Li Ruoshui had seen his eyes when he was little. But she’d never seen them as an adult.
But now she has.
His lashes were a bit longer than in his childhood, and more defined. But they still had that same hazy, unfocused look. His gaze seemed to pass right through her.
He had his arms around her, his eyes wide open and his usual smile gone. She had no idea what he was thinking.
Li Ruoshui admitted she was tempted. But it was only for a second.
Holding her breath, she tapped his forehead with her knuckle. She brushed her floating skirt out of the way, pushed herself up from the riverbed, and hauled him to the surface in the process.
The moment they broke the water, Lu Zhiyao closed his eyes. Water droplets slid from his lashes, never again reaching that translucent color hidden below.
“Even a champion breath-holder can’t stay down there forever,” she said, wiping water from her face. “By the time you decided to come up, you might not have had the strength.” She caught her breath and asked, “Why were you just lying there so still anyway?”
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G pzktbv pxkzl vswnble bkp zkrp. Tkp nssz cseu zlydle kdvs blap, yde bl zlv swv y psqv pktb.
Xdzu pbl oswze ypj qsa y alypsd yv y vkxl zkjl vbkp.
“Jlnywpl vbl ralppwal qllzp dknl. Vlynlqwz.”
Nw Hbkuys’p lulp nwahle. G clye sq oyvla qlzz qasx bkp zypb kdvs vbl dlnj sq bla ascl.
Gde pbl oyp vbl sdzu sdl bl nswze pyu vblpl vokpvle vbswtbvp vs swv zswe.
Tl pzke bkp yaxp yaswde bla oykpv, kdpvkdnvkhlzu zlydkdt kd vs pvlyz psxl oyaxvb. Mbl dlmv plnsde, pbl oyp vwadkdt bkx yaswde yde pbshkdt bkx vsoyae vbl cydj.
“R vbkdj usw’hl clld kd vss zsdt. Zswa caykd’p oyvlazsttle yde usw’al byzzwnkdyvkdt. Qs eau sqq.”
Gqvla bkp lmrzydyvksd, pbl qswde kv olkaezu xyel pldpl. Rq bl vbswtbv dsaxyzzu, bl oswzed’v cl bkx.
She guided him onto a large, flat rock in the middle of the river. Sun-warmed, it greedily soaked up the water from their clothes. Sitting on it felt like a warm hug.
The drug’s effects hadn’t fully worn off, so the heat was a bit much for Li Ruoshui. But it was a good kind of too much.
“Seriously? You attract flowers even in the water?”
Li Ruoshui spotted a few pale yellow winter jasmine blossoms tangled in his wet hair. Tsking in amazement, she plucked them out and set them adrift on the current.
“Is that so.”
Lu Zhiyao’s fingers absently played with the hem of her skirt. He was listening to her every move.
“You should plant a ton of flowers in your future house,” she joked. “Maybe when the wind blows, they’ll all just fly at you.”
She stood, gathered her skirt, and stepped over him back into the water.
“Don’t pull my skirt. I’m getting the food.”
Lu Zhiyao let go. He listened to the splash of her leaving, then the splash of her return.
Li Ruoshui sat on the sun-warmed rock, opened the bamboo basket, and placed a few lychees in his palm.
“You should eat something sugary after exercise. These are really sweet. Try one.”
She’d only planned to bring cherries yesterday. But teaching him was bound to be a nightmare, so she’d brought extra lychees and mentally prepared for disaster.
“How do you eat this?”
He tilted his head toward her. Tiny droplets still glittered on his long lashes. His lips looked redder and softer than usual.
“Peel it and eat the inside.” Li Ruoshui kept her head down, focused on peeling, and didn’t look up.
“I don’t know how.”
He shifted to face her, putting the lychee back in her hand. His damp hair fell across his forehead, making his skin look ghost-pale.
Li Ruoshui stared. “…Have you never peeled an orange?”
Despite the ridiculousness, she peeled one for him and watched him take it.
