Section 4

"Well said! Zichen, when they come up later, let the two newcomers take turns, guided by the old members," Cheng Jiayang said.

After Mingmei joined the diving group, she researched a lot of related materials and, upon glancing at the logo on the equipment, she thought to herself: What a money burner!

The deeper the seawater, the more azure it becomes, gradually obscuring the faint light above. Seaweed sways gracefully, and various schools of fish swim back and forth, flicking their tails. This is a vibrant and colorful world unseen on the surface, both silent and lively

"I am sorry, Senior Brother," Mingmei said to Cheng Jiayang

When she woke up again, she was already lying on the side of the boat, surrounded by people. Cheng Jiayang looked at her with a face full of reproach: "Mingmei, are you trying to throw your life away? Why show off on your first time in the water! You treated all the precautions I told you earlier as if they were just passing whispers, didn't you!"

At this moment, Mingmei began to feel a sense of dizziness, as if the water surrounding her had solidified into a heavy pressure, pressing in on her from all sides. Her breathing turned into intense gasps, and her eardrums throbbed with pain. Panic surged within her, and she froze in place, disregarding any sense of pride or self-respect, desperately pressing the signal light for help. However, Fu Zicheng remained oblivious, continuing to sink deeper. His figure gradually became blurred in Mingmei's eyes. She wanted to scream loudly, but felt as if her heart and lungs were about to explode.

The depth reached sixteen meters

A group of people first went to the equipment room to collect their gear, then they cheerfully made their way to the school gate, each member filled with excitement, and the earlier minor complaints had long since vanished.

Mingmei cast a grateful glance at Chao Chengjia, who winked at her, appearing to others as if they were exchanging affectionate glances.

"Alright!" Cheng Jiayang responded readily.

The thought of that despairing feeling of suffocation underwater makes Mingmei let out a deep sigh, and she thinks to herself that it is better to keep a distance from him in the future

The journey from the school to the dock takes half an hour. Throughout the ride, the boys were quite lively, sharing cold jokes and risqué stories, laughing heartily when the mood struck them, completely disregarding Mingmei as a girl. They even attempted to coax her into joining their banter, but Mingmei waved her hand in refusal, quickly closed her eyes, and pretended to catch up on sleep.

Bright and beautiful yet frowning, why does Fu Zichen want to bring her along? If he wants to see her embarrassed, shouldn't he be teaching the other person instead? But as long as she can get into the water, who cares!

The first to enter the water were two veteran members, who also served as a demonstration for the newcomers. After completing their warm-up exercises and checking their equipment, the two of them donned their gear and made a gesture, diving in synchronously with a very graceful posture. Watching their figures slowly disappear beneath the water's surface, Mingmei felt a twinge of excitement and couldn't help but run over to Cheng Jiayang to ask, "Senior Brother, can the new members dive in today"

"Little Junior Sister, not bad at all, reaching 16 meters. Although you were pulled up by someone, it's still twice as good as my first achievement!" A senior sister gave Mingmei a thumbs up.

As it was the first training session for the new member, Fu Zichen chose a relatively nearby small island. Forty minutes later, the boat arrived at the training base

At that moment, the bright and cheerful girl, who had originally been slightly bowing her head, happened to tilt it just right, colliding with Fu Zichen's unabashed gaze fixed upon her. The hint of a smile that danced at the corner of his mouth sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.

Mingmei pouted and quickened her pace, but after diving down for a short distance, the feeling of breathlessness struck her again. This time, it seemed a bit more difficult than the first. However, she saw Fu Zichen, who was five meters away from her, making a gesture that said, "Come down!" Without a second thought, she dove down again

"I am sorry, Senior Brother." When she spoke, she felt that her throat was both dry and painful. She slightly tilted her head and saw Fu Zichen leaning against the railing diagonally opposite her. He had already changed out of his diving suit, crossed his arms, and raised the corners of his mouth while looking at her, his gaze speaking volumes.

This remark successfully piqued Fu Zicheng's curiosity, as there are indeed not many girls who can earn Cheng Jiayang's praise. "Oh? In what way is she unique?" he raised an eyebrow.

Mingmei quickly stood shoulder to shoulder with Fu Zichen, indicating that the depth on the gauge was 12 meters

Cheng Jiayang looked at her in surprise: "Why don't you ask the team leader?" He was the typical kind of lazy person who relies on higher-ups to think through problems for him.

"Alright, then I'll take her," Fu Zichen replied nonchalantly, pointing at Mingmei. He added, "You take the other one, and let's have a competition to see which master is more skilled"

Fu Zichen naturally understood the meaning behind his words. He did not respond but merely smiled, a smile that was light and unassuming, leaving even Cheng Jiayang, who considered himself to know him well, somewhat puzzled. After a pause, he said: "She is quite a unique girl"

Get lost

Mingmei quickly stood up, her gaze inadvertently glancing at Fu Zichen, who was standing beside Cheng Jiayang. He was also looking at her, his charming peach blossom eyes slightly squinted, seemingly plotting something mischievous.

