The water was a deep blue mixed with gray hues.  

At dawn, when the sun emerged faintly, the plants were still shrouded in darkness. The ceiling was made of glass; during the day, the blazing sunlight poured in, but even that light became useless without the sun. The view from underwater took on a dark, inky blue.  

Just diving a few meters down, visibility was already obscured by pitch-black darkness, but even at its deepest, this indoor pool was only about three meters deep.  

Thus, the glass shimmered in the deep blue water, basking in the somber tranquility.  

However, that fleeting warmth did not last long. Suddenly, in an instant, the whole world brightened.  

The water’s surface, once dim and faintly dark, was now dazzling with white ripples. As if someone had stepped in.  

When Yuri entered the pool, there had been no one there. Though the light was dim, it wasn’t completely dark, and honestly, no matter how limited visibility was underwater, he didn’t particularly mind.  

So he had gotten into the water without turning on the lights, leaving everything in darkness. Listening carefully, the sound of footsteps echoed steadily and heavily.  

It seemed someone had turned on the lights in the room and was about to enter the pool. Yuri hesitated for a moment, but without overthinking it, he decided to surface.

There had been a similar situation before, when he hadn’t paid attention and kept swimming underwater, nearly causing trouble.

That time, a man had turned on the lights and stepped into the pitch-dark pool, assuming no one was there, and started swimming. Suddenly, Yuri emerged from beneath the water, accidentally gliding right beneath him, startling the man so badly he almost had a seizure.

Yuri had to pull the man out of the pool, massage him, and bring him water, but when the man came to, he immediately launched into a furious scolding that left Yuri feeling deeply wronged.

Still, Yuri couldn’t escape responsibility for causing the incident in the first place, so he silently endured the verbal lashing.

He didn’t want to go through that again.

Being yelled at was one thing, but he understood the danger of someone suddenly going into shock underwater.

“…….—.”

Yuri let out a long sigh and surfaced, turning toward the source of the noise. The distance was far enough not to startle them into a full-blown panic, but they’d probably still be a little alarmed to see someone suddenly rise from what they thought was an empty pool. He quietly felt guilty toward the newcomer.

But Yuri’s prediction was wrong. The person standing by the pool, as if anticipating his emergence at this exact moment, was none other than Ling Xinlu.

And it was Yuri who ended up startled, blinking dumbfoundedly several times before finally snapping out of it when Ling Xinlu asked: “You okay?” in a voice still rough with sleep. Only then did he swim back toward him.

“Why are you up so early?”

“Ah, I just got up to use the bathroom. Saw Mr. Gable’s door open but no one inside, so I thought maybe you went swimming and checked the balcony. But the outdoor pool was empty too. I couldn’t figure out where you’d disappeared to at this hour, so I woke up completely.”

“So I guessed you were here.” – Ling Xinlu muttered, looking every bit like he’d just rolled out of bed.

A blanket was draped over his shoulders like a cape, his feet shuffled in sloppy slippers, his hair was a disheveled mess sticking up in all directions, and he was even rubbing his eyes while scratching his head to get rid of dandruff—yet somehow, he still didn’t look the least bit unattractive. Natural charm really is the most important thing, Yuri mused absently.

“You were swimming outside yesterday, and now you’ve moved indoors?”

Ling Xinlu picked up the water bottle Yuri had left beside his towel by the pool, took a long swig, then glanced around. It seemed this was his first time visiting the private gym reserved for residents on the top floor of the condominium—complete with an indoor pool, of course.

“The air outside’s starting to get cold…….”

Yuri started to say something else but then stopped himself.

Ling Xinlu was usually a late riser, rarely leaving bed until after Yuri finished swimming and returned to the apartment. Yet somehow, he’d managed to notice those little details.

This guy was always quietly observing and understanding others, even if he never showed it.

“Right, the water must be freezing if you swim outside now, huh?”

Ling Xinlu took a long swig, draining half the water bottle in one go, then pulled up a nearby folding chair and sat down. He didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving.  

“Not really……. the water’s still fine. It’s actually warmer in the water than outside. It’s just when you get out and hit the cold air that it gets uncomfortable.”

That’s why, starting today, Yuri had switched to the indoor pool. He planned to keep using it until winter passed.  

“I see.” – Xinlu nodded in understanding, then smiled.  

“I originally chose this condo because of its full gym facilities—definitely worth it. Having amenities and not using them would be a waste of heaven’s gifts.”  

