Silver Leaf Whale Chapter 5

swimming

Chapter 5·Swimming

The black and white plush lay on its back, rolling around in human hands, with its round front paws spread out like small flowers, revealing its pink heart.

The pet hospital sent Qi Zhixuan a video of the kitten, and he kept clicking on it and watching it back and forth.

The doctor told him that the wound on the kitten was relatively large and had ulcerated due to the hot weather. It was also severely malnourished and would not recover in a while.

He was already thin and dry, and now the hair next to his nose has been dyed yellow by the medicine, making him look even more ugly, but he is in much better spirits than before.

Qi Zhixuan tapped the cat’s nose across the screen, “It seems you can only be a little bastard eating, drinking and having fun in the hospital for a while.”

As he was watching, he was interrupted by a call on his cell phone, which read “Senior Sister”.

Senior sister Zhu Mingyue is the closest person to Qi Zhixuan in the world. Their parents are good friends and they have grown up together since childhood.

Qi Zhixuan’s father, Zimmer, was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts. Later, Zhu Mingyue studied painting with Zimmer, and even lived in the Qi family most of the time when he was a child. She was almost like Qi Zhixuan’s biological sister.

“Hello? Xiaoxuan.” A brisk voice came from the other side, with a high-pitched ending.

Qi Zhixuan couldn’t help laughing when he heard this, “Senior sister, what’s wrong? You’re so happy.”

“Good news! Mingyue Gui has just signed a cooperation agreement with Junjun Group!” She couldn’t stop her excitement.

Mingyuegui is a studio founded by Zhu Mingyue after graduation. It mainly does Chinese style design and has a wide range of interests, including game design, clothing design, handicraft design, and even tattoo design.

The Junjun Group they are working with this time is a very famous company, and its companies are all top-notch in the industry. It is indeed rare to be able to cooperate with such a company.

“That’s great, Senior Sister. Congratulations.” There were several new pens hanging on the pen stand in front of him. Qi Zhixuan reached out and touched the soft nib. He sincerely wished Mingyue happy. After graduation, he can still engage in his own profession and make great achievements. It is really enviable.

“Then…Xiao Xuan, can you…can you draw now?” Zhu Mingyue hesitated, but still asked her question.

Qi Zhixuan’s hand suddenly froze on the tip of the pen, and his eyes dropped with some loss.

“Well, not yet.”

Yes, he can’t draw, it’s not that he can’t, it’s not that he doesn’t want to, it’s that he can’t.

“Ah, it’s okay, I’m just asking… Aren’t you much better than before? You can modify other people’s paintings. Soon, you will be able to paint your own paintings.”

Zhu Mingyue suddenly wanted to give herself a slap in the mouth. What would she do if she didn’t open the pot?

“When you can draw, come to my sister’s place. I’m really short of people here.”

Qi Zhixuan twitched his lips and said, “I know, okay, I won’t tell you anymore, Senior Sister, I have a guest here.”

He hung up the phone pretending to be relaxed, but in fact there were no customers at all. The uncomfortable feeling surged up, and Qi Zhixuan felt that his emotions were about to reach the safety line again.

After taking a few deep breaths to adjust, he tried to pick up the paintbrush on one side and tried to recall the places he had been to over the years, the bright scenery, the vast mountains and rivers, the scorching sunshine, and the tail-wagging fish.

The nib of the pen was dipped in ink and about to put pen to paper, but there was another burst of fire and explosion. The familiar face struggled to escape from the car window… and was engulfed by tongues of flames in the blink of an eye…

“Tick tock—”

The ink drops fell on the paper, and before they could stabilize, they swooned outwards. The deep black halos faded away circle by circle.

Qi Zhixuan slumped down on his chair dejectedly, looking at the ink mark, his heart felt very uncomfortable, like a blocked sadness that could not be expressed or let go.

After sitting there for an unknown amount of time, his eyelashes trembled, and he unconsciously closed his eyes, blocking out the sadness, and finally put down the pen.

Qi Zhixuan has had this problem since something happened at home a few years ago.

Every time I pick up my pen, I am reminded of those heart-burning scenes. Even though I can occasionally use my pen to repair other people’s paintings when they are being framed, I have not painted my own works for several years.

The two generations before him have been painting for decades, and they are also art students. People who love painting the most are unable to paint. This is simply a capital punishment.

However, there is no other way, just think of it as your own retribution.

