I suggest you investigate; this person doesn't seem to be a first-time reborn individual.

Huang Lingyue hung up the phone, feeling quite pleased.

Since she introduced Lin Ran to her roommates last time, she thought he would reciprocate quickly and introduce her to his friends as well.

Who knew that after waiting for so long, this guy still hadn't made a move. I hinted at it several times, but he didn't respond. Today, this bastard finally got it.

"Ling Yue, the holiday doesn't start until the day after tomorrow, why are you packing your luggage so early?" Wu Ying asked curiously when she saw Ling Yue pull out a small silver suitcase from deep inside the closet.

Huang Lingyue's hands moved swiftly as she placed several neatly folded pieces of clothing inside. Her voice, though still cool, carried a hint of lightness: "Hmm. I have some business to attend to tomorrow, I'll be going out."

"What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious?" Feng Xiaowen leaned closer and saw her carefully wrapping her swimsuit in a towel.

Huang Lingyue paused for a moment, but still couldn't suppress her joy: "Lin Ran, take me to a hot spring tomorrow."

"Wow--!"

"A hot spring? How romantic! Should I take this opportunity to confess my feelings?"

"Definitely! A lone man and a lone woman in a steamy hot spring—the atmosphere was perfect, and everything fell into place naturally!"

Feng Xiaowen, with her sharper eyes, pointed to a pair of black stockings that she was about to put into her suitcase and asked suspiciously, "Hey, aren't we going to a hot spring? Why are you bringing stockings?"

Huang Lingyue froze, her face unusually flushed, and she quickly tucked the stockings into the bottom of her clothes, trying to appear calm: "...It might be a bit cold tonight, just in case."

Feng Xiaowen and Wu Ying exchanged a knowing look and chuckled to themselves.

Zhou Jiayi, standing to the side, looked a little envious. Zhao Feiyu was such a straight man, he had no sense of romance at all, all he did was eat, and the two of them had almost eaten their way through the cafeterias on both campuses.

-----------------

2 PM, Tangshan Hot Spring.

Lin Ran had specially arranged a private hot spring room for him with the owner in advance. In the huge pool, there were only him and Huang Lingyue.

She chose a relatively conservative one-piece swimsuit; the black color made her skin appear even whiter. Her cool and beautiful face was flushed from the steam, and her beautiful eyes occasionally swept over the man opposite her who was staring straight ahead, her silver teeth slightly biting her red lips.

The swimsuit she was wearing was one she had carefully selected last night. Although it was already considered quite conservative, she still underestimated the allure of her figure.

Her long, slender legs were slightly red from soaking in the hot spring. She casually crossed her legs, half of her skin was exposed above the water, and her toes were painted with red nail polish, making her very alluring.

Lin Ran was lying on the other side of the hot spring with his eyes closed, seemingly enjoying the hot spring, but actually trying hard to restrain his eyes from looking around.

He regretted it a little.

I really shouldn't have brought this woman along.

Although he did have some romantic thoughts before he came, he did not intend to actually cross that line.

He was calculating in his mind, planning to first weaken Huang Lingyue's overly strong desire for control, guide her to learn to relax, and learn a healthier way of getting along. To put it bluntly, he wanted to mold Huang Lingyue into the shape he wanted.

I must not surrender before achieving this goal.

He thought that with his more than 30 years of experience, he could easily control the surging hormones in his young body.

As it turned out, he underestimated the allure of Huang Lingyue's figure and overestimated his own self-control.

"Why are you sitting so far away? Are you afraid I'll eat you up?" Huang Lingyue's voice was a little soft from being soaked in water, lacking its usual coldness.

"The pool is big," Lin Ran heard his voice was a little dry, so he cleared his throat. "The water temperature here is just right. You know men and women have different tolerances for temperature..."

Huang Lingyue didn't speak, she just looked at him, her eyes filled with tears, yet still seemed to see right through him. Lin Ran felt a chill run down his spine when he saw that look in her eyes.

