If Only I Had Worked on My Abs

"Come on, don’t be so stiff. Relax a little."

"Just use your mouth, yes—otherwise, you might choke."

In the pool, Ye Shuang was teaching Bai Yuyou how to swim. For beginners, aside from the unorthodox doggy paddle, breaststroke was actually the most suitable.

Under the sunlight, Bai Yuyou, wearing a swim ring, looked a bit like a little turtle as she practiced.

"It’s okay, take your time. Everyone starts like this," Ye Shuang said, patiently guiding the girl without a hint of frustration.

Once, twice—even ten or a hundred times—if Bai Yuyou was willing to learn, he was willing to teach.

Fortunately, Bai Yuyou’s physical coordination wasn’t bad. After quickly adapting to moving in the water, she soon shed the swim ring under Ye Shuang’s guidance and mastered breaststroke.

Next came treading water and backstroke.

These weren’t too difficult, and soon Bai Yuyou could move freely in the water.

"Ye Shuang… I did it," Bai Yuyou said, floating on her back, as if fishing for praise.

"Mhm, keep practicing," Ye Shuang smiled.

Just then, a splash of water sounded. Ye Shuang turned to see Tang Keke paddling over with a flurry of waves. "Yuyou, let’s race!"

"Race?"

"Yeah! Whoever swims to the other side first wins a serving of takoyaki!" Tang Keke grinned.

"Okay." The mention of food made the girl agree without hesitation.

"In that case, I’ll be the referee," Ye Shuang said, standing up in the pool and moving to the edge. He glanced at the finish line.

"Ready—"

"3… 2… 1!"

"Go!"

The two girls took off. Bai Yuyou swam with the rhythmic breaststroke Ye Shuang had taught her, while Tang Keke’s movements were wildly exaggerated—arms and legs flailing like someone drowning, yet somehow, she didn’t sink. Instead, she managed to paddle forward.

"Truly unorthodox. Is it because she’s more buoyant?" Tang Keke quickly pulled ahead, but her exaggerated movements drained her stamina just as fast. Just before reaching the finish line, her face suddenly paled.

"Ow?!"

Her limbs thrashed desperately. At first, Ye Shuang wasn’t too concerned—her doggy paddle wasn’t much better anyway—but when he noticed Tang Keke’s panicked expression and her body starting to sink, he immediately dove in.

"Keke!"

Bai Yuyou also noticed something was wrong and swam over to help.

"Wah—cramp!" Tang Keke was pulled out by Ye Shuang so quickly she barely swallowed any water, but her face was still twisted in discomfort.

Her limbs hung limp, her expression utterly defeated.

"Keke…"

Ye Shuang carried Tang Keke with one arm, dragging her to the edge before crouching down to massage her cramped muscles.

"Are you okay?!" A lifeguard jogged over, having kept an eye on the area. He couldn’t help but think—

That girl was cute and had a great figure, so why did she swim like that?

Like some kind of cart titan.

"Should be fine," Ye Shuang said, pressing his fist into Tang Keke’s foot to relieve the cramp. "Just a cramp. Luckily, we caught it in time."

"Glad to hear it. Please be careful."

The lifeguard left after confirming the situation, needing to stay alert for other swimmers.

"Ugh… why did I have to fail like this?" Tang Keke lay sprawled on the ground, unable to move, feeling like a slab of meat on a cutting board—utterly humiliating.

"Your movements were way too exaggerated, and you didn’t warm up properly," Ye Shuang pointed out.

"That’s just how doggy paddle is."

"Maybe stick to proper swimming techniques," Ye Shuang chuckled.

Luckily, Tang Keke was mostly unharmed, aside from swallowing a bit of water. Once she stood up, Bai Yuyou helped her to a lounge chair under a sun umbrella. Seeing the girl’s lifeless expression, Bai Yuyou waved a hand in front of her face.

"Keke, okay?"

"I guess… hic!" Tang Keke suddenly burped.

"Uuuugh…"

"Eat something. Feel better," Bai Yuyou said.

"I think I’m already full," Tang Keke mumbled, patting her stomach gloomily.

Bai Yuyou reached out, encouragingly taking Tang Keke’s hand. "It’s okay. I can teach you to swim…"

"You just learned! That’s not comforting at all!" Tang Keke groaned, even more dejected at the idea of being taught by a fellow beginner.

"Since Keke drank half the pool, maybe we should take a break from swimming. There are other fun things here," Ye Shuang said, glancing around before pointing into the distance.

"How about the lazy river later?"

"…Fine." Tang Keke nodded. She wasn’t eager to get back in the water just yet.

After resting, Ye Shuang led the two girls to the starting point of the lazy river ride. The attraction involved floating down a winding water channel in a small rubber raft. Due to the occasional bumps, life jackets were mandatory.

After a short wait, it was their turn. A staff member handed out life vests. "Hold on tight when it gets rough. If you fall in, don’t panic—the vest will keep you afloat."

Once ready, they boarded the raft.

"Ye Shuang, moving," Bai Yuyou said as the raft began drifting forward.

"Yeah, it’ll get more exciting soon. Hold on," Ye Shuang said, gesturing to the safety straps and handrails.

Almost instantly, the channel’s slope steepened!

"Y-Y-Y-Yikes?!" Tang Keke shrieked as the raft suddenly plummeted, her grip instinctively latching onto Ye Shuang’s stomach like a lifeline.

Ye Shuang: "…"

Maybe he should’ve worked on his abs.

His flesh wasn’t exactly as sturdy as the handrails.

With a splash, the raft shot down the chute, sending up a spray of water—

Leaving behind a faint rainbow in its wake.