Even After My Death
Chapter 279 - 196: It’s Not Like I Told Her to Go Down and Save Them

Chapter 279: Chapter 196: It’s Not Like I Told Her to Go Down and Save Them

Qi Xingzhou knew what Jiang Ning was about to do the moment he saw that child drifting in the sea.

After all, she had taken the initiative to save Mu Mingxuan who was floating in the river and at the brink of life and death during the variety show.

But this was different from the rivers in the variety show; this was the surging sea! One misstep and it could be a point of no return!

Qi Xingzhou watched Jiang Ning closely and, sure enough, after throwing out the lifebuoy, Jiang Ning shoved the rope into his hands, "You hold onto this, I’m going to bring that child up."

Jiang Ning spoke with an air of nonchalance, seemingly unaware of the grave danger she was about to face.

Qi Xingzhou felt his heart pounding for the first time, tasting the flavor of panic and fear.

"No," Qi Xingzhou clenched his fists, not reaching out to take Jiang Ning’s rope, and firmly said to her, "I’ll go, you wait here."

"No way!" Jiang Ning rejected him without another thought.

If she let Qi Xingzhou go and something went wrong, she would regret it for a lifetime.

Call her selfish if you will, but if it meant sending Qi Xingzhou to rescue that child, she’d rather abandon the mission.

"You just wait here, don’t worry, I’m a very good swimmer, I’ll be back in a moment," Jiang Ning grabbed Qi Xingzhou’s hand, forcibly stuffed the rope into his hands, and without time to say more, she said, "Wait for me to come up, then I’ll treat you to a seafood feast."

Qi Xingzhou gripped the rope in his hands, watching Jiang Ning run towards the sea.

Watching Jiang Ning reach the lifebuoy, her slender figure gradually submerged by the seawater, Qi Xingzhou turned an alarming shade of pale, his face haunted with fright. Several times he wanted to cast aside the rope in his hands and run towards Jiang Ning, but he was forced to stand his ground with clenched teeth.

The child’s parents had already run over, standing at the edge of the sea and screaming tearfully, with more and more people gathering around.

But amid the raging wind and waves, no one dared to step forward to save.

Jiang Ning, like a nimble fish, dove into the waves, swiftly swimming towards the child.

Wave after wave battered against her, the resistance was immense, and the sight of the child’s figure being engulfed by the waves had the other tourists on the beach in a state of high anxiety.

"Oh my god! It’s terrifying, how did the child drift so far away?"

"There’s a girl going to save him, oh dear, another wave..."

"Did anyone call 110? Hurry up and call the emergency number!"

The onlookers buzzed with discussion, and some, noticing Qi Xingzhou’s extraordinary demeanor and the rope of the lifebuoy in his hand, approached him curiously and asked, "Handsome guy, is that girl who went to rescue the child your girlfriend? Is she good at swimming?"

If it had been any ordinary day, Qi Xingzhou would have been elated to have someone suggest that he and Jiang Ning were boyfriend and girlfriend. But now, his entire focus was on Jiang Ning, who was in the sea saving a life, and the idle chatter of those around him couldn’t reach his ears.

Jiang Ning had found the drowning child. The child had his eyes closed, seemingly passed out. She hurriedly propped his head up and slipped the lifebuoy over him.

Seeing this, Qi Xingzhou on the shore finally felt useful. Without waiting for Jiang Ning’s signal, he began to pull the rope in bit by bit, dragging the lifebuoy towards the beach.

Others nearby, seeing what was happening, hurried to help.

It was too dangerous for them to dive in and save the child because they weren’t good swimmers, but they could certainly lend a hand to pull someone in!

With one hand on the child and the other steadying the lifebuoy, Jiang Ning and the boy were quickly pulled into shallow water, where the onlookers immediately stepped forward to take over.

"Rui Rui! My Rui Rui!"

The child’s mother screamed in panic.

The surrounding crowd chimed in:

"Oh dear! The child is unconscious from choking on water!"

"Is there a doctor? Quick, save the child!"

The chatter of the crowd gathered as they moved the child onto the beach.

[Congratulations to the Host for completing the mission, reward of 10 days of life value!]

The System’s voice echoed in her mind, but Jiang Ning was too busy to care; she propped her hand on the sandy shore, drenched and panting heavily.

Swimming against the currents had drained a lot of Jiang Ning’s strength, and before she could react, Qi Xingzhou dropped the rope and ran over from behind.

His handsome face was full of worry, his expression aggrieved, and his beautiful eyelids hung low as though he were about to cry.

Jiang Ning looked up at him and before she could speak, Qi Xingzhou knelt before her and with an outstretched arm, she found herself enveloped in a dry and warm embrace.

"Don’t," Jiang Ning raised her hand to push him away: "I’m soaking wet..."

Qi Xingzhou not only didn’t let go, but he also pulled her in closer.

His head rested lightly against Jiang Ning’s shoulder and with a blink, a cold drop fell onto the back of her neck.

