Chapter 22 #2
“Sure—wait, what?” Zhang Yuwen looked at Chang Jinxing, but Zheng Weize had already taken the key away.
“Then I’ll bunk with Jinxing,” Chen Hong said.
Zhang Yuwen was dying to know what had happened between them.
The rooms the resort arranged for their group were all next to each other, and there seemed to be no differences among them, so the room assignments ended up being Zhang Yuwen with Huo Sichen, Yan Jun with Zheng Weize, and Chen Hong with Chang Jinxing.
“Gentlemen, please come with me,” the receptionist said, holding their bathrobes. “The hot spring for men will be downstairs during the night and on the mountain on the fourth floor in the day. Your accommodation is called Crane Hall; it’s in a separate building. Follow the path…”
“Wow!” Everyone was suitably amazed.
Crane Hall had four bedrooms that faced each other in pairs, plus a common area in the center for drinking tea. Hot tea had already been prepared by the staff. The rooms were furnished with Japanese tatami mats. When it came time for bed, someone would come to set out the bedding for them.
“The dining area is across the path to the south,” the receptionist said. “Here, please choose your robes.”
“So comfy!” Zheng Weize entered his room and opened the tatami screen to reveal a terrace with floor-to-ceiling windows. Beyond that was a beautiful, wintry landscape dotted with mountain village houses in the far distance.
The fourth room was unoccupied; they had effectively booked the entire little building for themselves. Zhang Yuwen checked on everyone before returning to his room. By then, it was half past three.
The heating was turned up high. Huo Sichen had taken off his coat and was sitting at the low table in his black sweater, drinking matcha and admiring the scenery outside.
Zhang Yuwen smiled. “This is so much better than the last time.” His memory of their stay at Elephant Gorge was still fresh in his mind.
“Your publisher is really generous,” said Huo Sichen. The resort had taken him by surprise.
“Maybe? Or maybe they just upgraded our rooms because it isn’t fully booked today.”
Everyone had their doors open, perhaps not seeing the need to close them. Honestly, Zhang Yuwen would’ve started to feel awkward if the doors were closed. His relationship with Huo Sichen was no longer just friendship, but they weren’t lovers yet, and somehow, anything they did felt inappropriate.
“What did you bring?” Huo Sichen asked.
“You want to rummage through my bag again?” Zhang Yuwen laughed.
“Just curious.”
Zhang Yuwen had brought along a book on creative writing to read when he was bored. As he unpacked his belongings and put them away neatly, Huo Sichen flipped through the book with apparent interest.
“Don’t force yourself,” Zhang Yuwen said, guessing that Huo Sichen had zero actual interest in it. The book was commonly used by screenwriters, and it could be abstruse even for novelists. Huo Sichen stopped pretending.
Meanwhile, in the rooms across from them, the others had already changed into their bathrobes.
“Yuwen!” Zheng Weize called out. “Are you guys going to the hot spring?”
“Later! You all go ahead.” Zhang Yuwen may have been the one who chose the hot spring, but he was still a little uncomfortable at the thought of being completely naked with his roommates.
Chen Hong came out of the room opposite theirs and pulled Zheng Weize back. “Come on, don’t bother them…”
Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen exchanged a glance. The awkwardness between them intensified.
“Let’s change into our bathrobes.” Zhang Yuwen took a bathrobe, sat at the table, and removed his shirt. “Aren’t you changing?”
Huo Sichen put the book down and hesitated for a moment.
“I’ll see it all later anyway,” said Zhang Yuwen, “so what are you shy for? Strip!”
Huo Sichen was unexpectedly hesitant. Zhang Yuwen came over and made to strip him himself. “Okay, okay,” Huo Sichen said hastily.
He got up to close the door, but Zhang Yuwen said, “They’re gonna see you later anyway. Does it make a difference?”
Huo Sichen was lost for words. Zhang Yuwen started laughing, and Huo Sichen closed the door partially. Trying his best to maintain his composure, he undid his belt.
Zhang Yuwen, now completely undressed, stood in his naked glory. Huo Sichen stopped what he was doing and turned to look at him. With one hand holding his bathrobe, Zhang Yuwen made a “What?” expression, openly allowing Huo Sichen to look.
Remarkably, Huo Sichen blushed! He looked at Zhang Yuwen, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and took a sudden step toward him. Zhang Yuwen knew he wanted to kiss him, but the door was still open, so he made a “no” gesture. Huo Sichen stopped advancing and started stripping.
“Is the purpose of the hot spring to inspect the goods first?” Huo Sichen joked.
Zhang Yuwen was skilled at controlling the situation even at times like this. “It’s to let you inspect the goods. So, are you satisfied?”
Zhang Yuwen was scrutinizing Huo Sichen right back, and he discovered to his surprise that Huo Sichen’s physique was even -better than his own. Slim when clothed, toned when naked, and he even had well-defined pecs!
Oh no! A certain part of Zhang Yuwen began to stir. He’d thought he’d be able to keep his cool today after he relieved himself the night before.
