Lin Zeqiu immediately asked a series of questions: “Are your studies keeping you busy? Are you tired? Have you had breakfast yet?”

Lin Zhixia felt a hint of nervousness.

Last night, she and Jiang Yubai had slept in the same bed again. To be honest, she had slept soundly and comfortably, having sweet dreams all night long. Before falling asleep, the story she made up for Jiang Yubai seemed to have successfully soothed him, and this morning, he appeared to be in a good mood.

With her mind full of thoughts about Jiang Yubai, Lin Zhixia could still flawlessly play her little deception: “Brother, my advisor helped me connect with a journal editor, and now I’m a reviewer for the journal. I have been a bit busy these past few days, but I don’t feel tired at all. I’m learning every day, and my life is quite fulfilling.”

After hearing his sister’s words, Lin Zeqiu nodded approvingly: “That’s good.”

He paused before continuing: “I found an internship this semester. If you don’t have enough money, just let me know. If you find cooking for yourself too tiring, don’t do it—go eat at restaurants instead.”

So that was why Lin Zeqiu had called her, to tell her about this.

Lin Zhixia was stunned for a couple of seconds before responding: “Brother, you can keep the money you earn for yourself.”

“I have nowhere to spend it,” Lin Zeqiu replied without hesitation. “Everything you buy abroad is expensive.”

Lin Zhixia noticed that Lin Zeqiu had become increasingly gentle and considerate, no longer scolding her every other day as he did when they were children. A person’s growth seemed to happen imperceptibly. Lin Zhixia’s feelings were somewhat complex. She said softly, “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m doing well, and I have enough money…”

While listening to his sister, Lin Zeqiu was walking along a sidewalk, with the afternoon sun bathing him in light. He had no classes this afternoon and was heading to his internship. His monthly intern salary was 3,100 yuan, plus a 1,000 yuan housing allowance, totaling 4,100 yuan.

Lin Zeqiu spent very little on living expenses and could save at least three thousand yuan each month. He worked diligently and responsibly, often staying at the company until eight or nine in the evening, earning praise from both his supervisors and colleagues. He planned to continue working until the end of the year to save around ten thousand yuan, then buy Lin Zhixia a plane ticket so she could fly back to their hometown for the New Year. Both their parents missed her very much.

Their family hadn’t been together for a long time.

Lin Zhixia seemed to read his mind.

She revealed to him, “I want to come home for the Spring Festival next year.”

Lin Zeqiu said, “I’ll buy you a plane ticket when the time comes.”

Lin Zeqiu slowed his pace, climbed some steps, and entered the building of an internet company. Having confirmed that Lin Zhixia was safe and sound, he casually said, “Alright, I need to get busy now. We’ll talk again at the end of the month.”

Lin Zhixia readily agreed: “Okay, goodbye, brother.”

Jiang Yubai thought the call had ended. He asked her very tenderly and considerately: “What would you like for breakfast?”

As luck would have it, Lin Zeqiu heard Jiang Yubai’s voice.

Lin Zeqiu thought the voice sounded quite pleasant with a familiar quality to it, but he couldn’t recall who it belonged to. He asked sternly, “Lin Zhixia, are you in your dormitory?”

Lin Zhixia’s mind raced. In a flash, she decided to fool her brother with a fabricated story—in her brother’s eyes, Lin Zhixia was still a child. If her brother knew the truth, that she and Jiang Yubai were living in the same room and sleeping in the same bed, he would surely puff up like a blowfish and explode on the spot.

To prevent her brother from exploding, Lin Zhixia calmly explained: “Brother, I’ve told you before, our school dormitories have mixed gender housing, and the kitchen is shared. I ran into a classmate in the kitchen, and they asked what I wanted for breakfast. That’s how we greet each other.”

Lin Zeqiu thought for a moment and believed her.

He added: “Mixed gender dormitories… don’t let any boys into your room.”

Lin Zhixia responded very sensibly: “Okay, I’ll protect myself!”

Only then did Lin Zeqiu say “goodbye” to her and hang up the phone.

Hearing the “beep beep” sound from her phone, Lin Zhixia felt relieved. Lin Zeqiu was easy to fool; she had managed to get away with a few simple words.

Up until now, Lin Zhixia hadn’t told her family that she had a boyfriend. She planned to wait until the Spring Festival next year to tell her parents the truth. She also asked Jiang Yubai: “Do your parents know you have a girlfriend?”

