The hotspring was older than it looked—weathered stone paths, wooden doors smoothed by time, and steam rising from deep, mineral pools like the earth itself was exhaling. Tucked between cedar hills, it felt like a secret place, untouched by time. The kind of place where words lost their sharpness, and even silence felt like kindness.
Lou Yan stood just outside the changing rooms, his robe pressed and tied with awkward precision. He held a towel folded three times in his arms, as if unsure where it belonged. He was barefoot as he stood at the edge of the spring, dressed in the plain bathrobe every guest received, his sleeves rolled up to the elbow. For once, he didn't look like a CEO or a monk.
He just looked... human.
Li Wei was already inside, chest deep in the steaming water, sighing like a man who hadn't had a break in twenty years. "Come, come," he said, waving a hand. " His white hair glistened with steam as he waved impatiently. "What are you waiting for? Don't just stand there like you're waiting for divine approval—get in before the tea gets cold."
Lou looked down at his feet. "Should I… rinse first? Or is it acceptable to enter directly?"
Li Wei blinked. "You're not at temple, son. Just don't bring in mud."
Lou bowed slightly, took a breath, and stepped into the water.
It was hotter than he expected—sharp at first, then meltingly warm. The heat pulled tension from his bones like thread unraveling, and for the first time in weeks, his shoulders softened without conscious effort.
He sat beside Li Wei, keeping a respectful distance, arms folded neatly over his lap beneath the surface.
Li Wei handed him a tiny cup of tea. "Sip. You look like someone who hasn't had anything but stress and stale air in weeks."
Lou took the cup with both hands. "Thank you. I've had mostly water and energy pills lately. Occasionally, warm millet."
Li Wei choked on his tea. "Millet? What are you, eighty?"
"I was taught it's easy on the digestion," Lou replied sincerely. Li Wei gave him a long look. "You're engaged to my daughter, and you're still eating like a hermit?" Lou bowed his head. "I don't expect more than I need."
Li Wei muttered under his breath, something about monks and martyrs, then set his cup aside.
"Listen, Lou. I know you weren't raised in a world of commoners and meaningless chatter. But around here, it's okay to talk about nothing. It's how men bond without getting emotional."
Lou turned to him slowly. "So… emotional restraint is still encouraged?"
Li Wei blinked. "Well. I suppose. But you're allowed to enjoy things without guilt. Even this."
Lou looked down at the water. "I am enjoying it."
"You don't look like it."
"This is my enjoying face."
Li Wei burst into laughter, loud enough that Nasreen's voice floated over from the women's side: "If you're laughing at someone, at least be polite about it."
"I'm laughing with him," Li Wei called back.
"You're not," Lou said, very gently.
"Okay, fine, I'm laughing at you a little," Li Wei admitted, then chuckled again. "But it's good for me. I haven't had a son to bring here before."
Lou tilted his head. "Would you like me to pour the water over your shoulders?"
Li Wei blinked again, this time he almost she'd a tear of joy, his dreams are coming true.
"It's a custom," Lou said quickly. "At the temple, younger monks offer to pour water for their elders. It's a form of quiet respect."
Li Wei straightened. "Well, in that case... yes. Yes, I would like that."
Lou picked up a small bucket with great care, scooped water, and gently poured it across Li Wei's shoulders. The elder man gave a satisfied groan.
Li Wei was in rare form—chatty, proud, his face glowing red from the heat and his heart full, giddy pride he didn't bother hiding.
"My friends all talk about how their sons bring them here every winter," he said, casually scrubbing his shoulders with a small towel. "One of them bragged that his son gifted him imported bath salts and a Rolex."
Lou gave a soft chuckle. "I didn't bring a watch."
"Good," Li Wei said. "I don't need a watch. I just need someone to pour me tea and hand me a towel when I look pitiful."
Lou nodded solemnly, then reached over and poured him tea without a word.
Li Wei beamed. "Perfect. You see, Nasreen? This one knows how to treat his elders "
"My friends are going to hear about this."
Lou paused. "Is that… permitted? I assumed this visit was private."
Li Wei smirked. "No one respects a man who keeps good fortune secret."
Lou processed this. "I see. I will remember that."
Nasreen sat a short distance away in the women's pool, visible through the wood slats, humming softly as she poured hot water over her arms. Occasionally, she called out commentary on the snow beginning to fall or teased her husband about his posture.
Nasreen's voice floated in through the wood: "Then maybe this one should visit more often."
They sat in silence for a while, the water curling around them like a blanket, and for once, Lou didn't feel like a stranger in a world he didn't quite understand.
Lou leaned back, the steam rising to his jaw, eyes half-closed. There was no boardroom here. No press cameras. No heirloom weight pressing on his spine. Just the sound of water moving and Li Wei occasionally splashing around like he was twenty again. For the first time in weeks, Lou's chest didn't ache.He could breathe.
Li Wei lowered his voice after a while, more serious now. "You've been thin lately. Your eyes look tired."
Lou didn't answer right away. "Work's been heavy."
Li Wei gave a knowing hum. "I used to think providing for my family meant never showing weakness. Never letting myself rest. Until Nasreen nearly left me once for working too hard."
"Did she?"
"She packed for her mother's," he said, eyes twinkling. "I unpacked everything before she could walk out."
Lou smiled. " That's wise."
Li Wei grinned. "Married life teaches you fast."
They sat in silence for a few minutes after that. Comfortable, Steam curled around their heads like halos.
Li Wei spoke again, voice quieter now. "She worries about you, you know."
Lou didn't look up. "I know."
"She's strong. But she's also gentle. I don't want her carrying you."
"I don't want that either," Lou said. "That's why I'm here."
Li Wei nodded. "You're a strange one, Lou Yan. But I can't find a single thing wrong with your heart."
Lou turned to him then, his voice softer than steam. "I'm glad you see that. "
From the women's side, Nasreen called out again, cheerful and warm: "Lou dear, should I pack some food for you to take home? You look like you haven't eaten anything cooked by someone who loves you in far too long."
Lou hesitated. "If it's not too much trouble…"
"It's not trouble," she replied. "It's family."
He didn't ask if Syra had planned this. But the thought lingered in his mind anyway. He could feel her here. In the warmth. In the food Nasreen was already planning to pack. In the easy welcome she had sewn into her family.
And for the first time in weeks, Lou Yan smiled without restraint—small, simple, but full. He sat a little longer in the water, allowing himself this borrowed peace. No decisions, no restraint just warmth, and home.