Su Yang froze upon hearing those words.
‘Oh no, oh no—how could she spot me from this far away?’
“Well? Aren’t you going to say something?” Pan Ning propped her chin on her hand, smiling at Su Yang.
But to Su Yang, that smile looked downright eerie.
“Uh, well, those girls didn’t know how to swim, and they kept begging us to teach them. It’d be rude to refuse, so I kinda had to step in. But I swear, I was teaching them properly!”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie? It was purely instructional.”
“Then teach me too.”
“Sure, why not? We’re close like that, heh.”
Pan Ning rolled her eyes at him.
She stood up and walked toward the sea.
Su Yang hurried after her.
Seeing this, the others decided to skip their break. Zhang Ziming ran over to Shen Yixue and yanked her up.
“Come on, why are you just sitting there? Let’s go swim.”
Shen Yixue sighed and got to her feet. She hadn’t seen Zhang Ziming teaching Han Xiaoyu how to swim—otherwise, he’d probably be sporting bruises by now.
Meng Wenzhou glanced at Su Yang and blinked repeatedly before walking over to whisper, “She saw you?”
Su Yang gave a pained nod. “She wants me to teach her too.”
“Damn. Well, good luck with that.”
Meng Wenzhou started to leave but suddenly grabbed Su Yang’s arm. “Wait.”
“What?”
“If I remember right, she already knows how to swim.”
“Huh? Then… she’s not gonna murder me, is she?” Su Yang joked, glancing at Pan Ning’s retreating figure.
“Nah, probably not. But hey, are you two actually dating or what?”
Su Yang grinned. “Not yet.”
“Not yet? You’re already living together. So you haven’t made it official?”
Su Yang thought to himself, ‘Oh, we’ve made it official.’
“Uh, yeah, haven’t confessed yet.”
“Alright, not my business. But if you two do end up together, you better treat my cousin right.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Fine. Just wing it, then. I’m gonna hit the bathroom.”
Su Yang swallowed hard and jogged to catch up with Pan Ning.
“Do you actually know how to swim or not?”
Pan Ning smirked. “I do.”
Before Su Yang could respond, she added, “Wanna race?”
“How?”
“Just see who’s faster.”
Su Yang chuckled. “This isn’t like driving—you won’t beat me. I grew up by the river.”
“We’ll see.”
“Fine, but if we’re racing, let’s make it interesting. I’ll give you a five-meter head start. If you win, I’ll sleep on the couch tonight. If I win… you’re mine to command. Deal?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Pan Ning rolled her eyes again. “Sure.”
“That confident? Not afraid to lose?”
“What’s the worst you can do? Same old tricks.”
“Oh, really?” Su Yang pushed his hair back. “Alright, let’s go then.”
“Go where, Su?” Liu Bo suddenly appeared beside them, grinning.
“Weren’t you teaching Liu Meng?”
“She keeps choking on water—needs a break.”
“Oh. Well, be our referee. Pan Ning here wants to race me.”
Liu Bo blinked at Pan Ning. “Pan Ning, you’re racing Su Yang?”
“Got a problem with that?”
“I just saw him swim earlier—he’s practically pro-level. You’re gonna lose.”
“Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”
“Fine. Get ready, then.” Liu Bo swam aside.
Su Yang and Pan Ning lined up.
“See that buoy?” Pan Ning pointed at an orange barrier about forty meters out.
Su Yang nodded. “Swim there and back. First one to Liu Bo wins.”
“Okay.”
“Whoa, you guys are brave—going that far out? Isn’t it dangerous?”
Pan Ning shrugged. “The buoy marks the safe zone. It’s fine.”
“Hold on, let me get the others. Just in case someone cramps up.”
Liu Bo swam off to gather the group.
Two minutes later, everyone had gathered around Su Yang and Pan Ning.
“So many spectators?”
“Safety in numbers.”
“Alright, let’s start.”
Liu Bo nodded. “On my count—three, two, one!”
As soon as he finished, Pan Ning dove in and shot forward.
Su Yang stayed put.
The others stared. “Why aren’t you moving?”
Su Yang smirked. “Giving her a five-meter head start.”
“Bold.”
Pan Ning quickly covered the distance. Su Yang finally entered the water, pacing himself to catch up.
They reached the buoy at almost the same time. Pan Ning turned to swim back—then suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her calf.
Her face twisted.
Su Yang, ten meters ahead, didn’t notice.
Pan Ning tried to steady herself, but without warming up, the cramp was brutal.
She could barely keep her head above water.
Then a wave hit.
She gasped, swallowing seawater before sinking again.
Her legs locked up. She surfaced once more—just long enough to scream, “Su—!”
Another wave dragged her under.
Su Yang, now halfway back, realized Pan Ning wasn’t behind him.
He spun around—she was gone.
“SHT!”
His heart pounded as he plunged back into the water.
Luckily, the sea was clear.
Within seconds, he spotted her—flailing, drowning.
He surged forward.
Pan Ning’s vision blurred. Just as despair set in—
Su Yang grabbed her.
She thrashed weakly, desperate.
He hauled her up, breaking the surface with her in his arms.
[Ding! Detected Pan Ning's affection toward the host has increased to 95 (Love). Reward granted: 30 million, ownership of Yue Shiguang Western Restaurant in Haicheng, and a +1 boost to physical constitution.]
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
