The western suburbs of the capital.

Cen Zhengnian parked the car, and Chu Xia and Cen Huaian stepped out.

They had driven directly into the resort, and though it was winter, the trees remained green.

There were flowing streams, pavilions, and beautiful scenery at every step, making it a picturesque place.

Since they had made a reservation in advance, they were promptly greeted by staff members upon arrival.

The attendants were all attractive, dressed in traditional winter attire, and they introduced the resort’s scenery with warm smiles and soft voices, creating the impression of being transported back in time.

Curious, Chu Xia wondered aloud why the trees remained green in the middle of winter when they were not evergreen.

The young woman leading them smiled and explained, “Our resort is built around the hot springs of Xishan, so it’s warmer here than outside.”

Chu Xia understood now. Being able to acquire such a vast area to create a luxurious retreat for select guests indicated the owner’s influence and means.

She later learned that not just anyone could enter this resort.

It required connections and the owner’s approval.

The resort was built not for profit but as a place for the owner and his friends to enjoy in the winter.

For people like Qian Ran and Jiang Zhida, gaining access wasn’t difficult—they were already part of the same circle, doing business and sharing mutual friends, giving them the right connections.

Upon hearing about the hot springs, Chu Xia grew eager.

The idea of sipping juice or wine in a warm spring on a winter day sounded wonderfully relaxing.

She pulled Cen Zhengnian’s hand and asked the attendant where the hot springs were.

“Each guest room has a private hot spring pool. If you want to soak in a larger one, there are signposts outside the rooms, and a guidebook in the room explains the layout of the various hot springs,” the attendant replied.

She also mentioned a few specialty pools, such as a herbal pool for women, a milk pool, and a rose petal pool, as well as natural pools with different scenic views.

Chu Xia’s curiosity grew. Jiang Zhida, walking with Tao Tao behind them, overheard and asked her quietly, “Do you want to try the hot springs?”

Tao Tao nodded, “Yes. I’ve never tried a hot spring before. Have you?”

Jiang Zhida had been to hot springs before and knew how to make the most of the experience.

He whispered tips to her, while Qian Ran and Jiang Zhiyi lingered behind, preferring to explore the scenery.

Gradually, they drifted away from Chu Xia and the others.

The children didn’t need to worry about anything, as Jiang Zhida had arranged for an attendant to take them to a play area designed just for kids, away from the adults.

The attendants, informed ahead of time, had already prepared rooms for Chu Xia and her group, and as soon as they arrived, their luggage was taken to their rooms.

The attendant handed Chu Xia the room key, bowed, and said, “Sir, Madam, please use the room phone if you need anything. If not, we’ll take our leave.”

Chu Xia looked at Cen Zhengnian, silently asking if he needed anything else.

He glanced at the attendant and nodded, “Thank you; that’ll be all.”

Their room was on the second floor, and according to the attendant, each room offered a unique view.

Chu Xia handed the luggage to Cen Zhengnian, eagerly shut the door, and hurried to the window.

She pushed it open and found their room overlooked a grove of plum trees in full bloom.

Pink, white, and rosy red blossoms adorned the branches, forming a layered sea of flowers.

The sight took her breath away.

Chu Xia let out a delighted gasp, her face lighting up with joy.

She waved at Cen Zhengnian, “Zhengnian, come quickly! There’s a plum grove right outside our window. It’s so beautiful!”

Cen Zhengnian had just finished unpacking.

Hearing her call, he walked over, and as he saw the plum blossoms, he, too, was captivated.

The flowers seemed to surround the entire room.

His eyes reflected his amazement as he said, “As white as jade and blushing like apricots. Indeed, it’s beautiful.”

Holding his hand, Chu Xia suddenly asked, “How many poems about plum blossoms do you know?”

Cen Zhengnian looked down at her, smiling, “Are you trying to test me?”

Chu Xia grinned, “Why not?”

“Of course. How many would you like? If I can recite them all, what will you give me in return?” Chu Xia thought for a moment, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Twenty! If you can recite twenty, you can ask for any reward you want.”

Chu Xia was confident.

She couldn’t remember twenty herself—she had forgotten most since graduation, save for a few famous ones.

She tilted her chin up, waiting for Cen Zhengnian to admit defeat, and added, “If you can’t do it, you have to agree to one condition of mine.”

Cen Zhengnian’s smile grew, “Are you sure twenty? Should I recite a few more for good measure?”

Chu Xia waved him off, “No need. Twenty is hard enough; I’m not trying to make it impossible for you.”