Jiang Ning was taken aback, and then she heard Qi Xingzhou’s voice with a hint of a sob, "Let’s never come to the beach again."

His tone was filled with sadness and fear.

He had just watched helplessly as Jiang Ning was swallowed by the sea, the image lingering in his mind, chilling Qi Xingzhou to the bone.

Like a young animal new to the world, he had barely begun to appreciate the beauty of society when he experienced a moment that nearly stopped his heart.

Already clingy to Jiang Ning before, his feeling of dependence on her had now intensified.

"Don’t be afraid, look, I said I would come back." Jiang Ning, who had initially wanted to push his hand away, instead soothingly patted his shoulder, "Besides, you were amazing just now. With you pulling the rope, we were pulled out of the sea in an instant."

Jiang Ning had previously learned to hold her breath with her master, and her underwater skills were quite impressive. Otherwise, she would not have been confident in rushing out to save someone, but she still had to thank Qi Xingzhou because his help made her return much easier.

When Qi Xingzhou heard Jiang Ning’s words, his emotions gradually stabilized, but he did not let go of Jiang Ning. Instead, he lifted her up in that position.

The sensation of being lifted and weightlessness came in an instant, and Jiang Ning instinctively clung to Qi Xingzhou.

Jiang Ning was not short and her weight was standard, but holding a person in his arms seemed to exert no pressure on Qi Xingzhou.

He pulled Jiang Ning closer into his embrace and, with steady steps, carried her away from the waters.

The child was surrounded by other enthusiastic onlookers, and Jiang Ning noticed from the corner of her eye that someone was administering first aid to the child.

Finally, with a loud cry, the water trapped inside the child’s body was expelled, and the crowd of onlookers cheered, "He’s alive! He’s alive!"

At the same time, the ambulance arrived and quickly lifted the child onto the vehicle for further examination.

As the child’s mother was about to leave with the ambulance, an onlooker who had seen everything pulled her aside and pointed at the departing figures of Qi Xingzhou and Jiang Ning, saying to the child’s mother, "That young lady saved your child and then lay on the ground too weak to move, being carried away by her boyfriend. It seems she might not be in good condition. Aren’t you going to show some concern and thanks?"

The bystander’s intention might have been a reminder to the child’s mother that Jiang Ning was the biggest lifesaver for her child. Had it not been for Jiang Ning braving the danger and the waves to pluck her child from the sea, the precious time for rescue might have been missed and the child could have died.

But upon hearing these words, the child’s mother, who had just been overjoyed, suddenly changed her expression: "How is her getting hurt my business? I didn’t tell her to go save anyone. It was her choice to rescue my Rui Rui. Even if something happens, it’s not our fault."

The concerned onlookers were taken aback, seemingly not expecting the person who just moments before seemed willing to do anything for someone to save her child to turn on a dime and be so ungrateful.

After speaking, the child’s mother appeared somewhat guilty, shook off the hand tugging at her sleeve, and quickly left with the ambulance.

The concerned onlooker was a young college student, who had just graduated and, along with friends, had planned a graduation trip—this being their last stop. They had never seen the ocean before, which is why they decided to witness it together, only to stumble upon the incident that had just occurred.

What was supposed to be a heartwarming event had turned cold in an instant because of the child’s mother’s attitude, and it left him feeling chilled to the core.

"Sun, what’s wrong with you?" Song Sun’s friend found him and saw him standing there dazed, waving his hand in front of Sun’s face, "What are you staring at? Did you see a beautiful woman? You look so mesmerized."

"No," Song Sun came back to his senses and quickly recounted what the child’s mother had said to his friends.

"What the fuck! Seriously?"

"Did she really say that?!!"

"Where’s the girl who saved the person? Is she okay?"

The friends expressed their shock.

They had also witnessed the collective effort to save the child, and because of the crowd, they had only briefly lost sight of each other.

"Don’t know," Song Sun shook his head, "she was just carried away by her boyfriend."

They stood on the beach looking around, but could not see Qi Xingzhou and Jiang Ning anywhere, their mood inexplicably dampened.

"May she be alright," they all hoped.

"Good people get good rewards. With her boyfriend by her side, she definitely won’t come to harm."

"Pfft, if good people really got good rewards, then the mother wouldn’t have had that attitude just now. It makes one’s heart go cold."

Hearing his friends’ comments, Song Sun abruptly suggested, "How about we include the footage of that woman saving someone in our travel VCR?"

"That’s possible!"

"I think it’s a good idea!"

"The child’s mother may not know gratitude, but that woman’s courage and actions in saving a life deserve respect."

"Alright, it’s decided then, motion passed unanimously."

"Haha, luckily I recorded her saving someone in the sea just now. Though I feel the footage is a bit scarce, let’s communicate with the nearby management and see if we can get some surveillance footage."

"Sure thing, Xu Lei. Counting on you, our editing expert."

The few young men had no idea that because of this decision, a wave of tremendous fortune would soon befall them.

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