Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

Li Tiansheng leaned against the poolside, waving his hand with a smile: "Stop swimming, stop swimming. We agreed to come here to relax, not to compete. Just soak in the water and loosen up your muscles."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiang slowed down and swam back to the two of them, supporting herself on the edge of the pool with one hand, her upper body above the water.

At that moment, water droplets slid down his neck and into his collarbone, making his firm chest and arm muscles stand out in the sunlight. His wheat-colored skin, wet with water, gained an even more rugged look. He nodded and leaned against the edge of the pool as instructed, closing his eyes to relax, the only sound the gentle lapping of the water in his ears.

After resting for only a few minutes, light footsteps sounded behind them, followed by a sweet female voice: "Liu Xiang? It really is you here!"

Liu Xiang opened his eyes and turned around. He saw Li Binbin wearing a red one-piece swimsuit and a white sun-protective gauze shirt, holding a pair of sunglasses in his hand. He was standing by the pool looking at him, his eyes fixed on his upper body above the water, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement.

Li Tiansheng smiled and said, "Binbin, what are you doing here?"

"I came here because I heard there's a swimming pool." Li Binbin waved his hand, but his eyes didn't leave Liu Xiang. He walked straight to the edge of the pool, bent down to look at him, and said with a hint of teasing, "Liu Xiang, you have a great figure. You're quite well-endowed in the upper body."

At this moment, Liu Xiang felt uncomfortable under her gaze, so she shrank back into the water, leaving only her head above water, and chuckled dryly, "Miss Li is joking."

"Still being polite with me?" Li Binbin raised an eyebrow, lightly tapping the edge of the pool with his finger. "What, why are you hiding? Are you so big that you're afraid I'll eat you?"

Her tone was both coquettish and teasing, making Liu Xiang even more embarrassed, and she didn't know what to say for a moment. Li Tiansheng and Cheng Xiaodong exchanged a glance, both of them noticing something, and tactfully moved to the other side of the pool, giving the two of them some space.

The atmosphere by the pool became somewhat awkward. Seeing his expression, Li Binbin stopped teasing him, her smile fading, and her tone became more serious: "I want to talk to you again about what happened last night!"

Liu Xiang quickly replied, "Alright, then please tell me."

"Actually, Brother Long and I aren't really a couple." Li Binbin squatted down, resting his elbows on his knees, looking at the water in the pool. His voice softened. "We're good friends. We've known each other for many years. He works in Hong Kong, and I've always helped him out."

Liu Xiang didn't interrupt, but listened quietly.

"He just doesn't want me to go back to the mainland." Li Binbin frowned, his fingertips digging into the tiles on the edge of the pool. "I want to go back and take a look, and I plan to develop my career in the mainland in the future, but he says that the entertainment industry in the mainland is not developed yet, so he won't let me leave, saying that he can't take care of me if I go back."

As she spoke, a hint of frustration crept into her voice. She raised her hand and ruffled her hair haphazardly, instantly turning her once neatly combed long hair into a mess, clinging to her cheeks. She looked less charming and more aggrieved: "We argued about this last night, and things got a bit tense. There was a slight tug-of-war, which is why I'm so flustered!"

As Liu Xiang listened to her explanation, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Why was this explanation so confusing? They were supposed to be good friends, but Brother Long's attitude carried a hint of authoritarianism, as if there was some unspeakable entanglement between them. And why was she explaining so much to me?

Looking at Li Binbin's messy hair and the barely concealed frustration in his eyes, he didn't press the matter further, but simply said softly, "Friends should talk things out and not make things too awkward."

"I wanted to talk to him nicely, but he wouldn't listen at all." Li Binbin sighed, then looked up at Liu Xiang, the annoyance in her eyes fading and replaced by a smile. "But I still want to thank you. I'm so grateful to have listened to me talk so much today. How about this, I'll treat you to dinner tonight. You can't refuse, as a way of thanking you!"

Her tone carried a hint of unquestionable arrogance. Liu Xiang looked at her bright eyes, then glanced at Li Tiansheng and Cheng Xiaodong who were peeking from a distance, smiled helplessly, and nodded: "Okay, then thank you, Miss Li."

"That's more like it!" Li Binbin smiled immediately when he agreed, and reached out to tidy her messy hair. "Then I'll go swim over there for a while, and I'll call you over tonight."

She turned and walked to the other side of the pool, then gracefully leaped into the water, splashing small droplets.

Liu Xiang watched her graceful figure stretching in the pool, then leaned back against the edge, shaking her head helplessly. Li Tiansheng and Cheng Xiaodong swam over, and Cheng Xiaodong winked and whispered, "Not bad, Liu Xiang, this Miss Li seems to have a thing for you."

Liu Xiang rolled her eyes: "Coach Cheng, don't talk nonsense, we're just chatting."

"Just chatting? I think he's taken a liking to you," Li Tiansheng said dismissively.

Liu Xiang didn't respond, but just looked at the shimmering water. In her mind, she thought about Li Binbin's messy explanation to her and Brother Long's strange look last night. She felt that this matter was probably not simple.

The sunlight by the pool was still warm, and the water was still rippling, but a faint doubt inexplicably crept into Liu Xiang's heart. This doubt added an inexplicable ripple to the upcoming cruise trip.

Just then, a group of foreign beauties suddenly surged into the pool entrance. They had blonde hair and blue eyes, and their figures were graceful. Their skin was dazzling in various sequined bikinis. They walked in laughing and joking in flip-flops. Their crisp English laughter hit the tiles by the pool, instantly turning the lazy afternoon into a spring-like atmosphere.

They held chilled cocktails in their hands, occasionally clinking their glasses together with a crisp sound, and raised their hands to play with their wet hair, displaying a charming demeanor and an unabashedly passionate and flamboyant personality.

Li Tiansheng's eyes lit up first. He nudged Cheng Xiaodong's arm and chuckled in a low voice, "Not bad! There's such a sight on this cruise ship. Let's not waste it." Cheng Xiaodong couldn't contain himself any longer and rubbed his hands together. "Come on, let's go join in the fun and practice my English." As they spoke, the two of them stood up, holding onto the edge of the pool, shaking off the water droplets. They didn't care about their age and laughed as they went over to the pool.

"Hello, ladies!" Cheng Xiaodong greeted them in broken English. Li Tiansheng nodded and smiled back. Although he was clumsy with words, his enthusiasm was undeniable. Before long, he was surrounded by several cheerful beauties, chatting away and occasionally gesturing wildly, which made the girls laugh. They actually found something to enjoy and gradually headed towards the lounge area on the other side of the pool.

Liu Xiang leaned against the edge of the pool, watching the scene unfold, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He was amazed at how open and welcoming foreigners were in the 1990s, so much so that they seemed no different from people in later generations. He had no intention of joining in the fun, so he simply leaned against the edge of the pool, quietly soaking in the water, his expression indifferent.

Several foreign beauties had already noticed the muscular Eastern man by the pool. Their gazes lingered on his taut muscles. They were about to approach him with smiles when one of the brown-haired beauties took two steps and met Liu Xiang's calm and unwavering gaze. The aura of "keep away" instantly made her stop in her tracks.

She and her companion exchanged a glance and whispered a few words. In the end, they didn't dare to go forward rashly. They could only look at each other from a distance a few more times before reluctantly turning their attention away.

Liu Xiang remained oblivious, sitting quietly, listening to the commotion on one side, yet maintaining her own tranquility, which ironically created a peaceful corner by the bustling poolside.