By the waterfall.
Sheng Qingxi struggled with one arm to hold the girl as she swam toward the shore. However, the girl in her arms instinctively thrashed around, nearly pulling Sheng Qingxi down into the depths with her.
The water below was clear, but the bottom of the pool was thick with water weeds. The blue-and-white school uniform was hard to distinguish in the dark depths.
Sheng Qingxi used almost all her strength to push the girl to the shore, where someone immediately took her. Just as Sheng Qingxi was about to swim forward, a force pulled at her. She turned her head and saw that the swaying water weeds at the bottom had tangled around her calf, forcing her to swim in the opposite direction.
With little energy left, Sheng Qingxi had no choice but to turn back and untangle the weeds wrapped around her leg. The more she struggled, the tighter they became.
“Spread out, spread out! Don’t crowd around, let the air flow!”
Everyone on the shore was focused on performing emergency measures on the drowning girl. The two boys who had watched Sheng Qingxi jump into the water momentarily forgot that she hadn’t come ashore. No one remembered whether she had made it up.
By the time Lin Ran ran to the shore, a crowd had already gathered around the girl. He pushed through the group, searching for Sheng Qingxi, but after checking twice, he still couldn’t find her.
Lin Ran’s face darkened. He grabbed a nearby boy by the collar, his knuckles turning white, and demanded fiercely, “Where’s Sheng Qingxi? Where is she?!”
The boy froze for a moment. “Sheng Qingxi? Who’s Sheng Qing… Ah, the girl who jumped in to save her?”
Panicking, the boy turned to look for Sheng Qingxi’s figure. When he couldn’t find her, he broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, “She… she hasn’t come up yet.”
Lin Ran instantly let go of the boy and jumped into the water.
On the shore, Mr. Qu raised his head at the commotion and asked in confusion, “Who jumped in again? Didn’t they just pull someone out?”
The boy, on the verge of tears from fear, stammered, “Teacher, there’s still another girl in the water. The one who saved her hasn’t come up yet.”
What?
Mr. Qu swallowed back the scolding he was about to give. “How could you forget something so important! Who went in?”
The boy stuttered, “L-Lin Ran went in.”
The drowning girl had already regained consciousness and was now crying in the arms of a female teacher. The teachers quickly escorted her back to the campsite. Mr. Qu anxiously waited by the shore, his eyes fixed on the water, searching for any sign of movement.
After freeing herself from the weeds, Sheng Qingxi was gradually losing her strength. She felt dazed, unable to tell if she was at the bottom of the pond or the ocean.
In her previous life, she had also fallen into the sea with a criminal suspect tied to a bomb, just like this. In her haze, she could still see the fragmented light from the water’s surface shining into the depths. The icy water dulled her senses.
Sheng Qingxi stared blankly at the fading light above her, softly calling out in her heart: Lin Ran.
Suddenly, the light held by the water was shattered as a figure plunged into the depths. Even though the light had broken, Sheng Qingxi felt that the bottom of the pond had become brighter.
The figure came closer and closer.
Until someone’s arm wrapped around her waist. She was pulled tightly into an embrace, the cold water replaced by the warmth of his chest. He brought her toward the surface, and they moved closer and closer to the light.
Lin Ran held Sheng Qingxi tightly as he swam toward the shore. She quietly rested her head against his neck, her eyes closed.
Mr. Qu finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lin Ran bringing her up. He bent down, ready to take the girl from Lin Ran’s arms, but Lin Ran avoided his hand.
Mr. Qu paused, only now noticing the boy’s expression.
His eyes were filled with barely concealed rage, colder than the waters of the pond, his lips pressed into a tight line. If one looked closely, they could see his hands trembling slightly as he held Sheng Qingxi.
Mr. Qu sighed silently. This child.
Just as Lin Ran carried Sheng Qingxi onto the shore, he heard her cough softly. Her cold face was pressed against his neck, and she quietly called his name, “Lin Ran.”
Lin Ran tightened his arms around her and responded hoarsely, “I’m here.”
With such a serious incident, the school had already called for an ambulance. Fortunately, neither of the girls was seriously hurt, but it would take about half an hour for the ambulance to reach the mountainside.
Lin Ran couldn’t wait that long. He lifted Sheng Qingxi onto his back, preparing to carry her down the mountain.
Xie Zhen and He Mo rushed over when they heard the news. Both of them were startled when they saw the soaking wet Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi. Xie Zhen immediately made a call to arrange for a car, while He Mo stepped forward to help Lin Ran.
He Mo called softly, “Brother Ran.”
Lin Ran glanced at him, his voice hoarse. “Get her bag. I’m taking her to the hospital. Let Mr. Qu know not to inform Sheng Qingxi’s family for now. I’ll explain the details to him later.”
He Mo nodded.
Lin Ran, without another word, began making his way down the mountain with Sheng Qingxi on his back.
It was close to five o’clock by now, and the sky was beginning to darken. The dense foliage in the forest blocked most of the remaining light. Lin Ran, anxious to get down, didn’t take the main road, instead opting to cut through the forest.
Sheng Qingxi’s consciousness was still somewhat fuzzy, her face pressed against his warm skin.
In a faint voice, she asked, “Lin Ran, are you alive?”
Lin Ran didn’t slow his pace. His eyes reddened slightly as he responded softly, “I’m alive.”
He quickened his steps, but after a moment, he paused. Warm, scorching tears were falling onto his neck, one drop after another, sliding down.
She was crying.
Lin Ran repeated, louder this time, “Sheng Qingxi, I’m alive.”
The girl on his back replied in a soft voice, “You’re alive.”
