When Han Lie pushed the door open, Xi Luting turned around in alarm. They didn't immediately see each other.

After all, it was a private spa club, with an incredibly large steam room complex. The outer room was a lounge with wicker chairs, a tea table, and a self-service bar. Further in, there was a cold-water pool with a shower. Deeper still lay the traditional wooden steam room and a volcanic stone steam bath.

The two women were playing around in the steam room, and since Han Lie had just arrived at the lounge, they naturally didn't bump into each other.

However, Xi Luting had already realized something was wrong.

"You came by yourself, didn't you?!"

"Yeah!" Pan Ge's face was the picture of innocence as she blinked, every bit the award-winning actress. She opened her mouth, full of tricks, "Ah, I ordered a pot of tea earlier. It must be the attendant, right?"

Xi Luting frowned suspiciously, scrutinizing Pan Ge but unable to detect any flaws.

The Black-hearted White Lotus didn't give her the chance to continue questioning and immediately urged her, "Go out and get it."

"I'm not going!" Xi Luting shook her head decisively.

"Then let me up, and I'll go."

As soon as Pan Ge spoke, Xi Luting subconsciously let her go. Then, little Pan Ge nimbly rolled over and climbed up, confidently opening the glass door of the steam room.

At that moment, Han Lie's figure appeared from behind the partition.

Xi Luting's head buzzed; she was stunned.

"Ah! You bastard!" she screamed instinctively and immediately scrambled up, rushing toward Pan Ge.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Little Pan Ge, usually the one causing mischief whenever they got into a tussle, was more agile than a rabbit today. In a WHOOSH, she dashed out and even grabbed the door, cheerfully calling out to Han Lie, "Quick, quick, I've trapped her!"

Xi Luting was locked in the steam room. She watched helplessly as the scoundrel, wearing only a pair of large boxer shorts, strode towards her with a cocky, devil-may-care gait and a mischievous smile.

She felt utterly terrible.

It wasn't that she felt embarrassed or afraid of Han Lie being shirtless; after all, she had been through much worse. What was this in comparison? It was the emotional shock that was truly hard to bear.

Her mind was filled with confusion. To what extent had this jerk and the Black-hearted White Lotus developed their relationship? Why would Pan Ge let him appear in such a private place? Pan Ge was clearly with this jerk, so why did she call me out here? What does this all mean? How should I even treat him?

There were too many questions; her mind almost overloaded.

Agitated and impatient, she banged on the glass door of the steam room, threatening Pan Ge in vain. "Let me out, now! I'm warning you, don't push me to a point of no return!"

"Aiyo, I'm so scared~~~" Pan Ge stuck out her tongue at her triumphantly, then made a face and taunted, "BLEHH!"

Honestly, at that moment, Brother Lie's heart felt as hard as iron.

"I knew it! I knew there was something off between you two!" Xi Luting blurted out, pointing at them.

"Huh?!" Han Lie was bewildered. His mind was reeling, and his expression was even more baffled. Pan Ge shot back, "What do you mean, 'off or not'? What are you blabbering about? Just deal with her already, Han Lie!"

Xi Luting struggled fiercely. Han Lie bent down, frantically trying to restrain her, his forehead breaking out in a sweat from the exertion.

Pan Ge strolled up to Han Lie and, without warning, smacked Xi Luting.

SLAP!

After the crisp sound, Xi Luting clutched her backside and shrieked, "You two are dead! A despicable pair!"

Pan Ge stared intensely into Xi Luting's eyes, her face as cold as frost, radiating murderous intent.

Xi Luting felt incredibly guilty and instinctively avoided Pan Ge's gaze, then unconsciously started playing dumb.

Unable to withstand Pan Ge's interrogation, Han Lie had no choice but to step in. "Don't joke about things like that. I mean, I wouldn't mind, but you should ask Xi Luting if she'd agree."

"In your dreams!" With Han Lie's intervention, Xi Luting's mind finally cleared a little, and she quickly expressed her disdain.

Unfortunately for them, Pan Ge had already made her judgment and didn't believe their act for a second.

"Heh, you two really won't cry until you see the coffin, will you? Fine, let's address things one by one." She sat down on the floor, cross-legged, facing Han Lie directly, while grabbing Xi Luting's wrist.

Then, she spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Xi Luting, you two used to be as thick as thieves. You were practically dying to devote yourself to that scoundrel of a man, yet at the same time, you were terrified I'd steal him from you. Then, all of a sudden, you cut off all contact—no calls, no texts, no meals together, no meeting up... What happened that made you start avoiding him like the plague?"

Xi Luting was stunned into silence, utterly speechless.

And Pan Ge wasn't finished. She turned to Han Lie, her eyes full of mockery as she sneered, "And you, you cur. Xi Luting started ignoring you, so you pushed me to find her. How utterly shameless can you be? The first time, I didn't catch on. The second time, you tried the same trick. Do you really think so little of me? I didn't quite understand what was going on, but I knew something was off about you.

"With your devious ways, if there wasn't something else afoot, you'd normally try your best to avoid being out with both of us at the same time. So what changed? Why are you suddenly so eager to help me 'deal with her'? I asked around and, what do you know, Xi Luting hasn't paid you any mind in over a week? Did you break up? How? Why? The third time you tried to incite me, fine, I indulged you.

"Looking at you two face-to-face like this... it's not just that you're acting weird, or that she's acting weird. Both of you are acting weird! That level of physical familiarity, where you're not shy and she's not angry—just how many times have you two rolled around in bed? You scoundrel. Now, you can start making your excuses."

Han Lie, too, was struck dumb, completely outmaneuvered by Pan Ge. Damn, this woman is terrifyingly perceptive!

