"Baby, are you here to join me for a soak in the hot springs?"
Qin Beiting leaned against the doorframe, his infuriatingly handsome face broken by a seductive smile that radiated charm.
Seeing his good mood, Yu He inferred he must have had a pleasant time with Ye Qichen.
Could it be that he was genuinely interested in Ye Qichen?
From Cheng Lizhu, she had learned that Ye Qichen's sexual orientation was normal. If Qin Beiting took an interest in him, wouldn't that be... Ye Qichen had been good to her in the Ye family. She couldn't let him be ruined by Qin Beiting.
She needed to find a way to prevent them from living together.
"Yes," Yu He nodded.
Upon hearing this, Ye Qichen was astonished.
*Sister, you're too forward!*
*Don't you know you're inviting a wolf into the house?*
He absolutely couldn't let them share a pool.
"You go ahead. We'll go change into our swimsuits," Ye Qichen quickly pushed Qin Beiting back to his room.
Yu He watched the door close again, her brows furrowed. When had their relationship become so close?
Suddenly, she worried even more for her brother.
The room had a private bathroom. The hotel staff had already prepared Qin Beiting's newly purchased and dry-cleaned swim trunks. After changing, he put on a bathrobe, concealing his scars.
When he emerged, Ye Qichen had also changed into swim trunks and a bathrobe and was waiting for him in the living room.
Faint voices of Yu He and Cheng Lizhu could be heard from the backyard. Qin Beiting walked directly towards it, with Ye Qichen immediately following.
"Seventh Master Qin, shall we go to the outdoor hot spring pool together?"
Qin Beiting refused, "I don't like sharing a pool with others."
He then glanced at Yu He.
She was standing by the hot spring pool, helping Cheng Lizhu wrap her hair in a towel to keep it from getting cold.
The hem of her bathrobe had ridden up quite a bit as she raised her arms, exposing a pair of long, straight legs to the cold air.
Ye Qichen followed his gaze and saw Yu He. *Nonsense,* he thought, *as a man myself, I understand your little scheme. You're playing favorites.*
He grumbled internally, simultaneously plotting how to separate them.
At that moment, his peripheral vision caught sight of Ye Zizheng, who had changed into swim trunks, walking past.
Ye Qichen deliberately extended his foot slightly. Ye Zizheng, seeing it, immediately lifted his leg to avoid it. However, he stepped on a puddle, slipped, and lost his balance.
With a "plop," Ye Zizheng fell into the hot spring pool.
"Be careful!" Ye Jianming, who was following behind Ye Zizheng, tried to grab him but missed. He immediately jumped into the pool and pulled him out of the water. "Are you alright?"
Cheng Lizhu, who was nearby, was startled and quickly stepped forward, squatting by the edge of the pool to assist.
"Splash!" Ye Zizheng was pulled out of the water, his little face flushed red from choking. "Cough, cough, Ye Qichen, you're trying to murder your own brother!"
The hot spring pool wasn't deep; the water only reached his shoulders when he stood up.
"Ah, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you," Ye Qichen apologized, winking at him.
Ye Zizheng glanced at Qin Beiting and instantly understood Ye Qichen's intention. However, he suspected that his own brother was using the guise of fending off an enemy to target him, aiming for a double kill!
He grumbled and rested on the edge of the pool, refusing to move.
Seeing this, Ye Qichen regretfully said to Qin Beiting, "I'm sorry, Seventh Master Qin, my brother has claimed the pool."
Qin Beiting: "..."
Yu He: *Could you two be any more obvious?*
Cheng Lizhu and Ye Jianming exchanged a look. The next moment, Ye Jianming picked up Ye Zizheng, and Cheng Lizhu took him and turned back towards the living room.
Ye Qichen: "..."
"Let go of me! Where are you taking me?!" Ye Zizheng struggled.
Cheng Lizhu held him tightly. "Let Mom see if you're hurt."
"No! I want to go back and soak in the hot springs."
With a strong heave, Ye Zizheng broke free from Cheng Lizhu's grasp and landed on his feet. Just as he was about to run back to the backyard, Ye Jianming, who had followed, scooped him up and hoisted him onto his shoulder.
"This hot spring pool is too deep for you. Let's go outside. There are plenty of public pools."
Ye Zizheng: "I don't want to!!!"
However, resistance was futile. He was carried away.
In the backyard.
Ye Qichen felt his parents had deliberately taken Ye Zizheng away. Now that only the three of them remained, he naturally said to Yu He,
"Sister, Seventh Master Qin doesn't like to share a pool with others. Let's go out and soak. We'll leave him here to enjoy it alone."
As he spoke, he put his arm around Yu He's shoulders and led her out.
Yu He had been thinking the same thing, but hearing it from Ye Qichen felt a little strange.
*How long have you two known each other? You've already figured out his preferences?*
The thought of Qin Beiting's past seductive tactics being used on Ye Qichen...
Qin Beiting's phoenix-like eyes narrowed. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed Yu He's wrist, stopping Ye Qichen from taking her away.
"She's not just 'others'," he said.
Ye Qichen smiled faintly and grabbed Yu He's other hand, pulling her forcefully towards him. "No, she is!"
Qin Beiting yanked hard, pulling Yu He to his side. "She's not!"
"She is."
"She's not."
"..."
Yu He, expressionless, was pulled back and forth between them. A thought suddenly popped into her mind:
*Perhaps they both want to soak in the hot springs together but are too embarrassed to say so directly. So they want me to stay and watch them?*
Imagining that scene, she forcefully broke free from their grasp.
"I'm leaving. You two soak."
Qin Beiting: "..."
Ye Qichen: "..."
Just then, Ye Qichen's phone rang. It was Cheng Lizhu calling. He answered, and after hearing what was said, he frowned and replied, "Okay, I'll be there now."
He hung up and turned to instruct Yu He, "Mom wants me to go over. You need to be wary of this man."
Before leaving, he couldn't resist glaring at Qin Beiting, warning him not to mess around!
Yu He saw this and her beautiful brows furrowed. It seemed her brother still didn't know about Qin Beiting's sexual orientation.
She reached out and patted his arm, reminding him, "Brother, the one you need to be wary of is yourself."
Qin Beiting: ???
Ye Qichen: ???
*Could he be thinking of killing me for preventing him from soaking with Yu He?*
Seeing his clueless expression, Yu He realized she needed to be more direct.
As she was about to leave with Ye Qichen, Qin Beiting grabbed her.
"Baby, weren't you going to soak in the hot springs with me?"
Yu He: "..."
*You were the one who followed me, how did it become what I wanted?*
However, she did have something to say to Qin Beiting, so she stayed.
Qin Beiting removed his bathrobe and stepped into the hot spring pool. Yu He also shed her bathrobe and entered the pool from the other side.
The sky was overcast today, looking like it might snow. The temperature difference was significant, and the hot spring pool was enveloped in mist, blurring their vision.
Looking at the man's silhouette veiled by the steam, Yu He spoke, "Don't get so close to my brother in the future!"