Chapter 36 She held his hand tightly.

The smile on Wen Zhi's lips slowly faded.

This needs to be regulated?

He laughed because he remembered the gossip Song Juelan had said earlier that day; if anyone was to blame, it was Song Juelan.

Wen Zhi suppressed her smile and calmly replied, "It's nothing, I just thought of something funny."

The lifeguard walked straight to their table, sat down in the empty seat opposite Wen Zhi, and greeted everyone at the table with a sunny smile.

He and Xiao Qi seemed to have a good relationship; both of them had similar energetic personalities, which made the atmosphere at the table even more lively.

Through their conversation, Wen Zhi learned that lifeguard Xiao Liu was also there for a summer job and was a sophomore in college.

As fellow college students, Wen Zhi became somewhat curious about Xiao Liu and asked her a few more questions about school and major, thus finding common ground.

Xiaoliu's eyes sparkled as she leaned forward against the table and asked, "Are you a college student too?"

Xiao Qi coughed lightly, gestured with his chin toward the other side of the activity room, and reminded them, "Their child is over there."

Xiaoliu's gaze shifted to Xiaotang, who was being fawned over by everyone, and her expression froze, her eyes filled with disbelief.

He had just arrived at the swimming pool two weeks ago and noticed Wen Zhi and Xiao Tang, but he always thought the two were brothers and never imagined that Xiao Tang was Wen Zhi's child.

Wen Zhi smiled without saying a word, seemingly unperturbed by Xiao Liu's straightforward reaction. She couldn't help but think that this was the kind of reaction a normal person should have.

The person staring at him from the side is the abnormal one.

Xiao Liu quickly realized his lapse in composure, suppressed his shock, and resumed his usual smile, jokingly saying that Wen Zhi looked too young and he thought she was a college student.

After chatting for a while, Xiao Liu felt a little thirsty and got up to get a drink. Seeing that Wen Zhi's plate was empty, she casually asked, "Mr. Wen, you like sweets, right? Shall I get you a cake?"

Wen Zhi felt she could still eat, and was about to nod when she suddenly remembered that Song Juelan was still beside her.

He didn't want to be asked again, "Why did you eat the cake he took?"

"No need," Wen Zhi said with a smile.

Xiao Qi leaned back in his chair, snapped his fingers, and ordered without any hesitation, "Get me a glass of orange juice."

Xiaoliu gave an OK sign and turned to walk towards the buffet table.

The table was now empty except for the three of them. Xiao Qi seemed to suddenly remember something and looked at Song Juelan, who was not saying much, and said, "By the way, Brother Song, are you planning to take on a few more students? Lately, people have been asking how to sign up for your classes."

Wen Zhi took a few sips of sweet apple juice through a straw, then turned her head slightly to stare at Song Juelan beside her.

Without hesitation, Song Juelan said, "Let them find other coaches."

"Sigh, that's what I said too, but they came specifically for you. As soon as they heard me say they couldn't sign up for your class, they left." Xiao Qi said, rubbing his forehead, looking quite troubled. "Coach Wang still has a lot of open spots. We need to find a way to help him sell them."

Xiao Liu, who was carrying two drinks back, heard this and chimed in, "Brother Song is still the most popular. If he were to open a class, he would definitely make a fortune."

Wen Zhi's gaze swept over the two of them, and she noticed that they seemed unaware that Song Juelan was actually younger than them, calling him "Brother Song" very naturally.

Or rather, Song Juelan's aura made it difficult for people to call him by names like "Little Song." If it weren't for his status as the student's "father," he wouldn't dare to call Song Juelan by his name directly.

Just as the apple juice in her hand was almost empty, a small figure ran over and hugged Wen Zhi's arm: "Zhi Zhi, you're here!"

Surrounded by other enthusiastic employees, Xiao Tang was fed lots of desserts and fruits until her tummy was round and full before she remembered to look for Wen Zhi.

His little mouth was smeared with cream, and his round eyes blinked like a greedy little kitten.

Wen Zhi quickly took out a handkerchief from her bag that she had specially made for wiping Xiao Tang's face, wiped the cream off his lips, and whispered, "Seeing how much you've eaten, you won't be able to eat dinner again."

“I can eat it,” Xiao Tang retorted softly.

This was the first time Xiao Liu had seen Wen Zhi and Xiao Tang interact like this. She was so engrossed in watching them that she forgot to blink. Suddenly, she felt that the two of them didn't seem like brothers anymore.

He also has a younger brother who is very young, but their relationship is anything but tender; it's chaotic every day. On the other hand, Wen Zhi, who exudes a gentle glow, is clearly his father.

After wiping Xiao Tang's face clean, Wen Zhi planned to take him back first.

Xiao Tang waved to the others in the activity room, then took Wen Zhi's hand and walked out.

As Wen Zhi walked out of the swimming pool, she realized that besides Xiao Tang, Song Juelan was also following behind her.

