Waterbound Love - Chapter 10

“Girl, look quickly, over there, someone’s drowning!” Master Du suddenly stood up and pointed for Du Bai to see, in his panic “accidentally” kicking Du Bai’s fish basket into the river.

Du Bai followed the direction Master Du was pointing and saw only a white object bobbing up and down in the water. Then she heard a splash. Looking towards the sound, she saw her fish basket had fallen into the river and couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. “Hey, grandpa, you’re cheating.”

Most people, when questioned like this, would probably be blushing with embarrassment by now, but that’s not our unflappable Master Du.

“It was an accident, an accident!” he thought to himself, marveling at how sharp the girl he raised had become.

But Du Bai wasn’t going to let it go. “Grandpa, you deliberately distracted me first by saying there’s someone drowning-” As Du Bai followed the direction she pointed, all her words caught in her throat, and she swallowed hard. “Grandpa, do people wear clothes when they swim in winter?”

Master Du realized something was wrong and gave Du Bai a sharp knock on the head. “What winter swimming? Hurry and save that person.” His commanding presence was so awe-inspiring that Du Bai didn’t dare talk back.

Du Bai tested the water with her foot; it was so cold it sent a shiver through her. Just as she was about to retreat, a force pushed her into the river. Du Bai realized too late that her grandpa had kicked her in. She cursed inwardly, thinking it would have been better if Secretary Zhang were here. Then she and her grandpa could watch his heroic deed instead.

The river wasn’t deep, and Du Bai wondered how someone could have drowned in it. Perhaps the cold water was enough to cause muscle cramps, even if it wasn’t frozen.

After much effort, she managed to pull the person ashore. The young man had his eyes closed, and his pale, fine-featured face looked even paler from the long soak in the cold water. His lips were purple. Du Bai checked his breathing; he seemed to have stopped, but his heart was still beating. Without hesitation, she kicked him in the stomach, perhaps partly out of frustration. She controlled her strength enough to make it painful. The boy coughed up water and started breathing again, albeit with difficulty.

Master Du looked over and pulled at Du Bai, trying to curry favor, “This girl has no sense of gentleness at all.”

Du Bai glanced at Master Du, thinking, just pulling him out was gentle enough. Master Du felt a bit guilty under that glare and awkwardly walked over to the boy’s side, squatted down, and looked at him, “Young lady, what’s so unbearable that you’d jump into the river to commit suicide on such a cold day? It’s a lot of suffering.”

After saying this, both of them were filled with awkwardly dark expressions. The drowning boy thought, I’ll forgive you for being old and blurry-eyed. Du Bai thought, since when do people committing suicide hold on tightly to their rescuer?

“Old Du, we’ve saved him, let’s go. It’s freezing.”

Master Du knew that when Du Bai called him “Old Du,” she was close to losing her temper, and even being her grandpa wouldn’t help now. He certainly couldn’t go against her at this moment.

The boy thought, what would I do if they leave? Looking around, he felt that the person who rescued him was the more authoritative figure, so his eyes instinctively turned to Du Bai with a confused and pleading look.

Du Bai glanced at him, raised an eyebrow, wanting to see what kind of act he would put on. She folded her arms and watched leisurely.

Wei Qingqian, seeing this stalemate, realized that Du Bai was not going to be easy to sway. He turned his pleading gaze to Master Du, looking even more innocent. Master Du felt a pang of empathy; his heart was itching like it was being scratched by a cat’s paw.

“Girl, could this child be scared out of his wits?”

Scared out of his wits? Du Bai rolled her eyes, “Grandpa, drowning doesn’t cause amnesia. Let’s go quickly.”

The word “amnesia” seemed to trigger an idea in Wei Qingqian. His eyes turned timid, and he softly said, “Grandpa, what happened to me?”

Master Du’s face lit up with joy upon hearing this. If someone was wandering around here, they were likely the child of one of his old comrades-in-arms. The background should be fine. Having someone to keep him company made him happy. “Girl, he seems to really have lost his memory. We can’t just leave him here; let’s take him back with us.” In front of his granddaughter, Master Du was no longer the imposing general but a completely doting old man.

Noticing Du Bai’s reluctance, Wei Qingqian’s eyes welled up with tears as he hugged Master Du and muttered, “Grandpa, you’re so kind.” However, in Master Du’s embrace, he grimaced, thinking, Damn it, I should’ve gone easier on myself. He rubbed his sore thigh, almost dying from the pain. Du Bai watched coldly, feeling goosebumps rising all over her body. She said nothing but was curious to see what he was up to.

