Disobedience To Control chapter 18

Wanna kiss me?

“Swimming trunks? How did you know my size?” Song Siheng walked up to Yang Xiaobei, unable to resist asking.

“Hehe.” Yang Xiaobei stopped, stood still, and circled his waist with his hands, “I measured it with my hands.”

Unlike the commercial swimming pools Song Siheng had visited before, this one was obviously an unused venue not open to the public. The ceiling inside was high, with semi-transparent glass bricks on top, allowing sunlight to pour onto the water surface. The light blue paint on the walls looked quite old, with traces of water seepage on both sides.

Below were standard fifty-meter competitive swimming lanes, and the metal handrails at the starting point were slightly rusted. But the water quality was still decent, with shimmering waves, and a faint smell of disinfectant in the air.

“What place is this?” Song Siheng put down his bag and looked around.

“I used to practice here. Now this side should be assigned to the city’s training team. They don’t have class today.” Yang Xiaobei, familiar with the place, pulled Song Siheng towards the changing room.

“You’re a swimmer?” Song Siheng asked from behind.

Yang Xiaobei paused for two seconds, then smiled, “Surprised?”

“So you’ve competed in North City? National competitions?” Song Siheng asked.

“Haha.” Yang Xiaobei draped his right arm around Song Siheng’s shoulder, “What’s up, boss? Falling for me? So interested in me?”

Song Siheng no longer entertained him and pushed his hand away, entering the locker room by himself.

The old-style swimming pool locker room had no partitions. About five rows of lockers stood opposite each other, with old wooden doors marked with numbers in black marker, some of which had faded and were barely legible. Some locker doors were still open, containing thermos flasks and swim goggles. Song Siheng guessed that these were personal items left by the athletes training here.

Opposite each other were light green lockers, with only a walnut-colored bench in the middle. Everyone had to undress openly in this large open space to put on their swimsuits.

Yang Xiaobei didn’t mind at all and quickly stripped off his clothes, putting on his swim trunks.

“Change.” Yang Xiaobei gestured to Song Siheng’s backpack with his eyes, “Your swim trunks are inside.”

Song Siheng was skeptical, opened his backpack, and felt around.

The next moment: “Yang! Xiao! Bei!”

The ceiling seemed to shake with his exclamation.

“If you buy me pink swim trunks again, I’ll kill you!”

Yang Xiaobei burst into laughter, holding up the swim trunks in his hand, “They’re so cute, they match your skin tone perfectly. And look, they’re a perfect match with mine.”

“Get lost, I’ll wear yours.” Song Siheng said, reaching for Yang’s swim trunks.

In the spacious locker room, there was a bit of commotion.

Five minutes later, in the deserted swimming pool.

Yang Xiaobei stood by the pool in slightly tight pink swim trunks.

“Violence. This is oppression by force.” Yang Xiaobei looked righteous.

“This is self-defense, shut up.”

Song Siheng, originally similar in stature to Yang Xiaobei, fit perfectly into his sleek blue swim trunks.

“What style do you know?” Yang Xiaobei stood at the starting block, stretched his legs, and then loosened the muscles in his shoulders.

“Breaststroke.” Song Siheng recalled, he had only learned this stroke for survival during college.

“Today, I’ll teach you a freestyle, master class.” Yang Xiaobei put on his swimming cap, stepped onto the starting block, and patted his shoulder boastfully, “Let me demonstrate for you first.”

Soon, he bent down, fingers gripping the starting block. There was no starting gun, no referee, just endless ripples ahead.

Bang! Like a fish, Yang Xiaobei leaped from the starting block, his hands stretched out and crossed in front of him, slicing through the water like a sharp blade. The calm pool was disturbed by layers of white waves.

Yang Xiaobei swam underwater for over ten meters before coming up for air. He raised his elbows, then high-elbowed, then turned his shoulders, propelling himself with his hips.

Half of the fifty-meter pool was crossed in an instant. Song Siheng stood at the starting block, watching him swim farther and farther, his heartbeat synchronizing with the movement of his body.

Yang Xiaobei’s leg movements were smooth and beautiful, with his thighs driving his calves, like wearing fins, fluttering up and down. The water couldn’t keep up with his speed.

The timing for turning and pushing off the wall was perfect, and Yang Xiaobei did a somersault underwater, then pushed off with his legs to start the return journey smoothly.

There was a huge electronic clock at the end of the swimming pool. Before the second hand completed a full circle, Yang Xiaobei’s palm had already touched the wall.

Splash! He grabbed the lane marker on the pool side and emerged from the water, lifting his head from the surface and shaking his hair, droplets scattered like fireworks in the air.

“How was that?” He looked up at Song Siheng, like a stray dog bringing back a frisbee, awaiting praise from passersby.

For the first time, Song Siheng couldn’t help but smile, “Not bad.”

Yang Xiaobei grabbed the handrail on shore, took two steps onto land, and sat down next to Song Siheng, legs stretched out on the poolside.

“Do you want a kickboard?” Yang Xiaobei asked him.

“Who do you think you are?” Song Siheng jumped into the water without a second thought, immediately floating up.

Yang Xiaobei laughed and followed suit.

“Here, give me your hand.”

It had been a while since Song Siheng had swum, and he felt a bit uncomfortable entering the deep water. Seeing Yang Xiaobei reach out to him, he straightened his arms and grabbed his hand.

With winter approaching, the pool water was noticeably chilly, but Yang Xiaobei’s palms were slightly warm.

