After Becoming a Spare Tire, I Got Together with My White Moonlight - Chapter 25

Yan Guiqiu’s eyes widened slightly.

Their lips met, not like the brief touch from before, but more like an intimate exploration. Yan Guiqiu kept her mouth closed, and Jiang Xuehe almost chuckled against her lips, asking, “First time?”

Her eardrums throbbed in sync with her heartbeat.

Yan Guiqiu’s ears burned, her mind feeling like a pot of congee simmering in chaos. She mumbled a vague “Mm” from her throat.

Jiang Xuehe shifted to kiss the corner of her lips, then pulled back slightly, blinking as she said, “Me too.”

She sounded as if it were something to be genuinely proud of.

“We can practice more when we have the chance,” Jiang Xuehe said, tilting her head slightly to press her lips together before letting out another soft laugh. “It really is quite sweet.”

This time, the remark was entirely complimentary.

Just as Yan Guiqiu was dazedly coming back to her senses, she heard those words, and it felt like fireworks exploding in her mind all over again. Her thoughts scrambled, and she half-considered suggesting they practice again right then.

But before she could voice those incoherent words, a dull “thud” echoed from not far away.

It was followed by several screams.

Startled, the two of them snapped out of their intimate haze, their brows furrowing instinctively as they turned toward the source of the noise.

The screams came from the bridge, where a woman was frantically crying for help. After a moment, she managed to stammer out the reason: “S-someone fell into the water! Help! Please save him!”

The two under the bridge had already pushed through the foliage and were rushing downward.

The path led straight to the riverbank, where a railing ran along the edge. Just above it stood the stone bridge.

The river wasn’t wide, but the water was murky and bottomless. A little further downstream, a small cliff jutted out, with several sharp rocks clearly visible above the surface.

A child of about ten years old was bobbing up and down in the water, on the verge of being swept away by the current.

Without a second thought, Yan Guiqiu vaulted over the railing and plunged into the water with a splash.

Jiang Xuehe froze for a moment, assessing the child’s position and the railing on their side. After only a second’s consideration, she swiftly turned and ran across the bridge to the opposite bank.

The other side of the river had no steps leading down just a muddy slope that dropped straight to the embankment.

The drowning child, likely driven by instinctive fear, struggled intermittently, nearly dragging Yan Guiqiu under.

Jiang Xuehe’s heart leaped, and she realized her brows were tightly knit.

Seeing Yan Guiqiu was already close to the shore, she instinctively reached out to pull the person within reach.

Yan Guiqiu pushed the child toward the bank first.

Naturally, Jiang Xuehe reached for him.

With a push and a pull, even a child with some weight could have been easily brought ashore if he hadn’t struggled.

But perhaps frightened by the hand reaching for him, the child suddenly began thrashing violently, instinctively clutching at anything within reach.

The muddy bank was slippery, and caught off guard, Jiang Xuehe was yanked into the river.

Another splash.

“Xuehe!” came a panicked cry.

The sensation of falling into the water was truly terrifying.

Her feet slipped, her hands flailed without finding purchase, and a force from behind gripped her tightly, refusing to let go. With no solid ground beneath her, it felt like sinking into a swamp, slowly descending.

The more she struggled, the deeper she sank. Unable to breathe, her lungs felt heavy and compressed, as if they might burst.

A hallucination of death loomed, threatening to engulf her.

Jiang Xuehe still had the presence of mind to think, but Yan Guiqiu didn’t seem the least bit afraid.

After swallowing several mouthfuls of water, Jiang Xuehe grabbed onto the roots of wild grass by the riverbank. Soon, she felt a force pulling at her hands and back.

Someone on the bridge, hearing the commotion, rushed over and hurriedly came down to help.

After Jiang Xuehe was pulled up, the child who had fallen into the water and Yan Guiqiu were also dragged ashore. The woman who had been screaming on the bridge pushed aside the onlookers, rushed down from the bridge, and embraced the child, shaking him anxiously.

They were probably mother and son, others thought, judging by their similar features and the woman’s frantic demeanor.

