33: Chapter 34 The Happiness Plan and My Cousin's Teasing

Soaking in the steam-filled bathtub, with the warm water wrapping around her aching skin, Yin Tianxue finally felt like she was coming back to life. She closed her eyes, but her mind uncontrollably replayed snippets of last night, as well as... her "plan" for the future.

Exercise was a must. Her core strength and endurance definitely needed improvement. Perhaps she should change her three Pilates sessions a week to two Pilates sessions plus one high-intensity physical training session? She also needed to find a reliable personal trainer to specifically strengthen her lower back and lower body.

Dietary supplements... she didn't know much about them, but she could ask the family nutritionist, or... look it up online? Were those so-called "nourishing" recipes actually useful?

As for "technique"... Yin Tianxue's cheeks flushed even redder under the steam of the hot water. Although she wasn't old-fashioned, taking the initiative to "learn" this felt a bit... shameful. But on second thought, this concerned "sovereignty" and "happiness," so there didn't seem to be anything to be embarrassed about. Perhaps she could consult anonymously? Or, find some... um, materials to look at?

Just as her mind was wandering, there was a knock on the bathroom door, followed by Yu Bo's concerned voice: "Tianxue? Are you okay? You've been soaking for a long time."

Yin Tianxue opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and made her voice sound as normal as possible: "I'm fine, I'll be out soon." She couldn't let him see that she was worrying about "how to satisfy him better"; that would be too embarrassing.

"I've made breakfast; it's on the dining table. Come out and eat when you're ready." Yu Bo's voice was muffled through the door, but one could hear the caution in it.

"Got it."

Yin Tianxue stood up from the bathtub, dried her body, and sighed as she looked at her body, still covered in red marks in the mirror. She chose a shirt and long trousers to cover the traces of their intimacy. The soreness between her legs made her gait a bit awkward, but she tried her best to keep her back straight.

Walking out of the bedroom, a simple lunch was already laid out on the dining table: clear porridge, side dishes, and the shrimp dumplings she liked. Yu Bo sat across from her, watching her with a look of scrutiny and imperceptible nervousness.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, standing up to serve her porridge.

"Mm." Yin Tianxue sat down, took the bowl of porridge, and drank it in small sips without looking at him.

The atmosphere was somewhat subtle. After last night's madness and this morning's "careful deliberation," there seemed to be a thin, tacit veil between the two of them.

Yu Bo looked at her calm profile, feeling a bit uneasy. She believed his "stopping" last night and accepted his confession and assurance, but it seemed she hadn't fully let go. This calmness only made him more anxious.

"Tianxue," he put down his chopsticks and looked at her, "last night... I..."

"What happened last night is in the past." Yin Tianxue interrupted him, finally looking up with calm eyes, "You don't need to keep apologizing. I believe you. It's just..."

She paused, as if weighing her words: "It's just that I feel we might need... better communication and... adjustment between us. In certain aspects."

Yu Bo was stunned, not quite understanding what "certain aspects" specifically referred to, but he keenly felt that Yin Tianxue didn't seem to want to dwell on the "accident" of last night itself, but rather was steering the conversation toward a deeper management of their relationship.

"I agree." He nodded immediately, "Anytime you feel something needs adjustment, or if I'm not doing something well, just tell me directly. I will change."

His attitude was so sincere it was almost humble. The bit of resentment Yin Tianxue felt due to physical exhaustion and lingering unease dissipated a little more. She knew that Yu Bo truly cared about her and was trying to make amends.

"It's not your problem." She shook her head, her tone softening, "It's just me... I might need to make some adjustments. Alright, let's eat, the food is getting cold."

She said no more and lowered her head to focus on eating. Although Yu Bo was full of doubts, seeing that she didn't want to discuss it further, he had to let it go, though he silently noted down the two points: "needs adjustment" and "she needs to adjust."

Lunch ended in relative silence. Yu Bo cleared the dishes, while Yin Tianxue walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, looking at the city view outside. The sunshine was beautiful, but she was calculating in her mind whether to go to the gym to check out new courses in the afternoon, or go home first and consult some questions "anonymously" online?

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Both of them were stunned. Who would come at this time?

Yu Bo wiped his hands, walked to the video intercom, and took a look; his brows immediately furrowed. On the screen was Su Man with Wenwen, smiling gently.

"It's the Older Female Cousin with the child." After saying this, he looked back at Yin Tianxue, and seeing her nod, he pressed the door unlock button.

The door opened, and Su Man walked in holding Wenwen's hand, carrying an exquisite paper bag in her hand. "Tianxue, Yu Bo, I hope I'm not disturbing you? Wenwen was insisting on coming, and I happened to bake some new-style cookies, so I brought them for you to try."

"Older Female Cousin, Wenwen, come in quickly." Yin Tianxue walked forward, bent down to smile at Wenwen, "Wenwen looks so pretty today."

"Hello, Auntie!" Wenwen pounced over and hugged Yin Tianxue's leg, then saw Yu Bo and called out sweetly: "Hello, Uncle!"

Yu Bo smiled at Wenwen and nodded politely to Su Man: "Older Female Cousin, please sit."

Su Man walked into the living room naturally, placed the paper bag on the coffee table, and glanced at Yin Tianxue with an seemingly casual gaze. Yin Tianxue was wearing a beige silk shirt today with light grey casual trousers; it looked casual, but it outlined her tall, slender figure perfectly. It was just that her walking posture seemed half a beat slower than usual, carrying a subtle, imperceptible stiffness.

Su Man was an experienced person; her eyes were sharp. She saw the red mark on Yin Tianxue's neck, barely covered by her collar but still faintly visible, and noticed that when she sat down, her body paused almost imperceptibly. There was an inescapable lazy weariness between her brows, as well as a flash of complexity in her eyes when she looked at Yu Bo, and... a trace of shame and annoyance that was almost impossible to catch.

Coupled with Yu Bo's attitude, which was even more cautious and even slightly fawning than usual...

In a flash, Su Man understood. It seemed that last night, between this young couple, it wasn't just a simple "heart-to-heart talk," but rather they had likely experienced a quite "intense" "communication." And looking at Yin Tianxue, who was forcing herself to keep up appearances but couldn't hide her exhaustion, along with that awkwardness of wanting to say something but holding back, it was likely that the result of the "communication" had left this usually cold and strong-willed younger cousin a bit... unable to handle it?

This realization caused the bit of displeasure in Su Man's heart, stemming from Yu Bo's "ignorance of her overtures," to dissipate instantly, and even gave rise to a secret, spectator-like pleasure. It seemed that this kid Yu Bo not only had a good brain but also had extraordinary "ability" in certain aspects. To be able to "toss" Yin Tianxue into such a state, tsk tsk...

"Tianxue, your complexion looks... a bit tired?" Su Man sat down on the sofa, pulling Wenwen to sit beside her. Her tone was caring, but her eyes carried a hint of teasing, "Didn't you sleep well last night? Was Yu Bo... too 'hard-working'?"