CHAPTER 187: CHAPTER 170: HAVE YOU GOTTEN... FATTER RECENTLY?

Shen Yanchen was just wearing a pair of men’s swim trunks, his excellent physique making the surrounding women all swoon.

He leapt into the water, his muscles slightly tensed as he swam, showcasing strength and beauty with every move.

An’an patted Jiajia and Xiaoxiao, saying, "Let’s go, we don’t need light bulbs in broad daylight."

Xiaoxiao and Jiajia giggled, turned around, and swam away.

Gu Qimiao looked around embarrassedly, always feeling that it was awkward for the two of them to be alone now. She wanted to turn around and follow Xiaoxiao and the others, but Shen Yanchen was clearly coming over to find her. If she left, it would seem like she was deliberately avoiding him.

He swam to her and stopped, his head emerging from the water. He shook the water off his head, the droplets sliding down his face to his neck, past his beautiful collarbone, then to his chest that was half above the water, finally dripping into the water.

Gu Qimiao didn’t know where to direct her gaze. She just gave him an awkward smile, "Is something wrong?"

Shen Yanchen didn’t speak, his eyes blatantly falling on her chest. "Have you... gained weight recently?"

To Gu Qimiao, "gained weight" had another implication, especially with his obvious gaze. How could she not see it?

"Brother Yan Chen!" She shyly hid her body in the water.

Shen Yanchen stretched out his hand, grabbed her swim ring, and pulled her over.

"Can’t swim?"

"Not very well."

"I’ll teach you." As he spoke, he tried to pull her swim ring off. Gu Qimiao reached out to block him; he immediately grabbed both of her wrists, lifting them over her head, then slid the swim ring off.

Gu Qimiao started floundering immediately, saying that she wasn’t very good at swimming was an overstatement. She had actually only swum a few times with Gu Moming, and each time she had clung to a swim ring.

After swallowing a couple of mouthfuls of water, Shen Yanchen lifted her out and swam to the shallower area where the water reached her waist.

"Cough, cough—" Gu Qimiao sniffed, feeling extremely uncomfortable from swallowing water.

"Show me how you swim." He stood in the water, watching her.

Gu Qimiao wiped the water off her face, brushed her wet hair aside, and didn’t dare to submerge herself again.

Shen Yanchen slapped her butt and pushed her forward a bit. Gu Qimiao’s face turned crimson. Before she could even feel embarrassed, she was lifted horizontally. Shen Yanchen held her by the waist, balancing her on the water’s surface, and patiently taught her how to hold her breath and move her hands.

On the shore, Lu Qianwen and Liang Zixuan both had their eyes fixed on the scene. Neither of them spoke, but the jealousy in their gazes was growing more intense by the minute.

Liang Zixuan withdrew her gaze, smiled, and asked, "Why do you like him?"

Lu Qianwen turned her head, "You don’t need to know."

"I don’t mean anything by it, just want to hear how deeply you love him."

It stirred up some old memories for Lu Qianwen, and after a moment of silence, she began to speak lightly, "The Shen family and our family used to be great partners. I first met him when I was sixteen, at my dad’s birthday party. He was outstanding even then."

"Love at first sight?"

"Not really, I just had a good impression of him. After graduation, I stayed on to work at my dad’s company. It was then that I officially interacted with him through work, and I became increasingly attracted to this man."

"There were no women around him during that time, and he got pretty close to me. But it was always about work. He’d invite me as his date to some events. I always thought he had feelings for me, believing I was the only woman close to him. But it turned out that his lack of women wasn’t because he hadn’t found one he liked, but because he already had Gu Qimiao."

Lu Qianwen sighed and continued, "I guess he thought I wouldn’t cling to him, that I was rational. That’s why he let me stay close. But did he ever wonder why I was so obedient to him?"

Liang Zixuan laughed mockingly, cutting to the heart of the matter, "He just used you as a shield. Everyone thought you were his girlfriend, so he wouldn’t have any bother from others."

This time, Lu Qianwen didn’t argue, just smiled self-deprecatingly, "Exactly." She then asked Liang Zixuan, "What about you?"

"I knew him before you did. We went to the same high school. Many people liked him, and I wasn’t an exception. By the time I got there, he was already a senior. I chased him for a whole year, but he probably didn’t even know my name."

"After he went to college, I’d often go to find him at the school, but he never saw me. I thought he was just cold by nature. I held on till I graduated from high school. I even gave up an opportunity to study abroad for him. On our graduation day, I confessed, but he rejected me outright."

Lu Qianwen laughed, "An ignorant crush, huh?"

Liang Zixuan laughed at herself, "Then rumors about you and him started. I just felt that the gap between us was wide, but I’m very stubborn..."

"So now you’re with his brother. You’re his sister-in-law in name but doing [seductive] things?"

Liang Zixuan didn’t feel ashamed at all, "Say what you want. This is my way."

