Tan Rou had put on a new swimsuit today, and she did warm-up exercises before getting into the water, keeping a close eye on Zhuang Liu, âIf you cause trouble again this time, I wonât pay attention to you anymore, do you hear me?â
Zhuang Liu smiled faintly, âDo you really distrust me that much?â
Tan Rou said indignantly, âI have always trusted you, but your behavior these past two days has been too much.â
Zhuang Liu also did some warm-up exercises, then said, âJust like you said before, letâs have a competition. Letâs race 100m freestyle and see who swims faster.â
The pool was 50m long, so they needed to swim there and back.
Tan Rou went to one end of the pool and signaled to Zhuang Liu, âHurry up and come here, let me see how strong you really are.â
Zhuang Liu stretched his arms and said, âSince itâs a competition, we need to have a wager.â
Tan Rou asked, âWhat do you want to bet on?â
Zhuang Liu had already thought up a wager, âLetâs bet on a massage. I gave you such a long massage last night, and you didnât give me one in return. If I win today, you have to give me a massage.â
Tan Rou felt this bet was too trivial, âBetting just once is no fun. How about we bet for a year instead? If you win, Iâll give you free massages for a year; if I win, youâll have to massage me, and youâre not allowed to refuse for any reason.â
âOkay,â Zhuang Liu also wanted to bet big, âLetâs bet on that.â
With the venue and stakes set, all that was left was to swim.
Tan Rou couldnât afford to lose, or she would be giving Zhuang Liu massages for a year.
Zhuang Liu couldnât afford to lose either; although he really wanted to let Tan Rou win, he had to win this competition.
Since there was no one to start them off, they used their phones as timers. They placed the phones a distance away and started them at the same time. After finishing the 100m, they not only had to get out of the pool but also had to press the stop button on their phones.
So this was not only a race of swimming speed but also a test of running speed.
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu stared intently at the pool, then counted down together. As soon as the time was up, they both charged toward the pool.
Zhuang Liu had longer legs while Tan Rou had a higher frequency of movement; both had their advantages.
Once in the water, they were like two fish, moving very fast, not at all inferior to professional athletes.
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu reached the other end of the pool at almost the same time, but Tan Rou reacted quicker, and on the way back, she was clearly ahead.
However, Zhuang Liuâs legs were stronger, and with a thrust of his feet, he sprang forward, closing the gap Tan Rou had just created.
But Tan Rouâs mind was entirely on the competition; she just wanted to win. Zhuang Liu felt the same, so in the last 10m, he increased his pace.
Having long legs and arms was an advantage. Zhuang Liu was a little slower in the turn, but his legs were stronger, and he swam back faster, so he reached the shore first.
Tan Rou was half a second slower, but she couldnât give up until the very end; they still had to press the stop button on the phones, which were about three seconds away.
Seeing Zhuang Liu almost touching the table, Tan Rou felt a bit anxious and sped up.
However, just as Zhuang Liu was about to reach the table, he slipped and fell right next to it, knocking both phones off the table.
Tan Rou reacted quickly, snatching one phone and pressing the stop button in an instant.
Zhuang Liu didnât catch the other phone and just let it fall to the ground.
âI won, oh.â Tan Rou shook her phone, said happily, âYou have to give me massages for a year.â
Zhuang Liu felt he lost too unfairly. If it werenât for the water everywhere, he certainly wouldnât have lost. But whatâs done is done; saying anything more would just be a waste of time.
âAlright, you won,â Zhuang Liu said with a gentle smile. He picked up the phone from the ground and handed it to Tan Rou, âThis is actually your phone.â
In the heat of the moment, Tan Rou had grabbed a phone. Hers and Zhuang Liuâs were the same model, so she hadnât distinguished which one was whose. However, it didnât really matter, as long as she won.