"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 59

“You’re already home?” Ms. He, who was in a conference room, was clearly surprised when she received Yan He’s call. She raised her hand to signal a pause in the meeting and walked out with her phone: “I just called your auntie to ask her to check on you.”

Yan He glanced at Shen Jinrong, who was driving beside her: “Mhm, I saw her.”

“Okay, are you still running a fever now?”

“No more fever.” Yan He touched her forehead. She felt quite good now: “I’m in the car.”

“Alright, let me know when you get home, and I’ll come straight over to the house to find you.” He You hung up the phone, raised her eyebrows at her mobile, and then returned to the conference room.

Shen Jinrong didn’t speak. She glanced at Yan He from the corner of her eye and asked, “Does your mother not know about you saving the person?”

Yan He smiled awkwardly, stroking her chin: “My mom would blame me if she knew.”

Shen Jinrong’s mouth was slightly agape. She wanted to say that actually, your mom wouldn’t blame you, but worry about something happening to you. But if she said that, it would sound too deliberate, so she kept silent and changed the subject: “I remember you mentioned before that you were going to which country for an interview?”

Yan He nodded: “Yes, the specific time hasn’t been set yet.”

Shen Jinrong stopped the car at a red light, tapping the steering wheel with her right index finger. She pondered: “Before you leave, let’s have a meal together.”

Yan He nodded: “Okay.”

After the last long red light, they arrived at Yan He’s doorstep. Shen Jinrong smoothly parked the car at the spot where she always used to park. She didn’t turn off the engine, looking down at the center of her steering wheel.

“Well, I’m going in then,” Yan He picked up her things.

“Okay,” Shen Jinrong looked up at her, her eyes sparkling: “I need to leave now too.”

“Then… see you next time?” Yan He masked her inner turmoil, smiling as she promised their next meeting.

“Okay.” Shen Jinrong just smiled, her eyes narrowed. Yan He couldn’t clearly discern the expression within.

Sister Wang felt distraught looking at the data she had exported on her computer. She rubbed her brow. She had originally gone that day to interview about a conflict and had specifically called Yan He to come and have a look. But who knew that later the people involved had minimized the conflict and settled the matter, and she could only return with the cameraman.

After walking only a few steps, she saw a crowd gathered by the river. A child stood there, soaking wet. She heard that the child had fallen into the water and was rescued by a kind young woman.

Sister Wang searched the vicinity for a long time but didn’t see the young woman. She stopped an elderly man nearby to ask and was told that the young woman had left after confirming the child was fine.

Sister Wang thought, What kind of Lei Feng (selfless person) does good deeds without leaving their name!

She immediately called the park’s management, wanting to check the surveillance footage, but the manager said no one was on duty on Saturday and Sunday and the footage could only be accessed on Monday. Sister Wang had no choice but to wait until Monday to go.

I’ll call Yan He along when I go on Monday, Sister Wang thought.

“You scared me to death, what the hell did you do!” Li Xiuxi’s call came in right on time, just as Yan He opened her front door.

Yan He hung her keys on the wall while turning on the speakerphone: “My bad, my bad, my phone died right after I finished sending that message yesterday.”

Li Xiuxi rolled her eyes on the other end of the line: “Fine, fine, I get it, now hurry up and tell me!”

“So, yesterday…” Yan He spoke halfway, deciding to leave her hanging, “Do you remember the life-saving certificate we tested for two years ago?”

Li Xiuxi was suspicious: “I remember. Didn’t you say at the time that the thing was useless?”

Yan He took a deep breath: “I apologize for my ignorance back then.” She slowly said: “I used it to save a kid yesterday.”

Li Xiuxi: “…”

“Holy cow!”

“Holy cow, holy cow, holy cow!”

“Yan He!! You’re absolutely amazing!”

Li Xiuxi rattled off a string of exclamations over the phone. Yan He silently waited for her to finish and then heard Li Xiuxi bombarding her like a machine gun: “Then, then! Were the family members especially grateful to you?”

Yan He: “Huh? I don’t know. I left right after saving the person.”

Li Xiuxi: “? You didn’t stay there?”

Yan He found it strange: “The person was saved, and it wasn’t a big deal. Why would I stay there? The wind was wicked strong yesterday afternoon. I was soaked all over, and it was especially cold when the wind blew. Why wouldn’t I go home?”

Li Xiuxi expressed full affirmation for Comrade Yan He’s non-covetous attitude toward fame and gain: “So, did your phone get water damaged yesterday?”

“It purely ran out of battery,” Yan He sighed. She walked into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of hot water: “And then I got a fever. I just got back from the hospital.”

Li Xiuxi was dumbfounded: “Holy cow? You got a fever? Because of the cold water?”

Yan He pursed her lips, lowering her voice as if she were a thief: “I guess maybe.”

Li Xiuxi recalled that she went to see Shen Jinrong yesterday morning and was shocked: “Yan He, don’t tell me you took care of Shen Jinrong yesterday morning and then went to the park to save someone in the afternoon? Are you running between events?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed to realize the mistake in her statement: “…Not only was it because of the water, right? You must have been infected by Shen Jinrong! What did you two do? Hiss—You’re the real one, sister!”

Yan He interrupted Li Xiuxi, her face crimson: “What are you talking about!”

Li Xiuxi laughed sardonically for a long time over the phone, finally promising: “I’ll treat you to dinner when you’re almost recovered. We’ll go to that newly opened Old Beijing Hot Pot!”

The two joked around for a bit and then hung up.

Yan He held her phone, letting out a long breath.

She remembered Ms. He asking her to let her know when she arrived home. Just as she dialed the number, she heard a phone ringing from outside the door. She blinked, saw Ms. He hang up her own call, and knew she was at the entrance.

