“Cheng Su?”
Qiao Dai gazed at the man standing on the shore with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Her thick and curly eyelashes trembled lightly for a moment, as if she had forgotten she was still standing on the bamboo raft. She took a step forward unconsciously, causing a slight shift in her center of balance. As a result, her body lost equilibrium and swayed from side to side.
“Be careful!”
Even though Cheng Su knew Qiao Dai was an excellent swimmer, seeing her teetering on the bamboo raft, he couldn’t control the tightening sensation in his chest. Without much thought, he lifted his leg, stepped over the iron railings of the riverbank, and with a soft splash, he jumped into the water.
The elderly people sitting by the riverside, enjoying the cool breeze, were startled by this sight. They exclaimed in surprise and rushed to the river’s edge to see what was happening. They didn’t relax until they saw Cheng Su emerge from the water, swimming vigorously towards Qiao Dai, and noticed the lifeguard in a life jacket on a nearby boat, keeping a watchful eye on Qiao Dai. Only then did they feel relieved.
Did this young man really have to be so anxious? The young girl hadn’t even fallen into the water yet.
“Young man! Are you okay?”
The person on the shore shouted towards Cheng Su. Cheng Su wiped the water droplets off his face with his hand and shouted back, “I’m fine! Sorry for making everyone worry.”
The elderly folks glanced at Qiao Dai standing on the bamboo raft, then at Cheng Su in the water. They chuckled and teased, “Why were you in such a hurry? Your girl hasn’t fallen into the water yet! Don’t panic in situations like this in the future. It’s too dangerous for one person to go in!”
The onlookers didn’t know Cheng Su and Qiao Dai personally. They had only witnessed the exchange between the two across the river moments ago. When the young girl nearly slipped into the water, Cheng Su immediately jumped in. So, they assumed they were a young couple. The guy saw his girlfriend losing balance and rushed to rescue her in a moment of panic, without thinking too much.
Hearing the comments from the bystanders, a slight blush crept across Qiao Dai’s face. She lowered her head and saw that Cheng Su had already reached her side in the water, looking up at her.
Cheng Su’s hair was covered in tiny water droplets, and the droplets hung on his hair strands. When the wind blew, they swayed precariously, and under the sunlight, they emitted a delicate gleam. It was as if his skin was adorned with mermaid scales, casting a radiant aura that made others blush and heartbeats quicken.
Seeing that Qiao Dai was alright, Cheng Su seemed to find it amusing and tilted his chin slightly at the girl who was still on the bamboo raft, letting out a soft snort.
Qiao Dai looked at Cheng Su in the water and spoke with a slightly embarrassed tone, “Why were you so eager? Did you forget that I can swim?”
Her gaze fell upon Cheng Su, wet from the water, and for some inexplicable reason, her mood lightened. She pretended to sigh in a helpless manner and looked at Cheng Su with a smile in her eyes. She playfully said with a hint of pride, “You can’t do it like this. Without me, what would you do?”
All along, Cheng Su had been a majestic killer whale in Qiao Dai’s mind, while she herself was just a clumsy little sea otter. Though she didn’t feel any dissatisfaction about this, now that she saw Cheng Su slightly flustered, an uncontainable sense of pride swelled within her. In her mind’s eye, she couldn’t help but imagine an image of a killer whale carrying a little sea otter on its back while swimming in the sea.
What to do, Cheng Su seemed to rely on her quite a bit.
Qiao Dai thought this secretly in her heart, but her facial expression couldn’t hide her genuine happiness. Seeing this, Cheng Su raised an eyebrow, not showing any sign of annoyance. Instead, he lifted his head and looked directly at Qiao Dai on the bamboo raft. In a deep voice, he responded, “Indeed.”
Cheng Su continued to gaze at Qiao Dai, his pitch-black eyes seeming to shift with an inner radiance, much like cold stars twinkling in the night. He said, “What would I do without you?”
Without Qiao Dai, his life would be so dull.
Cheng Su’s voice carried a sincere earnestness, his tone unusually serious. It caught Qiao Dai off guard, and before she could react, she heard Cheng Su suddenly shout, “Be careful!” Read the latest chapters at NovelPing.
This time, Qiao Dai couldn’t regain her balance quickly enough. She stood on her tiptoes on the bamboo raft, swaying back and forth. Then, her line of sight suddenly changed, and she fell into the water with a soft splash, creating numerous ripples.
With wet hair sticking to her face, the icy river water splashed into her eyes, causing her vision to blur slightly. She could only keep one eye open underwater to orient herself. However, she didn’t spot Cheng Su immediately upon her first glance.
Where was Cheng Su?
Qiao Dai wondered and scanned the nearby water area with her gaze to find Cheng Su. Just as she was turning her head, she unexpectedly collided with a firm embrace. It was Cheng Su.
He had reached out and pushed her hair, damp from the water, casually behind her ears. His three-dimensional features became more distinct, and because he was so close to Qiao Dai, droplets of cold water falling from his hair would land on her face and shoulders, glistening like tiny stars under the sunlight. It was as if his skin was adorned with mermaid scales, casting a radiant aura that made others blush and their hearts race.
