Chapter 31

Yun Duo and Lin Zi stayed at the highlands training base for two days. Besides the swimming team, they also took the chance to interview the two provincial track teams who were training there as well. The structure and facilities of the highlands training base were pretty good, but unfortunately, its surroundings were especially undisturbed — pure wild nature — so there was nothing much fun to do. Lin Zi was still making noise about going to Qinghai Lake which was about 100 km away; Yun Duo told him to go on his own. In the end, he could only follow her back to City-B.

Meanwhile, Tang Yi-Bai had to stay and train at the base for another half a month.

When they returned to the office, Yun Duo was once again extremely busy. She was responsible for covering the water events, which not only encompassed news on swimming, but also diving and synchronised swimming. Moreover, as she was still a junior reporter, she would occasionally be conscripted by the more senior reporters to run errands for them. The good news was that Qian Xu-Dong's attitude towards Yun Duo had improved noticeably — at least, they looked amicable from appearances — so the budding malicious rumours from before had no chance to spread any further.

Frankly, Yun Duo really wanted to know who had been acting against her from behind the scenes. However, she truly could not figure out who she had offended and even Lin Zi could not think of anything, so she could only let it be.

In the blink of an eye, April was coming to an end. On this day, Yun Duo was working overtime in the office to finish up a manuscript on a diving tournament when she received a WeChat message from Tang Yi-Bai.

Tang Yi-Bai: What are you doing? Are you done with work?

Yun Duo: Overtime. qaq

Tang Yi-Bai: Till what time?

Yun Duo: Don't know, but it'll be very late. Publishing tomorrow.

Yun Duo: What's up?

Tang Yi-Bai: I'm home now, and I was thinking to treat you to dinner today. This meal has been delayed for two months already.

Yun Duo: Is your house nearby?

Tang Yi-Bai: Yes.

Yun Duo: Today won't work, I think. I don't even know when I'll be done with work ...

Tang Yi-Bai: How about supper?

Yun Duo: No. You should rest early. Treat me another day. (*^__^*)

Tang Yi-Bai: It's not safe to go home too late.

Yun Duo: It's fine, it's fine. I have a minion to send me home.

As Yun Duo sent out the message, she raised her head to glance at Lin Zi seated at his desk in front of her. He was currently sprawled over his table, sleeping, his body rising and falling evenly with his breaths. It had to be said that, of this minion Lin Zi, even though his professional skills had yet to show up, he was very loyal. When he found out that Yun Duo had to work overtime, he stayed back as well without being asked to wait to send her home. She needed to walk for about 15 minutes from her agency to the place she was renting. Honestly, Yun Duo was not that afraid — she felt that City-B was very safe. After all, it was the capital of the country. However, recently, the public security bureau had issued several wanted notices within the neighbourhood, trying to hunt down a fugitive murderer. After Lin Zi found out about it, he constantly felt as if his life was under threat, and he had even cautioned Yun Duo more than once to be careful. Thus, he was worried about her going home alone at night after her overtime this time.

Yun Duo was very touched by this. She had come here to the North on her own to work and forge a life for herself, so her life was really lacking in love and care — every bit of kindness others gave to her was like sweet rain during a long drought. What's more, Lin Zi was being more than a little bit nice to her.

She swiped up her small flower-patterned coat and gently set it over Lin Zi.

After work, by the time Lin Zi sent her home, it was already almost 11 o'clock. Yun Duo tiptoed her way into the house. The living room was completely dark, except for a lamp in the corridor immediately after the entrance which had been left on. She searched for her slippers under the light of the lamp; unsurprisingly, she could not find them. She could only call out softly into the living room, "Er-Bai ... Er-Bai ..."

The sleeping Er-Bai was woken up by her cries, and he ran over to her with a pair of slippers in his mouth.

Er-Bai was truly a bizarre specimen within the world of pets. He had self-taught himself the skill of gripping slippers with his mouth just by watching TV, and he could even carry both slippers of one pair in his mouth at the same time — he brought great pride to his species. However, he never ever took anyone else's slippers but Yun Duo's. Every time Yun Duo took off her slippers, he would sneakily run over and take them away and hide them. And when Yun Duo returned, he would then present them to her again like an offering.

Every time after he finished doing this silly thing, he would even wag his tail proudly as he waited for Yun Duo to praise him.

Yun Duo was helpless against him. When faced with his eager puppy eyes, she could not help but give in and pet him every single time. This directly fuelled his motivation to continue doing this silly thing.

Side story aside, Yun Duo finished changing into her slippers and walked into the living room with Er-Bai. As she passed by the kitchen, someone walked out and almost crashed into her.

Yun Duo focused and saw that it was Auntie Lu.

Auntie Lu was wearing silk pyjamas, and her expression was clouded with sleepiness. When she saw Yun Duo, she was rather unhappy, "Why are you only home now?"

"I ... did I wake you up?"

No, I was just getting a drink of water."

"Oh, um ..." Yun Duo hesitated for a moment, then blurted out the terrifying possibility that had just occurred to her, "You can't be missing me, right?"

