My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

Lin Shumei, who was standing nearby, swam over and leaned against the edge of the pool, laughing as she chimed in, "You should listen to this girl. Judging by her swimming style, even most coaches might not be able to keep up with her. That's called swimming, what you're doing is just struggling in the water."

Hearing Lin Shumei's words, Ruth didn't mince words and said with a smile, "When I was studying in the United States, I won the swimming championship at the university sports meet. I placed in both freestyle and breaststroke." She turned to Su Ming, her tone becoming more serious, "Your swimming skills are actually quite good, but your swimming style is completely wrong. Swimming like that is not only tiring, but it's also easy to injure your back. Come up here, I'll teach you the standard breaststroke style first."

Su Ming was a little embarrassed at first. After all, he had been splashing around in the pool for a while, and then a foreign girl pointed out his swimming style in front of everyone. He felt a bit ashamed. He glanced at Lin Shumei, who nodded at him and advised, "Relax a bit. She's a professional. If she's going to teach you, then learn properly. Don't waste such a good opportunity."

Su Ming then climbed out of the pool, water splashing down his body and forming a small puddle on the edge. Standing there, his muscles were clearly defined under the lights; broad shoulders, a strong chest, and neatly arranged abs like a row of chocolate bars. Ruth's gaze swept over him, her eyes lighting up briefly, but she quickly looked away and began to teach seriously.

She had Su Ming lie face down on the non-slip mat by the pool, then squatted beside him. She first demonstrated, showing him how to tuck his legs in, turn his feet over, and push off—the movements were fluid and graceful, like a fish. Then she reached out to adjust Su Ming's movements, placing her palm on his calves to help him tuck his legs in, and pressing on his ankles to correct the angle of his turn. Her hands were smooth and warm, her fingertips soft, and the pressure on Su Ming's legs was just right. Su Ming felt as if he were being guided by a professional coach, every movement broken down clearly.

Ruth explained very meticulously, from the initial pull-up kick to the rhythm of the arm strokes and the timing of the head-up breathing, leaving no detail overlooked. As she spoke, her long golden hair cascaded down her shoulders, the ends brushing against Su Ming's shoulders, carrying a faint coconut scent. Occasionally, when her fingers touched Su Ming's well-defined abs, she couldn't help but gently stroke them with her fingertips, as if touching a fine piece of stone, before earnestly praising, "Your abs are amazing, your physique is truly fantastic."

Su Ming felt a little embarrassed by her touching him, but seeing her open and uninhibited expression, he relaxed and replied with a smile, "You're great too. You have a great figure, and your swimming style is the most perfect I've ever seen."

As he said this, he glanced casually at her impressive chest. To be honest, this foreign woman was quite well-endowed; no wonder Lin Shumei was envious.

Ruth didn't blush at all; instead, she nodded and smiled at him generously, her blue eyes sparkling: "Thank you for the compliment."

The two went back into the water. Ruth held onto the lane light ahead, letting Su Ming practice the breaststroke repeatedly in the water. She would occasionally reach out to support Su Ming's waist, helping him find the correct power source, and then swim alongside him, letting him observe the rhythm of his movements. Su Ming adjusted his technique a few times according to her method, and indeed felt that swimming became much easier and faster.

He secretly admired him, realizing that even after swimming for over ten years, he was still inferior to someone who had taught him for ten minutes.

Lin Shumei sat by the pool for a while, then Ruth beckoned to her to come down. Lin Shumei slipped into the water, and the three of them swam a few laps together. Ruth swam in front, her movements textbook perfect; Lin Shumei followed closely behind, swimming with ease and grace; Su Ming was at the back, and although his movements were still a bit stiff, they were much better than before, at least the splashes were much smaller.

After swimming a few laps, all three were a little tired, so they leaned against the poolside to rest. Ruth called the waiter, ordered three juices, and had them handed over with straws. The three sat on the poolside lounge chairs, drinking their juices and chatting. The surface of the pool shimmered under the lights, the water gently lapping against the pool walls, and the air was filled with the mixed scent of disinfectant and coconut shower gel.

After a detailed conversation, Su Ming learned that Ruth was a purchasing representative for a foreign trade company, specializing in procuring electronic components and industrial parts in China. The company headquarters was in Chicago, and she was based in China, traveling back and forth between the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta throughout the year. She spoke quickly and clearly, occasionally throwing in a few English words, then immediately realizing what she meant and explaining them again in Chinese with a smile.

Upon hearing this news, Lin Shumei's eyes immediately lit up, and she sat up straight. She put down her juice glass, moved closer to Ruth, and immediately introduced herself, her voice regaining its professional composure and confidence: "Ruth, I'm the warehouse manager of Kaisheng Electronics, and I also run a catering company, mainly contracting out factory canteens and managing the food supply chain. Su Ming is one of my people; he's about to be promoted to manager of our company, overseeing the warehouse and canteen. We have very stable resources in the supply chain."

Su Ming blushed slightly and lowered his head to take a sip of juice. The matters concerning the manager and the catering company weren't even fully finalized yet, and Lin Shumei had so openly discussed them; he felt a little guilty. But Lin Shumei gently nudged him under the table, signaling him not to show any weakness.

Ruth's eyes lit up when she heard this. She pulled a business card from her bag and handed it to Lin Shumei, then took another one and handed it to Su Ming. She said happily, "What a coincidence! I've been looking for a reliable electronic component supplier recently, and our company's canteen in the Yangtze River Delta is also planning to change contractors. If it's convenient for you, we can talk in detail and see if there's any possibility of cooperation."

Lin Shumei took the business card, glanced at it, and carefully put it in her bag. She then wrote down Su Ming's phone number and her own temporary contact information for Ruth. Ruth happily accepted it, smiling and saying, "I came here to swim and relax today, but I didn't expect to meet a potential business partner. This swim was totally worth it!"

Listening from the side, Su Ming secretly admired Lin Shumei. This woman, even while relaxing in a swim, didn't forget to talk business. She made connections in just a few words. No wonder she was so successful in the factory.

Ruth stood up, waved to the two of them, and said it was getting late and she had to go to Suzhou to meet a client tomorrow, so she was going back to her room. Before leaving, she turned around again, winked at Su Ming, and said in Chinese, "Su Ming, your legs in the breaststroke still aren't turning quite right. Next time you practice, remember to stand against the wall and practice turning your legs more. Come find me when you've improved, and I'll teach you the freestyle."