He pretended not to know why Song Juelan had followed him, and showed a somewhat surprised expression: "Are you leaving get off work so early today?"

Song Juelan nodded naturally: "Yes, we don't need any people at this time."

Wen Zhi discreetly observed Song Juelan's expression, then casually brought up another matter: "By the way, how was Xiao Tang's performance in class today? Why did it run overtime so long?"

"He performed very well, but there was one move he needed to practice, which took up a little time."

Wen Zhi snorted inwardly at this impeccable answer.

If he hadn't been awake that day and caught Song Juelan stealing a kiss, he really wouldn't have been able to figure out what Song Juelan was thinking.

This person is so young, yet he's so good at pretending.

"Oh, I see. Thank you for your trouble." Wen Zhi smiled politely, said goodbye to Song Juelan, and prepared to leave.

As soon as I turned around, my wrist was gently encircled by a warm, large hand, pulled back, and bumped into a solid, broad chest.

Wen Zhi's mind went blank for a moment, her heart almost jumped out of her throat, and she froze in Song Juelan's arms, motionless.

Only when the buzzing in his ears gradually disappeared did he hear a burst of laughter and playfulness behind him. A group of children carrying swimming rings rushed out of the swimming pool and brushed past them.

Song Juelan released his wrist, frowned slightly, and looked down at him: "You weren't bumped, were you?"

Wen Zhi shook her head slowly, her heart still pounding in her chest.

He had just thought... that Song Juelan wasn't going to keep pretending.

After a moment of silence, Wen Zhi opened her mouth and spoke at the same time as Song Juelan.

"Then we're leaving..."

Come early for the next class.

Wen Zhi subconsciously avoided Song Juelan's gaze, looked down at Xiao Tang who looked completely bewildered, and her ear tips turned slightly red: "...Mm."

The three parted ways at the entrance of the swimming pool.

Walking home, Xiaotang's face was full of confusion: "Zhizhi, why do we have to go to class early next time?"

Wen Zhi used Song Juelan's excuse from earlier: "Brother Juelan said that there is a move you need to practice more."

"Okay!" Xiao Tang nodded understandingly.

The heat on Wen Zhi's face gradually dissipated with the breeze. After calming down and thinking about it, he suddenly realized that as long as Song Juelan didn't bring this up, he could continue to play dumb.

"It shouldn't be too difficult..." he muttered to himself, touching his still slightly hot earlobe.

*

Two days later, it was time for swimming lesson again.

Early in the morning, Wen Zhi was still sound asleep in her soft bed when she was woken up by a series of urgent cell phone rings.

He groggily picked up his constantly vibrating phone from the bedside table, pressed the answer button, and his voice was still hoarse from not being fully awake: "Hello?"

A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone: "Mr. Wen, I'm sorry to bother you at this time."

Wen Zhi's brain worked slowly for a few seconds before she belatedly recalled that it was Zhu Zhenghao's voice: "It's nothing, what's wrong?"

"It's a long story. Yesterday, a video of someone secretly filming Brother Song went viral online and spread everywhere. The swimming pool hasn't even opened yet today, but there are already a lot of people waiting at the entrance, hoping to catch Brother Song." Zhu Zhenghao's voice sounded a bit anxious. "Brother Song definitely can't show up at this time, so we can't have class today either."

Wen Zhi was stunned for a moment, and it took her some time to process what she had just said. She mumbled an "oh" and didn't know how to react.

“Don’t worry, we will refund the fee for this lesson to your account, and it will arrive in the next couple of days,” Zhu Zhenghao quickly added.

Wen Zhi replied softly, "I understand."

Zhu Zhenghao seemed to be busy dealing with the matter and hung up the phone without saying much.

Wen Zhi put down her phone and stared blankly at the now-off screen.

When they parted last time, he promised Song Juelan that he would go to class early, but he never expected that something like this would happen and he wouldn't even have to go to class.

He turned his phone screen back on, opened his social media app, and before he could even open the search bar, he was bombarded with a viral video.

The video started playing automatically, with the background being a swimming pool he was familiar with. After a few camera shakes, it focused on a tall man who had just come out of the pool.

Just by seeing her back, Wen Zhi recognized her as Song Juelan.

The video wasn't very clear and only showed Song Juelan's profile, but her broad shoulders, narrow waist, and perfectly sculpted profile were enough to garner many likes and shares from netizens.

The location was marked in the lower left corner of the video, and some people in the comments section mentioned that Song Juelan was a coach at the swimming pool, so many netizens who lived nearby decided to come and check it out.

After watching the short video, which was only a few dozen seconds long, Wen Zhi turned off her phone and went back to bed.

If Xiaotang doesn't have to go to class in the afternoon, he can take a longer nap, which should be a good thing for him.

However, as soon as I closed my eyes, Song Juelan's words "Come early" echoed in my ears again, and my heart felt a little heavy for some reason.

