Fu Wanwan smirked jubilantly after waiting two minutes and still seeing no sign of Fu Qing surfacing anywhere from the water.
'You're dead meat this time, you annoying shrew!'
Fu Wanwan flipped her wraparound skirt and sauntered languidly away from the lake, humming an upbeat tune from her favorite pop group.
Soon after she left, the placid lake surface sloshed upward with a small splash, followed by a cacophony of gags and grunts as Fu Qing emerged from the depths of the lake.
"Ahem..." She inhaled sharply and gasped vociferously for air.
The instant Fu Qing's head bobbed on the water's surface, she spat out the water that she had accidentally swallowed. Her arms waded in the water as she stayed afloat, and her eyes appeared intense and devoid of emotion.
She ascended to the surface to breathe. When she came out for a walk earlier this day, she did not expect to be assaulted and thrown into the water. She would have absolutely fallen into a dilemma that instant and lost her life there if she hadn't learned to swim in the wonderful countryside.
She would never forget the trauma she had just endured because of Fu Wanwan's antipathy.
The lake water was freezing at this point, and just as Fu Qing was about to paddle back to shore, she heard a frantic scream.
"Help! Someone's drowning! Over there!"
Fu Qing shifted her focus to the source of the voice, and when she saw that person pointing to the lake, she turned to look and spotted a slim figure a few dozen meters away from her.
There was a lady who had jumped into the lake, and it seemed like she wanted to commit suicide.
Meanwhile, the person who shouted on the shore was sporting what appeared to be a security uniform. From the looks of it, he must have been her guard.
The lady started struggling in the water, but the guard didn't seem to know how to swim either. All he could do was scream in terror. Fu Qing didn't have time to think about her options and swam over to the drowning woman with all her strength.
"I'm here to help you," she said as she reached out and grabbed the woman's arm. "Hold on to me tightly."
The lady, who looked shaken by the startling incident, held on to her obediently while she was bringing the both of them towards the shore.
Many beachgoers were alarmed by the guard's horrified screams, and as Fu Qing pulled the lady to the shore, Zhan Qi and others rushed over to help.
Zhan Qi scowled as he saw her soaked to the skin, baring her delicate curves for everyone to see. He took off his suit at once and wrapped it snugly around her.
"How can you risk swimming all the way to the deep waters to save some stranger? It's such a huge risk. What if something goes horribly wrong?"
Fu Qing dipped her head in resignation as she listened to his reproachful tone.
"Well, I can't overlook the impending mishap and not be concerned about her. After all, human life is all that matters."
Amid the crisis, she didn't have time to think about her well-being.
She readjusted her clothes and pressed his suit closer to her body as she spoke, her body shivering noticeably.
It was unbearably chilly right now.
Zhan Qi suppressed the rest of his remarks when he saw her shivering nonstop.
"All I'm saying is you must prioritize your own safety and security first."
He scooped her up and allowed her head to rest against his chest, warming her with his own body heat.
"Let's go back to the hotel first so you can wash up and get changed into something dry. I don't want you to catch a cold."
"All right."
Like a nice and gentle little sheep, Fu Qing nodded meekly and wrapped her arms around his neck without saying anything further.
Zhan Qi's skepticism was only toned down when he saw her cooperation.
"Wait a minute."
A melodious woman's voice called out from behind them, conveying her words in rather stiff and stilted Mandarin. She stared at Fu Qing with extremely grateful eyes and bowed deeply.
"Miss, thank you for saving my life. I am Princess Elisa of the Apu Kingdom. I will forever cherish your kindness and altruism today."
"You're welcome, Princess, but this isn't necessary. No one in their right mind would ignore a wonderful, crowned princess in distress."
Princess Elisa was filled with relief and comfort after Fu Qing smiled at her. She wanted to express her gratitude some more, but was held in place by Zhan Qi's steely stare.
"Princess, you can thank her later. If you'll excuse us, I'll take her to her room to change clothes first."
"Sure, I understand completely. Take care, you two."
The sentiment in Elisa's heart surged as she watched the two walk away.
She took a chance and ran away from home to avoid the marriage decided by the royal family. But she had not expected her family's royal guards to track her down so quickly. She became panicked and decided that the only way to end her misery was to commit suicide because she didn't want to return home with the guards.
It wasn't, however, her intention to drown herself. When her foot slipped from the boardwalk and she fell into the lake, she was completely taken aback. She believed she would have died sooner if it hadn't been for Fu Qing's intervention, especially since she couldn't swim or even stay afloat.
The onlookers at the lake gradually dispersed after that. The incident soon reached Fu Wanwan's ears. Her narrow eyes had turned red because of her resentment.