Fortunately, the child was mostly unharmed. Someone pressed on his chest, making him spit out some water, and he opened his eyes, his face pale.

Jiang Xuehe’s head was buzzing.

She knelt on the ground, patting her ears to drain some of the water.

Yan Guiqiu ran over to check on her, pulling her hand away to examine the red marks on her neck, her expression both worried and pained. “Let’s go to the hospital later to disinfect it.”

Jiang Xuehe nodded, taking a moment to recover before feeling a bit better. She tried to reassure Yan Guiqiu instead. “It’s nothing serious. At most, I might feel nauseous and not want to eat for a few days.”

She even had the energy to joke.

Aside from a red scratch on her neck from bumping into something, she had no other visible injuries.

Jiang Xuehe looked up at Yan Guiqiu and only then noticed that the light-colored sleeve on her wrist was stained red.

Yan Guiqiu seemed oblivious to the pain and only checked her arm after being reminded, saying it was probably scraped against something.

The riverbed had many stones, but luckily, none were too sharp. The wound on her hand had been rubbed raw by something blunt.

“Let’s go disinfect it together later,” Yan Guiqiu said, not too concerned.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Jiang Xuehe asked her.

She remembered their first meeting, when Yan Guiqiu had also jumped into the river without hesitation to save someone.

Back then, watching from a distance, she had thought Yan Guiqiu was incredibly brave and decisive, even a little cool.

Only now, experiencing it firsthand, did she realize how dangerous and terrifying it was.

But Yan Guiqiu didn’t seem to fear it much.

“I can swim,” Yan Guiqiu said. “You might not believe it, but I was actually on the school swim team before.”

“But I’m scared,” Jiang Xuehe said.

Yan Guiqiu froze for a moment, looking flustered, before replying, “I’m sorry.”

Then she leaned closer, opening her arms as if to hug her.

“Do you want a hug to feel better?”

Jiang Xuehe reached out and hugged her, smiling helplessly. “Why are you apologizing to me?”

Yan Guiqiu answered honestly, “Next time, I’ll protect you better.”

Jiang Xuehe pinched her cheek and, seeing her still looking confused, sighed. “I’m afraid something might happen to you.”

Judging by Yan Guiqiu’s practiced movements, this wasn’t the first time she had done something like this.

And it probably wasn’t just jumping into rivers to save people, who knew what other hidden, extraordinary skills she had.

Yan Guiqiu wanted to say it was fine, that nothing would happen to her, but seeing the undisguised worry in Jiang Xuehe’s eyes, she swallowed the words.

“Understood,” Yan Guiqiu said seriously, nodding. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

She thought for a moment and added, “I haven’t chosen the wedding venue yet, so I definitely can’t afford to get hurt. After all, taste is a very personal thing.”

Jiang Xuehe finally laughed out loud.

“We can think about it slowly later.” Jiang Xuehe rubbed Yan Guiqiu’s cheeks a couple more times, then supported her shoulders as she slowly stood up. “Let’s go to the hospital first to treat your wounds. We still have to visit your family tonight so they don’t worry.”

People under the bridge gradually returned to the bridge deck, and a kind-hearted individual had even called an ambulance, suggesting it would be best to take the child to the hospital for a check-up.

A few passersby who had been out for a stroll gathered around Yan Guiqiu and Jiang Xuehe, praising their bravery. One person claimed to be an intern reporter and asked if they could interview them.

Both shook their heads and declined, only thanking the two kind souls who had lent them their jackets.

The early spring weather was still a bit chilly, and being soaked in the water made it easy to catch a cold. Yan Guiqiu didn’t want to go home and end up with a fever.

Only the child who had fallen into the water and his mother hadn’t thought to come and express their gratitude.

In the short time that had passed, the woman had been crying and making a scene, and people had already pieced together the general story.

The mother and son were from a single-parent family, and the child had been struggling with depression. He had recently taken time off from school to rest at home. The woman believed her son was just bored and cooped up, so she had dragged him out for a walk on this fine day.

