Time passed. A cold night wind blew in, dispersing some of the warm mist.
Song Xia swept her arms through the water. As she lifted one pale arm, water streamed between her fingers.
Worry crept into her expression. It had been almost fifteen minutes since Bai Tingting left.
At first, Song Xia had assumed Tingting had a stomachache, so she hadn't rushed to look for her. But after waiting so long without seeing her return, she began to worry.
"Tingting, are you done?"
Song Xia looked into the distance and called out.
She hadn't expected an answer, but a faint, alluring voice came from somewhere behind a large rock nearby.
"X-Xia... I'm... coming..."
Song Xia froze at the sound. Her expression turned uneasy.
The Bai Tingting she knew had never sounded so... seductive. She couldn't help asking worriedly,
"Tingting, your voice sounds a little strange. Are you okay?"
Bai Tingting answered again, this time sounding more restrained and more like herself.
"Oh, my stomach was hurting badly, so I took longer than I meant to. Sorry I made you worry."
"I see... Does it still hurt?"
"Mm... I feel much better now..."
Song Xia accepted that it really had been a stomachache and asked no more.
A few more minutes passed without Bai Tingting appearing. Song Xia grew puzzled. The rock was only a dozen or so meters away. How could she be walking so slowly?
With that thought, she moved through the water toward the rock.
The closer she got, the more clearly she heard faint, stifled panting. It made her cheeks warm, and she called softly,
"Tingting?"
"Ah... X-Xia, w-what is it?"
Bai Tingting opened her watery eyes. Panic flashed through them as she hurried to answer.
"Tingting, why are you walking so slowly? It's been minutes, and