Chapter 50

The swimsuit ties had come twisted and knotted into a mess. Yu Min couldn’t see her back, and she couldn’t reach it either. From the front, she looked perfectly presentable, neat and tidy, but from behind it was a complete disaster—a hopeless tangle.

The single changing room was small. By the time the door opened, Lin Bai Xin had already changed into her swimsuit. Hers was simpler, a black one-piece. Her long legs were straight and slender, and the fair skin it revealed was especially striking. Yu Min had accidentally caught sight of her and let her gaze drift over those legs, then upward; even in such a plain style, it still couldn’t hide the well-proportioned curves beneath the fabric.

There wasn’t much room in the cramped space. Lin Bai Xin came to stand behind Yu Min, the two of them back to back, neither looking at the other’s face.

“I’m not very good at putting this on...” Yu Min lowered her voice and didn’t dare sneak another look. “Help me.”

Yu Min’s swimsuit was a three-piece set. At first glance, the bottom looked like a skirt, but it wasn’t; it was actually shorts. The style leaned toward bright, slightly sexy summer charm. The silver fabric caught the light, giving it a delicate, pretty sheen. It suited a girl her age perfectly, and Lin Bai Xin had picked this exact style for her. When Yu Min put it on, it really did suit her; it looked even better than it had on the model in the display.

Feeling like the hem was a little short, Yu Min couldn’t help tugging it down. She was barefoot, her whole body clean and porcelain-white. Though a little on the thin side, she had flesh where she should, with a rounded, perky curve that was half-hidden and half-revealed. Her hair was tied low in a loose braid, falling over her left shoulder.

Standing behind her, Lin Bai Xin first saw her smooth, even back. Her shoulder blades rose slightly; the two thin bones looked almost like wings about to flutter free. The line down the center of her spine ran clearly all the way to her waist. Yu Min’s waist was narrow, with almost no excess flesh, tapering in on both sides, and her lower abdomen was flat. There was a tiny mole behind her left waist, placed rather low; it was almost covered by the swimsuit bottoms.

“Take a look and see how I’m supposed to do this.” Yu Min moved a little and said, reaching back awkwardly. “It seems to be tangled. I can’t untie it.”

Lin Bai Xin lowered her eyes and answered, “Mm. It’s tangled up; the knot’s all twisted together.”

“Can you undo it?”

“Should be able to.”

“Oh, okay.”

“But it’ll take a while.”

“...Okay.”

“Stand still. Don’t move.”

Both of them sounded a little stiff and wooden. Maybe it was because the room was so small; the changing room was especially quiet, and even the slightest movement made the faintest sound. Yu Min could feel Lin Bai Xin was very close, probably not even half a step away, but she didn’t dare turn around to confirm it. She could only rely on her own sense of it and didn’t want to show it too obviously.

Lin Bai Xin’s fingertips were a little cool. The instant they touched her, Yu Min nearly flinched. It wasn’t that she felt cold; after all, it was summer, not winter. It was just that the sensation was too stimulating, and she couldn’t quite handle it. She was sensitive, reflexively wanting to dodge, but the next moment she forced herself to hold still, brutally suppressing her body’s instinctive reaction.

The straps had been pulled too tight. While untying the dead knot, Lin Bai Xin’s hands couldn’t help brushing against the skin on Yu Min’s back, even pressing there with curled fingers. Yu Min stood motionless, as rigid as a stone pillar, doing her best to ignore the feelings she shouldn’t have been noticing; even her breathing was deliberately controlled.

“The light’s a little bad,” Lin Bai Xin said suddenly. “I can’t see very well.”

Yu Min looked at the wall in front of her and tilted her head up. The light from the ceiling really was dim.

“There’s no rush; take your time.” The words came out before she could think. After saying them, she felt that sounded a little too polite for the moment, so after a brief pause she half-turned to glance back. “Then I’ll move more toward the middle and stand right under the light. That should help.”

Lin Bai Xin hummed in acknowledgment. “Okay.”

Yu Min moved quickly and immediately stepped back half a pace.

Lin Bai Xin was a beat slower. She hadn’t moved yet; their timing was off. By the time their bodies bumped together and her hand touched Yu Min’s body, she was still frozen there, unable to react in time.

The instant they collided, Yu Min was stunned too. She hadn’t expected Lin Bai Xin not to step back. When she realized she had ended up leaning against Lin Bai Xin, her whole body stiffened at once and she turned back into a dumb wooden stick, standing there in blank shock.

The light bump wasn’t hard; it didn’t hurt Lin Bai Xin. It was Yu Min who panicked a moment later and hurriedly turned her body sideways to ask, “Are you okay?”

Seeing Lin Bai Xin’s expressionless face, Yu Min only tensed more. “I wasn’t paying attention; sorry. Did I hit you anywhere?”

Only then did Lin Bai Xin react. “No. It’s fine.”

But Yu Min was still in her arms. From the side, it looked as if Lin Bai Xin was holding her.

So focused on worrying about the other person, Yu Min completely ignored how close they were. Her whole attention was on Lin Bai Xin. In truth, she hadn’t even fastened the front of her swimsuit properly; it hung a little loosely. And the moment she turned, Lin Bai Xin lowered her eyes by accident. The flash of white that crossed her vision was far more blinding than the light overhead. Lin Bai Xin paused, abruptly stopping.

