Ji Ruan's hands stiffened.
In his previous life, he had never learned how to swim, and in this life, it was even less likely. The feeling of being out of control in the water—how terrifying was that?
"I can't." Ji Ruan pointed to the external device behind his ear. "I have to take this off if I go into the water, and I won't be able to hear."
"It's not about having to learn," Gu Xiuyi smiled. "Wouldn't it be nice to just relax and have some fun?"
His tone was light, his words carrying a casual indifference, laced with a subtle persuasion.
Ji Ruan's heart wavered slightly.
Suddenly, he somewhat understood why experts always emphasized learning through play.
When Gu Xiuyi first suggested teaching him, Ji Ruan had only felt that "learning" was a difficult task and instinctively rejected it. But upon realizing that the other party’s intention wasn't so goal-oriented, his whole body relaxed a little.
Although the phrase "learning through play" didn’t quite suit someone like him anymore, as he gazed at the rippling water within arm’s reach, a faint urge to try it began to rise within him.
After all, freely swimming in the water was a rare pleasure in his otherwise barren life.
Ji Ruan licked his lips. "But I don’t have swim trunks."
This pool wasn’t open to outsiders, and there didn’t seem to be anywhere to buy them.
Gu Xiuyi met his gaze. The shimmering water reflected in Ji Ruan’s eyes, twinkling like scattered stars—soft and captivating.
He knew Ji Ruan was tempted.
Most of the time, Ji Ruan was an easy child to understand. He didn’t seem to deliberately hide his emotions—or rather, he was too lazy to. He simply did what he wanted, as long as it felt comfortable and enjoyable in the moment.
And this kind of straightforwardness, without him even realizing it, made him appear especially pure and innocent, like a refreshing summer slush. It could also make those looking at him feel their hearts skip a beat.
"Just wearing regular shorts is fine," Gu Xiuyi pushed himself up onto the poolside. "You brought some, right?"
He deliberately climbed up at a slight distance, yet still, a few droplets of water splashed onto Ji Ruan’s face, hanging crystal-clear on his brow and under his eyes.
Gu Xiuyi didn’t think much of it. Out of habit, he pinched Ji Ruan’s chin to wipe them away—forgetting that his hands were still wet.
As a result, Ji Ruan’s entire little face became wet. He tilted his head up, gazing at him with a dazed expression.
The water on his face seemed to have muddled him. He stared blankly at Gu Xiuyi. “…Are you playing a prank on me?”
When he was confused, his eyes appeared especially large, and the disbelief in them was particularly infectious.
Gu Xiuyi let go of his hand. Seeing Ji Ruan’s expression, he almost wanted to laugh but held it back. “Sorry, I forgot to dry my hands.”
“…”
Ji Ruan wiped his face casually with his sleeve and propped himself up on his knees to stand. Having squatted for too long, he felt a bit dizzy and his vision darkened. It was a feeling he had grown accustomed to. He swayed a little, and slowly steadied himself.
Gu Xiuyi reached out to support him again, but his damp hand soaked Ji Ruan’s sleeve, making it stick to his skin uncomfortably.
Ji Ruan instinctively pressed against the other’s arm, his fingers brushing against firm muscles, warm to the touch and dotted with water droplets. At the contact, he jerked away reflexively.
He closed his eyes briefly, waiting for the black mist before him to dissipate. “…Why don’t you put on a shirt?”
“I know,” Gu Xiuyi’s voice was calm. “Wait until you’re steady first.”
They were very close. Ji Ruan could feel the heat from the other’s body and the damp scent of water clinging to him.
Ji Ruan unconsciously lightened his breathing. As his vision gradually cleared, he took two steps back, escaping from the near-embrace. “…I’m fine now.”
“Mm.” Gu Xiuyi’s expression was much steadier than his. He picked up a robe and put it on, tying the belt loosely around his waist. “Go change into your shorts.”
It seemed that he had only half-embraced Ji Ruan out of simple humanitarian concern—gentlemanly, polite, and completely proper.
Ji Ruan touched the tip of his ear, hesitated for two seconds before following him.
When he went back to the room to change, for some reason—perhaps on a whim—he also pulled out a tank top and put it on.
The tank top and shorts were a matching set, made of thin fabric, printed with a deep blue oil-painting-style ocean. It was one of Ji Ruan’s summer pajama sets.
When he came out, Gu Xiuyi’s eyebrows raised slightly, but he didn’t say anything, simply leading Ji Ruan back to the pool.
“Before getting in, wet yourself a little to get used to it,” Gu Xiuyi instructed.
Ji Ruan sat by the poolside, his lower legs soaking in the water. Hearing this, he scooped some water and patted it onto his neck and forearms.