Cen Zhengnian glanced at her and then at the blossoms outside. “I’ll skip the easy ones. How about this:

‘Early Plum,’ by Xie Xie of the Southern and Northern Dynasties: ‘The plum blooms early to welcome spring, undeterred by the cold.Fearing to be outshone by later flowers, it alone draws the gaze.’

‘Plum,’ by Wei Chan of the Tang Dynasty: ‘High branches by the stream shine, low branches by the bamboo glow. No need to be the peach or apricot, to make people forget their words…’”

One after another, he recited poems, his voice calm and measured.

Many were unfamiliar to her, and as she counted along, her eyes grew wide.

As he neared twenty, he showed no signs of hesitation, as if he had a book in front of him to read from.

Chu Xia felt a pang of regret—she had forgotten that Cen Zhengnian had an exceptional memory.

After finishing twenty, he continued with five more, then paused, smiling at her. “Would you like more? I could offer a few extras if you’d like.”

Chu Xia quickly shook her head, “No, no more. You’d only keep going. How do you know so many poems about plum blossoms? I never see you read poetry.” Cen Zhengnian touched her head, pulling her into his arms. “Have you forgotten? I told you back in the northwest that I memorized a lot of poems when I was young…”

When studying, he would occasionally read some poems. The more he read, the more he remembered.

Chu Xia said, “I remember reading some, but I didn’t expect your memory of poetry to be so vast.”

If it were her, she would be lucky to remember a few dozen poems from her childhood and school days.

Chu Xia bit her lip and said with some frustration, “It’s unfair to bet against you since you have a photographic memory.”

Cen Zhenian smiled slightly. “Are you trying to go back on your word?”

He sighed softly with a smile, “I could never be hard on you. It’s not impossible to let it go.”

Chu Xia waved her hand and huffed, “I’m not someone who goes back on their word! I’ll keep my promise. So, what do you want me to do?”

“I’ll claim my reward when I think of it,” Cen Zhenian replied.

He reached out and pulled Chu Xia into his arms, resting his head gently on her shoulder.

The two of them quietly watched the plum blossoms outside, and the atmosphere was warm and peaceful.

Leaning against him, Chu Xia relaxed completely.

She hadn’t taken the little game too seriously anyway.

Whether she won or lost, she knew Cen Zhenian would never make any unreasonable demands.

She was savoring the moment, enjoying the beautiful scenery with the one she loved. It felt as though their hearts were very close, tightly bound together.

After watching the plum blossoms for a while, Chu Xia suddenly turned around, playfully swaying in Cen Zhenian’s arms.

With a coquettish tone, she said, “I want to go to the hot springs. How about we go now?”

Cen Zhenian tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and gently rubbed the soft hair at her temple with his thumb. “Where would you like to go? In the room or the outdoor pool?”

Chu Xia thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go to the outdoor one. I want to try a special pool.”

There were separate pools for men and women, but there were also pools for couples to enjoy together.

Initially, Chu Xia wanted to go with Tao Tao and Luo Peng, but she couldn’t find them.

Not wanting to go alone, she pulled Cen Zhenian along to a couples’ pool.

The attendant asked if they wanted a large or small pool.

Chu Xia chose the large one—since they were there to enjoy themselves, they might as well go for the best.

The attendant recommended several special couples’ hot spring pools, and Chu Xia picked the rose flower pool.

She didn’t choose the other functional pools because they weren’t suitable for Cen Zhenian.

Once the attendant led them to the designated rose flower pool, Chu Xia requested some fruit juice, red wine, and snacks.

Soon, everything was brought to the edge of the pool.

Both Chu Xia and Cen Zhenian were wrapped tightly in white bathrobes. Despite the heat in the resort, they didn’t feel cold.

After the attendant left and closed the door, Cen Zhenian looked at the rose petal-filled pool and smiled at Chu Xia. “Do you think this pool suits me?”

Chu Xia squatted down, swirled her hand in the warm water, and playfully splashed it, causing the rose petals to gently sway with the ripples.

“Why wouldn’t it suit you? You don’t usually get the chance to take a flower bath.”

Cen Zhenian removed his bathrobe. “Well, thank you, my lady, for giving me this opportunity.”

Chu Xia’s face turned red.

Every time Cen Zhenian called her “my lady,” she felt like there was an underlying meaning in his words.

Cen Zhenian stepped into the hot spring, leaned against the edge, and looked at Chu Xia. “Come on in, the water temperature is perfect.”

The water was actually a bit hot.

Chu Xia tested it with her foot and slowly submerged herself.

Chu Xia hadn’t known that there were hot springs here until Jiang Zhiyi suggested coming for a visit.

The resort was thoughtful, offering new swimsuits for guests to purchase.

Anything a guest needed could be bought on-site.

