Showers and Cheating

Before the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon, the surging tide gradually subsided, leaving behind a trail of shimmering blue specks on the beach. The sea once again resumed its gentle lullaby.

Inside the Wave Room, the scorching heat, like a sudden storm, finally subsided.

On the large, soft tatami mat, Aemeath nestled in Lu Yan's arms like a lazy Persian cat, her entire body pressed against him without any gaps.

Her long pink hair was scattered on the pillow, and fine beads of fragrant sweat clung to her smooth forehead and the tip of her nose.

Lu Yan's broad, kind hands gently soothed Aemeath's smooth, delicate back.

He could clearly feel that the soft, warm body in his arms was radiating an unprecedented vitality and energy.

Lu Yan himself felt refreshed and invigorated, with an indescribable sense of immense satisfaction flowing through his body. It was the joy of a man comforting his beloved.

"Are you still angry, wife?" Lu Yan lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, his voice tinged with the languor of satisfaction.

Aemeath raised her head slightly, licked her lips, and her golden eyes remained bright even in the dim light.

She showed no signs of fatigue, only a radiant glow from being completely filled with love.

She stretched out a slender finger and drew circles on Lu Yan's firm chest, a satisfied smile on her face:

"You've passed. However... this is just interest; I still need to collect the principal gradually."

Lu Yan chuckled softly, the vibration of his chest making Aemeath feel incredibly at ease.

He tightened his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace.

"Okay, I'll pay it back slowly."

The room was filled with an indescribable, decadent atmosphere in the early morning.

In the spacious bathroom, the showerhead sprayed warm water, making a "whoosh" sound.

Amidst the rising white steam, Lu Yan patiently helped Aemeath, who was so sleepy she couldn't even open her eyes, rinse her long hair.

Warm water meandered down her smooth, fair back, washing away the stickiness and sweat left on her skin after last night's frenzy.

Lu Yan saw the several hickeys Aemeath had given him on his neck and collarbone last night in the mirror and couldn't help but laugh.

"Ugh~ sleepy~" Aemeath leaned against Lu Yan's strong chest like a boneless cat, letting him gently rub her scalp with his fingertips, while making a weak protest.

"Who told you to keep yelling about collecting interest last night and refuse to sleep?" Lu Yan chuckled, his deep voice carrying a unique sense of satisfaction.

He grabbed a large bath towel and wrapped it tightly around her delicate and alluring body, then carried her back to the tatami mat outside, where the sheets had been changed.

Just as the two were about to order room service for breakfast, the once clear sky darkened.

Immediately afterwards, raindrops began to fall without warning, pounding against the French windows.

A typical summer downpour came on strong, with large raindrops forming a curtain that completely shrouded the azure sea and beach outside the window in a hazy mist.

"Oh dear, it's raining." Aemeath leaned against the glass, looking at the gray sky outside. She had originally planned to go scuba diving today, but now she pouted in annoyance.

Lu Yan said with a smile, "That's how it is at the beach in summer; the weather changes like a child's face."

He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and rested his chin naturally on her shoulder. "Even though we can't go to the beach, isn't listening to the rain indoors quite peaceful?"

Compared to yesterday's frolicking on the beach under the scorching sun, the torrential rain outside the window and the quiet and peaceful atmosphere inside made the two of them even closer.

After breakfast, not wanting to waste this precious time, the two changed into the yukatas provided by the resort and decided to kill some time in the indoor recreation room of the main building.

Aemeath chose a pure cotton yukata with a pink cherry blossom pattern, tied around her waist with a wide, dark red belt that accentuated her slender waist.

The loose neckline of the yukata perfectly revealed her slender swan neck, and a few wisps of hair clung to her cheeks, exuding a natural and charming allure.

The two, wearing wooden clogs, walked through a long, sheltered corridor and arrived at a fully equipped recreation room.

They first went to play pool for a while. However, this was clearly a mistake.

Whenever Aemeath bent down to hit the ball, Lu Yan's gaze would always fall, intentionally or unintentionally, on the slightly open neckline of her yukata, which was part of her movement.