Yet despite saying that, Xinlu himself had never once touched either the pool or the adjacent gym. As far as Yuri knew, this was probably the first time he’d ever set foot in here.  

“I should probably exercise a little too.” – Xinlu murmured, glancing around the empty space before suddenly turning to Yuri with a faint smile.  

“You like the water that much?”  

“Yes, very much.”  

Yuri answered without hesitation, making the other’s smile deepen.  

“More than sleeping?”  

The unexpected comparison made Yuri pause for a second.  

“At least once I’ve gotten the bare minimum of sleep.”

Right then, Xinlu suddenly burst out laughing as if hearing something absurd.

“‘Bare minimum’? Mr. Gable, you survive on just 2-3 hours of sleep a day? Last night you stayed up with me past 3 a.m., and do you even know what time it is now?”

Yuri fell silent when he saw the wall clock striking 6 a.m. He had meant to say that no matter how late he slept, he always woke up on time, but decided against it.

After all, Xinlu—a creature of erratic habits like a chameleon—wouldn’t bother paying attention anyway.

“Good lord……. you really are built like an ox……. Are you even human? Getting by on 2-3 hours of sleep and still waking up alert to go swimming.”

“It’s not exactly exercise—more like relaxation.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Sure enough, Ling Xinlu couldn’t be bothered to listen properly.

Being complimented for good stamina was one thing, but being asked if he was even human in that sarcastic tone made Yuri feel slightly insulted, stirring up a flicker of irritation.

For Yuri, getting into the water wasn’t about training—it was a form of rest. And truth be told, the one with truly inhuman stamina was Xinlu.

Just look at what happened yesterday. If anyone was to blame for the late night, it was Xinlu. No, it wasn’t even just about staying up late.

Yesterday they had spent the entire day mountain climbing.  

Old Master Ling, despite being over seventy, remained remarkably robust and often impulsively dragged his family along on hiking trips whenever the mood struck him. Yesterday was no exception—he led several clan members up the mountain. (It was rather amusing how many outsiders found it perplexing that the famously aloof Ling Houlong had such a passion for mountaineering.)  

The mountain stood just over a thousand meters tall, with clearly marked trails, making the climb manageable. Still, it was no easy feat for someone of the old master’s age. On the more treacherous stretches, Xinlu had to support him most of the time.  

Supporting someone else up and down a mountain should have been exhausting, yet Xinlu remained perfectly composed even after reaching the summit and descending.  

But trouble arose just as they neared the entrance, when the trip was practically over. Xinlu’s second brother suddenly paled and realized he’d left an electronic device on the mountain.  

It wasn’t about the cost of replacement; critical schedules were stored in it, and the brother grew visibly frantic. So Xinlu volunteered to go back and retrieve it.  

As a result, Yuri ended up climbing the mountain a second time with him. To make matters worse, the forgotten item was at the rest area closest to the summit.  

In the end, after sending the rest of the family home first, the two of them had to trek back up the mountain. By the time they stopped by the estate and finally returned to the apartment, it was already deep into the night. Though Yuri’s expression betrayed nothing, his limbs were utterly drained.  

Logically, Xinlu should have been far more exhausted than Yuri. On their second descent, Xinlu even had to steady Yuri when he nearly slipped and suffered a mild ankle sprain.

Yet when they finally returned home, Xinlu remained brimming with energy, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever. To be precise, he was no different than usual, only complaining: “My eyes are so tired. Give me a massage”, without any mention of being more exhausted than normal.  

Yuri rarely dwelled on it, but now that he thought about it, this seemingly gentle and sweet young man had once been the top graduate of UNHRDO. No wonder his stamina gushed forth like a geyser.  

Come to think of it, it wasn’t just endurance,……. his strength was equally impressive……. Yuri still remembered when Xinlu first moved into the apartment and effortlessly rearranged the entire bed and wardrobe by himself just because he wasn’t satisfied with the interior layout…….  

The more Yuri reflected, the more irritated he grew at being asked: “Are you even human?” by someone like this.  

“Maybe living underwater every day has turned my stamina into something superhuman.”  

He replied with biting sarcasm, but his usual indifferent tone and blank expression seemed to dull the edge of his words. Xinlu merely nodded innocently: “That must be it.”  

“Hmm……. My stamina’s gotten worse lately……. Maybe I should give it a try too.”  

Xinlu stared at the pool where Yuri was submerged up to his neck and murmured. Yuri raised an eyebrow slightly.  

