Chapter 339 : Stop! Even My Dad Hasn't Hit Me Like This!
"Mom, wake up~"
Ling Ning, deep in a pleasant nap, suddenly felt a small weight on her body and a few nudges. She instinctively opened her eyes to see her daughter's adorable face staring down at her.
"What’s up?"
"Mom, how could you fall asleep in such a great place? You said you’d teach me how to swim!"
Ling Ye pouted angrily. She and Zhou Xiaoxiao had been playing by the water for quite a while before realizing something was missing. Turning back, they found Ling Ning sleeping under the beach umbrella, a complete betrayal of their expectations.
It was unthinkable! Ling Ye thought. Her mom had already napped during the car ride and didn’t go to bed late last night. Why was she still sleeping now? How could this happen?
Yawning lazily, Ling Ning replied, "My dear, people are strange creatures. Sometimes, even if you’ve slept for only a few hours, you’ll be bursting with energy the next day. Other times, even after sleeping all day, you’ll still feel tired. Your Mom is just having one of those days."
"Besides, we’re here for several days. Swimming can wait until tomorrow. Someone has to stay behind and watch our things. What if someone takes them?"
"I don’t care! Get up and teach me to swim right now!"
Ling Ye grabbed her mom’s hand and tried to pull her up, but no matter how strong she thought she was, there was no way she could move her mom, who wasn’t even exerting her full strength.
After several failed attempts, Ling Ye plopped down on the sand, crossing her arms and sulking.
Zhou Xiaoxiao, observing the scene, chuckled softly. She walked over to the cooler, grabbed two ice packs, and unceremoniously shoved them inside Ling Ning’s sun jacket.
Ling Ning, having just closed her eyes again, suddenly felt the icy chill crawling across her skin.
"Ahhh!"
With a sharp scream, she leapt to her feet. Two ice packs slid out of her jacket and landed in the sand. Ling Ning shot Zhou Xiaoxiao a glare filled with equal parts irritation and disbelief. She never thought Zhou Xiaoxiao would resort to such dirty tricks.
"Zhou! Xiao! Xiao!"
Seeing Ling Ning’s expression, Zhou Xiaoxiao froze momentarily before taking off at a sprint. She had no doubt that staying put would earn her a solid beating.
Ling Ning, now fully awake and seething, sprang into action and gave chase.
Their cat-and-mouse antics quickly turned into a spectacle for the other beachgoers.
Zhou Xiaoxiao initially had the upper hand, gaining a decent head start. But her excitement got the better of her. She misstepped in the loose sand, tripping over her own feet and falling face-first into the ground.
Luckily, it was sand, or she might have ended up with scrapes.
Before Zhou Xiaoxiao could recover, she felt the weight of Ling Ning pinning her down.
"Uh... Ling Ning, I was just messing around! No hard feelings, right?" Zhou Xiaoxiao tried her best to sound casual, but her voice betrayed her nervousness.
Ling Ning raised an eyebrow. "Oh, messing around? Then let me mess around a little too~"
She reached out and began playfully spanking Zhou Xiaoxiao’s backside. To her surprise, Zhou Xiaoxiao’s reaction made it... oddly satisfying.
"Ahhh! Stop it! Even my dad hasn’t hit me like this!" Zhou Xiaoxiao yelped, squirming to no avail. Despite her exaggerated thrashing, Ling Ning, perched firmly on her waist, barely felt it.
To Ling Ning’s dismay, Zhou Xiaoxiao’s reactions sounded less like genuine protests and more... playful. It was eerily reminiscent of those... inappropriate films Ling Ning had accidentally come across. She quickly dismissed the thought, blaming her overactive imagination.
After a few more light slaps, Ling Ning released Zhou Xiaoxiao. The beach had too many onlookers for her liking. If this needed to continue, she decided it could wait until they were back at the villa.
"That’s it?" Zhou Xiaoxiao asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"What?" Ling Ning blinked, unsure if she had heard correctly.
"Nothing! I mean, you’d better watch out—I’m going to get you back for this!" Zhou Xiaoxiao declared, puffing up her chest.
"I..." Ling Ning started to reply, but Zhou Xiaoxiao cut her off.
"Aren’t you supposed to teach me and Ye Ye how to swim? You’re awake now, so let’s get started!"
"Swimming lessons, huh? Alright, let’s go."
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"Ahhh, I can’t do it anymore. I need a break," Zhou Xiaoxiao groaned, clinging to her float ring with a defeated expression. She felt like she had swallowed half the ocean.
Ling Ning had gone over the basics with her countless times, yet Zhou Xiaoxiao couldn’t grasp it. She suspected her terrible hand-eye coordination was to blame. No wonder she had tripped earlier while running.
Looking over at Ling Ye, who was happily gliding through the water, Zhou Xiaoxiao felt thoroughly defeated. It’s one thing to lose to an adult, but a middle schooler? No, correction: soon-to-be middle schooler. That phrasing felt slightly less humiliating.
"Well, we’ve got plenty of time," Ling Ning said, glancing at her daughter. "If you can’t get it today, I’ll teach you again tomorrow."
"Got it," Zhou Xiaoxiao muttered, rolling her eyes. She had no faith in her ability to learn swimming, especially when even professional instructors hadn’t succeeded.
"Just take it easy," Ling Ning added, watching Zhou Xiaoxiao float on her ring. "Don’t drift too far out, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah. You go have fun."
As the warm sun and cool sea breeze enveloped her, Zhou Xiaoxiao suddenly felt her eyelids growing heavy. She could use a nap.
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Author’s Note:
Yesterday was a productive day—I wrote several chapters. Looks like I can coast on my backlog for a few days~