Cen Zhenian had picked out Chu Xia’s swimsuit while she was in the room looking at the hot spring pools, deciding which one to try.

When he returned, Chu Xia realized that he hadn’t bought a modest one-piece swimsuit, but rather a two-piece.

She didn’t care much about what type of swimsuit she wore.

Holding it up, she joked with Cen Zhenian, “Why didn’t you pick an even skimpier bikini? I’d be even more attractive in that.”

Cen Zhenian gave her a look. “This one suits you better.”

The look in his eyes made Chu Xia uneasy. She felt that if she teased him any further, he might do something uncontrollable.

So, she quickly nodded and said, “It’s great,” before hurrying to the room to change and cover herself with the thick white bathrobe.

Cen Zhenian wore only swimming trunks, his well-toned body fully on display.

Sitting in the hot spring, Chu Xia felt like she was floating, thanks to the buoyancy and warmth of the water.

She absentmindedly played with the rose petals, but her eyes kept drifting toward Cen Zhenian.

She regretted choosing the rose petal pool, as the flowers now hid most of his figure from view.

“Zhenian, are you feeling warm?”

Cen Zhenian, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them to look at her. “Not too warm. Are you?”

Chu Xia shook her head and moved closer, sitting next to him and hugging his arm.

The feeling of something missing finally disappeared.

“I’m fine. I just want you to feed me some grapes from beside you.”

In the capital’s western suburbs.

Cen Zhengnian lifted a grape to Chu Xia’s lips.

She took a bite, her lips inadvertently brushing against his fingers as she enjoyed the sweetness of the grape, unaware that Cen Zhengnian’s gaze had deepened.

“Is it good?” he asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

Chu Xia nodded enthusiastically, “Yes, very sweet! You should try one.”

Cen Zhengnian picked up another grape and brought it to her lips.

Just as she bit into it, with the juice still fresh in her mouth, he gently lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers.

His kiss was possessive, tasting the sweetness of the grape from her mouth.

Chu Xia, unable to resist, felt her body weaken and had to hold onto his arm to keep herself from slipping off the edge of the pool.

After what felt like an eternity, just as Chu Xia thought she was about to run out of breath, Cen Zhengnian released her.

She took deep breaths, resting in his arms, too dazed to think.

He looked at her, his eyes smoldering with meaning, and said, “Indeed, very sweet.”

Chu Xia shot him a look, but due to the lingering warmth of the kiss and the steam rising from the hot spring, her face was flushed, even her eyes tinged with a faint redness.

Her slightly embarrassed gaze only deepened the intensity in his eyes.

He pulled her closer, his lips pressing down on hers once more, this time with an unrestrained passion, as if he wanted to consume her whole.

His kisses trailed to her ear, where he whispered something that made Chu Xia shake her head frantically. “No, we can’t do that here.”

Cen Zhengnian, still holding her, pulled her onto his lap, “Then let’s go inside.”

Chu Xia tried to protest, but he added, “It’s your reward.”

She could no longer resist, and Cen Zhengnian carried her into the smaller hot spring pool in their room.

There were no rose petals here, but Chu Xia was too exhausted to notice anything around her.

She only remembered the restless water and how her body moved with the gentle waves, completely beyond her control.

That hot spring soak left a lasting impression on her, and they spent the entire morning in the water.

By afternoon, Chu Xia was too worn out to explore the resort, falling into a deep sleep instead.

When she finally woke, dusk had fallen outside, though she didn’t notice much difference with the curtains drawn.

All she felt was that the room seemed darker.

Cen Zhengnian was sitting at the bedside, watching the silent TV.

Chu Xia rubbed her head, about to speak, when Cen Zhengnian handed her a glass of water. “It’s warm,” he said.

She drank eagerly, her throat parched from the morning’s exertion.

After finishing the glass, her voice felt less strained, and she attempted to sit up, only to realize that, except for her underwear, she wasn’t wearing anything.

Wrapping herself tightly in the blanket, she looked at him warily. “Where are my clothes?”

Cen Zhengnian got up and asked her what she wanted to wear, then went to fetch it from the suitcase.

Having his needs satisfied, he was very accommodating, and had she not strongly refused, he would have even helped her get dressed.

Instead, Chu Xia managed to chase him out of the bedroom.

Their room was a suite, large enough that the outer area served as a cozy living room.

Before leaving, Cen Zhengnian, looking somewhat regretful, asked, “Are you sure you don’t need help?”

Chu Xia quickly shook her head, “No! If you help me, I don’t know if I’ll even make it out the door today.”

Cen Zhengnian chuckled, “It’s my fault. But how can I help myself when you’re so irresistibly tempting, my dear?”