After Mistaking My Stepsister’s First Love - Chapter 53

Ye Wenjin snapped out of her daze at the sound of Chu Yunsheng’s exclamation. When she curiously looked over, she found the latter flipping through her phone with an inexplicable smile on her face.

Ye Wenjin: “?”

She scratched her cheek and curiously went over to take a look, only to realize that Chu Yunsheng was browsing through photos, photos of her and Jian Mo together.

Ye Wenjin froze. She hadn’t expected them to be group photos, and…

Each one of these photos made her heartbeat quicken just a little more.

Chu Yunsheng was really good at photography. From her perspective, the photos gave off the feeling that she and Jian Mo were deeply in love.

Ye Wenjin hadn’t even realized that this was the expression she wore when looking at Jian Mo.

Her heart pounded so loudly it was almost distracting, but she couldn’t deny, she loved it.

“Yunsheng, you take such great photos!”

Ye Wenjin sighed in admiration.

Chu Yunsheng looked smug. “Of course! Don’t underestimate my shit, uh, my photography skills!”

Ye Wenjin gave her an approving nod.

Feeling a sudden impulse, she took her phone and walked over to Jian Mo, slightly embarrassed as she showed her the photos.

Jian Mo’s eyes flickered as she looked at them, her lips curving slightly. “They’re really well taken.”

Ye Wenjin’s fingers curled slightly, her face warming.

She cleared her throat. “Then let’s keep going.”

With that, the group set off again, heading toward the diving spot.

The sun was still strong at this time, but after being out in it for a while, Ye Wenjin found herself growing somewhat accustomed to it.

Still, she didn’t slack on protecting herselfand neither did the others, who were even faster than her.

Even though they had all applied sunscreen before heading out, the most effective protection was physical. They were all fully armed.

Before long, they arrived at a harbor and found the boat they’d be taking out to sea.

Ye Wenjin was surprised. She had assumed it would just be a simple speedboat, but the vessel turned out to be quite sizable, complete with cabins, a dining area, and even shower facilities.

It was only then that Jian Mo said, “We’ll have dinner on the boat tonight.”

Ye Wenjin’s eyes lit up, her excitement growing. She wasn’t the only one everyone else seemed pretty happy about it too.

This was her first time experiencing a trip out to sea, and everything felt fresh and novel. Standing on the deck, she gazed out at the distant horizon, where the endless sky met the sea in a seamless line, making her feel suddenly at ease.

“How does it feel?”

Jian Mo appeared beside her at some point. Ye Wenjin turned to look at her, a light smile on her face. “It’s great. I’ve realized that nature really does have a way of healing people.”

Jian Mo’s lips curved slightly as she looked at her. “It really does.”

The two of them stood quietly against the sea breeze, enjoying the scenery along the way. As they neared the diving spot, the instructor began calling out, telling everyone to get ready to change into their wetsuits.

Hearing this, Ye Wenjin grabbed Jian Mo’s hand and dashed back to the cabin.

Changing into the wetsuits turned out to be a bit of a battle. Ye Wenjin found them surprisingly difficult to put on, and in the end, they all had to help each other get suited up.

Once dressed, Ye Wenjin examined herself with curiosity, feeling like she actually looked the part now.

“Alright, we’ll now assign instructors. There’ll be a training session before the dive, so everyone, pay close attention.”

Ye Wenjin turned to respond, but before she could, Jian Mo suddenly spoke up.

“Xiao Jin doesn’t need one. I’ll take her.”

The diving instructor glanced over, paused for a moment when she saw Jian Mo, then nodded in acknowledgment before assigning the remaining participants. Soon, everyone was immersed in the lively training session.

Watching the others descend into the water one by one, Ye Wenjin grew increasingly nervous.

She couldn’t swim, let alone dive. Just observing the training content made her feel suffocated, and her palms grew sweaty.

Then, she felt someone take her hand. Turning her head, Ye Wenjin met Jian Mo’s calm gaze.

“Xiao Jin, do you trust me?”

Without hesitation, Ye Wenjin nodded. “Of course I trust you, sis!”

Jian Mo’s eyes curved into a smile. “Good. Don’t be nervous, we’ll take it slow.”

Miraculously, Ye Wenjin’s racing heart gradually steadied.

Jian Mo entered the water first, guiding Ye Wenjin as she cautiously stepped in.

At first, Ye Wenjin struggled to adjust to the buoyancy of the seawater, but little by little, she began to enjoy it.

Only when she had acclimated somewhat did Jian Mo begin the lesson at a relaxed pace.

Though it was her first time teaching, Jian Mo was incredibly patient. Despite Ye Wenjin’s repeated attempts under her gentle guidance, she still couldn’t quite grasp the technique.

Truth be told, most diving instructors at tourist spots lacked such patience they were in it purely for the money.

Facing inexperienced newcomers, few had the tolerance to teach properly, especially if the trainees refused underwater photography, cutting into their earnings. Their attitudes often soured further as a result.

What passed for “training” was usually just a brief rundown, with the main focus being adapting to breathing through the mouth underwater.

Under the pressure of the unfamiliar environment, switching breathing methods abruptly was naturally disorienting.

Most instructors lacked the patience to let trainees adjust gradually. Some would even resort to rough methods, forcing the breathing apparatus into a trainee’s mouth and shoving them underwater to compel adaptation.

For beginners, this abrupt change was hard to manage, doubly so for non-swimmers.

