On Saturday, Zhao Xinran drove herself to the swimming pool.
On her days off, she dressed very casually—a simple light-colored sweatshirt paired with camel-colored sweatpants. Her hair fell naturally over her shoulders, and she carried an inexpensive yet durable shoulder bag while driving the affordable gas-powered car she’d bought herself. She didn’t look one bit like the chairwoman of a publicly traded company.
But she liked it that way.
It allowed her to step away from her busy work life and reconnect with everyday life, while also giving her a chance to exercise and relax.
Swiping her card to enter, she took a quick shower, then changed into a peach-colored racing swimsuit. Tucking her hair strand by strand into a swim cap and hanging her goggles around her neck, she walked step by step toward the pool in her flip-flops.
She loved the feeling of being in the water. It took a moment to adjust to the temperature when she first entered, but after a few laps to warm up, she felt right at home.
With her goggles on, the view underwater was completely different from what she saw above the surface. Zhao Xinran was fully immersed; apart from the sound of the swirling water, everything around her was silent.
“Splash…” A massive splash erupted not far from Zhao Xinran. She stopped in time, swam toward the edge of the pool, and calmly gripped the pool wall.
The commotion was too loud, and she couldn’t see clearly through her goggles, so she simply pushed them up and wiped the excess water from her face.
A droplet of water rolled down her forehead and into her eye socket. Zhao Xinran blinked uncomfortably, and when her vision cleared, her gaze met that of a tall, upright man standing in the pool not far away.
He had handsome features—upward-slanting almond-shaped eyes and full, red lips. His clothes were half-wet, half-dry, and water was still dripping from his chin; clearly, he was the one who had caused the commotion in the pool just now.
Zhao Xinran looked at him, and he, in turn, stared intently at her without any pretense. The raw intensity in his gaze reminded her of a past memory that was far from pleasant.
When people don’t know how to handle a situation, they tend to just walk away—and Zhao Xinran was no exception. But just as she braced her arms against the edge of the pool, preparing to get up and switch to another lane to continue swimming, the man called out to her: “Teacher!”
He was no longer the awkward, frail young man he once was; even his voice had deepened to a rich, low tone. Zhao Xinran let go of the edge, leaning diagonally against the cold pool wall. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she gave him a defiant once-over.
He walked slowly toward Zhao Xinran, step by step. His upper body was clad in an extremely conservative dark men’s swimsuit, but it seemed to be a size too small, clinging tightly to his frame and failing to fully conceal the sexy, muscular contours of his torso. His lower body was faintly visible through the ripples of the water—though not clearly defined, it still gave the impression of being quite substantial.
Zhao Xinran promptly averted her gaze, a polite yet distant smile on her face, and refocused her eyes on his young, handsome face: “When did you return to the country?”
“The day before yesterday.” Si Maoyan came to a stop a step away from Zhao Xinran. He lowered his head, gazing at her almost greedily.
How long had it been since he’d last seen her?
Excluding yesterday’s chance encounter, it had been nearly two thousand days since he’d last seen her.
He missed her—longed to hold her close, to make her a part of his very being—but there was nothing he could do. All he could do was stand there, exchanging pleasantries as if nothing were amiss.
“Oh,” Zhao Xinran replied indifferently, clearly with no intention of asking any further questions. Standing in the water, she hadn’t moved for a moment and was starting to feel a bit cold, so she braced herself against the edge of the pool and nimbly climbed out. She stood up, barefoot, and turned to look down at him from above.
This was her former student—she’d tutored him for half a year, earning a handsome income.
If it hadn’t been for his inexplicable confession, Zhao Xinran thought she would have certainly continued until he left for the United States.
Si Maoyan tilted his head back slightly; his upturned eyes were filled entirely with her. His lips parted slightly, but he didn’t know how to stop her from walking away.
Zhao Xinran had no idea what jumbled thoughts were running through his mind; she simply offered a friendly reminder out of familiarity: “Beginners should find an instructor at the pool—it’s best to learn how to hold your breath underwater first. “If you insist on pushing yourself too hard or are overly confident in your ability to learn, you should wear a brightly colored swimsuit—that’ll make it easier to ‘rescue’ you. I’m almost done warming up; I’m heading to the deep end. We’ll chat another time.”
The first part was a reminder, and the last sentence was clearly just a polite formality, but Si Maoyan wouldn’t think of it that way.
