CH 39

The hot spring had a total of thirty-two pools of varying depths. There was white smoke swirling over the pools, and there were signs along the stone road.

Because it was the off-season, there weren’t many people around. Su Huanyi was walking ahead of Su Chi, who was a long way behind him. He turned and waved his hand, “Brother, hurry up.”

Su Chi lowered his eyes, “You go your own way…”

“Yangguan Road, I’ll walk my log bridge.” Su Huanyi connected smoothly.

“…”

Su Chi finally looked up at him and said, “What kind of idiom is that?”

Su Huanyi meekly shut up and turned his head to find a perfect spot. He found a secluded pool that was half paved with pebbles and backed by a shade of trees.

He wrapped a towel around himself before slipping into the water and a head popped out from the surface, “Quickly come in, big brother. It’s hot. ”

Su Chi paused before pulling off the belt around his waist and following him into the water.

They were three meters apart, and Su Huanyi came over with a splash, “Big brother, do you think Xiao Qin can find his way over?”

Su Chi pushed him away, “I’m not a navigator.”

Su Huanyi’s gaze trembled slightly. This was not a rhetorical tone! There was no sneer in it! What is wrong with big brother? Could it be that the hot springs are causing discomfort……

He tentatively asked, “Big brother, are you feeling unwell?”

Su Chi’s expression condensed before finally cracking, “Su Huanyi, who taught you Chinese?”

Su Huanyi bowed his head shyly and said, “It’s self-taught.”

A cold snort fell above the steaming water.

“….”

With that cold snort, Su Huanyi felt that his familiar big brother had returned.

The two hadn’t been soaking for long when a waiter came from the bar not far away, carrying a tray in his hand. On the tray were plum wine and some pastries, with dry ice that was emitting white smoke to decorate them.

The banks of the hot spring were paved with pebbles halfway, and the other half had a flat overflow grille. The waiter placed the tray next to the overflow grille, “Dear guests, this is on Boss Wan.”

“Thank you.”

Their backs were against the cobblestone side, and after the waiter left, Su Huanyi eyed the tray across the hot spring pool, “We can eat this, right?”

“Why not?”

“Didn’t we refuse Mr. Hu’s gift before?”

The temperature around plummeted. “Can it be considered the same?”

“Not the same, not the same.” Su Huanyi drifted away from the moody Su Chi and drifted towards the tray.

The floor of the pool felt rough, but it was slippery in some places like the stone was hollowed out and chiselled, not quite flat.

“Don’t fall.”

“I know, I’m walking with the soles of my feet against the bottom.”

The person behind him didn’t say anything else. Su Huanyi waded across the hot spring pool by rubbing his feet at the bottom. He was two metres away when his toe suddenly kicked a broken stone.

“Mmm!” He let out a cry of pain.

There was a splash behind him.

Su Huanyi stood still, afraid to move for fear of kicking the other half of the stone. A sharp pain came from the tip of his toe, and he didn’t forget to warn Su Chi, “Brother, be careful of the rock at the bottom of the pool. It might have been kicked in by someone. ”

The sound of approaching water didn’t stop until his arm was held by a warm, thick palm.

Without saying a word, Su Chi held him until he slowly approached the edge of the pool.

Su Huanyi eased up from the initial pain and wanted to tell Su Chi that he was fine. He looked up but met the latter’s gloomy eyes.

“…..Big brother, did you kick a stone too?”

Su Chi’s tightly pursed lips loosened. “No. You sit up. ”

Su Huanyi was carried to the edge of the pool bank, his mouth still pressing, “You don’t need to keep it in to save face. If you’re also hurt, we can hug, cry, and lick each other’s wounds on the shore. No one is nobler than the other…..”

“Lift your leg.” Su Chi interrupted his babbling with a deep voice.

A leg came up from the emerald water, bringing up a trail of water to tread on the shore.

Su Chi held his ankle in the palm of his hand and pulled it closer. His eyes glanced up for a moment before moving away, “Put your towel together.” His fingertips curled slightly. “Otherwise your legs will feel cold.”

Su Huanyi obediently pulled it together, “Okay.”

His feet were white, and the tips of his toes were red. Su Huanyi probably hit the toenail, as there was a trace of blood where it met the flesh.

Su Chi’s brow was knit tightly, and a rough finger gently ran over the tip of the toe, “Does it hurt here?”

“It doesn’t seem to hurt that much.” Su Huanyi was honest. “Brother, your finger is so rough that it hurts a little when you rub it.”

“Brittle.” The ankle was loosened and Su Chi went up the pool bank with a splash. Water droplets slid down his beautiful muscular lines. “Let’s go back.”

“Back to what?”

“To rub some iodine in it. Don’t soak it, unless you want to get an infection. ”

Su Huanyi’s eyes fell on the tray next to him, feeling reluctant. “But they’re still waiting for me.”

“…” Su Chi took a deep breath of the sulfurous air before he bent down to pick up the tray with one hand and scoop up Su Huanyi with the other. “Hurry up if you want to eat.”

…….

After going to the shower room to rinse and change, Su Chi went to the front desk of the hotel and asked for iodine to apply to Su Huanyi.

Should we give them a heads up that some other tourists might have dropped stones in the water? That way, the next people don’t kick them again?”

“I’ve already said that.” Su Chi applied the medicine and got up.

Su Huanyi was putting on his shoes when he heard Su Chi’s phone ring. It should be Xiao Qin looking for them because Su Chi picked up and gave a location.

Ten minutes later, Xiao Qin appeared at the hotel lobby, “Director Su, Assistant Su, you two look very good after soaking in the hot spring.”

