Chapter 11 Swimming

Chapter 11: Swimming

Chi Luoxi was going to swim at Mr. He’s house, but he didn’t have a swimsuit.

Back in the mountains, when summer got hot, he and the other village kids would just strip off their shirts and jump into the clear stream at the village entrance in nothing but shorts.

He told Bai Man about going to Mr. He’s house to swim and mentioned the swimsuit issue.

Bai Man nodded approvingly. “Nice, you’re catching on. You know you need gear. Come on, I’ll go buy it with you.”

Chi Luoxi thought the thing was pretty much the same as his shorts—just tighter and a bit fancier.

He figured a swimsuit probably cost about the same as regular clothes—a few dozen yuan at most.

Chi Luoxi happily followed Bai Man out the door, thinking they were just heading to a street market nearby. But Bai Man hailed a taxi and took him straight to a high-end mall that looked like an art gallery, leading him straight to the third floor and into a boutique.

As soon as Chi Luoxi stepped inside, the floor was so polished it reflected his image like a mirror. Shelves all around displayed swimwear in styles he couldn’t understand but clearly weren’t cheap.

The saleswoman, in a well-fitted uniform with impeccable makeup, scanned them and paused for a fraction of a second when her eyes landed on Chi Luoxi, but quickly recovered with a natural smile.

Bai Man was obviously familiar with this place. She walked straight to the men’s swimwear section, running her fingers over rows of swim trunks, commenting: “This one’s too conservative—no fun. This one’s too flashy—looks tacky. This one’s okay…”

She picked up a blue swimsuit made of glossy, stretchy fabric. The design was simple—low waist, sides that hugged the thighs, and a back held together by just a few narrow straps crisscrossing, leaving most of the skin exposed.

Chi Luoxi leaned in curiously to look.

This didn’t match his idea of swim trunks at all. He thought men’s swimwear would at least cover the butt and most of the back. Why was so much skin showing?

Then his eyes fell on a delicate white price tag hanging next to the trunks.

Printed on it was a string of numbers.

Chi Luoxi blinked, thinking he must have misread. He leaned closer and carefully counted the zeros.

One, two, three…

Four digits?

Just a few strips of fabric? That was insane—was the fabric made of gold?

He said to Bai Man, “…Mana, this is way too expensive. I saw some online yesterday, thirty-nine ninety with free shipping. They looked fine too. Can I just buy those?”

Bai Man looked at him as if he were a caveman. “Thirty-nine ninety with free shipping? That hick style—are you planning to wear it to a public pool and crowd in with the elderly? What’s the point of that? Do you actually want to seduce Master He or not? Do you want him to take one look at you and be unable to resist?”

She waved the expensive swimsuit in his hand, her tone firm. “This one. Go try it on.”

Chi Luoxi was left speechless by her tirade. He gritted his teeth, took the swim trunks, and shuffled reluctantly into the fitting room behind the saleswoman.

The fitting room was spacious, with a mirror and bright lights.

The fabric felt cool and smooth against his skin—stretchy and snug. He tugged awkwardly at the drawstring on his waist and turned sideways to look in the mirror.

Chi Luoxi was 176 centimeters tall, which was tall for a village kid. His proportions were outstanding—long, straight, well-proportioned legs; a slender waist with no extra fat; smooth, well-defined muscles that were athletic without being bulky. He had the taut, energetic build of youth.

His skin was jade-white, glowing under the bright lights, smooth and flawless.

At the club, he always wore those drab, grayish clothes. But in this well-cut, deliberately designed swimsuit, all his hidden assets were amplified and accentuated.

The low-rise waist accentuated his slender waistline, and the side cut visually lengthened his already long, straight legs. The crisscrossing straps on his back exposed his shoulder blades and the graceful line of his back.

Standing there, he looked like a fresh white magnolia just plucked from the water, dewy and pristine, yet with a hint of innocent allure from the slightly provocative outfit that contrasted with his demeanor.

Even Chi Luoxi felt embarrassed looking at himself in the mirror. He shyly covered the side of his thigh, which was a bit too exposed.

He shuffled out hesitantly.

Bai Man was leaning against the counter, speaking softly to the saleswoman. She turned at the sound of him.

The saleswoman complimented, “This gentleman looks great!”

Chi Luoxi thought to himself, no wonder Boss Wang had tried to get handsy with him—it wasn’t just the face; this body was indeed enough to arouse desire.