After a while, Yu Min turned back around and continued untying the dead knot.

Her nape was long and white. Lin Bai Xin blanked out for a moment, still not fully recovered from what she had just seen. When Yu Min called out twice, Lin Bai Xin finally came back to herself, lowered her gaze, and stopped looking any further.

The dead knot was hard to undo; it took several minutes before it finally came loose.

Once it was undone, the swimsuit fell completely open. Yu Min, now much more cautious, didn’t dare move recklessly at all. She stood stiffly in place, covering the front with her hand and pressing down on the edges of the swimsuit to avoid accidentally exposing herself.

Lin Bai Xin tied the back for her. There were several straps, and it really was complicated. This kind of style was difficult to put on alone and definitely needed help.

After that, the rest went quickly. Lin Bai Xin was efficient and finished it in just a few motions.

“I’m going out.”

When she was done, Lin Bai Xin said softly, still not looking at Yu Min.

Yu Min answered from behind her, “Oh... okay. O-okay, I’ll tidy up a little and then go out.”

“I’ll wait for you outside. Lin Qi and the others have been out there for a long time.”

“Okay.”

Lin Bai Xin opened the door and left without looking back, even forgetting her phone. She had put it on the stool when she came in, but left it behind on the way out. Yu Min wanted to call after her, but before she could speak, she stopped herself and didn’t make a sound.

Forget it; she’d just bring it out to her later.

By then, Lin Qi and the others were already in the water, all of them making a racket. They were playing with a ball, slapping it back and forth in chaos that looked more like a battle than a game. Lin Qi and the bar owner led separate teams on opposing sides. When Lin Bai Xin came out, Lin Qi greeted her, then, not seeing Yu Min, called loudly, “Where’s Minmin? She still not changed yet? You two are the only ones left. Why are you both so slow? We were just about to go in and get you. Hurry up and come down. Which team do you want to join—mine or theirs? Pick one. Minmin can go on the other side later.”

Lin Bai Xin didn’t choose. She didn’t like playing this. From the shallow bank, she just soaked her legs in the water and watched the two teams go back and forth.

“Your phone.” Two minutes later, Yu Min came out after her and sat down by the bank too. She also slipped the waterproof pouch onto it for her.

Only then did Lin Bai Xin remember she had left her phone behind. She hadn’t thought of it at all. She took it and couldn’t help looking at Yu Min again, then casually shifted her gaze away.

Yu Min went into the water first. One of the people on Lin Qi’s team was tired out and needed to be replaced, and Yu Min was dragged down by Lin Qi to help so she wouldn’t be left alone off to the side.

“Do you know how to play this?” Lin Qi bobbed up and down in the water, already completely caught up in the game and looking thrilled. “If not, we’ll teach you.”

Yu Min didn’t know how. The older sisters immediately crowded over with enthusiasm to teach her, all of them charmed by the obedient, well-behaved girl. They practically wanted to teach her hand in hand and protected her at every turn.

Lin Bai Xin said she wasn’t playing, and she really meant it. She didn’t take part at all from beginning to end. Instead, she watched everyone else play, her gaze following the ball as it moved. Yu Min’s athletic instinct in the water was unexpectedly good; every so often she managed to snatch the ball, and Lin Qi and the others couldn’t beat her.

Her hair was completely soaked, and her body was dripping wet too. During a break, Yu Min returned to Lin Bai Xin’s side and pulled the other person toward the deep end.

It was so boring just sitting on the bank. Yu Min couldn’t bear to watch, and whether Lin Bai Xin wanted to go in or not, she called out and dragged her along. Lin Bai Xin was unprepared. When she surfaced, Yu Min had somehow already supported her by the waist. Worried that she couldn’t swim, Yu Min even took Lin Bai Xin’s hand and looped it around her own shoulder, making her hold on to her.

Everything happened a little too fast. Lin Bai Xin froze and immediately wanted to push Yu Min away. She struggled once, but unfortunately Yu Min moved faster. Before Lin Bai Xin could push her off, Yu Min came even closer, narrowing the already small distance between them. In an instant, they were pressed together without a gap... Lin Bai Xin stopped struggling. With that kind of closeness, she had no choice but to obediently wrap her arms around Yu Min; somewhere deep down, she even subconsciously relied on her for support.

Both of them sank downward... Lin Bai Xin held Yu Min tighter, one jade-white leg hooking around her, almost winding around her.

Once she realized what she was doing, she forced herself to let go.

She broke free quickly. Lin Bai Xin pushed Yu Min away and swam up from her in a hurry, surfacing to take a deep breath.

Yu Min didn’t come up with her. By the time Lin Bai Xin caught her breath and realized Yu Min was nowhere in sight, her face went pale at once. She hurriedly sank back down and found Yu Min still underwater.

For an instant, Lin Bai Xin panicked. She rushed down into the water.

A long while later.

The two of them came up together. Lin Bai Xin braced one hand on the edge of the pool, while Yu Min turned around and held her very tightly, her legs lightly winding around Lin Bai Xin’s waist. Her red lips were slightly parted as she leaned against Lin Bai Xin’s chest, her whole body like a vine, almost completely clinging to Lin Bai Xin.