In the afternoon, Mother Ruan came looking for her.
She showed Ruan Li a photo.
The background was a private swimming pool, with only An Shengnan and Jiang Siyan inside the venue.
An Shengnan was wearing a burgundy bikini, which made her skin appear snow-white. Her chest was pressed tightly against Jiang Siyan’s arm, like lovers.
This was a post Jiang Siyan had shared on his social media.
The caption read: [Teaching a coward to swim.]
Mother Ruan said, “If you can’t even hold onto a man, what else can you do? You must marry into the Jiang family, no matter what it takes.”
Then, Mother Ruan insisted firmly, “Get in the car. I’m taking you to the swimming pool to win him back.”
“But I don’t know how to swim.”
Ruan Li was afraid of water.
She had been abducted by the seaside when she was young, still wearing her little yellow duck float. Even though her adoptive mother later rescued her from the traffickers, she still harbored a deep fear of entering the water.
“No buts,” Mother Ruan interrupted.
She narrowed her eyes. “As elders, we can’t interfere directly. You go in and find Siyan yourself. No matter what method you use, I want to see A Si choose you over that girl.”
And so, Ruan Li was forcibly dragged into the car.
Mother Ruan even went to the mall specifically to pick out a swimsuit and handed it to Ruan Li.
“This outfit suits you perfectly.”
“No man could resist you in this.”
As she spoke, Mother Ruan was genuinely proud.
Whether she liked this daughter or not, it was undeniable that Ruan Li had inherited the best traits from both her and her husband.
Snow-white skin, dark hair, naturally soft and charming.
Not only was her face beautiful, but her figure was also exquisite—a swan-like neck, delicate shoulders, a slender waist, and fair, full curves.
It was just that this child had been raised conservatively and rigidly by a rural woman, with old-fashioned clothing styles that hid these advantages.
Ruan Li took the bag, lowered her eyelashes, and saw the swimsuit stuffed into a small bag, its outline unclear.
She only knew the fabric was pitifully scant.
She smiled and said, “Mother, don’t worry. I’ll win Jiang Siyan over. Once he gets carried away, he’ll agree to marry me. Why not give me the household register? That way, you won’t have to worry so much.”
Mother Ruan replied, “We’ll see how you perform.”
The Ruan family’s car stopped at the entrance of “Private Paradise.”
This was a well-known private swimming pool club in Haicheng, accepting only three reservations per time slot.
At that moment, a Rolls-Royce Phantom in the parking lot caught Ruan Li’s attention—it looked somewhat familiar.
Places like this were always strictly managed.
Yet, as Ruan Li walked in, no one stopped her.
Pushing open the door to the pool at the end of the corridor, she saw a girl clinging to Jiang Siyan in the blue-tinted light.
The girl playfully scolded, “How dare you, Jiang Siyan! You actually posted on social media, calling me a coward?”
“You’re not afraid? Then let go of me.”
“I’m not afraid at all! It’s just that the water’s too cold! Ouch! Don’t let go of me…”
“Coward.”
“Jiang Siyan, you’re done for!”
“…”
An Shengnan lunged forward, pinching Jiang Siyan’s face.
In the midst of their playful tussle, the butterfly knot of her swimsuit around her neck came undone. An Shengnan immediately blushed. “It’s all your fault! Hurry up and tie it back for me!”
Jiang Siyan caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye, and his thin lips curved into a smile.
The next second, he lifted An Shengnan’s chin and kissed her.
The young man and woman clung tightly to each other, as if melting into one another.
Water droplets rolled off their bodies, splashing onto the water’s surface, creating ripples that spread in circles, accompanied by the gentle sound of lapping water.
This scene was far more intense than what had happened in the private room yesterday.
The Bullet Comments in front of Ruan Li’s eyes turned pink.
【So adorable! The little sister treasure is fierce yet cute!】
【Let me see, has the male lead stood up? /side-eye smile】
【The female supporting character must be dying of jealousy, I’m loving it!】
【What a shame, the male lead deliberately posted on social media to upset the female supporting character, then intentionally had the front desk let her in, just to put on this show. It was actually another fake kiss, they didn’t really kiss!】
【Poor little sister treasure, be brave, kiss him hard and turn the fake into real! The male lead will definitely be unable to resist you!】
Ruan Li watched quietly.
Even though the bullet comments kept saying, “Another fake kiss,” “The male lead is deliberately making the female supporting character jealous again.”
But whether it was a real kiss or a fake one, it didn’t matter anymore.
Ruan Li turned around, planning to wait until the two had finished kissing before going in.
—”Stop right there!”
An angry voice rang out.
Turning back, she saw Jiang Siyan swimming to the edge of the pool, water splashing everywhere as he climbed out. He grabbed her wrist firmly.
“Are you going to pretend you didn’t see anything again?”
“If I slept with someone else, would you even bring me a condom?”
“Ruan Li, you’re really damn considerate!”
Facing the furious Jiang Siyan, Ruan Li sighed inwardly.
If she didn’t care, she was a gold-digger who endured humiliation just to marry into a wealthy family.
If she did care, she was a malicious female supporting character, jealous by nature, slandering their brotherly bond.
No matter what she did, it was wrong.
For now, Ruan Li didn’t want to break things off with Jiang Siyan.
She looked up, feigning confusion. “Are you A Si?”
Hearing her uncertain tone and seeing the confusion in her eyes, Jiang Siyan suddenly remembered something.
—Ruan Li was face-blind.
So she hadn’t recognized him?
Had all his efforts in that performance just now been in vain?
What about yesterday?
Had she not recognized him yesterday in the private room either?
These thoughts drifted through his mind like a gentle breeze, dispersing the frustration of the past two days.
The corner of Jiang Siyan’s lips lifted slightly, but his tone remained harsh:
“Who else?”
“Did you come looking for me on purpose after seeing my social media post?”
“Or is it about the internship certificate?”
He answered his own question, “Well, your clever plan failed. I won’t give anyone special treatment.”
In reality, his phone call that morning had been a hint to Manager Chen to take extra care of Ruan Li.
An Shengnan had said that the one who falls in love first loses.
And Jiang Siyan didn’t like losing.
The water was calm. As Jiang Siyan wished, Ruan Li timely showed a hint of jealousy.
“I want to learn how to swim too,” she said, lifting her face, displaying the jealousy a woman would feel after seeing her fiancé swimming and kissing another girl.
“Pathetic,” Jiang Siyan sneered. “It’s not like I can’t teach you, but there’s an order to things, right? You saw—I’m teaching someone else. You can wait until tomorrow.”
“No, I want to learn now.”
The blue water rippled, and the faint light reflected on Ruan Li’s brows and eyes, her expression resolute.
Jiang Siyan was taken aback for a moment.
Just as he was about to agree, he heard An Shengnan’s cry for help from behind:
“A Si, save me!”
【Ah! The little sister treasure fell into the water!】
【It’s all the female supporting character’s fault! She did it on purpose, didn’t she? Doesn’t she know about first come, first served?】
【But I clearly saw the female lead deliberately let go of the handrail by the pool…】
【What do you mean? If the female supporting character hadn’t tried to steal him away, would the little sister treasure have gotten distracted and fallen in?】
【Whatever! The high-sweetness scene of artificial respiration is here!】