Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

Hot Spring Resort.

The mist rose gently from the warm spring water, blurring the intertwined figures of the two.

Lu Yan held Liu Yunshu's slender waist, pulling her even tighter into his arms.

The water rippled gently with the movement, splashing onto the pebbles on the shore and then seeping back into the pool through the cracks in the stones.

"Did the phone just ring...?" Liu Yunshu asked, her fingertips touching his chest, her voice soft and moist.

Lu Yan had no interest in the phone call; he focused on instructing her on her movements.

With his other hand, he slid down her smooth back, his fingertips brushing against her tailbone.

Liu Yunshu couldn't help but flinch, almost falling into the water.

"Never mind," he said in a low, husky voice, cupping her lower abdomen in his palm and lifting it up slightly.

"Right now, I can only think about myself and practice my swimming style properly."

The warmth of the spring water spread along his skin, but it couldn't compare to the scalding heat of his palms.

Liu Yunshu felt her whole body go numb from the heat of his palm, and gently scratched his chest with her fingertips, with a hint of coquetry.

"Who teaches swimming like this... It's clearly a deliberate attempt to bully me."

"So what if I bully you?" Lu Yan chuckled, his lips brushing against her reddened earlobe, his breath hot.

"You can't escape anyway." He deliberately loosened his grip on her lower abdomen, watching her shrink back into his arms in a panic. The smile in his eyes deepened. "See, you still have to rely on me."

Liu Yunshu was both angry and embarrassed. She turned her head away to avoid his kiss, but he grabbed her chin and turned her back, then captured her lips in his mouth.

The phone screen on the shore was still lit, while the interface of the call that Mrs. Lu had just hung up gradually dimmed, leaving only the overlapping shadows of people in the pool, like a painting immersed in warm water.

Liu Yunshu's body went limp from his kisses, and the coolness of her back against the pool wall brought her back to her senses.

She raised her arm and wrapped it around his neck, her breath sweet as orchids in his ear: "Ayan, let's go to the room..."

The flames in Lu Yan's eyes suddenly burned even brighter. Before she could finish speaking, he grabbed the cheongsam that was scattered on the ground, wrapped it around her, and carried her horizontally to the shore.

Water droplets rolled down her fair skin, dripping onto his bronze chest and then sliding into the creases of his firm abdominal muscles.

His steps were quick and steady. The person in his arms chuckled and nuzzled his shoulder. Water droplets from their hair dampened his neck, causing a tingling, itchy sensation.

"What's the rush?"

"If you're not in a hurry, I'll do you by the pool." Lu Yan's voice was terribly hoarse. He kicked open the guest room door roughly, but he was gentle when he put her on the bed.

Liu Yunshu was about to tease him when he silenced her with a kiss.

The moisture from his body mingled with the scent of cedar and the floral fragrance from her hair, permeating the soft bedding.

His hand reached towards her waist, and as his fingertips traced her waist dimple, Liu Yunshu arched her back in discomfort. He casually pulled the hem of her cheongsam aside, revealing a large expanse of delicate skin.

"Yun Shu," Lu Yan looked down at her reddened eyes, his fingertips gently caressing her lips, "tell her you like me."

Lu Yan's eyes were filled with an intense, unwavering love: "Yun Shu, do you know, from the first time I saw you at the airport, I couldn't take my eyes off you."

Liu Yunshu was worn down by his persistence, and her heart softened by the earnestness in his eyes. So she reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, giving him a light kiss on the lips: "I like it, I like Ayan the most."

The words had barely left his lips when Xiao Ba's voice exploded in his mind: "Host! Emotional value 100%! Mission complete! Moving on to the next stop, or staying here?"

"I haven't had enough of Lu Yan's rice yet."

Xiao Ba: I knew it!

His actions were no longer restrained, filled with an air of possessiveness, as he whispered in her ear, "Yun Shu, you'll never escape me in this lifetime."

Sunlight streamed through the fogged glass of the window, casting dappled shadows on the bed.

The sounds from the guest rooms gradually blended with the birdsong and the sound of the spring outside the window, creating the most private melody in this hot spring resort.

After a long while, the ambiguous sounds finally stopped.

Liu Yunshu nestled in Lu Yan's arms, tracing circles on his chest with her fingertips, listening to his steady heartbeat.

Lu Yan lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, tightening his arms around her: "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking," Liu Yunshu looked up at him, the redness in the corners of her eyes still lingering, a sly smile on her face, "where should we go next to 'test our physical strength'?"

Lu Yan chuckled softly, flipping her over and pinning her beneath him, his eyes burning with desire again: "How about we try out this bed first, see if it's sturdy enough?"

Xiao Ba: "..."

It knew it! Those two just wouldn't stop!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

It was already evening by the time the two had finished their meal.

Lu Yan took Liu Yunshu back to her apartment.

"Are you really not staying with me?"

Lu Yan looked at Liu Yunshu pitifully while unbuttoning his shirt, revealing his sexy collarbone, trying to seduce her with his good looks.

However, my heart is as hard as iron, and Liu Yunshu remains unmoved.

I've been cooking all day, my back can't take it anymore, I need to rest.

Having failed to seduce anyone, Lu Yan returned to the Lu family's old residence in disappointment.

Looking at the old iron tree that exuded a gloomy aura, Mr. Lu asked Mrs. Lu with a questioning look in his eyes.

Didn't you say your son had a girlfriend? What happened?

Mrs. Lu also looked puzzled; the commotion that afternoon had been quite lively.

Old Master Lu winked at her, wondering if her technique was too poor—she'd been kicked by a flower?

Mrs. Lu shook her head violently. Judging from the commotion this afternoon, it shouldn't be like that.

Master Lu blinked again. Was his physical strength still too poor?

Mrs. Lu glanced at the sky outside the window and shook her head again. She thought to herself, "They've gone from being a perpetual motion machine for work to a perpetual motion machine for cooking. I have to say, young people have amazing stamina."

Lu Yan, engrossed in the fact that Yun Shu wouldn't come back with him, completely missed the commotion his parents were exchanging and went straight to the study.

"Ahem!" Madam Lu quickly coughed lightly. Lu Yan paused, turned to look at his parents in the living room, and his Adam's apple bobbed. "Mom, is something the matter?"

Madam Lu quickly waved her hand, forcing a smile, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I just saw you came back early and wanted to ask... how things are going with that girl?"

Lu Yan thought of Liu Yunshu nestled in his arms, smiling, and the disappointment in his eyes lessened. The corners of his lips unconsciously curved into a smile: "It's fine."

"How wonderful is it?" Old Master Lu picked up his teacup and slowly replied, "Would you like to bring him home for a visit?"

Lu Yan paused for a moment, then his eyes flashed with anticipation: "I'll bring her when she's free."

Seeing the light in his eyes when he mentioned the girl, Madam Lu knew exactly what was going on and secretly gave Mr. Lu a wink—it was a sure thing.