Chapter Seventeen You're a fucking lunatic

When Cheng Yin woke up, she found a swimsuit neatly folded on the bedside table. It was a black one-piece swimsuit with only a thin strap on the back, but the front was conservative, like that of an athlete.

Cheng Yin changed into her swimsuit and stood in front of the bathroom mirror, examining herself. The size was perfect; the cut of the swimsuit at the chest and waist was just right, neither too tight nor too loose.

The sunlight on the deck was blinding, and a number of people had already gathered by the pool.

Cici, wearing a fluorescent bikini that barely covered anything, was applying sunscreen; He Jingwen and several men were drinking by the pool; Lin Shirong sat under a parasol, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the sunlight, obscuring his eyes.

Cheng Yin's appearance attracted several glances.

"Miss Cheng!" Cici waved, "Come on, put on some sunscreen!"

Cheng Yin walked over and took the sunscreen. She wasn't very good at applying it, so she squeezed a large dollop into her palm and clumsily smeared it on her arm.

Cici couldn't stand it anymore and snatched the bottle from her: "I'll help you."

The cool sunscreen was evenly applied to Cheng Yin's back. Cici's fingers traced the scar on her shoulder blade, pausing slightly: "This is..."

"It's hot," Cheng Yin said calmly.

Cici didn't ask any more questions and continued to help her finish applying the sunscreen. The coconut scent of the sunscreen mixed with the sea breeze, releasing a unique aroma under the sun. Cheng Yin thanked her, walked to the edge of the pool, sat down, and dipped her feet into the water.

The water temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.

"Not going into the water?" Lin Shirong appeared behind her without her noticing.

Cheng Yin shook her head: "Foot injury."

"Dong-ge said your injury has healed," Lin Shirong pushed up his glasses. "He wants you to go into the water."

Cheng Yin looked up at him, the sunlight making her squint.

Lin Shirong stood backlit, his silhouette edged with gold, like a ruthless messenger.

She nodded, slowly slid into the pool, and held onto the edge to adjust to the water temperature.

There weren't many people in the pool; most people had gone to play in the sea.

Cheng Yin found an unused swimming ring, sat inside, and floated in the middle of the water like an isolated island. Sunlight shone on the water, refracting into shimmering spots of light. She squinted and drifted with the current.

A loud crash shattered the silence. Someone had jumped into the pool, splashing water all over Cheng Yin. She wiped the water from her face, opened her eyes, and saw Li Yaodong already swimming in front of her, his wet hair plastered to his forehead, water droplets dripping from his chin.

"Can't swim?" he asked, placing his hand on her swim ring.

Cheng Yin's swim ring tilted under his weight, forcing her to grab onto the sides for balance: "Does a doggy paddle count?"

Li Yaodong smiled, his teeth gleaming white in the sunlight: "That doesn't count."

He pushed Cheng Yin's swim ring to the edge of the pool and gestured for her to get down.

Cheng Yin hesitated for a moment, then slid out of her swim ring and stood in the shallow end. The water was just up to her chest, and she found it a little difficult to breathe.

"First, learn how to breathe." Li Yaodong stood in front of her, his hands supporting her waist. "Take a deep breath, submerge your head in the water, and exhale slowly."

Cheng Yin did as instructed, but choked as soon as she lowered her head, coughing until her face turned bright red.

Li Yaodong patted her back, his movements unexpectedly gentle: "Don't rush, let's try again."

The second time was much better. Cheng Yin could hold her breath for more than ten seconds, although her movements were as stiff as a piece of wood.

Li Yaodong's hand remained on her waist, the warmth seeping through her thin swimsuit, much warmer than the pool water.

"Now learn to float." Li Yaodong moved behind her, supporting her abdomen with both hands. "Relax, imagine yourself as a plank of wood."

Cheng Yin tried to relax, but her body instinctively tensed up. Li Yaodong's hands were strong, supporting her steadily until she gradually found her balance.

"Very good." Li Yaodong's voice was close to my ear. "Now try fetching water."

Cheng Yin clumsily kicked the water, splashing water all over Li Yaodong's face. He wiped his face, not angry at all, but instead laughed: "Use your thighs, not your knees."

He still supported her abdomen with one hand, and pressed down on her thigh with the other, guiding her to the correct movements.

Do it yourself? Unheard of.

Half an hour later, Cheng Yin was able to swim a few meters with difficulty. Li Yaodong stood in the middle of the pool, watching her splash towards him like a drowning cat, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Cheng Yin ran out of breath halfway through the swim and almost sank, but he pulled her out. "Quite an improvement," Li Yaodong commented, his arm still around her waist.

Cheng Yin was panting, her wet hair plastered to her face.

Sunlight shone on her pale skin, making it almost transparent, revealing the bluish veins beneath. Li Yaodong suddenly reached out and brushed aside the wet hair in front of her eyes, the movement as natural as if he had done it countless times.

Cheng Yin looked at him and suddenly said, "Swimming lessons should be counted as part of the debt."

Li Yaodong's hand stopped: "What?"

"Because it's your teaching time," Cheng Yin explained earnestly, "I should pay."

The pool water suddenly turned icy cold. Li Yaodong's expression instantly darkened, his eyes sharp enough to pierce through anyone: "Say that again?"

Cheng Yin, oblivious to the change in atmosphere, continued her analysis: "According to market prices, a one-on-one private swimming lesson costs about five hundred yuan per hour. Today I had a lesson for forty-five minutes..."

"And what about Cantonese?" Li Yaodong interrupted her, his voice terrifyingly low. "How come I don't charge you for teaching you those vulgar words?"

Cheng Yin blinked, water droplets dripping from her eyelashes. "That was to serve you." She paused, "And swimming was to teach me."