At that moment, his heart was filled with joy at Zhao Xinran’s thoughtful concern. He took a long stride, pushed off the edge of the pool with a “splash,” and stood, soaking wet, right in front of Zhao Xinran.
Zhao Xinran’s eyes were irresistibly drawn downward. She cast a quick glance and confirmed he was indeed well-built. Her gaze then moved upward to his pectoral muscles—which looked like they’d feel great to the touch—before finally settling on his face, which was almost excessively handsome. She said suggestively, “That swimsuit seems a bit too small on you. You’d be better off buying a size larger; it’ll be more comfortable for swimming.”
Si Maoyan followed her gaze downward, his face immediately flushing red as he stammered an explanation: “I just got back to the country and wasn’t familiar with domestic swimwear sizes. The sales clerk suggested I buy a size smaller, saying a larger one would fill with water. I didn’t realize it would be this tight once I put it on.”
“That’s probably for the best,” Zhao Xinran said with an indifferent smile, her teasing gaze seeming to see right through him.
A clumsy little trick, but unexpectedly amusing.
Of course, it was also thanks to his physique and good looks—paired with that swimsuit—that Zhao Xinran felt a slightly mischievous urge to whistle.
Unfortunately, she didn’t know how.
A young man’s admiration is always candid and passionate; just standing face to face, Zhao Xinnan could feel the fire surging through him.
It was screaming to set Zhao Xinnan ablaze.
Unfortunately, she had just gotten divorced, her ovulation period was nearly over, and she had no such desires.
Most importantly, he had once been her student—and had caused her to lose a well-paying job.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xinran gave Si Maoyan a cold look. Completely ignoring the man who was still lost in his admiration and shyness, she turned and walked away decisively.
She put her goggles back on, took a deep breath, straightened her arms, and dived in. The deep end was less crowded, and the water was deep. She sank beneath the surface, held her breath, and focused intently, casting all her emotions aside.
In that moment, she was cut off from the world, focused solely on each arm stroke and each kick.
Unfortunately, this tranquility was soon shattered by the commotion from the shore.
Frowning, she stopped moving and surfaced, coming face-to-face with the finger her boss, Mao Yan, was pointing at her. His rich, deep voice carried a hint of sweetness: “I already have someone I like.”
The girl standing beside him flushed instantly and apologized to Zhao Xinran with a touch of embarrassment: “ “Sorry, I didn’t know he already had a girlfriend.”
“……” Zhao Xinran frowned, looking distinctly displeased. She hated trouble, and she hated it even more when others caused her trouble. Saturday was supposed to be a day off—a day to relax without any distractions.
She closed her eyes for a moment as a surge of malice welled up inside her. Zhao Xinran pushed her goggles back up and flashed a mocking smile: “Sweetie, he’s lying to you. I’m his aunt.”
Watching Si Maoyan’s smile gradually freeze, Zhao Xinran felt better than ever. Just as she was about to put her goggles back on and continue swimming, she saw the girl dive in headfirst, paddling frantically with her arms and legs as she swam toward her in a panic, her face lit up with surprise: “Are you Ms. Zhao?”
“Mm-hmm. And you are?” Zhao Xinran eyed her warily. She didn’t like bringing work into her personal life. The girl in front of her looked unfamiliar—she probably didn’t know her—but she wondered where the girl had seen her before and what she was trying to do now.
If the girl wanted to discuss a business partnership, Zhao Xinnan certainly didn’t have the energy for it. She could only give her Zhang Nan’s work number and tell her to contact Zhang Nan after work on Monday.
“I’m your fan—no, no, no…” The young woman seemed to realize that wasn’t the right way to put it and immediately corrected herself: “I, I, I… I’m a student at the School of Economics and Management at A University. I’ve admired you for a long time. Could I take a photo with you in a moment?”
Seeing the young woman looking at her with such admiration, Zhao Xinran’s heart suddenly softened, and she smiled: “ “Sure. Would you like an autograph?”
“Yes, yes, yes! But I didn’t bring any paper…” The girl sounded very disappointed, then quickly added, “Could you sign my swim pass?”
“Sure.” Zhao Xinran nodded.
“Then please go back to swimming. I won’t bother you any longer—my friends are waiting for me over there.”
“Okay, go ahead. Have fun.”
Hearing Zhao Xinran’s reply, the girl’s lips curled into a wide smile, her joy evident. She swam toward the shore, her strokes uneven—nearly choking on water a few times—until she finally scrambled ashore, disoriented and flushed, using both hands and feet. As she left, she waved vigorously, yet as she passed by Si Maoyan, she didn’t even glance his way.
