Feeling Shen Yufeng’s gaze fixed on her, An Xiaoyu felt a bit awkward. A faint blush crept up her small face, even her earlobes began to turn red.
Even though she had studied abroad for several years, after all, her mindset was still somewhat conservative. What’s more, now she was alone with Shen Yufeng, so it was inevitably a bit embarrassing.
"Hey, I said stop looking!"
As An Xiaoyu was about to turn around and hide in the changing room, Shen Yufeng caught hold of her wrist.
"Why hide? You look great in that!"
A smile appeared on Shen Yufeng’s lips, and his gaze was so sincere.
Those few simple words instantly made An Xiaoyu feel much better.
"Aren’t you coming with me? If you dawdle , I’ll just throw you into the swimming pool! Today’s task is to learn to swim! Let’s start with the basics..."
Shen Yufeng began to explain the essentials of swimming, and An Xiaoyu felt like crying without tears.
Shen Yufeng gazed at her. "Do you want to drown then?"
An Xiaoyu shook her head like a wave drum.
"You’ve only seen the thief enjoy the spoils, never seen the thief take a beating. If you don’t want to drown, there’s a price to pay!"
After hearing Shen Yufeng’s words, An Xiaoyu didn’t know how to retort and could only obediently follow Shen Yufeng towards the swimming pool.
Ugh, she was no thief! And she wouldn’t take a beating, thank you very much!
Shen Yufeng took her to the shallow water area, first teaching her to walk in the water, to feel the temperature, resistance, and buoyancy.
As soon as An Xiaoyu entered the water, she shivered all over, reminded of that once thrilling moment.
Shen Yufeng’s hand was holding hers tightly, and he said, "Now, walk forward with me!"
An Xiaoyu shook her head vigorously.
"I don’t want to!" Get full chapters from novel※fire.net
That panicky feeling came back, and An Xiaoyu became a bit anxious.
"Don’t be afraid, I’m here, I won’t let go of your hand!"
With such an assurance from Shen Yufeng, An Xiaoyu couldn’t help but look up at him, meeting his smiling eyes.
His smile seemed to give her strength, making her feel secure, as if a sense of safety was slowly flowing through her blood.
An Xiaoyu finally plucked up the courage, placed her arms on Shen Yufeng’s shoulders, and followed him step by step toward the front.
"Slow down, keep your steps steady, shift your center of gravity forward, lean your body forward, lift your foot, and take a step forward... yes, that’s good, keep it up, move forward, right, just like that!"
An Xiaoyu felt the water getting deeper and she began to panic. But Shen Yufeng held onto her tightly, without relaxing his grip.
"Take it easy... don’t be scared, I’m here..."
Hearing his words, An Xiaoyu’s heart gradually calmed down. She followed his pace, step by step, as if she was embarking on a new journey.
After an hour, An Xiaoyu had learned to walk in the water, to tread water, and even to hold and release her breath underwater. For Shen Yufeng, these were the simplest skills, but for An Xiaoyu, they were already quite an achievement.
"Ouch, I can’t do it anymore, I’m going to die of exhaustion!"
She was panting heavily and after climbing out of the swimming pool, she collapsed on the ground, unwilling to move.
"Dry yourself off, be careful not to catch a cold!"
Suddenly, everything in front of her turned dark as a soft, white towel was draped over her body, followed by a voice tinged with mockery:
"You can’t take it already? It seems your physical fitness is still too poor, you need more exercise!"