Cheng Su chuckled mockingly at Qiao Dai’s puzzled expression, and playfully tightened his arms around her waist. Leaning in close to her ear, he said in a low voice, “I’m supporting you.”
Taking advantage of the buoyancy of the water, Cheng Su and Qiao Dai floated with their upper bodies above the surface. Cheng Su extended his hand to support Qiao Dai’s waist, as if he was holding an object. If they weren’t in the water but on land, it would have looked like he was lifting Qiao Dai up from the ground.
Crystal-clear water droplets cascaded down Qiao Dai’s skin and into the river. The slightly chilly river water heightened her awareness of Cheng Su’s scorching hot palm. She uneasily shifted her body in the water, feeling as though the places touched by Cheng Su’s hand were burning, as if she had been scalded.
Instinctively, Qiao Dai bit her lip, looking up at Cheng Su in front of her. She seemed about to say something when, not far away, the sound of splashing water reached her ears. Soon after, a concerned voice from the staff came, “Qiao Dai, are you okay?”
In fact, when Qiao Dai almost lost her balance and nearly fell into the water for the first time earlier, the safety staff on duty had already prepared to come over with a boat. Unexpectedly, within a few sentences, some enthusiastic bystanders had already jumped into the water to help. In the blink of an eye, both Cheng Su and Qiao Dai had fallen into the water. This startled the staff, who quickly brought the boat over to prevent any accidents.
Seeing help arriving, Cheng Su released his grip on Qiao Dai and both of them got on the boat.
“I’m sorry, sir. Thank you so much. Can we give you a ride back to your hotel?”
The on-site staff didn’t recognize Cheng Su. Moreover, Cheng Su was currently soaked from head to toe, making it even harder to identify him as the high-level executive who had visited them before in formal attire. They assumed he was just a well-intentioned bystander and apologized repeatedly for any inconvenience.
The staff quickly escorted Cheng Su and Qiao Dai back to the hotel. After taking a shower and changing into dry clothes, Cheng Su sat down by the bed. Just as he did, the screen of the phone on the bedside table lit up. He reached for the phone, unlocked the screen, and saw a message from Qiao Dai:
“This afternoon, the coach will have my first official rehearsal. Would you like to come and watch?”
Although Qiao Dai had progressed rapidly, her current skill level was still limited. During daily practice, she had been wearing convenient sportswear. However, for the final shoot, she would need to wear historical period clothing, and today, Qiao Dai had received Huo Lingling’s approval to start practicing in the costume.
“Sure.”
Cheng Su asked Qiao Dai for the time and location, then sat in the hotel for a while before heading to the designated place at the agreed-upon time.
Today wasn’t a formal shoot; it was just a routine rehearsal. However, because Qiao Dai was wearing her practice costume, quite a few curious tourists had gathered along the shore, observing with keen interest. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
Qiao Dai wore a vibrant red dress that stood out amidst the green waters and mountains. Against the backdrop of the serene landscape, the fiery red seemed especially passionate. The river breeze lifted the edges of her skirt, creating a fiery blaze akin to burning flames upon the sparkling waves.
It is not yet the peak tourist season, so there aren’t many visitors here. Nevertheless, by the riverside, many people are still captivated by the figure of Qiao Dai, unable to resist pausing to gaze at her.
Due to the distance, pedestrians can’t clearly see Qiao Dai’s face, but that doesn’t prevent them from sensing that she is a young and beautiful girl. As they watch Qiao Dai seemingly stepping on the waves, they can’t help but exclaim, “Impressive!”
A few young girls carrying SLR cameras while walking on the street catch sight of Qiao Dai at the center of the river. Their eyes light up instantly, and they hasten their steps to reach the railing. They compete to take out their cameras, eager to capture beautiful photos.
As a tall man stands before them, the petite girls stretch on tiptoes, extending their arms to raise their cameras above their heads. However, the surrounding crowd pushes and shoves, making it impossible for her to see the scenery ahead.
Just as she’s fretting about what to do, the man blocking her seems to notice. He steps aside and takes a step back, allowing the girl with the camera to squeeze in.
Without much thought, the girl hurriedly says a quick thank you and swiftly takes the vacant spot. With a “click,” she presses the shutter button.
After taking the photo, she notices that Cheng Su is still standing there. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she approaches and says, “Thank you for earlier.”
As she speaks, she lowers her head and looks at the photo in her hand. Unable to help herself, she praises, “It’s so beautiful. Thanks to you, I was able to take such a stunning photo.”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Su casually responds with an “Mm,” then raises his head to look out over the river.
The emerald waters and the red attire truly are beautiful.
Cheng Su gazes at Qiao Dai standing against the wind, a slight smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
Such beauty deserves to be seen by more people.
Various tourists, holding SLR cameras and smartphones, can’t stop praising the scene before them. They look at the image of Qiao Dai gracefully approaching, their eyes and brows filled with amazed smiles.
Cheng Su slowly withdraws his gaze, picks up his phone, and dials a number.
“Help me get in touch with someone from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association.”
With a narrowed gaze, Cheng Su says softly.
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