I am a Big Player
Chapter 83 - 82, Ice water like cold knife stabbing bones_1

Chapter 83: 82, Ice water like cold knife stabbing bones_1

Several people exchanged numbers with Ren He after lunch, and everyone, including Xia Yuting and Huangfu Zhuri, thought this junior high student was quite interesting, and that he could really hit the nail on the head with just a word or two.

Regarding the casting for Kunlun, Ren He might have been able to help Xia Yuting to some extent, but getting involved in something that was none of his business, even if they had become friends, wasn’t necessarily welcome or helpful. In the end, trying to help and failing would just cause unnecessary trouble. Ren He was an original content creator, not their producer.

Of course, if he had the chance to mention it in passing, it was the least he could do.

The bill for the meal was paid by Huangfu Zhuri. Ren He didn’t join in on that; in their eyes, he was just a junior high student. It would have been awkward for a poor junior high student to insist on treating them, just trying to show off. He could return the favor later; a hundred and something yuan wasn’t an indebtedness.

When they parted ways, Duan Xiaolou asked Ren He if he wanted to join them for a movie in the afternoon, but Ren He declined straight away. He was busy with a mission, and it was almost 2 PM, the most suitable time for the task. Any later, and the water would be even colder.

Plus, the forecast predicted snow for the next few days. If it started snowing while he was in the water, Ren He might just keel over. Winter swimming was no joke, and his designated spot was the Luo River, not a man-made pool with a coach in attendance. Talking about death, it could actually happen.

The weather was clear today, the perfect opportunity. Arriving at the Luo River, Ren He took a sharp breath. He hadn’t expected to see so many middle-aged and elderly people fishing there!

Truth be told, fishing in winter was always a pretty decent pastime. With the sun’s rays not as harsh and finding a sunlit spot to sit, without pesky little fish nibbling on the bait, one could say that winter fishing by the river yielded good catches. Just wait for the float to move and reel in; you were guaranteed a respectable fish.

But Ren He was unaware. He had assumed the riverbank would be nearly empty, given the cold winter weather...

What to do now, still swim?

Swim! Who cares, they’re all grown men here, no one should be laughing at anyone... Plus, he was wearing swimming trunks, not skinny-dipping.

When he got to the riverside, a group of elders were boasting about whose fish was the biggest. Ren He did some warm-up exercises behind them while listening to their chatter. Suddenly, they noticed Ren He and said with a laugh, "Not many young folk come out to exercise in this weather. Come on, young man, come judge for us. See who has the better fishing skills. Although Wang here has caught four fish, my three are larger when combined, so I should be the winner, right?"

Although there had been plenty of talk in his previous life about "bad people getting old," Ren He still found many elderly people to be quite adorable, becoming more child-like and competitive as they aged.

Ren He said with a smile, "You two are fishing and still want to compete for first place?"

"I didn’t want to argue with him, but he insists his fishing skills are better than mine, so we have to settle this," the elder explained. However, just as he was about to continue, he suddenly saw Ren He starting to strip...

"Young man, put your jacket back on! It’s very cold by the river, you dare not undress..." the elder’s voice trailed off. He had initially thought Ren He was getting warm from exercise and that’s why he was undressing, but it seemed there was some misunderstanding...

He’s stripping down to nothing, watching as Ren He began to take off his pants!

"Young man, if there’s something bothering you, tell me, please don’t do anything!" The elder was bewildered, thinking Ren He was about to jump into the river. What’s with young people nowadays? They hadn’t even considered winter swimming; after all, it was so cold and winter swimmers were a minority, so it never crossed their minds.

Should they call the police... In this situation, they should call the police, right?

Ren He, unable to help but laugh and cry at the sight of the elder pulling out his phone ready to call the police, quickly explained, "Don’t get me wrong, I’m winter swimming, winter swimming. You know it, it’s good for your health!"

Winter swimming? Winter swimming in this weather? Are you out of your mind?!

Ren He didn’t want to either, but once the Divine Punishment Mission was issued, there was no helping it. He didn’t care what others thought anymore and walked straight to the riverbank to test the water temperature with his toes... damn it, he immediately lost all desire to jump in!

But not jumping was not an option, Ren He gritted his teeth. In his past life, winter swimming had almost become a recreational activity. If others dared, why shouldn’t he? Jump!

With a resolute splash, Ren He plunged into the water. He was well-warmed up, his clothes were off; he couldn’t afford to cool his body down again on the shore because that would be the end of him. In the icy water, Ren He suddenly remembered a news story: A man in the Northeast lost his sexual function after working in cold water for tens of minutes...

He couldn’t be that unlucky, could he?!

The icy water felt like 360-degree encompassing blades tearing through his skin and muscles, winter swimming really was a trial of one’s willpower. How long can a person hold onto an ice cube? Probably only about ten seconds before pain makes them let go. At this moment, he felt as though he was enveloped by ice, wanting to get out every minute!

If a sled dog falls into ice water on the snowy plains, it’s usually abandoned by its owner, because if a person goes after it, they would die, too. Ren He felt his hands and feet turn completely cold, and even his heartbeat seemed to be gradually slowing down.

But Ren He couldn’t get out yet. He glanced at his waterproof wristwatch; it was only 2 minutes!

He finally understood what the phrase ’time feels like an eternity’ really meant!

However, at the four-minute mark, he slowly felt his body warming up again. What was going on? Ren He suddenly remembered a similar experience. It was back in his past life when he was in high school; he didn’t have the option to bathe in winter and bravely took a cold shower, expecting to feel deathly cold afterward, but his body actually became scalding hot!

Right, it was the same during snowball fights, his hands would be deathly cold after touching snow, but then they would warm up after a while on their own.

So, by the time he had been in the water for nearly 5 minutes, it no longer felt as agonizing, but Ren He knew this was probably a protective mechanism his body had produced and that it wouldn’t last long!

Ren He had heard that people climbing in the snow mountains sometimes got trapped, and after being frozen for a day, they suddenly felt their whole body heat up; at this moment, they absolutely mustn’t remove their clothes, because the cold would set in immediately afterward, and stripping would mean certain death.

At this point, there was no point in worrying about that; he just had to hold on for 5 minutes before immediately getting out! What made Ren He want to both cry and laugh was that, as he swam with sheer willpower, a group of old men on the shore were shouting and cheering, which was truly, painfully awkward...

10, 9, 8...3, 2, 1!

As soon as the time was up, Ren He immediately got out, grabbed the towel he had prepared to wipe his body dry, and put on all his clothes. Clothes without warmth felt warm on his body.

At this moment, his body had cooled down again, shivering with cold!

He really was risking his life on this mission, pleading to be transported to another world...

...

Well... After thinking it over, how could I not add more updates on the first day of the New Year? So here’s the additional update. My new book will be released on the 13th, and I’m honestly a bit nervous about how it will perform, so I’m asking for your recommendations and bookmarks, for help in spreading the word. I wish everyone a very lucky and healthy New Year, may those with lovers have an everlasting love, and those without... may they get to enjoy some delicious dog food...