The next morning, Tang Tian stepped out of her room and was about to close the door when she noticed a tall figure standing in the corridor not far away.
She looked more closely and realized it was Shen Yanli, who was staring intently at her.
Tang Tian wondered why he was standing there watching her. Weren’t they supposed to ignore her as usual, given how much they despised her?
She averted her gaze, closed the door, and turned toward the pool. After taking only a few steps, she noticed Shen Yanli approaching her out of the corner of her eye.
Thinking he might have something to say, Tang Tian stopped and waited for him.
Shen Yanli strode toward her with his long legs. His tall, upright posture, broad shoulders, and narrow waist made Tang Tian feel immense pressure as he stood before her.
Unconsciously, she took half a step back. “Mr. Shen, do you need something?”
Shen Yanli glanced at her room. “You’re staying in that room?”
Tang Tian looked back at her room in confusion, hesitating for a few seconds before nodding. “Yes, Mr. Shen.”
She assumed Shen Yanli thought she was living too close to them and wanted her to move farther away.
Shen Yanli stared into her almond-shaped eyes, which were as clear as water. After a moment, he said, “If you need anything, let the housekeeper know.”
Tang Tian’s confusion deepened even more. She was utterly surprised by his concern. What was going on with Shen Yanli? Didn’t he hate her?
She didn’t think the incident in the sunroom would bring her closer to Shen Yanli. Besides, she had no intention of getting closer to him—she wanted to stay as far away as possible.
“Thank you, Mr. Shen. I don’t need anything.”
Shen Yanli ignored her polite refusal. “Are you going to have breakfast now?”
Tang Tian shook her head. “Mr. Fu wants to swim. I’m going to prepare towels and other supplies.”
Fu Xi wanted to swim? Shen Yanli rarely swam, usually opting to exercise in the villa’s gym instead.
“Go ahead.” He didn’t disturb her further.
Tang Tian nodded. As she turned to leave, she walked slowly at first, then gradually picked up her pace. For the first time, she felt that Fu Xi wasn’t as terrifying as she had thought.
Today’s Shen Yanli… was truly unfathomable. He gave her an indescribable feeling, as if she had been… targeted by him.
She tapped her head. What was she thinking? Someone as high-status as Shen Yanli probably despised her so much that even looking at her was an act of disdain.
He likely just disliked her living so close to them and wanted the housekeeper to move her farther away.
As for why he had shown concern earlier, it was probably just a polite remark, something he said casually.
Tang Tian prepared the towels and drinks, pushed the cart to the poolside, and sat on a beach chair, waiting for Fu Xi to arrive.
Ten minutes later, Fu Xi entered the pool area wearing a white bathrobe.
Before he even approached, his lazy voice reached Tang Tian’s ears.
“Look who’s here.”
Tang Tian suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “Good morning.”
Fu Xi approached her with a smile on his lips. “I was wondering why you haven’t been flirting with us lately. Turns out you’ve really changed your strategy.”
He lifted her chin with a bent finger, and the smooth, jade-like texture of her skin made him freeze for a moment. Then, he composed himself and studied her beautiful face carefully. “Playing hard to get? Or retreating to advance?”
His presence seemed to press in on her, making her heart race.Tang Tian tried hard to ignore the uncontrollable shyness, after all, she had never been this close to a man before.
With her ears flushed red, she dodged his hand and tried to sound calm: “Mr. Fu, I’ve only heard your songs, never watched any of your acting. If you were to act, you’d definitely achieve something too.”
Fu Xi loved seeing her retort. He laughed heartily and said, “I know you’re subtly mocking me for being dramatic, but…”
Just like last time, he leaned down close to her, staring at her increasingly flushed face. “You’re still shy.”
Fu Xi’s gaze shifted from her face to her earlobes, those fair, delicate earlobes tinged with red…
A certain tantalizing thought flashed through his mind, causing the teasing smile on Fu Xi’s lips to vanish completely.
Tang Tian stepped back, her face and ears burning. “Mr. Fu, do you actually want to swim, or are you just trying to tease me?”
Fu Xi straightened his robust figure, looking down at her with a cold snort. “Well, you’re going to be disappointed. You’re still not as attractive as the swimming pool.”
Tang Tian breathed a sigh of relief. He was finally acting normal again.
Seeing her relieved expression, Fu Xi was amused once more. “Your acting skills are truly impressive. Playing hard to get has been perfected by you.”
Tang Tian had truly had enough. She stepped forward and pulled his bathrobe down.
“Hey, hey, wait! Why are you pulling off my bathrobe? You perverted woman! So eager to see my abs…”
Before he could finish shouting, Tang Tian’s soft, fair foot pressed against his swimsuit-clad buttocks. Fu Xi reacted swiftly, grabbing her foot. The sensation was delicate and soft, small enough to be fully held in one hand…
Tang Tian had intended to kick him into the pool but hadn’t expected him to react so quickly, ending up with her foot caught instead.
Her face flushed crimson. “You… let go.”
Fu Xi didn’t push it too far. As soon as she spoke, he released her foot.
The next second, he was kicked into the pool by Tang Tian, sending a splash of water flying.
Tang Tian inevitably got splashed, but thankfully her work uniform wasn’t too wet and would dry soon.
Fu Xi surfaced, wiping the water from his face, and accused her, “Tang Tian! That’s not fair!” He had already let her go, yet she still dared to kick him!
“Just swim already, you talk too much.” Tang Tian sat on the beach chair, propping her chin as she watched the annoying figure in the pool.
Fu Xi narrowed his eyes. “You dare to dislike me?”
Tang Tian couldn’t be bothered to deal with him anymore. “Yes, I dare. What are you going to do about it?”
Fu Xi stared at her for a moment before suddenly bursting into a hearty laugh. “Nothing, really. You’re much more interesting than I imagined.”
Tang Tian wore an expression of utter indifference. “Mr. Fu, please demonstrate your swimming skills.”
Seeing how thoroughly annoyed she was, Fu Xi couldn’t help but laugh out loud. His heart itched even more, wanting to torment her fiercely. She was just… utterly adorable.
“Consider yourself lucky today. I’ll show you world-champion-level swimming.”
Tang Tian: “…”
Fu Xi swam for nearly 40 minutes. During his breaks, Tang Tian would hand him a drink and drape a towel over him, then take the towel and cup away when he resumed swimming.
Sitting on the beach chair, the only sound in her ears was the water in the pool.
The sound of the pool water was like white noise, very hypnotic. Propping her chin, she drifted into a drowsy sleep.
Her consciousness seemed to drift through several dreams until suddenly she realized she was by the poolside and hurriedly opened her eyes.A shadow fell before her eyes. Fu Xi had emerged from the pool at some unknown moment, draped in a white bathrobe, his thick hair dripping water. His exceptionally handsome face lacked the usual frivolousness, and his narrow, peach blossom eyes were dark and terrifying.
This glance made Tang Tian feel a sense of fear. She had almost forgotten that in the original story, Fu Xi’s outwardly frivolous and unserious demeanor was actually a facade for his underlying ruthlessness.
“Mr… Mr. Fu, have you finished swimming?”
Fu Xi, for some reason, had been staring intently at her bare feet.
Tang Tian noticed this and instinctively withdrew her feet, unsure of why he was looking.