At the same time, the group arrived at Sky Lagoon.
Everyone sat in the lobby and waited for a while. Soon, Lucas returned with ten wristbands—two per person. One was for storing clothes, and the other was for experiencing the seven-step ritual.
While distributing the wristbands, Lucas specifically explained, "The seven-step ritual consists of a hot spring bath, a cold water bath, a sauna, followed by an essential oil salt exfoliation, a cold mist awakening, relaxation in warm water, and finally, a short rest in the relaxation area."
The five of them had booked Sky Pass tickets through the official website, which converted to about 670 yuan per person. This pass included access to the hot spring area and the seven-step thermal therapy. Compared to the Pure Pass, the Sky Pass provided a private changing room and shower but did not include a free towel, which had to be rented separately.
Having read guides online beforehand, they all came prepared and brought their own towels. Each holding their wristbands, the five of them split up into small groups and headed toward the changing rooms. Since the private changing rooms were separate, the five soon dispersed.
Just as Zhou Chaosheng was about to open the door to his changing room, a hand suddenly reached from behind, covering his own.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Chaosheng asked knowingly.
Jiang Yuanye smiled slightly. "Changing together with my boyfriend, of course."
The two entered the changing room. As soon as the door closed, they were enveloped by immersive meditation background music. Jiang Yuanye wasted no time in pushing Zhou Chaosheng against the wall, wrapping his arms around him, and kissing him deeply.
Jiang Yuanye was a fast learner—after only one or two tries, he had already mastered the art of kissing. His soft tongue effortlessly pried open Zhou Chaosheng’s lips, slipping inside and swirling around in a teasing rhythm.
The kiss lasted for several minutes before Jiang Yuanye reluctantly pulled away. His cheeks were flushed as he stared intently at Zhou Chaosheng. Then, he placed another light kiss on his shoulder and murmured, "Chaosheng, you’re so beautiful."
Zhou Chaosheng had always known he had an attractive face. He had been complimented countless times throughout his life. But never before had a simple "beautiful" made his heart race like this.
"Mm." Zhou Chaosheng dropped his gaze in a flustered manner, unable to handle the weight of Jiang Yuanye’s deep, intense emotions reflected in his eyes.
After storing away their clothes, Zhou Chaosheng turned to look at Jiang Yuanye, who remained in the room, and asked, "Aren’t you going back?"
"Back where?"
"To your own changing room."
"I'm not going back. I want to shower with you."
Zhou Chaosheng froze for a moment.
Jiang Yuanye leaned in close to his ear, his voice carrying a teasing lilt. "Don’t you want me to help you?"
Under normal circumstances, such words wouldn’t seem too suggestive. But in the current setting—just the two of them in a small, enclosed space—the implication was undeniable. Zhou Chaosheng couldn’t even pretend not to understand.
"…Help how?"
"With my hands, of course." Jiang Yuanye’s lips curled into a smirk. "Or did you think I meant something else?"
Zhou Chaosheng: "….."
The private changing room was connected to an individual shower. In the confined space, one man was pressed against the wall while the other blocked his way. Water cascaded from the overhead shower, drenching them both completely. The muffled groans and swallowed gasps were drowned out by the sound of running water.
Jiang Yuanye half-knelt on the floor, completely entranced as he admired the once aloof, high-above-it-all prodigy revealing a side of himself that no one had ever seen before.
Like a fallen angel cast into the depths of desire, his once pristine white wings were now stained with something far removed from heaven’s purity.
It was a rare sight indeed.
Jiang Yuanye thought to himself—Zhou Chaosheng always carried himself with such grace and composure…
Who would’ve thought that in private, he could be so alluring?
Jiang Yuanye moved his hands while unabashedly drinking in the sight of Zhou Chaosheng leaning weakly against the wall. The warm golden light outlined his delicate features, his slender neck, his smooth, fair skin—every detail an intoxicating feast for Jiang Yuanye’s eyes.
Unable to resist, he leaned in to kiss Zhou Chaosheng’s face, nose, and ears, as if he could never get enough, desperate to leave his mark all over him.
