Fatal Desire

Chapter 115 Spring Tide Surges
Song Xi remained motionless, her fingertips unconsciously tightening around the waistband of her bathrobe.

The fog blurred her vision, but it only made his tall and imposing figure appear even more alluring and captivating in the haze.

"Wait for me to hold you?" Zhao Yansen lifted his eyelids, his dark eyes locking onto her precisely.

"No need." Song Xi turned her gaze away from him. "I'm not going to soak in the hot spring. You can soak slowly, brother."

She clutched the belt of her bathrobe, and as she turned around, a low warning came from behind her: "Stop."

Song Xi stopped.

"Come here yourself, or I'll carry you." The casual tone conveyed complete control.

After a moment of silence, Song Xi sighed, but still pretended to be calm as she untied her bathrobe.

The moment the silk fabric slipped from her shoulder, she heard a slight sloshing sound on the water's surface, and Zhao Yansen adjusted his posture.

As I slowly entered the water, the warm current enveloped my limbs and bones, and ripples spread across the surface of the pool.

The hot spring pool was very large, and Song Xi deliberately walked to the farthest part.

When the hot spring water reached her chest, her ankle was suddenly grabbed by a large hand.

Song Xi was caught off guard and pulled over, splashing water onto both of their faces. She hurriedly braced herself against the pool wall, but her knee accidentally brushed against the hot, hard surface.

Song Xi froze instantly. As the water rippled, she looked up and saw the man's eyes darken.

Water droplets trickled down the creases of his taut abdominal muscles, creating tiny ripples on the surface of the pool. Song Xi's voice trembled as she said, "Brother..."

"Why are you running?" Zhao Yansen grabbed her wrist domineeringly, trapping her between the pool wall and himself.

Song Xi could clearly feel the man's breathing become heavier. When he looked down at her, the water droplets that had condensed on his eyelashes dripped onto her collarbone, sliding deeper into her skin.

A misty fog hung in the air as Zhao Yansen's long arm wrapped around Song Xi's waist, his palm resting against her shoulder blades.
Are you cold?

"It's not cold," Song Xi shook her head.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo curtain, casting dappled shadows on Zhao Yansen's brow. His eyes were lowered, his dark pupils sharp: "If you're already tired of it, why are you still shaking?"

The hot spring water suddenly became scalding hot. Song Xi's lips parted slightly, but she had not yet uttered a defense.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Three soft sounds came from outside the bamboo curtain. The waitress's respectful voice broke the ambiance: "Mr. Zhao, your tea and snacks are ready."

Zhao Yansen didn't move an inch, his arm still around her waist: "Put it outside."

"Yes." The waitress placed the tea and snacks on the low marble table by the pool and then left.

The footsteps faded into the distance. Song Xi took the opportunity to break free, but was pulled back. She crashed into the man's hard chest, hearing his strong heartbeat in her ear.

The water rippled, and this time he pressed her down onto his lap, the hot spring water barely covering her snow-white collarbone.

Zhao Yansen scooped up a handful of water and poured it on her shoulders and neck.

Warm water seeped into her skin along the edge of her swimsuit.

Song Xi's breath hitched, and she subconsciously shrank back half an inch.

The man paused slightly, his gaze darkening: "You can't even behave yourself while soaking in a hot spring."

"It's clearly you who's restless," Song Xi said, her eyes reddening slightly, her moist pupils shining brightly through the mist.

The palpitations she felt in the car had subsided, and now she didn't want any physical contact with him, much less for him to touch her first.

She didn't have that much self-control when facing him, but she was also unwilling to ask for anything more.

“If you want someone to go to the hot springs with you, there are plenty of people to choose from.” Song Xi clenched her fists underwater, trying to remain as calm as possible as she spoke. “The number of people who want you to take care of them could stretch from the east side of the city to the west side.”

Anyway, that person might not be her; he could pamper and protect anyone, and let anyone sleep with him.

Zhao Yansen's slender fingers traced her delicate wrist bones, his fingertips brushing against the pale blue veins, and he said slowly:
"In your eyes, do I only care about that status?"

“As long as she is my niece, she will live with you. You said it yourself, even if it’s not me, Song Xi, but Li Xi, Song Bei… you will treat them all the same.” Qin Fanghao has seen countless films. In high school, she once watched a foreign movie where the boy in the adoptive family eventually fell in love with the girl he had adopted.

"That's so fake," she scoffed at the time. "It's just that she happened to be chosen. If it were any other girl, wouldn't the outcome have been the same?"

At that time, Song Xi was indulging in the sweetness of self-deception, firmly believing that she was the only one of her kind.

It wasn't until later that she understood:

Even if it wasn't her,
If it were someone else,
Zhao Yansen would do the same.

With the same patience

Give the same leniency.

During the four years of their breakup, she longed for him to come to her more than once.

But as it turns out, without that identity, he wouldn't even bother with her.

Amidst the misty air, Zhao Yansen leaned lazily against the pool wall, the lamplight casting a cold, white glow on his sharp, deep features.

"When did I say such a thing?"

“You’re the one who told me to thank Auntie,” Song Xi retorted. “I’m living with you because of Auntie, aren’t I? If I weren’t Auntie’s niece, you would still have other people, and you would still take care of her.”

"XiXi, what you said is not true."

Zhao Yansen raised his hand and tucked her wet hair behind her ear with his fingertips. "If you weren't Song Yunyu's niece, the person standing in front of you right now wouldn't be the Zhao Yansen you are now."

His words seemed both clear and ambiguous, spoken slowly and deliberately, always composed and unmoved by external influences.

In the past, this ease and confidence were incredibly charming to Song Xi, and she was completely captivated by it.

Now, she turned her head away and scoffed indifferently, "Say what you will, you never think you're going too far... I don't want it anymore."

The last few words were as light as a sigh, yet as heavy as a thousand pounds.

She didn't want his body or his heart anymore.

Suddenly, a splash of water erupted on the surface.

Zhao Yansen's five fingers suddenly dug into the back of Song Xi's neck, the force so strong that her heart trembled uncontrollably.

His eyes held a dark undercurrent that Song Xi had never seen before, yet his voice remained frighteningly calm: "Say it again."

Glistening water droplets fell from Song Xi's soaked hair, creating tiny whirlpools on the surface of the water between the two of them.

Admittedly, Zhao Yansen has changed a lot.

Similarly, she is no longer the girl who used to cling to him.

Song Xi tilted her head back, her long, black eyelashes resembling delicate little fans: "I said, I'm sick of it."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yansen suddenly closed in.

Song Xi subconsciously closed her eyes, but the kiss she expected landed on her earlobe instead.

He bit down hard, as if trying to leave a mark, his scalding breath burning her sensitive earlobe: "Too late."

The pain of sharp teeth grinding against soft flesh sent shivers down Song Xi's spine, and her fingertips uncontrollably dug into the muscles of his shoulder blade.

The sensation of her fingernails digging into his skin made Zhao Yansen's Adam's apple bob violently. He pulled her even tighter into his arms, almost as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

As the spring tide surged and the water rippled, the swimsuit straps quietly came undone, revealing silky shoulders that shimmered like pearls in the moonlight.

“You…” Song Xi hurriedly tightened her clothes, but Zhao Yansen swiftly intercepted her wrist.

His slender fingertips brushed lightly across her collarbone as he slowly and deliberately re-tied the ribbon, his demeanor as elegant as if he were handling a rare treasure.

"Do you know why we chose this place?" he suddenly asked.

(End of this chapter)