This is a bizarre rule, isn't it? It's supposed to grant me many children and good fortune

About half an hour later, a huge splash suddenly rose from the farthest corner of the pool, spreading outwards in all directions.

It looked like something enormous was rising from the depths.

Immediately afterwards, with a splash, two heads broke through the water's surface almost simultaneously.

Lin Feng was panting heavily, his hair was wet and stuck to his forehead, and his cheeks were flushed.

He clung to the pool wall with one hand, wiped the water off his face with the other, and squinted slightly as the pool water stung his eyes.

Su Wan, on the other hand, was much more composed.

She leaned back against the pool wall, arms outstretched, and glanced at Lin Feng with a smile playing on her lips.

"I didn't expect the underwater experience to be so amazing. Let's do it again this afternoon!"

Lin Feng wiped the water off his face and let out a sigh of relief:

"It's fine to try it once in a while, but you've made it a regular occurrence for you."

"I'd better do the deduction with you this afternoon, so we don't get caught and embarrassed."

Su Wan was about to act coquettishly and pout when her eyes inadvertently swept over the edge of the pool—

All the smiles seemed to have been cut off, stuck abruptly at the corners of his mouth.

Under a parasol on the shore, Xia Ning, dressed in a snow-white vacation dress, was lounging comfortably on a wicker lounge chair.

She was relaxed, her back lightly resting on a soft cushion, her long hair loosely tied behind her head, revealing the slender and graceful lines of her neck.

From head to toe, she exuded the dignified, gentle, composed, and elegant demeanor of an empress.

Xia Ning was only reluctantly allowed to sit and chat with her former flight attendant best friend, who was on vacation, to kill a few moments of free time.

At that moment, she was completely oblivious to the direction of the pool, leaning against the back of her chair with a smile on her lips, listening intently to her flight attendant friend chatting and laughing beside her.

On the rattan mat next to Xia Ning's legs, Xiao Zhixia was sitting cross-legged in a ball.

She was wearing a pale yellow floral one-piece swimsuit with a semi-transparent white sun-protective cover-up over it, and her chubby toes were wiggling restlessly.

His wet, short hair clung to his cheeks, clearly indicating that he had just been pulled out of the children's wading pool nearby.

The little guy was holding a rubber duck toy in his hand, intently squeezing its belly, making a soft and cheerful "squeak, squeak" sound.

Suddenly, as if drawn by something, she abruptly raised her head and stared straight at the farthest corner of the pool.

The next second, Xiao Zhixia raised her little hand, waved it vigorously in that direction, and called out in her sweet, childish voice—

"dad!"

This call was like a thunderbolt striking the water.

Lin Feng and Su Wan froze simultaneously. They looked at each other, their pupils contracted sharply, and the color drained from their faces instantly.

Su Wan reacted quickly, grabbing Lin Feng's wrist and pulling him down sharply. The two of them instantly sank to the bottom of the water, leaving only a ripple spreading slowly on the surface.

ashore.

Xia Ning turned her head at her daughter's shout and looked at the water in the distance of the pool in the direction Xiao Zhixia was pointing.

Sunlight spilled onto the azure pool, casting shimmering light and shadow, creating shallow golden ripples. The surface of the water was empty, with only a few fine ripples slowly spreading out, and no one in sight.

Little Zhixia refused to let go, struggling in Xia Ning's arms, and called out again in that direction, "Daddy! Daddy!"

Xia Ning looked down at her daughter's little face, her round eyes sparkling with confidence and joy.

A slight stirring in her heart, she bent down and picked up her daughter, letting her sit steadily in her arms. With her other hand, she gently smoothed the damp hair clinging to Xiao Zhixia's forehead and said softly with a smile:

"Baby must be seeing things—Daddy's in the Dragon Kingdom right now, how could he be here!"

As she spoke, she picked up a milk candy wrapped in a candy wrapper from the small table next to her, unwrapped it, and held it to Xiao Zhixia's lips:

"Come on, open your mouth, Mommy will give you candy. If you eat candy, you won't miss Daddy anymore, okay?"

Xiao Zhixia pouted, glanced hesitantly at the water again, and finally obediently opened her mouth and took the candy in. Her cheeks puffed out, and she mumbled something indistinctly:

"...But...I really saw it..."

The flight attendant friend next to her watched this scene, chuckled softly while holding her juice glass, her tone tinged with a hint of wistfulness:

"Your husband is such a busy man, he can't even find the time to take his wife and kids on vacation."

Xia Ning wasn't annoyed by his words. She turned her head and spoke in a light tone, yet with an undeniable weight:

"There's nothing we can do; the fate of the entire Dragon Kingdom rests on his shoulders."

……

Lin Feng and Su Wan remained motionless, like two turtles submerged underwater.

Through the rippling water, the two could vaguely see Xia Ning's gentle laughter on the shore, and the innocent and playful Xiao Zhixia.

Though separated by mere inches, the danger was immense, like heaven and earth.

Su Wan's heart pounded wildly, her eyes swirling with intense guilt and lingering fear.

They were just a hair's breadth away from being caught red-handed by Xia Ning.

After waiting quietly for a few minutes, Xia Ning continued to chat with her best friend, while Xiao Zhixia sat obediently on her mother's lap with a candy in her mouth, occasionally muttering a few indistinct words, and her gaze no longer drifted towards the swimming pool.

Su Wan gestured to Lin Feng, pointing to the area near the entrance of the swimming pool—

There are a few parasols and empty deck chairs over there. As long as you go up quickly enough and make a sound quietly enough, you can slip out without anyone noticing.

Lin Feng nodded, and the two of them kicked their legs at the same time, moving sideways along the pool wall like two fish, keeping the water ripples to a minimum, barely disturbing any waves.

Upon arriving at the selected location, Su Wan took the lead.

She first swept her long hair forward, then slowly poked her head out of the water. Her wet hair covered most of her face, leaving only her eyes visible as she quickly scanned Xia Ning's direction.

Once she was sure no one was watching, she braced herself against the edge of the pool and silently flipped herself ashore.

He quickly squatted down, reached into the water, grabbed Lin Feng's wrist, and pulled him up sharply.

Lin Feng was pulled out of the water with a "whoosh." As soon as his wet body stood firmly on the platform, Su Wan quickly grabbed a large bath towel from the rattan chair next to him and slung it over his head.

"Keep your head down and walk."

Su Wan lowered her voice, holding the edge of the bath towel with one hand and pulling his arm with the other. The two moved quickly towards the exit, trying their best to control the noise.

Just then, Xia Ning glanced in that direction unintentionally.

His gaze suddenly froze, fixed on the departing figure.

Even with most of her head wrapped in a bath towel and walking hurriedly with her steps slowed, the way she walked, the outline of her shoulders and back—

How come... she looks so much like my husband?

The gentle smile in Xia Ning's eyes vanished instantly.

The lazy, relaxed atmosphere in the air suddenly vanished, and a chill quietly spread.

The inexplicable ripples that appeared by the pool just now, and his daughter's innocent cry of "Daddy," all connected at this moment, solidified into clear doubts in his mind.

Xia Ning quickly sat up straight, turned her head to look at her flight attendant best friend beside her, and spoke in a gentle tone:

"I'm going to the restroom. Could you please watch over Xiaozhixia while I'm gone?"