Ten minutes later, two thirds of the water in the swimming pool had been drained and we were both free to breathe at the same time.

Our bodies were suspended in mid-air; I was below while Xiaotao lay on top.

My current position was extremely hard to bear, with my entire upper body tilted downward so the blood rushed to my head. I tried lifting myself by grabbing onto the shackles, but without the buoyancy of the water, my body felt as heavy as lead and my muscles ached after maintaining this posture for a while.

"Song Yang, I really don't know what to say," muttered Xiaotao, unable to hide the gratitude in her voice. 

"You don’t have to say anything,” I gave a weak, watery laugh. “With how close we are, why be so polite with me? Do you need to use the restroom?" I joked.

Xiaotao remained silent. In truth, I had the urge to pee, though it wasn’t urgent. Besides, if I tried peeing in this position, I would only...