**Hot Spring Resort**

Shen Zhirou was at work.

By the time she finished a set of photos and checked her phone, it had been over an hour since Xu Jia sent her the WeChat messages.

Looking at the two ID photos, her mind buzzed with confusion.

It turned out that the name Zhou Jiayu wasn’t made up; it was real…

Just as Shen Zhirou was about to remove Zhou Jiayu from her blacklist, she heard Xiong Hao suddenly call her, “Little Mouse, come over here for a moment.”

“Little Mouse” was a nickname Xiong Hao had given her. When they first met, he insisted on calling her “Zhizhi,” which sounded like “squeak-squeak,” so he started calling her Little Mouse and even changed her contact name to that.

Hearing him call, Shen Zhirou immediately put down her phone.

“What is it?”

“It feels a bit off. Let’s reshoot a few more, and then we’ll move to another location.”

“Okay.” Shen Zhirou walked back to the previous shooting spot.

Xiong Hao picked up his camera again, glanced at her phone left on the side, and then got back to work.

After the shoot, Xiong Hao said, “Put your phone in my pocket. There are too many people walking around here.”

“Okay, sure.” Shen Zhirou didn’t think much of it. They had known each other for a long time and were quite familiar.

“Go change into the next outfit.”

“Alright.” Shen Zhirou nodded professionally, handed her phone to Xiong Hao, and went to get the next set of clothes.

When she came back out in her new outfit, she heard the other models complaining to Xiong Hao.

“Why do we have to do it? This weather, standing by the pool is one thing, but going into cold water is another!”

“Exactly. If it was part of our original shoot, fine, but why should we take on this last-minute request?”

Shen Zhirou quietly asked what was happening and learned that the company had added a new task last minute, asking them to shoot some inflatable swim ring products.

Initially, the shoot was part of an internal designer competition, with two designers’ new swimsuits being photographed by two teams. They would later compete in sales, with the winning team receiving a bonus.

Now, suddenly, there was an added task for the swim rings, and the other team sent people over to drop off the rings, which made everyone unhappy. It was clear the other team didn’t want to do it and pushed the task onto them.

But refusing wasn’t an option; someone had to complete the task.

Moreover, their team had less say in the matter. The other team’s photographer was a long-term company employee, while Xiong Hao was brought in just for this competition. The team leader of this shoot was also the designer from the other team, while their designer wasn’t present, leaving them no room to refuse.

Seeing the situation, Shen Zhirou’s kind heart prompted her to volunteer, “If someone needs to go into the pool, I’ll do it.”

“It’s okay, I’ll do it.” She smiled at everyone.

In reality, as a part-time model, she knew this task might eventually fall to her anyway.

However, one of the models agreed to accompany her, and Xiong Hao said he’d try to minimize the time in the water.

After agreeing, everyone started inflating the swim rings and then headed to the pool, planning to warm up in the outdoor hot spring pool afterward.

As Shen Zhirou followed the group to the pool, she unexpectedly saw Zhou Jiayu.

At first, she thought she was mistaken, but then she saw him striding towards her.

His eyes were bloodshot, and as soon as he saw her, they seemed to redden even more.

His deep eyes were filled with complex emotions, as if a thousand words were rushing towards her, enveloping and binding her like vines.

Zhou Jiayu felt like he was going insane. If he couldn’t find her, he truly would go mad.

“I can explain…”

“Little Mouse!” Xiong Hao’s voice suddenly rang out, drowning Zhou Jiayu’s hoarse words.

“I have to work. We’ll talk later.” Shen Zhirou hurriedly told him and turned to walk towards Xiong Hao.

She was visibly flustered, nearly tripping over her swim ring as she turned, causing Zhou Jiayu’s heart to tighten. He quickly chased after her.

His hand reached out, touching her arm, and he half-embraced her to steady her.

Shen Zhirou’s skin, covered by the chill of late autumn, was warmed by his breath.

“You’re so cold.” Zhou Jiayu held her tighter in his arms.

Looking at his palm rubbing her arm, Shen Zhirou didn’t want to admit it, but she missed him terribly, even though it had only been a day.

But now was not the time.

Seeing the focused gazes around her, she struggled to pull away from his embrace. “I’m working! We’ll talk later.”

She reminded him seriously.

Zhou Jiayu looked at her in the skimpy swimsuit, which, though less revealing than the bikini he had glimpsed on her phone before, was still very sexy.

The black-and-white strapless one-piece swimsuit accentuated her figure perfectly. The design around the chest was tied, revealing the round curve of her lower chest, while the frilled edges at her thighs added a touch of playfulness.

He really wanted to find a towel immediately and wrap her up completely, not wanting anyone to see even an inch of her skin.

He also wanted to tell Shen Zhirou that he didn’t want her to be this kind of model.

But Zhou Jiayu forced himself to stay calm. He couldn’t do that—this was her job.

He stood nearby, watching, and quickly noticed the photographer who had just called Shen Zhirou.

A man’s intuition told him that this photographer had unusual feelings for his Zhirou.

His intuition was soon confirmed.

As Shen Zhirou walked to the pool and placed the lifebuoy in the water, Xiong Hao deliberately scooped a handful of water and splashed it at her.

“Get used to the water temperature,” Xiong Hao said.

“Do I need to get in now?”

“No, not now. Is that your ex-boyfriend coming to make up with you?” Xiong Hao stood up and shook the remaining water from his hand.

“I told him I’m working…”

Before Shen Zhirou could finish, Xiong Hao suddenly reached out to her. She was about to dodge when he said seriously, “Don’t move.”

“What is it?” Shen Zhirou asked nervously.

“Droplets of water—it won’t look good in the photos.” Xiong Hao brushed his thumb against her cheek and then smoothed down her hair. Only when Shen Zhirou stepped back did he withdraw his hand, pretending nothing had happened, and said, “Go stand over there, we’ll start shooting.”

Shen Zhirou nodded and quickly moved to the other side.

As she walked, she glanced back at Zhou Jiayu standing nearby.

Zhou Jiayu’s face was now as stern as a concrete slab, his molars clenched tight.

Jealousy surged within him, almost overwhelming him.