"Ha," Auntie Lu laughed suddenly, as if recalling something funny. She patted Yun Duo lightly on the shoulder. "Sleep early. I want to invite you for breakfast tomorrow morning. You're not allowed to refuse."

"Huh? Oh, ok."

Auntie Lu's sudden friendliness puzzled Yun Duo. However, she was just too tired to think much about it. She washed up quickly and went to bed.

As she slept really late that night, when Yun Duo was woken up by her alarm clock the next morning, she was very reluctant to get out of bed. She rubbed at her eyes, her head feeling groggy and heavy, as she drifted her way to the restroom like she was sleepwalking. The faint sound of flowing water could be heard coming from the restroom, but Yun Duo's reaction time was a little slow, so she habitually pushed the door open.

The subsequent scene could be ranked within the top ten most shocking scenes of her life.

She saw a man.

A man who was taking a shower.

He had his back to her — he was very tall, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, and there was not a single bit of spare fat on him. His figure was superb. The water spraying down from the showerhead fell onto his shoulders like fine rain, bouncing off them with little splashes, producing a fine mist about the surface of his fair skin. Most of the water converged into small streams of water and then meandered downwards.

Was she dreaming? The pressure must have been too much recently.

Still, what a large-scale wet dream ... a fully naked scene! So I was a person with such explicit taste ... she thought dumbly.

Right at that moment, the man seemed to sense something strange and turned around.

Time slowed down — Yun Duo felt as if the scene before her was playing frame by frame. He turned around slowly, wiping a hand across his face and reaching out with the other to turn off the shower.

Due to the height difference, the first thing she saw was his wet pectorals, and then her gaze moved downwards to see his abs, and then further down ... nothing else was left to the imagination ...

Yun Duo's eyes were wide open in shock. This dream was really too amazing — as high-definition and uncensored as a documentary on the human body! Even though this was just a dream, she felt really embarrassed, and she quickly flicked her eyes up again.

And then she saw his face.

He had the face of Tang Yi-Bai.

Yun Duo: (⊙o⊙)

Tang Yi-Bai's eyes were now also round in extreme shock as he stared back at her with a 'what the hell, have I gone to see my maker' expression on his face.

The two of them stared at each other blankly like startled birds, neither of them able to react otherwise. As their mouths gaped wider and wider, Yun Duo could not help but rub her eyes. She wished fervently that the scene before her would disappear when she finished rubbing them — that she would find herself back on her bed and realise that this was all just a dream.

But no!

This dream was too persistent!

Yun Duo felt like she was going to go mad! She had a bad feeling about all this ... a wild speculation was being suppressed inside her heart, struggling hard to break through. She hardened her heart and whipped a hand up towards her face.

Wake up quickly, you bastard!

But her hand was intercepted.

Tang Yi-Bai easily caught hold of her wrist.

The feeling of damp skin was an immense shock to her senses; her pupils contracted. She stared dumbly at his face. She could see her reflection in his eyes — she looked as if she had seen a ghost. She could see the tiny droplets of water which had yet to dry on his lashes. The soft yellow light from the bulb in the restroom was shone through them, making them look like fine, pure crystals of citrine.

Even the details were so realistic — how could this be a dream?!!!!!

Yun Duo despaired.

Then, Tang Yi-Bai shattered her last ray of hope with one sentence. He said softly, "This is not a dream."

"Ah!!!!!!" Yun Duo screamed. The scream was even more terrible than the one Er-Bai emitted when his tail had been stepped on.

She broke free from Tang Yi-Bai's grip and turned to run, as nimble as a rabbit.

Tang Yi-Bai saw her slender figure take two turns, and then, like a bolt of lightning, dash straight into her room.

Which used to be his room.

Yun Duo ran into the room and stuffed her head under her blankets.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!!!!!!!!!

It's Tang Yi-Bai! Doudou is Tang Yi-Bai! That's why the landlord's surname is Tang! That's why their dog is called Er-Bai! She had already received so many hints, but she still had not been able to guess at a development like this! Life was truly ten thousand times more exciting than a TV series!!!

Also, she— had— seen— Tang— Yi— Bai— com-plete-ly— naked!

Waaaaaaaaaaah, she could no longer face anyone!

Yun Duo wished dearly that she could suffocate herself inside her blankets. She was lying face-down on her bed, motionless like a silly roe deer in the snow.

Then came a knock on the door. Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.

"Yun Duo?" Tang Yi-Bai called from outside.

Yun Duo continued to torture herself with the blanket and did not give him any response.

Tang Yi-Bai knocked relentlessly on the door; Yun Duo played dead. The two of them were locked in a battle of tenacity — he did not stop knocking, she did not stop playing dead.

This tug-of-war persisted for another 10 minutes or so, finally ending with Tang Yi-Bai's surrender.

When she heard no more sounds coming from outside the door, Yun Duo breathed a sigh of relief and stretched her head out from beneath the blankets. Her face was red from being smothered under the blanket, and she was now gasping for breath.

She reached for her handphone and published a WeChat post to vent: Blinded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone responded instantly.

A White Streak Among the Waves: Take responsibility.

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Previous: Chapter 30
Next: Chapter 32

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