A taxi pulled up in front of a dive club called "Snow." The moment Chu Mingcheng stepped out, he spotted a sturdily built man in a short-sleeved shirt standing by the entrance.

"Ah Cheng?"

Seeing the handsome young man get out of the car, the man immediately strode forward to greet him.

"Yes, that’s me. Hello, Da Qiang!" Chu Mingcheng nodded with a smile and shook his hand. [TN: "Da Qiang" (大强) literally means "Big Qiang."]

As for why he called him "Da Qiang," it seemed all the instructors had nicknames. According to Lu Zheqiang, the other instructors at their club went by names like "Gold" and "Coffee," making his own nickname the most normal of the bunch.

[TN: In modern China, it's not uncommon for people, especially in certain social or professional circles, to adopt unique, sometimes English-inspired, nicknames or "codenames" like "Jīnzi" (金子 - Gold) or "Kāfēi" (咖啡 - Coffee) for a sense of individuality or camaraderie.]

Lu Zheqiang proactively took one of Chu Mingcheng's suitcases and led him toward a building next to the club. "We've already arranged a room for you. Rest up today and get your energy back. We'll start class tomorrow."

"Sounds good."

Chu Mingcheng followed him to his room—a single with a private bathroom, laid out much like a hotel room.

Lu Zheqiang pulled the suitcase into the room and asked, "Have you had lunch? If not, I can take you to get something."

"I ate on the plane."

"Alright then. I'll come find you tonight and take you to try some of Deer City's local specialties."

"You don't have to go to all that trouble. I can just grab a bite anywhere."

"Don't be a stranger. Jun-ge sent you, and he specifically told me to take good care of you. I won't bother you for now. I'll come get you tonight."

"Well, thank you then."

"Haha, I told you, no need to be so polite."

Watching Lu Zheqiang leave, Chu Mingcheng shook his head with a smile. The man was refreshingly straightforward.

He turned on the air conditioner, lay down on the bed, and pulled out his phone to let his family and friends know he'd arrived safely.

Normally, he would have explored a new city upon arrival, but the weather here was scorching, still hitting thirty degrees Celsius during the day, just like summer.

It would cool down at night—a better time for a walk.

He hadn't rested well after sleeping late the night before and catching an early flight. Now was the perfect chance for a good afternoon nap.

He woke up a little after three.

A quick wash of his face in the bathroom left him feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

He picked up his phone, planning to look up recommendations and prices for spearguns, but noticed two messages from Jiang Luoluo.

He opened them. The first thing he saw was a photo, with a line of text below it: 'Just dyed my hair. What do you think?'

The message was sent at two-thirty. Chu Mingcheng immediately tapped the picture, studying the fair, tender...

Ahem, wrong direction. Let's try that again!

This time, he shifted his gaze upward and saw that Jiang Luoluo had dyed her hair a linen brown.

"Huh~!" She used to have long, black hair that nearly reached her waist, which gave her a classic, traditional beauty.

But with the new hair color and a shorter cut, she looked like a completely different person.

So he replied: "I was napping this afternoon, just saw this. You're so beautiful, you'd look good in any color! But I have to say, with the new hair color, your style is completely different."

"Before, you had this classical aura. Now, with the dye, you look very modern. Your features even make me think you have a bit of mixed heritage."

Not long after he sent the message, Jiang Luoluo replied, clearly free at the moment.

"(＊^__^＊) Now that you mention it, I do remember! My grandma told me my great-grandmother's mother was from Belarus, so I actually do have a little bit of Belarusian blood. But the mixed-heritage look is probably just because of the makeup in this photo."

"I usually wear light makeup, so you probably wouldn't notice."

Chu Mingcheng had to agree. In the few times they'd met, he hadn't gotten a mixed-race vibe at all, just that she was exceptionally beautiful with incredibly fair skin.

Then, another question popped into his mind.

"By the way, aren't you filming a classical dance video? Is it okay to dye your hair?"

"I'm collaborating with another creator on a modern pop dance this time, so I dyed it specifically for that. And for historical costumes, you often have to wear a wig anyway, so it's not a big deal."

Jiang Luoluo was enjoying a rare day of rest at home.

But with idle time, her mind began to wander, thinking about her trip to Wenzhou—the image of Chu Mingcheng saving someone, the carefree afternoon catching fish and grilling shrimp in the mountains, the slightly awkward encounter with his mother...

In short, a faint flutter of excitement in her heart prompted her to take several selfies, pick her favorite, and send it to Chu Mingcheng.

It was less about asking if her hair color was nice and more about asking, "Don't you think I'm gorgeous? Hurry up and praise me."

Now, seeing the one man she had a good impression of say she was beautiful, Jiang Luoluo's heart soared with delight.

"You dance modern, too? I'll have to check out the video when it's released."

From a lecherous point of view, Chu Mingcheng had watched all of Jiang Luoluo's dance videos, and every single one was stunning. His only complaint was that the historical costumes were too conservative.

From an appreciative point of view...

Lost in their chat, time flew by. Before he knew it, it was evening, and Lu Zheqiang came to get him for dinner. Chu Mingcheng temporarily ended his conversation with Jiang Luoluo.

He hadn't mentioned his plans to learn freediving and spearfishing, or his move to Xiamen.

He imagined Jiang Luoluo's reaction when he suddenly appeared in Xiamen and couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"Ah Cheng, tonight I'm taking you to try a local Qiongzhou specialty, coconut chicken. It should be right up your alley."

"Sounds great! I've been wanting to try the local food."

Chu Mingcheng readily agreed. He was being treated by Lu Zheqiang today; he would just have to treat him back before he left.

Relationships were built on reciprocity. Besides, he would definitely be coming back to test for his three-star and four-star freediving certifications, so they would be seeing more of each other.

Lu Zheqiang had driven. He took him to a restaurant called "Qiongzhou Chronicle."

You could find all sorts of famous Qiongzhou dishes there. The coconut-roasted chicken was especially amazing; the fragrance of the coconut blended perfectly with the flavor of the roasted chicken, leaving Chu Mingcheng deeply impressed.

After dinner, the two of them strolled through some of the livelier streets of Qiongzhou before heading back. There wasn't much for two men to do wandering around anyway.

His first day in Qiongzhou passed quickly. The next day, Chu Mingcheng got up early, went for a long run, had a bowl of Qiongzhou noodles for breakfast, and returned with a coconut jelly in hand.

Perhaps because he was from the south, he found the food here very agreeable. A northerner would probably have a hard time adjusting.

After a shower, he arrived at the club's classroom a little before eight.

Lu Zheqiang was already there. They exchanged greetings and waited for the other students to arrive.

Soon, the students trickled in.

Chu Mingcheng noticed that, including himself, there were only eight students in total. Two were men, and the rest were all women, each one quite attractive with a good figure.

Once everyone had arrived, Lu Zheqiang stood up and clapped his hands to get their attention.

He then had everyone introduce themselves so the students could get to know one another.

"Alright, now that everyone has been introduced, let's get straight to the lesson."

"This morning, our focus will be on practicing the Frenzel maneuver, learning about the equipment, and going over safety procedures. This afternoon, we'll be in calm water—the swimming pool—to practice underwater skills."

"Let's start with the Frenzel."

"So, what is the Frenzel? It's for equalizing ear pressure. As you descend in freediving, the water pressure increases. The pressure difference between the inside and outside of your eardrum will cause pain, which is when you need to equalize."

"Among our eight students, the six women are only testing for PADI one-star, and one of the men is testing for AIDA one-star."

"But if you want to test for two-star, you have to pass the Frenzel assessment."