Yichen heard the commotion and gazed in the same direction, only to see that his brother was in danger. He dashed desperately toward him without further ado.
Another ferocious wave hit and caught Youyou without warning.
The little boy gulped a mouthful of saltwater with this sudden assault.
The wave sent him tumbling deeper into the sea. He did not know how to trap water, so after struggling a few times underwater, his body started sinking.
The sea water flooded his facial orifices despite his best attempt to shut his eyes and mouth.
The saltwater tasted bitter in his oral cavity as it steadily gushed through his ears and nose.
He flailed as much as he could to get his head above the sea level, only to be hit by another wave, which pulled him toward the seabed. He could sense that he was drifting farther from land.
Yichen speedily rushed to where he had last seen his younger twin, but halfway there, he was stopped by his father, who pushed him aside with a bellow. “Go back!”
By the time he regained his composure, Mu Yazhe had already dived headlong into the sea.
Startled, he wanted to run over and dive in as well, but his mother hurriedly came to his side and carried him to the shore.
“Mommy, what are you doing?!” He knew how to swim and wanted to save his brother.
“Don’t go there; it’s too dangerous. Your daddy is there to save Youyou.” His mother attempted to stay calm. “Don’t worry; your brother will be fine!”
She glanced anxiously in the direction where her son had disappeared after saying that.
Guilt flooded her heart as she blamed herself for her other son’s predicament. She was too engrossed with Yichen earlier she had failed to notice that her other child had drifted away from safety.
Youyou is so small and fragile; isn’t it dangerous with the large swells out there in the sea?
She would not forgive herself if anything were to happen to him.
“Mommy, look! It’s daddy!” Little Yichen screeched happily out of the blue.
She gazed at where his finger was pointing and saw the man, soaked from head to toe, walking toward the shoreline with Youyou in his arms.
The huge tides continued to assault him from behind. Unlike others who would easily be overwhelmed by these ferocious waves, his steps remained firm and steady as he cut across the seawater toward the safe zone.
The boy was unconscious in his arms.
She and Yichen rushed over to the two.
The man planted his ear on the little boy’s chest and caught a faint heartbeat. Shallow air fanned him when he checked his nose next.
The mother and older son stood at the side watching anxiously. “Daddy, how’s my brother?”
His father ignored his question as he placed the unconscious boy sideways to force the fluids out of his nose while pressing his knee against his abdomen.
He then laid the boy supine and started a cycle of cardiopulmonary resuscitation without a hitch.
With one hand on the lad’s forehead and another on his chin, he performed a head-tilt-chin-lift maneuver to open the latter’s airway for emergency rescue breathing.
“Cough…” The boy gradually came around. He slowly opened his blurry eyes and hazily saw his father’s handsome face looming on top of his.
The man was still giving him emergency breathing using the head-tilt-chin-lift technique when he opened his eyes just in time to catch him aiming his mouth at his; he immediately let out an undeterred scream.
“Ahhhh!”
His shrill scream deafened his father’s ears.
The boy was thoroughly awakened by what he saw. Pushing his father aside, he crept away at once.