The natural hot springs are truly different; soaking in them is so comfortable.
As everyone entered the hot spring pool, a wave of warmth immediately enveloped them. Steam rose from the water's surface, and the faint scent of sulfur, skillfully managed, was not at all pungent.
It's unclear when exactly the concept of hot spring hotels began to gain popularity in China, but after that, one after another, hot spring hotels sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
However, the majority of these hot spring hotels were not living up to their names. They advertised natural hot springs and health benefits.
But after consumers visited, they discovered that these hotels simply heated ordinary tap water and added a few things.
Although they tried their best to disguise it, there was still a vast difference compared to true natural hot springs.
Firstly, genuine natural hot springs must have underground heat sources. Most of them are formed from dormant volcanoes that erupted hundreds or even thousands of years ago.
However, this also depends on the location and whether it is suitable for development. In short, the cost of building a suitable hot spring resort hotel is enormous.
It is precisely because of this that genuine natural hot spring resorts are often extremely expensive, beyond the reach of ordinary people.
This is why some hot spring resorts, which are selling dog meat under the guise of sheep heads, have become so prevalent.
This genuine hot spring resort spared no expense. For instance, in the hot spring pool where Liu Shishi and the others were currently soaking, many places were built around the pool where people could lie down.
At this moment, Liu Shishi and the others each found a spot to lie down, exposing only their heads, with their bodies submerged from the neck down.
"Shishi, what do you think of Miao Tao's colleague?"
After soaking for a while, Li Yutong suddenly remembered what Miao Tao had instructed her before they parted ways, so she asked.
Hearing Li Yutong's question, Qiao Yi and Jiang Mengmeng, who had been soaking with their eyes half-closed, immediately widened their eyes and stared at Liu Shishi.
Liu Shishi, still somewhat groggy from the soak, didn't open her eyes and replied directly, "He's a good person, and he even saved my life."
Hearing that Liu Shishi had a good impression of Fu Xiaohao, Li Yutong's eyes lit up.
Before Miao Tao had escorted them back, he had a private chat with Li Yutong. He asked Li Yutong to find out Liu Shishi's impression of Fu Xiaohao and to subtly inquire about Fu Xiaohao's chances of success if he pursued her.
Although she didn't know why Miao Tao was so invested in Fu Xiaohao and Liu Shishi's matters, since her boyfriend had asked, she would do her best to fulfill his request.
"Then, if, I mean hypothetically, Fu Xiaohao were to pursue you, Shishi, would you agree?"
Li Yutong quickly struck while the iron was hot and asked the crucial second question.
As Li Yutong finished speaking, Liu Shishi, who had been somewhat dazed, immediately opened her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Li Yutong and the other two staring at her.
Liu Shishi composed herself and slowly said, "Actually, I had planned to tell you all about this before. I already have a boyfriend."
"What? You have a boyfriend?"
"Shishi, that's not right. You have a boyfriend but you've been hiding it from us!"
"Exactly, what does your boyfriend do? Is he handsome? Bring him out to meet us sometime."
Hearing that Liu Shishi already had a boyfriend, everyone was somewhat surprised. Li Yutong, in particular, frowned.
She had seen Miao Tao's intention to set up Fu Xiaohao and Liu Shishi, and coupled with Miao Tao's polite and protective demeanor towards Fu Xiaohao, it was clear that his status was extraordinary.
But now Liu Shishi already had a boyfriend, and Miao Tao's plan was likely to fall through.
However, Qiao Yi and Jiang Mengmeng were unaware of Li Yutong's thoughts. They crowded around Liu Shishi, inquiring about her boyfriend.
Facing her friends' questions, Liu Shishi naturally did not hide anything, so she simply introduced them to everyone.
"I never meant to hide it from you. It's just that when I wanted to say it, you were all too busy eating and no one was listening."
Liu Shishi spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness.
Qiao Yi snorted, "Don't try that. You have to treat us to a meal, a whole package. Not a single part can be missing."
"That's right, fun and games, all of it."
Jiang Mengmeng's face lit up with joy at the mention of good food.
Seeing that Qiao Yi and Jiang Mengmeng had made arrangements for her, Liu Shishi could only nod helplessly.
She hoped that the two of them wouldn't be too demanding, otherwise, Du Fei would have to fork out a lot of money.
Since Liu Shishi already had a boyfriend, the previous questions no longer needed answers.
Li Yutong fell silent.
...
"Grandpa."
As soon as Fu Xiaohao entered the door, he saw his grandfather, Fu Zhenting, sitting in the living room of the vacation house, reading a newspaper.
Although it was the 21st century and the age of the internet, with most people getting information from their phones and computers, Fu Zhenting still maintained his habit of reading the newspaper daily.
"Mmm, you're back."
Fu Zhenting looked up at Fu Xiaohao, then continued to look down at the newspaper.
After waiting for about ten minutes, Fu Zhenting placed the newspaper on the coffee table in front of him. Only then did Fu Xiaohao speak, "Grandpa, did you try the hot spring here? How did it feel?"
Seeing the concern on Fu Xiaohao's face, Fu Zhenting smiled, "My injuries have been here for over a decade. Countless medical experts and martial arts masters in China have been helpless. How could a single soak in a hot spring cure them? But I know you've put in a lot of effort, thank you."
Hearing his grandfather's words, Fu Xiaohao couldn't help but scratch the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Grandpa. Hearing you say that, I feel like I might have oversimplified things."
Given his grandfather's status, and the fact that he was injured protecting countless top scientists in China, he must have tried countless treatments over the years.
If soaking in a hot spring a few times could help his injuries, his family would have likely bought an entire hot spring resort just to treat his grandfather.
"By the way, that member of the Dragon Group who came to see you earlier, it seems you got along quite well with him."
In fact, Fu Zhenting had seen Fu Xiaohao as soon as he entered the door. The relaxed smile on his grandson's face was something he hadn't seen in a long time.
Sometimes, Fu Zhenting wondered if he had been too strict with his grandson, causing him to lose his ordinary life and recreational activities, focusing only on martial arts over the years.
"Mmm, I didn't feel it before, but after seeing him this time, I suddenly felt that Miao Tao is quite interesting. Today, I met some friends with him, and we had a good chat, so we had dinner and talked before coming back."
As Fu Xiaohao spoke, the image of Liu Shishi couldn't help but appear in his mind, and a smile he couldn't hide spread across his face.
He had originally intended to tell Fu Xiaohao to subtly inform Miao Tao that he was here on a mission and should not stay at the hot spring resort for too long.
However, seeing the genuine smile on Fu Xiaohao's face at this moment, Fu Zhenting retracted the words that were about to leave his lips.
After all, according to regulations, the Dragon Group requires two people for each mission. Since Fu Xiaohao was so happy, he would indulge him this once and not pry too much, as long as Miao Tao and his companion completed the mission smoothly.