Shaking his head, Qi Zhixuan turned on his phone and wanted to ask Yang Xiaolong when he would come to the store so that he could go out and exercise.

Every time he was in a bad mood in the past, Qi Zhixuan would think about what the doctor said, go out and move around, sweat, improve his physical fitness, and keep his mind busy to avoid the emergence of some irrational thoughts.

“Okay brother, I just finished eating and will be here soon.”

I received a reply from Xiaolong on my phone. It seemed like someone was coming to the store. Qi Zhixuan walked to the cashier and sat down, thinking seriously about what kind of exercise he should do today.

In fact, he really doesn’t have any athletic ability, and exercise has been fatal since he was a child.

In the first half of the year when I played badminton, I was not sociable and couldn’t find a partner. Finally, I found a beautiful woman who thought Qi Zhixuan was a bit sexy. I stayed with her for a while, but was “knocked away” by his bad skills.

He also participated in a boxing class, and the coach taught enthusiastically, but within a few days Qi Zhixuan was beaten so hard that his body was bruised and painful, so he had to give up.

The skipping rope gets stuck in the rope, and the shuttlecock cannot be caught. Running… Before running two hundred meters, my lungs are like a rotten bellows, and I am wheezing and wheezing.

“Sigh…” Recalling his embarrassing sports history, Qi Zhixuan sighed, not really knowing what to do.

“What’s up, Brother Xuan, why are you sighing?” Xiaolong ran over in a hurry, and heard his boss sighing here.

“Xiaolong, what kind of exercise do you want me to do today?” Qi Zhixuan rested his right face on the glass counter with one hand.

“Ah, well…” Thinking of this brother’s experience, this sports student, who is 188cm tall and top three in the class in physical examination, looked embarrassed. He really didn’t understand the life of a sports loser.

“Go swimming! The swimming pool of the sports school is opening to the public in the past few months. There are many handsome guys and beauties there!” A customer who had just entered the store came over with two cans of paint and enthusiastically put forward his suggestions.

“Hey, that’s right! Brother Xuan, you can go swimming!”

Xiaolong snapped his fingers and thought this was a good idea. The swimming pool had a shallow water area. Although his brother was not tall, he would not drown in the 1.2 meter pool. Moreover, the swimming pool was not as easy to get injured as a boxing gym. It was safe!Even if you don’t know how to swim, you can just play in the water. There is no need for a ride or skills, and the threshold is low!

“Okay, thank you, classmate.” Qi Zhixuan also thought it was good. He scanned the QR code to collect the money, packed the customer’s paints, and also placed a “Baby Come Home” flyer on the counter, wondering if he should buy a new swimsuit.

*

The swimming pool of Jingti was well decorated. Qi Zhixuan felt very happy as soon as he entered. The high-ceiling space was bright and the venue had a reassuring light chlorine smell.

It’s September, and there aren’t as many children at this time as there are during summer vacation. Swimming students are also in the professional track pool next door. Most of them are students from Jingmei next door, and occasionally a few nearby residents. The sound of splashing water can be heard occasionally, but it’s not noisy.

Facing the shallow and deep water areas in front of him, Qi Zhixuan didn’t hesitate at all. He couldn’t swim and hadn’t found a coach yet. It was still important to save his life.

After stretching a few times, he put on the yellow duck swimming ring and walked into the shallow water.

Yes, yellow duck, swim ring.

He felt it would be safer to be surrounded like this.

When I was a child, when I was learning to swim with my father, I gave him a swimming ring.

His father, Zimmer, was simply the best dad in the world. At that time, he was very timid and was afraid of water but wanted to play in it, so his father bought him a bunch of equipment and took him to soak in the water every day.

Other children learn movements from the coach, and his father will not force Qi Zhixuan to learn anything or to what extent he has to learn it. If he likes it, let him do it. As long as he likes it, he will support it.

So much so that after one summer, Zimmer, who could not swim, learned to swim, but Qi Zhixuan could still only push twice in the water.

Now he can only pedal twice.

But the feeling of soaking in the water is very good. After soaking for a while, I seem to gradually forget about the unhappiness in the store today, and my body slowly relaxes…

However, when I relaxed, my hands were not properly supported on both sides of the swimming ring, and the sports loser had another accident.