But she’d left the bitter inner skin perfectly intact. Li Ruoshui covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter as she waited for the sour twist of his lips.
Lu Zhiyao took the fruit, brought it to his mouth, then gave a small smile and took a bite.
Clear, sweet juice darkened his lips to a glossy red. The white flesh vanished. He’d eaten the bitter skin too.
She’d wanted to see him grimace. Nothing.
Then again, when had he ever been bothered by something like bitterness?
Li Ruoshui watched the juice at the corner of his mouth. She blinked and quickly looked away. She didn’t dare keep watching.
For some reason, this guy eating always had a weird… vibe. Watching him made her own tongue dart out to wet her lips.
“What do you like to eat?” she asked casually, peeling another.
“I’m not picky.”
The answer she expected.
“But if I had to choose one thing, lychees.”
Li Ruoshui’s peeling hand trembled. She looked at him with sudden, shining hope, like she’d spotted the first sign of the highway home.
“Why?”
He turned his face toward her, his smile gentle.
“Because it’s my first time tasting them. They smell very sweet.”
“…”
“They are sweet. I bought them, after all.”
Li Ruoshui gave a dry laugh and shoved a few more into his hand. Her expression was pure subordinate trying to bribe the boss.
“Maybe I had a little to do with it?”
Lu Zhiyao shook his head, gentle but swift. His verdict was clear. “Maybe you had nothing to do with it at all.”
He knew Li Ruoshui liked him. But gross stuff like romance didn’t suit her. She needed to figure that out sooner rather than later.
Li Ruoshui laughed a hollow ha-ha. She snatched the lychees back and stood up behind him.
“Rest time’s over. Back to work.”
She was going to raise his favorability through swimming if it killed her. Could there really be zero progress after all this?
“But I already know how.”
???
“You just started!”
It had taken her half a month to learn as a kid. She hadn’t even been teaching an hour.
“If you can swim a full lap right now, I’ll eat this basket.”
Lu Zhiyao stood, sweeping his half-dry hair back, and slid smoothly back into the water.
“No need for the basket. Just agree to one thing for me later.”
Li Ruoshui agreed. She was already planning his graceful exit strategy. But the guy actually swam a perfect lap.
She’d taught him her own style. His stroke was a carbon copy.
“…”
He learned in under half an hour? How am I supposed to raise favorability now? All my contact opportunities are gone!
Lu Zhiyao swam up to her. A pale hand grasped the rock’s edge, then came to rest lightly on her knee.
He looked up at her, that gentle smile still in place. The posture seemed like he was asking for a reward, but his tone was a command.
“Skip the basket. Carry me back instead.”
Li Ruoshui looked down at him leaning against her knee. Words failed her.
In her mental script, Lu Zhiyao would be a slow learner, terrified of the water. He’d nearly drowned once, so of course he’d have some trauma1[1] The original text uses the idiom “杯弓蛇影” (bēi gōng shé yǐng), which literally means “seeing a bow’s reflection in a cup and mistaking it for a snake.” It describes being overly suspicious or frightened due to past trauma..
Then she’d be the comforting one, offering warm hugs, being his only safe spot in the water, milking the suspension bridge effect2[2] 吊桥效应 (diào qiáo xiào yìng): A psychological phenomenon where a person misattributes the physiological arousal from a frightening situation (like being on a shaky bridge) to feelings of attraction for the person they are with. for all it was worth.
In all her calculations, she never accounted for him liking the water. For finding the riverbed peaceful.
Fast learners had one thing in common: they weren’t scared of swallowing water.
Lu Zhiyao was the fastest for one simple reason: he wasn’t scared of dying.
After a long internal struggle, she finally asked.
“So… were you happy? That I brought you here today?”
Lu Zhiyao paused. He seemed genuinely surprised by the question.
Then the corners of his eyes crinkled. The droplets on his lashes sparkled. A real, unstoppable smile spread across his face.
“Very happy.”
“I’m very happy right now, too.”
Lu Zhiyao looped his arms around her neck and put his full, dead weight on her.
