TNSFC – Chapter 32

Que Yining opened the box as she walked towards the room. She had initially thought the clothes inside would be rather revealing or perhaps a bit risqué, but on the contrary, they looked very ordinary.

It wasn’t a three-point bikini, nor any ingeniously designed special style. It was very simple: a pure white bandeau top and a simple pair of tie-side panties, even less impressive than what Que Yining had prepared herself.

But Que Yining felt it couldn’t be this simple. Knowing Qiao Yuchu’s personality, if she were planning to go to a hot spring with her girlfriend, she would never bring something so plain, much less go to the trouble of sending it via same-city express delivery.

【Que Yining】: I received the clothes. They look very simple. Is there anything special about them?

【Qiao Yuchu】: You can explore it yourself. It’s definitely good stuff. I heard about it and had it custom-made; it wasn’t cheap.

【Qiao Yuchu】: Don’t be put off by its simple appearance. Once you use it, you’ll come back and give me a good review!

【Que Yining】: Aren’t you going to give me a hint?

【Qiao Yuchu】: If I tell you, there’ll be no surprise. If things go unexpectedly, you can just blame it on me.

The more Qiao Yuchu said this, the more curious Que Yining became. However, even after examining the clothes in her hands back and forth several times, she couldn’t discern anything unusual. In the end, she decided to take them with her.

Que Yining had originally planned to go to Gu Shanxue’s house so they could leave together, but Gu Shanxue offered to pick her up. So, Que Yining readily gave her address and waited for Gu Shanxue.

As for the hot spring hotel, although Qiao Yuchu wasn’t going, she had already made all the arrangements for Que Yining, who just needed to give her name upon arrival.

In the evening, Gu Shanxue’s car pulled up downstairs from Que Yining’s home.

Light snow was falling, and Que Yining didn’t have an umbrella.

When she got in, her face was fair, her eyelashes still dusted with unmelted snowflakes. She exhaled a puff of white mist, her eyes curving into a smile as she looked at Gu Shanxue.

“I’ll set up the GPS for you. It’s a bit far, you know.”

Gu Shanxue acknowledged, her gaze fixed on Que Yining’s eyes.

The car heater was on. Soon after Que Yining got in, the snowflakes melted into tiny water droplets that clung to her eyelashes, resembling fine diamonds.

Gu Shanxue felt an urge to reach out and wipe them away, but she suppressed the impulse. She shifted her gaze back to the road ahead and started the car.

Winter days grew dark early. The sky was dim, and with the car’s interior lights on, Que Yining used the illumination to look at Gu Shanxue.

Gu Shanxue was wearing an off-white coat today. Her profile was fair, her eyes and brows serene, exuding an air of ethereal detachment.

Que Yining watched her like this, gradually becoming mesmerized.

This face wasn’t the most stunningly beautiful she had ever seen. It was undoubtedly charming, but not the kind to topple nations. Yet, Que Yining found herself unable to look away.

It was as if every feature perfectly suited her taste—a fraction more would be too much, a fraction less too little. Paired with that cool temperament, it tugged at Que Yining’s heartstrings.

Gu Shanxue had noticed when Que Yining’s gaze first fell upon her. She had assumed Que Yining would look away after a moment, but even after they had driven the length of a street, Que Yining’s eyes were still fixed on her.

Gu Shanxue didn’t turn to meet her gaze, keeping her eyes on the road ahead, though her earlobes grew warm.

She lowered the car’s temperature slightly, even feeling the urge to open a window for some fresh air to dispel the strange atmosphere.

After the red light, Gu Shanxue turned the steering wheel to the left and couldn’t help but say, “Miss Que.”

Que Yining: “Hmm?”

Gu Shanxue: “Isn’t your neck sore?”

“If it’s to look at Miss Gu, a sore neck is worth it.”

Que Yining subconsciously rubbed the side of her neck. Realizing she’d been caught, she showed no shyness; her gaze was bold, and her smile was radiant.

Despite her words, Que Yining retracted her gaze and leaned back in her seat, looking quite relaxed.

Gu Shanxue considered herself to have developed some immunity to her sweet talk and replied politely, “Miss Que is very good at complimenting people.”

“I’m not usually like this,” Que Yining said, propping her chin on her hand and looking at her, a hint of bewilderment on her face. “But when I see Miss Gu, I feel especially happy. I think Miss Gu is exceptionally beautiful, has a wonderful personality, and is someone who naturally draws people in and makes them admire her.”

Gu Shanxue thought, Her immunity might not be strong enough.