Clearly, Zhao Xinran held a greater appeal for her.
She was a very cute little girl.
Zhao Xinran smiled and was just about to pull down her goggles when a certain immature little brat who couldn’t swim actually took a leap into the water from the edge.
His movements were clumsy; even though he was clearly a tall, slender person, he used the most ridiculous doggy-paddle stroke to swim toward her.
As he drew near, Zhao Xinran finally couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing the embarrassment on the man’s face, she laughed even louder, causing people around them to turn and stare.
Si Maoyan felt embarrassed and hurried to get closer to her, but he wasn’t used to treading water. Zhao Xinran watched in horror as he sank beneath the surface; startled, she quickly held her breath, dove down, grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward the shallow end.
“Phew…” Si Maoyan let out a long breath. His swim cap had drifted away at some point, and his hair was soaking wet, plastered to his face. His eyes were red from the stinging water, and he leaned pitifully against the pool wall, looking just like a little puppy that had fallen into the water.
Pitiful, yet kind of cute.
“Teacher.”
“Why did you get in the water if you can’t swim? I just told you to find a coach. Have you been abroad for so many years that your ears have gone deaf? Can’t you hear me?” Zhao Xinran frowned. Seeing him looking so dejected and downcast, like a drowned puppy, she felt both annoyed and amused.
Suddenly, she felt a bit dazed, as if she’d been transported back to the days when she used to be his teacher.
Back then, he’d often cut corners on the assignments she gave him. Relying on his bit of cleverness, he’d always skip the basic problems and go straight for the complex ones. In the end, he couldn’t solve the complex ones and hadn’t done the basic ones either, resulting in a terrifyingly low score.
“I don’t want anyone to teach me,” Si Maoyan said, pursing his lips. He stole a glance at Zhao Xinran’s expression; seeing that she didn’t seem angry, he plucked up the courage to gently nudge her arm with his elbow and whispered, “Teacher, you’re a great swimmer. Could you teach me?”
“No.” Zhao Xinnan refused without a moment’s hesitation. Never mind what Si Maoyan was up to—they both knew exactly what was going on. As for her, she’d long since had enough of the hardships of being a tutor.
After leaving the Si family years ago, she’d taken a job as a private tutor for another family. That young master nearly drove her to her wits’ end. Fortunately, her own company had since taken a turn for the better—business was booming, and her earnings were steadily rising—so she finally had the confidence to quit on the spot.
She had no intention of reliving that nightmare.
“Two thousand per lesson,” Si Maoyan said after checking his account balance. He gritted his teeth, held up two fingers toward Zhao Xinran, then looked at her expectantly, lowering his voice as he cautiously pleaded, “Teacher, please don’t turn me down. I really, really love swimming, and I want so, so badly to learn how to swim.”
Looking at his eyes brimming with anticipation and the hand holding up two fingers, Zhao Xinran suddenly couldn’t bear to refuse him. After a moment’s hesitation, she finally nodded: “All right. I’m only available on Saturdays. I’ll send you a list of what you need to buy later. Make sure you have everything by next Saturday. Same swimming pool, 2:00 p.m.—don’t be late.”
“Got it!” Si Maoyan’s lips curled into a wide smile, his almond-shaped eyes brimming with delight.
Seeing him like this, Zhao Xinran couldn’t help but pour a bucket of cold water on his enthusiasm: “My time is limited, and my standards are strict. If you can’t learn to swim in eight lessons, you’ll have to find your own coach.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best.” Si Maoyan replied excitedly. His voice, which he’d been deliberately keeping low, suddenly revealed a hint of a young man’s clear, bright tone. Noticing that Zhao Xinran hadn’t caught on, he cleared his throat and hurriedly asked, “Teacher, do you have time later? I’d like to treat you to a meal.”
“We’ll see. I’m going for a swim now. Be a good boy and wait for me over there. If you bother me again, you’ll have to find someone else.” Zhao Xinran raised her hand, put her goggles back on, and with a kick of her legs, glided gracefully into the water.
Peace and quiet finally returned to the area.
As Zhao Xinran swam away, she had no idea that if she had turned around at that moment, she would have seen those beautiful almond-shaped eyes behind her brimming with possessiveness and affection so intense they seemed ready to overflow.