The sun had completely sunk into the sea, and the star lights on the beach lit up. The shimmering surface of the swimming pool reflected the colorful lights, creating a beautiful scene. An Youqing was the first to emerge; a vast expanse of blue water lay before her, with no sign of Lin Wanwan. She couldn’t help but feel smug—whoever dared to compete with her was laughable. With many onlookers, An Youqing intentionally showed off, swimming as fast as she could using the freestyle stroke. She wanted to leave that arrogant woman far behind and make her lose face tonight. Ignoring her? Let’s see if you can ignore me later. The spectators around the pool noticed that Lin Wanwan was taking her time to surface, whispering among themselves. Lu Shouyue even stood up directly, frowning as he looked at the water. Because of the nighttime and the excessive decorative lights today, the chaotic lighting on the water made it impossible for people on the shore to clearly see what was happening in the pool. Lu Shouyue took a step forward, mentally counting down from three seconds. If Lin Wanwan hadn’t surfaced in three seconds, he would jump in to check. "Splash!" With a burst of water, Lin Wanwan emerged, already nearing the finish line! Could someone really swim nearly fifty meters underwater in one breath? That’s unbelievable! And how long had it been? Twenty seconds perhaps? Onlookers either checked the time on their phones or glanced at their watches, faces full of disbelief. Even Lu Shouyue was taken aback. When he saw Lin Wanwan reach the finish line and climb ashore in one swift motion, looking back at the pool with a smile, he couldn’t help but laugh as well. For more chapters visit Novᴇl_Fire(.)net There was a line of poetry Bai Juyi wrote for Emperor Tang Ming and Imperial Concubine Yang in the Everlasting Regret—today, it finally materialized in his mind: "A smile could birth a hundred charms, leaving all palace beauties without color." Even Wang Bocheng, usually unfazed by beauty, unknowingly stood by Lu Shouyue’s side and murmured, "Isn’t this ’In the north, there’s a beauty, who with a glance can topple a city, with another can topple a nation’?" Though Wang Bocheng appeared like a playboy now, he was actually a top student who got into London University by his own merit and graduated with dual degrees. When he initially returned to the country and was revealed as the only child of the Wang Family, netizens speculated that he got into the university through donations. This led to an online altercation with him arguing that everything else could be doubted, but claiming that he bought his hard-earned university spot was unacceptable. Lu Shouyue, hearing Wang Bocheng’s words, joked half-not-seriously, "You’d better not have any designs on her." Wang Bocheng caught the hint and with a cheeky grin replied, "Got it, Lu, you’ve finally got someone you’re into, so I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines." Lu Shouyue gave him a sidelong glance and smirked, "You better watch your mouth and not talk nonsense in front of her, or else we’ll meet in the boxing ring." "Damn! You’re already acting protective, and she’s not even officially your girlfriend yet. Will I ever have a chance?" While these two childhood friends engaged in their banter, fifty meters away, on the other side of the pool, Lin Wanwan had been observing An Youqing from above for quite some time. An Youqing, panting heavily, finally swam over. Her face was ashen as she accepted a towel from her two attendants and started to dry off, walking out of the pool without looking back. Lin Wanwan watched her retreating figure and said, "Hey, there’s still another round. Who wants to compete with me?" An Youqing’s back stiffened, pretending not to hear, and kept walking. One of her clueless attendants, however, said, "An An, she’s asking who will compete with her next." An Youqing shot her a glare—truly bringing up what shouldn’t be mentioned. Lin Wanwan could leave her trailing by half a length in the water. Such a gap meant that even if Chen Linsuang competed, the outcome would be the same. Why invite more humiliation? Chen Jinyu happily draped a towel over Lin Wanwan’s shoulders, praising her with a smile, "Wow! Wanwan, you’re amazing! My goodness, I feel like you could even join the national team; you’re so fast!" "I’m going to change, not swimming anymore," Lin Wanwan said, smiling as she made her way through the crowd, draped in a towel, and headed to the villa. After such an event, she didn’t want to continue swimming. A few people, their expressions thoughtful, watched Lin Wanwan’s disappearing figure and shouted, "Ah, I remember now, isn’t she the martial art girl who was really popular online recently?" "Oh yeah! She’s friends with Chen Jinyu, so she must be the martial art girl! No wonder she’s so good! Girls who know martial arts are truly different!" With high spirits, Chen Jinyu also walked towards the villa. Although the third round didn’t happen, it wasn’t necessary to kick someone when they’re down. After all, forcing someone like An Youqing to admit defeat as her footmaid would only make her a permanent enemy. This didn’t align with her preference for moderation in dealing with matters; keeping options open was her principle. Since others backed An Youqing, she considered both the monk and Buddha. Given that her background wasn’t as robust and her singing and dancing skills weren’t as strong either, she decided to let it be for now. It had to be said, although Chen Jinyu hadn’t formally debuted, her mindset was already steady, like a seasoned veteran in the entertainment industry. With a good mood after watching Lin Wanwan’s competition, Lu Shouyue headed to the villa. Although Lin Wanwan never seemed attracted to his eight-pack abs or sculpted lines as he had imagined, being able to find another admirable quality in her made him quite happy, making him smile unconsciously as he walked. After showering and drying her hair, Lin Wanwan unexpectedly crossed paths with someone on the stairs. "Xiao Junning?" She called out to the stern-faced Xiao Junning descending the stairs as they brushed past each other. He turned his head slightly but didn’t seem to look at her, asking impatiently, "Hmm?" Lin Wanwan took a step down, looking up at Xiao Junning, and said, "I never thanked you properly for sharing my post last time. Thank you! I didn’t expect to see you here today." After giving her a quick glance, Xiao Junning averted his eyes, speaking coldly, "Don’t overthink it. I just hate such matters." Lin Wanwan, surprised, said, "I’m not overthinking anything; don’t worry." "Hmph." Xiao Junning snorted, continued down the stairs, and ignored her. The thoughts of young boys, hard to understand! She shook her head silently and continued upstairs. Just then, a sudden gust approached her from behind—Xiao Junning who had left, returned unexpectedly, dashed up the stairs in a few steps, shoved a business card into her hand with a stern face, and said, "If you really want to thank me, treat me to a great meal." After saying so, he dashed off again, leaving Lin Wanwan bewildered on the stairs. She looked at the business card in her palm, which only had a name and phone number, feeling a sense of déjà vu from the scene.