Chapter Forty: Fishing in Troubled Waters

It was not yet noon, but the sun’s heat was already becoming uncomfortable. Many people had set up makeshift tents, and some young girls were rubbing sunscreen onto their exposed arms and legs. Little Yuer’s skin was especially delicate and moist, and the harsh sunlight had left faint red marks on her.

“Brother-in-law, help me put some on my back, I can’t reach,” Yuer said, glancing around to find only Zhu Dawei and Four-Eyes nearby; the other girls were nowhere to be seen. After some thought, she could only ask Chu Dong to do it.

Yuer lifted her long hair with a backward motion, revealing her neck as smooth and white as jade. She pressed the bottle of sunscreen into Chu Dong’s hand and turned her back to him, waiting.

Chu Dong still saw Yuer as a child, so he was unbothered. He twisted off the small cap, poured some lotion into his palm, rubbed his hands together, and gently applied it to the girl’s shoulders and neck, carefully spreading it to ensure even coverage.

A young girl’s skin was truly exquisite—Chu Dong’s hand felt as though it were gliding over a freshly peeled boiled egg, smooth and fair. Yet gradually, a blush seemed to bloom beneath his touch; the girl’s neck had turned rosy pink.

“This sun is really fierce. You’re already getting sunburned—maybe you shouldn’t swim today. It’s not worth it to get hurt,” Chu Dong advised, thinking the redness was from the sun.

“No way.” Yuer felt as if Chu Dong’s fingers were burning hot, like branding irons, and though she forced herself to stand still until he finished, she quickly ran off without a backward glance. The moment her delicate body slipped into the sea, she became agile, moving through the waves like a mermaid.

With his hand still sticky, Chu Dong wiped the excess on his own arm, the corners of his mouth quirking. “Kids can still get embarrassed.”

Wang Yue and his friends had been watching Chu Dong out of the corners of their eyes the whole time. Tian Hai finally couldn’t hold back. “Damn, that guy’s not getting in the water! What do we do?”

“Watch me—I don’t believe he won’t go in,” Bian Feng said with a sly grin. He lounged into the water, then took a deep dive, disappearing for a long stretch before surfacing for air. Without lingering, he dove again, repeating this a few times, then stopped. He flashed a V-sign to those on shore, shook water from his short hair, and strode out of the sea.

“What were you up to?” Wang Yue asked, puzzled by Bian Feng’s antics.

“Just wait for the show,” Bian Feng answered with a mysterious smile.

Yuer was enjoying herself more and more, long since forgetting the lingering shiver left by those burning hands. Suddenly she spotted Teacher Xiao, wearing a float ring, splashing in the shallows not far from the shore. A playful mood overtook her, and she swam toward her.

Teacher Xiao was no more than a dozen meters from the shore, in water less than three meters deep. As Yuer drew near, her calves suddenly began to ache. Panic rose in her chest, and soon pain stabbed her in several places on her legs.

“Brother-in-law—ah—” Yuer, startled by the sudden pain, forgot how to swim and immediately sank beneath the surface.

“Damn it.” Chu Dong cursed under his breath. He didn’t bother taking off his clothes, but rushed straight into the water. He’d been secretly watching Xiao Rou, her serene smile and graceful movements in the water making her seem like a gentle spring breeze. So he’d already noticed when Yuer swam toward her.

Striding forward, Chu Dong charged toward Yuer’s location like a meteor, sending up splashes as he went. The girls nearby scattered in alarm, while the boys stood transfixed, watching as Chu Dong dove into the sea.

Xiao Rou was still only just getting used to the water. In the pool she could manage, but the waves of the sea were another matter entirely; the briny, rolling water had nearly choked her at first. That’s why she’d brought a float ring. When she saw Yuer in trouble, she tried to swim over, but the waves pushed Yuer farther out.

The cool seawater revived Chu Dong’s spirits. The water here was relatively clear, and diving below, he could see Yuer’s shadow not far away. With great sweeps of his long arms, he cut a white path through the water and quickly reached the girl.

As Chu Dong rushed into the sea, Wang Yue and Tian Hai exchanged glances and followed, though they were noticeably slower. Once in the water, they lagged even further behind.

Chu Dong grabbed Yuer’s soft arm and kicked hard, pushing upward toward the surface. But the terrified girl, having found her lifeline, clung to him like an octopus, making his rescue more difficult. Fortunately, she was small, and even so, she couldn’t resist his upward force.

At that moment, Wang Yue and Tian Hai—supposedly there to help—joined in, but instead of assisting, they grabbed Chu Dong’s legs, pulling him down just as he broke the surface.

Snatching a breath when he surfaced, Chu Dong realized someone was trying to sabotage him. He knew that panicking would only make things worse. Instead of struggling with them under the water, he calmly pulled Yuer close to his chest, found her lips, and transferred his recently drawn breath into the girl, who was already close to fainting. Then, with a powerful thrust, he sent her upward.

Yuer had only been startled, not incapable in the water. Chu Dong’s breath gave her a chance to recover, and as soon as her head broke the surface, she regained her bearings. Something had pricked her underwater, and the fear had made her desperate to swim for shore.

No matter how clear the sea was, those on shore couldn’t see Chu Dong, now dozens of meters out. With both feet held fast and only his arms free, he couldn’t make it up. The breath he’d just taken had gone to Yuer, and now his chest felt as if it were being crushed by a boulder. Still, he knew not to open his mouth and swallow seawater, or he’d be finished.

Bracing his legs together, Chu Dong bent himself like a lobster. In water, unlike on land, his strength surpassed the other two; he pulled Wang Yue and Tian Hai together with a powerful jerk. Seizing his advantage, he gripped both of their necks, squeezing tightly. The two troublemakers couldn’t bear it; as soon as they opened their mouths, seawater rushed in, and they let go to claw at his iron-like hands.

Delayed by this, Chu Dong was almost at his limit. He let go and shot to the surface, gulped air, and before the other two could come up, he dove down again, intercepting them and pressing them under with one hand each.

The water around them was now thoroughly churned. The two boys had tried to pull a dirty trick while Chu Dong was desperate to save Yuer, but Chu Dong had managed to get two extra breaths, one of which he’d hardly used himself. By the time he was finally spent and ready to give in, the other two had already swallowed so much water they’d lost the will to fight, left at Chu Dong’s mercy in the sea.