Chapter 52: I Lost Him

Chapter 52: I Lost Him

The torrential rain raged relentlessly, severely hampering the rescue efforts.

It had taken everything they had to drag the drowning little girl ashore, and nearby, medics were giving CPR to her.

Meanwhile, the firefighters remained posted along the riverbank, searching for any sign of Jian Ye.

The rain was so loud it was deafening, forcing them to raise their voices to communicate. One team member shouted, "Captain! He must have been swept downstream! We can’t keep going like this!"

The man they called captain only hesitated for a second before organizing the team in quick order. "Team One, stay here and keep watch. Team Two, follow me downstream."

"And call Team Three—why hasn’t the rescue speedboat arrived yet? It’s taking too long!"

Their fire brigade was responsible for the area around Linhe Bridge, the closest to the scene, so they had arrived quickly. However, their equipment was limited—only standard inflatable rescue boats, no match for mid-sized speedboats.

After receiving the alert, they had immediately reported to the fire headquarters, which was now dispatching reinforcements.

Just then, one of the medics yelled, "The child’s spitting up water—quick! Get her to the hospital!"

If a drowning victim could expel water and breathe on their own, there was still hope.

The fire captain watched the scene with eyes welling up, thinking of the young man, much younger than himself, who had moved fast—jumping into the water to tie the rope around the girl. Without him, she would have been swept away long ago.

But now, the young man himself had disappeared into the raging currents.

The captain knew the chances looked bad, but he refused to give up on any life.

As long as they hadn’t found him, they would keep searching.

Everyone on the bridge had witnessed Jian Ye vanish beneath the water. The boys stood there stunned, while some of the more emotionally fragile girls started crying right then.

Director Wu’s knees buckled, and he collapsed into a puddle. Those nearby rushed to help him up, but he waved them off weakly. "Leave me be. Just let me be for a moment."

He was eaten up with guilt. The production team hadn’t anticipated the sudden weather change, thinking it was just going to be light rain. Before filming could even begin, disaster had struck. If accountability was to be assigned, the full responsibility fell on him.

A child who danced so beautifully and acted so well—he had watched helplessly as the boy got pulled under, powerless to do anything.

Director Wu took several deep breaths, then wiped his face roughly with mud-stained hands.

Nearby, Mo Huan tried to bolt toward the bridge but was grabbed by several staff members.

"Let me go! I need to find Xiao Ye! Didn’t you see him get swept away? He must be... he must be suffering so much right now!"

Mo Huan’s glasses had long since fallen and been crushed underfoot. This was undoubtedly the most disheveled he had ever been—hair soaked and tangled, clothes and pants covered in mud, torn in spots.

Someone quickly tried to reason with him. "The rescue team is already down there. Going now won’t help."

"Brother Mo, the current’s too strong. Even if you can swim, it won’t make a difference. You’d just be throwing another life away."

The words hit Mo Huan hard. His eyes reddened as he glared at the speaker. "What do you mean, ‘throwing another life away’? Jian Ye isn’t dead! He’s still alive!"

"Right, right, I misspoke! Jian Ye will be fine. Brother Mo, you’re in no shape right now. Let me take you to the car to rest."

"We’ll wait with you for Jian Ye to come back, okay?"

Mo Huan suddenly fell silent, his whole body slumping like a deflated balloon.

Deep down, everyone knew the likely outcome of being swept away by the water. But at a time like this, they couldn’t say it aloud.

For the faint glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts, they prayed for a miracle to happen.

...

Huo Kai returned to his car, his expensive suit nearly ruined.

Impatiently, he took off his jacket and shouted into the phone, "Turn over every fucking rock downstream! Where are those rescue boats I called for? Get the diving team ready now!"

"What? The rain's too heavy? Bullshit! Your advanced equipment can’t handle it? Hand me the gear—I'll go down myself!"

After hanging up, Huo Kai angrily punched the steering wheel, accidentally hitting the horn. The sharp beep startled people outside.

"Goddamn it... Every one of them is driving me insane..."

If they couldn't find the boy, he might as well jump into the river in front of Yi Siyu to atone for his failure.

Yi Siyu treasured his beloved partner so much—now that the kid might be dead, Yi Siyu would fucking lose it when he found out.

As if on cue—just as Huo Kai was sick with worry, his phone buzzed twice.

"Yu": I see there's heavy rain in S City. Has the crew returned? Make sure he gets a ride—he didn't bring an umbrella. Don't let him get soaked or he'll get sick.

Huo Kai: "..."

I'd love to give him a ride, but he's in the river—should I drive my car into the water to pick him up?

What the fuck was he supposed to say to that?! Huo Kai couldn't bear to look at Yi Siyu's message.

His chest felt tight, gutted by the thought that the boy who'd just been talking to him was now in mortal danger.

He regretted not stopping him in time.

Though the kid was in a bad way, it wasn't worth dying for.

The devastation to family would be unbearable.