Zhou Chaosheng kept his eyes tightly shut, his long lashes trembling slightly. His nose was damp with sweat, and his skin—flushed pink from the hot water—made him look like a ripe peach freshly plucked from the tree.
"Chaosheng…"
"Sometimes, I really want to hide you away somewhere…"
Somewhere only he could see.
Jiang Yuanye’s amber eyes darkened with an intense possessiveness as he spoke.
Zhou Chaosheng slowly opened his eyes, raised his hand to grasp the back of Jiang Yuanye’s neck, and pulled him down. Their gazes locked, breaths mingling, as he whispered softly, "There’s no need for that…"
"I already belong to you."
Jiang Yuanye’s pupils dilated slightly. Something about those words seemed to strike a nerve within him. Lowering his head, he kissed Zhou Chaosheng’s lips again—over and over—like an addict, moving down to his throat, pressing a kiss against his bobbing Adam’s apple.
"…."
Having someone else do it for him really did feel different from doing it himself.
In his twenty-seven years of life, Zhou Chaosheng had never experienced pleasure this intense. It was something no adult film could compare to—something that surpassed even the occasional times he relieved himself.
A normal man needs to release at least two to three times a month. Most men, however, do so dozens of times a month. The more frequently they do it, the likelier they are to develop premature release—some barely lasting three to five minutes with a partner, while others don’t even make it past ten seconds.
But Zhou Chaosheng and Jiang Yuanye were both anomalies. One had always been self-disciplined, believing himself to be uninterested in sex, while the other had been deeply scarred by his father’s reckless promiscuity and subsequent illness.
Neither had ever cared much about physical intimacy. As a result, they had both held back for twenty-seven years.
And now, all that restraint was suddenly breaking apart.
Like dry tinder meeting a blazing flame. Just one spark, and it became an unstoppable wildfire.
After Jiang Yuanye helped Zhou Chaosheng finish, half an hour had already passed. Zhou Chaosheng originally wanted to return the favor, but Jiang Yuanye refused. Puzzled, he looked up at the man, only to see him smile and press a kiss to his eyelids. "There will be plenty of chances in the future."
Zhou Chaosheng lowered his gaze. "Are you sure?"
"Mm. You should go out first, I'll come out in a bit," Jiang Yuanye declined.
Zhou Chaosheng frowned slightly. "I'm right here, why not now?"
"Aiya… there's really no need. We still have to soak in the hot springs," Jiang Yuanye said while pecking him on the lips.
Being rejected over and over again, Zhou Chaosheng's expression darkened slightly. He got up, grabbed a towel from the rack, wrapped it around himself, and pushed open the door to leave.
He lowered his eyelashes, knowing full well that "soaking in the hot springs" was just an excuse Jiang Yuanye had made up on the spot. The real reason was that he didn't want anyone else to suspect their relationship.
Zhou Chaosheng had been in a great mood earlier, but after this, it plummeted straight to rock bottom. He sighed inwardly, unable to understand what was going on in Jiang Yuanye’s mind. Why did he have to be so cautious?
As his thoughts drifted, his phone, placed on the dressing table, suddenly rang.
He walked over and saw the name "Zhao Xiaohui" on the screen. Without much thought, he answered.
"Hello?"
"Chaosheng, where are you right now?"
Zhou Chaosheng raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking?"
"It's nothing. Just tell me where you are."
Leaning against the wall with his phone to his ear, Zhou Chaosheng's gaze shifted toward the frosted glass, where a blurred figure was reflected.
"Iceland. Why?"
"…"
The other end of the line was silent for at least a minute.
Zhou Chaosheng called out, "Hello? If you're not saying anything, I'm hanging up."
"Chaosheng," Zhao Xiaohui’s voice sounded somewhat muffled. "Are you with Jiang Yuanye right now?"
Zhou Chaosheng wasn’t sure how the other person knew, but he didn’t bother denying it and simply admitted, "Yeah."
"…You're serious?" Zhao Xiaohui asked uncertainly.
