Chapter 9 Saving a Life

Chapter 9: Rescue

Cheng Ge had stayed at the Lin residence for two days, but he couldn't take the boredom any longer. In his previous life, he was pretty active, which is why he majored in sports.

Initially, he had planned to exercise, but after that thief incident, he changed his mind.

It wasn't for anything else—his body was way too weak to handle any rough stuff. He wanted to get stronger, not kick the bucket.

So, after thinking it over, Cheng Ge decided to rest for a while and wait till he felt better before working out more.

However, even though he couldn't do strenuous activities, going out to catch some rays was fine. It'd help with calcium and keep his bones from getting brittle.

The place he was staying had a lotus pond. In July and August, the lotuses were in full bloom. From a distance, the plump lotus pods looked like shy girls waiting to be picked.

Cheng Ge had no self-control. A little temptation, and he went for it.

There was a small boat tied up by the lotus pond. Cheng Ge's eyes lit up—wasn't this the perfect "tool for the crime"?

He carefully got on the boat, grabbed the oar, and started rowing like he knew what he was doing.

The boat wobbled toward the thickest patch of lotus pods, like a mouse in a rice jar.

In no time, he'd piled a bunch at the bow, planning to peel them later for sugar water.

There were plenty of fish in the water, and they darted off when he came near.

Cheng Ge leaned over the bow, tapping the water with a lotus bud, trying to lure a big fish for braising.

But those things were too smart and didn't take the bait. The sun felt warm and nice on him.

"Ahhh... West Lake beauty, in March skies~

Spring rain like wine, willows like smoke~

Fate brings us together from afar, without fate, hands can't hold.

Ten years on the same boat, a hundred years for the same bed..."

Cheng Ge got bored, turned over, and lay down. He peeled a few lotus seeds, popped them in his mouth, and chewed.

The lotus flowers cast shadows on the water, swaying in the wind.

As the saying goes, spring doziness, fall tiredness, summer naps, and winter sleep that never ends.

His feet dangled and swayed with the waves. The sun was warm, and he started getting sleepy.

But youth has its perks. He picked a lotus leaf, covered his face, closed his eyes, and passed out.

The breeze carried the faint buzz of cicadas, a hint of summer restlessness in the air, wrapping around the sleeping guy.

Fish occasionally surfaced, opening and closing their mouths as they nibbled on duckweed.

Just as Cheng Ge was dead asleep, a loud bang rang out, and the boat jerked hard.

Cheng Ge jolted awake, almost falling headfirst into the water.

"Earthquake?" He sat up with a jolt, gripping the boat's edge, looking around.

He heard a commotion and cries for help: "Help! Save me... gurgle gurgle..."

Cheng Ge quickly rowed toward the shouts, pushing through the lotus leaves.

Not far off, he spotted a man in the water. Judging by his state, he'd swallowed a lot of water.

He was struggling, bobbing up and down, flailing his arms, and his eyes were starting to roll back.

As a decent, kind-hearted 21st-century guy, Cheng Ge couldn't just watch someone die.

Without a second thought, he jumped in. A few strokes and he was behind Qiao Fangxu, wrapping his arms around his waist.

The spot was far from shore. Cheng Ge would've struggled to swim there alone, let alone with dead weight.

He looked up and saw people extending bamboo poles toward him. The guy must've been too panicked to grab them.

Qiao Fangxu felt like he was drowning, his consciousness fading, when suddenly a force grabbed him tight.

In a daze, he slowly opened his eyes. When he saw who it was, he almost burst into tears.

Oh god, had he drowned? Was he seeing an angel? This was it, this was it...

But then, a slap hit his face. "Grab onto me, you hear!"

Qiao Fangxu felt his cheek go numb. He instinctively grabbed Cheng Ge tight.

His forehead pressed against the other's chest, and he could faintly hear a heartbeat.

Cheng Ge dragged him, struggling toward the bamboo pole. Once he grabbed it, he pushed Qiao Fangxu up.

"Grab the pole and climb up." Qiao Fangxu held on for dear life, and with the others pulling, he finally crawled ashore.

He lay on the ground, gasping, his eyes still dazed.

Cheng Ge clung to the pavilion wall, his chest tight. He took a few deep breaths, completely exhausted.

But he held the pole tightly with both hands, kicked his feet a few times, and shouted to the people above, "Pull me up quickly!"

The group scrambled to pull Cheng Ge up. Lin Nanshu leaned half his body over the railing, wrapped his arms around Cheng Ge's waist, and lifted him up with effort.

Cheng Ge bent over and coughed violently, feeling blood rush upward. Startled, he quickly reached into his chest and pulled out his life-saving medicine.

His fingers fumbled with the bottle stopper, his body trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Lin Nanshu's heart leaped into his throat. He quickly helped take out a pill and fed it into Cheng Ge's mouth.

Cheng Ge swallowed the pill hastily, and tears immediately streamed down his face, looking like he was about to die.

"Yuli, water... I'm going to choke... ugh..."

The pill stuck stubbornly in his throat, neither going up nor down, threatening to finish him off.

Lin Nanshu quickly handed him a cup of tea. Cheng Ge took it and downed it in one gulp.

Lin Nanshu gently patted his back. Cheng Ge leaned against the pavilion pillar, panting heavily. After a while, some color gradually returned to his face.