Grandma Du had passed away several years ago. Master Du, Du Zhangde, was deeply attached to her and had no plans to remarry. Fortunately, the villas neighboring the ancestral home belonged to familiar comrades, so he would fish and play chess in his leisure time, not finding it boring. Sometimes, he would even spar with new recruits and reminisce about the good old days, living a fairly content life.

Currently, most of the Du Family members had left, leaving only Master Du and Du Bai in the ancestral home. Now, with the addition of Wei Qingqian, the dynamic had changed.

Wei Qingqian continued to feign amnesia all the way back. In front of Master Du, he acted so innocent and feeble, almost dripping with pitiful charm. Master Du enthusiastically took on the responsibility of caring for him and even racked his brains to come up with the name Du Shui for him. Hearing Wei Qingqian sweetly complimenting Master Du’s literary talent, Du Bai felt a shiver down her spine.

“Literary talent? Really? That might have been stylish back in the ’50s, but dude, didn’t you see how grandpa’s eyes are squinting like a sly fox’s?”

The first floor of the ancestral home had the living room, dining room, and entertainment areas. The second floor housed the rooms for Du Bai’s generation, while the third floor was for her parents’ generation. Across the garden, there was an independent small courtyard with rooms for Master Du and the late Grandma Du, including a study. After all, most elders preferred some peace and quiet.

Wei Qingqian was assigned the room next to Du Bai’s, which originally belonged to Du Eldest, for the convenience of Du Bai looking after him. Du Bai thought it was a good idea-she could keep an eye on him.

Du Bai didn’t like sleeping with any lights on. She turned off all the lights and lay in bed, looking at the moon through the floor-to-ceiling window. She then heard the soft turning of the doorknob. The night was exceptionally quiet, making the sound just faint enough. Du Bai let out a cold chuckle, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep.

Feeling someone approaching, then standing by the window, seemingly hesitating without making a move, Wei Qingqian wrestled with his decision. He finally made up his mind and slowly leaned towards Du Bai’s face. Just as he was about to make contact, Du Bai suddenly opened her eyes, those mesmerizing eyes glinting eerily. Shocked, Wei Qingqian instinctively recoiled.

Before he could retreat further, Du Bai seized his outstretched arm, twisted around him, yanking it behind his back, forcing him to his knees with his torso pressed against the bed.

“Little Shui, feeling lonely, are we?” Du Bai taunted, one foot pinning Wei Qingqian while the other hand patted his cheek, looking every bit like a kidnapper.

“Let me go,” Wei Qingqian growled internally, regretting ever underestimating this cunning woman.

“Why would I let you go when I finally caught you?” she teased, blowing a playful breath towards his ear. Her free hand slid down the back of his neck, caressing his skin, making Wei Qingqian flush with embarrassment. He tried to stay composed, “I-I warn you, I know martial arts, don’t you dare, don’t you dare try anything!”

Seeing Wei Qingqian’s flustered state, Du Bai’s mischievous mood heightened. She flipped him onto the bed, positioning herself over him. Leaning in slowly, their breaths nearly mingling, the tension grew as their lips almost touched. Watching Wei Qingqian’s tightly shut eyes, as if facing impending doom, she softly spoke, “You came in here planning to do something to me, right? Now, what’s the difference if I do something to you?” Her voice was so soft and enchanting, it seemed it could flow like water.

Wei Qingqian was at a loss for words, his heart racing as if it would leap out of his chest. He met her bright, alluring eyes, and just before Du Bai could make her next move, he shut his eyes tightly.

Suddenly, he felt his hands and feet being secured. Opening his eyes, he found she had somehow removed his outer clothes and tied his hands together. Just as he prepared to struggle, his legs were entangled, leaving him in a helpless position like a pig awaiting slaughter, infuriating Wei Qingqian to his core.

“You damned woman, what are you doing?”

Du Bai curled her lips into a smile, raising an eyebrow at him. “Since the Little Young Master of the Wei Family seems to like my room, as the host, I naturally need to show proper hospitality, don’t you think?” She gave his cheek a patronizing pat, as if her work was done.

“How… how did you know?” Wei Qingqian was genuinely surprised.

“Seems like Little Shui really underestimates me. How could we let you stay here without thoroughly verifying your identity and ensuring everything’s safe?” Du Bai retorted.

Being inexperienced, Wei Qingqian hadn’t considered such layers of complexity. “Then why don’t you let me go?”

“I don’t feel at ease letting you go.” She walked to the other side of the bed and pulled the blanket over herself with the utmost nonchalance, as if he didn’t exist.

“You old witch, you-”

The rest of his words were muffled as Du Bai stuffed a pillowcase into his mouth.

