I Fell In Love With My Rival (GL) - Chapter 23

The days of tutoring continued one after another. In addition to regular sessions, Fu Erqiu also prepared numerous small quizzes, testing Su Chunyin under actual exam conditions.

Su Chunyin struggled with the questions, and her scores rarely improved. Even though her heart wasn’t truly in it for academic achievement, the feeling of working hard without seeing results was frustrating. The constant disappointment gradually wore her down, and she became visibly deflated.

Noticing her low spirits, Fu Erqiu explained, “These quizzes are designed based on your weak points. While your scores may not seem high, after the post-test reviews and targeted corrections, you’re actually mastering these topics quite well. If you were to take a regular school exam now, you’d definitely do better than before.”

Su Chunyin only half-understood what she meant, but since Fu Erqiu said so, she couldn’t help but believe it must be true.

Summer vacation passed quickly amid all the tutoring. Several times, people from the “Chirpy Study Support Squad” called to invite her out, but she turned them down each time with a righteous excuse: “I have tutoring.”

Song Rao and the others would tease her in the group chat, asking about her progress in “chasing her target.” Su Chunyin boasted with great bravado that everything was going smoothly—but in reality, she knew very well that there had been absolutely no progress between her and Fu Erqiu.

Ever since she saw those suggestive videos that night, things between them felt awkward. Although she still clung to Fu Erqiu like usual most of the time, whenever there was unintentional physical contact, she’d freeze up. The flirty remarks that used to roll off her tongue now stalled in her throat whenever she saw Fu Erqiu’s face.

There was no real reason except one: every time it happened, her mind would wander back to those videos, back to that bizarre dream. Fu Erqiu’s bare lips seemed to beckon her for a kiss, her fair skin tempting her to explore. Su Chunyin began to worry something might be wrong with her.

In the group chat, Song Rao tried to convince her to give up. She said Fu Erqiu was too hard to seduce, and Lu Fang was clearly heartless. Why not find a new target—someone better looking and easier to manage?

Su Chunyin responded with dramatic flair:

[Wait until your birthday! I’ll book the largest VIP room at the city’s fanciest KTV and fill it with male models—tall, hot, sweet guys, any type you want!]

But in truth, Su Chunyin had zero interest in so-called “hot young men.” She was a nostalgic and loyal type. She remembered all the good things Lu Fang had done for her—and she couldn’t forget.

To Song Rao’s suggestion of moving on, Su Chunyin replied firmly:

[Just wait. I don’t care if it’s Fu Erqiu or Fu Sanqiu—there’s no one Su Chunyin can’t win over!]

With words like that, her friends could only cheer her on.

Surprisingly, Su Zhi stayed away the entire summer, and Xu Yuhui—also unusually—remained at home for the whole vacation.

As summer neared its end, Xu Yuhui suddenly decided to have the long-neglected rooftop swimming pool cleaned up. Su Chunyin, seizing the break from tutoring, went swimming. The next day, when Fu Erqiu came over and couldn’t find her, she called.

“I’m at the rooftop pool. No tutoring today—come swim with me!” Su Chunyin said in a rush before tossing her phone aside and diving back in.

Fu Erqiu didn’t know where the rooftop pool was, so she asked the butler to take her there via the private elevator.

When she arrived, Su Chunyin was butterfly-stroking across the water, her arms slicing powerfully as waves shimmered over her body and down to her thighs. Her sleek one-piece swimsuit accentuated her graceful form; from a distance, she looked like a butterfly in flight, chasing ripples through water.

Su Chunyin glanced her way but kept swimming, only stopping after completing a full lap.

Surfacing, she pushed her goggles up and casually wiped her face. “Can you swim?”

Fu Erqiu nodded. She’d grown up in a coastal village in Jiangcheng, where swimming was as common as walking. Though not professionally trained, she was more than capable in a pool.

Su Chunyin handed her the goggles. “Wanna join me?”

“I didn’t bring a swimsuit.”

“That’s easy.” Su Chunyin made a quick call, and the butler soon arrived with a brand-new swimsuit in her exact size. Fu Erqiu accepted it without hesitation and went to change.