If she got a do-over, she’d never agree to this.
Thank the gods she’d brought dry clothes. Carrying him plus the weight of soaked fabric would have been the end of her.
He was lean, but he was still a full-grown guy. Carrying him made Li Ruoshui wobble like a grandma on her last legs.
Why did other people’s romance plots get princess carries and “I’d die for you,” while hers involved being a pack mule and constantly guarding her own life?
“Am I really carrying you all the way to the Zheng’s? Last time, I only made you carry me from the hillside to the riverbank.”
Li Ruoshui set him down, rubbing her screaming arms, trying to appeal to the conscience he probably didn’t have.
Lu Zhiyao crouched in front of her with a cheerful smile, no mockery in sight. He looked at her like a temple Buddha bestowing mercy upon the masses.
“Carrying you up the hill was one deal. Carrying me down is because you lost a bet. They’re not the same.”
Too bad his words didn’t match the angelic face. Buddha’s looks, a demon’s heart.
The concept of “going easy on girls” did not exist in Lu Zhiyao’s world.
“Fine. I pay my debts. Let’s go.”
Li Ruoshui heaved him up again and continued her wobbly descent.
“Is that so,” he sighed softly by her ear, his breath tickling. “If you really paid your debts, you’d have swallowed my sword ages ago. What a shame. I’m still waiting.”
Li Ruoshui choked. “Don’t twist things. I won that one.”
“Let’s say you did.”
The wobbly Li Ruoshui wanted to argue, but she had zero breath left for talking.
She had no clue what went on in his head. Even though she had to stop and rest every five steps, he showed no impatience. He just stood there, waiting for her to recover, then waited for her to pick him up again.
His stubbornness and patience were honestly kind of impressive.
By the time they stumbled through the city gates, the sky was pitch black. Only a few late-night food stalls lit the streets.
“My spine is going to snap.”
Li Ruoshui collapsed at a wonton stall, eating and complaining at the same time.
Lu Zhiyao sat beside her. He put down his spoon and pushed his barely-touched bowl away.
“You have good stamina. Train seriously with me, and you could actually beat me one day.”
Li Ruoshui: …
“Your teeth are really strong. Eat seriously with me, and you could definitely out-eat me.”
Hearing this, Lu Zhiyao let out a soft chuckle. He pulled the discarded bowl back.
Under Li Ruoshui’s watchful eye, he finished a complete bowl of late-night noodles for the very first time.
The two walked back to the Zheng residence under the moonlight, surprised to find the place lit up like a festival.
Li Ruoshui’s position in the Zheng household was weird and awkward. This definitely wasn’t for her.
A fancy carriage stood at the main gate, its wheels wrapped in soft leather. A servant helped a young man step down.
The man didn’t go inside. Instead, he turned and looked past the carriage, straight at Li Ruoshui and Lu Zhiyao.
It was too far to see his face clearly, but she could tell he was waiting for them.
Li Ruoshui racked her memory. She didn’t remember any important guest visiting the Zhengs in the book.
As they got closer, his features came into focus. He looked about sixty percent like Zheng Yanqing—same scholarly vibe, but older and more… calculating. This had to be Zheng Yanqing’s older brother.
“Younger sister-in-law.”
Li Ruoshui offered an awkward smile. After a beat, she said, “Young Master Zheng.”
Before anyone could correct her, a servant hurried over.
“Master Lu. We couldn’t find you at the inn today. Could you come with me now? My mistress wishes to speak with you.”
Li Ruoshui glanced at him, fully expecting a flat out refusal.
To her shock, he nodded.
“Very well.”
[1] The original text uses the idiom “杯弓蛇影” (bēi gōng shé yǐng), which literally means “seeing a bow’s reflection in a cup and mistaking it for a snake.” It describes being overly suspicious or frightened due to past trauma.
[2] 吊桥效应 (diào qiáo xiào yìng): A psychological phenomenon where a person misattributes the physiological arousal from a frightening situation (like being on a shaky bridge) to feelings of attraction for the person they are with.
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