It was another red light. Gu Shanxue stepped on the brake and came to a stop.

The corners of her lips lifted slightly as she looked at Que Yining. “Thank you.”

Polite, yet distant.

Actually, Gu Shanxue hadn’t wanted to respond that way. She didn’t think her personality was particularly good, nor did she want Que Yining to idealize her excessively, placing her on too high a pedestal.

If one day she were to do something not so commendable, her image in Que Yining’s mind might quickly plummet. After all, she had returned to the country this time with a purpose, and the things she intended to do would inevitably involve controversy and contention.

So Gu Shanxue spoke again, “But many things are not always as they appear on the surface, are they?”

Que Yining raised an eyebrow. “Of course. Many things are not always as they appear.”

There was a profound, hidden meaning in Que Yining’s agreement. The scenery outside the window flickered across her face again, the passing light merging into her limpid eyes, imbuing them with a peculiar hue.

The car suddenly fell silent; neither of them spoke again.

Que Yining looked at her phone, attending to her own matters during lulls on the way to their destination.

Gu Shanxue drove, lost in thought, pondering the underlying meaning of Que Yining’s recent words.

She was keenly aware that she didn’t truly understand the woman beside her, even though they were now friends, and even though Que Yining had been the one to approach her first.

Que Yining was complex. Gu Shanxue felt that none of the facets she had witnessed were a pretense, yet her understanding of Que Yining was still far from complete; she had only seen the tip of the iceberg.

For a moment, Gu Shanxue felt a flicker of desire to delve deeper, but she quickly suppressed it.

She’s a whirlpool, Gu Shanxue reminded herself inwardly.

If they were just to be friends, this was enough. There was no need to impolitely pry into her past, no need to be preoccupied with her current thoughts, no need to be perplexed by her future actions. A comfortable social distance, not too far and not too close, would allow them both to remain safely within their comfort zones.

Gu Shanxue composed her thoughts and put on a rather relaxed and casual smile.

The drive from Que Yining’s home to the hot spring hotel was supposed to take half an hour, but since it wasn’t peak traffic, the roads were clear. With no congestion, Gu Shanxue arrived in just over twenty minutes.

Since Qiao Yuchu had made arrangements beforehand, Que Yining gave her name, and someone immediately led them to their room.

“This is the largest couple’s suite in our hotel that you booked. You’ve also reserved dinner and breakfast service. When would you like dinner to be served? Our hotel offers a special service where you can dine in the hot spring.”

The attendant stood at the doorway with a smile, speaking to Que Yining and Gu Shanxue.

Que Yining was somewhat surprised by the room, yet also somewhat unsurprised. My teammate really knows what she’s doing, she thought. Smiling at the attendant, she said, “In the hot spring will be fine, thank you.”

After the attendant left, Que Yining turned to Gu Shanxue with an innocent expression. “My friend might have misunderstood and booked a couple’s room. If Miss Gu minds, I can book another one.”

Gu Shanxue: “It’s fine.”

Gu Shanxue didn’t read anything into it, thinking of it merely as sharing a room with a friend. Que Yining had even stayed at her house before, so there was nothing to be particularly reserved about.

Seeing Gu Shanxue’s completely unfazed reaction, Que Yining felt a twinge of disappointment. However, she quickly cheered herself up. After all, Gu Shanxue was originally written as straight; it wasn’t realistic for her to ‘bend’ so quickly.

Que Yining and Gu Shanxue went into the bathroom one after the other, and then, wearing bathrobes, proceeded to the chosen hot spring pool.

The hot spring pool area was spacious, with a Japanese-style decor.

Gu Shanxue raised her hand and untied her bathrobe. It slid down her curves, gliding past her straight, slender calves.

She appeared tall and slender, but not overly thin; her figure was well-proportioned. Her skin had a cool tone, like a snow beauty.

The fabric covered the essential areas and looked exceptionally simple. Black might appear seductive on others, but on Gu Shanxue, it suddenly exuded an air of noble elegance.

She unhurriedly stepped into the water, her body sinking beneath the surface.

The steam rising from the hot spring was hazy, seeming to veil Gu Shanxue’s eyes in a layer of mist as well.

Gazing at each other from afar, it was as if the wind and snow carried a whisper of spring’s passion.

Que Yining suddenly felt her heart flutter, momentarily dazed.

She pressed a hand to her chest and also removed her robe.

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TN: Moving forward, chapters will be released daily. Plus, there’s one more update coming. I hope you have a pleasant reading experience.

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