Chapter 84: The Center of the Fish Pond (19)
Su Mingxiu handed her shopping bag to a staff member and went to change into something more suitable for the water.
Since they were still in the rehearsal stage, they weren’t given the official MV costumes yet. Instead, they were provided with ordinary swimsuits usually sold to tourists at the venue.
Annie had brought her own bikini, anticipating a water-themed filming after learning that Produce 101 was being filmed by the sea.
But her foresight now made her stand out among her prepared friends.
So she conveniently “forgot” about her own swimsuit and happily joined them in checking out the thirty-yuan, off-the-rack options.
There were sleek, one-piece swimsuits in shades of blue and grey, cute two-piece designs with peach blossom patterns on a white background, even swimsuits with scarf-like wraps…
This venue, before being rented for filming, had been a popular tourist spot, so the variety of swimwear was extensive.
Since they considered these swimsuits as practice outfits, the trainees weren’t too picky. Influenced by the lively atmosphere, they were all quite enthusiastic.
Su Mingxiu picked a simple black two-piece and headed towards the changing rooms.
Even though she had been to the bottom of the ocean with Suhui, the smell in this simple changing room was somehow fishier than the deep sea. She wanted to change quickly, but her fingers, brushing against something sharp on her neck as she reached for her clothes, made her pause.
She opened the door of the changing stall and saw Pao Tong, who had chosen a peach-pink swimsuit, and Annie, holding a sky-blue one. Seeing that she hadn’t changed yet, they asked, “What’s wrong?”
Su Mingxiu just smiled and shook her head. Her gaze shifted past them, landing on the bright, snow-white figure approaching from around the corner. “Suhui.”
The two girls turned their heads, their gazes fixed on the tall, silver-haired figure. Hearing Su Mingxiu’s call, the mermaid quickened her pace, then slowed down. Her voice echoed in the narrow hallway, ethereal and melodious: “What is it?”
As she approached, Su Mingxiu suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the changing stall.
“Help me take this off.”
Since she still didn’t know what the costumes for the actual filming would be, if it was just their usual pink trainee uniform, Su Mingxiu could easily slip it on over the necklace.
But the necklace was too rigid and sometimes got tangled in her hair. For convenience, she asked the person who had put it on her to take it off.
The silver-haired mermaid, seemingly unaffected by the cold, leaned naturally against the frosted glass door. Her silhouette, outlined against the surface, created a beautiful image.
She didn’t move, only looking at Su Mingxiu. “Why take it off? Don’t you like it?”
“Uh…” Su Mingxiu detected the familiar barb in her tone.
But before she could answer, Pao Tong’s cheerful voice came from outside: “Mingxiu, do you need help?”
Her words clearly implied that if Suhui wasn’t willing to cooperate, she could be easily replaced.
Before Su Mingxiu could react, Suhui’s hand pressed down on her shoulder. Whether from emotional agitation or something else, her fingers dug into Su Mingxiu’s skin, causing a sharp pain.
At the same time, those blue eyes looked at Su Mingxiu warningly, as if saying:
Just try and accept her help.
Su Mingxiu tried to pull Suhui’s hand away, but she couldn’t on the first try. She rubbed her forehead in exasperation, took a step back, and tried to coax the fish: “Alright, alright, I won’t take it off. You can go out now.”
The sound of rushing water filled the small space as Su Mingxiu turned on the shower. The warm water cascaded down, hitting the tiles and splashing their knees.
But the silver-haired mermaid didn’t move.
Pao Tong, still waiting outside, hadn’t left. Annie, who had been with her, now hearing the sound of the water drowning out Su Mingxiu’s voice, only catching the seemingly compromising “Alright, I won’t take it off,” pulled Pao Tong away.
The pink and white-haired girl was still wrapped in her towel from the pool. Even as her friend pulled her away, her gaze remained fixed on the frosted glass door.
Staring intently at Suhui, who still hadn’t come out.
Then, she started trembling uncontrollably, whether from being cold for too long or from some unspoken emotional turmoil.
Annie had to push her into the bathroom, turning on the shower and letting the hot water wash over her, creating a warm mist. She hugged Pao Tong, giving her a silent, comforting look.
Inside the cramped changing stall…
Su Mingxiu, clutching her shirt, looked at the stubborn fish who refused to leave with an amused smile.
Sensing that the people outside had left, she didn’t urge Suhui again. Instead, right before Suhui’s eyes, she casually lifted the hem of her pink trainee shirt, slowly revealing what was usually hidden beneath the loose-fitting uniform.
