Chapter 8

Su Ruan was exactly the trendy type of “pale, youthful, and slim”, white, young, and skinny. Standing among the crowd, she seemed to sink into the floor like a dent in the ground.
It wasn’t that Gu An’an looked down on people like her; Su Ruan was just truly unique.
Among a sea of over-nourished long-legged girls, she stood out. Her eyes, misty and hesitant when they met yours, were timid yet pure. She was the cleanest morning dew under the summer sun, a drop of water rolling across a lotus leaf after a heavy rain, completely different from the arrogant second-generation heirs around her.
And yes, she really did look that distinctive.
Gu An’an watched as Lu Xingyu’s anger went from raging to extinguished in just three seconds. Across from him, the other arrogant second-generation brat softened instantly, flipping from hostile to gentle in a single second.
Whoa, Su Ruan was basically a fire extinguisher!
The group of spoiled brats, used to fighting and running afoul of the law, seemed terrified at her presence. Su Ruan handed a bottle of water to Lu Xingyu and another to Zhou Jiayu. Her cheeks flushed like petals, she pressed her lips together and smiled shyly.
The boys exchanged glances and instantly calmed down.
“...”
The swimming coach was dumbfounded, not quite understanding these wealthy kids. She nudged Gu An’an, a fellow proletariat: Shall we go?
Gu An’an, the proletariat warrior sidelined to extra: Go!
She no longer expected to get justice or teach the idiot a lesson; humans were just like protozoa sometimes, logic was pointless.
With the female lead now present, the spotlight rightfully went to her.
The two of them slipped off the beach.
Gu An’an held the coach’s hand as if entrusting her very life, earnestly pleading, “Coach, you must teach me everything you know. I need to be able to swim across a hundred-mile coastline if necessary!”
The coach: “....”
The pressure of being a worker was just like that.
The coach scratched her head. Sure, she could pass on her lifetime of knowledge, but they’d have to start from the basics.
Ten minutes later, Gu An’an was floating in the pool with a big white goose swim ring. The start of her life-saving mission wasn’t glamorous at all. She kicked her legs a few times and drifted half a meter before the coach’s arm hooked her back.
She turned her head to the coach standing at the 1.5–1.8-meter line: “Coach... isn’t this goose a little small?”
It was tight. Ahem.
The coach frowned, looking first at Gu An’an’s enviable chest, then down at her own.
Her pride wounded, she quickly looked away: “The swim ring isn’t for wearing. It’s to practice holding your breath. The first step in learning to swim is learning to float and control your breath. Also, it’s a kids’ swim ring, an adult can’t fit in it. Stop acting like a child and get out of it immediately!”
Gu An’an: “....”
She twisted and turned but couldn’t flip herself over.
She dog-paddled awkwardly to the poolside, struggling to squeeze out of the swim ring.
Since Gu An’an had pleaded so earnestly, the coach mercifully started her training. You know what they say, older women are tougher when it comes to pretty girls, and the saying was absolutely true.
The coach looked at Gu An’an’s delicate face and didn’t go easy on her. Gu An’an was timid, afraid of swallowing water, and stayed in the shallow end. The coach, seeing her hesitation, dunked her head into the water repeatedly.
Gu An’an swallowed more than a few mouthfuls, but she finally learned to dog-paddle.
It only took fifteen minutes.
The coach bared her teeth, hands on her hips, dissatisfied: “Dog-paddle isn’t enough, you need to learn how to breathe while swimming!”
A devil. This woman was a devil.
Struggling in the water, Gu An’an had no idea that above the pool, on the terrace, Liang Chengli lit a cigarette, laughed, and murmured, “Who’s down there? Looks like someone’s bathing a cat, she’s soaked half the pool.”
Xie Jinxing tugged his tie and sat with legs spread on the sofa, holding a glass of wine, looking slightly annoyed: “Hmm?”
Although the resort project was officially completed, the developer ran into unexpected issues. During demolition, some minor tasks weren’t completed, leaving behind small problems that delayed operations. This beach resort had cost the Xie family considerable effort, catering to the wealthy elite. Any delay meant burning money.
But that wasn’t what annoyed Xie Jinxing, it was the old man at home.
Grandpa Xie’s health had been declining, and eventually, he would have to step away from the Xie Group. His children were limited; the eldest daughter had already stated she wouldn’t take over. Xie Liang and Xie Ming were officially sons but everyone knew they were adopted. Naturally, the Xie Group was meant to pass to Xie Jinxing. Yet he hadn’t taken the reins, his AI project was at a critical stage. If developed perfectly, it would dominate both the domestic and international AI market.
Because of this, Xie Jinxing had countless arguments with the old man.
“What cat?”
“Nothing,” Liang Chengli muttered, taking a drag, “Did you discuss the ancestral tomb issue with Grandpa?”
That hadn’t been resolved. The old man was stubborn, prone to throwing things. Last time, a cigarette ashtray nearly injured Xie Jinxing. He’d avoided going back to the family home for fear of confrontation.
He set down his glass, leaned back on the sofa, pinched the bridge of his nose.
Seeing this, Liang Chengli shrugged, he was just making a comment.
As they finished talking, the fixed-line phone rang urgently. Normally, no one would interrupt Xie Jinxing at his private residence, so it must be urgent.
