CoP 21

Ji Ling never expected that Sui Cannong’s words, “I’ll protect you,” would be taken to such an extent.

Ji Ling looked down at the pink inflatable ring in his hands, feeling a bit confused. He couldn’t understand why Sui Cannong was being so cautious.

Ji Ling hesitated for a moment before tentatively speaking up, “Teacher Sui, I actually think—”

Sui Cannong said, “The design might seem a bit childish, but that’s all they had. The other options were just little yellow ducks.”

“But for safety’s sake, you should wear it first,” Sui Cannong added.

Ji Ling pursed his lips. “But I want to learn how to swim. If I keep wearing the ring, I’ll become dependent on it and never learn.”

Sui Cannong pondered for a moment, acknowledging that Ji Ling had a point.

But then he hesitated and asked, “…So you’re pretty brave, huh? Aren’t you afraid of water?”

Ji Ling paused, then slowly replied, “Although I am a bit afraid of water, I trust the buoyancy that will keep me afloat. It shouldn’t let me sink.”

Both of them had their own thoughts and stood in silence, staring at each other for ten seconds.

Sui Cannong realized he couldn’t argue with Ji Ling’s logic, especially since Ji Ling taught physics.

So Sui Cannong relented. “Alright, you can start without it. Just let the ring float nearby, and you can try swimming while holding onto my arm.”

Sui Cannong first explained some basic theory, and then the two of them practiced for half an hour in the shallow end, holding hands.

Although Sui Cannong wasn’t swimming, he was exhausted, mostly mentally.

His nerves were on edge the entire time, and he was constantly on high alert. Whenever Ji Ling seemed to be sinking, he would quickly pull him back into his arms.

One time, Sui Cannong pulled too hard, and Ji Ling’s head collided with Sui Cannong’s abdomen, sending water splashing everywhere. Both of them panicked.

Ji Ling choked on a mouthful of water and clutched his mouth, unable to speak for a while.

Sui Cannong was startled. “Are you okay?”

Ji Ling shook his head and stood up in the water.

Ji Ling usually looked a bit slender, but when he took off his clothes, Sui Cannong noticed that his body was actually well-proportioned and comfortable to look at, with a beautifully curved waistline.

Sui Cannong stared for a moment before hastily averting his gaze. He cleared his throat and said, “Actually, you’re learning pretty fast.”

Ji Ling nodded and asked, “Can we try the deep end now?”

Sui Cannong was taken aback.

No way, they had only just started. How could a beginner want to go to the deep end so soon?

“No,” Sui Cannong immediately became wary. “You’ve only been learning for less than half an hour, and you haven’t even learned how to breathe properly. How can you rush to the deep end so quickly?”

“Although I’m not very confident in swimming,” Ji Ling said, “I can sit by the edge and watch you swim. I feel like you’re a bit constrained in the shallow end.”

“I want to learn your swimming posture and your breathing rhythm,” Ji Ling said earnestly. “Can I?”

Given how sincere Ji Ling sounded, it would be hard for Sui Cannong to refuse.

Sui Cannong thought for a moment and decided that if Ji Ling sat by the edge, it shouldn’t be a problem.

So they got out of the water, and Ji Ling, holding his pink inflatable ring, followed Sui Cannong to the deep end.

The deep end was mostly empty. Sui Cannong got into the water, while Ji Ling sat by the edge and watched him swim.

Sui Cannong slowed down his movements and swam a lap to demonstrate, then returned to the edge, took off his goggles, and looked up at Ji Ling.

He panted and smiled at Ji Ling. “It’s actually quite simple. Just relax your body and breathe rhythmically. Got it?”

Sui Cannong rested his arms on either side of Ji Ling’s legs.

Wet strands of hair clung to his forehead, and water droplets slid down his nose. Sui Cannong casually shook his head, and his features looked strong and handsome.

Ji Ling blinked.

After a moment, he nodded. “Can you swim one more lap so I can watch again?”

Sui Cannong said, “Sure, just wait a moment. I need to check my goggles. They fogged up pretty badly just now.”

Sui Cannong lowered his head to shake off the water droplets from his goggles, but as he raised his hand, the silicone gasket inside the goggles fell off.

Sui Cannong: “…”

“I’ll go get another pair. I remember I brought one,” Sui Cannong sighed. “Wait here, and I’ll come back to swim a bit further for you.”

Ji Ling said, “Okay.”

While waiting for Sui Cannong, Ji Ling felt a bit cold.

The water on his skin was evaporating, taking away his body heat. Ji Ling sat there for a while and then sneezed a few times.

He felt that if he kept waiting, he might catch a cold.

Ji Ling knew he had messed things up again.

Although they had been holding hands in the shallow end, he felt that Sui Cannong was constantly worried about him drowning, which kept him in a state of high tension.

Pretending not to know how to swim was also exhausting, and Ji Ling felt he might be burning more calories than he would normally while swimming.

Ji Ling thought that continuing like this would be a torture for both of them, so he found an excuse to let Sui Cannong relax and swim in the deep end.

The changing room was a bit far from the pool, and it would take Sui Cannong some time to find the goggles.

Ji Ling hesitated for a moment but couldn’t resist the temptation and secretly got into the water.

Just to relax for a bit and get out in five minutes, it should be fine, he thought.

Ji Ling calculated the time it would take for Sui Cannong to return and decided to close his eyes, hold his breath, and submerge himself, enjoying a comfortable moment in the water.

Sui Cannong suddenly remembered that he had left the key to the locker on the edge of the pool to make swimming easier.

He had no choice but to turn back. When he returned to the deep end, he found no one by the edge.

Sui Cannong first saw the pink inflatable ring, then his key ring, but there was no sign of Ji Ling, who had been sitting quietly by the edge when he left.

—Where is he? Sui Cannong suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Sui Cannong started to panic. He turned and saw that the water was calm.

He held his breath and stared at the water for a moment, then noticed a faint figure in the water not far away.

Sui Cannong’s breath caught in his throat. He felt like he was about to go crazy.

Without thinking, Sui Cannong dove into the water and swam to the figure, which turned out to be Ji Ling.

Ji Ling was submerged, facing away from him, completely still.

Sui Cannong swam to his side in a panic and saw that Ji Ling’s eyes were closed, and he was motionless.

Sui Cannong felt his heart turn cold.

If Sui Cannong had been able to calm down and observe, he would have noticed that Ji Ling’s body was actually in a very relaxed and comfortable position.

But Sui Cannong couldn’t think that far.

Ji Ling felt that the time was about right.

Sui Cannong should have gotten the goggles and was on his way back. If he stayed in the water any longer, he would be caught.

Ji Ling exhaled and was about to surface and return to the edge to wait for Sui Cannong when he suddenly felt a strong force pulling his arm.

Then he felt a hand urgently gripping his face, and something warm and soft covered his lips.

Ji Ling’s eyes widened in surprise as he saw Sui Cannong’s face.

—Sui Cannong had kissed him.