Chapter 28

Lu Yi climbed out of the car, resisting the urge to give Lin Jinshen a crash course in Eyeliner 101.
Guys like him, old-school, straight-laced, they'd never understand the magic of a little line on the eyelid making your eyes look huge.
The two of them filed into the villa, one after another.
The villa was brightly lit, the back kitchen bustling as staff finished preparing the meal. Once they'd asked a few questions about preferences, the food was plated and arranged. By the time Lu Yi and Lin Jinshen finished freshening up, dinner was waiting for them: candles flickered on a long table, small bouquets adding a thoughtful touch, a perfectly curated atmosphere.
Lu Yi didn’t have much appetite.
She just felt overheated and thirsty in the summer night, so she drank two glasses of sparkling wine over dinner.
Lin Jinshen kept his meal simple too, he barely touched any carbs, just methodically went at a steak and some vegetables. Watching him eat was like watching a robot refuel, efficient, joyless, strictly for survival.
After dinner, it was only eight o’clock.
Lu Yi was dead tired and already plotting to crash before ten. With nothing much to do, she remembered spying the villa’s pool earlier. The water had looked clean and inviting, so she decided to go change into her swimsuit upstairs.
Lin Jinshen still had work, so he migrated his laptop to the dining table on the first floor.
Every time Lu Yi came up or down the stairs, she had to pass him. He glanced up just as she flitted by, her exposed back was so pale it practically glowed. He quickly averted his gaze. A few minutes later, she came back downstairs in a bright yellow one-piece that hugged her curves, showing off sculpted arms and endless legs, a fit, healthy, jaw-dropping look.
She’d already twisted her hair up, and was slipping on a swim cap as she walked past.
Lin Jinshen lowered his gaze, doing his best to pretend he didn’t notice her walking right in front of him.
He’d been off his game way too many times today.
As Lu Yi passed, she tucked a loose strand of hair into her swim cap. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Lin Jinshen focusing on his screen, looking the picture of serious and studious, gotta hand it to him, the guy could drop into work mode anytime, anywhere.
He probably didn’t even notice her coming or going.
The pool was separated from the living room by a wall of glass, making the space look endless. Around the pool itself was a ring of perfectly trimmed bushes, so privacy was no problem.
Lu Yi stretched at the pool's edge, warming up, then slipped on her goggles. With a single easy motion, she dove in, sinking to the bottom, holding her breath until she needed air, then stroking up to the surface again.
The pool was just shy of 25 meters, but Lu Yi could swim several laps on a single breath.
Alone, she felt so much more at ease than when she was constantly being watched during the day.
Inside, Lin Jinshen was feeling unsettled. There was a time difference with his office back home, so he’d slipped on headphones for a remote meeting, but his attention kept drifting, drawn to what was happening outside.
Lu Yi wasn’t doing anything unusual. She warmed up properly, dove into the water, didn’t even make much of a splash. She switched up her strokes, and when she got tired, she’d just float on her back, drifting lazily.
He couldn’t see her face clearly, just the elegant lines of her outstretched limbs.
Nothing scandalous about it. Ordinary, even to the point of boredom.
So why couldn’t he look away?
His headphones buzzed with voices from his team reporting in, but for once, Lin Jinshen didn’t catch a single word. He was out of it, and his subordinates started sweating bullets, worried they’d screwed something up. He called the meeting early, unable to focus.
Just then, a staff member carried out a platter of fruit and a glass of fresh juice, one for him, one for Lu Yi.
"Just leave them here, I’ll take them out," he said.
"Thank you, Mr. Lin," the staff replied, depositing both servings.
Lin Jinshen picked up one tray and headed out. By now, the temperature outside was cooling down a little. Gazing at the rippling water, he suddenly didn’t feel quite so restless.
He set the tray on the table beside a pool chair.
Lu Yi finished another lap, resting on the pool’s edge, face upturned, eyelashes dripping with water.
"Have some juice first," Lin Jinshen suggested.
"Thanks."
Lu Yi hauled herself out of the pool, water running down her arm like clear pearls. Her skin, after soaking in the cool water, looked even whiter, almost blinding. Lin Jinshen looked away as she bent to grab her robe, shrugging it on before cozying into a lounge chair with her fresh-squeezed orange juice.
"You want to swim? It’s not hot in the pool, you do a few laps and the water’s cool, way nicer than just sitting in the air conditioning," she offered.
"No, I’m good. You enjoy." Lin Jinshen said, but didn’t leave. Then, out of nowhere: "You’re really good at it."
Lu Yi speared a bit of fruit and popped it into her mouth.
With her hair all tucked away under the swim cap, her face looked extra small, a pair of big, lively eyes bright with energy, not plain at all, glowing with life and freedom.
Maybe it was the endorphins from exercise, but Lu Yi just smiled. She wasn’t shy or withdrawn for once. She nodded and said, "I think so too, honestly. I’m a pretty good swimmer."
Her voice was light and brisk, she sounded proud of herself.
Then she looked down and gave a small chuckle, knowing she was bragging a bit.
Lin Jinshen studied her soft profile, the corner of his mouth twitching up in the faintest of smiles.
Lu Yi looked up at him again. "You know what? I actually used to be on a swim team. My coach thought I had real talent, recruited me, and I honestly loved it. Trained super hard, too, my results in the team were pretty good! But then I hurt my back during practice, so I had to quit. Still feels like a shame sometimes."
"I didn’t know that. Mom and Dad never mentioned it," Lin Jinshen frowned slightly, a puzzled crease between his brows.
"Yeah, not many people do," Lu Yi said with a soft sigh. "You’re the second person I’ve ever told."
"…"
"?"
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Lu Yi watched the most dramatic range of expressions she'd ever seen on Lin Jinshen's face. Realizing she'd just been tricked, her cool eyes grew a touch more appraising.