Sheng Qingxi slowly blinked as she gazed at the alternating patches of light and shadow in the forest above. Her thoughts, like her body, grew heavier and heavier, dragging her downward.
She had thanked the heavens countless times.
Lin Ran had come back to life.
–
After completing the examination, Sheng Qingxi was fully conscious.
She lay on the hospital bed, the room’s light slightly harsh to her eyes. Turning her head, she noticed Lin Ran standing just outside the door, talking on the phone.
“Yes, her family situation is a bit complicated,” Lin Ran responded in a low voice to Mr. Qu. “She doesn’t want her family to know. I’ll take her home tomorrow.”
He spoke a few more words before ending the call.
As soon as he opened the door, he met Sheng Qingxi’s bright, watery eyes. She was staring at him intently, her gaze much softer than her usual cold demeanor. She looked almost pitiful.
But Lin Ran wasn’t moved. He walked over to her bedside and looked down at her, like a towering figure looming over a fragile kitten.
The cold light made her face appear even paler.
Lin Ran’s dark eyes were calm, emotionless. He asked coldly, “Sheng Qingxi, you can’t swim and yet you jumped in? Do you have a death wish?”
Sheng Qingxi pursed her lips and quietly retorted, “I can swim.”
Lin Ran’s expression didn’t change at all after hearing her response. “Just because you know how to swim, you think it’s okay to jump in and save someone? Did you even think about the consequences? What would you have done if I hadn’t come?”
Sheng Qingxi remained silent.
Years of her previous profession had ingrained a habit in her — she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing in a situation like that. But she had overestimated her own stamina. Right now, she was just the 17-year-old Sheng Qingxi.
After a long moment of quiet, Sheng Qingxi softly asked, “How is that girl?”
Lin Ran let out a faint scoff, then pulled a chair over to sit by her bedside. “She’s fine. She’s already been sent home. You should be worrying about yourself first.”
Sheng Qingxi obediently apologized, “Lin Ran, I’m sorry.”
Lin Ran looked down into her eyes. “What did you tell me this afternoon? You told me not to get hurt, and now you’re the one lying in a hospital bed. How do you expect me to listen to you if you act like this?”
Sheng Qingxi blinked at him, her beautiful eyes brightening a little.
Seeing that she’d understood, Lin Ran changed the subject. “Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?”
Sheng Qingxi actually gave it some serious thought, then answered him honestly, “Hotpot.”
Lin Ran: “…?”
This girl certainly had her priorities. At a time like this, instead of thinking about congee or light food, she wanted hotpot.
He frowned as he looked at her, noting the hopeful look in her eyes. “Do you really want hotpot?”
Sheng Qingxi nodded. “I want meat.”
Lin Ran’s brows furrowed even more. He stared at her for a while. Her small face was full of determination, clearly craving meat.
Seeing how sincere she was, he paused for a moment. “Give me ten minutes. Stay here and behave.”
Ten minutes later.
Lin Ran returned with a brand-new coat and wrapped Sheng Qingxi up so tightly that no wind could get through. He then scooped her up and headed outside. He Mo and Xie Zhen had already arranged a car and were waiting downstairs.
As they walked out, plenty of people passing by stared curiously at the pair.
Both the boy and the girl were strikingly attractive.
Sheng Qingxi shifted slightly in his arms, reached out with her small hand to tightly grab onto Lin Ran’s jacket, and then buried her face in his chest, staying still.
Amused, Lin Ran adjusted his coat, making sure she was covered more securely.
He Mo and Xie Zhen were leaning against the car waiting. When they saw Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi coming, He Mo waved, “Brother Ran, over here!”
Lin Ran carried Sheng Qingxi to the car.
He Mo, being very cooperative, opened the passenger door. Lin Ran carefully placed her inside, then leaned in to fasten her seatbelt. As he got close, he caught a faint scent on her — vetiver and iris root, a fragrance she had picked up from him.
On her, the scent lost its sharpness and was instead sweet.
After securing the seatbelt, Lin Ran, not forgetting to tease her, reached up and ruffled her long black hair. He met her gaze for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Stay put.”
Sheng Qingxi obediently nodded.
Satisfied, Lin Ran smirked slightly before closing the door and walking around to the back seat to get in the car.
Once the car started moving, He Mo finally brought up what had happened that afternoon. “Brother Ran, the girl who fell into the water slipped accidentally. The boys near her weren’t paying attention, and by the time they noticed, it was too late to pull her back.”
“It was just an accident. She’s fine now.”
Lin Ran had already heard about the incident from Mr. Qu. What made him furious, however, wasn’t the accident itself but the fact that no one seemed to care if Sheng Qingxi had made it out of the water. That reality was something he couldn’t accept.
Lin Ran raised his eyes to look at the quiet girl in the front seat. His voice was calm, revealing no emotion. “Do you know the names and classes of the boys who were on the shore?”
He Mo’s heart skipped a beat. Was Brother Ran planning to go and beat someone up?
Before he could dwell on the thought, Lin Ran’s cold voice cut through, “Have them copy the water safety guidelines ten times. I’ll personally check on Monday.”
He Mo: “…”
When did Brother Ran start going down this route? Strangely enough, He Mo couldn’t help but feel like Lin Ran was being somewhat responsible and positive.
A quiet settled in the car shortly after.
He Mo assumed the topic was over. But Lin Ran wasn’t done. Glancing at the girl wrapped up in the front seat, he added casually, “Sheng Qingxi, you copy them too.”
Sheng Qingxi obediently responded, “Okay.”
Lin Ran let out a satisfied “hmph.”
He Mo and Xie Zhen: “…”
She really is patient. If it were either of us, we would’ve strangled Lin Ran by now.