Qian Zhu was soaked in water, yet his face held no expression. His hands hung by the sides of his body and he stared at Su Tang.
His entire body was drenched, and his inner clothes could be seen clearly. Once the inner clothes came into contact with water, they turned transparent and revealed the youthful muscles and lines underneath. His black hair was plastered to his shoulders. Water rolled down, dripping to the floor and forming a small puddle.
Su Tang felt extremely awkward, his face especially red. In a moment of confusion, he lowered himself back into the water as if nothing had happened.
Only his little head was peeking past the waterâs surface.
The more one tried to hide, the more obvious it was. 1 Like a hamster that had stolen snacks and fearfully hid inside its wooden home, it still peeked out its head to look around.
Qian Zhu stared at him for a while, but not too long. Though, to Su Tang, this was already terrifying enough because of Qian Zhuâs deep, ink-black eyes that contained no emotions. Usually when this occurred, something terrible would happen.
Su Tang couldnât help trembling.
He gazed focused on Qian Zhu, and he didnât dare make any significant movements, watching Qian Zhu as he leisurely walked to the edge before taking off the last of his clothes. He stepped into the hot spring, only an armâs length away from Su Tang.
Su Tang was frightened into temporarily forgetting to breathe. Was Qian Zhu about to start taking revenge against him? Should he escape? But he wasnât wearing any clothes, so would he have to run away butt naked?
He hadnât finished thinking when Qian Zhu reached out to grab him. Like he was plucking a carrot, he lifted Su Tang out of the water and sat him down properly, thenâŚ
There was no âthenâ.
Su Tang was stunned for a good few seconds before realising he seemed to have passed the most dangerous time. His heart was filled with complex emotions he couldnât describe.
Wasnât this comparable to if a little puppy had bitten its owner, then its owner picked up a knife and walked over, but in the end, only helped to trim the puppyâs fur?\n
Su Tang tilted his head, realising that Qian Zhu, this old god, was soaking in the water with no expression on his face. His body language proved he was very calm, as if he hadnât previously been drenched in water.
Thinking until here, Su Tang heaved a sigh of relief. Heâd barely managed to escape, but he suddenly felt as if heâd forgotten something.
That âsomethingâ was when Qian Zhu was helping him take off his clothes while secretly laughing at him!
Once he thought of this, he got angry. Su Tang felt that he was teased and that this person, Qian Zhu, was truly scum. He seemed to be a calm and upright person when he actually wasnât so respectable!
Su Tang âhmphâed, showing a âyou wronged meâ look. At the same time, he felt this move lacked courage, so he used his little foot to prod Qian Zhu. Qian Zhu didnât react, so he nudged him again.
Qian Zhu lowered his head and used his hand to grasp the naughty little foot beneath the water. He slowly lifted it up, and Su Tang almost cried out.
âWhat did you catch me? Hurry, put it down.â Su Tang said as he wiggled his butt, wanting to scooch back so that the area below his stomach could be hidden by the water.
âYou poked me first.â Qian Zhu replied, turning his head to look at the otherâs little foot. The toes were round, like small shells. Water droplets rolled down the fair foot, then over the ankle and finally into the water. âDi-daâ2. It broke the silence.
Su Tang was shocked and kicked his foot around again. Only then did Qian Zhu react and put his foot down.
The two stared at each other for a while before Su Tang couldnât hold back. He patted his cheeks before feebly saying, âI poked you because I have something I want to ask.â
âWhat is it?â Qian Zhu asked.
âItâs⌠Itâs, cough, you were laughing at me behind my back.â Su Tang replied after much difficulty. Qian Zhu didnât react, causing Su Tang to nearly die from embarrassment.
âSorry.â Qian Zhu said.
âYou donât need to apologise, ah.â Su Tang lifted his head with a smile and continued, âWhy did you secretly laugh at me?â\nIt seemed like this question stumped Qian Zhu. He thought for a while before he replied, âI thought it was rather amusing.â
âHow was it amusing?â Su Tang was a little upset.
