Noticing the hand gripping her tighten its hold, Fang Bai sighed silently and asked in a low voice, "Do you want to overcome your fear?"
She thought that Ji Yuning was holding her tightly as a threat because she had discovered her weakness.
Ji Yuning looked at Fang Bai with her deep, dark eyes, her expression unfathomable.
VIP swimming room.
Most guests come to the hotel to soak in the hot springs; very few people come to swim, let alone the VIP pool.
There wasn't a single person there.
Fang Bai and Ji Yuning stood by the pool.
Fang Bai glanced down at his feet, then turned to Ji Yuning and said, "Let's practice holding our breath today."
This is the one that will allow Ji Yuning to confront her fears most directly.
This is also the most important thing to Ji Yuning.
After hearing this, Ji Yuning nodded slightly, "Okay."
Ji Yuning was standing right next to Fang Bai, very close to the pool. She would fall into the pool if she took just one small step.
Surprisingly, Ji Yuning showed no resistance to going to the hot spring room alone in the afternoon. She was not afraid, but rather calm and composed, as if walking on flat ground.
The person who gave her a sense of security was Fang Bai, who was by her side.
Just like last time.
Not just last time.
The same applies when soaking in hot springs.
Fang Bai released her hand, but did not leave her side, so she felt no fear.
Fang Bai had no idea what Ji Yuning was thinking. She turned on the timer on her phone, turned her head to look at Ji Yuning, and stared at her profile. "Hold your breath, and I'll time you."
Ji Yuning looked down at the pool and didn't move.
Fang Bai placed his hand on Ji Yuning's back and patted her gently. "Just dive a little underwater. I'll be watching you from above. It'll be alright."
Ji Yuning lifted her eyelids slightly and whispered, "Mmm."
Ji Yuning squatted down without stopping, sat on the shore, and then entered the water.
His neat and efficient manner doesn't make him seem like someone who's afraid of water at all.
Fang Bai squatted down beside her and asked, "Are you ready?"
Ji Yuning was the only person in the huge pool.
The pool water was so cold that Ji Yuning's eyelashes trembled, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Mmm."
As Fang Bai pressed the start button with his thumb, he said, "Next."
The commanding tone gave Ji Yuning a sense of familiarity.
The woman's words had been given countless times, and each time Ji Yuning heard them, they stirred up her rebellious spirit.
But this time, Ji Yuning took a breath of air and then descended into the water.
Ji Yuning's hair was tied up, her bangs were loose and floating, and the flowers at her waist were spread out even more.
From his vantage point, Fang Bai saw a blooming flower.
Cold and arrogant.
The person drowning in the water didn't know how much time had passed; all they could hear was the sound of flowing water, and the air in their mouth gradually disappeared.
The counter's numbers change rapidly.
The moment Ji Yuning broke through the water, Fang Bai pressed the pause button.
"Thirty-seven seconds." Fang Bai raised an eyebrow in surprise. This was quite an achievement for someone who was afraid of water.
Thinking this to herself, Fang Bai didn't hold back either. She praised, "Very good, it took longer than I expected. Take a break and try again."
Fang Bai is very good at encouraging education.
During the few days that Beibei was brought home, Ji Yuning went to school, and Wu Mei was not good at communicating with small animals, so Fang Bai taught Beibei how to use the toilet.
Once, Ji Yuning accidentally stumbled upon an educational scene. Fang Bai asked Bei Bei to give it the toy it was carrying in its mouth. At first, Bei Bei didn't understand what it meant and ignored Fang Bai's words, pressing the toy under its body.
But Fang Bai showed no impatience. She called Bei Bei's name softly, waved to Bei Bei, and waved the cat treats in her other hand to tempt Bei Bei.
Within minutes, Beibei brought the toy to Fang Bai.
When Beibei let go of the toy, Fang Bai praised her, saying, "Beibei is even smarter than I imagined."
Remembering how Beibei was praised, Ji Yuning thought, "..."
Taking the towel Fang Bai handed her, Ji Yuning wiped the water off her face.
After pausing for about ten seconds, Ji Yuning raised her chin slightly, looked at the people on the shore, and said calmly, "Okay."
Fang Bai hummed in agreement, "I'm ready too."
