Campus has finally reopened. Classes resumed, and the intense military training for freshmen ignited like a wildfire, signaling the commencement of a new semester.
While discussions about the mysterious fog persisted in the news and online, the lack of catastrophic events like earthquakes or tsunamis, coupled with the brief inconvenience it caused, led to a gradual decline in interest. The research into its cause was left in the capable hands of scientists.
On the first weekend following the campus recovery, a relentless heat wave enveloped the area. Despite being September, summer clung stubbornly, releasing its final surge of energy.
Under the blazing sun, leaves curled at the edges, and the rising heat distorted the ground scenery. Emerging from the air-conditioned library into a wave of heat, Lin Wu contemplated engaging in an afternoon basketball game to break a sweat. However, the scorching sun quickly extinguished that idea, considering the open-air basketball court and his desire to prolong his lifespan.
Heading towards the cafeteria, Lin Wu, shaded by trees, contacted Ren Feiyu via WeChat voice message.
The other two had already left.
Li Junchi assisted a graduate student at a neighboring brother school in proposing to his girlfriend, a junior, as a preventative measure against potential disruptions from infatuated juniors. Rumor had it that at least two enamored juniors were attempting to interfere with the proposal.
Xia Yang ventured out to participate in an “offline Werewolf game” organized by the Tianjin fellow association, pondering whether this group would crack jokes while playing.
“What would you like for lunch? I can bring it to you,” Lin Wu asked Ren Feiyu as soon as the voice call connected.
Unexpectedly, Ren Feiyu replied, “I’m swimming.”
Lin Wu was taken aback, “Huh?”
Ren Feiyu explained, “It’s too hot, and I couldn’t bear staying in the dormitory. I came to the swimming pool.”
Swimming in hot weather wasn’t an issue. The concern arose when Lin Wu questioned, “How can you answer the phone while swimming?”
“I brought my phone,” Ren Feiyu matter-of-factly stated. “Don’t worry, I left it by the pool, wrapped in a waterproof bag, and there’s a camera on top. It’s a double guarantee against water and theft.”
Lin Wu remarked, “Normally, people leave these things in the locker room, right?”
“That won’t work,” Ren Feiyu asserted without hesitation. “What if I get a cramp while swimming and need to call for help?”
Lin Wu quipped, “If you have time to call for help while swimming, you might as well swim to the edge and climb out. Seriously.”
Ren Feiyu’s crisis awareness seemed to apply unnecessarily in various situations.
As they conversed, Lin Wu felt a hint of temptation. Despite the school swimming pool’s modest size and crooked lanes, the water quality consistently exceeded that of many larger pools outside. “Is it crowded over there? If not, I might come over later.”
Ren Feiyu assured, “It’s fine. You come… Oh no! Someone is drowning!”
Lin Wu heard Ren Feiyu shout, followed by a loud “bang,” indicating the phone hitting the ground. Presumably, the phone was discarded in the urgency of the situation.
At the swimming pool, Ren Feiyu vaguely recalled a classmate entering the water nearby, but engrossed in the phone call, he hadn’t paid much attention. It wasn’t until Lin Wu asked about the swimming pool’s occupancy that he looked at the water’s surface. Rather than seeing many swimmers, he caught a glimpse of the classmate struggling underwater, face down, limbs spread out, motionless at the pool’s bottom.
Ren Feiyu’s mind exploded momentarily, and he instinctively shouted for help, “Something’s wrong! Someone is drowning—”
Afterward, he realized he could swim, and he was the closest!
For the first time, Ren Feiyu’s body outpaced his brain. He threw his phone into the water with a splash and dove in. As the icy water enveloped him, his habitual pessimistic thoughts belatedly surfaced—
I can’t do it…
I can’t do it…
Jumping into the water is useless…
Will I be a hindrance?
I should wait for someone who really knows how to save people…
Despite his inundated thoughts, his body swam to the side of the struggling classmate.
With bated breath, Ren Feiyu made a desperate effort to push aside those voices in his mind and continued swimming towards the classmate lying prone. He then reached out from behind, inserted his hand under the classmate’s armpit, and lifted the person with buoyancy.
He had specifically watched educational videos on saving drowning people. They all recommended locking the drowning person from behind and then swimming towards the shore to prevent the drowning person from clutching the rescuer tightly in panic, which could lead to both being in danger.
However, the person in his arms remained motionless.
Ren Feiyu didn’t know how long the person had been in the water. To be honest, at this point, he hoped the person would struggle a bit, at least to indicate that there was still a chance to save him.
Unable to delay any longer, he lifted the person with all his strength, trying to bring him to the surface as quickly as possible.
But at this moment, the person in his arms suddenly turned around, and like an octopus, wrapped Ren Feiyu tightly.
The sudden change happened too fast. Ren Feiyu, who was originally focused on lifting the person, couldn’t even see the person’s face clearly. His upper body, along with his arms, was firmly grasped by the person’s arms, and his legs were forcefully clamped between the person’s thighs.