“I thought you couldn’t go in the pool?”  

“Who said I can’t? I just don’t. Pretty sure I told you I know how to swim?”

Xinlu responded as if Yuri had said something absurd, slipping off one slipper and dipping a foot into the water. He splashed absently with his bare foot while murmuring: “Maybe I should try it?”

“But it’s been nearly ten years since you last swam, hasn’t it?”

“Umm……. About that. How do you know so precisely?”

Yuri fell silent at Xinlu’s curious ‘Who told you that?’

“If it weren’t for that bastard who just stood there watching a child drown, I might’ve grown up loving swimming.” – Xinlu muttered, kicking the water haphazardly. Yuri said nothing, simply bowing his head in silence.

Fortunately, the stifling atmosphere didn’t last. Xinlu seemed to suddenly think of something and turned to Yuri:

“If you haven’t swum in so long, would you forget all the techniques?”

“No, you can’t forget. Swimming is muscle memory. But your form’s probably deteriorated a lot.”

“Form?”

Xinlu repeated, then laughed: “It’s not a competition—if you’re just swimming for fun, why care about form?”

“A competition?”

Yuri looked surprised, as if the idea had never occurred to him, then shook his head:

“Learning proper form isn’t about scoring points; it’s about reducing strain on your body while enjoying the water. It’s how you relax in the water most efficiently.”

“…….Of course.”

“I see.” – Xinlu murmured, his eyes lingering on Yuri before suddenly breaking into a soft smile.

“You really are like a coach……. If water’s that wonderful……. Maybe I should give it a try after all.”

He shrugged off the blanket draped over his shoulders and hung it on the chair. Turns out he was only wearing knee-length sleep shorts, having just thrown the blanket over them before leaving the room.

“Can I swim in these?”

Without waiting for an answer, Xinlu plunged into the pool with a splash. Water erupted around him, sending violent ripples across the surface.

The figure that had just disappeared beneath the water resurfaced moments later, gliding effortlessly just below the surface, his body tilting with fluid grace. *Splash, splash—* The water parted around him as he cut through it, reaching the far end of the pool in mere seconds.

A figure both elegant and beautiful in motion.

At first, Ling Xinlu swam with rough, almost reckless strokes, but as he continued, his form gradually refined itself. Just as Yuri had said—while not competition-ready, it was more than enough for pure enjoyment.

After reaching the far end and turning back, Xinlu stood up with a loud “Pheww!” He slicked back his wet hair, which clung to his face, looking thoroughly refreshed despite his lifelong claims of hating swimming and avoiding pools.

Yuri watched him quietly, wiping water from his own face with a palm before meeting Xinlu’s gaze: “Swim well?”

Xinlu rubbed his face with his forearm, stared at Yuri for a beat, then broke into a bright, eye-crinkling grin.

“Why are you smiling? Was my form really that bad?”

Only when he heard this did Yuri realize he was smiling. And he immediately understood why.

He was happy to see Xinlu in the water.

It brought him joy to watch Xinlu enjoying the very element he himself loved so deeply. Though he felt a twinge of guilt, wondering if he might have been the reason Xinlu had hated water in the first place, none of that mattered now,……. seeing Xinlu here like this filled him with pure happiness.

“Not at all. You swim very well. Hard to believe it’s been over ten years.”

“I’m good at picking things up. Even after so long, I was decent at it as a kid.”

The way Xinlu boasted so matter-of-factly made Yuri laugh.

“But my body isn’t as obedient as I thought. Feels like the water keeps slipping right through my hands…….”

“Maybe you’re extending your elbows too far out. Try tucking them in slightly.”

Yuri felt like a real swimming coach, and it filled him with an unexpected warmth.

He swam forward slowly, maintaining a distance of a few meters. Xinlu observed each of Yuri’s movements before mimicking them. His earlier claim wasn’t an exaggeration, he truly was ‘quick to learn’. Even without detailed instructions, he instinctively grasped the key adjustments needed.

“Your arms should……. No, don’t rely too much on your shoulders, just relax naturally……. Wait.”

Yuri swam closer to Xinlu, who was practicing the movements face-down at close range. If merely observing couldn’t accurately convey the sensation, then the best way was to demonstrate directly.

Xinlu floated on the water’s surface, where even lifting his head or making slight movements could cause his body to sink. Yuri wrapped one arm around his waist to keep him afloat, then leaned in to press against Xinlu’s back.

