The Fox Spirit

Su Ran walked with Jiang Yi and Ye Qiao. This trip was organized by Yan Ze, who, along with a few of his friends, had already gone to the neighboring city. Today, they would meet up with them in B City.

After getting off the plane, they took a private car to their destination.

At this point, Su Ran had already changed into some cooler clothes. This was his first time leaving the province, and the temperature difference left him a little disoriented. Just a few hours of travel had shifted him from late autumn to the middle of summer.

They were staying at a resort a bit off from the city. The place was surrounded by mountains and the sea, offering beautiful scenery and all sorts of recreational activities—an excellent choice for a vacation.

The car slowly drove into the resort. They had rented a villa here for the next few days.

As they were still in the car, they could see the people standing in front of the villa. Yan Ze stood out in his colorful beach attire, sunglasses on, looking flashy and cool, drawing attention with his bold style. Beside him was someone in a suit, as though they had suddenly appeared after work, also standing out with a striking contrast to the surroundings.

The car stopped in front of the villa, and Su Ran got out, feeling an unfamiliar blast of heat that he wasn’t quite used to.

Seeing people getting out, Yan Ze took off his sunglasses and looked over with some excitement, nudging Lu Jin. He then pointed toward the door and said, “Look, what a beautiful view.”

Lu Jin, feeling the sweltering heat, frowned slightly as the sun beat down on him. He followed Yan Ze’s gesture and looked over.

Su Ran and the others were getting out of the car. The first person to get out was Su Ran, dressed in loose shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. His fair skin stood out even more under the sunlight, clearly the brightest one there.

“Wow, all handsome guys,” Yan Ze said, noticing the group of people he had brought with him, all from their social circle. He was impressed that this trip was definitely worth it. But his excitement was quickly extinguished by Yan Ze’s comment, “You know, one of them is a married couple.”

“…”

Lu Jin’s expression tightened, but his gaze stayed fixed on the white figure.

“How is it, Lu Jin? I told you it’d be nice here. The mountains, the water, and the people are all eye-catching,” Yan Ze said, then gave a look of disdain to Lu Jin. “You must regret not coming with us the other day, huh? Look at you now, wearing that hot, suffocating suit. Did you just finish a business deal or something?”

Lu Jin didn’t bother responding. “Shut up, it suits you more.”

Yan Ze made a face. “You don’t like hearing it? I’m just curious what made you change your mind and come so suddenly.”

Lu Jin didn’t answer, but Yan Ze didn’t stop talking, continuing his chatter until Su Ran and the others approached.

Lu Jin’s gaze fell on Su Ran, his face cold but his eyes deep, as though he was surrounded by a quiet and intense atmosphere. When Su Ran glanced at him, he quickly averted his eyes.

“Why are you all standing outside?” Jiang Yi asked.

“We were waiting for you,” Yan Ze replied. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

Just as they were about to turn to head into the villa, a voice called from the entrance. “Yan Ze, Lu Jin, I’m here!”

Everyone turned to look as two young men entered. One was tall and strong, the other delicate and slender.

Yan Ze smiled. “Oh, I thought you were coming tomorrow!” Then he pointed to the slender young man. “Who’s this?”

The young man, Xia Mo’an, introduced himself. “I… I’m the nephew of my third aunt’s cousin.”

Yan Ze was stunned by this introduction. It sounded like another one of those clingy relationships, but the young man didn’t look too bad.

When Su Ran and the others saw the young man, they froze for a moment, especially Jiang Yi, whose expression darkened. He subconsciously looked at Su Ran, then at Ye Qiao.

Zhou Luo, with a beaming smile, knew exactly who was on this trip and had already achieved his goal, making it worth all the trouble.

“President Jiang, what a coincidence,” Zhou Luo greeted Jiang Yi. “I didn’t expect to bump into you here.”

Jiang Yi gave a stiff smile and warned him with a serious look, “Quite the coincidence.”

Su Ran’s gaze flickered between the two, visibly uncomfortable, while Ye Qiao slowly curved a cold smile.

The day he went out for fun, he had happened to see these two downstairs. Zhou Luo had been so sweet, even going so far as to wrap his arms around Jiang Yi’s neck and kiss his face, right in front of him. Su Ran had witnessed this moment, and when Jiang Yi saw him, he looked embarrassed.

Ye Qiao’s gaze kept drifting between the two men, a smile creeping up on his lips. This was just too interesting.

