Chapter 512 - 346: A Matter of a Woman’s Dignity

Chapter 512: Chapter 346: A Matter of a Woman’s Dignity

"I’m not scared!"

Jin Meiyan blurted out without a moment’s hesitation.

Lin Chen kept his eyes on hers and saw a flash of fear deep within them. He found it a little funny.

South Korean men loved to talk big, and it seemed South Korean girls were more or less the same, all talk.

"Don’t worry, the water here isn’t very deep. The deepest part is only about four or five meters. It’s pretty much the same as a swimming pool most of the way. Just think of it as an infinity pool."

As he spoke, he took the lead and waded into the sea.

"Oppa, wait a second!"

Hearing her call, he instinctively stopped and turned around, only to see Jin Meiyan standing by the large rock, clutching the hem of her clothes and hesitating over something.

Lin Chen assumed she wasn’t mentally prepared yet, so he didn’t rush her and just waited quietly.

After seven or eight seconds, Jin Meiyan, feeling that they couldn’t just stand there in a stalemate, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and suddenly turned her back to him. And then...

She lifted the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head in one go.

?????

Lin Chen’s expression changed. He whipped his head back around, his heart pounding. The image of a dazzling, jade-like whiteness seemed to linger before his eyes.

’No wonder.’

’No wonder she hesitated for so long. She was debating whether to take off her clothes.’

At this thought, he couldn’t help but slap his forehead in annoyance.

’How could I have overlooked that!’

He was the only one who had brought a backpack for this survival experience, and it was just filled with some seasonings, tools, and other things that were rarely needed.

Besides, he was a man; a lot of things didn’t matter. If his clothes got wet, they got wet. At worst, he could let them air-dry or take them off and dry them by the fire. It was no big deal.

But Jin Meiyan was different.

She was a South Korean girl who was very conscious of her appearance, and she only had one set of clothes. If they got wet, there was no way she could sleep in them.

If she didn’t wear them, she would probably catch a cold. And for a girl who cared about her pride, walking around in the wild in just her underwear was indeed a bit hard to accept.

Only a carefree Westerner like Erica could show off her figure so openly.

’In other words, she’s going to take off her jacket, T-shirt, and leggings, and go into the sea in just her underwear. And I’m supposed to teach her how to swim and dive while she’s like that?’

’Oh, for the love of God!’

’You can’t test a cadre like this!!’

Jin Meiyan already had a sweet-looking face and a delicate voice—he had absolutely no resistance to that type. If she was going to pull a stunt like this on top of it all...

"O-Oppa, I’m ready. You can turn around now."

Hearing her voice right behind him, Lin Chen’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t turn around, but instead walked straight ahead, managing to say with some difficulty,

"Ready? Then let’s get right in the water. We can soak for a bit to get used to it, and I can see what your skill level is."

Seeing that he didn’t turn back, Jin Meiyan gently bit her lip. A flicker of relief and gratitude crossed her eyes, quickly followed by a hint of indignation.

’It’s true that I’m very satisfied with his gentlemanly behavior, but what’s the deal with not even turning your head? Is my body completely unattractive?’

Even though she knew Lin Chen was most likely doing this to avoid suspicion and not because he wasn’t interested in her, she still found it a little hard to accept.

’Why was it okay for him to openly look at Erica in her underwear on the show, but not me?’

’Does he only like big ones and looks down on mine?’

She looked down.

’They might not compare to the natural gifts of a Westerner like Erica, but they’re not small either!’

Once that thought took root, she couldn’t suppress it anymore.

Jin Meiyan narrowed her eyes. Staring at Lin Chen, who was already half-submerged in the sea, she silently started after him.

’Putting everything else aside, I have to make him look at me today!’

’A woman’s dignity is at stake!’

She stepped into the sea, carefully, on her bare feet. The cool water lapping against her insteps felt quite pleasant.

As she moved further from the shore, the water gradually rose past her knees, then her thighs, her pelvis, and finally, even past her navel.

At this point, she felt she was clearly starting to lose her footing. Each incoming wave made her body sway back and forth.

"This is good. Let’s stop here. You swim for a bit, let me see."

Lin Chen was a few meters in front of her. He turned to the side and gestured a few times, indicating for her to swim horizontally nearby.

Jin Meiyan’s eyes darted around, and a bold idea quietly formed in her mind.

’Her original plan was to show off her swimming skills as quickly as possible and have Lin Chen teach her to dive right away, but who told him to act so distant!’

She nodded, slowly squatting down until the water was up to her chin. After acclimating for ten-odd seconds, she leaned her whole body forward slightly, moved her arms, and began to swim.

Whether it was because she hadn’t been in the sea for too long or some other reason, she failed to control her strength. With one strong push, she plunged straight under the surface and, caught off guard, swallowed a mouthful of horribly salty seawater.

"PFUH!"

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..."

