Chapter 115: I Will Return Tomorrow

Zhao Ziqiu was quite satisfied with the way Li Mu looked at her. She smiled and said, "I watched you swim a lap; your form is actually pretty standard!"

Li Mu gave a faint smile. "Want to come in for a swim?"

Zhao Ziqiu nodded, propped herself up on the edge of the pool with both hands, and slowly lowered herself into the water. Once submerged, she leaned toward Li Mu and whispered a complaint: "Why are the students at your school all like little hooligans? Whistling at people like that?"

Li Mu thought of the whistles he had just heard. He smiled slightly, looked up at the group of burly, tall guys sitting on the edge of the pool, and said, "It’s those guys, isn't it? They’re here every day, whistling at any pretty girl they see. They’re on the school swim team; rumor has it most of them were admitted as special athletic recruits."

"Oh?" Zhao Ziqiu exclaimed in a hushed tone. She then added, "Your school doesn't even have a sports department. Why are they admitting athletic recruits?"

Li Mu shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the school administration thinks the school needs some recognition in sports. Word is these guys don't really attend class either; they’re just here to compete for the school."

Zhao Ziqiu curled her lip and didn't ask further. Instead, she suddenly said to Li Mu, "Let's race fifty meters. Whoever loses buys the late-night snack!"

Before Li Mu could respond, she kicked off the pool wall and dove into the water.

Li Mu was about to chase after her, but he stopped when he saw Zhao Ziqiu in the shimmering turquoise water. She extended her arms, pressed her legs together, and moved her body in a graceful S-curve. Anyone who had trained in the butterfly stroke knew this movement—it was widely considered the most beautiful swimming technique, infinitely close to the ethereal elegance of a mermaid in a movie.

It goes without saying how surprised Li Mu was to see such a stunning display from a woman with such a smoking-hot figure.

In fact, it wasn't just Li Mu; the guys on the swim team were staring, eyes wide. After a moment of surprise, one of them signaled his companions. He stood up and began walking toward the lane Li Mu was in, his eyes locked on Zhao Ziqiu in the water.

Li Mu’s attention was entirely on Zhao Ziqiu. Seeing that she was already halfway there, he stood motionless, watching her swim elegantly to the other side.

As soon as Zhao Ziqiu emerged from the water, she pushed her goggles onto her forehead and turned to see where Li Mu was, only to find him still standing exactly where he had started.

"Hey! Why didn't you swim?" Zhao Ziqiu asked, wrinkling her nose.

Li Mu laughed and spread his hands. "I'll pay for the snacks."

Zhao Ziqiu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Alright, you're paying tonight then."

"No problem."

Zhao Ziqiu waved at him. "Swim over here, let's have a proper race!"

Li Mu curled his lip. "I swim really fast, you’d better be careful."

With that, he dove into the water. After covering a short distance, he began to swim toward her at a leisurely pace using the breaststroke.

As he surfaced next to Zhao Ziqiu and pushed up his goggles, she asked with curiosity, "If you weren't holding back, how fast could you actually swim?"

Li Mu put his hands behind his back, resting them on the lane divider floating on the surface, and said with a frivolous look, "If I weren't holding back, I’d be incredibly, incredibly fast."

"Oh, really?" Zhao Ziqiu's willow-leaf eyebrows curved into crescents. "Be specific, how fast?"

Li Mu curled his lip and said casually, "Fast enough that my trunks wouldn't be able to keep up."

Zhao Ziqiu was taken aback, but she quickly grasped the meaning behind his words. Though she blushed, she couldn't help but laugh until her shoulders shook.

Just then, a guy on the other side took a running jump into the pool. The loud splash drew the attention of many. After entering the water, he used the same stroke Zhao Ziqiu had used, though his form was far more professional and his speed much faster. In the blink of an eye, he had covered half the fifty-meter lane. He then surged out of the water, his thick arms thrashing in a powerful butterfly stroke as he closed in on them.

It was a public pool, and with a dozen people sharing a lane, Li Mu hadn't paid it any mind. Zhao Ziqiu instinctively moved closer to Li Mu, leaving half the space open for the guy. To her surprise, just as the guy was about to touch the wall, he dove underwater, heading straight for Zhao Ziqiu’s lower abdomen.

Seeing the guy suddenly change direction, Zhao Ziqiu shrieked and tried to dodge, but he was already inches away. Just as she realized she couldn't get away in time, Li Mu suddenly grabbed her waist and spun her around, quickly positioning himself in front of her. Their noses were nearly touching, and at that exact moment, the guy slammed headfirst into Li Mu's backside.

That guy had clearly intended to take advantage of Zhao Ziqiu. The swim team members did this all the time; regardless of whether a girl had a boyfriend, if she was a beauty, they would try to cop a feel. Seeing Zhao Ziqiu today, they didn't want to miss the opportunity. Though they had seen Li Mu, they hadn't taken him seriously at all.

The pool was crowded, visibility underwater was poor, and bumping into people was common. Even if they touched sensitive areas, they could just stand up, offer a perfunctory apology, and claim it was an accident—what could the other person possibly do? If the victim had a boyfriend, he wouldn't dare make a scene in that situation. If he did cause trouble, there were a dozen guys on the swim team; who would dare provoke them?

