously and join that competition—got to make some money.”

Lily thought of something and laughed: “That means Zheng Ran will be the busiest, probably tagging along for all our activities, right?”

No one disagreed.

Heqing raised her glass in a toast: “Here’s to all of us doing great in university. Time flies, though—I’m already eighteen, and high school’s over before we know it.”

Lily took another sip and leaned back against the pool, gazing at the ceiling:

“It does feel fast. Thinking back, I met Zheng Ran when I was so young. Now, years have passed like a dream.”

“Sometimes I feel like I haven’t grown up at all—doing the same things as when I was a kid.” Heqing finished her glass in one gulp.

Lily smiled: “We’re all the same. Not much changes, really. But this chat is making me nostalgic. Back then, I’d get jealous over you calling Zheng Ran.”

Heqing blushed: “Me too. Even back home, I knew Zheng Ran was with a girl, and I got so jealous. I was always worried someone would take him.”

She glanced at Lily: “Lily, that night a few days ago…”

“Ah?” Lily remembered and waved it off awkwardly: “Don’t worry about it. We’re sisters, but jealousy happens.”

Heqing giggled: “Lily’s such a great girl.”

“You and Han Wenwen are too. I think even without Zheng Ran, we’d have hit it off in middle school, right, Han Wenwen?” She turned to Han Wenwen, only to find she was gone.

Lily blinked: “Where’s Han Wenwen?”

Heqing, a bit tipsy, replied: “No idea. She was just chatting with us. Maybe she went to the restroom?”

“Probably. It’s funny, though—Han Wenwen’s Zheng Ran’s girlfriend now, and it feels so natural, like she’s always been.”

“And she’s so forward with him. During that scrub earlier, it seemed like she’d massaged him before.”

“They’ve probably been together longer; we just didn’t know.”

The two women sipped their wine in the hot spring.

They exchanged a look and suddenly realized something.

In unison:

“She’s not sneaking off to find Zheng Ran, is she?”

“She’s not sneaking off to find Lin Zheng Ran, is she?!”

In the private rest area, Lin Zheng Ran sat on the sofa as Han Wenwen hugged his neck.

She straddled his lap.

They shared a close, intimate kiss.

The little fox asked jealously: “Brother Zheng Ran, isn’t it time you explained that woman’s situation to me?”