Poolside Mystery
I. First Encounter at the Swimming Pool
Sunlight generously poured onto the heated swimming pool on the rooftop of the Emperor Group building, making the water shimmer like countless tiny diamonds dancing. Elegant lounge chairs surrounded the pool, draped with soft towels, while fresh juice and fruit sat on small tables nearby.
Lin Wanqing wore a silver-gray bikini, her delicate skin appearing even whiter and more like snow against the silver-gray backdrop. Her figure was perfect, with a slender waist that seemed almost impossible to encircle and long, shapely legs. She slowly walked towards Ayu by the pool, her eyes filled with a hint of pitifulness.
Ayu was dressed in a casual white shirt and black shorts. He stood tall and straight, with a cold and stern face. His deep eyes were like an icy pool, making it difficult to fathom his emotions.
Lin Wanqing gently reached out and hooked her fingertips around Ayu's wrist. Her voice trembled slightly as she said weakly, "Gu Yanting pushed me into the water right here back then..." However, before she could finish speaking, she seemed to slip, lost her balance, and stumbled into the pool.
With a "plop," water splashed high into the air. Lin Wanqing struggled in the water for a few moments, her long hair spreading out like seaweed, inadvertently tangling between Ayu's fingers as she instinctively reached out to grab her. Ayu frowned slightly and quickly pulled her upwards with all her might.
When Lin Wanqing surfaced, she was panting heavily, her eyes red from the shock and choking on water, making her appear even more delicate and beautiful. In her haste, her fingertips quietly straightened Ayu's crooked tie, a seemingly unintentional movement that carried an indescribable meaning.
Just then, Ayu's palm brushed against a burn scar beneath Lin Wanqing's shoulder blade on her back. In that instant, Ayu's pupils contracted sharply, as if struck by an electric current. Because the burn scar in that location was exactly the same as the one on the neighbor girl's back in his memory.
II. Memories surged
Ayu's thoughts were instantly drawn back to many years ago. Back then, he was just a naive young boy, and the older girl next door always took gentle care of him and played with him. Once, their house caught fire unexpectedly, and the older girl next door was burned on the back by a falling beam while trying to save him. That scar was right below her shoulder blade.
After that, the girl next door disappeared, as if she had vanished into thin air. Ayu searched for her figure countless times in his dreams, and that scar became an indelible mark on his heart.
Seeing the same scar on Lin Wanqing's body now stirred up a storm in Ayu's heart. He looked at Lin Wanqing, his eyes filled with complex emotions—doubt, surprise, and above all, a persistent desire to uncover the truth.
Lin Wanqing noticed Ayu's unusual behavior. She tilted her head slightly, her long, wet hair clinging to her cheeks, and asked softly, "Ayu, what's wrong?"
Ayu snapped out of her daze and quickly let go of Lin Wanqing's hand, saying, "It's okay. I was just worried because you almost drowned." Lin Wanqing's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. She swam to the edge of the pool and easily climbed ashore.
Ayu looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "What happened to the burn scar on your back?" Lin Wanqing's body stiffened slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She picked up a bath towel and gently wiped her body, saying, "It was an accident when I was little, nothing special." After saying that, she stopped looking at Ayu and sat down on the recliner, picking up a glass of juice and slowly drinking it.
III. The Secret Behind It
Ayu's doubts grew stronger. He felt that Lin Wanqing's answer was too perfunctory, and there must be some secret hidden behind it. Moreover, Lin Wanqing mentioned that Gu Yanting had pushed her into the water, so what did that have to do with her scar?
Ayu decided to secretly investigate Lin Wanqing. He used his connections within the group to begin gathering information about her. However, Lin Wanqing seemed to have been prepared; her past records were almost entirely blank, with only the fact that she had recently joined the group and quickly gained the favor of senior management.
At the same time, Ayu noticed that Gu Yanting's attitude towards Lin Wanqing was also very strange. On the surface, Gu Yanting was very cold to Lin Wanqing, and sometimes he would even deliberately make things difficult for her, but Ayu could always sense a complex emotion hidden in Gu Yanting's eyes, a look that seemed to be a mixture of guilt and helplessness.
One day, Ayu overheard Gu Yanting and Lin Wanqing arguing in the company's underground parking garage.
"Lin Wanqing, stop bothering me. What happened back then is in the past." Gu Yanting's voice was tinged with weariness and impatience.
"It's over? Gu Yanting, do you think everything can be over so easily? My..."
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