Heat.
Suhui noticed the steam surrounding them in the small, white space. Her temperature regulation system, sluggish in the humid environment, finally sent a signal to her brain, making her usually pale cheeks flush slightly.
But her blue eyes remained fixed on the source of her heat, as if trying to quench her thirst with her gaze.
The more she looked, the drier her throat felt.
It was like being suddenly pulled out of the ocean and thrown into a scorching desert.
Suhui stood there, mesmerized, her throat bobbing, watching as Su Mingxiu folded the pink trainee uniform and placed it aside, then untied the black strings of her bikini top.
Calling it a “top” was an overstatement—
The one Su Mingxiu had chosen wasn’t much different from a bikini. The straps were made of a translucent, satin-like material, resembling soft seaweed, yet not diminishing the sexiness of the design.
The crisscrossing straps partially concealed her shoulder blades, creating an “X” shape on her back, giving the illusion of restraint. But the glistening water droplets, flowing freely from her neck down to her waist, hinted that the “X” was more of an invitation than a prohibition.
Su Mingxiu showed no sign of embarrassment as she changed in front of her. As if the heat she had created for this fish wasn’t enough, she even leaned closer, adding fuel to the fire.
She casually gathered her long, slightly wavy black hair and tilted her head towards Suhui, her voice soft, almost drowned out by the sound of running water: “Look.”
“I can’t tie the straps of my swimsuit without taking off this necklace.”
Suhui clearly heard her voice.
She could even detect the amusement in her tone.
For a moment, a thought flashed through the mermaid’s mind: Then don’t tie them.
But her body betrayed her mind. Under the spell of this woman’s voice, more captivating than any siren’s song, she raised her arm mechanically. The moment her fingertips touched the coral necklace, the blood-red coral seemed to come alive, falling from Su Mingxiu’s neck into her palm, then wrapping around her wrist, transforming into a fiery thorn tattoo.
Then, Suhui held the two soft, dangling black straps, her fingers curling and uncurling around them. But even after Su Mingxiu’s neck started to ache from bending down, she still didn’t feel Suhui’s hand move away.
“Hmm?” Su Mingxiu, wondering what this fish was thinking, snatched the straps back, intending to tie them herself. But as soon as she moved, Suhui’s hand pressed down on her shoulder again.
If it weren’t for her stable footing, Su Mingxiu would have almost been forced to kneel by the sudden force.
She couldn’t help but gasp, asking softly what was wrong with Suhui.
The fish, snapping out of her daze, didn’t say anything, only struggling with the two straps. Although she didn’t know how to tie a bow, she knew that if she didn’t tie them properly, Su Mingxiu’s straps might come undone in the pool… and then, the scenery that belonged to her would be seen by others.
So she carefully tied the straps around Su Mingxiu, layer after layer.
Her grip was a bit too tight, even digging the black straps into Su Mingxiu’s fair skin—
Sensing that something was wrong, Su Mingxiu swatted her hand away, straightened up, and took a step back. Feeling the tight knot on her neck, she asked with exasperation: “Are you trying to tie a dead knot?”
“Uh…” Suhui remained silent.
“Tsk, clumsy,” Su Mingxiu muttered, her fingers working behind her neck, patiently trying to untie Suhui’s handiwork and retie it herself.
Suddenly, the silver-haired woman standing beside her stepped closer, pressing her against the wall and leaning in.
Before her lips could touch Su Mingxiu’s, they were stopped by a fingertip.
This was a clear sign of refusal.
The heat within Suhui hadn’t subsided. This sudden impulse was like the accumulated heat in her body, seeking an outlet for release.
Now, blocked by Su Mingxiu, the anger from yesterday, the displeasure of not being chosen, all surged forth. But she didn’t say anything, only opening her mouth and biting down on Su Mingxiu’s fingertip.
Leaving sharp teeth marks—
Making Su Mingxiu retract her finger in pain. Suhui finally kissed the spot she had been aiming for, transferring the lingering heat within her to the other person.
Su Mingxiu, seeing that she couldn’t stop Suhui, afraid that her indulgence would go too far and leave unwanted marks, took the initiative to hold the back of Suhui’s head, taking control of the kiss.
When they finally came out of the changing stall, they bumped into the other members. The others first looked at them with a strange expression, then seemed to have a sudden realization.