Lin Chen shook his head and said in a low voice, "Don’t push forward so hard. Just give a light push with your toes and let the water’s buoyancy lift your body off the seabed. If you use too much force, your head will sink the moment you come up."

From that starting motion alone, he had a feeling he would probably have to start by correcting her swimming posture.

Fortunately, once Jin Meiyan actually started swimming, she gradually found her rhythm and was able to move through the water at a slow pace.

By the time she swam a lap and returned, about ten minutes had passed.

"Alright, that’s enough for the demonstration. Your butterfly stroke is passable, but it’s not very useful in the sea. Do you know freestyle?"

"No," she said, shaking her head.

"Okay, I’ll demonstrate. You’ve probably seen it on TV. When you extend your left arm, your face turns to the right. When you extend your right arm, your face turns to the left. This is for better breathing."

"As you swim, the leg movement is the same, just kick up and down."

When Lin Chen started to swim, he was like an agile fish, cutting through the waves and darting back and forth across the surface at incredible speed. It was a world of difference from her just-now bobbing along with the waves.

"The reason you swim so slowly is actually quite simple." After swimming a lap and returning, Lin Chen trod water in front of her and demonstrated with his hands.

"Your toes aren’t pointed. You’ve seen swim fins, right? The reason fins help you swim faster is because of their large surface area, which mimics a fish’s fin. When you point your toes, the top of your foot becomes a natural fin, or you could say an oar. When you kick up and down, the contact area with the water is larger, so the force you apply is naturally greater, and your speed increases."

"The reason freestyle is faster and more suitable for the sea is also simple. The sea has waves. Your outstretched hand can break the force of an incoming wave and reduce its impact, which naturally lets you swim faster."

After explaining the principles, he lifted his chin, signaling for the girl to start trying immediately.

"It’ll feel awkward changing strokes at first. I’ll support your body so you don’t sink. Just focus on getting familiar with the movements. Once you get the feel for it, I’ll slowly let go."

He took two steps forward, and as Jin Meiyan began to swim, he placed a hand under her smooth abdomen. He spread his five fingers, like a gym spotter, trying to use the minimum amount of force for maximum assistance.

His gaze remained fixed on the girl’s feet, then her hands and head. Every time he shifted his eyes, he would skim over her torso with extreme speed.

Even so, a fleeting glimpse in his peripheral vision caught something he shouldn’t have seen.

’She really did take off her leggings too!’

’Seriously.’

’Erica was one thing, but Jin Meiyan too? Why are they all so comfortable around me?’

’Is the word ’harmless’ written on my face?’

Under the faint, bright moonlight, the sea’s surface reflected a shimmering glow. The black fabric of her underwear only served to further accentuate the fairness of Jin Meiyan’s skin. It could almost rival a Caucasian complexion, like the finest mutton-fat jade—a white that held an imperceptible hint of pale yellow.

This particular whiteness, unique to Asians, actually gave off a healthy impression, unlike the pure white of some Caucasians that could make them look as if they were sick.

Especially now, as she focused intently on swimming, her entire smooth back was exposed right before his eyes. The single sunken line of her spine was enough to excite a man, to say nothing of her slender waist that one could encircle with a single grasp, or the hint of a perfect curve that was visible when she turned to her side.

GULP.

The silent sound of swallowing was completely masked by the splashing water. He licked his somewhat dry lips. The residual seawater was incredibly salty, but for some reason, it now seemed to have a hint of sweetness.

A few drops of cold seawater splashed onto his face, pulling his chaotic thoughts back to reality.

’Wait, the sea? Swimming?’

The image of Erica pretending to drown in the sea flashed through his mind. He frowned slightly as a possibility occurred to him.

’If even an ordinary person like Erica could act so convincingly, Jin Meiyan was a former trainee. Her acting skills must be better than an average person’s, right?’

’Plus, she has at least ten years of dance training, meaning she has precise control over her body. If she really wanted to put on an act, there’s no way I’d be able to tell at my level.’

’She wasn’t as straightforward as Erica. She would never reveal she was acting; she’d just be secretly gloating on the inside.’

It wasn’t that he wanted to overthink things, nor was he being narcissistic. It was just that with some things, being a little extra cautious couldn’t hurt.

’Anyway, it’s just a thought. Not like it’s illegal.’

With this mental guard up, he looked back on the day’s events and had a strange feeling that this girl was actually a bit clumsy.

Although he was reluctant to believe a trained dancer could be clumsy, his years of experience as a variety show personality told him that this was just how girls were. Even idols on TV shows were like this, so it wasn’t that strange.

Fortunately, Jin Meiyan improved quickly. After about five minutes of swimming while he supported her, she slowly got the feel for it, and the frequency and range of her movements became more regular.

He tried to gradually reduce the pressure from his fingers, letting her body sink slowly. Finally, at a certain moment, he silently let go completely.

The sound of splashing water covered his movement. Focused on swimming, Jin Meiyan didn’t notice at all that Lin Chen had stopped in place and that she had already left him more than ten meters behind.