I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

The hot spring inn on the outskirts of Tokyo was hidden in the night. The steam from the hot spring bath, carrying the smell of sulfur, filled the air, creating a hazy, white mist that blurred the paper lanterns under the eaves into indistinct orange blotches. The hot water in the pool was still bubbling and gurgling.

Li Jing'an lay on the row of rattan lounge chairs under the eaves, his bathrobe loosely wrapped around him, the collar mostly open, revealing a patch of chest reddened by the steam. His eyes were closed, and a hint of weariness lingered between his brows—he had just been swimming and playing in the water, and the resistance was indeed great, leaving him severely exhausted.

A warm, soft hand landed on his shoulder. Slender and supple, the fingertips calloused, gently massaging the Jianjing acupoint. Li Jing'an didn't open his eyes, letting her attend to him, only letting out a faint groan.

The masseuse behind Li Jing'an had a slightly flushed face, as if she had been steamed by the hot spring water, and her whole person exuded a languid air of someone recovering from a serious illness. Two strands of wet hair hung down from her bun, sticking to her ears, which made her face have an indescribable, sickly beauty.

On the two chairs next to them, Nagata and the translator each occupied one, both wearing bathrobes. Nagata would occasionally exchange a few words with Li Jing'an through the translator, who would then turn to the side and relay Nagata's compliments flawlessly. Li Jing'an responded half-heartedly, his voice languid.

The hand that had been kneading his shoulder for a while suddenly slid down, its fingertips slipping inside the collar of his bathrobe and rubbing against his collarbone a couple of times, with a hint of probing. Li Jing'an slightly opened his eyelids and a smirk played on his lips.

—This Japanese woman is just like those Japanese devils. They won't submit unless you beat them. When she first came in, she was all high and mighty, unwilling to cooperate, but after Li Jing'an gave her a good beating and a beating, isn't she completely obedient now? Not only does she serve him with her hands, but she also keeps nudging the back of his head with one little trick after another. She's so shameless!

Li Jing'an suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head to look at the translator next to him, and his eyes were full of genuine admiration.

"Translator, you worked so hard just now. The translation was exceptionally good—even the tone and breathing were spot on. You're truly a talent."

The translator, who had been reclining in his chair to catch his breath, quickly sat up and bowed as he replied, "Thank you for your kind words, Minister. It is my honor to serve you."

Li Jing'an reached out and pressed down, "No need to be so polite." He paused, his smile widening, "I saw you watching for so long—you and Changtian, your eyes were never idle. Are you getting a little hot-tempered? You don't need to keep me company, or... find a couple to cool off? And review the moves I taught you while you're at it."

The translator blushed slightly and quickly waved his hand, "No, no, thank you for your guidance. Minister Nagata and I would never dare to be presumptuous in front of you—that would be like showing off one's skills in front of Guan Yu."

Li Jing'an was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "That's a great use of the idiom! Your translation really hit the nail on the head."

Nagata, who didn't understand Chinese, saw Li Jing'an laughing heartily and quickly sat up, leaning closer to the translator to ask a few questions in a low voice. The translator explained in broken Japanese, and after listening, Nagata raised an eyebrow, turned to Li Jing'an, gave him a thumbs-up, and exclaimed, "Sugee! God's Thele!"

Although Li Jing'an couldn't understand it, he understood the tone and gestures perfectly, and was amused again.

The masseuse behind her paused—she had heard it all, those words, those laughs, all related to her. Especially during the conversation just now, the translator had been sitting very close.

She understood that the customer's request was what the translator had conveyed. Her face flushed slightly, but her hand only paused for half a second before pressing down as if nothing had happened.

Li Jing'an sensed the hesitation in her fingertips, suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his arms. Caught off guard, the female masseuse was dragged onto the recliner and fell into his embrace. Her bathrobe slipped down her shoulder, revealing her rounded shoulder line. She hurriedly tried to pull it back up, but Li Jing'an held her hand down.

"You and Nagata, don't be shy," Li Jing'an said to the translator, one arm around the masseuse's waist and the other inside her bathrobe. "She's got the knack for it. Let her teach you step by step; she'll make sure you learn."

The female masseuse frowned slightly, pursed her lips, suppressed a groan, and her face flushed red and then turned pale.

The translator remained calm, flashing a knowing smile that any man could understand, and politely bowed slightly: "Thank you for your concern, Minister. Minister Nagata and I are just here to keep you company. As for ourselves... we'll take care of things when we get back." He then turned to Nagata and whispered the translation over and over again.

After hearing this, Changtian chuckled and winked at Li Jing'an.

Li Jing'an stroked the masseur's hand and clicked his tongue twice at the translator: "You guys are really out of luck. You saw it yourself—that expression, those movements, tsk tsk tsk."

He glanced down at the person in his arms, then looked up and winked at the translator, "Really not needed? They're still warm."

The translator shook his head with a smile. The three men exchanged knowing glances, their lewd laughter mingling with the steam in the air, causing the wind chimes on the eaves to sway slightly.

Just as the laughter subsided, a woman in a simple kimono walked in through the moon gate with light steps, knelt down next to the Nagata chair, and mumbled something in a low voice.

Nagata's brows furrowed suddenly, and he waved his hand impatiently, replying with a few words.

The masseuse in Li Jing'an's arms was also taken aback; it was related to her.

Li Jing'an immediately sensed something was amiss, pinched the masseur's waist, and turned to ask the translator, "What's going on?"

The translator leaned closer and whispered, "Minister, it's the masseuse's husband who came. He said it's already dark and she hasn't gone home yet. She usually calls when she works overtime, but he hasn't heard from her today, so he was worried and came to her door."

Nagata, standing to the side, was already angrily waving his hand, signaling the security guards outside to chase the people away.

Li Jing'an raised his hand and said, "Wait."

He sat up straighter, pulling the frozen masseur tighter in his arms, his tone unhurried: "Nagata, don't be so heartless. After all, we're the ones taking up his wife's time—be polite. At least let the couple meet." He paused, then added seriously, "Tell him to come in. A meeting between husband and wife will prevent any misunderstandings and avoid affecting their family relationship. That's not good."

The translator was taken aback, clearly not expecting Li Jing'an to say that. He relayed the message to Nagata, who was also surprised, then chuckled and waved to the waiter, signaling to let the person in.

The masseuse in Li Jing'an's arms suddenly became agitated, twisting her body to try to break free, muttering a string of rapid Japanese words with an anxious expression.

The translator quickly explained, "She said she wanted to go outside and talk to her husband; she didn't want to see him here."

Li Jing'an tightened his grip, holding her tightly, and laughed, "Let's meet here. How lively!"