From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

The child's mother thanked me repeatedly, expressing her gratitude over and over again. Passersby around me also gave me thumbs up, and exclamations of praise rose and fell.

Once my breathing had calmed down, I gently waved my hand, and Su Qing and I turned and left the riverbank.

His clothes were completely soaked, and water was still dripping from his hair.

We walked slowly along the sidewalk, Su Qing's tone full of admiration:

"You were so cool just now! You jumped without even thinking!"

I instinctively reached for the cigarette pack, only to realize that the cigarettes had completely rotted when I fell into the water.

I sighed helplessly: "In that situation, there's no time to think. If you hesitate for even a second, the child might not be able to hold on."

"But aren't you afraid something will happen to you?"

Su Qing's tone carried a hint of lingering fear, "I've seen so many news reports where people who try to save others end up in danger themselves and lose their lives."

"I didn't have time to think about those things at the time." I changed the subject. "Don't talk about it anymore, it's not a big deal."

Su Qing's eyes widened in disbelief:

"Not a big deal? You saved a life!"

"It's not the first time I've done something like this," I replied casually.

Su Qing froze, her eyes wide with surprise: "You've saved people before?"

"I was delivering food before and I was in a car accident. I had just pulled the person out of the car when it caught fire. If I had been a second later, the person would have been gone."

Hearing me say that, Su Qing looked at me with even more admiration and actually gave me a thumbs up:

"Wow, Lin Ye, you're actually a kind person who's been keeping a low profile all along!"

I gave a wry smile and said, "I can't tell if you're praising me or joking."

"Of course I'm praising you!"

As Su Qing spoke, she frowned and asked in a low voice, "But aren't you afraid of being extorted when you do good deeds? There are plenty of cases like that in the news."

"I didn't think that much about it; I just wanted to have a clear conscience."

I paused for a moment, then deliberately joked, "Like last time, I thought you were going to jump off the bridge, so I kindly pulled you back, but you ended up accusing me of indecent assault and even called the police."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing immediately pouted, looking embarrassed, and said:

"What's wrong with you? Why do you always bring up things that are hard to swallow? It's been so long, why keep bringing it up? Is it even meaningful?"

"It's only been a little over a month, not too long."

She quickly covered her ears, shaking her head repeatedly and muttering:

"I won't listen! I've already forgotten! Don't tell me about my embarrassing moments again!"

Seeing her acting all spoiled, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Seeing that I was still smiling, Su Qing raised her hand and gently patted my shoulder:

"Still laughing! How dare you mock me! I'll teach you a lesson!"

I let her hit me lightly, then spoke seriously:

"Okay, stop fooling around, where's my phone?"

Su Qing suddenly slapped her forehead and exclaimed in surprise:

"Ah! I just left my phone on that big rock!"

I was taken aback and quickly asked, "Don't tell me you forgot to take it?!"

She nodded, looking at me with an embarrassed expression.

I was speechless. We had already walked quite a distance and were almost at the roadside when she remembered that she had left her phone behind.

I immediately turned around and ran back. After running for more than ten meters, I suddenly heard Su Qing shouting behind me.

"Hey! Look what this is!"

I stopped and looked back, and saw her holding up her phone, waving it around in place, with a sly look on her face.

I was immediately at a loss for words, realizing that she had been deliberately playing a trick on me.

I walked over and said, deliberately with a hint of anger in my voice:

"Su Qing, is this really fun? I'm exhausted from swimming, and you're still torturing me like this?"

My tone was harsh, and Su Qing's smile froze instantly. She stared at me blankly, completely stunned.

I took the phone, turned around and walked straight ahead without saying another word.

Su Qing stood there stunned for a few seconds, then quickly caught up and cautiously approached me:

Are you angry?

I kept a straight face, deliberately ignoring her, and continued walking forward.

She walked around to stand in front of me again, repeatedly asking:

"Hey, are you really angry? I was just joking with you, don't be like that."

I kept a cold expression and quickened my pace.

Su Qing was clearly flustered, and her tone softened:

"I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have made that joke. I didn't consider your health. Please don't be angry."

I pretended to ignore her, even giving her a look of feigned disgust, and then quickened my pace.

She caught up with him again, seemingly a little flustered: "Okay! I didn't consider your feelings, I'm sorry, okay? Don't be angry!"

I wasn't really angry; I just wanted to tease her a little and see how worried she was about me.

Just as I was about to stop and explain to her, she suddenly turned and ran away.

I stood there, stunned, watching her retreating figure, feeling a little lost.

Is that all the patience she has?

A moment later, her figure disappeared from sight.

I gave a wry smile and stopped thinking about it.

I have nowhere to stay tonight. The courier station has been handed over, and my luggage is still there. I can only find a nearby hotel to stay for the night.

My clothes were soaked through, and I was worried about getting other people's seats dirty if I took a taxi, so I decided to go to the bus stop and wait for the bus first.

I arrived at the bus stop, feeling utterly exhausted. I felt like I'd completely drained myself in the water.

I sat down on a bench at the station, took out my phone, and was about to call Su Qing to tell her that I wasn't really angry, but after hesitating for a moment, I put my phone down again.

A moment later, a series of hurried footsteps came from behind, and a crisp sound rang in my ears:

"So you were here! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

I turned my head and saw Su Qing. She was panting heavily, her cheeks were flushed, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

I was slightly taken aback: "Didn't you leave?"

"Why would I leave? I'm going to buy you cigarettes."

As she spoke, she took out a box of Bai Liqun cigarettes, which is the brand I usually smoke.

I was stunned and didn't know what to say.

Seeing that I didn't move, she opened the cigarette pack again and handed it to me:

"Take this. Consider it my formal apology. Don't be angry anymore."

I didn't move, nor did I reach out to take it.

Su Qing sighed and said with pitiful eyes:

"How about... I bark like a dog to apologize to you?"

I still didn't say anything. This time it wasn't to tease her on purpose, but because she surprised me too much.

What surprised me even more was that she actually barked three times.

Then she looked at me expectantly and said, "Is this alright? You can't be that stingy, can you? I've gone to such lengths, at least give me some face."

I couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, reaching out to take the cigarette:

"You imitated it quite well. Want to hear it a couple more times?"

Su Qing glared at me fiercely: "Aren't you angry anymore?"

I took out a cigarette, put it in my mouth, and said with a smile:

"I wasn't angry at all, I was just teasing you on purpose. Who told you to mess with me first?"

Su Qing puffed out her cheeks and scolded playfully:

"So you were just messing with me! Fine, we're even now!"

I nodded, then said helplessly:

"Even if there's smoke, it's no use. It got wet earlier, and the lighter won't light."

Su Qing immediately revealed a smug smile, took out a lighter from her pocket, and waved it in front of me.

I reached out to take it, but she deftly dodged behind me, slightly raising her chin with a hint of arrogance:

"Want it? Easy, just bark like a dog a few times and I'll give it to you."