Yan He went to open the door for her.

Seeing that Yan He looked much better, He You also sighed in relief and casually asked, “You just got back? Did you take a taxi?”

“Mhm…” Yan He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should tell Ms. He that Shen Jinrong had driven her back. She hardened her heart and decided not to mention it, simply agreeing: “Mhm.”

He You didn’t suspect anything and reached out to touch Yan He’s forehead: “Mhm, the fever’s gone.”

She changed her shoes while asking Yan He: “How do you feel?”

“Pretty good.”

“Good.” Ms. He finished changing her shoes, watching Yan He stand there carelessly, and suddenly remembered the matter she had agreed upon with Yan Guangming earlier. She tentatively asked, “When do you have time? Your dad and I have something to discuss with you.”

Yan He was momentarily stunned: “I have time whenever.”

“I mean a large block of time. The matter—” He You originally wanted to say the matter was complicated, but she hesitated and said, “Then let’s find a time when both your dad and I are free.”

Yan He thought, You two are so busy. Just don’t schedule it for the few days before my overseas assignment.

When Yan He arrived at work on Monday, she saw Sister Wang and apologized in person: “I’m sorry, Sister Wang, I was supposed to go with you on Saturday, but something unexpected happened on the way…”

Sister Wang smiled dismissively: “Oh, it’s alright, I told you it was nothing! You worry too much, kid.” She smiled and winked at Yan He: “If you really feel bad, come out on location with me later.”

Yan He naturally agreed. She returned to her desk, faintly hearing Sister Wang call someone in charge somewhere, agreeing to meet in an hour. After hanging up, Sister Wang walked to her side: “Ready to go? Time to go on location.”

Yan He hitched a ride in Sister Wang’s car. The cameraman sat in the passenger seat, and she sat in the back. She subtly felt that the scenery along the way was somewhat familiar, especially after seeing the familiar urban village where she had gotten lost before. She cautiously spoke: “Sister Wang, are we going… to that park?”

“Ah, yes!” Sister Wang abruptly steered the wheel. Yan He and the cameraman beside her severely bumped against the car door.

The cameraman gripped the handle above: “Sister, drive slower! We’re not in a rush!”

Yan He secretly rubbed her head.

“Oh, it wasn’t intentional. Did I hurt you?” Sister Wang smiled awkwardly: “It’s mainly because a little tricycle suddenly darted out, and I was trying to avoid it!”

Two minutes later, Sister Wang parked the car in the parking lot at the park entrance. The three got out of the car and saw the park’s manager already waiting for them at the entrance.

Yan He found the road familiar. She thought, How could it not be familiar? Isn’t this the place where I left a wet footprint every step of the way that day?

Is there a news interview here? Are we following up on the news from last Saturday?

Yan He speculated randomly.

“Comrades journalists, you’ve arrived!” The manager stood at the entrance, waving at them, and then quickly walked over.

The group shook hands and followed the manager toward the working area.

“Our park has been built for a few years, and this is the first time we’ve encountered something like this!” The manager smiled, rubbing his hands: “It’s a good thing it was resolved smoothly. Otherwise, alas! Wouldn’t that have ruined a family!”

Sister Wang also said: “Indeed, good-hearted people are scarce now. It was also good luck.”

“There are too many!” The manager clapped his hands, expressing a sentiment of mutual understanding: “Our park! It’s vast, and there are many incidents! Last year! Around this time last year, a big guy got drunk one night and fell asleep directly on the grass. The next morning, an old man doing morning exercises saw him and thought, Good heavens, did someone die? So he called the police. But when the police came, they found the person was just asleep.”

Yan He struggled hard to suppress her laughter. Watching Sister Wang and the manager chatting enthusiastically in front, she secretly asked the cameraman: “Brother Zhao, which news are we following up on? Is there a follow-up to the one you interviewed just two days ago?”

Brother Zhao was somewhat surprised: “Not that news. You’re talking about the group of people who had a conflict, right? The one Sister Wang initially called you for? That was resolved on the spot. We’re here now to follow up on a different incident that happened afterward.”

Yan He was briefly stunned, thinking, This park is quite the place for stories.

“We’re here, this is our surveillance room.” The park’s surveillance room was not far from the entrance, located in a row of white single-story houses. Yan He followed them inside and saw an entire wall covered with monitors.

The manager explained: “We installed this last year, right after we found that drunk guy.”

He walked over to the staff member sitting in front of the monitors and turned to ask: “Was it around 2 p.m. on Saturday?”

Sister Wang nodded: “About that.” While waiting for the manager to adjust the footage, she turned and gave Yan He a reassuring smile: “We’re mainly here to find someone today. Don’t be nervous.”

Yan He was even more confused: “Find someone?”

“Yes,” Sister Wang sighed: “We’re looking for a Lei Feng who did a good deed without leaving a name.”

Yan He nodded along, but soon, a strange feeling crept up on her. She squinted, recalling the time they mentioned—Saturday? Around 2 p.m.? Did a good deed without leaving a name?

The uneasiness in Yan He’s heart reached its peak the moment she saw her own face on the monitor.

…Help! Why is this surveillance footage so high-definition! Help!

Yan He swallowed, her brain rapidly working, trying to figure out how to address this.

Immediately after, she saw Sister Wang and the cameraman turn around, look at the monitor, and then look at her. After repeating this movement a few times, Sister Wang’s eyes widened. She pointed at Yan He and said, “Holy cow? Yan He, was it you who saved the person?”

Yan He looked at her face, magnified countless times on the giant surveillance screen, smiled awkwardly, and nodded.