Chapter 28

By the time they finished at the hot springs, it was already pitch black outside.

The group of young people, all brimming with restless energy, decided to head to a seafood restaurant for dinner, followed by a night of singing and carousing. Although Lin Sheng was a picky eater, he was always good-natured and accommodating in such settings, never voicing an objection. It had always been his way: if something was fun, he would join in; if not, he was perfectly content to sit on the sidelines and smoke quietly. Back in his school days, he had even earned the nickname "Zen Master."

Since there were so many of them, they sat at a long table. Xu Xieyi took a seat next to Lin Sheng, sitting quite upright and proper. Many eyes drifted toward them.

The three people closest to Lin Sheng immediately caught on. Xiao Yufeng leaned in slightly and asked Chu Yuefei, "Brother Sheng... has he set his sights on someone?"

Chu Yuefei let out a scoff, nudged the slipper lobster on his plate, and whispered, "You're a bit slow on the uptake, little hornet."

Xiao Yufeng was taken aback.

Chu Yuefei had been observing Xu Xieyi for a long time. He truly hadn't expected that when Lin Sheng asked about seventeen-year-old girls at the bar that one time, he hadn't been asking idly. Was it because of this girl? Lin Sheng hadn't made his intentions clear, so Chu Yuefei couldn't quite figure out his plan.

Lin Sheng had a couple more drinks with his friends. When he turned back, he found two peeled shrimp sitting on his plate. He didn't care for tiger prawns—he disliked the name—and his brow furrowed sharply.

Xu Xieyi was startled, assuming Lin Sheng was displaying his usual fastidiousness. "I washed my hands, Brother Lin... they're very clean."

Lin Sheng looked over at the girl, who appeared somewhat flustered, and his expression softened. He gave a faint smile. "You peeled these?"

Xu Xieyi nodded.

In their social circle, many had studied abroad and were somewhat influenced by Western culture, leading them to be quite particular about personal space. They used serving chopsticks at dinner and kept their personal items strictly separated from others'. Peeling shrimp for someone else was considered an act of intimacy.

Lin Sheng picked up a shrimp to examine it, then popped it into his mouth. He didn't eat much, and he did so with great refinement, not making a sound. Xu Xieyi watched the rhythmic chewing of his clean jawline and the slight movement of his Adam's apple as he swallowed. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," Lin Sheng said with a gentle smile. "It tastes good, too."

Having received his praise, Xu Xieyi beamed. She noticed his eyelashes—straight and dense rather than curled—which gave his eyes a vivid, spirited look.

"I'll peel a few more for you."

"Sure," he agreed easily.

A few seats away, Chu Yuefei squinted and frowned, turning to Chen Xia. "Damn, I can't watch this anymore!"

Chen Xia maintained his usual poker face, swirling the drink in his glass. "Tch, Little Red Riding Hood is peeling shrimp for the Big Bad Wolf."

The KTV lounge was a short distance from the hotel. Lin Sheng told Xu Xieyi to wait in his car while he went up to the private room to have a few drinks and say his goodbyes to his friends, planning to bring her back to the hotel to rest afterward.

The music in the room was deafening. Chu Yuefei had just stepped out to take a call, and when he returned, he found both Lin Sheng and Xu Xieyi gone. "Where's Ah Sheng?"

Chen Xia shook his dice. "Took the girl back to the hotel."

Chu Yuefei: "..."

Xiao Yufeng looked puzzled. "Has he been single for too long? It’s turned our elegant, reserved idol into this kind of starving beast."

The men chuckled to themselves, simultaneously pitying the innocent young girl and condemning Lin Sheng for being a bit of a predator. Of course, they were only joking; they all knew that given Lin Sheng's background and upbringing, it was impossible for him to do anything untoward to such an innocent girl.

The roads in the hot spring town were empty at night. Lin Sheng parked his car in the open-air lot, retrieved his travel bag from the trunk, and walked around to the front, intending to grab his backpack—only to find the seat empty. He realized the young girl had already gathered his miscellaneous items and was standing to the side waiting for him. The interior of the car had been tidied up neatly as well.

"Let me carry that; it's heavy."

"Just let me help you with some of it, Brother Lin," Xu Xieyi said politely.

Lin Sheng found it amusing: she seemed to have absolutely no experience in being looked after by a man.

When her hands were empty, Xu Xieyi looked up, just in time to meet Lin Sheng’s gaze as he looked down at her with a smile that brooked no argument. "I'll carry it."

They picked up their room key at the front desk. Lin Sheng told Xu Xieyi to sit in the lounge area while he handled it. For this trip, he had left all the arrangements, including the hotel booking, to Xiao Yufeng.

The receptionist handed over only one room key.

"One room?"

The receptionist, wearing exquisite makeup, had been briefed that these were important friends of the boss, so she was particularly attentive. "Yes. Mr. Xiao specifically requested it in his call—the VIP suite with the king bed. It's the only one in the entire hotel."