Bai Man scrutinized Chi Luoxi from head to toe and back again. “Chi Luoxi, what on earth did you eat while growing up in the mountains? You’re a natural-born bottom.”

Chi Luoxi asked, “What’s that?”

Bai Man didn’t explain; she just shook her head, turned back to the saleswoman, and said, “Ring this one up.”

She pulled a card out of her small chain bag and handed it over.

Chi Luoxi said, “Mana, this is too expensive. I’ll figure something out myself.”

Though he was poor, he didn’t want Bai Man spending so much money on him. He knew she didn’t have an easy time earning money either.

Bai Man pushed his hand away. “Don’t argue with me. Think of it as a gift from me, an early investment. When you finally latch on to Master He and strike it rich, don’t forget me, your mentor.”

Chi Luoxi watched her swipe the card and sign, feeling both grateful and guilty. “Yeah, Mana. You’re good to me. I remember everything. I’ll repay you one day.”

Bai Man took the packaged swimsuit bag and shoved it into Chi Luoxi’s arms.

Chi Luoxi hugged the paper bag and followed her out.

Two days later, He Angxiao drove Chi Luoxi across half the city, entering a quiet villa district surrounded by tall trees and manicured gardens, as if cut off from the world.

The car slid along the clean private road and finally stopped in front of a three-story modern villa.

The building had clean, sleek lines, large glass curtain walls reflecting the afternoon sun, blending harmoniously with the greenery—understated yet expensive.

Chi Luoxi, holding the paper bag, craned his neck, his eyes darting around, unable to take it all in. He looked at the house as beautiful as a model, then at the geometrically trimmed shrubs, and the lake sparkling in the distance.

He exclaimed, “Mr. He, your house is gorgeous! It’s like a painting.”

He Angxiao walked ahead, one hand in his trouser pocket, smirking proudly. “Of course. This is just one of my places to stay.”

Sometimes when Chi Luoxi complimented someone, he did it without any ulterior motive or roundabout way. He just blurted out his thoughts directly, and it was unexpectedly endearing.

Especially when he used those clear, innocent eyes that said “you’re so amazing” to praise someone sincerely—it was hard for the recipient not to feel a sense of gratified pleasure.

He Angxiao led him through the spacious, somewhat empty living room.

The living room featured a double-height ceiling, a huge crystal chandelier hanging down, polished marble floors, cool-toned modern furniture, and a few abstract paintings on the walls—all exuding a luxurious yet sterile aesthetic, meticulously designed yet lifeless.

They walked out of the living room through a huge floor-to-ceiling glass door. The backyard was a carefully maintained private garden, with lush green grass and flourishing flowers and shrubs.

In the center of the garden was a sapphire-blue infinity pool. The water was crystal clear, sparkling in the sun like a fluid sapphire.

The pool was edged with anti-slip wood decking, white lounge chairs and umbrellas, and a minimalist outdoor bar.

In the distance, neatly trimmed hedges artfully secluded the space from the outside world.

He Angxiao casually tossed his car keys onto the rattan coffee table nearby and pointed to a wooden door that blended into the garden wall beside the pool, "The changing room and shower are in there. Go get changed."

Chi Luoxi let out a soft "Oh."

After changing, He Angxiao immediately got into the water and began to swim.

He Angxiao stood at 1.91 meters, with broad shoulders and long legs, his frame perfectly built—the kind of physique that looks lean in clothes but reveals solid muscle underneath.

In his early years studying abroad, he had played on the school's rugby team, which gave him an excellent athletic foundation. Though he had long left intense competition behind, his regular fitness regimen kept his muscles sculpted and powerful—not the exaggerated bulk of a bodybuilder, but a lean, tough build that matched elite aesthetics. His skin was a healthy wheat tan, tanned uniformly by the sun. Standing by the pool, he did a few shoulder and waist stretches, the muscles in his shoulder blades and arms relaxing like a black panther lazily patrolling its territory, both languid and explosive.

Chi Luoxi slipped through that wooden door.

The changing room was small but clean and tidy. Chi Luoxi took his time putting on the expensive swimsuit Bai Man had bought him.

The fabric was cool and silky, highly elastic, clinging tightly to his body, outlining every curve.