Jiang Yubai was very forthright: “My whole family knows.”

Lin Zhixia was extremely surprised: “When did this happen?”

Jiang Yubai took out a breakfast menu. He handed the menu to Lin Zhixia before speaking: “Last September, before I came to school, I… mentioned our relationship at home.”

At that time, Jiang Yubai had also said that Lin Zhixia was coming to Cambridge for her doctoral studies, and that he could take care of her.

Jiang Yubai’s uncle congratulated him, praised him for his achievements, and said he had long guessed that he and Lin Zhixia would eventually become a couple when they grew up. Jiang Yubai’s mother didn’t say much, while his father taught him to be responsible for his feelings. His family members all seemed well-prepared, as if everything that had developed was within their expectations.

*

That morning, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai ate a hearty breakfast in their room.

After the meal, Lin Zhixia took her laptop to the study.

She opened Han Guang’s paper and reviewed it line by line, page by page. Han Guang’s research direction was quite innovative; he cited more than a dozen papers that Lin Zhixia had never read before.

So, Lin Zhixia found those papers in the school’s electronic library and carefully browsed through them all. She read papers at an extremely fast pace and had a very special way of thinking. She could circle her fingertips around the screen a few times and understand the meaning of all those theorems, propositions, and annotations.

Lin Zhixia’s paper-reading speed might be ten times faster than Jiang Yubai’s.

Jiang Yubai felt that in front of Lin Zhixia, he could completely play the role of a sports talent. He silently worked on his economics assignment, listing a long series of mathematical expressions. Lin Zhixia came over, glanced at his manuscript, and exclaimed admiringly: “Your fundamentals are so solid!”

After that, she gave him a quick kiss on the face.

Jiang Yubai’s efficiency in doing his homework increased.

For the entire Saturday daytime, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai stayed in the study room learning. Even with beautiful mountains, waters, and scenery just outside the window, the two remained completely focused.

Lin Zhixia’s review work was nearing completion. She had found many problems—Han Guang’s experimental data was insufficient, and his computational model was not accurate enough. In other words, Han Guang had to repeat his experiments and switch to a different computational model.

Lin Zhixia opened LaTeX (a document preparation system) and wrote out her detailed review comments. She uploaded this document as an attachment and sent it to Han Guang through her school email. After finishing these tasks, she stood up and stretched.

Jiang Yubai had also just completed his assignment.

By then, the last rays of the setting sun cast flickering shadows, with the evening glow spreading like colorful ribbons across the vast lake surface. Lin Zhixia gazed into the distance, her mood becoming even more peaceful at the magnificent and gorgeous scene. She suggested: “Let’s go to the hot springs.”

Before Jiang Yubai could respond, Lin Zhixia said, “I brought my swimsuit. Did you?”

Of course, Jiang Yubai had also brought his swimsuit.

Lin Zhixia had mentioned before that she wanted to see what Jiang Yubai looked like in a swimsuit.

That day had finally arrived.

Seeing that Jiang Yubai didn’t refuse, Lin Zhixia felt both excited and solemn, as if she were about to exchange something important with him. She quickly ran into the bedroom, found her swimsuit, put it on without any hesitation, and looked at herself in the mirror for a while.

It was a light coral pink swimsuit with a very low neckline, revealing her well-developed chest. The thin straps at the back were tied into a butterfly knot—if someone pulled the string, the swimsuit would come loose, but Lin Zhixia trusted that Jiang Yubai definitely wouldn’t mess with her butterfly knot.

Wearing this swimsuit, Lin Zhixia walked toward the hot spring bath with a hint of shyness.

Warm vapor rose, misty like smoke, spreading endlessly. Jiang Yubai sat in the rippling spring pool and heard Lin Zhixia’s sweet, soft voice: “I’m here.”

He lifted his head slightly and met her gaze.

His Adam’s apple bobbed twice, and he reached out a hand to her: “Xiaxia, come here.”

*

The spring water flowed over the steps. Lin Zhixia held the handrail and walked down step by step, creating circles of clear ripples.

The water level rose slowly along her legs, eventually reaching her waist. She treaded barefoot on the marble-paved pool bottom and carefully approached Jiang Yubai’s side, as if walking on thin ice.

