An'an felt the ripples in the water and was soon embraced by a warm presence. His head was then lifted above the surface, finally allowing him to breathe deeply.
The moment he broke the surface, An'an dimly saw Zhou Qingyan hiding in a corner of the woods not far away. He couldn't see his expression clearly from such a distance, but Zhou Qingyan stood ramrod straight, as if he had been there for a long time. An'an gasped for air, staring intently at that corner, and finally saw the excitement on Zhou Qingyan's face.
Yes, excitement.
His good friend had fallen into the water, and from a distance, he watched without offering help or shouting for rescue, watching from afar, and even showing an excited expression.
With one careless splash, water shot into his throat. An'an coughed violently, the discomfort of choking on water being an intensely awful feeling.
A pair of hands, calloused but gentle, lifted his head a little higher. An'an felt a sense of familiarity and turned to look at the owner of the hands.
"Mom!" The discomfort of choking on water instantly receded, and An'an's heart was filled only with immense surprise.
Huo Rou, who was supposed to return in a few more days, had appeared here and had rescued An'an.
"Mom! Mom..." An'an felt completely at ease in Huo Rou's arms, twisting his head to look at Huo Rou, his eyes unwilling to blink.
"Yes, don't be nervous, relax, you can float," Huo Rou's voice carried a hint of gentle calmness, yet her spoken words were soft and slightly hoarse.
Tang Zhenzhen had pushed An'an with all her might, sending him some distance from the shore. Huo Rou swam towards the shore with An'an, a patch of red mist spreading behind them in the water.
"Quick, save him!" Mr. Zhao, hearing that someone had fallen into the water, also hurried out. Seeing An'an's pale little face in the water, his heart lurched.
This was Qin Ningyi's son! After so many years of being a bachelor, his suddenly appearing son, whom he had brought out, was naturally not ordinary.
This son had fallen into his pond on his property. He glanced at Qin Ningyi, who was walking out behind him, and felt a pang of guilt. Just as he was about to speak, Qin Ningyi strode forward.
"An'an!" Qin Ningyi called out.
An'an looked over at the sound of his name. Seeing Qin Ningyi about to step in, he quickly stopped him, "Dad, we're coming up soon!"
Dad?
Huo Rou's movements paused upon hearing the word. This brief hesitation caused An'an to glance at Huo Rou questioningly.
"Dad?" Huo Rou suddenly understood something. No wonder Xia Qingxue had brought the child to Yuchang City, and no wonder An'an was here too.
An'an then remembered he had let slip his secret and looked at Huo Rou somewhat cautiously. Huo Rou's face, when he looked closely, was eerily pale. Before An'an could ask, Huo Rou smiled softly, "An'an, what's going on? Where did you find a dad?"
Although Huo Rou smiled gently, An'an could sense the displeasure hidden within the smile.
Seeing his mother's anger, An'an dared not hide anything and confessed, "I read the programming books in the bookshelf, and when I was using the computer, I found this folder... and then..." As he spoke, An'an's voice became smaller and smaller.
Little An'an, with his wet hair, clung pitifully to Huo Rou's arm, shivering from being in the cold water.
Huo Rou's heart softened, and she increased her efforts, swimming faster towards the shore.
"It's my fault for giving birth to someone so smart," Huo Rou murmured softly.
An'an smiled sheepishly. He had actually pretended to shiver earlier, knowing that his mother's worry for him would make her less likely to blame him.
As they neared the shore, Huo Rou suddenly stopped, causing both her and An'an to sink slightly into the water.
"Careful!" An'an was startled. Huo Rou's quick reaction and strong push of his head upwards prevented him from drowning. They remained in place, no longer swimming forward.
Qin Ningyi, on the shore, had noticed the situation. "Water weeds?"
The man's voice was cool and controlled, with a low timbre that reached Huo Rou's ears with the summer night breeze, causing her to tremble slightly.
She had never expected to see this man again, nor had she expected to hear his voice.
Steadying herself, Huo Rou controlled her buoyancy in the water, scooped An'an up, and held him high.
They were close enough to the shore that she should be able to get An'an to safety first.
"Take him," Huo Rou uttered the two words coldly.
Upon hearing her soft voice, Qin Ningyi's senses wavered for a moment, but his hands moved without delay.
Using the stone pillars by the pond and a few connecting railings as leverage, he hooked his feet for stability. Then, with more than half his body extended, he swiftly grabbed An'an's arm, used his legs to pull them in, and landed steadily back on the shore.
Held in Qin Ningyi's arms, An'an immediately looked back at Huo Rou.
Huo Rou reached her hand underwater. The water was murky, making it impossible to tell what she was doing. Qin Ningyi guessed that she might be trying to untangle the weeds.
However, he knew that the more frantically one tried to untangle weeds, the tighter they would become. Thinking this, Qin Ningyi couldn't help but worry, "Don't move, keep your body stable. I'll find you a knife."
Huo Rou lowered her gaze and coldly replied, "No need." She then ignored him.
She pulled a dagger from her waist.
Holding the dagger, she inwardly chuckled. If she hadn't been in such a hurry to see An'an, this thing would have been gone long ago. She hadn't expected it to be useful.
It had taken her considerable effort to rescue Shen Wuyou. His injuries were severe, so after rescuing him, she had immediately put him on a plane to Yuchang City and sent him back to his home. With those divine doctors around, Shen Wuyou was certainly fine.
She hadn't had time to treat her own injuries, nor had she had time to put away her gear. She hadn't seen An'an for so long, and in a foreign land, she had actually felt a pang of longing. So, upon seeing An'an's watch tracking his location here, she had rushed over directly.
Who knew that as soon as she entered, she would witness this scene, and without a moment's hesitation, she had jumped into the pond to save An'an.
It was fortunate that she had come.
Huo Rou, holding the knife, bent down. The sharp blade could cut hair with a mere puff of air. She efficiently severed the weeds that had entangled her feet and swam to the shore.
By this time, the red haze behind her had spread quite far, forming a nearly blood-red circle centered around her.
Qin Ningyi, looking at the spreading redness on her back, frowned. He put An'an down and reached out to help her ashore.
Huo Rou was exhausted. There was a slight distance between the ground and the water, and it would have taken her some effort to climb out by herself. Reluctantly, she extended her hand and clasped Qin Ningyi's distinctly boned large hand.
Huo Rou's hand had a thin layer of calluses, it was small, soft, and burning hot.
This touch seemed to sear her heart.
Qin Ningyi suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and, with a strong pull, lifted Huo Rou out of the water. With the momentum, Huo Rou also bumped into his chest.
His shirt was soaked. Through the damp fabric, he could clearly feel Huo Rou's scorching forehead.
"Are you having a fever?" He lowered his head to check, showing none of his usual distant demeanor towards women.