In the afternoon, Xiaotang's face fell in disappointment when she learned that she didn't have to go to swimming class today.

Wen Zhi played with his toys for a while and then showed him an animated movie. Seeing that his attention had been diverted, she went back to her room.

Outside the window, the sky was gradually darkening, and the evening glow hung on the distant horizon.

Wen Zhi sat down at her desk, turned on her computer, and then unconsciously picked up her phone and glanced at WeChat.

Throughout the entire day, Song Juelan did not send him a single message, and he wondered how things were going.

He was staring blankly at his phone screen when he suddenly heard Xiaotang's voice coming from the living room, as if she was talking to someone.

After a while, the voices disappeared again, as if it were his imagination.

When Xiao Tang is engrossed in watching cartoons, he sometimes talks to the characters. He didn't pay attention to it and turned his attention back to the computer, intending to play a game for a while.

The next moment, the doorbell rang.

Wen Zhi's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. She got up from her desk, walked quickly to the entrance, and peeked out through the peephole.

Immediately afterwards, his long eyelashes trembled violently.

What...why is this person at his doorstep?

Before he could react, he heard footsteps behind him. Xiao Tang skipped over, stood on tiptoe, grabbed the doorknob, and struggled to open the heavy door.

"Brother Jue Lan!" Xiao Tang called out happily.

Song Juelan stood outside the door, his cold and stern brows slightly relaxed. His gaze first swept over Wen Zhi, who looked surprised, before landing on Xiao Tang: "Good evening."

"You... how did you get here?" Wen Zhi's tongue was a little tied.

Song Juelan bent down and picked up Xiao Tang, who was hugging his leg. His gaze fell on Xiao Tang's rosy cheeks: "I didn't teach Xiao Tang today because of what happened, so I wanted to take him out to play as compensation."

Wen Zhi then noticed that Xiao Tang was wearing a phone watch on her chubby little hand; it turned out that Xiao Tang had been talking to this thing just now.

But this smartwatch isn't waterproof. Xiaotang never wore it when she went to the swimming pool. When did Song Juelan add Xiaotang as a friend?

"Want to come together?" Song Juelan's gaze finally fell openly on Wen Zhi's face.

Little Tang, whom he was holding, also turned her head and looked over expectantly. Both of them, one big and one small, were waiting for Wen Zhi's answer.

“…Okay.” Wen Zhi finally nodded.

Song Juelan had previously discussed with Xiaotang on his smartwatch that they would go to the nearby night market, and he had promised to buy Xiaotang lots of delicious food.

Xiao Tang used to go to the night market with her parents often. She would lead the way with great pride and stride forward with her short legs.

Wen Zhi and Song Juelan walked side by side behind, neither of them speaking for a moment, only the sound of footsteps and the faint clamor coming from afar.

"How are you today?" Wen Zhi asked, breaking the silence.

Song Juelan looked at Xiao Tang, who was walking briskly ahead, and replied in a low voice, "I wasn't affected. I don't know how things are at the swimming pool."

Wen Zhi asked with some concern, "Will this affect your work?"

He was worried that Song Juelan would lose this part-time job because of this unexpected incident and wouldn't even get paid.

This time, Song Juelan fell silent and did not immediately answer Wen Zhi's question.

He didn't know when it started, but he always counted down the days until the next class, wondering when he would see Wen Zhi again.

He had been looking forward to his class this afternoon ever since they parted ways, but unexpectedly, he received a call from Zhu Zhenghao this morning telling him that he couldn't go to class today.

He sat at home all day, unable to concentrate on anything, and suddenly realized that he couldn't even bear not seeing Wen Zhi for two days.

But after summer vacation, his chances of seeing Wen Zhi would be even fewer. In fact, they might not have the chance to meet at all.

A cool night breeze blew in my face, carrying with it the noisy laughter of pedestrians on the street.

Wen Zhi gazed ahead and waited for a while, but still didn't hear Song Juelan's reply.

My hand, hanging by my side, accidentally brushed against the other person's long, slender fingers. The moment our skin touched, I felt a distinct warmth.

His fingertips seemed to touch a tiny electric current, and he curled up slightly, instinctively trying to pull them back, but was grasped by that large, well-defined hand.

Long, slender fingers, burning hot, forcefully slipped between his fingers, tightening their grip and holding his hand firmly.

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Author's Note: Thank you yiinnnnff for the two landmines, and thank you 雨泥 for the landmine!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution!

10 bottles of sweet wine; 8 bottles of gentle wine; 6 bottles of raccoon head; 5 bottles each of Huangqi and Hehe; 3 bottles each of Qing and Yanyu Rumeng Quexizhou; 1 bottle each of Yizero, Wenweiyan, Liyu, Jinxin Weinian, Qiuzhi, Bread Without Sauce, Yu, Zhengyu, and Qingsi.