Finally, Xu Lin and Su Qingwan used a couples' ticket, while the other four got a group ticket.
"This way, please. The VIP room for four is over here. Xiao Zhao, please lead them. I'll lead the couple to their room."
The two groups temporarily parted ways. Xu Lin and Su Qingwan followed their guide to a room.
"Here are your room keys, a brochure, and some small gifts. The brochure contains a lot of useful information. If you have any questions, you can dial 1 from the room phone."
"Alright."
"Enjoy your hot spring experience."
After saying that, the guide bowed and walked away. Su Qingwan quickly opened the door to the room. She hadn't planned on hiking or walking much, so she was wearing high-heeled shoes and her feet were tired. She couldn't wait to throw off her clothes and soak in the hot spring to relieve her fatigue.
Entering the room, they turned on the lights, and both Xu Lin and Su Qingwan were stunned. Their weariness instantly vanished.
"It has that feel."
From the outside, it looked like a hotel setup, so they assumed the inside would be like a hotel room too. But once they stepped inside, they immediately felt, "Ah, this is truly how a hot spring should be."
The room was decorated in a very Japanese style: tatami mats, a low table, and futons laid on the tatami. The pristine white bed had a neatly folded duvet and two bathrobes, sprinkled with some flower petals. On the petals sat a box, which Xu Lin approached, opening it to find a bottle of sake.
Despite the traditional decor, the amenities were very modern, with various electronic devices available.
"It feels pretty nice."
"Yeah."
Su Qingwan quickly walked to the curtains and pulled them open, instantly flooding the room with light. There were two large floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, leading to a semi-open courtyard with beautiful greenery on one side. To the right was the highlight: a 4-5 square meter hot spring, emitting a mist that looked like celestial steam.
"This environment, with a private hot spring, makes it feel so worth it."
Su Qingwan, like Xu Lin earlier, exclaimed in admiration. She had initially thought it was quite expensive. Xu Lin then opened the brochure and began reading. The first section was a map, showing 13 hot springs in the women's area, 12 in the men's area, and 6 coed ones. Additionally, there were washing areas, toilets, massage areas, and a few other spots, making it quite large overall.
"No wonder. If the price were too low, they might really lose money."
Continuing to read, the brochure provided guidance on where to place yukatas and towels, where to buy swimsuits if desired, and general rules like storing clothes properly, not scrubbing in the hot spring, and not using soap or shower gel in the pools.
This brochure was very useful for first-time hot spring visitors. Many people might not read it, but having it was important.
"Xu Lin, I want to soak for a bit."
Su Qingwan hurried out and quickly took off her coat. Xu Lin cleared his throat.
"Teacher Su, calm down. Take this stool and put your clothes on it. I'll close the curtain for you."
But after Xu Lin finished speaking, he noticed that Su Qingwan's expression had turned somewhat sour.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Xu Lin, am I not pretty?"
"You are."
"Do you like me?"
"I do. I already answered you when we arrived."
"Then why are you being so respectful to me?"
"Teacher Su, what are you talking about?"
"It just feels like you're not interested in me at all." She put the bathrobe she had picked up aside, looking a bit disappointed.
"It's not like that, Teacher Su."
"You're still calling me Teacher Su?"
"Qingwan, my dear Qingwan, come here for a hug."
"Get lost."
"Aren't you saying I'm not interested in you?" Xu Lin felt that Teacher Su was acting strangely today.
"You don't understand... Let's soak in the hot spring together."
Su Qingwan sat there, lowered her head and thought for several seconds, then suddenly raised her head with a red face and grabbed Xu Lin's hand.
"Hey? Wait, why are we suddenly talking about soaking in the hot spring?"
"Let's go, let's experience it first."
With that, she grabbed a small stool and headed outside, dragging him along.
"What's the rush? We just ate. It's not good to soak on a full or empty stomach. In the meantime, let's go get some towels. We need to pick them up ourselves near the front desk. There are different lengths and thicknesses."
"True... But can't we just soak directly?"
"Men can soak in the men's area, and women in the women's area."
"I won't soak in a public pool with other men anyway. Let's go find Sister Qin and the others first."
"Yeah, I saw in the brochure that their room for four has a grill where they can have a barbecue."
Xu Lin finally managed to persuade Su Qingwan. He also had a hunch about something. Teacher Su's eagerness for some intimate contact must have something to do with what Qin Yunhe said. He planned to ask her about it later.
Leading Su Qingwan out of the room, Xu Lin sent a message to Ji Yun and followed the map to her location. They also got a glimpse of the winding paths. Without the map, they might have gotten lost several times.
"Here come the lovebirds," Qin Yunhe teased, and everyone chuckled.
"This room is huge! Xu Lin said there's a barbecue grill. Where is it?" Su Qingwan ignored her friend's teasing and looked inside, but she didn't see a grill.
"It's an electric grill, not a traditional one," Ji Yun pointed to the grill on the table, with a smoke vent above it.
"This is a bit rudimentary. It doesn't have the same vibe as traditional grilling."
"Better than nothing. What do you have in your room?"
"A bottle of sake."
"Same here. I just checked, and it retails for 99 yuan."
"That's not bad. Let's go get the towels."
"Where are Miss Liu and Senior Sister?" Xu Lin looked around but didn't see Liu Qinnuan and Bai Xiaoxiao.
"Over there."
Xu Lin looked at the combined bed and saw the quilt slightly puffed up.
"Are they tired?"
Xu Lin then remembered that Liu Qinnuan probably didn't exercise much usually. After walking so much today, she might really be exhausted. But it was surprising to see Bai Xiaoxiao also asleep.
"We'll bring the towels back for them."
"Yeah."
As they walked, they started talking about the hot springs mentioned in the brochure.
"I want to check out the Pearl Spring. It says it can soothe the meridians and relieve pain."
"The pool that says it can whiten the skin sounds nice."
"Sister Qin, isn't your skin naturally dark?" Su Qingwan chimed in.
"You don't understand anything. This is called a wheat complexion! Some people like it."
"Yeah, it's not something just anyone can pull off. Sister Qin looks very charming with it," Ji Yun added, though she was more envious of Qin Yunhe's height.
She herself was stuck at 163 cm and hadn't grown for a year. Every time she saw her taller friends, she felt a bit envious.
Fortunately, there was still Sister Fengyi...
If Chu Fengyi knew what she was thinking, she'd probably be very upset. But Xu Lin wasn't the type to care about height.
"By the way, the men's and women's areas are separated. You'll have to go to the men's section alone."
"I should've asked Li Bin to come..."
"It's fine. There are private hot springs too. Any girl who wants to join you can," Qin Yunhe joked.
But everyone looked down, as if considering whether that was actually possible. Qin Yunhe suddenly felt that these girls, who seemed so proper on the surface, might be more competitive than she thought.
It was all Su Qingwan's fault!
Su Qingwan felt her friend glare at her and was a bit confused. What did I do? I haven't even made a move yet!