“What? Is he your boyfriend?” the man’s voice seemed to hold several thin needles. “Or a blind date your third aunt set you up with?”

“…?” How did he even remember that?

“Neither…” the little capybara’s voice was weak.

“Then what are you afraid of?”

Right, what was he afraid of?

Pei Qi was speechless. He didn’t know what he was afraid of. It was just his husband picking him up after work. It wasn’t like a secret lover was picking him up… He couldn’t explain his fear, so he decided to explain something else first.

“I’m not going on any more blind dates. That call from my third aunt last time… was a misunderstanding.”

His third aunt had indeed sent him contact information for several other men, but the little capybara had resolutely refused them all. He still didn’t know how to tell his aunt about his marriage, but he couldn’t go on blind dates anymore.

“Oh, it’s fine if you went.” The man’s tone was indifferent.

That’s incredibly magnanimous.

A big question mark popped up above the little capybara’s head: “Huh?”

“You can’t commit bigamy,” the man said softly, stepping on the brake, starting the engine, and gripping the steering wheel. He had the composure of a legitimate spouse.

Pei Qi thought… he was right. No wonder the man had been so calm before.

But his thoughts drifted to a mischievous idea. Though he wouldn’t do it, he still wondered… would the appendicitis doctor be indifferent if he held hands and embraced someone else in the future, as long as the marriage certificate was still valid? If he were that kind of person, wouldn’t it be amazing?

“I heard from a colleague that a new hot spring resort opened nearby. Are you interested?” The man’s long-fingered hand rested lightly on the steering wheel as he asked, pulling the young man’s wandering thoughts back. “Hot springs?”

Guan Yue: “Mm.”

Pei Qi loved being in the water. He loved swimming in the summer and soaking in hot springs in the winter. He even learned scuba diving one summer during college. Although it was summer now, after several days of rain, the temperature wasn’t high, making it suitable for a hot spring.

“Sure, is it close?”

Guan Yue: “About a two-hour drive. The facilities are quite good; they have a special mountain mushroom hot pot. Want to go?”

“Then we’ll have to drive back later. Won’t Doctor Guan be tired?” Pei Qi pondered. “I have a driver’s license, but I haven’t driven much.” Sometimes he thought his hands were magical; he could carefully repair tiny pieces of paper, but he couldn’t control a large steering wheel.

Guan Yue: “We can stay overnight and come back. You have the day off tomorrow, right?”

“I do. Does Doctor Guan have the day off too?” It was rare to see the man have a day off.

“Mm.” The man replied. “Let’s stay at the resort for one night. I checked, and the new opening has a discount: a double room plus hot springs is only eight hundred.”

“It’s that cheap?” The little capybara’s eyes lit up. Not only was it cheap, but it was exactly eight hundred. “Um, are there only double rooms?”

“That’s all I saw. Let’s ask when we get there.” The man turned the car onto the elevated road.

Pei Qi: “Should we go home and get some things?”

Guan Yue: “I’ve already brought toiletries and extra clothes, including yours.”

The young man in the passenger seat widened his eyes.

“I thought you might like the hot springs, so I brought the things in advance to save time,” the man calmly added the reason.

The young man was puzzled: “How did Doctor Guan know I’d like it?”

“I guessed.” How could the little capybara not like playing in the water?

Pei Qi didn’t think much of it, smiling: “Your guess was pretty accurate, haha.”

The man beside him looked out the windshield, but his gaze lingered on the young man’s dimples.

It was Friday, and it was rush hour. They spent a long time on the elevated road. Pei Qi fell asleep as soon as he got in the car, and slept all the way to the resort’s gate.

The resort, nestled halfway up a mountain, had a pure Chinese-style decor. You had to climb a few dozen meters of cobblestone steps to reach the main gate.

It was already past seven in the evening. Dusk had fallen. The lights along the stone steps weren’t very bright, and the distance between each lamp was long, so the lighting wasn’t sufficient.

Pei Qi had night blindness, and it was a mountain path with stone steps—a hellish level of difficulty. After groping his way up the fifth step, he was completely lost.

Guan Yue, carrying his luggage, walked easily ahead, but the little tail behind him didn’t move for a long time. The man turned around.

He saw the little capybara standing dumbly on the stone steps. From this angle, he could see the whorl on the young man’s head and the slightly brownish hair under the dim lamplight.

“Teacher Pei, are you studying how to repair the cracks in the stones?” Guan Yue raised an eyebrow.