The mansion's doctor, alerted to the commotion, rushed over. The first thing he saw was Qiao Fangxu lying on the ground like a dead dog, and he was totally freaked out.

Qiao Fangxu, having narrowly escaped death, his chest heaving violently, stared straight at Cheng Ge.

Cheng Ge's clothes were completely soaked through, summer clothes being thinner, now clinging tightly to his skin.

Every inch of his flesh was clearly outlined, a few strands of wet hair sticking to his jade-white neck, like a water deity at play, too dazzling to behold.

Everyone's eyes kept drifting to him, whether on purpose or not, but Cheng Ge was oblivious, the wet clothes making him uncomfortable.

He just kicked off his shoes to one side, bent down, grabbed his shirt hem, and wrung it out hard.

This made the clothes cling even tighter to his waist, his long, pale legs blinding everyone.

Everyone's throat went dry, their hearts racing out of control.

Lin Nanshu noticed everyone's stares, quietly stepped in front of Cheng Ge, slipped off his own robe, and draped it over Cheng Ge, saying softly, "Go change first, you'll catch a cold."

Cheng Ge straightened up, grabbed the robe, and smiled brightly, "Thanks, you're a lifesaver."

Then he grabbed his shoes with one hand, about to leave, but then seemed to remember something.

"Oh, right, Yuli. Can you get someone to bring back the lotus pods from the boat? I'm gonna make lotus seed and lily bulb soup, and I'll save you a bowl."

After speaking, he even patted Lin Nanshu on the shoulder, like they were best buds.

Lin Nanshu gave a helpless smile, nodded, and said, "Sure, I'll have someone get them."

Only then did Cheng Ge sway off, satisfied, occasionally hopping a couple of times, just because the ground was scorching.

Everyone watched him go until he was out of sight before reluctantly looking away.

Qiao Fangxu was saved; other than swallowing some water, he was fine, though his face was still sore. He'd already been helped off to change.

"Brother Lin, who was that guy just now? Never seen him before."

Lin Nanshu glanced at the guy and said flatly, "His name is Cheng Ge, a new friend I've made. He's staying at the house for now."

Everyone suddenly understood, and another person said, "Master Cheng's not just good-looking, he's got a good heart too. If it weren't for him, Brother Qiao would've been in trouble."

Lin Nanshu gave a half-hearted reply and dropped it, turning to tell someone to get the lotus pods Cheng Ge had picked.

Soon, a servant came over with a big bunch of lotus pods and a few unopened lotus buds.

Lin Nanshu didn't mind at all and took them casually.

Everyone exchanged looks, and one guy coughed awkwardly, "It's really hot out; some lotus seed soup would hit the spot."

"Haha... yeah, yeah. I haven't had that in ages," another quickly chimed in.

Lin Nanshu wasn't dumb; he knew what they were getting at. He turned to the servant and said, "Go tell the kitchen to make some lotus seed soup and bring it out." The servant acknowledged and left.

Everyone: "..." Wait, what?

"Sorry, I gotta go check on Brother Qiao. Excuse me."

Lin Nanshu had the best family background of anyone there, so no one dared to say a word.

"Brother Lin, don't mind us. We'll be fine," everyone said in unison.

Lin Nanshu nodded and headed toward the room where Qiao Fangxu was.

But after a quick check-in, he grabbed the lotus pods and headed to the guest courtyard where Cheng Ge was staying.

Cheng Ge had been in the water and was filthy, feeling quite uncomfortable.

He had the servants heat up water for a bath, or he'd really turn into a stinky mess.

He'd heard some people here had servants bathe them, but Cheng Ge, being a modern guy at heart, wasn't into that.

After a thorough scrub, Cheng Ge transformed back into a clean, charming young man.

He stepped out of the bathtub and felt around the screen, his heart sinking—damn, he hadn't brought his clothes.

"Xiao Yuan? Xiao Fang?" Cheng Ge called out softly, but no one answered.

He didn't like others touching his clothes, so he usually prepared them himself.

He had been in a hurry earlier and forgotten; they were now on the couch in the outer room, not too far away.

Cheng Ge thought about it and decided not to call them, planning to just get them himself.

He looked left and right, confirming no one was around, then began sneaking out like a crab, moving stealthily.

Since he had bathed in the inner room with a screen for cover, the outer room's door was only slightly ajar.

Holding his breath, he suddenly sped up, intending to grab the clothes and run.

But just as his hand was less than ten centimeters from the clothes, the room door was suddenly knocked on.

"Muyu, are you okay?"

Cheng Ge was startled, his foot slipping, and he fell flat on the ground.

His lower back hit the edge of the table hard, sending the tea set and porcelain crashing to the floor.

To be honest, it was quite painful; his whole body went numb. "Ow—damn it!!"

Lin Nanshu heard the commotion in the room, his heart tightening, and he quickly pushed the door open.

Cheng Ge heard the noise behind him and instinctively turned his head.

But all he saw was a blur of movement behind him, and before he could make it out, the door was slammed shut with a bang.

Cheng Ge: "..."

When Cheng Ge finally came out of the room, holding his back, he saw Lin Nanshu standing under a nearby tree, frantically picking at the bark with his fingers.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Lin Nanshu quickly turned around, his face as red as if smeared with chicken blood.

"What's wrong? Your face is so red. Did you get heatstroke?" Cheng Ge reached out and placed his hand on Lin Nanshu's forehead.