When Lu Yan came up behind her and took her hand to seriously teach her how to aim, his warm breath on her ear always made Aemeath blush and even make her lose her grip on the cue stick.

"I'm not playing this anymore! You're clearly trying to distract me!" After missing three shots in a row, Aemeath angrily threw down her cue in protest.

Lu Yan smiled and raised his hands, "I'm teaching you very seriously."

"Hmph, I don't believe it."

Aemeath's gaze fell on the ping-pong table area not far away. "Let's go play ping-pong! It's farther away, so don't try to distract me with your charm again!"

Looking at her spirited demeanor, Lu Yan chuckled and said, "Alright, whatever you say."

The two walked to an empty ping-pong table and each picked up a racket.

To make it easier to move around, Aemeath neatly rolled up the wide sleeves of her yukata and tied them in a knot at the shoulders, revealing her two fair and slender arms.

She slightly bent her knees, gripped the racket with both hands, and her eyes instantly sharpened.

"Let's agree on this first: we'll fight at the level of ordinary people!" Aemeath set the rules.

"Yes, my dear wife." Lu Yan smiled and twirled the small orange ball in his hand before deftly sending a peace ball over.

At first, the two were evenly matched, with crisp, rhythmic clattering sounds echoing across the table.

Aemeath has excellent athletic ability and a light, agile body. She leaps left and right in front of the table, her long pink hair drawing beautiful arcs in the air with each movement.

After a few rounds of warm-up, the desire to win began to quietly awaken.

The speed of the shot increased, and the angle became more and more tricky.

Even though Lu Yan tried his best to suppress his physical instincts, his instinctive reactions still gave him a slight advantage in the sport.

"Smack!"

Lu Yan executed a seemingly casual backhand slice, the ping-pong ball carrying a strong backspin, grazing the net and gently landing on Aemeath's table. It then rolled off the table almost without bouncing.

"11 to 9, I won this game again." Lu Yan put down his racket, looked at the panting Aemeath opposite him, and smiled broadly.

Aemeath glanced at the scoreboard, disgruntled. She had already lost two rounds in a row.

"No way! This kind of mindless fighting is too boring!" A sly glint suddenly flashed in Aemeath's eyes.

She braced her hands on the ping-pong table, leaning slightly forward, the neckline of her yukata revealing a patch of snow-white skin as she moved, a wicked smile playing on her lips.

"A-Yan, since it's a competition, how can it be without bets?"

Lu Yan sensed the danger, but he never refused any of Aemeath's suggestions; he simply raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What kind of bet do you want?"

"It's very simple."

Aemeath tapped the table lightly with one finger. "This round will decide the winner. Whoever loses must unconditionally grant the winner one request when they return to their room tonight."

"And no matter what the request is, you are not allowed to refuse!"

Whatever the requirement may be, its implications are self-evident.

Lu Yan's eyes deepened, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Countless demands had already flashed through his mind, enough to make this little vixen beg for mercy.

Are you sure?

Lu Yan's voice deepened slowly, carrying a hint of menace, "Aemeath, don't blame me for not warning you, if I win, my demands might be extremely... excessive."

"Hmph, the outcome is still uncertain!" Aemeath raised her chin, her eyes filled with unwavering determination. "Let's begin!"

The third game has officially begun.

The atmosphere instantly became tense because of the added, exciting stakes.

Lu Yan clearly wasn't going to let go of this opportunity to bully her at will tonight, so he slightly increased his speed and strength.

"Bang!"

The ping-pong ball left an orange afterimage on the table.

Aemeath was struggling, and although she tried her best to receive the ball, the score was still relentlessly widened.

8 to 5.

9 to 7.

10 to 9.

Lu Yan has reached match point. Just one more point and he'll secure the victory and the special privilege he's been eagerly anticipating tonight.

It's Aemeath's turn to serve.

Her eyes were fixed on Lu Yan opposite her, and she gritted her teeth inwardly. "Damn it, I can't win at all if I play normally! Never mind, I'll fight for control tonight!"

Aemeath tossed the ball high into the air, then swung her racket forcefully.