Their bodies overlapped as if lying prone, Yuri’s hand reaching out to grasp Xinlu’s wrist, slowly rotating it at a specific angle so he could feel it clearly through his own body.

“Like this.” – Yuri whispered, repeating the motion several times before suddenly falling silent.

Only now did he truly become aware of their closeness.

Body heat transmitted through every point of contact between their skin, and beneath the cool water, it felt even more intensely scalding than usual.

His heart pounded *thump, thump* so violently that Yuri worried Xinlu might feel it through their connected skin. At the same time, he couldn’t help but marvel. What a beautiful physique.

No, “beautiful” wasn’t quite right. It was a flawlessly masculine body, its contours so elegantly defined it inspired awe.

Suddenly, the memory of a certain night surged back,……. back to the night he had come to intimately understand this body. The night they had exchanged kisses, tasted each other, felt that scorching heat directly on their skin. Though in the end, things had stopped midway.

He didn’t regret it, nor did he dwell on it, but sometimes, he still remembered. That soft and sweet fragrance.

‘Stop. Don’t think about things that would make him uncomfortable if he knew.’

Yuri helped Xinlu adjust his posture until he could clearly feel the correct form, then released his hold. Immediately, the cool water rushed back against his arm where it had just been pressed against that warm body. The sudden loss of warmth made his chest tighten faintly.

“Do you understand the feeling now?”

“Yes, I’ve got it.”

Xinlu nodded and swam a few laps nearby on his own. It seemed he had grasped the basic technique, moving through the water with dolphin-like undulations.

And then—

Xinlu nodded decisively, as if marking a clear conclusion: ‘Alright, that settles this part.’ Then he lifted his head and gazed at Yuri with an inscrutable look, holding eye contact longer than usual.

Yuri met his gaze calmly, tilting his head slightly in curiosity. After studying him intently for a moment, Xinlu suddenly broke into a deep, meaningful smile.

“Sometimes I think……. you really are such a pure person. Ah, in a good way, I mean.”

Seeing Yuri’s slight frown at the ambiguous remark, Xinlu hastily added: “It’s a compliment!”, though his smile carried a hazy ambiguity that wasn’t entirely positive.

“Just now, I suddenly wondered……. no particular reason, just curious.”

“Huh?”

Xinlu trailed off mid-sentence, continuing to gaze quietly at Yuri. His eyes seemed to weigh whether to speak or not, until finally he revealed a faint smile with perfectly aligned teeth:

“In a situation like this……. don’t you feel any desire at all?”

“When we’re nearly undressed and wrapped around each other like this?” Xinlu added in a teasing tone. Only then did Yuri understand what he meant.

When their bare skin touched, perhaps Xinlu, too, had been remembering that old memory just like Yuri? Or perhaps someone as perceptive as him had noticed the admiring gaze Yuri cast upon his ‘beautiful body’ earlier?

Whichever the case, Yuri’s face gradually grew warmer. Bit by bit.

Xinlu seemed to notice the blush creeping across Yuri’s face, a man who could only stare at him in silence. “Huh? I was just joking, but you really…….?” – Xinlu tilted his head, laughing awkwardly as if at a loss.

After a moment of watching him, Yuri suddenly muttered in a stiff voice:

“I do.”

He met Xinlu’s eyes – just as the other’s smile faltered for a split second – then slowly continued:

“Xinlu’s body is truly beautiful, so I desire to keep looking at it.”

Moreover, even if only briefly, he had once felt that warmth up close. And now, that same body was displaying its smooth skin right before his eyes. It would be strange not to feel desire.

Xinlu looked at Yuri – his face completely flushed yet his reply perfectly composed – with an inscrutable gaze. Frowning even as he smiled, he muttered like a sigh: “That was a stupid question to ask.”

“So aside from that desire, there’s nothing else?”

Yuri nodded. After a brief pause, an unexpected answer came:

“Fine. That works too.”

Yuri simply glanced at him, not understanding what “that works” meant. But Xinlu smiled as if the matter was settled, showing no trace of discomfort.

“Feel free to keep that desire. In the future too.”

“…….? Yes, I’d be glad to help.”

The mention of “in the future” sounded abrupt, but Yuri nodded in response. Immediately after, Xinlu clarified what he meant:

“Wake me up early tomorrow. I’ll train my stamina, learn to swim a little more. Looking forward to your guidance, Coach.”