He didn’t hold on tightly, and the swimming ring floated away. He suddenly sank into the pool, and the water rushed into his ears. With difficulty, he stretched out his arms on the water to search for his own swimming ring, but he couldn’t find it for a long time, and gradually he felt a little tight in his chest.

He was so stuffy that he wanted to open his mouth to breathe, but when he opened his mouth, water poured into his mouth, making him choke and unable to cough out.

“Well…” The dull feeling became heavier and heavier. He felt like he couldn’t hear or see, as if he couldn’t feel anything and wanted to stay away from everything.

“Wow——!”

A strong arm circled his waist and picked him up from behind, dragging his chin. His mouth and nose finally left the water, and the big mouthfuls of oxygen finally re-injected into his body.

“Are you okay?” The man patted Qi Zhixuan’s back with concern.

“Cough cough cough cough…” The only response was a cough and suppressed red cheeks. Qi Zhixuan gasped for a while, and then he saw clearly that it was Pang Whale.

The lifeguards also rushed here. Pang Jing said it was okay and continued to circle Qi Zhixuan to help him calm down.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

After a while, Qi Zhixuan came to his senses and found that he was still half leaning in Pang Jing’s arms. He struggled slightly in embarrassment and politely thanked him.

Pang Jing had class today and didn’t go to the swimming team. After class, he went to the professional swimming lane to practice for a while. As he was finishing up and walking out, he saw a familiar figure walking into the shallow water wearing a little yellow duck swimming ring.

After stopping and watching for a while, Yuantou was soaking in the water alone in a daze. Those who didn’t know it thought it was a bathhouse.

Not long after, the little yellow duck abandoned its owner and ran away. Its round head sank into the water, and its limbs were still fluttering and flying around. The giant whale was startled, threw away its backpack, and jumped in to fish the person up without even having time to take off his clothes.

“People can drown in shallow water. Why were you in a daze?”

Pang Whale pulled the person closer to the shore. The water was actually very shallow, not even reaching his chest, but he was afraid that the person would fall in again.

Leaning against the edge of the pool, he wiped the water from his face and shook the water splash from his short-haired head.

Qi Zhixuan was pulled over and stared at him, a little dazed.

He knew that Pang Whale learned to swim, and he also knew that Pang Whale had always been handsome, but this was the first time he saw Pang Whale in the water.

His eyebrows are very dark and thick. They have been soaked in water and shine brightly, making his eyes even brighter. A few water drops on the tips of his short hair slide down, slide over the high bridge of his nose, and slide down his chin into his neck…

“What’s wrong? Are you choked?”

Seeing that his eyes were dull and he didn’t speak, Pang Whale tilted his head and took a look.

The beautiful facial features that he had been praising in his heart suddenly enlarged. Qi Zhixuan shrank back in fear and was about to slip into the water again.

Fortunately, Pang Whale kept holding him, and he was able to stop again.

“I just want to do some exercise, haha.” Qi Zhixuan replied in a nonchalant manner. Qi Zhixuan added another entry to his embarrassing sports chronicle in his heart, and ranked swimming at the top.

“Have you found a coach?” Pang Jing asked him.

“Not yet.. Not yet.” As soon as Qi Zhixuan finished speaking, Pang Jing left the swimming pool and took two steps out with his hands. He suddenly stopped as if he thought of something, then turned back and pulled Qi Zhixuan up and asked him to sit and wait for a while.

After a while, Pang Whale got a piece of foam board from somewhere.

“This is a floating board. If you don’t know how to swim, you can use this to learn to kick your legs first and feel the feeling of water. At least float your body first, so that you won’t choke on the water easily.”

He stuffed the float into Qi Zhixuan’s arms and taught him how to position his body and move his legs.

“You…don’t you have to go to class?”

After following this for a while, Qi Zhixuan realized that he was doing the job of a coach.

“Class is over. Come to this bubble. It’s okay. Let’s practice your skills.”

Pang Jing held Qi Zhixuan’s ankle and let his foot slide in the direction of his hand.

Qi Zhixuan was wearing a dark blue long-sleeved swimsuit, but the swimming trunks were five-quarter length. You could see his skin, as if he hadn’t been exposed to the sun much. It was really white, and his ankles were so thin that he could hold it with one hand.

Following Pang Jing’s movements, Qi Zhixuan began to learn to fetch water inexplicably and hard to refuse.

His heels were very round, and they were covered with fine water splashes as he moved, giving them a moist sheen.

