Hot water came down from above his head with a whooshing sound. The water ran down his immaculately styled hair and then down his stiff muscles.
Soon the water washed away his drowsiness and fatigue. His usual thoughts about work didn't enter his mind this time. Jun Shang watched the random droplets explode onto the tiles. The water began to fully soak his body before crashing down at his feet and spreading out onto the tile floor.
"Does the first day of our honeymoon mean anything to us?"
He recalled Yun Xiao's words. More specifically, he remembered her indifferent eyes as she said those words.
Pfft, Jun Shang began to laugh. He remembered how he had been worried that she would be clingy when he was on his way to meet her a month ago. On the contrary, she didn't seem to have any interest in him at all. He was starting to feel embarrassed for worrying about it.
He was glad things worked out.
Jun Shang briefly cleaned himself off and exited the bathroom. He then buried himself in his bed. The past few days' worth of fatigue smashed into him like a ton of bricks.
Jun Shang didn't know how long he slept. A bird was chirping outside the window. He suddenly woke up from his slumber. He had woken up from a bad dream.
It was a dream he had often as a young child, but had forgotten about now. He was holding his mother's hand as he was going to see his father. He was so excited to see his father for the first time in his life.
His father's cold eyes as he looked down on his young self's childlike anticipation was no different from the eyes of his new bride.
"Damn it."
Jun Shang slowly got up and swept back his disheveled hair. He had been so tired that he dreamed of old memories. He quickly shook off the remainder of the tiresome dream and looked around at his surroundings.
He was inside a clean but luxurious bedroom. The flowers and champagne that the resort had prepared for the honeymooners had been thrown in the trash. The special Japanese characteristic of cleanliness and orderliness felt a bit suffocating for Jun Shang.
He looked at the time. It was already past 2AM. However, he sensed that he was alone.
Where did she go?
Jun Shang put on the yukata that had been laid out on the side of the bed and walked towards the bedroom that she would be using. The room was empty. The bathroom was also empty. Her bags and clothing were neatly put away. Where had she gone in the middle of the night? Did something happen to her?
Worried, Jun Shang opened the veranda doors and went out onto the balcony. The resort's security was more than enough, and the Huang security team was also stationed around the cabin, but something could have still gone wrong.
Did she go out to the garden?
Each cabin had its own open-air bath and a garden. The garden looked natural, but each element had been placed with much thought. The tree branches stretched out over the dim lights.
Jun Shang thought he heard the sound of water coming from somewhere. He smelled the hot spring's characteristic scent of water mixed with the fragrance of spring flowers. He followed the smell until he suddenly stopped.
Ah...
Did he say this out loud? He wasn't sure. Under the moonlight, the lines of purple wisteria blossoms stretched out like a fantasy. Jun Shang felt as if the last remnants of the world had suddenly disappeared. Within the white smoke of the hot spring sat Xiao.
Her long, black hair was still wet as it hung down her white back. Jun Shang wasn't sure if she had only put on half of the blue yukata or whether it had slid down, but he could see her shoulder and part of her back. He was so entranced that he forgot why he came here in the first place.
She was cold and indifferent, but it seemed like a strange sadness was emanating off of her. But her profile was so beautiful. It seemed as if she would disappear into the darkness at any moment.
"Yun Xiao."
Subconsciously, Jun Shang called her name. He felt as if she'd really disappear if he left her alone. Startled, Xiao turned her head and looked at him. Her long, black hair fell around her slender face. Her expression looked completely different from the one she had at their marriage meeting and even their wedding.
Was it because she had taken off her makeup? Her bare face looked as delicate as a child's. Without her sophisticated and cold expression, she looked like a delicate flower that could be crushed at the slightest pressure. A bit confused, she fixed her clothes. Without her usual composure, her ears slightly flushed red.
What is this? She's pretty cute. Her embarrassment showing through her cold expression was burned into Jun Shang's eyes. Was it because of the magic in the night air? Or was it because of the bride's white nape peeking through her hair?
He continued to stare at her. Xiao turned to him so that they were face to face. Jun Shang didn't know what to do. Was he going to continue to be polite? Should he warn her not to get closer to him because they were merely business partners?
Pfft, Jun Shang began to laugh.
This was marriage. Even if it was formed through a contract, in the end, a marriage was the most primitive bond between a man and a woman.
Jun Shang offered her his hand. Xiao didn't move. Her alarmed face returned to its chilly state. With the same cold and indifferent expression she had at their marriage meeting, she looked down at his hand.
They both knew what his outstretched hand meant. It didn't matter if she rejected him. However, she wouldn't be able to reject him for long. Unfortunately, she didn't have much choice.
"Do we need to do something like this?"