Separated by a glass door, Zhou Chaosheng could clearly hear the restrained, heavy breathing on the other end. He replied nonchalantly, "How did you know we were here?"
"Don't change the subject! Didn't you tell me before that you were just playing around? Are you seriously planning to make peace with him?
"That’s someone we both used to hate!" Zhao Xiaohui's voice sounded almost frantic.
Zhou Chaosheng could understand why he was so angry. If he put himself in Zhao Xiaohui's shoes—if he had been repeatedly screwed over by a rival company, held a deep-seated grudge against them, and then one day, out of nowhere, received news that his friend was cooperating with them—it would be hard to accept.
"It really was just playing around before." Zhou Chaosheng sounded indifferent, not having expected to contradict himself like this.
Zhao Xiaohui fell silent for a few seconds before gritting his teeth and asking, "And now? Don't tell me you're serious about this. Chaosheng, I'm starting to think you’ve been cursed or something. Ever since you started pretending to have amnesia, you've been acting weirder and weirder…"
"Xiaohui." Zhou Chaosheng interrupted him calmly. "I don’t want to hear you say anything bad about Jiang Yuanye ever again."
"What did you just say?!" Zhao Xiaohui's voice shot up in disbelief, half in shock, half out of sheer frustration.
"I'm with him now."
The words hit Zhao Xiaohui like a bomb, exploding in his ears without warning. Even across thousands of miles, the air around him seemed to have been sucked away, leaving behind only an unbearable silence.
Zhao Xiaohui: "…"
He had considered the possibility that Jiang Yuanye and Zhou Chaosheng would reconcile. He had even imagined them working together. He had thought of many scenarios.
But he had never, not even once, thought the answer would be this.
Struggling to find his voice, Zhao Xiaohui asked, "Chaosheng… you're joking, right?"
They're both men.
How could this be possible?
This couldn't be real.
Zhao Xiaohui refused to believe what he had just heard.
But Zhou Chaosheng remained calm as he repeated, "I'm not joking. Jiang Yuanye and I made things official not long ago."
"…What kind of relationship?"
"The kind that's similar to a man and a woman."
Zhao Xiaohui almost cursed out loud. "…Are you telling me you're lovers?"
Zhou Chaosheng gave a soft "Mm." "Yeah, lovers."
Zhao Xiaohui: "…"
Holy shit.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit—
"You’re fucking serious?!"
Zhou Chaosheng had already been in a bad mood. Now, being bombarded with questions, his tone cooled. "What else would it be?"
Zhao Xiaohui’s near-roaring voice blasted through the speaker. "Zhou Chaosheng, are you insane?! He's a man!"
Hearing this, Zhou Chaosheng's voice suddenly turned ice-cold. "If the only reason you called was to remind me of that, then don't bother calling me again."
Zhao Xiaohui could hear that his childhood friend was truly upset. Like a balloon that had suddenly deflated, his tone softened immediately. "Chaosheng, you know I didn’t mean to lose my temper at you. I just… just think that this… this..."
"This what? That it goes against common sense?" Zhou Chaosheng finished his hesitating words for him.
Zhao Xiaohui fell silent.
Zhou Chaosheng continued, "Zhao Xiaohui, I don’t think liking men is something to be ashamed of. I understand if you don’t support me, but I hope you won’t interfere with my decisions—let alone take it out on Jiang Yuanye. If you do that..."
"I will be very angry."
Hearing these words, Zhao Xiaohui wasn’t just shocked—he was completely and utterly shaken.
The three of them had grown up together and had never really fought. They had always been close, never once saying anything as childish as cutting ties. The reason was probably that Zhou Chaosheng and Gu Qingqiu were naturally steady and mature. Among the three, Zhao Xiaohui was the eldest, but in reality, he was the one who had been looked after the most.
In Zhao Xiaohui’s memory, Zhou Chaosheng had rarely shown his negative emotions. He had always been someone who processed and controlled his feelings well, never letting them spill over onto others. But whenever he did explicitly express his emotions, the consequences were never good.
"...I got it."
Zhao Xiaohui let out a sigh and relented. "I won’t do anything to him."
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