Liang Chengli glanced down at the pool.
Below, a young girl was climbing out, still tangled with the coach’s grip on her ankle, swimming cap gone, hair wet and clinging to her back, skin glistening in the sun.
This was a private area, no outsiders allowed.
He chuckled softly and picked up the phone on speaker.
“Mr. Xie, Lu Xingyu is fighting someone.”
Normally, Lu Xingyu’s brawls wouldn’t concern Xie Jinxing, but this time he was fighting at Xie’s resort.
By the time Xie Jinxing arrived, Lu Xingyu and a blue-haired boy were rolling on the ground, fighting intensely.
He paused, noticing the other boy, impressed.
Although the Xie family had reformed from old times, they still had military roots. Lu Xingyu had been trained in the military by Xie Jinxing’s elder sister as a teen. While not the sharpest, he was athletically gifted. A boy who could hold his own against him wasn’t ordinary.
Xie Jinxing glanced at the blue-haired boy, asking calmly: “What happened?”
The previously loud crowd of teenage heirs went silent, heads down.
A petite, almond-eyed girl stepped forward, pointing at Zhou Jiayu: “He started it, Uncle Xie!”
Xie Jinxing’s gaze followed, recognizing her, she was from the Shen family.
The Shen family was close to both the Lu and Xie families, so it wasn’t entirely inappropriate for Shen Shan to call him “uncle.”
Zhou Jiayu’s pride flared; his neck stiffened. I fought him, so what!
The crowd of colorful-haired kids, who had been yelling moments ago, now stayed silent.
Xie Jinxing rubbed his eyes.
Lu Xingyu: ?
Shen Shan: “Uncle?”
No one else understood, but Liang Chengli let out a loud laugh.
Xie Jinxing’s expression darkened further.
Despite his calm demeanor now, Xie Jinxing had been just as arrogant as a teen. At sixteen or seventeen, he was so self-absorbed his father had kicked him out for his antics. He’d lived a wild, dog-eat-dog life in the slums for a while.
Memories of those days suddenly attacked him, making his eyes ache.
He slowly pushed off the sofa, hands on his knees: “So, who’s going to tell me what happened?”
Silence.
The scorching sun beat down. Xie Jinxing still wore a perfectly tailored three-piece suit. Hot as it was, he frowned, losing patience.
The timid “quails” shrank their necks, still silent.
Just as he considered giving everyone a punishment, a tiny, soft voice spoke:
“It’s all my fault... I wanted to learn surfing and asked the senior to teach me. Shen Shan didn’t want him to teach me... and we argued.”
Xie Jinxing’s amber eyes shifted to the speaker.
A familiar girl, pale and slim, looking undeveloped like a child, with soft, loose chestnut curls, stood before him. Her eyes seemed to speak, though she was shy around strangers. Her cheeks flushed.
“I’m so clumsy... I can’t learn. I didn’t handle the surfboard well and bumped into someone. Shen Shan grabbed my arm, accidentally pulling me into the water. Jiayu thought she was attacking me, so he fought back...”
She hadn’t finished when Shen Shan suddenly shot up:
“Liar!”
She yelled at Su Ruan: “What are you playing at? You did it on purpose! Now you’re pretending to be innocent? If you hadn’t screamed, no one would have thought she got hurt!”
“Can you blame Su Ruan? It’s her first time in the water. Screaming in fear is normal!” someone else defended.
“I didn’t do it on purpose...” Su Ruan sniffled, eyes red.
“You did!”
“Stop overthinking. If anyone’s fighting, it’s Jiayu’s fault! Gu An’an is just under Xingyu’s protection. That kid dared to push her, he’s getting what he deserves!” one lackey jumped in.
“Laughable! Xingyu couldn’t even beat Zhou Shao!”
The two sides glared at each other, trading insults. The previously quiet scene erupted again.
Su Ruan shrank, shoulders trembling, afraid to speak.
Shen Shan, furious, nearly erupted. If not restrained, she’d have slapped Su Ruan. Her chest rose and fell angrily as she spat.
Xie Jinxing’s forehead veins twitched, he was tired of listening to these kids quarrel.
His gaze inevitably fell on the trembling, sobbing Su Ruan. He took a deep breath, restraining his desire to focus on her. He called the staff, sending the hormone-crazed teenagers back indoors.
A crowd surged toward the hotel.
They collided head-on with Gu An’an, still dripping from the pool, clutching the big white goose float.
Gu An’an’s swimsuit clung to her, wet curls dripping.
From Lu Xingyu’s eyes opening to seeing Gu An’an, he immediately exploded.
“Gu! An! An!”
Fuming, he rushed over, unable to remove his jacket: “Can’t you learn to dress properly?!”
His shout finally drew Xie Jinxing’s attention away from Su Ruan.
Xie Jinxing’s expression darkened. He glanced at Gu An’an standing by the pool, then quickly looked away.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Gu An’an glanced down at her swimsuit.
Soaked and clinging, water rolling down her skin and into her suit, she felt suddenly exposed under the hot stares.
Feeling helpless like a two-hundred-pound child, she dropped the big white goose float with a plop, instantly donning a scolding expression:
“...So what if I’m in a swimsuit? My body’s developing, is that a crime against the nation?!”