Su Chi did not comment on his blindness.

Su Huanyi asked, “Secretary Qin, why didn’t you join us earlier?”

Xiao Qin, “Because it’s the end of the month.” It’s payday. I have to be cautious of my words and deeds.

Su Huanyi didn’t understand his subtext. Just when he wanted to ask a follow-up question, he was interrupted by Su Chi, “Let’s go eat.”

The unimportant question was immediately forgotten, “Okay.”

Back at the hotel, Su Huanyi was sprawled on the sofa with his legs stretched out, as if he was very sick.

Su Chi glanced at him and said nothing. He took out his mobile phone and ordered food, which was delivered to the room in a short while.

The two ate their dinner face-to-face. Su Chi sat upright even when at the coffee table, which was a stark contrast to the jelly man across from him.

Su Huanyi reported his injuries to the [Shooting Squad] while eating.

Apart from the kind and innocent Sun Yue, who expressed her pity, the other two spoke in the usual way.

[Sun Heyu]: Cool!

[Zhou Qingcheng]: So cool!

Su Huanyi: “….”

Probably considering his improper attitude, Zhou Qingcheng made up for it by recommending attractions.

[Zhou Qingcheng]: There’s an observation tower in the city of Ning that is suitable for going to at night, but you’re afraid of heights… alas, tsk tsk.

The phrase “tsk tsk” felt as sharp as a tooth.

Su Huanyi exited unhappily and turned to Su Chi, “Big brother, do you want to go to the observation tower later this evening?”

“You still look like you’ve just been amputated.”

“I’m fine now. I’ve already healed.” Su Huanyi saw that he was about to frown, and hurriedly added, “And aren’t you there, big brother?”

“…..” Su Chi swallowed the words of refusal back with a mouthful of white rice.

Ning City’s observation tower is 408 meters high. It is located in the centre of the city on the banks of the Qingfu River and is a famous tourist attraction in Ning City.

It was windy and cold at night, so Su Huanyi wore the “dumpling” down jacket and sank himself into the sesame seed filling, following Su Chi’s lead.

It was the off-season, so there was no need to queue. Su Chi bought a ticket from the entrance and they went in.

There was an elevator on the ground floor that went straight to the top floor, which was the sightseeing deck. The elevator was transparent on all sides, allowing one to see the entire city spread out beneath their feet as they ascended.

On entering the elevator, Su Huanyi tugged on Su Chi’s elbow nervously, “Brother, can I lean close to you?”

It was dark all around, and the blue light around the transparent elevator reflected on the two people. Su Chi’s voice was low in the quiet space. “Why did you offer to come here if you’re afraid of heights?”

The elevator rose abruptly, and Su Huanyi’s hands suddenly tightened. “People will always challenge themselves.”

Su Chi’s expensive coat was tugged out of Su Huanyi’s hands, “Why do I feel like you’re challenging me?”

“….”

The elevator went up a hundred meters, and there were thousands of lights underneath. Su Huanyi wanted to look but was scared to. His eyes gradually narrowed in an attempt to shield his fear with his eyelids…

Su Chi looked down at the trembling eyelashes.

The distance of a few hundred meters was only a minute away.

Su Huanyi was almost hanging off Su Chi’s arm as they exited the elevator, “How exciting, big brother.”

Su Chi calmly rubbed his head, “Don’t worry.” He reassured, “There will be more excitement later.”

Su Huanyi instantly froze.

The observation deck was outside of the tower and had a 360-degree panoramic view. The glass floor was transparent and was 400 meters high in altitude.

Su Huanyi grabbed Su Chi and slowly walked to the platform. He looked ahead, not daring to look at his feet. The view in the distance was splendid, and nighttime was the most magnificent moment of a city’s civilization.

There were some tourists in twos and threes all around. Within a few minutes, the elevator behind opened and a guide led about twenty people onto the observation deck.

They were standing directly opposite the elevator, and the space immediately became cramped. Children were jostling behind them, and Su Huanyi was bumped into. Half of him ended up in Su Chi’s arms, and his soft hair swept past the latter’s cheek.

The breathing overhead suddenly slowed, and Su Chi’s voice was slightly fluctuating in the dim surroundings. “Let’s change….”

Swish – Bang! Bang! Bang!

A cluster of fireworks suddenly lit up the night sky. The splendid fireworks burst high up in the sky at their level, and the crowd around them gasped, all leaning over.

The two could not move apart as they were surrounded by the crowd. Su Huanyi was half leaning in Su Chi’s arms, his attention focused on the fireworks display across the observation platform.

The guide behind said, “These are the fireworks from the TV tower across the street. They are set off on the 25th of every night, so you are just in time. ”

Su Huanyi smiled at the words and puffed out his small chest proudly. His strands of hair were like a bright red scarf fluttering in the wind. “You see, big brother. We’ve come to the right place, don’t you think so? ”

A cluster of golden fireworks blossomed at the bottom of Su Huanyi’s pupils, and when the fireworks scattered, the bottom of his pupils were filled with sparks.

Su Chi lowered his eyes to look at him and gave a soft “mmm.”

The noise of the people around him faded away, leaving only the sound of the fireworks drumming against his eardrums.

Bang, bang, bang…… one after another.

It was only when the crowd had cleared out that Su Chi realized the fireworks display had ended. But the drum-like sound still had not subsided.

It raged and pounded in his chest with a presence he could no longer ignore.

The author has something to say:

Su Chi: The fireworks are over, but there’s still a thumping in my chest. Do you understand what I mean?

Su Huanyi: I get it! You’re bursting with joy!

Su Chi: …