“You didn't actually buy it, did you?” she asked, bracing herself on her arm, grinning.
“...Boring.”
Lin Jinshen looked away, reminding her to eat her fruit before the tropical heat turned it bad.
Lu Yi couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out. She kept picturing that look he'd made just then, what a shame she hadn’t snapped a photo. Even showing it to Madam Qin would be priceless.
Lin Jinshen hadn't stepped inside yet when the sound of someone diving into the pool echoed again. He turned; Lu Yi had already slipped back into the water, her slender, nimble form twisting below the surface, more fish than girl.
That fierce vitality, lush as the jungle plants outside.
He looked back, lips curving in spite of himself.
That night, after Lu Yi swam for a solid hour, she showered and went to bed a little before ten.
The mattress was softer than anything at home; dropping into it felt like falling into a cloud. Propping up two pillows, Lu Yi figured she'd be too wired to fall asleep, so she grabbed her tablet and started a movie.
But she barely made it through the opening credits before her eyelids fluttered shut, already drifting off.
When Lin Jinshen came in, he found a strangely serene scene: the movie was still playing, but Lu Yi was out cold, her head tilted to one side, sleeping like a log.
He paused the movie gently. When he slid the tablet from her sleepy hands, she half-woke, mumbling, “I’m still watching.”
“Oh really? What's it about then?” Lin Jinshen asked, deadpan.
“...”
She had no clue.
Lu Yi let go, suddenly aware she’d already fallen asleep.
He set her tablet on the nightstand. Lifting the covers, Lin Jinshen slid into bed. The blanket was still warm where she’d lain. He gravitated a little closer and flicked off the lights.
Lu Yi yawned, eyes glazed and dreamy, fogging over with sleep.
In the darkness, her shoulder brushed against Lin Jinshen’s. She wasn’t sure who crossed the line first. Muffled, she said, “The mattress is just too soft, you kind of roll to the middle.”
She meant it as an explanation, it wasn’t like she was trying to be this close.
When Lu Yi tried to move back over, Lin Jinshen caught her arm. “Just stay,” he said.
“We just looked stiff on camera earlier. I think we’re both not used to physical affection. Maybe we should start now, get used to it.”
Was that it?
Lu Yi, exhausted, didn’t have the energy to overthink the logic. She heard nothing wrong, so she agreed.
Drowsy, with her senses drifting, she noticed his arm slip beneath her neck, a harsh substitute for a pillow, honestly.
Still, she kept sinking deeper into the mattress.
Within minutes, Lu Yi’s sleeping position turned from right to left, ending up pressed against Lin Jinshen’s solid chest, like reaching the very center of a soft pit. She half-draped over him, secure and strangely familiar.
Lin Jinshen’s fingers locked around her wrist, burning hot.
The closer they got, the more her body seemed to melt, boneless, limp, all resistance gone.
She could hear his breathing above her, heavy and unsteady. Before she could react, Lin Jinshen turned, bent down, and kissed her, it was like a spark in a pile of dry tinder, a single touch setting off a wildfire.
One hand cradled her jaw, tilting her head back. His lips pressed hard, mouth slipping open, parting hers with a heated, practiced stroke.
And just like that, memories from that night flashed in her mind,
She’d been the teacher, patient, showing him how to kiss.
Lin Jinshen was a quick study. Now he had her locked in, teasing, coaxing, tasting her, using every trick he’d learned right here, right now.
Lu Yi was dizzy, gasping for air. When he finally let go, she clung to his shirt feebly, desperate as a fish stranded on dry land, gulping for breath.
He brushed his nose against hers, then leaned in and kissed her again.
Relentless, Lin Jinshen traced her lips, her jaw, nipping at her mouth, then trailed up: a kiss to her nose, another to her eyelids, soft, almost tender. All the earlier hunger now replaced by gentle heat.
Lu Yi was slick with sweat; her body had betrayed her the minute he kissed her, sticky and aching, flustered and more than a little uncomfortable.
Not that Lin Jinshen was any better; his arm around her only tightened, the heat between them escalating.
Lu Yi barely dared move, her face bright red and burning. But honestly, she was just too tired to do anything about it.
“Lin Jinshen.” Backed into a corner, she had no choice but to call his name.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breath hot against her skin. He was teetering between restraint and wildness, inhaling her scent inch by inch like it was a drug.
He heard her voice, looked up, his eyes, even in the dark, were inky bright.
Lu Yi propped herself up on her elbow, kissed him quickly, and whispered, “Can we just make out? I really don’t have the energy for more.”
She really was running on empty.
Half asleep, half delirious, all she wanted was to fall back into her dreams.
Kissing was fine, but as for going further, who knew when that would even end?
Before she finished the thought, Lin Jinshen came at her with a vengeance, his kiss rougher than before, deep, devouring, like swallowing a mouthful of burning coals. All she could hear was ragged breaths and the sound of her heartbeat roaring in her ears.
She clung to his shirt for dear life, pants between her teeth as she whimpered, “Lin Jinshen!”
Soft and weak, absolutely no threat behind the words.
Lin Jinshen finally let go, his lips trailing over her cheek to her ear, voice husky and raw: “If you keep talking like that, I really can’t promise to behave.”
“…” How was she talking, exactly?
His breath tickled her ear, the sound crackling in her eardrum, sending shivers down her spine. Lu Yi whimpered, reaching for him, but her hands were already pinned. All she could do was whine helplessly, body strung tight from head to toe.
It was agony, all the way through, body and soul.
Lin Jinshen hesitated, voice just a fraction rough: “Here?”
Lu Yi knew exactly what he meant. Biting her lip, she scolded in a hoarse whisper, “You, shut up.”