"Bang!"

This was an extremely fast, straight long ball, heading straight for Lu Yan's forehand.

A calm smile appeared on Lu Yan's lips. This kind of shot posed no challenge for him; he had even prepared a counter-attack in advance. He slightly shifted his center of gravity, his arm muscles tensed instantly, ready to end the match with a decisive blow.

Just as the ping-pong ball was about to touch Lu Yan's racket...

A faint, almost imperceptible, strange fluctuation suddenly appeared in the air.

Lu Yan instantly recognized that incredibly familiar Frequency!

The orange ball, which was flying at high speed along a parabola, suddenly seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall of air, and paused for a very strange moment in mid-air.

It defied the law of inertia, making a sharp 90-degree turn in the air, bypassing Lu Yan's racket, and falling onto the table!

Lu Yan remained frozen in place, still in the swinging position.

He glanced at the racket that had missed its mark, then at the ping-pong ball still spinning on the ground, and finally, his gaze fell on Aemeath was looking nervously at the ceiling and pretending to whistle, on the other side of the net.

Seeing Aemeath pretending nothing had happened, Lu Yan was amused and annoyed. "Aemeath, did you just use your Resonance Ability?"

Aemeath jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and retorted loudly and righteously:

"No way! Don't make baseless accusations! You clearly swung your racket and missed, how can you blame it on the ball! You know aerodynamics in physics, right?! 10 to 10, let's continue!"

Lu Yan was amused by her stubborn and shameless attitude.

To win a table tennis match, he even went so far as to use his abilities to manipulate the ball's trajectory.

"Okay, aerodynamics, right? Let's continue." Lu Yan smiled and shook his head.

The rest of the match turned into a magical spectacle that would have made Newton turn in his grave.

Whenever Lu Yan hits a killer shot, the ping-pong ball either suddenly accelerates in mid-air or, after landing, springs straight up to the ceiling. Once, the ball even spun in place the instant it touched the table before slowly rolling over the net.

With Aemeath's almost blatant cheating, the score was reversed all the way.

11 to 10!

With the final ball, Aemeath used her ability to make the ping-pong ball trace a perfect S-shaped trajectory in the air, successfully bypassing Lu Yan's defense.

"12 to 10! I won! Hahaha!"

Aemeath excitedly threw her racket on the table, put her hands on her hips, and laughed loudly, looking extremely arrogant.

"Well A-Yan, you're a man of your word! Tonight's demands are mine!"

Seeing her smug and adorable expression, Lu Yan helplessly put down his racket, walked around the table, and stepped in front of her.

His figure loomed over her, forcing her to lean against the edge of the pool table.

"Using Resonance Power to change the trajectory of a ping-pong ball..."

Lu Yan braced himself on the table beside her, pulling her into his arms. He looked down at her, his tone teasing, "You think you can't Resonance Ability with me, huh?"

"So what! All's fair in love and war!" Aemeath hooked her arms around his neck, feeling no guilt whatsoever, and instead smugly brought her nose close to his. "The rules don't say you can't use Resonance Power! Anyway, I won!"

"Yes, you win." Lu Yan didn't intend to delve into the matter further; he knew that arguing with his wife about rules was the stupidest thing in the world.

He lowered his head and gave that smug little mouth a punishing kiss, his voice becoming ambiguous:

"So, my dear wife, what would you like to ask of me tonight?"

Aemeath's breath hitched slightly from his kiss. Her eyes darted around, her gaze sweeping over Lu Yan, and a wicked thought flashed through her mind.

She leaned close to Lu Yan's ear and whispered a few words in a soft, yet devilish voice, in a volume only the two of them could hear.

Upon hearing her words, Lu Yan's breathing instantly became heavier.

"Aemeath..." Lu Yan gritted his teeth, his voice carrying a dangerous undertone, "Are you sure you want to play this game?"

"What, are you scared? A bet's a bet, right, A-Yan?" Aemeath winked at him provocatively.

The summer rain outside the window continued to fall gently, washing over the entire world.

And an even more absurd farce, belonging to the two of them, is about to begin.