Chapter 30
However, Lu Yu didn't pay much attention to it.
He had a business meeting to attend today, so Lu Yu quickly got up, washed, and had breakfast.
When Qin Assistant saw him, he didn't notice anything unusual either, only thinking that the boss's complexion seemed a bit off. But then remembering the news of his wife going on a trip, he figured it was normal.
Although he felt a little unwell, it didn't affect much, and Lu Yu quickly immersed himself in work.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
After Xiao Chi went back, he stayed up all night reviewing diving knowledge, just as he said he would. The last time he had studied so diligently was during his college entrance exams. It wasn't until four or five in the morning that he reluctantly went to sleep.
The time he had agreed with Gu Wan last night was two o'clock in the afternoon, when the sunlight would be perfect and the temperature at its highest, making it more suitable for diving.
Xiao Chi's energy was extraordinarily abundant. Although he only slept at four or five, by noon he was already full of spirit.
Looking at his friend who couldn't even wait two hours and seemed desperate to rush to Gu Wan's side right now, Gao Mingqian couldn't help but remind him: "I advise you not to get your hopes up too high."
Although there was no concrete evidence, he vaguely felt that Gu Wan was not an ordinary person.
Of course, Xiao Chi knew this too, but...
"But if we don't try, how will we know the result?"
Xiao Chi smiled, his smile as radiant as ever, seemingly not afraid of any difficulties that might arise in the future.
But whether he was truly not worried, only he himself knew.
"...Fine, I can't persuade you. Do as you please." Gao Mingqian looked at him for a good while before finally saying this.
It wasn't until Xiao Chi left that Gao Mingqian reached out to touch the jacket that had been sneakily taken by someone last night in an attempt to curry favor. After a moment, he suddenly let out a light "tsk."
When Gu Wan returned to the hotel last night, it was almost dawn. After washing up and taking a bath, she only lay down around one o'clock, and when she woke up again, it was almost ten in the morning.
After dawdling in the room for a while, it was time for lunch.
At one-fifty in the afternoon, Gu Wan went downstairs ten minutes early, only to find that Xiao Chi was already waiting there.
She didn't expect him to come so early.
Gu Wan was taken aback, noticing that his face seemed to have been reddened by the sun. She casually bought a bottle of cold water from the vending machine and handed it to him.
After Xiao Chi took it, he held the bottle in his hand. Even after the once-cold water had been warmed by the heat constantly emanating from his palm, he still hadn't twisted off the cap.
Xiao Chi took Gu Wan to several diving equipment stores. Gu Wan, who had been following him closely, couldn't help but notice that he was indeed very skilled in this area. This quickly shattered the dreams of store owners who had hoped to fleece them, seeing one as an outsider and the other clearly still a college student.
In the end, Gu Wan successfully obtained two sets of equipment at a price much lower than planned.
Initially, Xiao Chi had intended to rent, but after hearing that Gu Wan planned to use them long-term, he changed his mind.
The two arrived at a place where the waves were relatively small. Under Xiao Chi's guidance, Gu Wan put on the equipment. When she saw his ears turning red as he helped her adjust the diving suit, Gu Wan's gaze fell on his ears, causing Xiao Chi's hand to tremble and accidentally snap the diving mask on.
Originally, Gu Wan didn't want to laugh, but now she really couldn't help it.
Xiao Chi was so embarrassed he wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it.
Now not only his ears but even his neck was red. Fortunately, his skin was dark, so it probably wasn't noticeable. Xiao Chi kept reassuring himself in his heart.
Gu Wan, understanding that it was his first time being an instructor, and fearing she might truly hurt the young man's self-esteem, quickly changed the subject.
Xiao Chi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
About three minutes later, he began trying to lead Gu Wan into the water.
Due to Gu Wan's poor physical condition, even with sufficient oxygen, she couldn't stay underwater for long. Gu Wan didn't intend to push herself too hard either, as that would no longer be seeking thrills but directly seeking death.
She wasn't planning on committing suicide after all.
Just when Gu Wan thought they would just play in the water for a while and then return to shore, she noticed that Xiao Chi, who had been demonstrating in front of her, seemed to look back at her several times.
After entering the water, Xiao Chi seemed to become a different person, extraordinarily cautious, truly giving off the air of a professional instructor.
But would a professional instructor provide such attentive service?
When Xiao Chi's hand grasped hers, Gu Wan was startled, not understanding what he meant.
Unable to speak underwater, Gu Wan could only express her confusion with her eyes.
Xiao Chi seemed to smile at her, his smile carrying a hint of reassurance. He then pointed to a more distant place, and then to Gu Wan's legs, indicating that she shouldn't move them later.
Of course, Xiao Chi had noticed that Gu Wan's physical condition wasn't sufficient to support her swimming to deeper areas, but that was okay, there was another solution.
Perhaps infected by the pure intent in Xiao Chi's eyes, Gu Wan gradually relaxed.
Xiao Chi took a deep breath and turned to lead her towards the deeper parts of the sea.
According to the original plan, Gu Wan wouldn't have been able to see much, but now she not only saw schools of fish but also coral swaying with the waves.
The skylight penetrated the seawater, creating shimmering, swaying water light, as if they had fallen into a dreamland.
Gu Wan could even feel a very beautiful fish swim through her palm.