It was as if he was tied up underwater by an invisible rope. His body, originally swimming upwards, stagnated for a moment, and then he slowly began to sink.
Terrified, Ren Feiyu couldn’t hold his breath any longer, and bubbles rose up.
He desperately tried to break free but couldn’t, and instead, the person’s restraint became tighter and tighter.
Ren Feiyu felt like he was going crazy.
His body touched the bottom of the pool.
Ren Feiyu was completely desperate.
So, was he going to die here? Is this the end…
Just as he thought it should be left to the professionals, he had to show off his abilities…
The underwater world turned out to be this color.
Hazy, elusive, and chilling blue.
Ren Feiyu’s consciousness began to drift away, and his body entered a state of illusionary lightness.
His vision also became blurry.
Suddenly, the force applied to him increased several times, as if a group of people had come to help strangle this unlucky fellow.
Ren Feiyu suddenly woke up, or rather, he was awakened by the pain. The tremendous force that was squeezing him seemed determined to crush his bones.
There wasn’t a group of people; it was just one person who came, with a single sweep, pulling him and the drowning classmate together.
The classmate didn’t let go, and the savior didn’t either. It turned into a situation where both were brought out of the water together.
Once ashore, the ‘kind soul’ who had just tried to drown him finally released him. He lay down meekly on the ground, behaving as if he had nothing to do with everything that had happened.
Ren Feiyu couldn’t hold his breath underwater, and he swallowed quite a bit of water. Now, sitting by the pool, he coughed violently, feeling like his lungs were about to come out.
Finally able to speak, the first thing he did was to thank his lifesaver, “Thank… thank you. Cough, thank you, teacher…”
The swimming pool had lifeguard teachers, and he realized how foolish he had been to jump in without thinking. He had almost caused more trouble, turning a situation where only one person needed saving into a rescue for two.
“You’re welcome,” the savior’s voice was a bit indifferent, “but I’m not a teacher.”
Ren Feiyu was stunned, raising his head.
In front of him was a male classmate about the same age, tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. His physique was enviable. He was also handsome, but his skin was too pale, the kind of cold white skin that girls always discussed, resembling a vampire.
Especially with his cold, piercing gaze, it seemed like saving Ren Feiyu was just a casual act, devoid of any subjective intention, and not in need of gratitude.
“Wait a moment, Teacher Li. He has a pulse and is breathing!” A voice suddenly came from beside him.
Ren Feiyu turned his head, and two lifeguard teachers were examining the drowned classmate, preparing for CPR.
However, CPR was not actually carried out.
Because one of the teachers found that the classmate lying seemingly unconscious on the ground had normal breathing and a heartbeat.
Campus Hospital.
The unconscious classmate underwent a thorough examination and treatment in the emergency room. Ren Feiyu and the male classmate who rescued him were assigned to the observation room.
Ren Feiyu, aside from a sore throat due to coughing, was generally in good health. The rescuer had no pre-existing issues, but as a precaution, the hospital advised them to stay under observation for two hours.
The observation room had only two beds. Ren Feiyu occupied one, while the male classmate sat on the other side, creating an impassable gap despite the mere meter between them.
Attempts by Ren Feiyu to initiate a conversation failed due to the distant demeanor of the male classmate. Eventually, he resigned to lying on the bed, observing his benefactor and envisioning a convivial scene of cheerful conversation.
Entering the observation room, the school doctor, Dr. Hu, handed back the completed medical records to the two students.
While handing the records to Ren Feiyu, Dr. Hu, with the discerning gaze unique to educators, scrutinized him for a few moments. Ren Feiyu recognized Dr. Hu, who had previously commended him with the highest praise: “I surrender, I really can’t be angry with you.”
The benefactor, Jiang Tan, shared the same grade as Ren Feiyu, though their majors fell under different colleges but were both in the “engineering” category—a twist of fate.
Ren Feiyu, feigning ignorance of Dr. Hu’s scrutinizing gaze, sat up to take the record book. “How’s the other student?” he inquired.
“He’s awake,” Dr. Hu responded, “all the tests are normal. A bit of rest, and he’ll be fine. However, he can’t recall the near-drowning incident or who saved him. I informed him it was you two, and he expressed gratitude.”
All normal?
Ren Feiyu harbored doubts, considering the other student had been unconscious when found and struggled in the water. Even the supposed rescuer faced a near-drowning situation. Yet, the other student appeared completely unharmed?
Despite his skepticism, Ren Feiyu reasoned that the doctor had no reason to deceive him. Besides, Dr. Hu’s composed demeanor indicated that the situation wasn’t dire.
Finally relaxing, Ren Feiyu said, “That’s good, as long as he’s okay.”
However, Dr. Hu couldn’t easily dismiss her concerns.
While she spoke the truth, she omitted certain details. The revived student had regained consciousness on his own in the emergency room, showing normal vital signs and no signs of water inhalation. In comparison, Ren Feiyu seemed more akin to the drowning victim.