Along the way, the child remained silent, and the woman, displeased, scolded him a few times. In a moment of frustration, she even slapped him twice.

The child froze for a moment, then turned and rushed to the bridge, jumping straight into the water.

But in the end, the instinct to survive took over. The child regretted his decision the moment he jumped. After being rescued, he trembled and began to cry.

Nearby, someone earnestly advised the woman to calm down and not to scold or hit her child so casually. The woman responded awkwardly with a “yes.”

Amid the commotion, the distant sound of an approaching ambulance could be faintly heard.

Yan Guiqiu and Jiang Xuehe had no intention of seeking gratitude from them. Once they had warmed up a bit, they discussed heading to a nearby hospital on their own.

But after taking only a few steps, the woman called out to them from behind.

They paused and turned to look at her.

The woman’s expression was not one of gratitude or remorse but rather dark and discontent.

Frowning deeply, she stretched out her hand toward Yan Guiqiu and said, “Wait, you hurt my son. How can you just leave without giving an explanation?”

Her open palm was stained with blood, muddied by the river water. She turned her son over, revealing a tear in the fabric on his back and shoulder. When she squeezed the area, a small amount of bloody water trickled out.

The child, dazed, was murmuring in pain.

But anyone with a bit of common sense could tell that the minor external injury and the small amount of blood loss were nothing serious. With a tetanus shot and proper disinfection, it would hardly be a problem.

Moreover, there were rocks at the bottom of the river, and the child had jumped from such a height and struggled in the water. It was unclear exactly how the injury had occurred.

Yet the woman stared at Yan Guiqiu with hostility, as if she were the one responsible for her son’s fall into the water.

Jiang Xuehe frowned slightly. Hearing the ambulance drawing closer and noticing the old, worn-out clothes the woman and child were wearing, she suddenly realized something.

They were trying to pin the blame on Yan Guiqiu.

Before she could say anything, she noticed the young man who claimed to be an intern reporter hiding among the crowd, secretly pulling out his phone.

Even without the involved party speaking up, the onlookers couldn’t stand it any longer and began to voice their fair opinions.

If it weren’t for Yan Guiqiu, her son might not have been rescued in time. Not to mention whether the injury was even caused by her even if it was, compared to his life, it was a trivial matter. Anyone with a shred of conscience would be grateful, not trying to shift the blame.

Jiang Xuehe closed her mouth and subtly tugged at Yan Guiqiu’s sleeve. By now, the red stain on the sleeve had become particularly noticeable, looking quite alarming.

Compared to the child’s minor injuries, it was almost like comparing a minor issue to a major one.

Yet, in the woman’s eyes, this seemed to serve as further evidence. She immediately shouted, “Isn’t this proof? He’s my only son, and he’s going to join the military in the future. If his bones were injured, his entire future would be ruined! How can we just let it go?”

The surrounding people’s criticisms had already made her face flush red, but she stubbornly held her ground, insisting on compensation with a weak but loud voice.

Just as Jiang Xuehe was about to speak, she saw Yan Guiqiu suddenly take a step forward, reaching into her pocket. Others thought she was going to take out money to settle the matter and were about to advise against it when she pulled out a dripping wet phone.

Then she turned out all her pockets empty, with nothing else inside.

“This phone of mine got soaked while saving your son,” Yan Guiqiu said, pressing the power button for a while with no response. She continued, “I bought it just three months ago, the latest model, priced at eight thousand on the official website.”

The woman’s eyes flickered, and she opened her mouth to argue, but her tone was noticeably weaker.

Before she could speak, Yan Guiqiu went on, “But I won’t ask you to compensate me. After all, saving a life is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold, don’t you think?”

The woman stubbornly retorted, “That was your own doing. What does it have to do with me?” But her voice involuntarily softened.

“Money and possessions are external things. I can let those go,” Yan Guiqiu continued. “But my girlfriend nearly lost her life for your son. A phone can be replaced, but if something had happened to my girlfriend, how would you compensate me for that?”

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