Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 107 Part 2 – A Thrilling Romance (II)

The moment Ning Shaobai emerged behind the boys, Xia Mian’s excitement turned into utter disbelief.

He caught her expression instantly, eyes twinkling with amusement as he leaned down beside her and murmured with a laugh, “Benefactor, what exactly were you expecting?”

“Nothing. What’s there to expect?” She casually wiped her face, internally screaming.

Damn it! Surrounded by men in swim trunks, I somehow forgot that men could also wear full-coverage swimsuits!

Ning Shaobai’s swimwear was downright conservative: swim trunks that reached mid-thigh and a high-necked, tank-style swim shirt that covered everything above the arms. Not even his collarbones were exposed.

No, no, no—I really need to keep my distance from Ning Shaobai for a while and clear my head, Xia Mian thought frantically. The way her IQ seemed to be plummeting was starting to terrify her!

Once again, it felt as though her mind was an open book before a certain Dr. Ning. After fastening little floaties onto Xiao Feng and Chenchen and sending them off into the pool, he turned to ruffle her hair. With a regretful tone, he said, “Not the right time yet. For the sake of our lifelong happiness, you’ll have to endure this. I’m doing it for you…”

Already frustrated by her own spiraling thoughts, this just added fuel to the fire. Xia Mian snapped, “If you really cared, you’d take it all off. Don’t you know being half-covered is the most seductive?”

She tugged on his swim shirt. The clingy material clearly outlined his firm, lean muscles. “What are you even covering? Everything I shouldn’t see, I can still see!”

She stood up abruptly. “Forget it, I’m going to change into a bikini! Why should I be the only one suffering here?!”

Ning Shaobai froze for a second, then quickly grabbed her arm, his shoulders shaking with laughter. “Okay, okay, my bad. I shouldn’t have tested you like this. Want me to throw on a loose T-shirt?”

Realizing what she’d just said, Xia Mian clutched her face in mortification and dove straight into the pool, pushing him away. “Get lost!”

Ning Shaobai laughed as he jumped in after her, keeping an eye on the two boys as they got used to the water. Still, he teased again, “Little girl, you sure know a lot. Even knowing that half-covered is most seductive—where’d you learn that from?”

Xia Mian’s response was a splash of water right to his face, followed by a quick spin and a swim away.

Before long, she was gliding through the water with ease. Compared to the decades that followed, recreational facilities were scarce in the ’90s. With school keeping her constantly occupied, this was, in fact, the first real swim she’d had since arriving in this world.

And with Ning Shaobai handling the kids, she could finally enjoy herself without worry. She swam a few laps, relaxed and exhilarated.

But before long, she noticed something was off…

The pool was getting more and more crowded—especially with girls. Way more girls than guys.

Xia Mian stuck her head up and looked around. The waterslide area was absolutely packed. She was wondering if there was an event going on over there when she suddenly spotted Gao Qiongying.

Among a sea of conservative one-piece swimsuits, Gao Qiongying stood out in a blazing red bikini that made her pale skin look almost glowing. All eyes turned to her, especially the men, but even the women couldn’t help but stare.

Xia Mian remembered Rong Xin saying that Gao Qiongying was still chasing after Ning Shaobai. And sure enough, the young woman was making her way right toward him.

What made it worse was that plenty of other girls were also stealing glances at her Dr. Ning. That was the final straw for Xia Mian. With a splash, she swam over to the slide area.

She followed behind another girl up the stairs. From there, she could see Gao Qiongying already standing next to Ning Shaobai, saying something with a bright, sweet smile on her face. Every now and then, she’d even gently pat Chenchen’s head.

Ning Shaobai’s expression was flat, but he was definitely listening to her.

“Dr. Ning!” Xia Mian suddenly called out.

Ning Shaobai turned his head instantly. Seeing Xia Mian up on the slide, he froze for a moment.

She didn’t give him time to react and slid down immediately, shouting, “Dr. Ning! Catch me! I’ve got a leg cramp!”

Ning Shaobai let out a helpless smile and quickly moved closer, standing at the base of the slide to catch her.

But both of them overlooked two important variables: Chenchen and Xiao Feng.

The two little guys, upon hearing that Xia Mian had a leg cramp, immediately splashed their way over behind Ning Shaobai. Their legs still couldn’t quite reach the bottom of the pool, but after a summer of playing in the sea and river respectively, both had picked up some swimming skills. With their floaties on, they reached the base of the slide just before Xia Mian came down, arms wide open to catch her.

Given Xia Mian’s size, she’d probably flatten them both.

Ning Shaobai didn’t have time to get them out of the way—he could only move even closer to the slide.

Xia Mian pushed off to adjust her direction, doing her best to avoid kicking the boys.

The collision was inevitable. Even Ning Shaobai couldn’t keep his balance. To onlookers, it looked like Xia Mian had tackled him directly, sending them both crashing into the water.

But only the two of them knew—at the moment of impact, Xia Mian’s lips had pressed against a patch of warm skin, on the side of Ning Shaobai’s neck.

She could clearly feel the way their chests and stomachs pressed tightly together, how his racing heartbeat sent tremors through her own body. His arm around her waist tightened in an instant, nearly crushing the air out of her.

People began hurrying over to help them, but the arm wrapped around her held firm until they were completely above the surface. Only then did it gradually ease, coming to rest gently at her waist.

Xia Mian’s face felt like it was on fire. She didn’t dare look at him. All she saw was him raising a hand to signal they were okay, gently brushing off Gao Qiongying’s approach, and swimming with her and the two kids over to the children’s shallow area.

Letting the kids splash around on their own, Xia Mian leaned on the pool’s edge, secretly trying to calm her racing heart. It was only now catching up to her, pounding like a drum…

After a while, a large hand landed on her head. Xia Mian finally looked up. Ning Shaobai showed no sign of being flustered. He was smiling lightly, just like always. “Good thing…”

Xia Mian’s face was still burning as she asked back, “Good thing what?”

Ning Shaobai looked down at his swimsuit. “Good thing I was considerate. You should be thanking me, Benefactor.”

Xia Mian instantly pictured what it would’ve been like if he hadn’t been wearing a swim shirt. If they had been skin to skin in that position…

She swallowed hard, then reached out and placed her hand on his chest. His heart was still pounding like mad, just as fast as hers.

With a deadpan expression, she asked, “Dr. Ning, how do you manage to flirt like this while your heart’s racing like crazy?”

No wonder people said he was unfathomable. If she hadn’t felt it for herself, she’d have thought he didn’t feel a thing when teasing her!

Ning Shaobai gently pinched her wrist with two fingers and removed her hand, his voice soft, as if afraid to startle even himself. “Benefactor, please stop testing me. You’re already killing me here.”

Xia Mian was exasperated, “Who’s testing who, huh? If it’s killing you, can’t you control yourself a little?”

“I’m begging you—spare my life.”

“You’re not the kind of person to make losing trades, are you? This mutually destructive path really doesn’t suit your style.”

“How is this a losing trade?” Ning Shaobai looked at her with a gentle smile. “Your life for mine, my life for yours—sounds like the best deal in the world to me.”

Xia Mian: “…”

To summarize: he was absolutely fine with throwing his life away if it meant flirting with her to death. Truly thrilling.

Realizing she couldn’t take it anymore, Xia Mian hastily made her escape.

Go, go, run away! Throw herself into her study and let her heart rate go down!

Isn’t talking about aspiration with my best friends good enough? Why the hell am I messing with this kind of life-or-death romance?!

Author’s Note:

Xia Mian: “Are you seriously risking your life just to flirt with me?”

Ning Shaobai: “Yup. Thrilling, isn’t it?”