The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 32.1

Gu Man retracted her hand and tucked it behind her back. Her face remained expressionless, but her fingers were inconspicuously rubbing together, as if savoring the lingering sensation.

She stepped up to Wen Mian and took the initiative to speak: “I’ll go first, alright?”

Wen Mian stepped aside to make room. “Sure, you go first.”

Gu Man sat carefully on the paddleboard, gripping the edges. Once she stabilized herself, she immediately turned back and extended her right hand, saying softly, “Be careful.”

Wen Mian gave a secret smile. She leaned on the coach’s arm to sit on the board, intentionally avoiding Gu Man’s hand.

Gu Man didn’t mind. She simply stared at her with intense focus, her body tense with the fear that Wen Mian might accidentally fall in.

Once she was settled, Wen Mian curled her lips and, feigning a haughty air, placed her hand in Gu Man’s palm. She said petulantly, “Give me a pull!”

“But don’t use too much force. You’re not allowed to hurt me, or I won’t talk to you anymore!”

The corners of Gu Man’s eyes tilted upward, lifting the small beauty mark beside them. She whispered, “Understood. I won’t let it hurt.”

She exerted a slight pull. The veins on her arm surfaced, showing smooth muscle lines. Wen Mian moved forward with the force, nearly crashing into Gu Man.

She quickly called out, “Okay, okay! I’m settled!”

Gu Man looked at Wen Mian with a hint of regret. “Are you really ready?”

Wen Mian nodded and pulled her hand back, picking up the paddle beside her. “Really. Let’s start paddling, the others are already so far away.”

Gu Man gave her an anxious once-over before turning back and picking up her own paddle.

Wen Mian shouted out the rhythm from behind: “Left then right. I’ll count down from three to start.”

Gu Man nodded to show she understood.

“Three, two, one, go!” As soon as Wen Mian finished the count, she took the first stroke.

Gu Man matched her frequency perfectly. The two headed toward the finish line with full force, looking vastly different from the other two teams who were still spinning in circles.

• “So impressive! Manman and Mianmian are the best!”
• “The two of them are so in sync! I’m shocked!”
• “Is this what you call a ‘top-tier red line’ (perfect match)?!”
• “Haha, well said! Our ‘Gu Mian for the rest of our lives’ ship is the ultimate authority!”

Seeing Wen Mian and Gu Man gaining on them, Zhang Yunxi grew frantic, urging her partner repeatedly, “Ahhh! Why are you guys so fast! Mu Ya, keep going! Add oil!”

As she urged, she paddled in a panic. Naturally, this only made their rhythm more inconsistent, causing them to spin in circles again.

As Gu Man paddled past them, Wen Mian gave a cheeky laugh: “Haha, didn’t expect that, did you? In the end, Manman and I are the strongest!”

Gu Man’s arm stalled for a moment. Her attention was completely captured by the name “Manman” coming from Wen Mian’s lips.

It wasn’t the first time she had heard someone call her that, but no one had ever affected her the way Wen Mian did.

The thumping of her heart was deafening. Her joy felt like the surging waves created by the paddle with Wen Mian holding the oar, stirring her soul. She couldn’t control the upward curve of her lips as she silently repeated to herself: Manman… Wenwen…

At that moment, she desperately wanted to turn around just to see Wen Mian’s face.

In her distraction, the paddleboard veered off course and began to spin, much like a certain someone who was currently surrounded by imaginary pink bubbles.

Wen Mian let out a nervous “Eh?” “Why are we suddenly spinning?”

This snapped Gu Man out of her thoughts. She quickly gripped the paddle, sounding apologetic but unable to hide her happiness. “It was my mistake. I’m sorry… Wenwen.”

Hearing her apologetic yet strangely joyful tone, Wen Mian was bewildered. What is up with her now?

“It’s fine, let’s just start over,” Wen Mian comforted her, despite her confusion.

The smile on Gu Man’s face grew even wider, almost erasing her usual cold demeanor. she gave a low “Mm.”

Wen Mian quickly started the count again: “One two one, one two one!”

The paddleboard corrected its direction and set sail again toward the finish line. This time, both Gu Man and Wen Mian focused entirely. They sped up, overtook Zhang Yunxi and Mu Ya, and took first place.

As they crossed the finish line, Wen Mian bounced excitedly on the board, splashing water everywhere. “Yay! First place!”

Gu Man twisted her waist to look back, reaching out both hands. “Yes, Wenwen is first.”

Wen Mian raised both hands and high-fived her, not forgetting to add: “Not just me, you too. We are both first!”

Gu Man froze for a few seconds before retracting her hands. She placed a hand over her lips and let out a soft, low laugh. “Yes, we are both first.”

The live stream was also celebrating.