A strange look flickered in Lin Sheng's eyes, and he lowered his gaze, offering a cold smile. The receptionist was skilled at reading people and sensed that this Mr. Lin’s smile was sharp and indifferent, but she couldn't be certain; after all, his manners were refined, and he looked like someone easy to get along with.

"Book another room," Lin Sheng said.

The sofa was soft, and Xu Xieyi, feeling bored while she waited, looked down at her shoes. Her family's finances weren't great, and these canvas shoes had been bought last year, showing some wear at the edges. But every time she washed them, she scrubbed them with an old toothbrush and toothpaste until they were spotless.

When Lin Sheng walked over, he saw Xu Xieyi looking down at her toes. This girl was so good at taking care of others, so precocious and calm, that sometimes she made him feel as though he were the one being looked after. Yet, her small, inadvertent gestures often reminded him: *Wake up, Lin Sheng. She is, in fact... just an innocent girl who hasn't seen much of the world.*

"Let's go. Get some sleep early."

Lin Sheng's voice interrupted her thoughts about her parents and her second monthly exam. She looked up and smiled. "Is it all set?"

"Mm."

An attendant pressed the floor button for the elevator. Lin Sheng thanked them, habitually letting the lady enter first. Xu Xieyi walked in, feeling that while Lin Sheng’s refined manners were very gentlemanly, she wasn't quite used to them yet.

Lin Sheng had changed the "king suite" for two adjacent rooms. Their luggage was neatly packed into travel bags. Lin Sheng unzipped his bag to take out his schoolbag, and Xu Xieyi reached over to accept it, thanking him. As a senior in high school, one had to maintain the discipline of a senior. Even on this trip, Xu Xieyi had brought her schoolwork along.

The hotel desk and chairs were perfectly set up for studying. After separating their luggage, Lin Sheng returned to his own room. Xu Xieyi did her homework for a while before he came over to tutor her.

Under the desk lamp, Lin Sheng wore a navy blue cotton hoodie, looking clean-cut and elegant—no one would guess how sturdy his build was underneath. Xu Xieyi tried her best to focus, but the milky, clean scent emanating from the young man beside her was far too distracting.

She stole a glance at him.

Lin Sheng’s short hair was still damp, and there were tiny beads of water on the fair skin behind his ears; his skin seemed to radiate warmth.

*Brother Lin really loves to bathe,* she thought.

He had bathed after the hot springs and now again; it was rare to find a man so clean. Xu Xieyi’s gaze lowered slightly, drawn to his hands—the backs of them had strong, prominent veins, and his fingers were slender, his nails so clean they were almost translucent, like... freshly scrubbed seashells. She recalled his sturdy physique in the hot springs, then thought of the faint, distant memory of that thin, lean boy from long ago. They slowly merged into one.

"For an even function f(x) on R, it is an increasing function on zero to positive infinity..." Lin Sheng read the problem and wrote down a formula, only then realizing the girl beside him was daydreaming.

"What's wrong?" Lin Sheng asked, his expression serious as he grew dissatisfied with her lack of focus.

Xu Xieyi snapped to attention and sat up straight. "I'm sorry, Brother Lin, I... I drifted off."

*You just smell too good,* she thought.

Lin Sheng frowned. "You can't let your study habits slip. Play hard when you're playing, but when you're studying, you must be single-minded. Developing bad habits is far more serious than missing a single question."

Xu Xieyi felt ashamed and nodded repeatedly, sitting up straighter and not daring to let her mind wander, focusing intently on the problems. While Lin Sheng was satisfied with her willingness to correct her mistakes, he also felt that... the way Xu Xieyi was being so deferential toward him didn't quite feel right.

Once the math exercises were mostly finished, Xu Xieyi let out a sigh of relief. Lin Sheng helped her mark a few key points and explained some common problem-solving approaches. Xu Xieyi nodded as she listened, using a brand-new notebook to record every step.

Then, she heard him say, "Xieyi."

Her pen paused, and she looked up. "Yes?"

Lin Sheng was propping his head up, watching her. His eyes were clear, possessing an innate sense of focus that many lacked. It was unnerving.

She gripped the barrel of her pen and swallowed. "Wh-what is it, Brother Lin?"

Lin Sheng’s eyes were deep and heavy. "Tonight, why did you peel those shrimp for me?"

Xu Xieyi blinked. She couldn't handle such scrutiny and shifted her gaze to the side. "I saw them keep trying to make you drink, and drinking on an empty stomach is bad for you... Besides, you've always had a weak stomach."

Lin Sheng smiled faintly. "Is that so..."

Xu Xieyi didn't know what he was smiling about and felt very tense under his gaze.

After a few seconds of silence, Lin Sheng suddenly leaned in, resting his arm on the back of the girl's chair. Xu Xieyi gasped, her lungs filling with the warm, fresh scent of his recent bath. His eyes were dark and all-consuming, his gaze like a whirlpool drawing her in, carrying a hint of a smile.

"Xieyi, Brother wants to... ask you a little secret."

Xu Xieyi swallowed hard. "Mm..."

Their eyes locked, and Lin Sheng’s voice turned slightly husky. "Have you ever... dated a boy?"