Conquer the other worlds with abandon, they've fallen in love with me!

The hot spring area is shrouded in mist.

Milky white steam rose from the water's surface in wisps, like someone burning an incense burner at the bottom of the pool that would never go out.

The air was humid and warm, carrying a faint smell of sulfur mixed with the damp scent of moss rising from the rocks.

Candles were lit in the stone lanterns by the pond, their flames broken by the mist, turning into hazy halos, like the moon fallen to earth, or stars plucked and hung low.

"Ah~ It's so hot~ I can't stand it~"

Arya's voice came from the mist, soft and drawn out. She sat on the stone slab by the pool, leaning back slightly, her hands behind her, her feet submerged in the water, her toes red from the heat. Her brow was slightly furrowed, her lips pouting, like a child being forced to drink medicine, knowing there was no escape but still protesting with a few complaints.

The steam from the water rose onto her face, giving her cheeks two rosy blushes, as if she had drunk a pot of warmed plum wine, exuding a slightly tipsy warmth from the inside out. A fine mist condensed on her eyelashes, and with each blink, those tiny droplets would rearrange themselves, like dew rolling on leaves in the morning.

"Just bear with it for a while."

Lin Yu's voice came from the other end of the pool, neither too loud nor too soft, carrying the steam of the water and sounding gentler than usual. He leaned against the pool wall, most of his body submerged, only his shoulders and above visible. The heat of the hot spring gave his skin a thin red glow, and the muscle lines of his shoulders were faintly visible between the surface and the water. Water droplets slid down his collarbone, flashed in the candlelight, and then disappeared into the water.

His arms were casually resting on the edge of the pool, a stark contrast to his usual tense, ready-to-respond stance. The water dampened his hair, and stray strands clung to his forehead, revealing a distinct widow's peak. His gaze lingered on Arya, from her furrowed brow to her pouting lips, from her arms supporting her weight to her feet, scalded red in the water.

I'm looking at her.

It wasn't the kind of deliberate, intense stare, but a very natural gaze, as if the eyes had found the most comfortable position and didn't want to move anymore. His gaze had a softness like water vapor, a warmth like candlelight, and an indescribable, dazed feeling, as if he were looking at something precious, yet at the same time, he couldn't believe that it was really in front of him.

Arya felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

It wasn't the uncomfortable kind of unease, but rather the awkwardness of being stared at intently and seriously, suddenly not knowing where to put your hands and feet. Her toes curled in the water, stirring up a small patch of surface. Ripples spread out from her feet, hitting the pool wall and bouncing back, intertwining with new ripples, shattering and piecing together the candlelight reflection on the water's surface, piecing it back together and shattering it again.

"Why are you staring at me?" she whispered, her voice muffled by the mist, becoming somewhat indistinct by the time it reached him.

Lin Yu didn't look away. His lips twitched slightly, at just the right angle so that Arya could see him smiling—not the kind of smile where the corners of his mouth turn up, but a smile hidden beneath a calm surface, where the temperature in his eyes rose and the muscles around his eyes relaxed slightly, a smile that would be easily missed if you didn't look closely.

"Because you're good-looking," he said.

……