“Plop!”
Jiang Siyan jumped into the swimming pool, scooped up the unconscious An Shengnan in a horizontal carry, and lifted her out of the water, preparing to perform CPR.
“Does it really have to be CPR?” Ruan Li asked.
“Of course,” Jiang Siyan replied urgently.
“She’s faking it.”
“Enough, Ruan Li. A life is at stake, and you still have the mood to be jealous? Nan Nan is my buddy, not like you little girls with all these petty thoughts.”
Ruan Li said nothing more.
But she noticed the slight curl of An Shengnan’s lips.
She watched quietly as Jiang Siyan performed CPR on An Shengnan.
Until An Shengnan woke up with reddened eyes, as if frightened, and weakly pounded Jiang Siyan’s chest with her fists.
Crying, she said, “It’s all your fault. Where were you just now? Do you know how scared I was alone in the water?”
Jiang Siyan held her tightly in his arms, comforting her.
“Alright, it’s my fault.”
A moment later, after meeting Ruan Li’s gaze, An Shengnan snapped out of the “life-and-death separation” mood and abruptly pushed Jiang Siyan away.
“Alright, I’m not that delicate. You go teach Sister Ruan Li first.”
“She’s so delicate. Teach her properly, don’t just throw her in the water and leave her like you did with me.”
She then whispered in Jiang Siyan’s ear:
“Don’t blame Ruan Li. She thought I was faking it because she cares about you.”
“I… I won’t learn swimming anymore, and I won’t act with you in the future either. Treat that pretty sister well, or I won’t let you off.”
[Wahh! Little Sister Treasure is pretending to be fierce on purpose, pushing the Male Lead toward the Female Supporting Character!]
[Nan Nan is truly a little angel, a good baby who loves women! Those who said Little Sister Treasure was engaging in female competition, come out!]
[Not good! There’s a knife hidden in the sugar!]
[Don’t worry! The Male Lead is heartbroken and will chase the Female Supporting Character away!]
The pool was quiet.
“Ruan Li,” Jiang Siyan said darkly, his back turned to her. “Leave first.”
“Alright, I’ll come back in ten minutes.”
“Do you have no sympathy?” Jiang Siyan suddenly lost his temper. “Do you have to insist on today?”
“What if I say I insist on today?”
Jiang Siyan stood up, his cold eyes falling on Ruan Li, a sarcastic smile curling at the corner of his lips.
“Ruan Li, I finally understand why Uncle Ruan and Aunt Ruan prefer Baozhu over you.”
These words were like a sharp blade, piercing the most vulnerable part of Ruan Li.
She stiffened slightly.
Stray strands of hair fell across her forehead, casting a watery blue shadow.
“You’re crossing a line.jpg”
She had always pretended not to care about her parents’ favoritism toward their adopted daughter.
In reality, she didn’t dare to care. After all, she could comfort herself with “Ah Q spirit”:
“It’s fine, I don’t care anyway.”
But she wasn’t an unloved wild child; she had her adoptive mother’s affection.
The reason she had wasted so much breath on Jiang Siyan was to record his voice and image.
Later, using AI software, she could create a video of Jiang Siyan teaching her to swim to show Mother Ruan and thus obtain the household register.
Ruan Li had recorded enough by now. Ignoring the pair of wild lovebirds, Jiang Siyan and An Shengnan, she walked out the door. She still needed to record an empty shot.
Her phone kept vibrating with messages from Mother Ruan urging her to report her progress.
Ruan Li went to the front desk. “Boss, is there an empty swimming pool available?”
“Sorry.” The owner looked troubled. “All the rooms are booked out, and there are quite a few people. Only VIP Room 2 has someone who came alone.”
“Can I meet this person?”
“Better not.” The owner spoke cryptically, lowering his voice. “That one has a bad temper and hates being disturbed the most.”
But the Ruan family was pressing urgently, so Ruan Li decided to give it a try and knocked on the door of VIP Pool 2.
After a long moment, there was no response.
She tried pushing the door, and it opened.
Inside, the shimmering azure light reflected off the walls on all sides, as if she had stepped onto a blue planet.
A figure like a flying fish broke through the water’s surface. The man’s lean, cold back muscles, along with the muscles of his arms, resembled silver blades in a cold mist—tight, powerful, and perfect, like an ancient Greek sculpture.
Seemingly hearing the commotion, the man’s sharp, cold gaze shot straight toward her.
“Who’s there?”
“Sorry.” Ruan Li quickly lowered her head, her prepared words thrown into disarray by his imposing presence. “May I ask if I could borrow the venue for a moment?”
She added, “Just five minutes. I can pay for it. I’ll cover all your expenses today.”
No one responded in the empty swimming pool.
“Splash—”
The man emerged from the water, his wet footsteps gradually approaching. Two feet appeared in her line of sight.
Then came straight, slender legs and taut, defined abs…
Too close. Ruan Li took half a step back.
But the man pressed forward step by step.
Droplets slid down his abs, which seemed to glisten with a cold mist, disappearing into the dark swim trunks and outlining a noticeable shape.
Ruan Li’s pupils trembled. She buried her head even lower, not daring to look at his face.
—”I can lend it to you.”
—”But how do you plan to use me? Five minutes isn’t quite enough.”
Above her head, a familiar, lazy voice rang out.
Ruan Li abruptly looked up and met Shi Yu’s indifferent gaze.
“What, don’t recognize me?” Shi Yu’s thin, rosy lips curved upward as he took a few more steps closer, leaning down to stare at Ruan Li. “Didn’t you say you were on your period? Still able to swim?”
“Or,” Shi Yu’s eyes darkened, “were you lying to me last night?”
Ruan Li: “…”
She had almost forgotten about that.
When Shi Yu kissed her yesterday, she really thought she had gotten her period, but later, when she went to the bathroom, she realized she hadn’t.
If it were another girl, she could easily explain—it was a normal occurrence during ovulation.
Many women get confused about it, urgently asking their friends, “Quick, check if I’ve stained my pants?”
But facing Shi Yu, Ruan Li could only vaguely say, “I didn’t lie to you. I thought I had gotten my period at the time…”
“Oh.” Shi Yu lazily drew out his tone. “So you were wet last night?”
“???”
Seriously, dude, are you a pervert?
Ruan Li denied, refuted, and rejected it outright. “I wasn’t.”
The Bullet Comments exploded.
【No wonder he’s the top pick—he really knows how to flirt!】
【No, no, these lines have to be paired with that handsome face. If he were even slightly average, it’d be straight-up harassment!】
【Isn’t this guy supposed to be the aloof, untouchable type at school, the Impoverished School Grass? Why is he talking so provocatively?】
【Honestly, I think Shi Yu is hotter than the Male Lead!】
【The female lead is eating way too well!】
【And his physique is so similar to the Male Lead’s. If you don’t look at their faces, it’s almost impossible to tell them apart.】
That reminded Ruan Li.
Setting aside her chaotic thoughts, she said seriously, “Are you free? Can you teach me how to swim?”
“I’m very expensive.”
“How much? I’ll pay.”
“No charge.” Fu Shiyu’s gaze rested openly on Ruan Li’s lips.
It was these same lips in the library that had stirred such restlessness in him—when she asked him for a photo of his abs.
He gave it to her.
Yet she still ignored him.
Then he saw her holding her phone, letting out a soft “mwah~”
If she liked his body that much…
Why kiss the photo?
Why not kiss him instead?
With a hint of vengeance, Fu Shiyu stared at Ruan Li, his tone deliberately provocative, “Will you let me kiss you?”