They entered the villa, where the housekeeper handed them their room keys. There were plenty of rooms, but everyone was still curious as to why Jiang Yi and Su Ran had separate rooms.

Su Ran gave a vague answer, but when he caught the smug look on Zhou Luo’s face, he couldn’t help but feel a little upset.

They went up to the third floor, where Su Ran found his room number and realized that Lu Jin was staying next door, while Ye Qiao was in the room diagonally across from him. Jiang Yi was also on the third floor, but in a room down the hall.

Su Ran opened the door to his room and found it spacious, decorated in a retro style with heavy curtains and intricate patterns. Fortunately, the sunlight was enough to keep it from feeling too stuffy. He opened the window, revealing a large lawn and flower garden outside, which offered an incredible view.

Su Ran stood by the window for a while before shutting it. The air was hot. He lay down on the bed to relax, the edges of his shorts lifting to reveal his white legs.

Just then, his phone buzzed, and he sat up. The group chat had a message saying they should rest and meet again at four for dinner.

Meanwhile, in the room next door, Lu Jin had just entered. He glanced around and his attention was drawn to the long mirror in front of the bed.

The mirror, about half a meter long, had an aged frame and faced both his bed and Su Ran’s bed next door. Through this mirror, Lu Jin could clearly see Su Ran sitting on his bed.

Lu Jin stared at the mirror, his eyes locked on Su Ran. When Su Ran started to take off his shirt, revealing his tight, fair belly, Lu Jin’s breath caught, and he quickly turned his gaze away.

Before he could recover, Su Ran began to lower his pants. Lu Jin’s face burned, and he quickly knocked on the mirror to distract himself.

At that moment, Su Ran had removed his shorts and heard the sound coming from the mirror.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy with the sound and the vintage decor, making Su Ran feel uneasy. He stood up and walked toward the mirror, touching its surface.

His body was long, his skin smooth with a warm, radiant glow. Just like Ye Qiao said, he was a work of art.

And now this “work of art” was fully exposed to Lu Jin’s eyes, making his entire body heat up as he stared at him. Meanwhile, Su Ran, unaware, walked closer to the door, preparing to leave.

Lu Jin’s heart raced as he watched, realizing that Su Ran was heading out like this, not even worried about being seen.

He rushed out of his room, and with a sudden loud noise, he pushed Su Ran back into his room.

Su Ran, somewhat dazed, murmured, “There’s something weird about the mirror in my room…”

Lu Jin’s gaze swept over him, and his ears turned red. He immediately told Su Ran, “Put your clothes on first.”

Su Ran, still confused, obeyed and dressed quickly. He was then led out by Lu Jin, who took him to the room next door. Once Su Ran saw the mirror there, everything became clear.

“Was that you knocking on the mirror?” Su Ran asked.

Lu Jin looked at Su Ran’s innocent face, not realizing the severity of the situation. “Do you know, if I hadn’t been staying in that room, you would’ve been exposed!”

Lu Jin was obviously angry, but Su Ran felt it was unreasonable. Why would a man be afraid of such a thing?

Suddenly, Su Ran remembered his current status. While he usually placed his role as a man first and wife second, it seemed others might see it differently.

“Thanks,” Su Ran said, rubbing his nose, realizing the situation was a little awkward.

Lu Jin let out a heavy breath, then looked at Su Ran seriously. “From now on, don’t let anyone see your body, understand?”

Su Ran, annoyed by the lecture, felt as though he was being talked to like a child, but although he was unwilling, he didn’t want to argue over something so trivial. “I understand.”

Back in his room, Su Ran covered the mirror with a towel, feeling awkward about the earlier incident.

After a short rest, it was time to meet up for dinner. They ate at a restaurant at the foot of the mountain.

During the meal, Yan Ze organized a trip to the beach, which everyone agreed to. Just then, Ye Qiao held up Su Ran’s hand. “We won’t join you guys. We’re going to do some sketching, right, Ran Ran?”

Su Ran immediately understood, of course, he was happy to go along with Ye Qiao—it was an opportunity to make some money!

“Yes, we won’t be joining you.”

Everyone agreed, except for Lu Jin, whose face visibly darkened as he saw Ye Qiao and Su Ran holding hands. He knew what their relationship was, and while it was normal for them to be close, he couldn’t stand Ye Qiao.

A grown man wearing a narrow-shouldered tank top like some fringe streamer—who was he trying to seduce?

After dinner, everyone split into two groups. Su Ran and Ye Qiao went in the opposite direction of the others.