Wei Qingqian struggled against it for a while, but it wouldn’t budge, leaving him able only to make muffled sounds. He whimpered furiously, but when Du Bai raised her hand, all his noises ceased immediately. His thoughts screamed at how tightly this ugly woman had stuffed it.

Watching Du Bai’s serene sleeping face, he wondered if all women were this cute when they slept. He slowly squirmed closer to her, but just as he was about to reach her, she kicked him away. Pain flooded him, making him whimper again, but Du Bai didn’t open her eyes. She calmly warned, “Sleep quietly. Next time, I’ll kick you off the bed.”

Wei Qingqian glanced at the gleaming hardwood floor and shivered, letting out a fervent sigh of surrender.

Moonlight bathed the room, casting a harmonious glow over everything.

Morning came, and Du Bai stretched luxuriously, feeling incredibly refreshed. She glanced at Wei Qingqian, who was curled up beside her, frowning tightly in discomfort. Honestly, the kid looked quite bewitching. With some training, he could probably become a popular gigolo, appealing to both men and women. She chuckled softly, realizing how long it had been since she had felt this relaxed. Somehow, this place had a contagiously comforting atmosphere.

Downstairs in the living room, Master Du was reading the newspaper at the dining table. Du Bai walked over, poured herself a glass of water, and sipped it gently.

“Why hasn’t Little Shui come down yet?” Master Du asked.

Du Bai put down the glass and started eating congee. “He probably isn’t awake yet…”

She turned and instructed Aunt Wang, “Aunt Wang, go to my room and wake Young Master Wei. He might be grumpy when he wakes up, so be careful.”

Aunt Wang, having experienced many storms, understood the importance of not prying. Without showing much surprise, she nodded and went upstairs.

Du Bai knew her grandfather was eavesdropping out of curiosity, but she paid him no mind.

Not long after, Wei Qingqian came stomping downstairs, bare-chested and glaring at Du Bai. Master Du, on the other hand, was wide-eyed, staring at Wei Qingqian’s exposed upper body.

No one spoke; the living room was eerily quiet. After a long pause, Master Du smacked his lips, “Tsk tsk, what a pity. Another smelly boy. A nice, gentle girl would have been so much better. Can’t I get a sweet, adorable girl to play with?”

Both Du Bai and Wei Qingqian’s expressions darkened at Master Du’s comment. Wei Qingqian finally realized the awkwardness of his situation and couldn’t find the words to respond. Du Bai, however, continued savoring her congee without even lifting her eyelids.

“Young Master Wei, please go freshen up before joining us for breakfast.”

It was only then that Wei Qingqian realized he was half-naked. Embarrassed and flushed, he said nothing and quietly went back upstairs.

Master Du, still curious, looked at Du Bai. “My dear granddaughter…”

“Grandpa, didn’t you just say your granddaughter wasn’t gentle?” Du Bai responded calmly but with a hint of irritation.

“Who said that? No one would dare! If anyone does, I’ll send them to the military district for a tour.”

Du Bai raised an eyebrow but continued eating her congee without further comment.

“My dear, Little Shui isn’t bad-looking.”

“Yes, it’s a shame he’s a boy. Otherwise, we could’ve introduced him to Second Cousin.” She smirked slightly, “And Grandpa, now that you know he’s the Little Young Master of the Wei Family, stop calling him Little Shui.”

Master Du felt somewhat frustrated, thinking his granddaughter was supposed to be sweet and obedient, but she played the same mind games as any mischievous youth. His face turned serious. “Don’t you like that Wei boy?”

Du Bai found herself both amused and exasperated, “Grandpa, I know what you’re thinking. I’m telling you, don’t even go there. I can’t be an old cow grazing on young grass.”

At that moment, Wei Qingqian, having overheard the conversation, felt a mix of discomfort and indignation. He cleared his throat, walked over, and sat across from Du Bai. With a playful pout, he addressed Master Du, “Grandpa, I’m not interested in strange aunties either.” His soft, affectionate tone coupled with his innocent gaze melted Master Du’s heart, making it impossible for him to stay angry. In fact, he rather enjoyed seeing Du Bai at a disadvantage.

Ignoring the taunt, Du Bai spoke plainly, “After breakfast, pack your things. The Wei Family will send someone to pick you up.”

Wei Qingqian seemed to want to say more, but Du Bai picked up a napkin, wiped her mouth, and said, “Grandpa, I’m full. You two enjoy your meal.” She then stood up and went upstairs, effectively cutting off any further conversation. This left the old man and the youth at the dining table, staring at each other.

Neither of them noticed the playful, mischievous smile on Du Bai’s face as she turned around.

Old witch? Excellent!