Games in the Hot Spring Pool

In a luxurious suite, only a milky white lamp was lit.

Luo Xiyun sat by the window, holding a book and reading with rapt attention.

The window was cracked open, and the night wind blew in with a faint whistling sound, occasionally lifting the curtains and bringing waves of chill into the room.

She seemed completely unaware of it. From time to time, she would pause to think intently before continuing to read.

Ding...

The alarm on the phone resting on the coffee table suddenly rang. She looked away from her book and checked the time on the display. Her gaze flickered slightly, and a trace of unease surfaced between her brows.

"Yu Meng was right. This has to be settled sooner or later."

After a while, she murmured to herself, turned off the alarm, closed the book, and placed it on the bedside table.

The title on the cover read The Psychology of Dreams.

She pushed open the door and headed toward the elevators. As she neared the corner, she heard a familiar voice—her secretary's.

Then she heard a name and immediately stopped in her tracks.

"...I went to see Chen Xu just now. Guess who I saw in his room?" It was her secretary's voice.

"Who?" the other person asked curiously. Luo Xiyun recognized the voice as someone from the finance department.

"Dai Zixin."

"Huh? Really?"

"Why would I lie? I saw her come out of Chen Xu's room with my own eyes."

"So the two of them really are having an affair."

"Why put it so nastily? They're both single. There's nothing wrong with them dating openly."

"Come to think of it, Dai Zixin is quite pretty. I heard plenty of people in the company are after her. Why did she end up falling for Chen Xu?"

"Who knows..."

With a ding, the elevator arrived, bringing their conversation to an end.

Only then did Luo Xiyun step out.

"President Luo."

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Secretary Guo spotted Luo Xiyun and hurriedly held them open.

"President Luo," the other woman greeted as well.

Luo Xiyun gave a slight nod and stepped into the elevator. The two women behind her nervously edged back.

Secretary Guo barely dared to breathe. She had been with Luo Xiyun for nearly half a year and understood her temperament very well.

At work, she was exceptionally strict. Not even the smallest mistake was tolerated. Whenever she reprimanded someone, she never spared their dignity. If she happened to be in a bad mood, the consequences would only be worse.

That was precisely why Secretary Guo had developed a knack for reading people. She could judge Luo Xiyun's mood through the smallest facial expressions.

Just now, she had sensed that Luo Xiyun was in an extremely bad mood. She could not help sighing inwardly, wondering who had offended this formidable woman.

Fortunately, Luo Xiyun was not someone who took her anger out on others for no reason. As long as there was no mistake at work, there would be no problem.

So at times like this, she had to be careful—then even more careful. She absolutely could not make a mistake.

The woman beside her was perceptive as well. Sensing the oppressive atmosphere in the elevator, she grew tense too.

Ding. The elevator reached the first floor. When the doors opened, both women let out a sigh of relief.

All the other colleagues had arrived. Only they had been missing.

Once everyone had gathered, hotel staff led them to the hot springs behind the hotel.

The hotel was built halfway up a mountain, and its main attraction was the hot springs. Behind it lay an open-air hot spring bathing area.

It was Chen Xu's first time soaking in a hot spring. After changing into swim trunks in the locker room, he draped a white bathrobe over himself and stepped outside. The cold wind made his whole body shudder.

Perhaps because they were on the mountain, the outdoor temperature here was fairly low, below ten degrees Celsius.

The entire bathing area was shrouded in orange-yellow light, with walls on all sides sealing off the outside world.

At the center were the hot spring pools, shaped like a figure eight—one side large, the other small, with no partition between them. The water flowed freely between both pools.

Chen Xu had no time to look around. He followed his colleagues, took off his bathrobe, and stepped into the hot spring.

When he first entered the water, it felt a little too hot. After soaking for a while, his skin gradually adapted to the temperature, and he felt exceptionally comfortable.

More than a dozen young men, bare-chested, leaned around the edge of the pool and chatted together.

Nearly ten minutes later, the seven women finally arrived. Unlike the men, they did not take off their bathrobes before entering the pool. They were still somewhat reserved.

They went to the smaller pool. The men and women tacitly occupied one pool each.

Chen Xu lounged lazily against the edge of the pool, tilting his head back to look at the pitch-black sky through the blanket of white steam.

The temperature was especially cold tonight. In this environment, he could not help recalling the last month of the dream, those days he had spent with Luo Xiyun in that freezing world.

Her body had been especially warm. Even beneath two down comforters, it had felt just like this—warm and comforting.

If the dream world could keep running, she should be able to live well on her own, right? She was so strong-willed. She told me she would do it, so she definitely would. She would try her best to survive.

Once the snow melted, she could drive around in the car and travel everywhere...

He imagined Luo Xiyun driving a large truck beneath brilliant sunlight, and a faintly bittersweet feeling welled up in his heart.

At this moment, the real Luo Xiyun was not far away. He only had to turn his head to see her.

Yet he did not glance in her direction, because he knew that the Luo Xiyun in the hot spring was not the one from his dream.

Luo Xiyun soaked in the hot spring, the scalding water inexplicably making her feel restless. Seeing everyone chatting among themselves, completely contrary to the purpose of organizing this event, she glanced at the secretary beside her.

Secretary Guo groaned inwardly. Ever since entering the hot spring, she had been trying to signal Chen Xu with her eyes. But he had been floating there with his eyes closed, not even looking their way. She had no idea whether he was playing dead.

She made a mental note of this grievance. Then, forcing herself to speak, she said, "Just soaking in the hot spring is pretty boring. How about we all play a game?"

"What game?" someone nearby cooperatively asked.

Secretary Guo said, "Truth."

"Sure." Everyone agreed at once.

Secretary Guo was Luo Xiyun's personal secretary, and many work matters were conveyed through her. She held considerable status within the department, so no one would refuse to give her face.

Secretary Guo went ashore. Before long, she returned with a bag and took out something resembling a spinner, with everyone's names written on it.

She said, "Whoever it lands on has to answer a question, and they must answer honestly. The next person selected will be asked a question by the previous person."

"Fine." Seeing how thoroughly she had prepared, no one had any objections.

The women all moved over to the large pool, and nearly twenty people formed a circle.

Chen Xu finally remembered what Secretary Guo had told him to do. He had forgotten all about it earlier and had not taken it too seriously. Looking at the spinner, he noticed that Luo Xiyun's name was not on it, which did not surprise him.

"Let's begin."

Secretary Guo flicked the arrow in the middle of the spinner. After it turned several times, it finally pointed to Chen Xu's name.

Chen Xu silently cursed his bad luck. He could only brace himself and say, "So who's asking?"

Secretary Guo said, "President Luo, would you like to ask?"

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