Lu Jin, among the group, couldn’t help but glance back at them. He saw the tall and slender figures of the two of them walking together, chatting and laughing in perfect harmony.

Yan Ze nudged him. “What’s wrong? You looked upset at the dinner table.”

“It’s nothing,” Lu Jin replied coldly.

Yan Ze didn’t take his words seriously. “If it’s nothing, then why are you sulking? Why can’t you just be happy?”

Lu Jin ignored him, his gaze downcast, feeling the humid weather weighing on him. His mind was restless, unable to calm down and enjoy the moment.

Images of Su Ran kept flashing in his mind—the way he appeared in the mirror, his body so fair and beautiful, drawing closer and closer.

Suddenly, the image shifted to Ye Qiao holding Su Ran’s hand, wearing revealing clothes, engaging in activities only the two of them shared—such a scene made his heart tighten with jealousy.

Lu Jin stopped in his tracks, muttering, “You go ahead, I’m not coming.”

Before anyone could react, he turned and left, leaving Yan Ze confused.

•

Ye Qiao had already scouted out the perfect location for sketching during their break. There was a naturally formed waterfall deep in the estate, far from the crowd, ideal for their sketching session.

After walking a bit, Su Ran began sweating, but once they reached their destination, his mood lightened.

The water poured down from the waterfall, and as they got closer, droplets sprayed on them, refreshing them in the heat.

Ye Qiao quickly set up his easel not far from Su Ran, who sat on a large smooth stone beneath the waterfall. Following Ye Qiao’s directions, Su Ran tried to stay still.

The area was quiet, and only the sound of the waterfall filled the air. Su Ran, sitting on the stone, tried to relax his muscles, but his legs were starting to feel stiff from the awkward position.

Ye Qiao painted silently, occasionally glancing up at Su Ran. This was Su Ran’s first time being a model, sitting still for Ye Qiao to capture every detail of him on paper.

As the sun began to set, Su Ran realized that being a model wasn’t as easy as he had imagined. It required maintaining a position for a long time, though it was still easier than kneading dough at the dessert shop.

However, sitting still for so long was causing his muscles to ache, and his legs were starting to cramp. He glanced at Ye Qiao, preparing to stretch, but the moment he moved, his leg gave way, and he fell straight into the water.

Luckily, the water near the waterfall wasn’t too deep, so he quickly stood up.

Ye Qiao rushed over in a panic, but once he saw Su Ran was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief and helped him out. “Ran Ran, are you okay?”

Su Ran shook his head, his hair dripping with water, and he felt a little embarrassed. He had fallen, but at least it wasn’t serious. Looks like the sketching for today was done.

“Qiao Qiao, can we come back tomorrow to finish?” Su Ran asked, his wet face making him look somewhat dreamy in the orange sunlight.

Ye Qiao smiled and replied, “No worries, today’s enough. It’s pretty refreshing being wet, right?”

Su Ran chuckled, agreeing. “Yeah! It’s really refreshing!”

His white loose shirt clung to his body, dripping water. He twisted the hem, wringing it out.

Su Ran, now completely drenched, didn’t care that others were around. Ye Qiao reached out and grabbed his arm, his touch cool against Su Ran’s skin.

“Ran Ran…”

Su Ran felt his skin heat up, glancing at Ye Qiao. He saw something deep and intense in Ye Qiao’s gaze, making him instinctively want to avoid it. “What’s wrong?”

Ye Qiao’s breathing became more erratic, his body as if set ablaze. He suddenly smiled and said, “I’ll help you cool off.”

The next moment, Ye Qiao jumped straight into the water.

Su Ran stood by the edge, too stunned to speak.

Moments later, Ye Qiao emerged, water dripping down his body. He flipped his hair back and said, “It’s really cool.”

Su Ran couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t sure what to say, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ye Qiao’s toned body.

The wet fabric of his shirt clung to his muscles, his abs perfectly defined. Su Ran couldn’t help but envy him.

Ye Qiao caught Su Ran’s gaze, then grabbed his wrist, leading him closer.

This harmonious moment was witnessed by Lu Jin, who had wandered around the estate for a while before stumbling upon this spot.

What could have brought them to such a secluded place? And why were both of them drenched?

The sound of their laughter and joy made Lu Jin’s temples throb. The sight of Ye Qiao like this before Su Ran, so shameless, was enough to make his blood boil.

Lu Jin ground his teeth, barely able to hold back. “That damn fox spirit!”