Pang Whale just watched as the snow-white and round heels kept sliding in front of him.

At first, Qi Zhixuan’s legs kept kicking around. After following it for a while, he slowly found some feeling. He immediately expressed that he wanted to try it himself.

“Hey, look, Pang Whale, am I right?”

This man was so happy just to learn how to kick, and his smile was so bright that it made his eyes dazzle.

Pang Jing stood and watched carefully for a while. People with the same hands and feet gradually learned to kick rhythmically. After teaching for a long time, he finally got it. After a while, he was about the same speed as the 4-year-old child of a relative he used to teach.

“Yes, well done.”

But a 4-year-old child has to boast a lot.

After practicing the kicking, Pang Jing talked for a while about how to hold his breath, but Boss Qi seemed to have exhausted all his energy in the kicking stage and was unable to practice to his limit.

“Let’s do this for now. There will be opportunities later.”

The sky was getting dark and there were fewer people in the pool. Pang Jing could see that he was a little tired, so the two of them went ashore to the locker room together.

Qi Zhixuan said as he walked: “I’ll treat you to dinner later. You saved my life today.”

“Okay.” Pang Jing nodded indifferently.

Qi Zhixuan walked to his cabinet to change clothes. Pang Jing did not go in, but took off his wet clothes at the door and wrung them dry.

Qi Zhixuan was a little hungry, so he quickly changed his clothes and walked out and said, “You can choose what you want to eat.”

“Let’s eat in the cafeteria to avoid running away.”

“Okay.”

Pang Jing was still half-naked, so Qi Zhixuan stared at him for a while without intending to.

His shoulders and back are very broad, but not bloated, and the muscles in his chest are stiff and stretched, which should be the curvature that can only be achieved by paddling for many years.

Below is a narrow waist and abdomen, the abdominal muscles are tightly arranged, and the edges are very clear. They rise and fall slightly with his breathing, showing both strength and smooth beauty.

“Let’s go then.” The black T-shirt came down, interrupting Qi Zhixuan’s gaze.

“Oh, okay, okay” Qi Zhixuan came to his senses and cursed himself in his heart, saying he shouldn’t be so rude.

In the end, Qi Zhixuan still failed to treat the guests, so Pang Jing took his meal card and swiped it.

“If you want to learn swimming in the future, just contact me in advance on WeChat and I can teach you.”

After finishing the meal, Pang Jing cleaned up the remnants on the table, took the plate from Qi Zhixuan’s hand, and put them together at the closing place.

“No…I can find a coach. You still have to go to class and train. I won’t bother you.”

Qi Zhixuan followed Pang Jing and walked around the crowd out of the canteen.

“It’s okay. I don’t have time every day. I’ll ask you for help when you encounter me. Or do you think I don’t have enough time to teach you?”

Pang Whale found that this person was always refusing.

In the past, I would pull a large cart of goods by myself without waiting for help from others, or I would rather squat in the grass and sweat profusely catching cats on a hot day than let others join me. Now, even though I helped me last time, I didn’t let anyone repay me.

He can only be kind to others, but not others to him. He is really a domineering weirdo.

When Qi Zhixuan heard what he said, he quickly waved his hands and said, “No, no, you are a professional athlete, the kind you can’t even afford, but I’m stupid, just don’t dislike me.”

In fact, Qi Zhixuan had no intention of finding a coach at all. He knew that his athletic ability was very poor and he just planned to go soak in the water and play. But today Pang Jing taught him a lesson, and he seemed to have some confidence again.

“Don’t worry. If I teach my friend how to swim, it will be very cheap. And didn’t you pay for it? There is so much left.”

Pang Jing raised his eyebrows. He was talking about the vaccine money that Qi Zhixuan had transferred before.

Qi Zhixuan laughed when he heard it, knowing that he was joking. After all, he couldn’t do much with that little money, but he was still very grateful for his kindness.

“Then thank you for teaching me how to swim and treating me to dinner. Let’s make a date next time.”

As they walked, Pang Jing actually sent him to the school gate, and Qi Zhixuan said goodbye to him politely.

“Yes, contact us via WeChat.”

Pang Jing looked at the people walking towards the opposite road. It was already autumn in September. Different from the sweltering heat of the noon, the evening breeze was blowing with a hint of coolness. A few soft hairs floated out of his round head in the wind. Pang Jing was suddenly in a good mood.