A Test in the Steam

“Oh, so that’s what happened. You scared me half to death.” Li Yuan couldn’t stop laughing.

He’d waited ages without seeing either of them, so he’d come looking. Only to find the two wrapped up in each other’s arms. It had been a genuine shock at first.

Li Yuan cracked a grin. “I was seriously considering whether I should go soak in a separate pool.”

Xu Yi shut his eyes in despair.

He prayed this was all a dream.

After rinsing off, the three of them headed straight for the outdoor hot springs. Everyone was down to just swim trunks—except Xu Yi, who still had a bath towel draped over his shoulders. Too cold, he’d claimed.

Once they sank into the water, every worry seemed to melt away.

Li Yuan had a lively streak. He paddled out to the center of the pool and started doing laps in some flamboyant, self-styled strokes.

Lu Xingyan and Xu Yi leaned back against the stones, soaking it in.

“Well? Coming with me wasn’t a mistake, was it?” Lu Xingyan fished for praise.

Xu Yi nodded, then slid a little deeper until the lower half of his face disappeared beneath the surface. A few bubbles broke the water, then popped.

Lu Xingyan’s gaze drifted to Xu Yi’s profile, flushed a tender pink from the steam.

His wife was way too cute.

And earlier, while changing—deliberately sitting on his lap like that.

Blushing like that. Absolutely adorable.

But wait. Why was he sinking lower and lower?

Lu Xingyan paused. A jolt of realization hit him—Xu Yi might be getting lightheaded from the heat.

He grabbed Xu Yi’s arm and pulled him up a bit. Underwater, their bodies brushed together inadvertently. The hot spring water had left their skin sleek, slippery—the sensation even stranger than usual.

Even so, Xu Yi remained unresponsive.

Every trace of romantic haze vanished from Lu Xingyan’s mind. He scooped Xu Yi up in a hurry and carried him out of the pool.

The sudden drop in temperature outside the water had him wrapping Xu Yi tightly in a bath towel, holding him close. After a few minutes, the vacant look in Xu Yi’s eyes finally sharpened back to lucidity.

But the gaze that turned up toward Lu Xingyan was pure, almost docile.

Lu Xingyan exhaled in relief.

Who knew Xu Yi could look so innocent?

He couldn’t resist pulling out his phone and snapping a photo of Xu Yi’s face, grinning. “Too frail for your own good, huh?”

Xu Yi blinked. The past few seconds of reality sank in.

He smacked Lu Xingyan’s phone aside and practically launched himself out of the man’s arms, springing a full meter away.

“I skipped lunch,” Xu Yi lied on the spot.

He’d eaten, actually. The puppy-dog younger brother had ordered it for him.

Lu Xingyan frowned. Xu Yi’s daily routines were a mess. It wasn’t good for his health. No wonder he was so skinny.

“That’s my bad. Let’s get dinner first.” Lu Xingyan waved Li Yuan back over.

Xu Yi caught the unusually tender note in Lu Xingyan’s voice and instinctively put his guard up. “Why are you voice-training all of a sudden?”

“…” Lu Xingyan massaged his temple.

Xu Yi had been so devastatingly cute and sweet that night, he’d nearly forgotten how venomous that soft little mouth could be.

He forced a smile. “Just wanted to gross you out.”

Xu Yi rolled his eyes, turned on his heel, and headed for the elevator.

The buffet was self-serve. Lu Xingyan made a point of observing Xu Yi’s preferences. Did he like seafood with lots of meat and easy access? Or was he simply too lazy to deal with anything shelled?

Lu Xingyan decided to order some shrimp and crab to practice. Someday he might need to shell them for Xu Yi himself.

Once the food was spread across the table, Xu Yi only dared pull out his phone for a few photos after seeing Li Yuan do the same. He’d post them to his Moments later—blocking Lu Xingyan, of course. Useful bait for fishing.

Lu Xingyan shelled an entire plate of crab legs and mantis shrimp with a set of tools, then nudged the plate slightly toward Xu Yi. “I shelled too much. Help me eat some.”

He sipped his hot soup with an air of indifference, but caught the way Xu Yi’s eyes lit up at the sight of the plate from his peripheral vision.

“I guess I’ll help you out, reluctantly.” Xu Yi picked up a piece of crab meat, dipping it into the sauce pooled at the edge of the plate—a blend Lu Xingyan had mixed specifically for him.

Now Lu Xingyan could openly turn his head and watch. “So, how’s my seafood dipping sauce?”

“Passable.” Xu Yi’s face stayed expressionless, but his eyes curved slightly, the corners tipping downward in an expression of unmistakable contentment.

Lu Xingyan’s lips curled into a smile.

All that cramming on dating techniques was paying off.

To capture a man’s heart, first capture his stomach. Once Xu Yi couldn’t live without his sauce, he’d stop adding new guys every day.

Li Yuan clicked his tongue in amazement. “Never figured Brother Yan would be this thoughtful. Whoever ends up as your girlfriend’s gonna be seriously lucky.”

Both Lu Xingyan and Xu Yi froze.

Xu Yi was thinking: in a way, he kind of was Lu Xingyan’s girlfriend. Even if they hadn’t officially defined it—that was only because he’d refused to.

Lu Xingyan, for his part, worried Xu Yi might suspect he already knew his identity. He slid the plate a bit further toward the center. “Just say so if you want some.”

“Whoa, Brother Yan, I’m in love.” Li Yuan cheekily snagged a piece.

Lu Xingyan had been watching Xu Yi’s expression the whole time. Seeing zero reaction left him a little deflated.

Why didn’t his wife feel even a shred of possessiveness toward him?

