The little girl with a twisted, ferocious expression stood by the riverbank for a moment. After confirming that the person in the water could not swim, she turned and ran off.
Save her? She wasn’t going to save anyone.
Just as she turned away, a bicycle came rushing from behind her.
Lu Qingqing rode over on her bicycle, scanning the surroundings. She quickly spotted the person who had fallen into the water.
Seeing the little girl already struggling weakly and beginning to sink, Lu Qingqing jumped off her bike, took off her cotton coat, and plunged straight into the lake.
The water was freezing cold. The chill made her shiver violently.
Fortunately, her body had been enhanced by wood-type abilities, making her far stronger than before.
If it had been her original body—a pampered young lady—she would never have dared to jump in.
While she was rescuing the girl, elderly people nearby who were out walking children saw her and thought she was attempting suicide. They rushed over while shouting for help.
Hearing their cries, Lu Qingqing felt slightly relieved.
Soon she reached the girl, grabbed her by the hair, and pulled her head above the water.
The girl had struggled for too long and had already lost consciousness, which actually made the rescue easier.
Several elderly people who had rushed to the lake stood at the shore and reached out to help.
With their assistance, Lu Qingqing successfully got back to shore and immediately began first aid.
She couldn’t just leave after pulling someone out of the water.
Seeing her perform first aid, a kind old lady even picked up her cotton coat and draped it over her shoulders.
The weather was freezing, and everyone feared both girls might freeze badly.
Fortunately, Lu Qingqing arrived in time. After the girl coughed up several mouthfuls of water, she slowly regained consciousness.
Xu Nana opened her eyes and, upon seeing the concerned faces around her, immediately burst into tears.
“Oh, she’s awake! She’s awake!”
“Thank goodness, she can still cry. Good, good—she’s not stupid.”
“Yes, yes, she can cry. That means she didn’t get dumb from holding it in.”
The old men and women sighed in relief. Though their words were a bit blunt, Lu Qingqing almost laughed out loud.
The crying girl even became too embarrassed to cry loudly anymore, silently letting tears fall as she trembled—whether from fear or cold.
At that moment, a woman’s crying voice came from afar.
“Nana! My dear daughter! What happened to you? Don’t scare Mom!”
Now Lu Qingqing finally understood what it meant when someone’s voice arrived before they did.
Behind the woman were several people, all looking anxious. An elderly man shouted:
“Nana’s mother, don’t worry! Nana is fine—she’s awake!”
“Yes, yes, she’s okay,” another elder echoed.
Soon, the woman rushed over. Seeing her shivering daughter, she pulled her into her arms, full of distress.
Noticing her daughter’s pale face, she quickly took off her coat and wrapped it around her, then finally turned to look at Lu Qingqing after being reminded.
“Miss, thank you so much. Would you mind coming to my home to change into dry clothes?”
To avoid misunderstanding, she pointed in a direction. “My house is not far, just down that alley.”
Lu Qingqing looked over. It really was close—only a few minutes away.
Feeling the cold, she nodded in agreement.
Before she could go get her bicycle, an old lady already helped her lift it up.
“Let’s go. I’ll push it for you. I live right next door,” the old lady said with a smile.
“Thank you,” Lu Qingqing replied.
“Don’t mention it. We should be thanking you. If it weren’t for you, us old folks wouldn’t have been able to save Nana in time,” the old lady said.
“Yes, yes,” another elder added. “Young lady, what’s your name?”
The old man looked at her with unusually enthusiastic eyes.
Such a pretty and righteous girl—if introduced to his grandson, that kid would be lucky.
The old lady noticed his look and quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his view.
As they walked, Nana’s mother kept thanking Lu Qingqing.
In just a few minutes, through casual conversation, Lu Qingqing learned the girl’s background.
Xu Nana was a high school student with four older brothers and one younger brother. She was the only girl in the family and extremely pampered.
Nana, still crying, told her mother she had come to the lake with her friend Han Meimei to cheer her up.
Han Meimei had recently broken up with her boyfriend and was in a bad mood, skipping school and wanting to clear her head.
As a good friend, Nana tried to comfort her. But instead, she ended up being pushed into the lake.
What Nana didn’t say out loud was that Han Meimei accused her of seducing her boyfriend.
She had no way to defend herself in front of everyone and planned to explain privately later.
She truly hadn’t done anything—she had barely even spoken to the boy and had always kept her distance.
At the Xu house, Mrs. Xu quickly led both girls into a room and had them warm up under blankets.
Nana had spare clothes, and Mrs. Xu also borrowed clean clothes from her eldest daughter-in-law for Lu Qingqing to change into.
She then hurried out to entertain the kind-hearted elders.
Inside the room, Nana shyly thanked Lu Qingqing.
“Sister, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I… I might have been in danger.”
“You’re welcome. It was fate,” Lu Qingqing smiled. “Next time, don’t go near dangerous places when someone is in a bad mood.”
“The lakeside?” Nana blinked her innocent eyes. “I… I won’t go near water again.”
“Not just lakes—wells, rooftops, mountain tops,” Lu Qingqing added, thinking of certain scenes from novels and shivering slightly.
Nana nodded seriously and sneezed loudly.
She felt she might be catching a cold.
Just as she wondered whether to take medicine, Mrs. Xu came in with hot water and cold medicine.
“Qingqing, Nana, the ginger soup isn’t ready yet. Take this medicine first to prevent a cold.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” Lu Qingqing said with a smile, taking the water and medicine.
Nana reluctantly accepted hers—but before she could refuse, Mrs. Xu already popped the pill into her mouth.
What else could she do? She could only swallow it quickly.
Mrs. Xu sat by the bed, smiling warmly at Lu Qingqing.
“Girl, where do you live? Do you need us to inform your family?”