• “Yay! Our ‘GuMian’ is number one!”
• “I knew it, our Manman has specifically trained for this!”
• “Mianmian is the GOAT! Manman is amazing too! May they both stay famous and successful together!”

Wen Mian glanced at the other two teams still a distance away. She decided to lie back, crossing her arms behind her head to look at the sky. The sky was azure, with a few clouds drifting by. The sunlight was gentle, partially filtered by the haze.

“So comfortable,” Wen Mian remarked.

Gu Man followed her gaze to the sky. “Wenwen, do you like it here?”

Wen Mian replied decisively: “Of course. This place is beautiful and healing. Who wouldn’t like it?”

Gu Man propped herself up with her arms behind her and nodded. “True. Then… do you like being the center of attention?”

Stunned by the question, Wen Mian paused. Do I like being watched? She had never really thought about it. In the beginning, she was uncomfortable, going from a Vice President to a celebrity but then…

Thinking of the fans at the airport, Wen Mian gave a gentle smile. “I wouldn’t say I love it, but it feels quite nice. What about you?”

Gu Man looked at her from the corner of her eye and fell into deep thought.

Before she could reply, Zhang Yunxi waved her arms and shouted, “I’m here, I’m here! Second place is mine!”

Wen Mian sat up and looked at Zhang Yunxi, who was still spinning as she tried to stop. She teased with a laugh, “Looks like you really are better than Momo.”

Even though the spinning made her dizzy, it didn’t stop Zhang Yunxi from being proud. “Of course! I told you I’m great!”

Wen Mian felt mischievous. “Then what do you think of me and Gu Man?”

Zhang Yunxi waved her off. “I’m not comparing myself to you two. You and Sister Gu are basically ‘bugs’ (cheats)!”

Wen Mian burst out laughing and gave a thumbs-up. “True, Gu Man is definitely a bug!” As for herself, she chose to be selectively deaf.

Hearing Wen Mian tease her, Gu Man wasn’t angry. She simply nodded in agreement. “Mianmian is right.”

The dizzy Zhang Yunxi finally stopped. Before she could even look up, she heard Gu Man say that. She rolled her eyes internally. Yes, yes, yes! Whatever Mianmian says is right! Can you please consider the feelings of a single dog? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have helped you out earlier.

She waited quietly for Su Shiqiu and Wang Mo to arrive.

The chemistry between those two was clearly lacking. It took several more minutes before they slowly drifted over. Upon reaching the finish line, Wang Mo slumped in exhaustion, complaining loudly, “Why is it so dizzy! My arms are so tired.”

Wen Mian looked at her with concern. “Rest for a bit. Paddling really does take a toll on your arms.”

Wang Mo nodded vigorously in agreement, continuously massaging her arms.

• “Hahaha, Momo and Shiqiu look so pathetic, especially compared to Wen Mian and Gu Man.”
• “They are literally the unlucky kids!”
• “Haha, true. I feel like after this, Wang Mo won’t want to see a paddleboard ever again.”

She was right. Wang Mo was temporarily over paddleboarding.

After resting for a while, the waiting coach paddled over to the group.

“Is everyone rested? Next, we will proceed to the next task, Water Yoga.”

Wang Mo was dumbfounded. she let out an incredulous “Ah?” Her voice was full of despair. “There’s another task?!”

The coach nodded ruthlessly. Wang Mo looked even more devastated, looking like a mushroom crouching in a corner, radiating a strong aura of “I don’t want to.”

After a moment, the coach offered a half-hearted consolation: “Don’t worry, this next activity isn’t tiring. It’s for stretching.”

“Fine.” Knowing she couldn’t escape, Wang Mo cheered herself up and successfully got back into high spirits.

Wen Mian and Gu Man exchanged a curious glance. Water yoga? Don’t tell me we have to do it together?!

As it turned out, her intuition was correct. Looking at the movements demonstrated by the coach, Wen Mian’s face fell too. Are you sure a beginner can do this?

It wasn’t their first time doing yoga, but doing it on water was a first for everyone. Everyone was nervous, fearing they would fall in.

The main part of the first move was to straighten one’s back. Gu Man first gripped the board, brought her legs up, and turned to face Wen Mian. Then, she knelt on one knee on the board and looked up at Wen Mian.

Even though it was a necessary part of the movement, Gu Man’s earnest gaze made Wen Mian want to look away. This posture… was so easy to misunderstand.

Wen Mian averted her eyes, hypnotizing herself that this was normal and just required for the exercise.

By the time she looked back, Gu Man had already completed the pose. Kneeling on both knees, she reached out her hand toward Wen Mian and said slowly, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll hold you.”

Wen Mian gave a faint smile. Her legs came out of the water and she placed them on Gu Man’s hand, replying with a laugh, “I wasn’t afraid to begin with.”