Li Yaodong suddenly grabbed Cheng Yin's wrist with such force that he almost crushed her bones: "You fucking..." He gritted his teeth, but couldn't find the right words.

Cheng Yin let him hold her, her expression calm and unwavering.

Suddenly, Li Yaodong let go of her hand, turned around, swam to the edge of the pool, climbed ashore, and strode away, leaving a trail of wet footprints.

The others in the pool had already wisely moved away. Cheng Yin stood in the water, watching Li Yaodong's figure disappear at the cabin door, not understanding why he was angry.

Debt is debt, and class time is class time; everything should be clearly priced.

Lin Shirong walked over and squatted down by the pool: "Do you know what you just did?"

Cheng Yin shook her head, water droplets falling from her hair.

"You turned his rare act of kindness," Lin Shirong pushed up his glasses, "into a transaction."

Cheng Yin asked, puzzled, "It was a transaction after all."

Lin Shirong stared at her for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "Cheng Yin, you're the only one," Lin Shirong stood up, "a madwoman who treats him like an ordinary person."

Cheng Yin didn't understand the meaning of those words, but Lin Shirong had already left.

She slowly swam to the edge of the pool, climbed ashore, and water gushed down her body, pooling on the deck.

Cici handed her a towel, her eyes filled with mixed emotions: "Are you alright?"

Cheng Yin nodded, drying her hair with a towel. "Thank you."

"Dong-ge, he..." Cici hesitated, then stopped, "Never mind, you wouldn't understand."

Cheng Yin really didn't understand. She dried herself off and sat on a deck chair to sunbathe.

But she was just telling the truth. Swimming lessons should indeed be charged per lesson, just like how she used her wages to pay off debts owed to Li Yaodong. The debt relationship should be clear and transparent.

At lunchtime, Li Yaodong was absent. Lin Shirong said he was "busy," but everyone knew why. Cheng Yin quietly ate her vegetable salad, ignoring the curious glances from those around her.

"Aren't you going to apologize?" Cici asked softly.

Cheng Yin looked up: "Why?"

Cici rolled her eyes: "Never mind, forget I said anything."

The yacht began its return journey in the afternoon. Cheng Yin returned to her cabin, changed out of her swimsuit, and put on a T-shirt and shorts.

She took out her phone and wrote in her notes: "Swimming lesson: 45 minutes, pay 375 (calculated at 500/hour)."

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Li Yaodong stood in the doorway, already dressed in casual clothes, his hair still slightly damp. He walked in, closed the door, and his gaze fell on Cheng Yin's phone.

"Keep accounts?" he asked, his voice eerily calm.

Cheng Yin nodded and turned her phone screen towards him: "It's for swimming class."

Li Yaodong suddenly laughed, a cold laugh: "Cheng Yin, do you know why I keep you by my side?"

Cheng Yin thought for a moment: "Because I'm useful."

"No." Li Yaodong approached, leaning over and supporting himself on either side of her, "because you're a fucking lunatic."

Li Yaodong's eyes were dark and shiny, like two cold obsidian stones.

"Swimming lessons are free." He straightened up, took something out of his pocket, and tossed it to her. "Use this as payment."

She looked up, and Li Yaodong had already turned and walked towards the door.

"Why?" Cheng Yin suddenly asked.

Li Yaodong stopped walking without turning around: "Because I want to."

After the door closed, Cheng Yin looked at the pearl in her hand. It was heavier than she had imagined, and cold, like a frozen teardrop. She remembered the force with which Li Yaodong pressed it against her collarbone that day, almost embedding it into her flesh.

Cheng Yin put the pearl into the lining of her wallet. She wasn't sure how much the pearl was worth, but it was definitely more than 375.

Another unsolvable problem.

As the yacht docked, the setting sun was sinking below the horizon. Cheng Yin stood on the deck, watching the lights of the Pearl River Delta gradually illuminate, like scattered diamonds.

Lai Yiu-tung had already left, and Lam Sai-wing said he had "urgent business to attend to."

Lin Shirong walked over and said, "I'll take you back to your hotel."

Cheng Yin nodded her thanks.

"He will forgive you," Lin Shirong suddenly said.

Cheng Yin fastened her seatbelt: "Why do I need to forgive?"

Lin Shirong started the car, shook his head and chuckled, "Sometimes I really can't tell if you're genuinely stupid or just pretending."

As the car drove towards Japur, the night view of the Pearl River Delta flowed past the car window.

Cheng Yin leaned against the car window, recalling the warmth of Li Yaodong's hands when he taught her to swim, and the expression on his face when he said, "You're a fucking lunatic."

She didn't understand why telling the truth would make people angry.

"We've arrived." Lin Shirong's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Cheng Yin thanked them, opened the car door, and walked into the hotel lobby.

Suite 3306 was eerily quiet. Cheng Yin put down her luggage and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. She took out the pink pearl and examined it in her palm; under the light, it displayed a peculiar luster.

She put the pearl back in her purse, then went to the bathroom to shower. The hot water washed away the saltiness of the sea and the stickiness of the sunscreen.

She dried herself, put on her pajamas, and lay down on the bed. Her phone screen lit up with a text message from Li Yaodong: "Tomorrow at nine o'clock, at the company." There was no salutation, no expression, just like a boss reminding an employee of their schedule.

Cheng Yin replied, "Received." Then she turned off the light and stared at the ceiling in the dark.

The three days on the yacht felt like a dream, and now the dream is over.

Debt is still debt, Li Yaodong is still the creditor, and she is still the tool for repaying the debt.

Simple, clear, and without ambiguity.

Tomorrow is another day, a new job, and new debts.