Full and content, they played cards for a while, but it was still only eight in the evening. Li Yuan suggested massages.

It was a Sunday night, and with the steep opening prices, the place was nearly empty. They picked three spots in a row—Lu Xingyan in the middle, Xu Yi at the far end.

Xu Yi lay stretched across the massage bed. The whole room was steeped in the faint scent of sandalwood, the lighting dim and drowsy, gauzy curtains hanging between each bed.

Deeply hypnotic.

The massage therapist’s technique was excellent. After several days of chaotic sleep, Xu Yi tumbled into a heavy, dreamless slumber in no time.

He didn’t know how long had passed before his eyes fluttered open, bleary and unfocused.

An unfamiliar ceiling stared back at him. He lay there, stupefied, for a few seconds.

Weren’t they in the middle of a massage?

Xu Yi sat up. He was dressed in a fresh, dry bathrobe. Lu Xingyan lay on the small bed beside him, with Li Yuan just beyond.

Lu Xingyan noticed him stirring and casually nudged the fruit platter on the little table between them. “Finally awake?”

“When… when did we get to the lounge?” Xu Yi had slept so well, even the dark circles under his eyes had faded.

“You were out like a log, so I carried you here.” Lu Xingyan tossed a grape into his mouth, supremely unconcerned.

“Brother Yan is a beast. Scooped him right up, like it was nothing.” Li Yuan poked his head out from the other side, grinning. “Probably got plenty of practice hauling his little girlfriend around.”

Xu Yi’s cheeks burned. He’d actually fallen asleep. And Lu Xingyan had carried him here.

Speaking of which—wasn’t he Lu Xingyan’s so-called little girlfriend?

Xu Yi rubbed his face, mortified.

And who had changed his clothes? Had Lu Xingyan noticed anything?

The mole on his thigh flashed through his mind.

His voice came out edged with reproach before he could stop it. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You looked so peaceful. I couldn’t bear to disturb you.” Lu Xingyan’s tone was perfectly matter-of-fact. He even shot Xu Yi a wink.

Infuriating. Xu Yi turned away and fixed his eyes on the TV ahead.

What was this guy playing at? Had he actually discovered the secret?

Xu Yi frowned and stole a covert glance at him. Lu Xingyan was still munching fruit and watching TV, utterly carefree. Not a hint of anything off.

Either he was a master actor, or—since they were both guys—he simply hadn’t paid much attention while helping him change.

Xu Yi was deeply uneasy. He needed to run a test.

He picked up his phone. Lu Xingyan hadn’t sent a single message to Xiao Yi’s account.

That was completely out of character. The guy was clingy by nature.

Xu Yi thought for a moment, then sent a message of his own.

**Xu Yi:** Why haven’t you been looking for me? Already bored now that you’ve got me?

**Xu Yi:** You’re just playing around after all, aren’t you. Typical.

He hid his movements beneath the blanket.

Sure enough, the moment Lu Xingyan’s phone buzzed, he pulled it out immediately.

Lu Xingyan was briefly caught off guard by Xu Yi’s sudden interrogation. But then it hit him—Xu Yi knew exactly what he was doing, right here in the same room, and was deliberately testing him anyway.

That was adorable.

An involuntary, besotted smile tugged at Lu Xingyan’s lips.

He typed: “Been busy.”

Instantly, he felt a vicious glare scorching the side of his head.

He caught on. Xu Yi was worried he’d figured out his identity and was probing for confirmation. Sharp instincts.

Lu Xingyan deleted the two words he’d just typed. He hesitated.

His original plan had been to cut ties with Xiao Yi online and slowly build something with the real Xu Yi. But now he’d been backed into a corner. No way to retreat.

If he really severed things with the Xiao Yi persona, Xu Yi wouldn’t see him as a good guy either.

The only path forward was to juggle both identities simultaneously—then find the right moment to come clean.

Lu Xingyan gathered his thoughts and crafted a careful reply.

Starfall: “Baby, I’m at a bathhouse. My roommate’s kind of useless, been looking after him.”

He made a point of smiling down at his phone, letting Xu Yi clearly see his adoring expression.

Xu Yi, who had been stealing glances at Lu Xingyan the entire time, furtively checked his own phone beneath the blanket. Then caught that mocking smile on Lu Xingyan’s face.

Damn him. He was actually laughing about it with someone else.

But at least his identity was still safe. He’d forgive him. Barely.

Xu Yi pressed his lips together and typed.

Xu Yi: “Oh. Taking care of your roommate, or taking care of someone else?”

Starfall: “Someone else? Baby, are you saying you want to be that someone else?”

Xu Yi hadn’t expected Lu Xingyan to have learned how to seize the upper hand, flipping the question right back at him.

He realized, belatedly, that his face might be flushing. He yanked the blanket up to cover his head, blocking himself from view.

Lu Xingyan had, of course, already clocked the ostrich act. His heart flooded with sweetness. Once you knew Xu Yi was Xiao Yi, all these tiny, unconscious gestures became unbearably cute.

He watched the typing indicator pulse for an eternity before three words finally appeared.

Little Liar: Who’d want that.

Lu Xingyan cradled his phone. Shy. His baby was definitely shy.

He fired off a red packet without a second thought. “Baby, want to come join us?”

Little Liar: Tch. Who wants to watch you make googly eyes at someone else.

Lu Xingyan blinked. She was even jealous of his other self.

And yet—the moment she got jealous, she came straight to torment him.

Such a spiteful little personality.

His lips curved. A method to handle her had just occurred to him.

Starfall: Baby, I miss you so much. Can I call you?