The heated pool water wasn’t particularly cold, but it was still cooler than body temperature. Ji Ruan shuddered, his teeth chattering. “L-like this?”
“Mm.”
The action was correct but too reserved.
Gu Xiuyi crouched beside him and splashed several handfuls of water onto him.
Ji Ruan instantly shivered, shrinking his shoulders and grabbing the sleeve of Gu Xiuyi’s robe, huddling closer to him in an attempt to dodge—his whole body twisting up in distress.
Gu Xiuyi chuckled, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and giving him a reassuring pat. “Are you really this afraid of water?”
How could a little mermaid be so scared of water?
“I’m not afraid…” Ji Ruan wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, his pale fingers looking particularly stubborn. “I’m just not used to it. It’s a normal physiological reaction.”
“Mm, yes, a physiological reaction.”
Gu Xiuyi pulled Ji Ruan into his arms and, without giving him a chance to resist, continued to splash him with water. In just a few moments, the half-dry little mermaid was completely drenched, shivering slightly, with crystal-clear water droplets clinging to his chin.
Ji Ruan’s skin was soft and smooth when wet. As Gu Xiuyi wiped away the water droplets, he couldn’t help but feel as if he were touching fine silk. A strange sense of satisfaction rose within him.
“That should be enough.” He tapped the external device behind Ji Ruan’s ear and asked in a low voice, “Taking it off?”
Ji Ruan was already soaked. The dampness around his ears gave him a sense of urgency—if he didn’t take it off now, it would definitely get wet. He had no time to think about anything else. “Take it off quickly.”
Gu Xiuyi dried his hands, removed the external device, and placed it on a nearby table before shedding his robe and jumping into the water.
He knew Ji Ruan wouldn’t be able to hear much now, so he didn’t speak. Instead, he simply opened his arms and gestured for him to come over.
Just now, Gu Xiuyi’s entry into the water had looked rather stylish. Ji Ruan, unwilling to lose in terms of presence, decided to mimic him.
He bit his lip, pushed off with his palms, and leaped—
Ji Ruan thought he had entered the water gracefully. But in reality, he had merely slipped right in.
Because he hadn’t even landed properly—his foot touched the pool floor for barely a moment before sliding out from under him. In this shallow, utterly unthreatening water, he nearly drowned.
In the end, it was Gu Xiuyi who fished him out.
Gu Xiuyi’s years of fitness training showed their worth in that moment—his grip on Ji Ruan’s waist was steady and firm.
Ji Ruan had swallowed a bit of water. Still shaken, he clung to Gu Xiuyi’s shoulder, coughing until he gradually calmed down.
Gu Xiuyi held him and moved them toward the center of the pool. The water rippled at Ji Ruan’s chest, and with nothing solid beneath his feet, he felt an unsettling emptiness—yet at the same time, an exhilarating lightness.
This was the second time Gu Xiuyi had held Ji Ruan’s waist like this.
The last time had been on that stormy day when Ji Ruan was completely drenched, and his waist had felt astonishingly soft. But this time was a little different. Ji Ruan was probably a bit scared—his body was tense, yet his waist still felt exceptionally supple.
Gu Xiuyi could distinctly feel the shallow curve of his waistline. Soaked in water, Ji Ruan’s already-thin clothing became nearly imperceptible, making Gu Xiuyi’s palm feel as though it was directly touching bare skin.
Gu Xiuyi turned his head slightly, took a deep breath, and let go of Ji Ruan’s waist, instead moving his hands to support Ji Ruan’s arms as he forced himself to focus on teaching. At this moment, Ji Ruan was just a little novice swimmer, completely enchanted by the allure of the blue water. His big eyes blinked with excitement, utterly unaware of Gu Xiuyi’s abnormal reaction.
Since his hearing was impaired, he didn’t notice Gu Xiuyi’s unusual silence either.
He even thought Gu Xiuyi was surprisingly professional—teaching him step by step, guiding him, and holding him to prevent him from choking on water. If Gu Xiuyi weren’t a domineering CEO, Ji Ruan thought he should seriously consider becoming a swimming coach.
But Ji Ruan didn’t learn anything at all.
He probably had no athletic talent whatsoever. After nearly an hour in the water, aside from flailing and shouting for help, he hadn’t grasped a single technique.
In the end, he was so exhausted that he lay sprawled on Coach Gu, gasping for breath.
Coach Gu was also rather helpless. Swimming had never been something one could learn through gentle teaching—no one ever learned without swallowing a bit of water.
But he hadn’t planned to turn Ji Ruan into a swimming prodigy anyway. Just playing around with the kid for a bit was enough.
He simply hadn’t expected Ji Ruan’s stamina to be this poor—hanging onto him the entire time, yet still panting as if he were about to collapse.
“Mm!—”
Suddenly, the person in his arms slipped downward.