Ji Yuning dived into the water again.
Time passed slowly, and Fang Bai stared intently at the person in the water.
When she asked Ji Yuning if she wanted to overcome her fear, she didn't expect Ji Yuning to agree, because in Fang Bai's mind, Ji Yuning's first reaction to her suggestion would only be to refuse.
Even this trip to Qing City was decided by Fang Bai on his own initiative, without giving Ji Yuning any reason to refuse.
Moreover, exposing one's weaknesses in front of an enemy is not Ji Yuning's style.
But Ji Yuning agreed.
Fang Bai had mixed feelings; on one hand, she was happy that Ji Yuning trusted her, but on the other hand, she was puzzled as to why Ji Yuning would trust her.
Completely baffled, Fang Bai hesitated for a second when the black flower emerged from the water.
Before Ji Yuning looked at her, Fang Bai subtracted a second from the time, saying, "Sixty-five seconds."
Fang Bai collected his thoughts and smiled at Ji Yuning, "It's been more than a minute."
This is already a very good result in just a few minutes.
A glint of light appeared in Ji Yuning's eyes. "Hmm."
"Then let's rest a little longer," Fang Bai said, handing over a towel.
Half a minute later, just as Fang Bai was about to ask Ji Yuning if she was done, his phone rang.
Fang Bai glanced down at the caller ID; it was the investment manager.
Fang Bai hesitated for a moment, then said to the person sitting by the pool, "I'm going to answer the phone. You rest for a while longer, and we'll start when I get back."
After saying that, Fang Bai walked away, but after taking only two steps, she heard a faint sound of water behind her. Fang Bai didn't hear it clearly because she had already answered the phone.
Not long after Fang Bai turned around, Ji Yuning dived into the water.
Ignoring the resistance her body felt and the fear coursing through her veins, she did not stay near the surface as Fang Bai had requested, but instead sank into deeper water.
There's something Ji Yuning wants to understand.
Only by doing so can she know.
Fang Bai didn't know how long he had been on the phone with that manager, he only knew that after hanging up, he didn't see Ji Yuning by the pool after turning around.
Recalling the sound of water, neither too loud nor too soft, Fang Bai opened his phone and glanced at the call duration.
Two minutes and twenty seconds.
Fang Bairen walked to the edge of the pool. Before he could even be happy that Ji Yuning had persevered for so long, he looked into the pool and saw that the person who should have been above the water was now curled up at the bottom of the pool.
Not moving at all.
Like—
"thump."
Fang Bai threw away his phone and jumped into the water.
As Fang Bai jumped in, the water, which had been calm for two minutes, was splashed. The lights on the water were scattered by the waves, and after a few shakes, they returned to normal.
Before losing consciousness, Ji Yuning, who was underwater, mistook the light that entered her eyes for the moon.
The moon in the water.
Ji Yuning, who was on the verge of suffocation, only felt someone wrap their arms around her waist, and the strength of their arms brought her back to her senses.
But it was only for a moment. Ji Yuning's mind went blank again. As her heartbeat weakened, two soft lips pressed against hers...
Her lips were pried open, and a breath was poured into Ji Yuning's mouth, the oxygen driving the blood in her body to fill her brain and flow into her heart.
Ji Yuning briefly regained consciousness, but before she could recover from the dizziness, she was pulled to the surface of the water.
At the same time, he withdrew his hand from her waist.
As Ji Yuning slightly parted her lips to inhale oxygen, a muffled voice entered her ears.
"Come up yourself."
Ji Yuning pursed her lips and opened her eyes. What she saw was a pair of slender, fair legs gradually walking away. Her heavy eyelids lifted slightly, and Fang Bai's solitary figure appeared ethereal and dreamlike under the effect of the water mist.
It is even rarer than the moon reflected in water.
Once Fang Bai's figure was no longer in sight, Ji Yuning slowly withdrew her gaze and lowered her eyelashes.
On the rippling water, the reflection of thin lips curved into a faint smile.
Using life as a code, the long-awaited but fruitless attempt finally yielded an answer.
only,
It seems I've upset the other person.
Author's Note:
Xiao Ji's Diary:
October 2nd...hehe...