Chapter 70 Today you are the teacher, and I am the student...

Chapter 70

Jin Ran heard the rapid heartbeat in her ear.

Before she could react, she had already lifted her foot and was jogging quickly to meet him, but stopped when she was only two steps away. Suppressing her surging excitement, she looked up at the person with a smile and asked, "What brings you here?"

His tone inevitably conveyed surprise.

Seeing this scene, the village officials of Pingcun smiled and said, "You guys chat first. President Jiang hasn't been back for so many years. You can visit our village when you have time. It has changed a lot. If you need any help, just come to us."

Jiang Mingxu said very politely, "Thank you for your help."

"It's hardly a problem. The factory that President Jiang built for the village has made our Pingcun village rich. Everyone is very grateful to you."

Having said that, he wisely led the others away.

Jin Ran stared unblinkingly at the man who had suddenly appeared in front of her.

She was wearing an ethnic-style woven beach dress today.

It's a new style sent by a brand that collaborates with the Jiang family. It's a runway-style design, with a V-neck that accentuates the collarbone and a high-slit skirt that sways gently in the sea breeze, making her long legs look like white porcelain.

Jiang Mingxu glanced over, paused briefly, and then said, "Didn't you say that Assistant Wang was busy with work? So I'm going in his place."

He reached out his hand, and Jin Ran didn't understand what he meant, but he had already firmly supported her arm.

His palms were rough and strong, supporting almost half of her weight, and his deep voice carried a hint of barely perceptible gentleness: "Be careful."

Jin Ran then noticed a puddle on the ground, in which she had almost stepped. Embarrassed by her "distraction," she quickly used the man's hand to lightly leap across.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Even so, the hand remained tightly clenched—whether it was because it had forgotten to let go or something else, no one said anything to remind it.

The two walked to a flat surface.

This time, Jiang Mingxu finally withdrew his hand, and Jin Ran, looking quite composed, couldn't help but ask curiously, "How did you get here?"

She checked the latest flights, and all direct flights were canceled due to weather conditions.

Sure enough, Jiang Mingxu replied, "I'll fly to S Province and then drive over."

"Driving yourself?" Jin Ran's eyes widened slightly.

The journey from S Province to W City takes about three hours by car, plus the distance from Yushan City to Pingcun... It's only nine o'clock now, didn't he set off before dawn?

Jiang Xuli hummed in agreement, not wanting to say anything more.

Jin Ran couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart—a warm, bittersweet mix, but definitely not a bad mood: "So when are we leaving? Are you in a hurry?"

"Don't worry, with Assistant Wang in the company looking after things, there won't be any major problems."

Jin Ran chuckled: "Rebel against the Heavenly Gang? Anyone who didn't know better would think Assistant Wang is the boss and you're the employee."

A hint of a smile flashed in Jiang Mingxu's eyes: "In that case, Assistant Wang should be very happy."

He paused, looking at Jin Ran's attire, and asked, "Are you... getting ready to go to the beach?"

“Yes, I was planning to go to the beach you mentioned,” Jin Ran said without hiding anything. She felt a little regretful that she hadn’t even touched the seawater during this trip. “I was saying I wanted to learn to swim before I came, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to now.”

It's a pity that her carefully chosen beautiful swimsuit never even gets a chance to see the light of day.

Just as I was reflecting on this, I suddenly heard Jiang Mingxu ask, "Do you still want to learn?"

"Um?"

Jin Ran looked up in surprise.

What's the meaning?

Jiang Mingxu didn't explain: "Do you still want to learn? I mean swimming."

Jin Ran's eyes flickered. She definitely wanted to learn, but... "There are no coaches here, and I'm afraid I'll sink."

“I can teach you,” Jiang Mingxu said in a deep and determined voice.

Okay, Jin Ran admits she's tempted. She knew Jiang Mingxu could swim, but she didn't expect him to be willing to teach her personally. Of course, she wouldn't refuse such a good opportunity. She was even incredibly glad that the swimsuit she brought was pretty, thinking about how the two of them would be swimming together later.

After all, this coach has another identity compared to ordinary coaches.

"Then you'll have to protect me. I don't want to be swept away by the waves." After figuring it out, she stopped being coy, smiled, and spoke in a charming and bright tone.

"good."

Jiang Mingxu's gaze was gentle, and he nodded in agreement.

At the same time, Jiang Xuli, who was squatting on a ridge in a field, saw a WeChat notification.

He was woken up this morning by a phone call from Chen Xunliang.