That was when he discovered why Huo Sichen had acted so bashful, and why he kept avoiding him when he was changing into his robe:
Huo Sichen was hard.
His cock looked even bigger than Zhang Yuwen’s at its peak. That made sense; he was taller than Zhang Yuwen and had broader shoulders and longer fingers.
Zhang Yuwen’s eyes curved in a smile. “You…”
Huo Sichen tried to make his disobedient little friend calm down, but it only became harder. “It’s been a long time since I’ve… You know,” he explained, wrapping himself in the bathrobe.
“So you were lying about dreaming of me last night?” said Zhang Yuwen, skeptical.
Huo Sichen’s face turned even redder. He changed the subject. “We going to soak in the hot spring now?”
“I’ll ask the guys?” Zhang Yuwen said. “Do you want to show it to everyone?”
Huo Sichen was lost for words, his face beet red. He waved his hand to tell Zhang Yuwen not to say any more. Sitting with his back to Zhang Yuwen, he did his best to calm himself. Zhang Yuwen found this adorable. He wouldn’t have minded topping him.
A sexual stirring rose within him, Huo Sichen its target. Zhang Yuwen pictured, thrillingly, having this tall, long-legged, elite man panting under him.
Across from them, Zhang Yuwen saw Chang Jinxing changing clothes. Yan Jun was on a phone call in the common area. Zhang Yuwen sat down beside Huo Sichen. “Let’s wait a while.”
Huo Sichen was back to his usual self. “I found a chess set. Shall we play? Do you know how?”
The room had Monopoly and a chessboard. “Will you get angry if you lose?” Zhang Yuwen asked as he set the chessboard up.
“Nope. I’ll go easy on you and let you take back moves.”
“Oh, really? We’ll see about that. I never take back a move.”
“That’s a good habit to have. Life is like a game of chess. No going back, no regrets.”
Zhang Yuwen’s grandfather liked playing chess, so Zhang Yuwen had been exposed to the game since he was a child. He was an adroit player.
But it took Huo Sichen only five minutes to trounce Zhang Yuwen, disgracing him utterly.
“I quit! Are you a professional or what?”
“A grade 5 chess player,” Huo Sichen said. “Another game? I’ll let you take back moves.”
“Nah. Let’s go soak in the hot spring.”
Zheng Weize was on his way back, sipping iced cola, his face flushed from soaking in the hot water.
Zhang Yuwen arrived at the hot spring. Through the steam, the first thing he saw was Chen Hong’s naked, chiseled body. He was talking with Yan Jun, but when Zhang Yuwen entered, they both went quiet.
“Hm?” After a moment’s silence, Zhang Yuwen got into the water and squawked, “Whoa! Hot!”
Everyone burst out laughing. As he adjusted to the temperature, Zhang Yuwen exhaled sharply and shot Chen Hong and Yan Jun a surprised look.
“Where’s Xiao-Qi?” Zhang Yuwen asked.
“Weize is keeping her company,” Yan Jun replied. “Babies can’t soak in hot springs.”
“Where’s Sichen?” Chen Hong returned.
“He’s buying drinks at the vending machine.”
Chen Hong smirked playfully. “Have you checked out the goods?”
Zhang Yuwen knew what he was asking. “Not as big as yours,”—Chen Hong wasn’t even covering himself with a towel as he sat on the hot stones—“but not small either.”
“Is it as big as mine?” Yan Jun asked, standing up from the water.
“Enough!” Zhang Yuwen laughed so he wouldn’t cry. Yan Jun cracked up too, and Zhang Yuwen wondered, What in the world is going on in those heads of yours?!
But Yan Jun’s was sizeable too, perhaps because he was tall and thin.
From the looks of it, Chen Hong ranked first in size—S-tier, compared to the straight guys Zhang Yuwen had seen in porn.
Yan Jun and Huo Sichen tied for second place with an A+, and Zhang Yuwen fell just below them with an A. As for Chang Jinxing…
Chen Hong seemed to read Zhang Yuwen’s mind. “I’ve seen Jinxing’s. More or less the same as yours, Yuwen.”
Zhang Yuwen and Yan Jun both looked at Chen Hong. “Oh?”
Chen Hong chuckled but didn’t elaborate. Zhang Yuwen was about to probe, but Chen Hong turned the tables on him. “So, Yuwen, between you and Sichen, who’s the top?”
“We haven’t done it,” Zhang Yuwen said. “You don’t need to worry about that kind of thing.”
Huo Sichen finally appeared, and his naked form brought the conversation to an abrupt end. The high temperature of the hot spring caused everyone’s blood to pump faster, and Huo Sichen had finally gone soft.
He handed iced drinks to Chen Hong and Yan Jun. “Whoa! Hot!” Huo Sichen howled as he entered the water, prompting another round of laughter. “I’m surprised there’s still water in this hot spring, since it’s been around for over twenty years.”
“You’ve been here before?” Zhang Yuwen asked, surprised.