He stood in front of the mirror in the corner, took one look, and thought, *Is there even a difference between wearing this and wearing nothing?*

His back was exposed, and his thighs were also mostly exposed.

He grabbed a clean white towel from the rack nearby and wrapped himself up tightly from his neck down to just above mid-thigh, leaving only his slender calves and pale feet visible.

When he finally shuffled out of the changing room hesitantly and returned to the poolside, He Angxiao had already swum a few laps.

He swam a standard freestyle, movements fluid and powerful, each stroke churning up spray, and his core strength was impressive.

Chi Luoxi watched the man’s muscular, masculine form in the sunlight, then instinctively glanced down at his own thin arms and flat chest, feeling a strange, inexplicable flutter in his heart.

He Angxiao swam to the edge, planted both hands on the pool wall, and vaulted out of the water with ease, sending a cascade of sparkling droplets flying.

Water streamed down his wheat-colored skin, sliding over his broad shoulders and solid chest and abdominal muscles. He wiped his face, looked up, and saw Chi Luoxi standing by the pool, wrapped in a white towel.

He Angxiao: "..."

"...What the hell are you wrapped up in?"

Chi Luoxi sat down on a white lounge chair by the pool, "...Just a little cold, that's all."

He Angxiao almost laughed in exasperation. He crossed his arms and rested them casually on the smooth tiles of the pool wall, tilting his head up to look at Chi Luoxi, who was sitting higher up.

Water droplets trickled down his jawline as He Angxiao spoke, "You asked me to come swimming, and now you're just sitting there wrapped in a towel watching? Chi Luoxi, are you playing me?"

Chi Luoxi was at a loss for words, his toes curling on the smooth tiles. The truth was, he was genuinely afraid of the water.

Back in the mountains, the most he’d done was splash around and play water fights with friends in the summer in a village creek that was only waist-deep at most—never in a pool this big and deep, with its unsettling deep blue color.

And at heart, he was a native mountain white radish, not a water radish.

But after a brief struggle between trying to hook Mr. He and his fear of water, he tossed the big towel onto the empty lounge chair.

He Angxiao's gaze fixed on Chi Luoxi's body.

The next second, He Angxiao stopped breathing.

He felt his nose growing warm.

What the hell was Chi Luoxi wearing?

The low-rise design cinched the boy's incredibly slender waist so clearly you could even see the faint, alluring dimples on his lower back.

The swimsuit fabric was a slightly glossy elastic material, clinging like a second skin, tightly wrapping around his pert bottom, outlining the perfect curve of each cheek. Because it was so tight, it pressed soft, plump edges into his thighs.

From the sides of his thighs up to the groin, it fully exposed the longest, straightest part of his legs. His skin was flawless, glowing white—so bright it was dazzling against the deep blue pool water and the strong afternoon sunlight, as if a light touch would leave a red mark, yet it shimmered with a healthy, pearl-like luster.

Chi Luoxi seemed extremely uncomfortable with this exposure. He sat by the pool, unconsciously hugging his knees together, his body slightly curled, like a soft-bodied animal forcibly dragged out of its shell and exposed to the light, utterly lost.

His face, now flushed with shyness and nervousness, was a deep red that spread from his cheeks to his ears. His lips were pressed together, the corners turned down, making him look pitiful and innocently alluring.

Chi Luoxi spoke timidly, "Mr. He, I actually don't know how to swim."

He Angxiao: "..."

Looking at Chi Luoxi's pitiful and endearing expression and his outfit, which was a visual shock, the hidden, restless flame in his heart suddenly shot up several yards.

Chi Luoxi felt that Mr. He thought he was stupid, his voice becoming impatient.

"...Get in. I'll teach you."

Chi Luoxi looked at him, then down at the deep blue water, worried, "Mr. He, I won't drown, will I? This water looks really deep."

He Angxiao: "With me here, how could I possibly let you drown?"

Chi Luoxi slowly edged his body closer to the pool, then, facing He Angxiao in the water, he opened his arms.

He Angxiao: "??"

Seeing that He Angxiao didn't move, Chi Luoxi extended his hands a little further, looking pitiful, "Hold me, or I won't dare go down. I'm scared."

He Angxiao: "..."

He stared at Chi Luoxi for a good few seconds.

The sunlight fell on that blushing, innocent face; his lips were slightly parted from tension, revealing the tips of his white teeth.