They had played this trick countless times.

The guy had thought it simple: slam into Zhao Ziqiu’s stomach, then "accidentally" let his hands slide from her legs past her hips, and finally grab her waist to surface. Once up, he’d apologize sincerely, and that would be the end of it.

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that his dive would land him face-first into Li Mu’s rear. He hadn't expected Li Mu’s reaction to be so fast, blocking the space between him and the beauty. The collision brought him to a halt. Just as he tried to stand up, he felt a large hand clamp onto the back of his neck, pushing down with hidden force to keep him submerged.

Li Mu’s move disrupted the guy’s rhythm, causing him to slip and nearly choke on water.

However, the guy was a member of the swim team; his physical fitness was better than Li Mu’s. He did a roll underwater to escape Li Mu’s hand, stood up quickly, and glared at him. "Damn it, are you looking to die?"

Li Mu deliberately raised his voice and asked back, "Do you like hitting people with your face when you swim? Did my ass offend you? Or do you just have a thing for men?"

The question left the guy speechless.

He certainly didn't want to hit Li Mu's ass, and he didn't like men—he had intended to land in Zhao Ziqiu’s arms, but he couldn't exactly say that out loud.

"I didn't mean to, why the hell did you grab my neck?"

The guy’s shouting drew the attention of many, and the other swim team members stood up and began walking over.

Zhao Ziqiu was worried and tugged at Li Mu’s hand, whispering, "Let's go, let's get something to eat."

Li Mu didn't respond to her. Instead, he looked at the guy, who was acting as if he had the upper hand, and said with disdain, "If you want a girlfriend, go out and pursue one. If you can't win her over, ask your parents for money to shower her with gifts. If you can't afford that either, just buy a roll of toilet paper and go back to your dorm to watch porn. Don't go around acting like a lowlife trying to take advantage of girls. You’re a university student, not some street thug. Have some self-respect."

Li Mu looked down on people like this more than almost anyone; he found them even more detestable than petty thieves.

Although the other side had more people, Li Mu didn't care. With so many people around, he wasn't afraid they would do anything desperate. Even if a fight broke out, he wouldn't necessarily come out the loser, and he doubted the swim team members would dare swarm him. The university had strict discipline, and group brawls were the biggest taboo; the nature of such an incident was extremely severe, and anyone caught would at least face a major disciplinary warning.

As these words left his lips, many people in the pool looked at the aggressive guy. Feeling the pressure of the surrounding gazes, his confidence completely evaporated. He didn't know how to argue back; Li Mu’s words were too sharp, and in just a few casual sentences, he had been utterly humiliated.

The other swim team members stood on the edge of the pool. One of them asked the guy facing Li Mu, "Zhang Qing, what's going on?"

Zhang Qing waved them off, then gritted his teeth as he glared at Li Mu. "Fine, kid, I’ll remember you!"

Li Mu nodded. "It doesn't matter if you remember me or not; I’m coming back tomorrow."

"Shit..."

Now, not only Zhang Qing but the other swim team members were stunned as well. Was this kid being too arrogant? Didn't he know the swimming pool was the swim team's home turf?

As for the other students playing in the pool, they shared the same thought. But beyond thinking Li Mu was being arrogant, they secretly gave him a thumbs-up in their hearts—especially the girls, who felt that a man should be like Li Mu: protecting the woman by his side regardless of the situation.

This was also one of Zhao Ziqiu’s definitions of a good man. She just hadn't expected Li Mu to show such a masculine side, making her feel a sense of security from his protection.

With a surprise as dazzling as a shooting star, Zhao Ziqiu stood beside Li Mu, lifted her chin, and said, "I'm coming back tomorrow too!"

Zhang Qing was filled with resentment. He hadn't gotten the girl and had instead ended up with a face full of shame. He knew he couldn't actually move against Li Mu, so he racked his brains for something threatening to say. But by then, Li Mu had already pulled Zhao Ziqiu to the ladder. He gestured for her to climb up first, then followed. As he was about to exit the water, Li Mu turned back to Zhang Qing, who was still trying to think of a threat, and said, "If you haven't figured out how to threaten me yet, go home and think about it tonight, and tell me tomorrow."

Having said that, Li Mu couldn't be bothered to argue further. He went to the locker room with Zhao Ziqiu and said at the entrance, "Change and come out; I'll wait for you at the door."

Zhao Ziqiu nodded obediently and softly. "Be careful, there are a lot of them. Don't let them find trouble with you inside."

Li Mu smiled faintly. "They won't dare. Even if they do, it doesn't matter—the worst that happens is I get a beating."

Seeing Li Mu treat it so lightly, Zhao Ziqiu chuckled and said, "Then you’d better protect your face. Don't let them disfigure you."

Li Mu laughed. "If I get disfigured, I’ll just have to hold you responsible. Alright, go change."

"Mm..."

Zhao Ziqiu nodded, blushing, and turned to enter the women's locker room.