“Unlike breaststroke, freestyle relies more on your core and hip strength.” Yang Xiaobei supported his arm, gesturing with his eyes. “Come on, tighten your ass, engage your core.”

Song Siheng immediately held his breath, his whole body rigid like a floating log.

“Relax your arms and shoulders, don’t be tense. Just focus on tightening your core and watch your butt.” Yang Xiaobei noticed his stiffness and smiled.

In the water, one couldn’t behave as freely as on land. Song Siheng could only obey Yang Xiaobei’s instructions.

“No wonder your legs look so good.” Yang Xiaobei watched his straightened legs and remarked with a grin, “People who learn breaststroke always have good-looking legs.”

“Are you going to teach or not?” Song Siheng popped his head out of the water, unable to resist teasing him back.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaobei had to put away his playful demeanor. “Come on, let’s start with kicking. Remember, let your thighs drive your calves, imagine yourself like a whip hitting the water.”

With Song Siheng’s decent athletic foundation, he quickly grasped the kicking technique.

“Now, I’ll let go of your hand a bit. See if you can move forward by kicking.” Yang Xiaobei said he’d let go, but his fingers still half supported Song Siheng’s arm.

Song Siheng stretched out his arms and swung his legs as Yang Xiaobei instructed. With each kick, water splashed, and unexpectedly, Song Siheng propelled himself forward by four or five meters.

“Seems like you’ve got some talent,” Yang Xiaobei said, clapping his hands.

“Alright, teach me how to breathe and stroke,” Song Siheng said confidently.

“Forget it. Today’s lesson is only about kicking. You need to master the basics before moving on,” Yang Xiaobei said, adopting a stern teacherly demeanor.

Song Siheng didn’t argue with him. But then he couldn’t help but feel something was off. If they only taught one technique in this session, did it mean they would continue meeting like this for the next few weeks?

Forty-five minutes passed quickly, and Yang Xiaobei’s coaching was thorough and responsible. Song Siheng could now smoothly perform freestyle kicks and swim nearly ten meters in one breath.

Having spent a while in the water, Song Siheng, now in his swim trunks, had adapted to the slightly lower temperature of the swimming pool.

Soon, the two of them got out of the pool.

Song Siheng sat by the poolside, resting, while Yang Xiaobei went back to the locker room to shower and change.

After the teaching session ended, the venue became quiet. Only the ticking of the electronic clock on the wall could be heard.

Song Siheng stared at the surface of the swimming pool, sitting silently for about ten minutes, but Yang Xiaobei didn’t return. Song Siheng decided to get up and head to the locker room.

To his surprise, there was nobody in the shower room or the changing room. Song Siheng noticed Yang Xiaobei’s backpack was still there, indicating he hadn’t gone far. He decided to use the shower.

He turned on the old shower head inside and waited for half a minute before finally getting hot water. He quickly showered, then used the towel left by Yang Xiaobei on the bench to dry himself. When he emerged, he changed into the sports T-shirt and casual pants he had brought.

Standing in front of the mirror, drying his hair halfway, Song Siheng suddenly heard a male voice from outside.

“Come out! I’ve bought something for you!” It was Yang Xiaobei.

Song Siheng neatly folded the towel and put it away before heading out.

He saw Yang Xiaobei had changed into new clothes and was sitting on a bench by the pool, waving a plastic bag when he saw Song Siheng coming out.

“You left?” Song Siheng sat down beside him.

“After swimming, I need to replenish some energy, or else I’ll have low blood sugar,” Yang Xiaobei said, taking out two small items from the plastic bag.

As Song Siheng looked, he saw two lollipops, one strawberry-flavored and the other orange-flavored.

Yang Xiaobei opened the strawberry-flavored one without waiting for Song Siheng to speak and put it in his mouth, releasing a sweet fragrance.

Song Siheng didn’t take the other one from his hand. Yang Xiaobei turned to him, saying, “Oh, I forgot to ask what flavor you like. Do you want mine?”

He offered the strawberry-flavored one to Song Siheng.

“I don’t like tasting other people’s saliva,” Song Siheng pushed away his hand.

Yang Xiaobei looked at him, saying, “Tsk tsk, boss, you’re so vulgar.”

Song Siheng smirked, “Can I be as vulgar as you? Your face screams sleaze.”

Yang Xiaobei took the strawberry lollipop again, looking unashamed.

Winter dusk arrived early, around four or five o’clock, and the glass bricks on the top of the swimming pool let in a bit of orange light, tinting the previously light blue water surface with warm hues.

Some light reflected on Song Siheng’s cheeks.

“You really won’t eat it?” Yang Xiaobei shook the orange-flavored lollipop in front of him, waiting for his response.

Song Siheng seemed lost in thought as he looked at the water’s surface. He absentmindedly took the lollipop, but didn’t unwrap it, just holding it in his palm, turning it over and over.

The only sound between them was the crinkling of the candy wrapper.

Crunch. Yang Xiaobei bit into the strawberry candy, filling the air with a stronger sweet scent.

For some reason, Song Siheng glanced at him, and the orange glow of the sunset reflected in his dark pupils.

Their eyes met, and silence enveloped them. Song Siheng could hear a somewhat chaotic heartbeat, but he couldn’t tell if it was his own or the other’s.

After five seconds, Yang Xiaobei leaned in, whispering softly when they were less than two inches apart, “Wanna kiss me?”