Pei Qi could hear the teasing in the appendicitis doctor’s tone, but he still said seriously: “I haven’t repaired many stones, but I can try.”

His newly awakened brain realized why he wasn’t using his phone’s flashlight. So he started rummaging through his pockets.

“Are you going to give me a live demonstration of stone repair?” The man’s eyebrows rose even higher.

“Um, next time,” the young man finally found his phone and turned on the flashlight. “It’s too dark here.”

His vision was finally filled with bright light, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “The phone is truly the greatest invention of the 21st century!”

The teasing in the man’s voice disappeared. He asked, “Can’t you see?”

The little capybara nodded, shining the flashlight on the steps, and followed step by step: “Yes, I have a bit of night blindness. This way, I can see clearly.”

The world brightened, and the young man’s tone became lighter, along with his steps. Soon, he caught up with Guan Yue.

“Is it heavy? Do you want me to carry one?” The bright light showed the two bags on the man’s shoulder.

Guan Yue glanced sideways, his gaze falling squarely on the young man’s clear, round eyes. The appendicitis doctor’s usual gaze always had a sharpness to it. Rarely, his gaze now lacked any edges.

The little capybara dared to meet his gaze.

“Wh…what’s wrong?” Although he dared to make eye contact, being stared at for too long by these overly beautiful eyes made the little capybara a little uncomfortable. So he asked, his ears burning.

Suddenly, the man opened his wide palm and offered it to the young man’s hand: “Hand.”

The little capybara didn’t understand but obediently extended his hand. His fingertips touched the man’s knuckles and palm, feeling the same scorching temperature as the man’s gaze. His fingers were held and enveloped by the palm.

If there were instruments to observe, Pei Qi thought, his fingers must be covered with Doctor Guan’s fingerprints now. While thinking about fingerprints, he also wondered about the reason for Doctor Guan’s sudden action, and asked frankly: “Did you suddenly want to hold my hand?”

“Afraid you’d fall to your death,” the man’s grip didn’t loosen. “People say I’m a widow-maker.”

“And I wouldn’t have the thought of suddenly wanting to hold your hand.”

That’s too innocent; he’d only have the thought of suddenly wanting to do things with Pei Qi.

“Being a widow-maker is fine. Just get me some insurance, haha.”

The little capybara didn’t find the man’s words hurtful; instead, he joked back.

The temperature in his palm increased, and the grip strengthened. Pei Qi felt his fingers were being pinched painfully.

Finally, after climbing the long stone steps, they reached the resort’s gate. The reception staff wore retro cheongsams and long gowns and spoke softly.

Pei Qi carefully inquired about the packages. Because it was the weekend, they hadn’t booked in advance, and there were few rooms left.

Receptionist: “We only have one large double bed room and a luxury couple’s room left. Both rooms include private hot spring pools.”

Pei Qi: “Is it still eight hundred?” He’d never stayed in such a cheap private hot spring room.

Receptionist: “The eight-hundred discount is already sold out. The large double bed room is 1500 after the discount. Sir, would you like to consider it?”

Pei Qi carefully calculated. The resort’s atmosphere and facilities were worth 1500. But there were only large double bed rooms and couple’s rooms. The young man hesitated for a few seconds.

“I’ll do it.” The man behind him had already taken out his phone to pay.

Pei Qi quickly intercepted the man’s hand: “Why are you doing it again? We agreed I would.”

He opened his phone and showed his payment code.

After paying, the attendant led them to their room. It was a stand-alone building with a turquoise hot spring in the backyard, along with two apricot trees and many artistic green plants. The room was also in a Chinese retro style, with a faint sandalwood fragrance.

After settling their luggage, Pei Qi wasn’t thinking about soaking in the pool; he was thinking about sleeping. He needed to sleep with the lights on, and the appendicitis doctor would probably be uncomfortable. But although it was a stand-alone building, there wasn’t a second space for him to sleep on the floor, unless he slept in the bathroom.

“Wait…” sleep… The young man looked at the large bed and worried.

“Let’s eat first?” Guan Yue spoke at that moment.

The young man swallowed the words on his lips: “Okay.” Things had come to this; they might as well eat first.

The resort’s mountain mushroom hot pot was indeed special. The broth was made from mountain mushrooms and was incredibly delicious. Pei Qi only stopped eating when his stomach was full.

“So delicious! The ingredients are so fresh; they taste good without anything added.” Back in their room, Pei Qi still couldn’t help but praise the hot pot.