Chapter 35: A Matter of Clasps

“What on earth did Director Chen prepare!”

Lin Ziyao held up a hanger. Draped over it were two palm-sized, flimsy pieces of white cloth connected by a few white strings. This was one of the swimsuits the director had arranged.

She rejected it without a second thought. Being forced to wear this out in public would be a fate worse than death.

Nearby, Qin Yu had also pulled out two hangers. One held a black swimsuit adorned with abundant lace trim, its bottom half paired with a sheer, gauzy skirt—mysterious and hazy, inspiring a desperate curiosity to see what lay beneath.

The other was a two-piece, cream-colored swimsuit. The top included a short-sleeved cover-up, and the bottom had a trailing skirt for modesty. It was as sweet as a summer day, practically bursting with sugar.

“Which one do you want?” Qin Yu asked, lifting the hangers slightly.

Staring at the two swimsuits in Qin Yu’s hands, Lin Ziyao found herself caught in a dilemma. Among the collection the production team had prepared, these were already some of the most conservative options.

“I want to look some more. The one Qiqi is wearing seems pretty modest.”

Remembering Feng Qiqi’s black one-piece, Lin Ziyao was determined to find one just like it for herself.

Perhaps hearing herself being discussed, Feng Qiqi poked her head into the dressing room. “I heard Director Chen say there was only one one-piece,” she explained. “The most conservative ones left are probably those two Qin Yu has.”

At Feng Qiqi’s words, Lin Ziyao’s face froze. She turned to the two swimsuits in Qin Yu’s hands with the grim resolve of a martyr.

“The… the white one. Give it to me,” Lin Ziyao said in a small voice.

Qin Yu nodded and handed her the hanger with the white swimsuit.

The soft texture of the fabric promised a comfortable fit, and she could already imagine how it would feel wrapped around her skin.

Taking the other black suit, Qin Yu stepped into a changing stall and drew the curtain. A soft rustling of clothes followed.

Lin Ziyao remained rooted to the spot, a blush creeping up her face. The feeling was suddenly reminiscent of that first night. Shaking off the thought, she quickly grabbed the swimsuit and hurried to another empty stall.

She took off her damp clothes, folding them neatly, then slipped out of her undergarments, shedding all her defenses. After drying herself with a towel, she began to put on the white swimsuit.

It was a completely different experience from wearing her usual clothes. The fabric was softer, more breathable, and had quick-drying properties that would keep it from feeling waterlogged.

Looking in the mirror on the wall, she saw how the swimsuit accentuated the graceful lines of her already slender, straight legs.

But when she got to the top, she ran into a problem.

“Huh?”

Lin Ziyao tried to tie the straps of the top behind her back, but no matter how many times she fastened them, they would instantly come loose. They simply wouldn’t stay tied.

‘There’s no way I can go out like this, right?’

Clutching the top to her chest to keep it from slipping, Lin Ziyao stood in the stall, frantically trying to figure out what to do.

With no other choice, she poked her head out from behind the curtain. “Qin Yu?” she called out softly. “Qin Yu, are you there?”

Qin Yu, now dressed in the black swimsuit, heard her call. She turned to see Lin Ziyao’s small head peeking nervously from behind the curtain.

“What’s wrong?”

She was a little curious. It wasn’t like Lin Ziyao to call for her like this unless something was amiss.

“The straps… they won’t tie.”

Feeling her cheeks burn, Lin Ziyao’s voice was faint, tinged with the verge of tears. The situation had flustered her, leaving her with no option but to ask Qin Yu for help.

“Let me see.”

With that, Qin Yu walked toward her stall. Pushing aside the curtain, she was greeted by the sight of Lin Ziyao clutching the swimsuit top to her chest, though large expanses of delicate skin were still visible in the gaps.

Qin Yu came to stand behind her. “Turn around.”

With her hands occupied, Lin Ziyao was like dough in Qin Yu’s hands, to be molded as she wished. She had no choice but to obey, turning to present her smooth, fair back to Qin Yu’s gaze.

Qin Yu’s hand reached out, touching Lin Ziyao’s back. The texture was as fine as silk, a sensation she couldn’t bear to let go of. Even the comfortable material of the swimsuit couldn’t compare to the smoothness of her skin.

Her fingers traced a path from Lin Ziyao’s shoulder blades downward, past the alluring curve of her waist, continuing on without the slightest pause.

“So cold!”

Unlike Qin Yu’s experience, Lin Ziyao’s first sensation was a chill. She felt the cool touch trail down her back, getting ever closer to that forbidden garden.

A shiver ran through her. Her body tensed. “Stop, stop! That’s not right!” she urged.

Her plea was met only with a sterner command from Qin Yu: “Don’t move.”

Lin Ziyao could only stand passively before the mirror, hands guarding her chest, bracing for the coming stimulation. Unwilling to watch her own intoxicating reflection, she had already squeezed her eyes shut, a strange flicker of anticipation rising in her heart.

Qin Yu’s hand quickly slipped from her back. She found the two dangling straps and followed them to a hidden clasp, which she then fastened.

“There, it’s done,” Qin Yu announced, neatly tying the straps into a beautiful bow for good measure.

“Huh?”

Lin Ziyao opened her eyes. Nothing she had imagined had happened. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, feeling the firm support of the swimsuit top in the mirror.

She struck a few poses. The swimsuit remained securely fitted against her body.

“What happened?” she asked, puzzled. “I tried tying it so many times, but it kept coming loose.”

“The swimsuits here are one-size-fits-all. Normally, just tying the straps is enough, but for you…” Qin Yu’s words trailed off as she glanced at Lin Ziyao’s chest. “For you, you need to use the hidden clasp.”

Lin Ziyao didn’t quite understand what she meant, her attention focused on admiring her own reflection in the mirror.

The cream-colored swimsuit revealed her firm, smooth stomach. The short-sleeved cover-up veiled her upper body in a thin gauze, offering a misty glimpse of the pale skin and gentle curves beneath, like viewing flowers through fog.

The trailing skirt of the bottoms was perfectly tailored, its diagonal cut drawing the eye upward from her rounded toes, past her long, toned legs toward a secret garden, only to be stopped by the concealing fabric.

The designer of this swimsuit was generous where it mattered and modest where it counted.

And for that, at least, Lin Ziyao was satisfied.

Even if it still felt like she was putting on quite a show.