âWhen you were running away butt naked.â Qian Zhu said, looking like he wanted to crack a smile.
When he saw Su Tangâs embarrassed, shy face and his neck start turning red, like a red shrimp, it caused Qian Zhuâs heart to itch. Heâd watched the other as he quickly ran away with his little white legs and jumped into the water after a few steps.
What left him with the deepest impression was Su Tangâs soft and tender butt.
Although he didnât touch it, looking at its shape made him feel that it was definitely very soft, like a little peachâfresh and juicy. Looking at it even made him develop a rash desire to bite it.
Qian Zhu curled his lip, yet didnât express his thoughts, and didnât mention them to Su Tang. But he didnât forget, silently hiding this desire deep in his heart and waiting for the right chance; he must try it at least once.
Su Tang felt that, based on Qian Zhuâs words, he seemed rather silly and, at the same time, that made him feel very sad. He didnât want to accept this thought as the truth, so he asked, âWas it really so unbearable to look at?â
âNo, I thought it was really cute.â Qian Zhu replied.
Su Tang turned away, not saying a sentence more.
 Only his ahoge 3 was swaying around, appearing especially happy.
After soaking in the hot spring, Su Tang felt comfortable all over. His whole body felt like it was floating on clouds, and when he stepped onto the ground, it felt like stepping onto a rainbow.
His mood was good, so he didnât wear shoes and just ran straight out. Like the wind, it was as if he was flying with every step he took.
Qian Zhu was right behind him, holding Su Tangâs hand without hesitation. When the other turned to look at him, he explained, âIâm worried youâll be blown away by the wind.â
\nSince Qian Zhu was born to take over the previous shaxin, people transferred their fear of his predecessor onto him. No one was willing to interact with him, and when they saw him, theyâd secretly run far away. If they made eye contact with him on accident, they would be scared to the point they couldnât even walk, much less speak.
Qian Zhu knew this and, due to his identity as a shaxin, isolated himself, never interacting with people or wandering around. Though, even then, he still couldnât get rid of the fear people had for him.
âBut I feel youâre very good ah.â Su Tang said, his heart filled with sadness.
Qian Zhu rubbed Su Tangâs head, warmth in his eyes as he said, âOnly youâre not afraid of me.â
âBecause you wouldnât hurt me.â Su Tang patted the hand on his head and complained, âRubbing my head will make me shorter.â
Qian Zhu didnât take his hand away, instead continuing to rub Su Tangâs hair. It was soft and extremely pleasing to touch.
Su Tang got upset. He momentarily forgot he was on a tall tree and pulled Qian Zhu up. He threw Qian Zhuâs hand off his head but still wasnât satisfied. He plucked a bunch of flowers off the branches and threw them on Qian Zhuâs head.
Qian Zhu knew the other was playing around, so he stood up and caught Su Tang, hugging him into his embrace and placing a small yellow flower behind his ear.
Su Tang felt shy and hurriedly removed the flower near his ear. When Qian Zhu took a step towards him, he took a step back and slipped. His body fell backwards, and he had the feeling that he was going to fall off.
âAh!â Su Tang let out a scream, frightened to the point that he shut his eyes as his little hands flailed around, but someone caught him.
Those hands were full of strength and, without hesitation, they carried Su Tang up. The flowers on the tree fell like raindrops, however Su Tang didnât care. All he could tell was that his heart was beating like crazy and his tears had, at some point, started to fall.
âDonât be scared, donât be scared. You didnât fall.â Qian Zhu comforted. Su Tang opened his eyes, big teardrops spilling over, and like beads from a broken thread, one fell after the other, with many more to follow.
He stared at Qian Zhu and didnât even wipe his tears. He buried his head in the otherâs chest and started to cry loudly.
âMeanie. Youâre a big meanieâŚâ Su Tang pounded on Qian Zhuâs shoulder and wailed.