Volume 1, Chapter 53: Falling into His Arms

Could this woman possibly be planning to use the hot springs as an opportunity to show off her figure in front of He Jingcheng?

Upon reaching the edge of the hot spring pools, inside the women's changing room, Jiang Shuwei took out her conservative swimsuit. It was black, understated and modest, but thanks to her naturally porcelain-cold skin, delicate complexion, and great proportions—slender waist, long legs, and a full bust—even the modest swimsuit exuded a mysterious and alluring charm.

He Tingting wore a little duckling swimsuit, complete with a matching hat and draped in a pink bathrobe.

Once Jiang Shuwei had changed, she picked up He Tingting and walked out.

He Jingcheng and the other men were dressed only in swimming trunks, each with a bath towel draped over his shoulders, waiting by the poolside.

Seeing Jiang Shuwei, He Jingcheng's gaze deepened. He walked over, reached out to take He Tingting from her, and said to Xia Chengze and the others, "You guys go ahead and wait for Su Mian. I'll take Tingting over to play for a bit first."

Jiang Shuwei naturally followed along. There was an area specially prepared for children, equipped with various water play facilities. He Tingting's absolute favorite was the slide. Kicking her little feet happily, she cheered, "I want to go play over there!"

He Jingcheng carried her over. Jiang Shuwei, shivering from the chill, quickly draped her towel over a nearby rack and stepped into the pool.

He Jingcheng was wearing black swim trunks; once drenched in water, the bulge there became quite prominent.

Jiang Shuwei disciplined her eyes, refusing to let them wander aimlessly.

He Tingting was playing happily on the slide. Before long, her hair was soaked, and after swallowing a couple of mouthfuls of water, she climbed up and pouted her little lips.

"It's alright, Uncle's got you." He Jingcheng comforted her from the side. Childhood sweetheart.

He Tingting resumed her play.

"Auntie, look at me, quick, look at me..." He Tingting spread her little arms and shouted happily.

When Jiang Shuwei turned her head to look, she happened to catch sight of He Jingcheng's tall, lean, and athletic physique.

His body was truly magnificent—youthful and brimming with a powerful energy, resembling a fierce leopard, elegant yet carrying an aggressive aura.

Forcing a smile, Jiang Shuwei called out to He Tingting, "Don't play too wildly, be careful."

He Jingcheng glanced back at her. Seeing that Jiang Shuwei was speaking to He Tingting while her eyes remained fixed squarely on him, the corners of his thin lips curled into a faint, mocking smirk.

Jiang Shuwei hurriedly lowered her gaze, her heart skipping a beat as it thumped heavily a few times.

Although her feelings for He Jingcheng had faded, meeting his eyes still stirred ripples within her.

"I'm going to check out the pool up ahead. You stay here and play with Tingting." Unwilling to linger any longer, Jiang Shuwei promptly fled the area.

He Jingcheng cast a glance at her retreating back. Last time he had felt she was growing up; seeing her again now, she truly possessed the alluring aura of a mature young woman.

Wrapped in her bathrobe, Jiang Shuwei hurried along with her head down.

He Jingcheng's muscular physique still lingered in her mind.

"Jiang Shuwei, if you don't pull yourself together now, you deserve to endure every hardship life throws at you," she warned herself inwardly.

Lost deep in thought and failing to notice a stone ahead of her, Jiang Shuwei slipped. Startled, she pitched forward directly into the pool beside the path.

With a splash, the water burst open.

Jiang Shuwei was not a strong swimmer. Although the pool was shallow, she still thrashed around for a long time before finally managing to grab hold of something to steady herself and stand up.

However, as she wiped the water droplets from her face, she realized that what she was gripping was a man's sturdy arm.

"Miss Jiang, are you alright?" A cold male voice sounded by her ear.

***

Jiang Shuwei shuddered all over and turned her head to find Qin Weizhou.

Her fingers were still tightly clutching his right arm.

"President Qin... I'm sorry." Startled, Jiang Shuwei quickly let go. At that moment, because her long hair had been soaked, the hair tie had long since slipped loose, and her waist-length tea-colored locks trailed through the water behind her, framing her fair, delicate, and pretty face.

Qin Weizhou looked at her with deep, unfathomable eyes.

"Did you slip?" the man asked.

Earlier, sitting in the shadows, he had watched her walking over from a distance.

He had thought she would notice him, but she had kept her head down, completely preoccupied.

Therefore, he had seen everything—from her stepping on the slippery stone to her plunging into the pool where he was.

"Yes. I hope I didn't hurt you," Jiang Shuwei said, mortified, her pretty face flushing a deep pink.

"It's nothing, it doesn't hurt." Qin Weizhou kept his arm submerged in the water; in reality, two deep crescent marks had already been pinched into his skin by her sharp fingernails.

Overwhelmed with embarrassment, Jiang Shuwei immediately lowered her head to look for her bath towel.

