Chapter 15 Part 2

Though Gu Yuan was very curious, he didn’t want to ask further and pondered silently what the Octopus Breathing Method could be.

Bai Wenran laughed at his antics and immediately booked time with the swimming coach to give the two kids lessons.

“Thanks, Auntie! I’ll definitely be first in swimming!” Zhou Chiyu sneaked a glance at Gu Yuan. “Tied for first with Brother.”

“I don’t want to tie for first with you.” Gu Yuan clutched the blanket with a hint of disdain and added softly, “I’ll definitely beat you.”

“Our Little Fish has such high EQ.” With Zhou Chiyu’s company, Gu Cheng took his wife’s hand, leaving the rest of the time to the two little ones as they prepared to go talk to Gu Lao about Zhou Chiyu’s diet.

In the corridor, the couple spoke softly.

“I didn’t expect Little Yuan’s empathy to be so strong.”

Bai Wenran was very satisfied with Gu Yuan’s earlier performance. “Once Little Yuan starts kindergarten, he’ll probably get even better.”

…

In the afternoon, the swimming instructor arrived as scheduled.

Zhou Chiyu had already put on his favorite Ultraman Swim Trunks and struck cool poses in front of Gu Yuan like crazy.

Gu Yuan, wrapped in a thick bath towel, delayed taking it off. He looked helplessly and nervously at the chubby kid in front of him and sighed. “Zhou Chiyu.”

Zhou Chiyu placed his hands on his hips and said proudly, “What’s up?”

Gu Yuan’s lips moved. “Your swim trunks fell off.”

“Oh! Sorry.” Zhou Chiyu twisted to pull up his swim trunks, which had slipped to his thighs, and said shyly, “Maybe I’ve gotten a bit fatter lately.”

Gu Yuan took a deep breath, somewhat regretting his actions from the night before.

Zhou Chiyu really did need to lose weight.

“Babies, let’s do some warm-ups first, then practice holding our breath, okay?” The swimming coach was a vibrant young man who shared warm-up exercises tailored to five-year-olds learning to swim.

Zhou Chiyu liked this coach a lot and followed every movement seriously, stretching his arms and legs. Though he was a beat slow, he worked his whole body.

“Brother, you have to jump.”

Zhou Chiyu twisted around in front of Gu Yuan like a shadow puppet with uncontrolled limbs, making Gu Yuan’s lips quirk up repeatedly.

“I don’t need you to tell me.”

Gu Yuan had his own rhythm. After taking off the bath towel, he deliberately skipped the coach’s warm-ups and instead did the professional ones from the picture book.

Half an hour later, the two entered the water with Little Penguin Swim Rings on their backs.

Playing with water was kids’ nature—of course, except for Gu Yuan.

The pool water was warmer than outdoor pools, and the disinfection was thorough. Gu Yuan didn’t hate water, but he was somewhat afraid of it.

“I’m a little octopus, la la la la.”

With the swim ring, Zhou Chiyu was like a god had descended. He did backstroke, breaststroke, and even his self-invented fish stroke, imitating each pose convincingly. The coach couldn’t help but clap. “Little Fish Baby is such an amazing kid.”

Gu Yuan half-leaned in his swim ring, feeling a bit inferior. He envied Zhou Chiyu’s boundless energy and eternally upbeat vibe, and he liked Zhou Chiyu’s optimism and kindness even more.

“Now we’re going to hold our breath, okay?”

“Hold breath…”

Gu Yuan gripped the swim ring tightly, his heart starting to race.

“Brother, are you scared?”

Zhou Chiyu put on his swimming goggles and swam over concernedly. “Don’t be scared; I’ll protect you.”

Gu Yuan naturally didn’t want to be outdone by Zhou Chiyu and feigned composure. “I’m not scared.”

“It’s okay if you are; you’re not a scaredy-cat.” Zhou Chiyu helped him put on the goggles and grinned. “Brother, come on in. I’ll show you the Octopus Breathing Method!”

Intrigued by Zhou Chiyu’s new skill, Gu Yuan sank into the water dubiously. Compared to his cautious slowness, Zhou Chiyu’s movements were much more dynamic. After diving headfirst into the pool, he puffed his cheeks and blew bubbles—gurgle gurgle—to amuse Gu Yuan.

One, two, three…

The afternoon sun blazed fiercely, shattering into floating gold foil on the rippling water surface—beautiful and dazzling.

Underwater, Gu Yuan was completely captivated by Zhou Chiyu.

Zhou Chiyu was really so awesome. How was he so versatile?

Gu Yuan held his breath, forgetting all about his fear of water, and gently raised a finger—

At that moment, Zhou Chiyu poked his little head toward him, paused in front of him for two seconds, and nuzzled Gu Yuan’s hand affectionately, just like the little orange cat at home.

Gu Yuan’s heart suddenly softened, and he couldn’t help but smile.

But right then, he choked on water.

By the time he realized, he had forgotten to hold his breath.

The suffocating sensation hit instantly. He lost balance, clutched the swim ring tightly, and just when he thought he was about to drown, Zhou Chiyu and the coach pulled him out of the water together.

Gu Yuan was utterly disheveled, wet strands of hair plastered to his face, unprecedented panic in his eyes.

Was he too stupid?

He had been wearing the swim ring the whole time; he had just panicked, dunked his head into the pool, and couldn’t lift it back up.

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.”

Zhou Chiyu hugged him and comforted him softly. “Brother, we’ll just eat some snacks, and it’ll be fine.”

Gu Yuan stared blankly at Zhou Chiyu, stiff all over for a long while before resting his chin on the other’s head and nodding lightly.

Zhou Chiyu’s body was so soft; hugging him felt really comfortable.

“Kids, let’s go up and rest for a bit.”

On the shore, Zhou Chiyu, still wearing his little swim ring, bustled around Gu Yuan.

Gu Yuan held the water cup Zhou Chiyu handed him and noticed that Zhou Chiyu’s little curly hair had miraculously straightened out, making his fair little face look even rounder.

“Do you really like swimming that much?”

He murmured, “I’m actually not scared anymore. We can keep playing.”

“Really?” Zhou Chiyu tugged at his soggy swim trunks. “I love it.”

“Then let’s play a bit more.” As soon as Gu Yuan spoke, a big splash sounded from the poolside.

He turned to look and saw Zhou Chiyu had already jumped in and was amusing himself.

He was about to follow when Bai Wenran, who had come to find him, called out.

“Little Yuan, remember the kid from Auntie Hu Hui’s house?”

Hu Hui was Bai Wenran’s best friend, who had brought her son to visit. Her son, Qing Qing, really liked Gu Yuan and had just been clamoring for Gu Yuan to play the fishing game with him. So Bai Wenran had come specially to pick him up.

“I don’t want to go.” Gu Yuan refused outright and adjusted his swim ring to get back in the water.

“Little Yuan, the little brother misses you so much he’s crying.” Bai Wenran probed. “If you don’t go, he’ll be heartbroken.”

From her new understanding of Gu Yuan, she figured he would totally fall for this sob story—after all, he was sensitive and had strong empathy.

Gu Yuan had already reached the pool edge and glanced back lightly. “But Mom, what does his crying have to do with me?”

Bai Wenran was stunned. “Huh?”

Gu Yuan descended the steps. “Little Fish is still waiting for me.”