A Life-Saving Leap

A phone suddenly rang, its sound jarringly out of place in the tranquil, rain-kissed woods lining the riverbanks. The young man with the scar on his forehead realized it was his phone. Seeing the caller ID, he quickly pulled it out and answered.

Whatever the person on the other end said, the scarred man suddenly clutched his phone, his grip tightening with excitement.

“What?! The Young Lady has been rescued? And she’s already been sent to the hospital?”

“Good! Excellent! The Young Master and I will rush over immediately!”

After hanging up, the scarred man, beaming with joy, turned to the stern-faced man. “Young Master! The Young Lady is safe!”

“A Yuan just called to say a film crew arrived at the bridge, and they happened to see the Young Lady fall into the water. Someone went down and rescued her! Later, the rescue team also arrived, and the Young Lady was safely taken to the hospital. Fearing those people might have further tricks, A Yuan and the others are guarding the hospital.”

Qin Fei’s clenched fist relaxed slightly. Hearing the news of his sister’s safety, the tension he had been holding finally eased.

“A Jin, you go to the hospital and stand guard as well.” Qin Fei lifted his sharp, hawk-like eyes.

“What about you, Young Master? Aren’t you going to see the Young Lady?” A Jin asked, puzzled. He had assumed that given their Young Master’s protective nature towards his sister, he would rush to the hospital without hesitation to check on her.

Qin Fei curled his lips into a sinister smile. “I have more important matters to attend to… I’m simply curious as to what kind of rats from the sewers dare to scurry about on the streets of S City these days. For such disgusting creatures, one must, of course, carve them one slice at a time, until their last breath is taken.”

Watching his Young Master’s obsessive demeanor, A Jin felt a shiver of fear. He knew the Young Master had truly been enraged by those people this time. The Young Master had been rooted in S City for so many years, and this was the first time anyone dared to lay hands on his kin. This was his “inverse scale.”

Just as the group prepared to withdraw, one of the subordinates suddenly called out, “Young Master! There’s someone in the water!”

Hearing that there was someone in the water, everyone’s first reaction was to become vigilant. The Qin family’s ancestors made their fortune through waterborne freight, and their father’s shipping business was a dominant force in S City. In earlier years, regulations were less stringent, and for the Qin family to ascend to that position in the industry, their hands were inevitably not entirely clean.

During his grandfather’s generation, a family gang was established, named the Qin Gang after their family surname. The Qin Gang only served the Qin family. After the Elder Master passed away, the leadership was passed to Qin Fei’s father. Five years ago, Qin Fei’s father died in an accident, and the only person in the gang who could command loyalty was their Young Master, Qin Fei.

Today, with his sister’s sudden accident, Qin Fei had mobilized almost everyone from the Qin Gang. The enemy was too ruthless, and there was no telling what other tactics they might employ. Qin Fei needed to remain constantly vigilant.

“Young Master, it looks like a drowning teenager.” The subordinate clarified the situation, confirming it wasn’t one of their enemies, before reporting.

A Jin was startled. He had thought that no matter how formidable their enemies were, they couldn’t possibly hide underwater to ambush them. They were acting like startled birds.

“Young Master, this person… should we intervene?”

Given Qin Fei’s character, he typically ignored matters unrelated to himself or the Qin family. The teenager had been in the water for an unknown duration, and it was unclear whether they were alive or not. This riverbank often saw young people attempting suicide. Saving a wayward youth was not their responsibility.

“Shouldn’t we call the police? Let them handle it,” A Jin continued.

Qin Fei frowned. “During this period, we shouldn’t interact with those people. We can’t call the police. Go check, are they still breathing?”

The subordinates obeyed their Young Master’s command and slowly dragged the person out of the water together. If it hadn’t been for the large tree blocking the way, the teenager would have likely sunk to the bottom long ago. The leaves had previously obscured most of their face, but now, dragged ashore, the teenager’s flawless features were exposed to everyone’s eyes.

A Jin couldn’t help but rub his nose. This young man… was quite strikingly handsome. Perhaps having been submerged for too long, his limbs and face were a pale, almost bloodless color. He squatted down to check for a pulse under the nose, then turned back to his Young Master. “Still breathing, they’re alive.”

Qin Fei was momentarily stunned by the teenager’s appearance as well, though he quickly regained his cold, arrogant expression. He raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “Take them back. Have Uncle Pang take a look.”

Uncle Pang was the gang’s elderly doctor, who had watched Qin Fei grow up and was essentially Qin Fei’s personal family physician.

A Jin was somewhat surprised. The Young Master rarely brought strangers back to his home, and now he was making such a fuss, even asking Uncle Pang to come? What was the Young Master planning? He dared not speculate on Qin Fei’s thoughts. He simply obeyed, nodding, and began to contact people.