Lu Qianwen didn’t respond, just took a sip of her lemon water, her gaze returning to the sea.

He was still patiently teaching her how to swim. They were both wearing so little and doing such intimate actions!

She clenched the water glass in her hand, "Let’s act tonight."

Liang Zixuan chuckled, but there was a ferocity in her eyes, "You can’t hold back either?"

...

Shen Yanchen was still teaching Gu Qimiao in the water when He Ye, standing on the shore, shouted with a phone in hand, "Brother Yan Chen! It’s a call."

Shen Yanchen glanced over and said, "Don’t go to the deep end." Then he slid a swimming ring over to her and turned towards the shore.

Gu Qimiao was already exhausted from paddling, so she hugged the swimming ring and floated there without moving, looking around but not seeing Xiaoxiao and the others. Feeling tired, she decided to just quietly float in the water.

Lu Qianwen and Liang Zixuan saw that Gu Qimiao was alone, exchanged a glance as if to communicate, then put down their water glasses, stood up from their chairs, put on their sunglasses, and headed towards the rocky corner of the beach.

Gu Qimiao floated in the water, her eyes taking in the surrounding scenery. The blue sea and sky and the warm seawater made her feel like she was enjoying herself.

"Miaomiao?"

Hearing someone call her, Gu Qimiao turned her head, but she didn’t recognize the person.

"Are you Miaomiao?" The girl asked with a smile.

Gu Qimiao nodded in confusion, and the girl said, "Are you Li Shiyi’s guardian? The little girl is looking for you."

"Yi Bao?"

"Great! You know her. The little one might be lost. She’s been crying for Miaomiao."

Hearing that Yi Bao was lost, Gu Qimiao immediately became worried. "Where is she?"

"My friend is looking after her. I saw you all together earlier, so I came to ask. Turns out it’s really you. Come with me quickly."

Gu Qimiao stood up from the water, holding the swimming ring, and walked towards the shore.

Following the girl towards the edge of the beach, the further they went, the fewer people there were. They didn’t see Yi Bao’s shadow, nor did they hear her crying.

"Where is she?" Gu Qimiao grew suspicious, looking around, but the girl led her further.

There was a large rock cliff here, with high, protruding rocky outcroppings everywhere, making it invisible from the beach.

Gu Qimiao was about to turn back when suddenly two men appeared out of nowhere, dragging her towards the cliff.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Gu Qimiao, barefoot, kicked a few times to no effect.

Instead, she was dragged by the two men.

Not knowing what would happen, Gu Qimiao felt extremely uneasy.

Who was that girl who brought her here? She didn’t know her at all.

In such a deserted place, could it be they wanted to do something terrible? Seeing how strong the two men were, Gu Qimiao was terrified, especially since she was only wearing a swimsuit now.

Spotting a stone pillar nearby, Gu Qimiao bent down and bit the man’s hand. The man let go in pain, and Gu Qimiao immediately grabbed the pillar with her free hand. "Let me go! Otherwise, I’ll call for help!"

The man, with a fierce look in his eyes and firm muscles, pulled her away with one tug, causing Gu Qimiao to fall to the ground. The pull made a sharp rock cut into her calf, instantly drawing blood, but Gu Qimiao didn’t notice and struggled desperately.

If they defiled her, she’d lose the only precious thing she had. How could she stay by Shen Yanchen’s side then?

From the viewing platform, Lu Qianwen and Liang Zixuan stood, clearly seeing the scene on the cliff.

Liang Zixuan smiled, "If she falls into the sea, who can be blamed?"

"What if she doesn’t die?"

"Even if she doesn’t, she won’t know who did it."

Lu Qianwen said nothing more, just staring in that direction, watching Gu Qimiao being dragged to the cliff’s edge.

Gu Qimiao struggled and shouted, "Brother Yan Chen! Brother Yan Chen!"

Shen Yanchen, having finished his call, threw the phone to He Ye, who was flirting with girls, then looked towards the water but couldn’t see Gu Qimiao.

Looking around and not seeing her, he remembered that Liang Zixuan was also here. He worried whenever Gu Qimiao wasn’t in his sight.

After searching around, he found Xiaoxiao and the others eating in a gazebo.

"Have you seen Gu Qimiao?"

"Wasn’t Gigi with you?"

Shen Yanchen frowned, looking around. Xiaoxiao asked, "Is Gigi missing?"

Seeing Shen Yanchen’s worried expression, the others also became uneasy. Shen Yi’an said, "Let’s go look for her. I’ll check upstairs in case she went back to her room."

Shen Yi’an and Jiajia went downstairs, while Xiaoxiao and Yi Bao searched the crowd for Gu Qimiao.

Shen Yanchen suddenly noticed something suspicious in the distance. Despite it being a remote area, the sand, which should be smooth from the sea washing over it, was covered in chaotic footprints. Moreover, the sand was still wet, indicating recent activity.

Shen Yanchen headed that way, determined not to overlook even the slightest possibility.