While she was in the changing room, Su Chunyin leaned against the poolside, scrolling on her phone. Song Rao messaged privately, trying to pry about their progress. Naturally, Su Chunyin wasn’t about to tell the truth and dodged with vague answers.

It took Fu Erqiu a while to come out, tugging awkwardly at the straps of the one-piece. “It’s a bit tight.”

Su Chunyin looked up in surprise. She had the swimsuit bought according to Fu Erqiu’s school fitness report—how could it be small?

And then she saw the problem. The waist, hips, and length were all fine… but the bust was not.

Most of Su Chunyin’s friends were teenage girls just starting to develop. Even the most curvy among them was probably a B or C cup. So that’s what she had asked the butler to buy. But Fu Erqiu clearly exceeded that.

Hidden by the baggy school uniform, her figure had never been obvious before. But now, in the snug light-blue swimsuit, her long legs were fully revealed, and the tight upper half strained to contain her chest.

Each step caused a slight bounce, dangerously close to spilling out.

Su Chunyin should’ve felt envious or insecure—but instead, the only word that came to her mind was:

Seductive.

Yes, she just called her classmate, her fake crush, seductive.

“Should I just get in?” Fu Erqiu asked, standing at the pool’s edge.

Su Chunyin didn’t reply. Instead, she dove straight into the water.

A splash of droplets hit Fu Erqiu’s face. She wiped them away, then slid in too.

Her strokes weren’t as technical as Su Chunyin’s, but they were smooth and natural—more like a free-floating fish than any formal style.

When Su Chunyin surfaced, she saw Fu Erqiu had completed a lap and waved. “Wanna race?”

Fu Erqiu raised a brow. “How?”

“Ten laps around the pool. Start and end at the white line near the changing room. Whoever finishes first gets to make the other do one thing.”

Fu Erqiu paused, considering.

Thinking she would refuse, Su Chunyin shrugged it off, putting her goggles back on and preparing to swim again.

“Alright,” Fu Erqiu finally said.

Su Chunyin shouted, “Start!” and launched forward, determined to win now that Fu Erqiu had agreed.

She’d trained with a coach in elementary school and was confident. For the first few laps, she led by a significant margin.

Fu Erqiu, swimming by instinct, lagged at first—but her endurance began to show. Gradually, she closed the gap.

Su Chunyin noticed and pushed herself harder.

The rooftop pool was huge. Even one lap was exhausting, and ten would push anyone to their limits. She had already been swimming before Fu Erqiu arrived and was beginning to feel the strain. Her right leg started to cramp.

Maybe she hadn’t warmed up properly.

Normally, she would’ve stopped and massaged it—but she didn’t want to lose. Not with Fu Erqiu so close behind.

When was the last time she had swum like this, with such pure joy?

She couldn’t remember. But with Fu Erqiu chasing from behind, that old spark had reignited. She swam faster, harder, exhilarated.

On the final lap, the gap was down to two body lengths.

Her leg throbbed painfully. Gritting her teeth, she powered forward.

The finish line was in sight.

Fu Erqiu was right behind her.

Su Chunyin pushed harder, lungs burning, goggles fogging with every desperate breath.

Just a little more…

She made it.

Barely.

But she made it.

She won.

Joy surged through her chest as she gasped for air, already pondering what kind of request to make.

The area near the changing room was a deep-water zone. As she swam toward the shallow end, the pain in her leg suddenly exploded through her whole body. Darkness engulfed her as she sank.

Through the shimmering blue, she vaguely saw Fu Erqiu diving after her. It was like a scene from a B-grade romance film—dappled light on tile, muffled bubbles, lips moving soundlessly underwater.

And then—

Lips pressed against hers.

Unreal.

The light, the pressure, the taste of chlorine, the sensation of sinking—it all blurred together. But those lips stood out clearly.

She had imagined kissing many times—sweet ones, wild ones—but none as vivid as this.

Skin to skin.

Fu Erqiu’s lips weren’t sweet, or overly soft. They were real.

Cool to the touch.

That was her last thought before she lost consciousness.