It was completely soaked through.

Standing up made her shiver with cold, so she had no choice but to quickly squat back down to let the warm water heat her body.

Watching her head bob above the water, Qin Weizhou could clearly see her distress.

"If Miss Jiang doesn't mind, you can borrow my bath towel." Qin Weizhou gestured toward his black towel.

"No, no, no, how could I possibly..."

Before Jiang Shuwei could finish her sentence, she saw He Jingcheng carrying He Tingting walking toward them from ahead.

Taken aback, Jiang Shuwei instinctively scrambled to hide in the shadows.

Seeing her very first reaction upon seeing He Jingcheng was to hide, Qin Weizhou looked slightly startled.

"President Qin, help me block him." The reason Jiang Shuwei was terrified was the thought of He Jingcheng discovering her and Qin Weizhou in the same pool.

Qin Weizhou shielded her entirely within the shadow behind him.

When He Jingcheng looked over, he didn't see anyone in the pool where Qin Weizhou was.

Assuming nothing, he turned and headed elsewhere, because He Tingting was insistent on finding Jiang Shuwei, leaving him no choice but to carry her around in search of her.

Seeing He Jingcheng leave, Jiang Shuwei breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as she was about to leave, however, her calf suddenly seized up in a cramp. The pain brought tears to her eyes, and she tumbled backward into the water once more.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Qin Weizhou reached out and scooped her up.

Choking on the water again, Jiang Shuwei could barely open her eyes. She hastily wiped her face with her fingers, and upon realizing she was lying horizontally across the man's embrace, her mind went blank.

"I'm sorry, I... I got a cramp in my calf." Jiang Shuwei struggled out of the man's arms and hurriedly stood up.

Maintaining the demeanor of a consummate gentleman, Qin Weizhou said calmly, "It's fine. Is it still cramping?"

"No, it's stopped." Overwhelmed with shame and humiliation, Jiang Shuwei grabbed her towel and scrambled out of the pool. "President Qin, I'm going elsewhere now."

"Mhm," Qin Weizhou replied.

The only reason Qin Weizhou hadn't asked Jiang Shuwei to stay was because beneath the water, his body had already quietly stirred in response.

He Jingcheng carried He Tingting around in a circle before finally spotting Jiang Shuwei's head protruding from the water.

"Auntie, why are you over here? We clearly looked for you over there just now!" He Tingting beamed happily.

Initially, He Jingcheng hadn't thought much of it, but He Tingting's words struck like a switch flipping in his mind.

He glanced at the pool where Qin Weizhou was not far away, then back at Jiang Shuwei's wet hair.

His eyes were always sharp. When he had searched the area earlier, he hadn't seen her.

Now, she had suddenly reappeared here.

He Jingcheng fixed his gaze on Jiang Shuwei's water-drenched head, instantly harboring suspicions: Could she have been with Qin Weizhou just now? And what's more, might she have been hiding completely submerged in the water?

What were she and Qin Weizhou... doing under the water?

Just as He Jingcheng's thoughts began to deepen, Su Mian and her group walked over. "Brother Jingcheng, so this is where you are."

Su Mian was wearing a light blue lace miniskirt, showing off her upper body and fair, tender legs in all their seductive glory. Swaying her slender waist as if she were walking a runway, she draped a bath towel over her shoulders and sauntered gracefully over to He Jingcheng.

She noticed Jiang Shuwei in the pool holding He Tingting.

"Brother Jingcheng, let's go soak over there instead," Su Mian requested gently.

"Yeah, Jingcheng, let's find a bigger pool," Xia Chengze chimed in.

He Jingcheng looked at Jiang Shuwei.

Jiang Shuwei's expression remained indifferent, ignoring his gaze entirely.

"Alright," He Jingcheng agreed, turning to He Tingting. "Tingting, go with your auntie."

"Okay!" He Tingting wrapped her little arms around Jiang Shuwei, acting immensely affectionate.

Seeing this, Su Mian's aversion toward He Tingting deepened even further.

If not for this child binding Jiang Shuwei and He Jingcheng's relationship together, the two of them would have been divorced a million years ago.

Both Jiang Shuwei and He Tingting's hair was completely soaked. After soaking for another ten minutes, Jiang Shuwei carried the child away from the hot spring pool, headed into the changing room to wash her up, and dressed her in warm clothes.

Once she had blow-dried He Tingting's hair, Jiang Shuwei quickly tidied herself up. Shortly after, the two of them left the hot spring area, intending to return to the hotel.

Along the path, under the warm lights reflecting off the white snow, the surroundings seemed imbued with a gentle tenderness.

"Miss Jiang, how is it just the two of you? Where is Young Master He?" Zhou Zuirui's voice suddenly rang out from behind.

Jiang Shuwei halted her steps and looked toward the figures of the three people approaching.