Mingmei came to a stop, reminding herself not to panic, and slowly adjusted her breathing in a calm manner. Indeed, her body gradually adapted to the intense pressure underwater, and she felt much more at ease.

The bright and cheerful Mingmei immediately made a choice upon hearing that they were really going to set sail and dive into the water. What was there to be afraid of? At most, it would just be a personal vendetta! She packed her pen and notebook and walked outside with her team members. As she thought about her upcoming first dive, her heart was filled with anticipation and excitement, and her steps became lighter.

Mingmei was initially somewhat concerned that the bus would be overcrowded on the weekend, but to her surprise, two jeeps drove up right in front of a few people, with Fu Zichen and Cheng Jiayang sitting in the driver's seats. The veteran members were already accustomed to this, while only Mingmei and another new member showed surprise at such generous treatment for the event. At this pause, when Mingmei was about to get in the car, she realized there was only one seat available, which was next to Fu Zichen in the passenger seat. She took a deep breath and sat down.

Mingmei had also swum in the sea before, but the sensation at this moment was completely different from swimming. As she slowly descended, she began to feel a bit uncomfortable, as if many organs in her body were being squeezed by the powerful seawater. Breathing became less smooth, and she thought it was because she had descended too quickly and too far, yet the indicator clearly showed that she had just passed two meters. Looking down, Fu Zichen's figure was about three meters below, his bright yellow fins resembling a tropical fish swimming freely and joyfully.

Withdraw from the group? Continue? Withdraw from the group? Continue? ... Withdraw from the group ... ... Continue ... ...

It's nothing. Let's hurry and go, today we are going out to sea.

Fu Zichen was somewhat surprised that she had caught up so quickly. He knew it was her first time in the water, yet she was able to regulate her breathing and state so well, which he found commendable. He glanced at her and increased his speed, continuing to dive deeper.

Should we withdraw from the group or continue?

Fu Zichen gazed at her deeply; this was the first sentence she had spoken to him today, yet it lacked a subject and a form of address, which left him quite displeased. Therefore, after a prolonged silence, he lazily opened his mouth and said: "Do you think you have that capability?" The tone was light, but the meaning was anything but.

This, one can only comprehend but cannot articulate

Fu Zichen sat at the head of the conference table and spoke coolly: "Welcome new members, I am Fu Zichen, the leader of the diving team, a junior in the Department of Marine Biology." After finishing his words, he cast a faint glance around the conference room, finally resting his gaze on Mingmei. He clenched his fist, as if the pain in his left calf bone was still lingering; then he slowly relaxed his fingers, a barely perceptible smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. What a small world this is!

The bright reverie was interrupted when Cheng Jiayang slammed a book onto the table in front of her. She looked up in a daze and realized that everyone had stood up and was walking towards the door, with several pairs of eyes staring at her oddly. Cheng Jiayang whistled and teased with a mischievous smile, "Junior Sister, which handsome guy were you thinking about just now? I called you three times already"

Mingmei, sensing the sarcasm in his words, bit her lip, suppressing the anger within her, and smiled slightly: "There is always a first time for everything; how would one know without trying."

The ship slowly sailed away. Although it was the cold winter of December, the weather was quite pleasant, with sunlight reflecting golden rays on the surface of the sea. The vast expanse of the azure water shimmered, and even the sea breeze had turned gentle. Mingmei leaned against the ship's railing, taking a deep breath; she had an innate deep affection for the ocean.

Cheng Jiayang glanced at him, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of his mouth, "Are you interested?"

At this moment, Mingmei finally understood why he insisted on bringing her into the water. This person was even more vengeful than she had imagined

At the very moment of entering the water, Mingmei felt a bit nervous, even though she had watched many training videos online. However, discussing theory is one thing, and putting it into practice is another. Fu Zichen donned his own set of light diving gear and gestured to her to enter the water. Then, with a "thud," he had already plunged into the water. Mingmei gritted her teeth and followed suit with a "thud" as she fell into the water right after him

From beginning to end, she did not say a word to Fu Zichen, who was driving quietly.

She continued to dive deeper, slightly increasing her speed in an attempt to catch up with Fu Zichen

Mingmei turned to the side and asked Fu Zicheng, "Is it okay?"

Fu Zichen looked at her back, feeling somewhat surprised. He had originally thought she would withdraw from the group, but unexpectedly, she chose to stay.

Upon arriving at the dock, the previously contacted ship was already moored at the shore, waiting. When they began to move the equipment, Mingmei discovered that in addition to the two sets of old heavy submersibles from the school, there were also two additional sets of light submersibles. An old team member standing beside her explained that these were the personal equipment of Fu Zichen and Cheng Jiayang

These two voices in Mingmei's mind were like a pair of arch-enemies, constantly intertwining and clashing, causing everything that Fu Zichen had said to become nothing but fleeting clouds.