TVDC 51: Courtship

No matter how unwilling Qiu Xuning was, there was no way out now. He Zhiyuan pulled him to the edge of the swimming pool and pressed him down to sit.

“Try the water first,” He Zhiyuan said.

Qiu Xuning stretched out his foot and touched the pale-blue pool water, which was cool, clear, and looked very clean. He bent down to look at it, then quickly drew his toes back. “It’s so cold.”

The air conditioner in the swimming hall was still on, and the temperature wasn’t very warm, making it a bit chilly to be bare-skinned.

Qiu Xuning tested the water temperature several times before finally placing his two slender legs into the water.

He Zhiyuan got into the water first and reached his hand out toward Qiu Xuning. “Come down.”

Qiu Xuning quickly glanced at the broad palm He Zhiyuan had extended toward him, but he didn’t reach out his own hand. Instead, he held onto the pool’s edge and the ladder himself, slowly sliding into the water.

In this posture, the view of his jade-like fair and smooth back down to his slender waist was completely exposed. He Zhiyuan glanced at him a few times before quickly averting his gaze.

The swimming pool wasn’t very deep, and when He Zhiyuan stood inside, more than half of his chest was above the water. Yet Qiu Xuning was extremely nervous, clutching tightly onto the ladder beside him, unwilling to let go.

He Zhiyuan walked over, and Qiu Xuning could hear the faint sound of water behind him. Then the skin on his back began to tremble; he could feel the undeniable heat radiating from He Zhiyuan’s body. Qiu Xuning’s whole body tensed up, his voice carrying a trace of panic as he said, “Wait—don’t come any closer yet.”

He Zhiyuan stopped, the corners of his lips slightly curling up, and asked, “How long are you going to make me wait?”

Qiu Xuning’s throat moved a few times; he took a slow, measured breath and said, “How are you going to teach me?”

He Zhiyuan thought for a moment and said, “By holding you while I teach?”

“……” Qiu Xuning’s cheeks flushed instantly, and he stammered to confirm, “H–hold while teaching?”

He Zhiyuan gave a soft laugh, his eyes fixed on Qiu Xuning’s shoulders and back exposed above the water, and he said in a low voice, “If you want to hold onto the pool’s edge, that’s fine, but you have to learn to breathe first.”

Qiu Xuning took a deep breath, groped around with his feet for a moment, and stood up. His height was much shorter compared to He Zhiyuan—when He Zhiyuan stood, nearly half of his body was still above the water, but when Qiu Xuning stood, the water barely reached over his shoulders.

He was slender and thin, without much weight, and as soon as he let go of the ladder and took just a few steps toward where He Zhiyuan was, he couldn’t handle the buoyancy of the water, and his whole body fell backward.

Qiu Xuning let out a panicked cry, struggling to move his limbs and trying to stand steady, but the more anxious he became, the more disordered his movements became, and the harder it was for him to keep his balance.

Just as he choked on several mouthfuls of water, a warm, strong arm came up against him, tightly wrapping around his waist and lifting him out of the water.

Qiu Xuning spat out the water in his mouth, his small face completely pale, his eyes rimmed with red, as if he had been frightened.

He Zhiyuan lifted him up from the water, brought him to the poolside, and carefully looked at his face. “How are you?”

Qiu Xuning blinked slowly once, then suddenly coughed a few times, and even reached a finger into his mouth, trying to gag himself.

He Zhiyuan grabbed his hand, his tone growing heavier. “What are you doing?”

Qiu Xuning raised his eyes, his expression a bit aggrieved, and said, “I drank it, I drank the pool water.”

He Zhiyuan said, “It won’t kill you.”

“……” Qiu Xuning opened his mouth, then pressed his lips together. After a while, he whispered, “I’ll get sick.”

He Zhiyuan looked at him. “Do you want to give up halfway?”

Under his gaze, Qiu Xuning surrendered, and said in frustration, “I understand.”

He Zhiyuan’s tone softened. “This time, listen to me.”

Qiu Xuning lowered his head and softly hummed an “hmm” sound. After recovering from the fear of choking on water, he then realized that their position was a bit too intimate. He Zhiyuan’s hand… was still pressed against his waist. In an instant, the skin on his waist where it made contact with He Zhiyuan’s warm hand immediately broke out in goosebumps. His face instantly turned completely red, and his breathing became a little faster. His soft lips visibly trembled slightly, and his voice carried a slight tremor. “I–I’m fine.”

He said this without daring to look directly into He Zhiyuan’s eyes. His long, lowered lashes were slightly trembling, enough to show his panic and helplessness.

He Zhiyuan’s large palm was still holding onto Qiu Xuning’s slender waist. Hearing Qiu Xuning’s vague hint, it seemed like he didn’t understand. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and said, “That’s good, let’s try again.”

His voice grew a little deeper, “This time, hold my hand.”

Qiu Xuning’s fingers curled up slightly, still hesitating, but this time, it seemed like He Zhiyuan had little patience left. He extended his hand, tightly grabbing Qiu Xuning’s small fist, forcefully prying his small fist open with his fingers, slipping them into the gaps between Qiu Xuning’s fingers, and tightly gripping them.

