SFTD -Chapter 135 Soft Fragrance in His Arms

Xu Biao handed the investigation report on the campus shooting case to Chu Menghan. With the case finally closed, Zhou Hai and the others could at last catch their breath.

Taking advantage of the few days while his hand was injured, Zhou Hai brought Lu Xi and Charlotte—no, she was now called Zhou Luoluo—to the hot spring resort in Mocheng. They had originally planned to come during New Year’s Day, but were stopped by Xu Biao’s last-minute phone call.

The child’s learning ability was astonishing. Zhou Luoluo could already manage simple conversations in Chinese.

Along the way, she was extremely excited, constantly repeating whatever Lu Xi said. The two of them had formed an endless “echo loop,” so the car was filled with Zhou Luoluo’s chattering voice. Zhou Hai, who normally hated noise, didn’t find it annoying this time. After witnessing the emotional rollercoaster of the Sun family’s loss, this kind of noise strangely gave him a sense of home.

When they arrived at the hot spring hotel, Zhou Luoluo became even happier, running wildly through the lobby. Zhou Hai booked a suite with a private outdoor hot spring pool just outside the room. It wasn’t large, but it was very private. Especially since it had just snowed that morning—snow had fallen onto the rocks around the pool, and the rising steam made the whole scene feel almost dreamlike.

The three of them went to change clothes. Thinking about the cold outside, Zhou Hai still wrapped himself in a bathrobe. He carried a tea tray with a full set of teaware, pushed open the glass sliding door into the living area, and stepped out. Seeing that the other two hadn’t come out yet, he tested the water temperature, tossed aside his robe, and slid into the hot spring. The warm water instantly enveloped him.

Drinking tea while soaking in a hot spring on a winter day felt so comfortable that every cell in his body seemed to cheer.

At that moment, the glass door behind him slid open. Zhou Hai knew they had arrived but didn’t turn around, continuing to sip his tea. Sure enough, the voice came before the person appeared:

“Ahhh—water! Water!”

With a splash, Zhou Luoluo suddenly jumped into the hot spring. Zhou Hai was instantly splashed in the face, his hair, and even his teacup. He wiped his face and sighed. This child really couldn’t be praised. And next time, he absolutely shouldn’t bring kids to play in water. Just as he was finally enjoying a bit of idle comfort, it was completely ruined.

A towel appeared in front of him. Looking up, he saw Lu Xi smiling at him. Even though she was wrapped in a bath towel, her delicate figure was still faintly visible through the gaps. He hadn’t expected someone so petite and seemingly frail to actually be… quite impressive.

Zhou Hai quickly averted his gaze, put down his teacup, and took the towel to wipe his face.

“I’m fine. You should come down too—it’s cold up there.”

Lu Xi carefully stepped into the pool holding onto the rocks. Zhou Luoluo swam over as well, grabbed a floating neck pillow, and drifted casually on the water’s surface.

Zhou Hai pushed the tea set farther away to prevent further “damage.”

“During this time… I’ve really troubled you. My work’s been busy, and I’ve basically treated you like a nanny, just dumping the kid on you and leaving.”

Lu Xi shook her head, her slightly flushed face lifting.

“Don’t be so polite. I’ve gained a lot too—free travel, and I get to listen to your case stories. Oh, and your jokes too!”

She covered her mouth and laughed.

“I really didn’t expect someone like you would tell jokes.”

Zhou Hai glanced at her.

“I’m just an ordinary person who also longs for a lazy, peaceful life. As for cases… I don’t know why, but whenever it’s our Second Group, the autopsy cases always increase. Other groups can’t get them even if they want, but we can’t push them away.”

Lu Xi stirred the water, her gaze briefly lingering on Zhou Hai’s hands and neck.

“I used to think your job was pretty easy. But after really understanding it… I realized there’s even life danger involved. This time you were lucky. You need to be more careful in the future.”

Zhou Hai’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“Okay.”

At that moment, a familiar ringtone came from inside the room. Lu Xi patted his shoulder.

“Zhou Hai, is that your phone ringing? Could it be another case?”

Her face was full of worry. Zhou Hai shook his head to reassure her.

“Today is already February 2nd. Even if there’s a murder case, it wouldn’t be assigned to our team.”

Even so, he quickly climbed out of the pool, grabbed his bathrobe, and headed back inside.

As expected, the phone was ringing on the coffee table. The screen showed the name Zhao Xinli. Zhou Hai paused—why would he call on a weekend?

He picked up the phone.

“Hello, I’m Zhou Hai, forensic doctor.”

“Hello… Zhou forensic doctor, this is Zhao Xinli.”

The voice on the other end sounded slightly awkward.

“Sorry to bother you on the weekend. We just received a case this morning and wanted to ask if you’re available to take a look. I checked with dispatch—they said your location is Mocheng…”

Zhou Hai glanced toward the glass door outside, where the two girls were still in the hot spring.

“The crime scene is in Mocheng?”

“Yes, we’re at Mocheng People’s Hospital. We saw your location is in the Hot Spring Town, right? We’ve already sent local officers to pick you up.”

After hanging up, Zhou Hai was speechless. He had just said February would be easier—yet the moment he came to relax in a hot spring, work had already caught up to him.

He shook his head and pushed the glass door open.

Lu Xi immediately noticed his expression and knew something had come up. She quickly got out of the pool, but slipped slightly and fell right into Zhou Hai’s arms.

For a moment, Zhou Hai’s mind went blank. The soft sensation in his arms and the faint fragrance filling his nose left him momentarily speechless.

In the pool, Zhou Luoluo whistled, laughing loudly.

“Wow, give us a consolation kiss!”

Zhou Hai’s face darkened. This kid had definitely been corrupted by American-style education—he would have to correct her later.

He steadied the embarrassed Lu Xi and wrapped his bathrobe around her.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. That was your call, right?”

“You don’t need to worry about us. I’ll just order room service—we can eat in the hot spring. That should be a great experience.”

Zhou Hai finally relaxed a little. After all, he had arranged this trip, and now he had to leave for work. It really felt irresponsible to just abandon them. Seeing how understanding Lu Xi was, he felt even more grateful—and more guilty.

“Alright. I’ll go take a look. My colleagues are at Mocheng People’s Hospital. I’ll come back as soon as possible.”

Lu Xi nodded firmly.

“I’ll go order food.”

She quickly put on her shoes and went back inside.

Zhou Hai then turned to Zhou Luoluo in the pool.

“Luoluo, listen to Lu Xi. Don’t cause trouble. I’ll be back soon.”

Zhou Luoluo shrugged, pouted, and blinked her big eyes at him with an innocent, pitiful expression. If Zhou Hai didn’t know her personality, he might really have been fooled.

“Fine, fine… I’ll let you leave us. But I want compensation—one box of chocolate cake, one grilled squid, and a glass of pineapple milkshake.”

Zhou Hai nodded.

“Okay. I’ll bring them back after I finish.”

Zhou Luoluo grinned in satisfaction, splashed water at him, and shouted in awkward Chinese:

“Hey, Zhou Zhou! Don’t forget to buy a condom!”