The guy, upon hearing that he lived in the village, insisted on seeing the graceful sight of ducks swimming in the countryside.

Jiang Xuli didn't want to talk to him, but in the end she couldn't stand the arguing and went out with an umbrella to look for the duck.

After walking halfway around the village, I finally found ducks in a ditch. I watched them for a while out of boredom, and then I received a message from Jin Ran, so I promptly hung up the video call and went back.

From afar, you can see Jin Ran and her father walking out of the yard together.

The father and son met briefly, but unlike other fathers and sons, they didn't show any intimacy. Jiang Xuli was surprised for a moment, then obediently greeted them.

Jin Ran walked up to Jiang Xuli, looked at his muddy shoes, and said speechlessly, "Where have you been? Your Aunt Jiang made abalone rice this morning, and I saved half a bowl for you."

Why half a bowl?

Jiang Xuli came to her senses and immediately realized the problem—Aunt Jiang would never do something like giving a guest only half a bowl of rice.

Upon hearing this, Jin Ran retorted confidently, "Because I ate the other half of the bowl. It's your fault for not being home."

Jiang Xuli chuckled, too lazy to argue with her, and instead asked, "When are we going to the beach?"

The message he received asked if he wanted to go to the beach together.

Upon hearing this, Jin Ran, who had been so arrogant just moments before, coughed awkwardly, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes darting around: "Um, that? Maybe next time."

Seeing this, Jiang Xuli narrowed his eyes.

Something's not right.

Although he didn't know exactly what had happened, based on his understanding of Jin Ran, this was clearly a sign of guilt. He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something more, but Jiang Mingxu suddenly interrupted him, "We're leaving this afternoon. Go pack your luggage first."

Jiang Xuli: "?"

So he's the only one with luggage, right?

But Jiang Mingxu's words made it clear that he wouldn't take him along, so Jiang Xuli was so angry that he stood up abruptly from the steps, turned around and walked towards his room.

If you're not going, then you're not going. Why are you being so secretive? It's like nobody cares!

Watching the boy's retreating figure, Jin Ran, standing there, felt a little guilty and hesitated before saying, "Why don't we take him with us?"

Jiang Mingxu said calmly, "If you don't mind him seeing you learning to swim, I don't care."

"Never mind then," Jin Ran immediately changed her mind.

She was a bit vain and didn't want Jiang Xuli to see her in a sorry state, wearing a swimming ring and thrashing around in the water.

Pingcun is a small fishing village on the coast, surrounded by the sea on three sides and backed by a winding "Yushan Mountain". Although it is called a mountain, its altitude is only a little over 100 meters. Jin Ran followed Jiang Mingxu along a long mountain road and then down the terrain. In five or six minutes, they arrived at the beach in the northwest corner.

This is a natural, wild sea area, but the water is not deep and is very safe, making it a suitable area for swimming.

Jin Ran saw it with her own eyes and realized that Jiang Mingxu's words were true—the seawater was a clear blue, light and clear like glass near the shore, and gradually deepened in the distance, blending into the sky.

It's much prettier than those trendy beaches.

Be extremely careful when you go into the water.

She can't swim, so she wore a flamingo-shaped swimming ring around her waist. The buoyancy allowed her to float on the surface of the water. Of course, they only stayed in the shallow water, so there was no danger.

"Today you are the teacher, and I am the student."

Jin Ran looked at the neatly dressed man on the beach, feeling no guilt whatsoever for bringing him to the seaside. Instead, she asked with a smile, "Teacher Jiang, how do you plan to teach me to swim? Can you teach me to swim without even getting in the water?"

The image of Jiang Mingxu, dressed in a suit and tie, giving a wet lecture, his shirt clinging tightly to his body, well, she didn't seem to mind.

Jiang Mingxu was incredibly clever; he easily saw through the scheme, and his gaze darkened.

However, he was going to disappoint some people. The next second, he reached out to unbutton his shirt.

One, two… The collar of her clothes spread open to the sides, revealing her tanned skin and deep collarbones. The man's movements were unhurried, as if he were doing something ordinary. Jin Ran, however, found the scene strangely sexy and instinctively wanted to look away.

He forced himself to hold back at the last minute, staring straight ahead, as if only in this way could he avoid showing any fear.

Seeing this, Jiang Mingxu's lips curled up imperceptibly.

The buttons on the white shirt began to unbutton one by one from the collar, sunlight streamed through the gradually opening placket, and slender fingers cast shadows on the skin, all the way down to the belt at the waist.

etc!

