BFILWY CH 41

Chapter 41: Striking Up a Conversation

Under Ye Qinghe’s expectant gaze, An Yue finally got into the water. Before swimming off, he repeatedly reminded Ye Qinghe not to wander around or swim away while he was gone. Without someone in front to guide him, blind swimming could still be dangerous.

“I’m not swimming. I’m exhausted,” Ye Qinghe leaned against the poolside, regulating his breathing. He waved his hand, signaling An Yue not to worry. “I’ll just rest here. Once you’re done, we can go soak in the hot pool.”

Before leaving, An Yue even signaled the lifeguard, asking him to keep an eye on Ye Qinghe. There weren’t many people in the pool, and among them was a private swimming instructor hired by one of the residents, who was just finishing up a lesson. The lifeguard readily agreed, assuring An Yue that he would pay extra attention to the visually impaired gentleman.

To avoid accidentally kicking Ye Qinghe while swimming, An Yue ducked under the lane divider and moved to the adjacent lane. After adjusting his goggles, he gave Ye Qinghe a quick heads-up before setting off.

An Yue loved swimming. He had taught himself how to swim and never cared much about speed or technique. What he enjoyed was the quiet solitude of being in the water, free from distractions.

He swam at a leisurely pace. Unlike Ye Qinghe, who powered forward without pause, An Yue stopped at the end of the lane every 25 meters. Mostly, he just wanted to check on Ye Qinghe and make sure he was still there.

On his third stop, An Yue looked across the pool and noticed that someone had joined Ye Qinghe—specifically, the swimming instructor in the red briefs. The man was chatting enthusiastically with Ye Qinghe, who had been lounging lazily by the poolside.

An Yue narrowed his eyes. So much for “no one’s going to look at me.” This was the second time Ye Qinghe’s words had come back to bite him. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he smirked to himself before diving back underwater and swimming back.

“…Seriously, don’t be shy,” the instructor in the red briefs said enthusiastically, reaching for Ye Qinghe’s hand. “I saw you swimming just now—your form is really impressive, and your muscle definition is amazing. But there are a few things you could tweak. I can teach you…”

“No need, but thank you.” Ye Qinghe politely withdrew his hand and declined with a courteous smile. “I’ve swum enough for today. I’d like to rest for a bit.”

“Ah, just call me Andy,” Andy said enthusiastically. “You want to rest? I can take you there. We can go to the sauna.” As he spoke, he leaned in closer and closer, practically pressing himself against Ye Qinghe. His palm brushed along Ye Qinghe’s arm as he added suggestively, “At this hour, the sauna is usually empty.”

“…”

Former nightlife playboy Ye Qinghe immediately realized—Oh, I’m being hit on. He found it both amusing and exasperating.

A few years ago, the gay community was still relatively low-key. Even though Ye Qinghe had played around a lot, he still limited his encounters to certain specific places. He hadn’t expected things to change so quickly. Nowadays, people were bold enough to hit on someone openly at a community swimming pool.

Normally, Andy wouldn’t make a move so recklessly either. But from the moment Ye Qinghe entered the pool area, Andy had been watching him. This blind man was exactly his type. Even when he saw Ye Qinghe arriving with someone else, he didn’t want to let the opportunity slip away. Based on what he observed, the other guy first helped Ye Qinghe swim and then left to swim on his own. Maybe they’re just a coach and his student?

Deciding to take his chances, Andy wasted no time approaching him as soon as his lesson ended.

Ye Qinghe was still caught off guard and hadn’t reacted yet. Seeing that he didn’t immediately pull away, Andy took it as confirmation that Ye Qinghe was part of the community. He lowered his voice, his tone laced with ambiguity.

“I can go along with anything…”

His words were drawn out deliberately, his breath brushing against Ye Qinghe’s ear in a teasing manner, hoping to entice him into playing along.

At that exact moment, An Yue surfaced in the adjacent lane, just in time to hear those last few words.

Go along with anything?!

A surge of irritation flared up inside An Yue.

“What do you mean by ‘anything’?” Ye Qinghe, unaware that An Yue had returned, asked in a puzzled tone.

Bingo!

“Yeah, I’m up for anything,” Andy replied eagerly.

Still submerged in the water, An Yue’s fingers unconsciously curled into fists. Whether it was nervousness or something else, he found himself holding his breath, waiting for Ye Qinghe’s response.

“Then please cooperate with me,” Ye Qinghe said with a polite smile. “I don’t really like strangers sticking too close. Could you take a step back?”

A faint frown formed on his face as he added, “Also, pressing up against someone without their consent isn’t exactly polite. This is a public pool in a residential community—if a child happened to see, it really wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Pressing up against him?!

An Yue nearly exploded inside. That’s way out of line! He cursed up a storm internally, completely agreeing with Ye Qinghe.

“Huh? There aren’t any kids around,” Andy muttered, looking a bit confused—clearly missing the point.

Still maintaining his polite smile, Ye Qinghe subtly stepped away, shifting with the movement of the water.

But Andy wasn’t ready to give up just yet. “Seriously, I’m really good. I’m amazing at blowing…”

“Ahem, ahem…“

An Yue couldn’t take it anymore. The conversation was getting too inappropriate, so he deliberately cleared his throat to interrupt.

“…Inflatable rings! I meant I’m really good at blowing up inflatable rings. My lung capacity is amazing… I could even compete with you in swimming.”

Andy instinctively turned his head in alarm, catching sight of someone standing in the adjacent lane, staring straight ahead. He couldn’t tell if that cough had been intentional or not.

“Pfft—“

Ye Qinghe was amused by the sudden change in words. Still smiling, he said, “Ah, my little one is back.” Recognizing An Yue’s distinct deep and husky voice, he tilted his head slightly past Andy and directed his words toward An Yue. “Baby, you swam back? Are you still going to swim?”

Hearing Ye Qinghe randomly refer to him as ‘his little one’—not to mention the absolutely disgusting nickname ‘baby’—An Yue was just about to explode in protest. But before he could, he noticed the sour look on Andy’s face, as if he were the one interrupting something.

Since when did the rightful partner turn into the homewrecker?

An Yue was thoroughly annoyed.

“Mm,” he changed his mind and responded softly, “I’m done swimming.”

“You’re… his baby?” Andy was still unwilling to give up and hesitantly asked An Yue.

No one answered him.

Ye Qinghe, looking particularly cheerful, simply said, “Baby, I heard that around this time, the sauna is usually empty. Want to go?”

“Sure,” An Yue replied, his anger and awkwardness barely concealed. Without sparing Andy another glance, he swam across the lane and let Ye Qinghe hook onto his arm. Then, without hesitation, he led Ye Qinghe up the small steps of the pool and out of the water.

Andy, who had been so eager to impress just moments ago, now found himself stewing in his own frustration. He had successfully worked himself up, but with nowhere to vent it, he could only stay behind in the pool, staring blankly in embarrassment.

An Yue, still feeling unsettled, led Ye Qinghe to rinse off the chlorine first. Only after washing up did they enter the sauna, which, as expected, was completely empty at this hour.

The two of them sat quietly inside as the heat gradually drew out beads of sweat.

Ye Qinghe wiped his sweat with a dry towel and suddenly called out, “An Baby?”

“Shut up!”

Hearing the gritted-teeth response, Ye Qinghe burst into loud laughter.

(To be continued…)