She tightly grasped Jiang Yubai’s hand.

The pool was deeper than she had imagined, and she needed a stable support point—Jiang Yubai was her first choice.

Jiang Yubai gently embraced her back, their water-droplet-covered skin touching, creating a sensation different from usual. She leaned into his arms, her full chest pressing tightly against him, prompting Jiang Yubai to turn his head and take another deep breath.

This scene had never appeared in his dreams before.

In other words, he wouldn’t dare to imagine this even in his dreams.

There was a bench on the inner circle of the pool. Jiang Yubai sat on the chair, his right arm tightly holding Lin Zhixia. The warm water flow washed over his subconscious, making him increasingly restless, and his fingertips touched a thin string again.

Lin Zhixia seemed to sense something.

She reminded him: “There’s a butterfly knot on my back. Don’t pull that string, or my swimsuit will fall off.”

Jiang Yubai responded with a hoarse “mm.”

Lin Zhixia relaxed her entire body and leaned against him lazily.

The steamy spring water swept away all her fatigue and exhaustion.

Jiang Yubai’s embrace, as always, provided her with ample security. She felt comfortable and content, with every part of her body enjoying the comfort. So this was what the legendary “hot spring bath” was like—such a comfortable and pleasant experience. No wonder there were various types of hot spring baths all over the world.

Lin Zhixia sat sideways on the stone bench, stretching her long legs, her snow-white arms around Jiang Yubai’s neck. She stared at his collarbone, carefully tracing its shape with her index finger as if researching an unfamiliar treasure.

Jiang Yubai leaned his head back against the pool wall, his blood burning hotly throughout his body.

He was nearly going crazy, really just that close. With his remaining rationality, he forced himself to warn her in a serious tone: “Sit properly…”

He said, “If you continue, I might pull your butterfly knot.”

Lin Zhixia’s eyes were pure, without a hint of mischief.

Her actions just now seemed like an innocent prank, also a punishment for his difficult-to-resolve suspicious thoughts.

Her barely perceptible grievance: “Am I not allowed to touch you?”

Jiang Yubai hurriedly comforted her: “You can touch me however you want…”

“No, I can’t,” Lin Zhixia’s brows furrowed slightly. “You threatened me, saying you’d undo my butterfly knot.”

Jiang Yubai lied: “I won’t. I never thought of that.”

Lin Zhixia examined him and smiled gently: “Really?”

Jiang Yubai suspected she understood everything and could guess it all; she was just constantly challenging his self-control and endurance. This assumption made his heart burn fiercely, and he admitted honestly: “In my imagination, that string has been torn apart hundreds of times.”

Lin Zhixia blinked her moist eyes.

Jiang Yubai had completely sunk into a filthy swamp. He described those impure thoughts to her, word by word: “The string was torn apart, the clothes still hanging on your shoulders…”

His gaze swept across her shoulders and chest: “Before saying ‘sorry,’ guess what I would do to you?”

Jiang Yubai thought he had scared Lin Zhixia.

Unexpectedly, Lin Zhixia splashed the water, creating droplets: “You wouldn’t do anything. I don’t think you have the courage.”

Before she finished speaking, Jiang Yubai grabbed that thin string.

He didn’t suddenly yank the knot open but slowly pulled it inch by inch.

Lin Zhixia was stunned for a second and quickly covered her top: “You…” Her cheeks flushed red: “You said that on this trip, you brought me out to play with no other intentions, just wanting me to relax.”

Yes.

Jiang Yubai had indeed said that.

He hugged her again and kissed her face.

Lin Zhixia turned around, her back to him.

Jiang Yubai finally could follow his heart’s desire and untied that butterfly knot with his own hands—but it was to tie it tighter for her. This was the first time in his life he had tied a butterfly knot for a girl. As his fingertips gathered the string, Lin Zhixia said: “It’s a bit tight.”

His hand moved to the front to loosen it for her, and he asked: “Is that comfortable now?”

“Mmm.” Lin Zhixia nodded.

Jiang Yubai felt greatly relieved.

To divert his attention, he began discussing mathematics with Lin Zhixia, which was also a form of relaxation for her. The sky outside the terrace grew darker, the sunset sinking into the deepest part of the mountains. They talked from mathematics to astronomy and geography, their gentle conversation voices falling into the last glow of the evening.