Gu Xiuyi reacted faster than he could think and caught him. “What’s wrong?”
The moment Ji Ruan slid down, he swallowed some water. His brows furrowed, and his face was filled with pain. “My leg… cough cough…”
He let out a pained cry, his back arching unconsciously as if he were enduring immense agony.
Gu Xiuyi immediately understood—it was most likely a cramp.
“Ji Ruan—” He started to speak but then stopped.
Ji Ruan couldn’t hear him.
Gu Xiuyi cradled the back of Ji Ruan’s head, pressing him against his shoulder with a firm yet controlled force, then murmured into his ear, “Ji Ruan, it’s okay. It’s just a cramp. Relax…”
As he spoke, he guided Ji Ruan toward the pool’s edge, supporting his waist to lift him out of the water. Then, he quickly climbed up himself and carried Ji Ruan over to a nearby lounge chair.
Ji Ruan’s right calf was severely cramped—so much so that the spasms were visibly twitching beneath his skin. The moment Gu Xiuyi pressed on it, Ji Ruan gasped in pain and tried to pull away.
Under his hands, the tensed calf muscle gradually softened. Gu Xiuyi finally relaxed as well, straightening up with a long exhale.
He stepped forward, pinched Ji Ruan’s chin lightly, and said, “I should probably stop taking you to exercise from now on.”
It was tormenting himself and scaring others.
Ji Ruan was probably exhausted from the cramp. His eyes were unfocused, staring blankly into the air.
Gu Xiuyi waited for a moment but got no response. Only then did he remember—at this distance, Ji Ruan couldn’t hear him.
He was completely shut off from the world, a little deaf thing.
“Having a romantic bath together, huh, Old Gu—” Duan Zeping’s voice echoed through the vast swimming hall, followed by a series of footsteps.
That group had finished their barbecue and came over for a swim.
As Duan Zeping got closer, he finally noticed Ji Ruan lying limp on the lounge chair, soaking wet and lifeless. He let out a loud yo—“What happened here?”
“Nothing.” Gu Xiuyi draped a large bath towel over Ji Ruan, wrapping him up before picking him up. “You guys have fun. We’re heading back first.”
With that, he strode off, leaving a group of people exchanging bewildered glances.
“What the hell,” Duan Zeping was stunned. “Did they really have a romantic bath?”
Li Sui’an glanced at the crystal-clear pool and said indifferently, “Is Old Gu really that kind of inconsiderate person in your eyes?”
In the end, the one who knew Ji Ruan’s weak constitution best, Song Ling, got straight to the point. “You guys are overthinking. Ji Ruan probably had a cramp.”
Everyone: “……”
**
Back in the room, as usual, Ji Ruan showered first. After a quick rinse, he limply collapsed onto the bed.
The bed was an enormous 2.5m x 2.5m king-size—so large that as long as they each had their own blanket, it might as well have been an entire galaxy separating them, completely unobtrusive.
Ji Ruan was too exhausted to think about anything. He crawled onto the bed and, with his last bit of rationality, took only a small portion of the right side.
While showering, Gu Xiuyi kept hesitating about how to handle sleeping arrangements. Ji Ruan had just come of age and was inexperienced with the world—if he outright suggested sleeping together, it would feel like taking advantage of him.
This seemingly luxurious suite had a significant flaw—besides the king-size bed, there was no other proper place for an adult to rest.
If they didn’t sleep together, he wouldn’t have anywhere to sleep. And this wasn’t his own hotel. Considering that he and Ji Ruan were already legally married, if news got out that they were sleeping separately, it wouldn’t sound great.
The ruthless and decisive CEO Gu was stumped by such a trivial matter. He agonized over it in the bathroom, taking the longest shower of his life.
When he finally came out, he found that Ji Ruan had already fallen asleep. The room was dimly lit by a single bedside lamp.
Curled up under his blanket, his external hearing device had been removed and placed neatly on the nightstand. His face was nestled into the soft pillow, sleeping soundly.
The frustration that had been weighing on Gu Xiuyi’s heart for so long suddenly felt like a self-imposed trap.
The little one, with his clear conscience, had none of the unnecessary worries that troubled him.
He approached quietly, watching Ji Ruan’s sleeping face for a moment before gently brushing the back of his hand against his cheek.
He was sleeping so peacefully, his face flushed with warmth.
That night, Gu Xiuyi didn’t sleep very soundly. It wasn’t until the latter half of the night that he finally settled into sleep.
Then—
“Pa…”
In his half-conscious state, Gu Xiuyi could hear a slapping sound.
He frowned but didn’t wake up.
“Pa!”
The second slap was much louder.
Gu Xiuyi’s eyes snapped open, and he turned his head.
