Lei Wanxi squinted his eyes. Why was Zhu Lin so adamant to take him near the lake? Was she pulling a prank on him? He did not trust her after she hit him with her shoe. "Zhu Lin, if anything happens to me, then you will be punished. So, it's better to not let me go near the water." Lei Wanxi confronted her.
"Nothing will happen. We will just stand by the shore of the lake." Zhu Lin did not listen to him and dragged her to the lakeside. "There are no water beasts in the lake." She bent on her knees and touched the water surface. The surface of the water shone red because the sun was setting down.
"They will appear by the night," Lei Wanxi reasoned. Zhu Lin tilted her head and gazed at him.. "I am telling the truth. Ask any of the people around here if you do not believe me." Lei Wanxi looked at the people who were quite far away from them.
"I do not know what kind of stories the Sixth Prince read during his childhood. But there is nothing like a water beast," Zhu Lin affirmed. She gripped the end of his sleeve and pulled him down.
Lei Wanxi was now on his knees, facing her. "You should not be scared of water. It is the time when this fear shall leave your life," Zhu Lin stated and threw a splash of water at his face.
"Zhu Lin!" Lei Wanxi screamed and tightly shut his eyes. He wiped his face with his palm when another splash of water hit his face. Zhu Lin giggled and continued to hit him with water. Lei Wanxi chuckled and did the same to her.
Zhu Lin grasped the end of her high waist skirt as she was ready to run. She stood up after hitting Lei Wanxi's face with water and started to run. Lei Wanxi stood up and loudly said, "Zhu Lin, come here. If I catch you then it will not be good." He tried to threaten her.
Zhu Lin stopped and turned to look at him. "Really?" She laughed and then stopped after a few seconds. "But Prince Wanxi will not be able to catch me." She continued to walk backward while mocking him.
"You are in illusion." Lei Wanxi stepped forward. "I am good at running. It is the only thing I am good at. I defeated Brother Sheng many times in this. So, it is better to stop and apologize to me. Because if I catch you, then I will throw you in this lake. Then the water monster will eat you," Lei Wanxi threatened her again.
"Prince Wanxi shall not lie. Prince Wanxi shall not brag about his running skills," Zhu Lin stated. She did not believe him and started to run. Lei Wanxi wiped his face once before running after her.
Zhu Lin had climbed the stairways to reach the top. 'He will not be able to catch me,' she thought and stepped at the last stair when she found Lei Wanxi in front of him, scowling at her.
She stopped and blinked a few times. "How did you…"
Lei Wanxi was panting. "I told you I will not spare you if I catch you." He grabbed her hand and took her towards the lake.
"Ahh, leave my hand. I was kidding with you. You cannot throw me in the lake," Zhu Lin protested as they descended the stairs.
"Why? You also did not listen to me and then threw water at me. I also want to give you special treatment," Lei Wanxi stopped and smirked at her. Zhu Lin twisted her hand but found he had grabbed it tightly.
"Leave my wrist. It's late evening. The sun has almost set, and we need to return to the Palace. Tomorrow we have to work in a horse stable. What if we got sick?" Zhu Lin gave him as many reasons as she could to stop him.
"No, we will not fall sick. Today, you will meet the water monster," Lei Wanxi stated. This time he dragged her towards the lake while she protested. Zhu Lin wondered from where did he get strength. She fiercely glued her feet against the rough ground, filled with pebbles.
Lei Wanxi stopped and looked at her feet. "Wanxi, do not be stubborn. Find. I accept that you are good at running," Zhu Lin affirmed. "Do not do this." Lei Wanxi went closer to her and carried her on his one shoulder.
Zhu Lin was shocked to see that. She hit him in the back. "Put me down, Wanxi," Zhu Lin requested.
"I wish I could stop. I also want to end my fear of water," Lei Wanxi stated and walked towards the shore of the lake. He put her down. Grabbing both of her arms, he said, "I usually do not play this way. But with you, I have to play like this." He pushed her towards the water. Zhu Lin's shoes dipped into the water.
"Ahh, it's cold," she screamed and closed her eyes.
"Do not be a crybaby, Zhu Lin," Lei Wanxi said and pushed her further into the water. He let go of her arms, passing a smirk to her. However, Zhu Lin pulled Lei Wanxi along with him into the lake.
They both fell into the water. Both of them came out of the water, completely drenched.
Because they were near the shore, the depth of water was not much. Their bodies were submerged till their waists while their feet touched the ground.
Lei Wanxi's chest heaved up and down while his eyes were closed. He had held the arms of Zhu Lin tightly. "Zhu Lin, why do you annoy me?" He asked and gradually opened his eyes. The anger disappeared as he saw Zhu Lin's face. They were standing so close to each other that they could feel each other's breath. Lei Wanxi had never observed her this closely until today.
He knitted his brows as the two gazed into each other's eyes intensely.