Finally, Xiao Chi simply pointed to his back, indicating that she could directly lie on it if she wanted.
Gu Wan hesitated for a moment, but then decided to do as he suggested.
Xiao Chi's strength seemed inexhaustible. Even carrying another person, he didn't feel tired at all. The two of them passed through coral reefs and schools of fish this way, encountering a group of students and instructors who were also diving.
The students who had paid a hefty fee were first shocked, then suddenly looked at their own instructor, their eyes clearly saying: Instructor, you didn't mention this service, why does she get it and not us!
The instructor: "..."
The instructor: No, you don't want this.
What kind of colleague was this, how much money did they charge to work so hard?
And, could they not be so competitive!
The instructor, unwilling to be outdone, wanted to catch up and see the other person's face, but Xiao Chi's speed was too fast, not giving them the chance at all. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
From afar, Gu Wan could still see the instructor and students floating in mid-water, seemingly dazed.
Xiao Chi turned his head and also saw Gu Wan's slightly curved eyes, apparently very happy. So on this day, a group of diving instructors collectively witnessed the scene of a human-like sea fish carrying a person swimming in the sea.
It wasn't that there weren't competitive people who wanted to catch up, but without exception, they were all left behind by Xiao Chi.
About an hour later, the two anxious bodyguards on shore finally found their madam's figure.
Only... weren't the two of them too close?!
Gu Wan emerged from the water, removed the oxygen from her mouth, and took a deep breath of fresh air.
The next second, Xiao Chi appeared half a meter away from her.
As the seawater rose and fell, all Xiao Chi could see were Gu Wan's unusually bright eyes compared to before.
Although Gu Wan hadn't exerted much effort along the way, the water pressure over her head still left her exhausted, feeling as if her heart had almost stopped working.
Xiao Chi once again effortlessly carried her back to the beach.
The bodyguards felt it was time to consider assassination.
Sitting on the beach, her hands and feet weak, Gu Wan took a while to recover before she couldn't help but say, "Your stamina is really too good."
Noticing the undisguised admiration in her eyes, Xiao Chi rubbed the back of his head and smiled shyly. Combined with his tanned skin, he was incredibly eye-catching. Gu Wan noticed that quite a few people were already looking in their direction.
"...It's... it's not that big a deal..."
Previously, when others had complimented him, he hadn't felt much, but now being praised by her, Xiao Chi had to restrain himself from flashing his white teeth in a broad grin.
Gu Wan noticed his eyes sparkling once again, reminiscent of a large dog.
Although this was her first time diving, Gu Wan felt it was probably the most interesting experience she'd ever have. She doubted future dives would compare.
Hearing her say this, Xiao Chi really wanted to tell her it didn't have to be just today; they could do this again in the future.
However, he was also aware that he was still a student and couldn't always be by her side.
Thinking about this, Xiao Chi couldn't help feeling a bit downcast, for the first time feeling as if he had perhaps been born too late.
When Gu Wan finally finished resting and took off her diving suit, she turned around to find Xiao Chi had already recovered his usual cheerful demeanor.
Since the young man before her stubbornly refused to accept her money, Gu Wan decided to treat him to dinner alone that evening.
Upon hearing the word "alone," Xiao Chi perked up, almost unable to believe it: "Just me? Not Xia Xue and the others?"
After Gu Wan nodded and said "Of course," Xiao Chi quickly packed up his things and followed closely behind her.
'Oh no, he's acting even more like a big dog now. What's going on?' Gu Wan thought, tapping her forehead to quickly dispel the notion that had suddenly popped into her head.
Over the next few days, Gu Wan spent her days learning to dive with Xiao Chi and her evenings playing games with Xia Xue and the others. Life suddenly became far from boring.
Gao Mingqian watched as Xiao Chi's smiles grew more frequent and he became increasingly familiar with Gu Wan. For a moment, he couldn't quite figure out how he felt about it.
In any case, he thought that nothing good could come from Xiao Chi's relationship with this wealthy young lady eight or nine years his senior. But he knew that no matter how he tried to persuade Xiao Chi at this point, he wouldn't listen.
He was still looking forward to meeting the young lady tomorrow.
Feeling troubled, Gao Mingqian declined Xia Xue and the others' invitation and left the hotel to clear his head by the sea.
Then, he saw Gu Wan sitting on the rocks, her dog beside her.
Gu Wan rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the pitch-black sea in the distance. At that moment, she wasn't thinking about anything in particular, just absentmindedly listening to the sound of the waves.
In just a few short days, the thrill that diving had given her was already beginning to fade.
And so, from a distance, Gao Mingqian saw a side of her that was completely different from how she appeared during the day.
For a moment, Gao Mingqian thought she looked lonely, desolate... fragile.
It seemed she wasn't as strong as she appeared in front of Xia Xue and the others; she had a side that others didn't know about.
Gao Mingqian opened his mouth, but to his surprise, he found he couldn't make a sound.
When Gao Mingqian looked up again, perhaps because it had gotten so late, Gu Wan was gone.
Now it was Gao Mingqian's turn to start daydreaming.
Meanwhile, back in City A.
It wasn't until another cocktail party had ended and his physical discomfort worsened that Lu Yu belatedly realized he might be coming down with something.
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