Jin Ran held her breath in disbelief.

Could it be that he wants to...?

Whoosh!

Jiang Mingxu suddenly let go of her hand and strode into the sea. Amidst the splashing waves, Jin Ran's swimming ring was spun around by the current.

Before he could be swept away by the waves, he was pulled back from behind. The seawater rose and instantly covered his chest, his soaked pants clinging tightly to his muscle contours.

He grabbed her flailing wrist with one hand and supported her lower back with the other.

"Focus." A deep voice, mixed with the sound of the tide, entered your ears, breath brushing against your ear tips, a hint of mischievousness in his smile, "After all, teachers only like smart students."

/

Jin Ran never expected that teaching swimming would actually mean teaching only swimming.

All the ambiguity and intimacy vanished in the blink of an eye with each choking incident.

However, Jiang Mingxu's skill level is still very impressive.

The instructions on posture and strength were explained in detail. After half an hour, even Jin Ran, who was a terrible swimmer, was able to swim five meters with a dog paddle.

This made her extremely happy. She thought that she might be able to get a swimming card when she got back. She had heard that swimming could help with body shaping, so she added another fitness option to her routine.

Upon receiving the call, Jiang Haikuo rushed back from the factory.

He opened a seafood processing plant in Yushan. Although he didn't earn as much as Jiang Mingxu, he was still considered quite successful in the area.

When grown men meet, there's no need for sentimental talk. Jiang Haikuo patted his childhood friend on the shoulder with great emotion: "It's been so many years since we last met, and you haven't changed a bit at all."

Reunited with his old friend, Jiang Mingxu was visibly more relaxed. His old clothes were obviously unwearable, so he changed. Jin Ran recognized them; wasn't this the sun-protective shirt she'd bought him last time?

"It's been five years."

Jiang Mingxu laughed, glancing at Jiang Haikuo a few times before adding, "You're tanned darker than before, you look like you're fifty."

Jiang Haikuo laughed heartily, the familiar sharp tongue instantly bringing back memories of his past: "What do you know? This is called manliness. If you ask me, you sit in the office all day, looking like a pretty boy. Doesn't your wife mind?"

So the focus shifted to Jin Ran.

When out in public, Jin Ran still gives men face, and her attitude is very generous: "It's okay, I just like pretty boys."

Besides, she had seen and even touched the man's body under his clothes; he was muscular and strong, and had nothing to do with being a "pretty boy."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingxu curled the corners of his mouth.

Seeing his friend's expression, Jiang Haikuo waved his hand dismissively, feigning a sour tone: "Fine, fine, you're taking advantage of my wife not being here, aren't you?"

If his wife were here, she would definitely praise him as even better.

Jiang Haikuo stroked his stubble-covered chin, thinking with certainty and certainty.

Gatherings among adults are always fleeting.

After having lunch, the three packed their luggage and prepared to leave at 3 p.m.

There was a little incident in the middle. Jin Ran bought things along the way, and her suitcase was even fuller than when she arrived. So much so that she couldn't fit many things in it, so she took out one-tenth of it to bribe Jiang Xuli to help her.

Jiang Xuli made an outrageous demand, extending five fingers.

Jin Ran was unwilling, and the two bargained, their chattering drowning out the cicadas chirping in the trees.

Jiang Mingxu came out of the house and glanced at Jiang Haikuo.

After a while, under the big poplar tree outside, Jiang Haikuo lit two cigarettes, handed one to Jiang Mingxu, and took a deep drag on the other: "A while ago, about two months ago, Lin He came back once, and then your uncle went out."

He wasn't entirely clear about what happened back then, only that the Jiang family spread rumors afterward, saying that Jiang Mingxu divorced Lin He because he disliked her.

But he knew Jiang Mingxu's character—if he were truly that kind of snob, when his brother was framed by the Jiang family, he could have simply severed ties and wouldn't have acknowledged the marriage at all.

Jiang Mingxu paused.

“I heard she’s been making a fuss about getting a divorce lately, and now she’s suddenly showing up at my door. I’m afraid she has some kind of plan.”

"What are your plans?"

"She just wants to remarry, but you're already remarried, so her efforts are doomed to fail. As for Xiao Li, is he going to go see her now that he's back?"

Jiang Mingxu remained silent for a moment.

He hadn't actually paid attention to Lin He's news over the years, and now that he suddenly heard about it from someone else, he didn't feel anything.

With his last words, he stubbed out his cigarette: "Let him go. He'll only be able to accept it after seeing it with his own eyes."