As the saying goes, well-intended advice cannot persuade a determined ghost. Knowing it would end like this, why did he bother with words? It would've been better to kick her into the river and then pull her out.

Even in midsummer, the river's temperature remained low, even quite cold.

In an instant, Su Qing felt her entire body submerged in the icy river water, with her feet unable to touch the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Suddenly choked, she quickly coughed a couple of times, holding onto a protruding stone of the riverbank with one hand, while grabbing Xu Yue'ru's hair from behind with the other.

He didn't know if this girl could swim, but she was definitely crazy. Everything was fine, and she just decided to jump.

But thinking about it, it's understandable. How could someone contemplating suicide be easily persuaded with mere words?

So, the moment she jumped, he spat, threw down his phone and clothes, and then plunged into the river.

Fortunately, he had learned how to swim back in the day and was quite good at it. But as he plunged in, he regretted it a bit, thinking he should have dragged her away first. It's just too damn cold.

However, he had previously learned a bit from the old men who used to swim in the Qing River, so he knew not to rescue someone from the front to avoid being entangled.

Hence, he had no romantic notions when he caught Xu Yuezhen, grabbing her hair from behind.

Would she choke on water? That wasn't his problem. Saving a life shouldn't cost him his own.

Luckily, the current here wasn't strong, and they were near the bank. Xu Yuezhen had just jumped in and hadn't drifted away before he caught her.

But the challenge he faced was the nearly two-meter-high riverbank with nothing to grip. To get up, he couldn't just swim to the downstream steps, which were quite far away.

Just then, he heard voices.

"Damn, Qingzi, they both jumped into the river!"

"Qingzi!"

"Qingzi, are you okay?"

It was Wang Xing and Ding Qiang calling out. As they shouted, although there were fewer people around due to a light drizzle, they weren't far from the road and caught some attention.

"Qingzi, where are you? Damn, you're not dead, are you?"

Seeing them looking at the distant river while shouting, Su Qing felt a surge of anger.

"Why are you shouting? Can't you look down? You think I'm a hovercraft, drifting that far in such a short time?"

Upon hearing his voice, three heads immediately popped out from the bank, looking down to see him clinging to the riverbank stones, holding Xu Yuezhen with one hand.

After a while, she calmed down. Though she had gotten some water, thankfully Su Qing hadn't been holding her hair all the time, giving her a chance to recover.

"I knew you were okay. Learned swimming in high school, didn't go to waste. How's the temperature down there? Want to swim together tomorrow?"

Seeing he was okay, Wang Xing sighed with relief and even joked.

"Cut the crap. Hurry and find something to pull us up!"

"Seriously, quit yakking!" Ding Qiang, proving more reliable, kicked Wang Xing in the butt and turned around saying, "Skinny dog, go, go call for help!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going! Hang in there, Qingzi, you two!"

He ran off after speaking.

Wang Xing and the other stayed behind, taking off their black jackets, tying the sleeves together to make a rope and lowering it for him to grab.

After all, he could only hold onto the protruding stone and couldn't apply much force.

Grabbing onto the makeshift rope, he finally felt relieved. While it wasn't challenging for him to climb up with it, Xu Yuezhen might find it difficult.

"But seriously, how did you two end up like this after just a short while?" Wang Xing asked, holding the rope while Ding Qiang sighed in exasperation.

After Xu Yuezhen left, Su Qing followed her after a while. The three of them sensed something was wrong and followed, but halfway through, they lost track and were about to turn back when they heard a splash from not far away.

The sound captured their attention, and curiously looking over, they saw a figure in a white shirt jump in.

Though it was still a bit distant and the light dim, they knew it was Su Qing.

When they got closer, they saw a suit on the ground matching theirs, confirming his identity.

Hearing this, Su Qing glanced at Xu Yuezhen beside him, her face pale, body shivering from cold, head down without a word, but her grip on his shoulder firm.

"Well... it's a long story. Forget it, just call someone, or we'll freeze even if we don't drown!"

Deciding against scolding her, what was the point of that now?

Soon, Qin Wei, who went to find help, returned, having met a patrol car on the road.

After explaining the situation, two uniformed officers came running over. Turning to the police in trouble is always a good move.

"Officer, my friend fell into the river! Right here!" Seeing the police, Ding Qiang felt relieved like seeing a savior.

But the officers looked troubled, and Wang Xing exclaimed:

"Sis Jun? And, uh... what's your name again?"

Indeed, it was Li Zijun and Du Qiang who arrived, promptly responding after being stopped by someone about a nearby incident.

Yet, being called "officer uncle" made Du Qiang feel annoyed.

The young men looked hardly younger than him, calling him 'uncle', aren't they embarrassed?

"Why are you here? Wait, the person in the river..." Li Zijun was surprised seeing Wang Xing, having seen him several times and knowing he was Su Qing's classmate and close friend.

With a bit of reasoning, she guessed who might be in the river.

Sure enough, Wang Xing shouted, "Sis Jun, Qingzi... Qingzi is down there."

Hearing the voice from above, Su Qing felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Wasn't this too coincidental, encountering them? It wasn't a novel, after all. This is just too far-fetched.

Soon, a head appeared above, it was Li Zijun. Seeing him and a girl soaking together in the water, she turned to Du Qiang and directed, "Take off your clothes and belt, let's get them up first!"

"Okay!"

Du Qiang didn't waste time, gathering clothes to make a rope, while Li Zijun smirked:

"Hey, haven't seen you for a few days. You're changing your girls quite frequently. Who's this?"

"Not sleeping so late at night, jumping into the river for fun? If not for the girl's sake, I'd leave you to soak here overnight!"

Li Zijun scolded him, incredulous at the late-night antics, what strange whim took over them.

The Qing River, people drowned there every year. It's not a joke, treating it like a bathhouse!

"Sis Jun, it's a long story. My friend accidentally fell in. I couldn't just do nothing, could I?" Su Qing shivered from the cold.

Upon hearing this, Li Zijun's expression softened considerably: "Why didn't you call for help? Know your limits, right? Trying to play hero again, eh!"

Talking while Du Qiang tied their clothes together, making a knot for him to hold onto.

Quickly, the clothes-turned-rope was looped under Xu Yuezhen's arms.

The people on the bank cooperated to pull them up bit by bit.

When it was his turn, things were much easier. Grabbing the rope, with people pulling above, he climbed up quickly.

[Having experienced the brush with death, Xu Yuezhen abandoned thoughts of suicide and decided to embrace a new life.]

Hearing this, Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, his words weren't in vain.

Perhaps, his words worked, or experiencing the river's chill brought clarity to the girl.

Only after a brush with death can one be truly reborn.

As he climbed up, a fragrant-smelling garment was draped over him.

"So, tell me, what happened?"

...

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