In the darkness, Ji Ruan was still obediently curled up on his side, but all of a sudden, he lifted his hand and—pa!—smacked his own thigh.
Before Gu Xiuyi could react, Ji Ruan gave himself another harsh slap, scaring him into leaning over instantly to grab his wrist.
“Ji Ruan, what are you doing?”
Ji Ruan blinked drowsily, his gaze still unfocused. “Hm…?”
Without another word, Gu Xiuyi switched on the lamp, cupping Ji Ruan’s face for a closer look. His fair cheek now bore a bright red handprint—courtesy of himself.
Gu Xiuyi: “…”
A sharp pang tightened in Gu Xiuyi’s chest. “Why are you hitting yourself?”
Ji Ruan seemed to be slowly waking up from his dream. He rubbed his hair, sat up at a leisurely pace, and, under Gu Xiuyi’s slightly anxious gaze, lazily rubbed his eyes and dazedly reached around.
Gu Xiuyi grew impatient waiting. He stretched out his arm, hooked Ji Ruan’s external hearing device, and secured it behind his ear before gently patting his face. “Hm? Ji Ruan? Tell me, why were you hitting yourself?”
Ji Ruan’s gaze shifted to Gu Xiuyi’s face, still unfocused. When groggy, he was exceptionally obedient and clingy.
He rubbed his cheek against Gu Xiuyi’s palm and let out a soft “Ah…” before murmuring, “There was a mosquito…”
“A mos—”
Gu Xiuyi nearly choked on his own breath.
So this guy was smacking himself because he was dreaming about killing mosquitoes?!
Where the hell did a mosquito come from?!
A light breeze blew in, brushing against Gu Xiuyi’s exposed arms. Slowly, he turned his head—
The window was wide open, making the curtains sway gently.
The breathtaking mountain view from the daytime had turned into a mosquito haven by night.
Gu Xiuyi lifted Ji Ruan’s hands and checked his legs. Sure enough, there were several swollen red welts from mosquito bites. Ji Ruan, still half-asleep, reached out to scratch, but Gu Xiuyi quickly stopped him.
“Don’t scratch. You’ll break the skin and start bleeding.”
Ji Ruan furrowed his brows, pulled his hand away from Gu Xiuyi’s grip, and leaned against the headboard with a lazy slant. “But it’s itchy…”
“Endure it.” Gu Xiuyi raised Ji Ruan’s wrist and held it near his ear. “Wait here. Don’t put your hand down.”
This ridiculous suite might have lacked a sofa, but at least it had some essentials—like mosquito repellent.
Gu Xiuyi retrieved it and sprayed Ji Ruan down. Under the bright light, he finally spotted the culprit that had been feasting on Ji Ruan’s blood.
It was no ordinary mosquito—it was a tiger mosquito. [T/N: Tiger mosquito or Asian Tiger mosquito are those mosquitoes with the white stripes. They look black and white like this
]No wonder the bites were so big.
Yet Ji Ruan remained unfazed. No matter how the mosquito hovered around him, he either waved it away or smacked himself, but he just wouldn’t kill it.
After watching this for a moment, Gu Xiuyi couldn’t stand it anymore. He raised his hand and—
Pa!
A loud, crisp slap—precisely striking the mosquito dead.
Gu Xiuyi glanced at his palm, where a tiny smear of blood was visible—all of it Ji Ruan’s precious Rh-negative type A blood…
For some reason, he felt a bit of heartache.
After washing his hands, he returned to see Ji Ruan still staring off into space against the headboard, making Gu Xiuyi inexplicably frustrated. He walked over and pinched Ji Ruan’s cheek. “Are you refusing to kill because you can’t bear to take a life?”
Even after getting bitten this much, he still wouldn’t slap the mosquito?
Ji Ruan had been jolted fully awake by Gu Xiuyi’s thunderous mosquito slap.
He had always disliked swatting mosquitoes—it was dirty, and after killing one, he’d have to get out of bed to wash his hands, which was too much of a hassle. Spraying some mosquito repellent was at least somewhat effective.
Just as he was about to explain himself, a glint of mischief flashed in his eyes.
He suddenly beamed, dimples rounding adorably, and looked at Gu Xiuyi’s still-damp fingertips with an expression of sheer admiration.
“Wow, Boss Gu, you’re amazing~”
“…?”
Gu Xiuyi’s simmering frustration instantly melted into a strange shiver running down his spine.
It was just a mosquito… What was so amazing about that?
Staring at Ji Ruan’s ridiculously cute dimples, Gu Xiuyi’s lips curled up involuntarily.
Did he really need to smile so sweetly over something as trivial as killing a mosquito?
The author has something to say:
Later on, with his vanity fully satisfied, Boss Gu took it upon himself to handle all mosquito extermination duties in the household—thoroughly enjoying the role.