Who said this little rascal wasn't good at it? This was freaking brilliant!

Using those watery, pleading eyes to break down his rational defenses, dragging him into a flirtatious situation.

His technique was so natural, so flawless.

So clever that He Angxiao couldn't help but swear inwardly.

He Angxiao let out an almost inaudible snort, but still reached out his hand.

He Angxiao's palm was large, his fingers long and strong, with calluses on his fingertips and the web of his thumb from years of working out—a stark contrast to the pale, delicate hand Chi Luoxi extended.

He took that hand.

The touch was as soft and cool as expected, as if using even a little force would leave a mark.

As soon as his hand was held, Chi Luoxi immediately reached out his other hand, like a vine seeking a tree to cling to, and as soon as he entered the water, he wrapped his arms around He Angxiao's neck.

Then, Chi Luoxi's entire weight hung on He Angxiao, all his weight relying on him.

He Angxiao: "..."

This was the first time he and Chi Luoxi had been so closely pressed together with no barrier between them, their bodies pressed tightly together over large areas.

No clothes, only the slick pool water and each other's skin.

Chi Luoxi's body was even more incredible than He Angxiao had imagined.

It felt incredibly soft, pliant and elastic, like the finest mutton-fat jade, or like freshly steamed glutinous rice cake still moist with steam.

His skin was pleasantly cool with a hint of warmth. He Angxiao felt like his nose must be playing tricks on him—he could smell a very faint scent on Chi Luoxi that was like the fresh and unique aroma of grass and roots in a mountain forest after rain, seeping into his nostrils gradually under the moisture of the water, surprisingly pleasant.

His weight was also heavier than He Angxiao had expected; he looked thin, but his frame was well-proportioned, not lacking any flesh where it should be, and seemed to have a certain density, pressing down heavily on him.

Instinctively, He Angxiao brought his other hand, which had been resting on the pool wall, to Chi Luoxi's waist.

Otherwise, he would be thrown off balance by Chi Luoxi and slip, choking on water.

The moment his palm touched that slender waist, only one thought crossed He Angxiao's mind.

Fuck.

So damn slender.

Slender enough that one of his hands could almost wrap around most of it, and the waist was flexible and strong, with not an ounce of excess fat. Slightly tensed from nervousness, it felt firm yet springy, with an astonishing softness.

As if a little more force could snap it.

Chi Luoxi seemed completely unaware of He Angxiao's stiff body and inner turmoil. He clung to He Angxiao like a koala, tentatively stepping his feet into the cool pool water.

The sudden chill made him shiver visibly, and his body instinctively curled further into He Angxiao's arms. "...It's really cold, Mr. He."

Because of the cold and fear, Chi Luoxi pressed even closer.

His chest pressed against He Angxiao's solid, burning chest, his abdomen against the other's well-defined abs, and his thighs brushed against He Angxiao's subtly.

Skin to skin without a single gap.

He Angxiao could feel Chi Luoxi's heart thumping wildly from nervousness, cold, and this intimate contact—like a startled fawn—thump, thump, thump.

He only had to lower his head to see Chi Luoxi's cheeks flushed with a healthy blush, his delicate and refined nose bridge, and his black eyes that, moistened by water and veiled in mist, looked especially moist and dreamy.

Looking further down, there was his slender, fragile neck, elegantly curved collarbones, and large expanses of exposed skin—dazzlingly white, so delicate it felt like it would bruise—on his back and flat abdomen.

From top to bottom, from head to toe, everything was white, radiating a pure and alluring sheen under the rippling light of the azure pool.

He Angxiao's Adam's apple bobbed violently as he forced himself to look away. "Just get used to it a bit more; the water isn't that cold."

Chi Luoxi seemed to think he had a point and nodded, his nose brushing against He Angxiao's chin. He tried to move, wanting to plant his feet on the pool bottom to find some stability.

But the pool was somewhat deep. Afraid of being submerged, Chi Luoxi strained to keep his head up, tiptoeing, almost entirely wrapping himself around He Angxiao.

He Angxiao: "…………"

His foot was weighed down.

He Angxiao: "Chi Luoxi, don't tiptoe."

You're stepping on me so hard you'll crush my foot.

Author's note:

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Something came up today, sorry for being late.

Actually, a certain Mr. He was having a massive nosebleed. This couple knows what they're doing, that's all.