As if they had seen this many times before.
Su Mingxiu could almost imagine that after Suhui became famous, among the many rumors circulating about her, there would definitely be one that said: During a certain talent show, she secretly hooked up with another trainee, and everyone knew they were lesbians.
Thinking of this, looking at the fish beside her, completely oblivious and showing no sign of restraint or discretion, Su Mingxiu became even more determined to quit the show.
The silver-haired mermaid beside her lowered her head. She was wearing a dark red one-piece swimsuit with black, branch-like patterns, giving it a gothic feel.
On a child, it would have looked cute and loli-like. But on Suhui, with her long legs and perfect proportions, it was incredibly sexy.
The oval cutout at her waist, the low neckline, and the hemline that reached just above her thighs all accentuated her figure.
Especially with her long silver hair, if she wore a pair of sunglasses, she could go straight to the beach and shoot a fashion magazine cover!
Sensing Su Mingxiu’s gaze, Suhui turned to look at her and suddenly asked: “Who is your gift for?”
“Xiuxiu!”
Annie, by the pool, suddenly popped her head up, splashing water towards Su Mingxiu. “You two are so slow changing, come down and join us!”
Some water splashed onto Suhui’s face.
Her expression immediately darkened.
But the cute and bubbly Annie only blinked innocently, pretending not to notice Suhui’s displeasure. She said to Su Mingxiu: “The MV director said that if we’re fast enough, we can do whatever we want with the remaining time. There’s a really good hot pot restaurant nearby—”
“Do you want to go?”
Su Mingxiu slowly lowered herself, first squatting by the pool, then dipping her feet in. Even though the pool was heated, the water still felt cold against her skin.
She took a moment to adjust, then slowly slid into the water.
“Okay.”
Because there were cameras everywhere on the pool walls, Su Mingxiu kept her distance from Suhui, worried that this easily aroused fish would do something inappropriate in front of the cameras.
The water was Suhui’s domain. She felt that the heat from her earlier encounter with Su Mingxiu in the bathroom hadn’t subsided yet. Afraid that getting close to Su Mingxiu would make her body temperature rise again, she quickly swam a few laps.
But it wasn’t enough.
The water temperature was far too high to cool her down.
Suhui not only had to suppress her instinct to revert to her true form in water but also had to find a way to lower her body temperature. She felt a restless energy coursing through her, but there was nothing she could do, only swim back and forth.
Her swimming was so fluid and effortless that she didn’t even need to surface for air after several laps. This caught the MV director’s attention, who decided to film her underwater dance solo first.
The MV had already taken into account the varying physical abilities and swimming skills of the trainees, with very few group shots planned, and even a budget allocated for post-production editing—
There were no objections to Suhui filming her solo first.
And because some of the other members were afraid of getting in the water, hesitating by the poolside, after much discussion with the staff, some of their parts were also given to Suhui.
But the fish, who had taken over other trainees’ screen time, looked even more annoyed.
She stared at Su Mingxiu in the water, her lips pursed tightly.
The staff member who had followed her thought she was unhappy and tried to comfort her, saying that having more screen time was a good thing, not something to complain about.
These words happened to be overheard by the girl who was clinging to the edge of the pool, afraid of the water. She glanced at Suhui.
Su Mingxiu didn’t notice this small incident by the poolside.
Because she was currently filming her own part. Thankfully, she was also good at holding her breath. After two NGs at most, she successfully completed her shots.
She got out of the pool and headed towards the changing rooms, intending to change out of her swimsuit, take a shower, and then go out and give Suhui her gift.
They were the first to finish filming, so she should have enough time.
Twenty minutes later.
Su Mingxiu, her hair still damp, stood by the bag where the staff member had kept her belongings, a towel wrapped around her head. But her expression was ice-cold.
Her bag lay on the floor, tilted over, the opening revealing shards of broken glass. The perfume she had made had spilled out, its fragrance already dissipated, only a faint scent lingering in the air.
“Oh dear.”
The staff member who had promised to keep her belongings safe came over, seeing the mess on the floor, and apologized profusely: “I’m so sorry, Teacher Su, I was busy with Gigi earlier, she still hasn’t gotten in the water yet.”
Saying this, she looked around. “Did someone come and touch your bag? Or did another team accidentally knock it over?”
This was an old, empty public venue, so there were naturally no surveillance cameras. Moreover, nothing of great value had been damaged, so there didn’t seem to be any point in pursuing the matter.