Then, she suddenly moved closer to him.

The water rippled as she moved, the warm water caressing his skin, bringing them halfway closer. Lin Ran could even see a small pool of water in the hollow of her collarbone, rising and falling gently with her breath.

A pair of beautiful legs painted with red nail polish stretched out and rested on his calves.

The delicate touch, transmitted through the warm water, felt like a faint electric current, instantly shooting up Lin Ran's spine, causing his Adam's apple to bob involuntarily.

"My legs are a little sore from walking all day..." Huang Lingyue's voice was soft and languid.

Lin Ran glanced at her with some surprise, and he seemed to detect a hint of coquettishness in her voice...

It seems... the development plan is having some effect?

The moment that thought crossed my mind, it was immediately suppressed by my rational side.

But... it's just a leg massage, it should be fine, right?

Consider it... a phased reward? He tried to convince himself that you can't get fat overnight. Taking it step by step and collecting some interest in advance is perfectly reasonable!

His hand regained its own consciousness and slowly reached out to grasp the ankle that was offered to him. It was delicate and slightly cool to the touch, a stark contrast to the heat of the hot spring.

"Mmm..." A very soft groan escaped her lips, like a feather gently scratching at Lin Ran's already taut nerves.

The string of restraint snapped with a "bang".

Reason evaporated completely in the scalding spring water and his even hotter breath. He suddenly leaned forward and kissed those red lips that were so close to his.

The resistance of the hot spring water seemed to disappear, and the world was filled only with the mingling of breath between our lips and teeth. Any plans for nurturing or gradual progress were long forgotten.

His hand wandered uncontrollably, his palm resting on her warm, wet skin, finally landing on that firm, full curve, where he kneaded it forcefully.

Just when she was lost in passion and about to completely succumb—

"Clap clap clap!"

A few crisp knocks sounded on the door, like a bucket of cold water being poured over their heads.

"Boss, come out and play games! We've been waiting for you!" Tang Chen's energetic voice came from outside the door.

Lin Ran was jolted awake as if struck by lightning. He met Huang Lingyue's dazed eyes, which were so close to his own, and realized that his hands were still resting on Huang Lingyue's buttocks.

It took almost all his willpower to pull himself out of that dangerous hot spring, and he hastily wrapped himself in a bathrobe.

"I'll go check on their food preparations." His voice was a little tense. Without waiting for her reply, he hurriedly left as if fleeing. He knew she was watching him, but he didn't look back.

Lin Ran secretly rejoiced that Tang Chen had saved him in time, almost ruining his training plan. However, he still felt a little annoyed.

"The boss's here!" Ye Li, with her sharp eyes, held up a skewer of lamb. "Try my cooking!"

Lin Ran took it, took a bite, and found it incredibly salty, but remained expressionless: "Hmm, not bad."

His gaze swept across the crowd and he saw Huang Lingyue come out in dry clothes and sit down next to him, quietly peeling an orange, though her eyes held a hint of resentment as she looked at him.

"You want me to come out and play games, right? Come on, what game do you want to play?" Lin Ran looked at Tang Chen.

"Uh... a riddle..." For some reason, Tang Chen felt a chill all over his body.

"Okay, I'll ask the questions and you answer them." Lin Ran pointed at Tang Chen with the sticks in his hand.

"A steamed bun with meat filling is called a meat bun, a pancake with meat filling is called a meat pancake, and what's a meat-filled stick called?"

Tang Chen's eyes widened.

"It's called ham. You can't even guess that? Then I'll try another one."

What's a chicken's chin called?

Tang Chen: "??????"

"Calling out."

"One more question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Tang Chen: "..."

"The chicken came first."

Tang Chen couldn't help but ask, "So how did we get the first chicken?"

"Driven by the necessities of life."

After saying that, Lin Ran turned around and went to the beverage area.

Tang Chen stared blankly at Lin Ran's departing figure, then looked at the crowd and said, "Why do I feel like the boss is targeting me today?"