Only today did Huo Kai realize how recklessly brave Yi Siyu's partner was.

He looked so soft and fragile, yet jumped off that bridge without even blinking.

Anyone else might have hesitated. Huo Kai was in awe of the kid.

Not everyone could disregard their own life like that. What Jian Ye did today was ballsier than any of us.

As Yi Siyu's best friend, he didn't approve—but as someone with a conscience, he had to applaud that courage.

He wasn't sure he could've done the same. Everyone present couldn't hold a candle to this college kid.

Huo Kai tried to steady his nerves in the car.

Though the situation was dire, he had no right to hide the truth from Yi Siyu.

Yi Siyu deserved to know—that was the person he loved. If Huo Kai kept lying now, they'd be done as friends.

Hands trembling, he dialed Yi Siyu's number.

The call connected before the first ring finished.

"Hello? Are you with him?" Yi Siyu's voice was laced with dread.

"Si Yu... I..." Huo Kai tried to speak, but felt his throat tighten. His nose prickled suddenly, and tears welled up in his eyes.

The more eagerly the other person pressed, the heavier his heart grew.

"What's wrong? Where's Yèyè? Did you take him back to the hotel?"

Huo Kai sniffled loudly before suddenly blurting out, "I messed up—I lost him!"

"What do you mean, 'lost him'?" Yi Siyu’s voice went cold.

"There was a downpour... A kid fell into the river, and Jian Ye jumped in to save them, but then—"

"But then what!? Huo Kai, explain!" The man on the other end seemed to have guessed the worst but needed to hear it aloud.

"He was swept away by the current. Nothing—no trace of him."

A loud *bang*—!

Huo Kai heard something heavy crash to the ground on the other end.

......

The storm had raged fiercely but passed quickly. Within half an hour, it eased into a light rain.

After Jian Ye collapsed from exhaustion, System 748 frantically shouted in his mind.

"Hey! Host! Wake up! Don't sleep!"

"Host! Host! If this keeps up, you’re done for!"

"Host! I forgot to mention—the underwater breathing function has a time limit! One hour max! Keep sleeping and you’ll drown!"

The system yelled in panic, but Jian Ye didn’t respond.

It had screwed up! Misjudged the host's physical limits!

The stacked buffs from the item had drained him completely.

Jian Ye had already pushed himself to the brink during the rescue. Combined with the item’s toll, it knocked him out cold—not permanently, but recovery would take time.

Time they didn’t have. If he kept drifting, he might smash into hidden rocks and die.

What to do? It had to save him.

The system scanned their surroundings. Twenty meters ahead, a gnarled tree stretched over the river. An idea struck.

Its power was limited, but it could manage a small nudge.

With effort, it pushed the host toward the tree.

Had anyone been watching, they’d have seen a faint blue aura pulse around Jian Ye’s body.

"Grr—nngh—almost there! Just a bit more! Argh—!"

If conscious, Jian Ye would’ve teased the system for sounding like it was straining.

The boy’s body drifted closer to shore, carried by the current. Twenty meters later, he snagged on the overhanging branches.

At last, his drifting finally stopped.

Here’s the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

His upper chest and neck were exposed above the water, his wet head resting against the thick branch, as if the nearby leaves were gently cradling it.

Hidden among the green foliage, he looked like a fairy who'd fallen into the mortal world.

Having done all this, the system was exhausted too, shutting down just like Jian Ye.

The rain had stopped unnoticed, and the wind had died down. The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of flowing water and the rustling of leaves.

...

Because the rescuers focused their search on the river channel, this area hidden by the massive tree was completely overlooked.

For a full hour, no one found the missing boy.

Meanwhile, another group of people was searching along the riverbank—but not for Jian Ye.

"Young Master! That old hag said she threw Miss into the river from this very bank! How dare that damned woman! I’ll skin her alive!" A sharp-eyed young man with a scar on his forehead snarled.

The man beside him, addressed as Young Master, his face was twisted in barely human fury. His clenched fingers dug into his palms, betraying his fury and panic.

In his over twenty years of life, Qin Fei had encountered many enemies and suffered their cruelty—but this time, he had miscalculated.

Instead of coming after him directly, they had bribed the family maid to target his little sister.

After brutally interrogating her, they had finally learned her whereabouts—but wasting precious time.

The enemy had left no room for mercy, throwing a five-year-old child into the river. It was downright monstrous.

Tracking the clues, Qin Fei searched desperately but found nothing.

Given how heavy the storm had been, could a child that small have survived?

Rage rolled off him in waves, his hatred for his sister's attackers searing his bones.

"Author's Note"

(QAQ) [Translator's note: "QAQ" represents crying eyes in Chinese internet slang]: CEO Yi, third rival has entered the scene.

CEO Yi: Return my wife! (Freaking out—I'm the god of impatience.jpg) Jian Xiaogou: (∪o∪)..zzz (Dreaming.jpg)