It would be unrealistic to say Han Lie hadn't shown any cracks. But to claim he'd made any major mistakes wasn't true either. Yet Pan Ge could deduce the truth from the slightest clues. How could he possibly play against that?

Han Lie was out of options. Gritting his teeth, he decided to brazen it out. "Did you hear that? Pan Ge thinks we've slept together."

Han Lie stared at Xi Luting, but she just gave a wooden "Huh?" in response.

"Stop with the 'huh.' How about this: why don't we really sleep together once and show her? There's a guest room upstairs."

"Get lost!" Xi Luting's cheeks flushed crimson, and she lifted her foot to kick Han Lie. It was purely a reflex; she herself didn't know what she was doing, let alone what she should do.

Han Lie caught her small foot and then raised his eyebrows at Pan Ge. "See? She's quite embarrassed. How about you lend a hand?"

Pan Ge's previously half-closed eyes suddenly widened, her pupils dilating slightly.

Han Lie continued his rogue act. "You hold her down for me, and I'll 'take care' of her today. It'll save you from overthinking and cluttering your mind with this nonsense. How about it?"

Damn! Is he crazy or what?! Pan Ge was genuinely shocked by Han Lie. What kind of twisted mind comes up with such a 'genius' idea?

Nevertheless, Pan Ge maintained a remarkable degree of composure. She pondered for a moment, then asked with a frown, "So, this is the explanation you're prepared to give me?"

"Why should I explain anything to you?" Han Lie laughed, a clear note of derision in his voice. "Even if she and I did have something going on, it was before our relationship reached any breakthrough. You can choose to be bothered by it, and I can choose to ignore it. So, no explanation, just a suggestion:

"Either you keep pestering her. If you push Xi Luting too far and she decides to deal with you, I'll remain neutral. Or, you stick to the original plan. I'll help you hold her down, you get your revenge or settle your grudges, and then we can write off all past issues. How's that? Reasonable?"

Too reasonable... Bullshit! Xi Luting's eyes widened. This scoundrel is acting like a complete madman! He must be seriously unhinged! The situation is about to spiral out of control, and you still want to sell me out?!

In her shock, she suddenly felt Pan Ge's gaze. Turning, she met Pan Ge's thoughtful expression. Oh god, she can't be serious, can she?!

"I understand now." Pan Ge nodded, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on her lips. She looked like a... little demon?

As Xi Luting stared in disbelief, Pan Ge spoke leisurely. "So, you two did sleep together. Then Ting Ting wanted a formal commitment, but you, you damn scoundrel, still had me—or someone else—on your mind, so you didn't agree. Consequently, Ting Ting got furious and completely cut ties with you. But you couldn't let go. So, while you were flirting with me, you were also still hung up on Ting Ting, dreaming your little dream of having us both. Today, when I suddenly exposed you, on one hand, you didn't want to lie to me, but on the other, you felt it wasn't the right time for a full confession. So you tried to be vague, employing a strategic retreat, hoping to create some kind of fait accompli and muddle through...

"Fine then. I don't need your explanation anymore. You're right; there's indeed no need to explain what happened before. Now, I also have a suggestion: You'd better decide what you want right away and stick to it firmly, lest you lose everything. Me or her. Choose one."

Good grief! I'm really in for it now! Han Lie was once again rooted to the spot, completely numb. What in the world is this woman?! Some kind of goddess of strategy? Not even the thirty-six stratagems of a master plotter could get me out of this...

As Han Lie stood dazed, Xi Luting exploded.

"Are you both sick?!" She shot up, yanked the towel from her neck, slammed it onto the ground, and glared coldly at them. "Do you think I'm dead? Your toy? Something you can just play around with? Fine! I'll give you a suggestion too! You damned scoundrel, don't choose me! I'm not serving you! If you really want to sleep with me, fine! Right here, in front of me, you take Pan Ge, and I'll immediately join you both! If we're going to play, let's play big!"

Saying this, she suddenly ripped off her sauna suit, tossed it aside, and then began to strip off her cotton shorts.

"Damned scoundrel, do you dare touch me? Black-hearted White Lotus, do you dare to follow through?!"

By the time the two of them reacted, they were faced with a body seemingly radiating a holy light.

Good grief, the Holy Warrior had exploded again!

This time, it was Pan Ge's turn to be stunned. Her mouth hung slightly open, utterly speechless.

Xi Luting took two long strides and stood right in front of Han Lie. "Come on, stop pretending to be so proper. Isn't this what you like?" She beckoned to Han Lie with her finger, then glanced sideways at Pan Ge with a disdainful sneer. "And you? Are you just going to watch, or are you going to go out and close the door? Don't worry, I keep my word. After today, I will absolutely have nothing more to do with Han Lie. This scoundrel will still be yours."

Han Lie's head was buzzing. He felt like Fate really had it in for him. What sins did I commit in a past life to deserve this?! The women I meet are one more beautiful than the last, and one more troublesome than the next!

Xi Luting's human bomb gambit pushed everyone to the edge of a cliff.

Pan Ge was in an impossible position, and Han Lie even more so.

Should he just go with the flow of this madness and take her? Not only would it be impossible to win back Xi Luting, but he would also lose Pan Ge completely. She might not care if Han Lie and Xi Luting fooled around at some other time, but today was absolutely, positively not the day.

Flatly refuse? Han Lie could indeed refuse, but if he put it too mildly, Pan Ge would still lose face; if he put it too harshly, he would hurt Xi Luting. Hurt no one? Impossible!

Damn it, I've never been in such an impossible bind! Damn it, you're all forcing my hand!

Han Lie sighed and silently made up his mind.

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