This position made Qiu Xuning widen his eyes, but he didn’t dare to say anything, with He Zhiyuan’s hand still pressed against his waist, feeling extremely uncomfortable all over. If he was to say anything, he should’ve asked He Zhiyuan to release his hand first.

Yet before Qiu Xuning could say anything, after He Zhiyuan grabbed his fingers, he pulled him back into the water.

This time, Qiu Xuning didn’t have the pool edge or the ladder to support him. As soon as he entered the water, the moment he was submerged by the cool pool water, the only person beside him he could rely on was He Zhiyuan. Qiu Xuning panickedly clung to He Zhiyuan’s arm, his two slender long legs comically flailing in the water for a moment before he finally reached the pool’s bottom. After struggling to steady himself, the nervous look on his face slowly relaxed.

He Zhiyuan’s arm was still pressed against his waist. At this point, it seemed like he only just noticed the slender waist of Qiu Xuning that he was holding. He gave Qiu Xuning’s waist a slight lift, and his voice seemed to carry a hint of laughter. “Your waist is so slim.”

Qiu Xuning’s ears tingled, and his cheeks quickly flushed red. He lifted his eyelids, and a thin layer of water-like sheen appeared in his eyes. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then turned his head away in embarrassment and irritation.

He Zhiyuan, as if unaware, leisurely added, “Eat more, you’ll look better if you gain a little weight.”

Qiu Xuning pressed his lips together, pretending he didn’t hear. Yet the redness on his face didn’t fade in a while. Instead, it spread to the tips of his ears, boldly revealing the turmoil in his heart.

He Zhiyuan didn’t continue teasing him. He said softly, “You hold onto me or I’ll hold you, you choose one.”

Qiu Xuning instinctively tightened his grip on his arm.

He Zhiyuan lowered his eyes and looked at him, the corners of his lips curling up. His voice softened slightly as he said, “I’ll teach you how to breathe first…”

Qin Shouze swam for a while, and heard his cousins talking about the young lady in the pool. He raised an eyebrow, then, with no interest, climbed out of the pool.

His second cousin called out to him, “Shouze, tell me, do you think the girl in the yellow swimsuit is pretty?”

His eldest cousin said, “Pretty, my ass. What kind of taste do you have, calling that pretty? You must have never seen a pretty girl before, huh?”

Qin Shouze didn’t look at the girl they were talking about, but instead searched around and finally spotted Qiu Xuning in the last lane.

In this sea of people, Qiu Xuning’s head appeared so delicate and handsome that it made it easy for Qin Shouze to spot him quickly.

Qin Shouze’s heart leaped with joy, but he didn’t show it on his face. He acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary and walked over.

As he walked closer to get a better look, he realized that Qiu Xuning was also standing next to his older brother.

Qin Shouze slightly furrowed his brow, hiding the emotion in his eyes. He slowly walked over. “Qiu Xuning,” he called out.

Qiu Xuning was still practicing holding his breath. After a few rounds, the skin around his eyes began to show a faint redness, making his skin appear even fairer and more translucent. His appearance was that of a very obedient and gentle type, with round, gentle arcs to his eyes, like a cat’s eyes. When he looked at others with a dazed expression, it revealed an almost pure innocence.

Qin Shouze was looked at by him with such eyes, his heartbeat skipping a few beats, and the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curl up into a slight arc. He walked to the poolside, sat down, and looked at Qiu Xuning, saying, “You still haven’t learned? Do you want me to teach you? I’ve even participated in a youth swimming competition before and took second place, so teaching you should be no problem.”

As soon as he said this, even He Zhiyuan turned his head to look at him.

Qin Shouze was being looked at by He Zhiyuan, but he wasn’t nervous. Those eyes kept watching Qiu Xuning, waiting for him to answer.

Qiu Xuning’s one hand was still tightly hooked around He Zhiyuan’s arm. Hearing his words, he reached up to wipe the water from his face and softly said, “My ge is teaching me, you don’t need to trouble yourself.”

Qin Shouze had already gotten used to being rejected and didn’t feel discouraged. He got into the water, gently pushed off from the pool wall, and his whole body, as agile as a fish, swiftly passed between Qiu Xuning and He Zhiyuan, swimming forward.

Because they were in the swimming hall, Qin Shouze didn’t dare to dive. As he passed by Qiu Xuning, he lifted his head out of the water, his long limbs stretching out, and his swimming style appeared very graceful and light.

Qin Shouze had indeed trained before, his breathing frequency was very steady, and his swimming style was the most energy-efficient. In many aspects, his skills were almost at an athlete’s level.

Experts see the technique, while amateurs just watch for the excitement. Qiu Xuning watched and thought he swam beautifully, like a butterfly.

However, He Zhiyuan watched Qin Shouze’s behavior, which was like a male courting display, and his gaze slowly darkened.

Qiu Xuning was watching intently when suddenly he felt his waist loosen, and his vision blacked out for a moment. He let out a startled “ah” in shock and then heard He Zhiyuan’s voice, low and deep, saying, “You’re not allowed to look.”