Chapter 110

Chapter 110

"No need to come with me."

Qin You waved them off as he took his coat from the manager.

His assistant and the driver shared a look but had to obey their boss's orders.

It wasn’t the first time Qin You had refused an escort—this was nothing unusual.

The manager smiled warmly as he escorted them to the door. "Take care."

Qin You paid no attention to those behind him and turned to leave the restaurant.

The night was cool in the transition between spring and summer.

The river breeze still carried the last bite of late spring.

Qin You glanced at his watch and made his way to the riverbank.

Not far along, his phone rang. He pulled it out, smirked, and muted it.

The sudden silence left the deserted path completely quiet.

Qin You strolled forward, watching the rippling surface of the river under the lights, stealing a moment of peace beneath this unfamiliar, distant sky.

Unfortunately, the peace didn’t last long.

The revving of engines on the overpass caught his attention. He glanced up but thought little of it—until, barely five seconds later, the screech of tires cut through the night.

Then came a thunderous crash.

Qin You focused his gaze.

Two cars plunged over the edge of the overpass, one after the other, into the river below.

Pedestrians on the bridge leaned over the railings, their shocked cries faint in the distance.

This part of the river was isolated, with depths of four to five meters. Falling from such a height, trapped in a sinking car, far from any immediate help—even if rescue had been called, it would arrive too late. The chances of survival were nearly nonexistent.

Standing by the riverbank, Qin You calmly called for help. Hearing that the authorities were already on their way, he pocketed his phone and turned to leave—when a choked sob stopped him.

He halted and turned.

Unfortunately, the collision had left both vehicles with broken windows, allowing water to flood in instantly upon impact. Yet no cries for help came from inside.

Clearly, the occupants had likely been injured or even knocked unconscious during the crash, unable to save themselves.

The cry came from the red car—a child’s terrified voice.

"Help! Someone, please save my mom!"

Qin You approached the river’s edge, peering through the broken window at the panicked girl inside, frantically shaking her mom beside her.

Water continued to pour in.

Tears streamed down her face as she screamed for help, her small hands shoving at her unresponsive mother—

Qin You sighed softly.

His eyes flicked, gauged the distance from the submerged car to the shore, then yanked off his tie, stripped off his clothes, shoes, and socks—leaving only his trousers—before vaulting over the railing and plunging into the water.

The bridge erupted in gasps.

Qin You swam as fast as he could to the red car. Sure enough, water was already seeping inside. He took a quick look, then went to the other side to rescue the child, motioning for her to hold on to the roof before turning back to bring the woman to shore.

Once the first person was safe, cheers erupted from the crowd.

"..." Qin You gave a slight shake of his head and returned to the car.

The girl was obediently clinging to the roof, her fear giving way to worry.

Following her gaze, Qin You looked over.

The white sedan that had fallen into the water alongside the red car had suffered less damage, but water was rising fast, nearly swallowing the driver who had collapsed over the steering wheel.

He patted the girl’s head and asked, offering a faint smile, "Can you wait a little longer?"

Since he was already in the water, saving two or four people didn’t matter much.

Fortunately, the three adults were unconscious, so they were easier to rescue.

The girl nodded obediently. "Uncle, save them first. I’ll wait here for you."

Qin You gave her head another pat before turning to swim toward the other car.

As before, he first placed one person on the roof, rescued them to shore, then turned back.

By now, both cars were more than half submerged, and as water continued flooding the cabins, they sank faster.

After bringing the girl to safety, Qin You finally felt a throbbing pain shoot through the outer side of his right arm as he stood.

The girl immediately clutched his arm. "Uncle, you’re bleeding!"

Glancing at the wound, he borrowed her red scarf to tie around his upper arm as a makeshift bandage.

Just then, more shouts rang out from the bridge.

Qin You turned his gaze back to the water.

The man on the white car’s roof had suddenly slipped, floundered weakly before sinking straight down.

Frowning, Qin You tested his right arm, gauged the remaining distance, and dove into the water for the fourth time.

Reaching the car, he took a deep breath and submerged.

Luckily, not much time had passed—the man still showed faint signs of struggle. Swimming behind him, Qin You dragged him up.

But whether it was the sudden return of oxygen or not, the man choked, barely conscious, and immediately began thrashing again.

Qin You frowned harder.

At last, someone on the bridge found rescue tools and tossed down ropes.

"Quick! Grab hold!"

Yet in his half-conscious state, the thrashing kept swatting the ropes aside, the churning water pushing them out of reach.

Seeing this, Qin You didn’t bother trying further and muscled him toward the shore.

However, after being entangled by the man for too long and making four back-and-forth rescue trips, before he could make it back to shore, his body was already growing heavy.

Seeing the man still struggling, he let go, letting the man sink under. After adjusting his breathing and waiting until the man's movements weakened, he dove back in.

But suddenly.

He saw the man in the water freeze.

Qin You accelerated toward him, his instincts telling him the man was different now—like he’d been replaced.

Especially those eyes—

Even underwater, those sharp phoenix eyes held an unsettling calm.

—

"Congratulations, Host. Host body data successfully overwritten."

"Text content triggered. Main mission loading."

Yan Tingshen frowned slightly.

He opened his eyes to the crushing weight of water, his dark eyes focused as he saw a figure approaching through the water.

The clear river, illuminated by countless beams of light, fractured into shimmering ripples that danced across the approaching man’s body, most of it melting into those luminous peach-blossom eyes drawing closer.

"Plot node triggered."

"Target will lose strength in two minutes. Please rescue target promptly and find a way to leave scene."

A voice—suddenly, directly in his head—interrupted Yan Tingshen’s thoughts. Before he could react, he saw the man glance at him briefly before moving behind him.

Then, an arm slipped under his armpit, locking around his chest.

Was he saving him?

Yan Tingshen cooperated by grasping the man’s hand, allowing them to swim upward together.

Spotting a rope not far away, he started to turn for it, but the man clearly had other plans, dragging him toward shore instead.

As time passed, he felt the man’s strokes weakening.

"...Uncle—!"

Though Yan Tingshen couldn’t see the shore, he heard a splash nearby. Only when the man shifted his hold did he catch sight of a lifebuoy floating nearby.

Almost there.

Realizing the man was exhausted, he tried to move aside to give him a chance to rest.

But before he could turn, the man slumped against him.

The man didn’t seize this lifeline.

Instead, with every last ounce of strength, he pushed Yan Tingshen forward.

Yan Tingshen looked back.

The man, now spent, was sinking into the depths. Yet a lazy, almost smug smile curled at his lips. When their eyes met, he said nothing—only slowly closed those bright, liquid eyes.

Knowing it would kill you, why did you do it?

"He's completely spent. Host, please—"

The system's warning cut off.

Yan Tingshen had already doubled back with the life ring.

He plunged into the water, watching the man who showed zero will to live, and grasped his wrist, pulling him back to the surface without hesitation.

The man coughed lightly, frowning.

When he opened his eyes and saw Yan Tingshen, a flash of surprise crossed his face, followed by a faint smile. Yet there was no relief at his near-death escape—only an indifferent question.

"You swim?"

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