But Su Mingxiu suddenly turned and looked at the camera placed farthest away by the pool, the one used to film the water surface—
If it was from that angle, it should have captured what happened here, right?
She didn’t reply to the staff member, only waving her hand dismissively and walking towards the camera. But as she passed by the pool, Pao Tong suddenly surfaced. “Mingxiu.”
Actually, Pao Tong had seen who knocked over her bag.
It was a few children running around and playing. Because she had been constantly watching Su Mingxiu’s bag, worried that the gift she had made would be damaged, she kept popping her head out of the water to check.
For some reason, seeing those children, a wicked thought arose in Pao Tong’s heart.
She didn’t want Su Mingxiu to give that gift to Suhui…
If only that gift… was gone.
She knew that Suhui was a bit foolish, straightforward and simple. It seemed that they hadn’t resolved their issues yet. Subconsciously, she felt that she still had a chance.
When Su Mingxiu’s bag was knocked over, Pao Tong, witnessing the entire scene, felt like the heavens had answered her prayer.
But now…
Seeing Su Mingxiu’s displeased expression, wanting to investigate the matter, she felt a pang of guilt. After all, it had nothing to do with her.
But she still felt responsible, so she called out, as if seeking redemption.
But as Su Mingxiu stopped and looked down at her from the poolside, her gaze meeting Pao Tong’s, Pao Tong couldn’t say a word.
She desperately searched for the familiar gentleness in those black eyes—
Nothing. There was nothing.
Su Mingxiu’s eyes, when she was angry, were harder to read than the most complex ancient texts. Looking at her, Pao Tong truly realized that she hadn’t lost because she had taken a step back earlier.
But because, from the very beginning…
…she had never entered Su Mingxiu’s world.
Su Mingxiu waited for a long time, but Pao Tong didn’t say anything. So she turned to leave. But just then, Pao Tong, with newfound courage, suddenly asked: “Was your gift… for Suhui?”
The indoor swimming pool was enclosed, its metal roof blocking the sunlight and falling leaves. Pao Tong’s voice was loud enough to be heard by the director, who was explaining the filming details to Annie, the staff member encouraging Gigi to get in the water, and even Suhui, who had just changed and was walking out of the changing room.
With so many eyes on her, Su Mingxiu could only stare at Pao Tong silently.
She didn’t answer.
But her silence was a clear answer.
After a moment of silence, the noise and chatter resumed, filling Suhui’s ears.
She stood there, feeling the unyielding fire within her suddenly extinguish.
Her blue eyes remained fixed on Su Mingxiu. Never in her life, not even when hunting the most difficult prey, had she been so focused, as if she wanted to press her ear against Su Mingxiu’s lips from this distance.
So she could hear Su Mingxiu’s answer immediately.
But she waited and waited, until she became restless again, and she still hadn’t heard a single word of confirmation. From Suhui’s perspective, Su Mingxiu hadn’t even lowered her head.
Suhui suddenly felt a chill in her chest.
At first, she thought it was her body’s temperature regulation system finally kicking in, cooling down the heat within her. But it wasn’t.
It felt as if an iceberg from the Arctic Ocean had been placed in her chest, eternally frozen.
But the heat in her limbs still burned fiercely.
Suhui watched as Su Mingxiu turned and walked away silently. Even though there were rivals within her sight, she didn’t care. She suddenly wanted to laugh.
As she thought this, a smile appeared on her lips.
What are you expecting?
Suhui asked herself—
You already knew, this woman is fickle, promiscuous, and full of lies.
Even a little bit of intimacy has to be earned.
A gift in exchange for her gift, the kiss in the room because she taught her how to dance, the encounter in the bathroom because she wanted her to take off the necklace.
Suhui realized at this moment that Su Mingxiu didn’t like Pao Tong.
But she couldn’t feel any joy.
Because…
She realized that Su Mingxiu didn’t like her either.
This woman didn’t love anyone.
Suhui unconsciously touched the red coral tattoo on her wrist. Actually, Wang Zhi had noticed the change in both Su Mingxiu and Suhui earlier and had even subtly reminded Suhui to be careful.
Careful about what?
Suhui didn’t understand then. But now, she suddenly turned and went back to the bathroom. She peeled off the red coral, which had been clinging to her arm like a vine, and threw it in the trash can without a word.
Looking at the shriveled red coral lying alone in the trash can, her eyes were cold and indifferent, as if covered in a layer of frost.
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