A Jin carried the teenager along a muddy path for a while, finally reaching their parked cars.

“Young Master, once I’ve settled them, I’ll go to the hospital to be with the Young Lady.” A Jin was sweating, and his clothes were somewhat damp from the teenager’s wet garments.

Qin Fei pondered for a second, then suddenly changed his mind. “Have A Guang and the others go to the hospital instead. You stay home.”

“??”

Stay home to do what? To be a nanny for this lost teenager? The Young Master was unpredictable, but this change of heart was too swift. Just minutes ago, he was told to go to the hospital, and now he was being told not to.

‘The Young Master couldn’t be…’
‘Hiss.’

A Jin had followed Qin Fei for many years, and Qin Fei had never had any men or women by his side. Yet this time, he had a hunch that the Young Master seemed to be treating this boy with excessive special attention.

“What are you staring for? Aren’t you getting in the car to go back?” Qin Fei saw A Jin still in a daze, and the teenager on his back remained unconscious. He couldn’t help but urge him on.

“Oh, right, okay, Young Master. I’ll take them back immediately and have Uncle Pang treat them.” A Jin’s heart sank. ‘It’s over; the Young Master is truly acting strangely.’

As their car started first, A Jin told the driver, “Drive faster.” He feared delaying the teenager’s treatment. What if he failed to complete the task assigned by the Young Master? Would the Young Master throw him into the river instead?

It was a strange day. This group of them couldn’t find the Young Lady but picked up a boy from the water. It was too peculiar. A Jin would rather believe this teenager was sent by their enemies to distract their Young Master.

‘No, if the Young Master loses his rationality, I must act as his protective shield. I must pay attention to every move this teenager makes. It would be disastrous if we’ve truly invited a wolf into the house.’

Those accustomed to living on the edge, constantly facing danger, grew cautious and saw everyone as a potential threat to their Young Master. The more harmless a person appeared, the more deceptive and aggressive they often were. A Jin glanced again at the unconscious teenager beside him, once more struck by his captivating beauty. He abruptly turned his head, his ears feeling a little warm.

‘This must be an alluring creature sent by heaven to subdue our Young Master. Staring too long will make one fall.’

Thinking back to what A Yuan said on the phone about a film crew at the bridge, ‘Could this young man be an actor?’ None of them, who followed Qin Fei, paid attention to the entertainment industry, let alone which new “fresh meat” had appeared.

A Jin shook his head. ‘Why am I thinking so much? Just do what the Young Master asks. What if he is an actor? If the Young Master truly takes a liking to him, we will obey.’

****

Meanwhile, the search and rescue team had begun a large-scale search. Huo Kai alone had mobilized a large number of professionals and high-end equipment. Furthermore, he had informed Yi Siyu, who was currently en route via private helicopter and expected to arrive in less than an hour. With such influential figures converging, even the search and rescue team’s leader knew that the missing teenager was no ordinary person.

Director Wu had aged considerably in an instant, looking haggard and defeated. News of Jian Ye’s disappearance while saving someone quickly spread online. One passerby happened to capture a short video of Jian Ye expertly shouldering a rope and leaping from the bridge. The video only showed the perspective from the bridge, but it did not capture what happened after he jumped.

Online netizens initially thought it was a scene being filmed, as the drama was about to start shooting. However, when another person posted a video of firefighters and professional rescue teams rushing to the bridge, netizens belatedly realized that this was real!

[Holy crap! What’s going on?! Did someone really jump off the bridge?]
[My cousin lives nearby, and she said it seems a child fell into the water, and a handsome young man jumped in to save the child!]
[My brother is an ER doctor at First Hospital. He said a drowning girl was indeed admitted to their hospital today, and apparently, thanks to timely rescue, she’s out of danger.]
[No way! What’s wrong with the film crew? Can’t they even guarantee the basic safety of their actors?]
[I have to say, this young man is incredibly brave! Praying for this child, hoping he’s okay.]
[Hiss, it’s been an hour of searching, and still no news. If he were okay, this… seems impossible, right?]
[Wuwuwu, stop talking, I’m absolutely bawling right now. I finally liked a dancing star, and he gets into an accident because of something like this. I’m so sad!!]
[Is this not the original plot of Farewell to Summer? Luo Ying also lost their life saving someone in the water. Jian Ye plays Luo Ying, oh my god! I’m getting goosebumps!]
[Film reflecting reality? The more I think about it, the more terrifying it is. Jian Ye is Luo Ying himself! Ah, my White Moonlight, this is so painful!]

For a time, the internet was filled with prayers for Jian Ye’s safety. The drama Farewell to Summer became explosively popular before it even began filming. Seeing such news, Director Wu felt only absurdity and helplessness. He would rather the drama flop than gain popularity through the sacrifice of a young man.

Jian Ye, please come back. After all, Luo Ying shouldn’t have had this ending either.