Humans are wired for life on land. Suddenly being submerged triggers intense unease, compounded by the need to override instinct and breathe through the mouth.

At times, it felt like paying for torture.

But Jian Mo’s teaching was tender and unhurried.

Initially, Ye Wenjin struggled too. Despite multiple attempts, she couldn’t adjust, yet Jian Mo never showed a hint of impatience, soothing her with reassurances like “Take your time” and “No rush.”

For a moment, Ye Wenjin wondered if she was just too slow.

After another failed attempt, she removed the breathing tube, floating on the surface with Jian Mo’s support, her expression dazed.

“It’s okay. First-timers always struggle, especially if they can’t swim. Fear of water is natural, Xiao Jin. There’s no need to rush.”

Logically, Ye Wenjin understood, but she still murmured, “Sis, am I just… too dumb?”

Jian Mo chuckled. “Why would you think that? Nobody’s perfect. You’re just nervous around water, it’s no big deal. We have plenty of time. Let’s go slow, okay?”

Ye Wenjin exhaled slowly. “Okay! I’ll try again!”

This time, she mentally drilled herself to breathe through her mouth, terrified of accidentally inhaling through her nose and choking.

After mentally preparing herself, Ye Wenjin bit down on the breathing tube again and submerged her face into the seawater.

With Jian Mo by her side, Ye Wenjin knew she wouldn’t sink, which finally allowed her to calm down and slowly attempt to breathe through her mouth.

This time, she successfully managed to start breathing, though it was her first try, so her breathing rate unconsciously sped up.

Jian Mo’s voice immediately reached her ears.

“Xiao Jin, don’t breathe so fast. Slow down, relax.”

So Ye Wenjin began adjusting her breathing rhythm, gradually relaxing.

Seeing this, Jian Mo didn’t hesitate to praise her. “You’re doing great, Xiao Jin. Next, I’ll slowly lower your head into the water. Don’t resist don’t worry, water won’t get into your ears. Trust me.”

Ye Wenjin raised her hand and gave an OK sign.

Then she felt Jian Mo gently pressing her down, bit by bit, into the sea.

Inevitably, Ye Wenjin felt nervous. To her, this was the unknown just like the instinctive panic of a non-swimmer suddenly submerged in water, fear spread through her heart.

But because of Jian Mo’s reassurance, she tried her best not to struggle.

Finally,

Her entire head sank beneath the water.

After the initial panic, Ye Wenjin slowly began to adapt, finding the sensation strangely fascinating.

Her ears felt muffled; even Jian Mo’s words were unclear, reduced to vague syllables. Yet, she gradually calmed down and grew accustomed to the feeling.

After a while, Jian Mo pulled her back up. “How do you feel?”

Ye Wenjin quickly took a few deep breaths, her voice excited. “It’s not bad, sis. Let’s go down now.”

Jian Mo found her childlike tone amusing but nodded. “Alright, then get ready. We’re going under. Xiaojin, remember, don’t let go of my hand.”

Ye Wenjin nodded emphatically. “I know, sis.”

Even if Jian Mo hadn’t said it, she wouldn’t have let go.

Jian Mo smiled faintly.

The two prepared again, though Jian Mo waited until Ye Wenjin had fully adjusted to the underwater sensation before submerging with her.

Their figures gradually disappeared into the sea, and Ye Wenjin had no time to dwell on anything else because she opened her eyes.

They hadn’t dived very deep, but the water was clear enough that the moment she opened her eyes, Ye Wenjin saw a school of brightly colored fish swimming past. Stunned, she quickly turned to Jian Mo, gesturing for her to look.

Jian Mo nodded, indicating she had seen them.

Ye Wenjin was thrilled and curious this was an entirely new experience for her.

Humans are like this: they hold reverence for the ocean, yet they’re also brimming with curiosity.

Just glimpsing a fraction of it filled Ye Wenjin with immense joy.

There were so many types of fish, and she even spotted beautiful corals.

Noticing her fascination, Jian Mo pulled her a little deeper, bringing them closer to the seabed so close that Ye Wenjin could see sea creatures emerging from the sandy bottom.

She didn’t know what they were, but that didn’t stop her from reacting like an excited child.

After admiring the corals, Jian Mo led Ye Wenjin forward.

Then, Ye Wenjin froze, her face filled with shock.

Because a killer whale was speeding straight toward them.

Ye Wenjin instinctively felt a surge of fear and tightened her grip on Jian Mo’s hand. However, Jian Mo simply patted her hand reassuringly and didn’t lead her away.

Before long, Ye Wenjin saw the orca drawing closer and closer to them, swiftly approaching before circling around them with evident delight.

It was clear the orca seemed excited so much so that for a brief moment, Ye Wenjin felt as though their roles had reversed.

While she stared at the orca in astonishment, the creature seemed to be observing them as if they were rare specimens.

Just as her thoughts began to spiral, the orca finally stopped circling and swam right up to them.

Faced with such a massive creature approaching so closely, Ye Wenjin couldn’t help but lean back slightly.

But Jian Mo patted her again and, taking the lead, reached out to touch the orca.

Ye Wenjin was stunned at first, but then a thrill of excitement stirred within her. After a moment’s hesitation, she too extended her hand.

The moment her fingers made contact with the orca, a strange and wondrous sensation washed over her.

The orca nuzzled gently against her palm, as if expressing friendliness.

Ye Wenjin’s eyes sparkled even brighter.

Oh my god, she had just touched an orca!

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