The next morning, after his run and shower, Chu Mingcheng changed into clean casual clothes. Today's agenda: check out a boat, then sign up for his driver's license exam. After that, he planned to pick up Jiang Luoluo in the afternoon for their date.

But just as he was driving off Yanmen Island, Jiang Luoluo herself called.

"Ah Cheng, I've landed. Can you come pick me up?"

Chu Mingcheng was confused. Wasn't the plan for him to get her after her commercial performance? What had changed?

He figured he'd find out once he saw her, so he agreed and turned onto the national highway toward the airport.

A little over forty minutes later, he arrived and spotted Jiang Luoluo standing by the exit, looking bored. A beautiful girl standing roadside was bound to attract attention, but passersby only gave her a few extra glances. After all, not many people were bold enough to hit on a young woman in broad daylight.

"How come you're all alone? Where's your photographer?" Chu Mingcheng asked as he pulled up beside her, getting out to help with her luggage.

"Something came up with the performance, so I canceled," she said. "But I promised I'd come hang out with you. I couldn't just stand you up, could I?"

Jiang Luoluo had already prepared her excuse. She'd been swamped with work, and with her daily dance practice, she was itching for a getaway. The memories of beachcombing with Chu Mingcheng had left a deep impression on her—that, plus a certain captivating cat and a person who was just a tiny bit captivating himself, had sealed her decision to visit Wenshi again.

"Well, in that case, thank you!"

"Don't mention it!"

Seeing her sweet smile as she casually settled into the passenger seat, Chu Mingcheng was slightly speechless as he loaded her suitcase into the trunk. He wouldn't have minded if she'd stood him up, but now that she was here, he felt responsible for showing her a good time.

"How about this? This morning, you can come with me to the shipyard to look at boats, and then we'll go sign up for my driver's license. Afternoon, I'll take you to a great spot for camping."

"You're buying a boat?" Jiang Luoluo immediately sat up straight, her big eyes sparkling with interest.

"Yeah. The resources along the shore are limited. If I want to make money fishing, I have to go out to sea."

"Then let's go, hurry!"

Wenshi used to have numerous shipyards. Chu Mingcheng had even heard that his middle school Chinese teacher had invested in shipbuilding and made two hundred million yuan 【TN: roughly USD 28 million 】. He didn't know if it was true, but the teacher had certainly bought several apartments in the city center and a new car.

However, the market had been poor for the past two years. Many shipyards had gone bankrupt, and quite a few owners had jumped into the sea.

These shipyards were all located in a place called Huang Town. From the airport, it was only a half-hour drive via the national highway and then the expressway. Before the national highway was built, getting there had been a hassle. The Ou River stood in the way, forcing a detour that took at least an hour.

As Chu Mingcheng was driving along the national highway, he noticed a large crowd gathered on the non-motorized vehicle lane of the bridge ahead. Many cars were parked roadside, and there was even a fire truck and two police cars.

"What's going on?" Jiang Luoluo asked curiously, rolling down her window to look.

With fire trucks and police on the scene, something was definitely up.

As they got closer, they saw what was happening. A girl was sitting on the other side of the railing, crying. Below was the Ou River, its current so swift and turbulent that a fall would surely be fatal. No wonder the fire department and police were here. Someone was trying to end their life.

They listened for a moment and learned that the girl had been deceived by a scumbag boyfriend and was now threatening to jump to force him to show up.

Jiang Luoluo, who had been in high spirits and smiling the whole way, turned stone-faced. She rolled up the window and said, "Ah Cheng, let's go. People like her are pitiful, but they're also infuriating. There's nothing to sympathize with."

Chu Mingcheng gave her a surprised look. "I thought you'd be cursing the scumbag and feeling sorry for her."

"Of course the scumbag is despicable. If he were here, I'd want to kick him into the river to feed the fish. But this woman isn't worthy of sympathy either. Has she ever stopped to think that by jumping, she's no different from him?"

"Her parents worked so hard to raise her, and this is how she repays them? This kind of self-destructive behavior is even worse than what the scumbag did, don't you think?"

"Lovesick fool. What an idiot!"

Her angry words made a lot of sense to Chu Mingcheng.

The police and firefighters were on the scene, so it was their problem to solve. Chu Mingcheng started the car and continued toward Huang Town.

But just as they crossed the bridge, a series of shouts and cries from behind caught their attention. The girl, in a fit of emotion, had jumped.

The rescue boat the fire department had prepared hadn't arrived yet. Two firefighters who were strong swimmers had to strip off their outer clothes, pull on life jackets, and dive in after her.

When Chu Mingcheng parked the car and he and Jiang Luoluo ran to the edge of the bridge to look down, they saw one of the firefighters reach the girl just as she was about to sink and pull her up.

The girl, who had been brave enough to jump just moments before, now clung to the firefighter like a frightened quail, rapidly draining his energy in the water.

The rescue boat was speeding toward them, but the firefighter who had reached her first was struggling. As the second firefighter swam over, he quickly handed the girl off.

Everyone on the bridge breathed a collective sigh of relief. She was saved.

But Chu Mingcheng's expression suddenly froze. He saw the first firefighter start to choke on water, clearly exhausted. The Ou River's turbulent current was making it impossible for him to stay afloat. If he were swept away now, even a life jacket wouldn't help.

The people on the bridge and in the rescue boat noticed the situation at the same time. The firefighters in the boat pulled the girl and their other teammate aboard and sped over to help.

But before they could reach him, the exhausted firefighter was overwhelmed by the current and dragged under.

Chu Mingcheng's heart clenched with anxiety. That rescuer was a hero to his own family. To lose his life saving a girl who had jumped over a breakup was just not worth it.

Just then, as if sensing his distress, the Aquatic Species Codex suddenly displayed a message in his mind.

[The Aquatic Species Codex is offering an early trial for a Level 1 function. Does the Host wish to experience it?]

[Level 1 Special Ability: Effortless Swim (Limited Time)]

[Effortless Swim: Host's overall physical attributes are increased by 10%. When the Host enters the water, they can swim as freely as a fish and can also breathe underwater.]

Chu Mingcheng stared for a second, then immediately chose yes. While Jiang Luoluo was focused on the water, he slipped away to the other side of the bridge and scrambled down the bank.

He knew that if she saw him, she would do everything in her power to stop him. After all, with a current this strong, anyone who went in was likely not coming out.

Under normal circumstances, Chu Mingcheng wouldn't have been so foolish. But he hadn't expected the Aquatic Species Codex to react to his emotional state. The ability had come at the perfect time.

The moment he selected yes, a wave of heat flowed through his entire body.

Chu Mingcheng could feel himself getting stronger, his body brimming with power.

Since his overall attributes had been enhanced, he trusted that the underwater breathing wouldn't be a lie. That was why he had decided to sneak off and attempt a rescue.

Everyone's attention was on the rescue boat and the submerged firefighter. No one noticed a figure secretly slip into the river from the bank.

Of course, Chu Mingcheng wasn't stupid enough to jump in fully clothed. He had taken off his jacket and shoes and left his phone on the shore.