"Aunt Rong, don’t talk, and don’t move!"
"I’ll pull you ashore!"
He Yanrong obediently followed Li Zhiyan’s instructions, but her fear made her unable to speak or control her body.
Li Zhiyan grabbed He Yanrong and swam toward the shore.
Although it was a small river, the suburban rivers of Shanghai are mostly open waterways that lead to the sea in some places, and the current is relatively swift.
Thankfully, Li Zhiyan had spent a lot of time swimming in the countryside with friends during his childhood, so he hadn’t lost touch with those skills.
After swimming for a while, Li Zhiyan finally found a suitable spot and helped He Yanrong ashore.
Once he laid Aunt Rong down on the grass, Li Zhiyan let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Aunt Rong, you’re safe now..."
But when he turned to look at her, he found He Yanrong stiff and unmoving, even her gaze seemed dazed, as though she’d lost her soul.
This left Li Zhiyan perplexed and shaken—what happened? Aunt Rong wasn’t submerged long enough to drink much water; how could things have come to this?
Li Zhiyan was utterly baffled.
"Aunt Rong, are you alright!"
He Yanrong remained silent. While her consciousness was clear, the sheer terror had immobilized her, rendering her incapable of responding.
"Aunt Rong, I’ll perform first aid now!"
In that urgent moment, all Li Zhiyan could think about was saving her life. His mind was devoid of any inappropriate thoughts; he only desired to help Aunt Rong recover swiftly.
"Aunt Rong, wake up!"
After pressing her chest more than a dozen times, Li Zhiyan caught a faint whiff of a natural fragrance.
He then proceeded to perform artificial respiration on He Yanrong.
While immobilized and unable to move, He Yanrong’s heart raced—this boy, he really kissed her.
No, he’s trying to save me, performing CPR because he thinks I’m in danger.
It seems my old condition has flared up again; this is so embarrassing.
Li Zhiyan continued attempting emergency resuscitation on He Yanrong.
Feeling the intimate intrusion through the artificial respiration, He Yanrong remained speechless.
Only after a while did He Yanrong gently grab Li Zhiyan’s hand.
Hearing He Yanrong speak, Li Zhiyan finally exhaled a sigh of relief. At that moment, the sky suddenly darkened, hinting at an impending storm.
"Aunt Rong, I’ll carry you home."
Li Zhiyan tried carrying her but found it inconvenient.
So, he switched to using the Lai-style cradle carry, holding Aunt Rong in his arms as he ran toward the spot where he’d left his clothes. However, despite trying to flag down multiple taxis, no one stopped upon seeing his disheveled state.
Finally, with a rumble of thunder, a torrential downpour began.
Li Zhiyan attempted to hail a rideshare car during this process.
He also managed to put his clothes back on in the meantime.
After all, carrying a mature woman while wearing only shorts was far from appropriate.
Once dressed, he held Aunt Rong close again, keeping her warm with his body heat.
The rideshare driver initially refused to stop as well, but after Li Zhiyan offered extra money, the driver reluctantly agreed to let them into the car.
"Aunt Rong, are you alright now?"
He Yanrong clung tightly to Li Zhiyan, her legs wrapped around his waist. Her mind suddenly grasped why Lai Feifei, that drunken mess, was so obsessed with sticking to Li Zhiyan and wouldn’t let go.
Because this position truly was incredibly comfortable.
When they finally arrived at the Century Palace entrance, Li Zhiyan sighed deeply in relief.
Carrying He Yanrong inside, they were greeted by Liu Li at the reception desk.
"Li Zhiyan, you and Rongrong went somewhere? Why not go to an open place, but come home instead?"
"No, Aunt Liu, Aunt Rong accidentally fell into the water."
"I rescued her, but she seems to be in shock. I’m taking her back to her room now."
Touching He Yanrong’s forehead lightly, Li Zhiyan noticed she seemed to have developed a fever.
"This woman, her health is so fragile—she must’ve felt dizzy before falling in. She fainted a few years ago too, but back then, I was there."
On the fifth floor, Liu Li led Li Zhiyan to He Yanrong’s room.
Once inside, Li Zhiyan looked around. The furnishings were clean and tidy, utterly simple yet serene.
Aunt Rong must be a gentle, cleanliness-loving woman in her daily life.
"Li Zhiyan, step out for a moment and let Aunt Rong change her clothes. You can come back later."
"I’ll find some clothes for you too."
"She needs to rest well."
After Li Zhiyan left the room, Liu Li admonished He Yanrong, saying, "You need to quit staying up late and take better care of yourself. Your health is poor already, and look at the outcome now. Should I help you change clothes?"
"Just leave, go make me a bowl of ginger soup."
"I’ll change myself and take medicine later on."
He Yanrong’s voice was weak.
"Alright, take care of yourself. Call for help if you need anything."
While waiting outside, Li Zhiyan unexpectedly heard Lai Feifei’s voice.
This made him wonder if he was hallucinating.
Turning around, he was surprised to see Aunt Lai approaching.
"Zaizai, just now I saw you and He Yanrong running and bouncing your way into the Century Palace."
"I called out to you, but you ignored me."
"Honestly, your mom gave birth to you for nothing!"