Because Cen Huai’an, Zhang Lu, and Cao Gaocong had discussed how to rescue drowning people before, the three of them worked together and swam behind the two people in distress.

Cen Huai’an swiftly delivered a chop to the neck of the panicked person who was tightly grabbing onto the rescuer.

The drowning person immediately passed out.

Under the astonished gaze of the rescuer, Cen Huai’an began towing the unconscious person toward the shore, with Zhang Lu assisting him.

The original rescuer was exhausted from the struggle, so Cao Gaocong helped him.

Fortunately, he still had a little strength left, and the two of them swam toward the shore as well.

The others on the shore saw the three rescuers bringing the people to safety and shouted, “Swim this way! Over here!”

As soon as the group approached the shore, those on land quickly lent a hand, pulling everyone out of the water.

“What happened to him?” one of the students asked in a panic, patting the face of the unconscious person, worried that something might be wrong.

Cen Huai’an squeezed the water from his clothes and said, “Don’t worry, he’s just unconscious.”

However, he still went over to check the person’s breathing, made sure there were no obstructions in his mouth, and ensured there wasn’t any water in his stomach.

After confirming the person was fine and just passed out, Cen Huai’an stood up and reassured the concerned students, “There’s no need to worry.”

Cen Huai’an had been careful with his strike, so the person didn’t remain unconscious for long.

He soon opened his eyes, rubbing his neck in confusion.

“Am I in the underworld now?” he asked, dazed.

Zhang Lu leaned in, making a spooky face and lowering her voice, “Yes~ You’ve turned into a water ghost now~”

“Ahhh!” The formerly drowning person screamed and scrambled backward, clearly frightened by Zhang Lu.

The students surrounding them burst into laughter, pointing at him and teasing, “Fang Zhong, you’re such a scaredy-cat!”

“Fang Zhong, do we look like ghosts to you?”

“Fang Zhong, I’m a messenger from the underworld here to take you back~”

Everyone laughed again.

Even though Fang Zhong had been slow to catch on, he eventually realized he’d been tricked.

His face turned bright red in embarrassment, and he stood up, glancing at his soaked clothes with a mix of shame and frustration. “Stop laughing! I almost drowned, and you guys still find this funny! Don’t you have any sympathy?”

Cao Gaocong, also drenched, ran a hand through his wet hair and rolled his eyes at Fang Zhong, “Sympathy? We told you not to go in the water, but you sneaked in anyway!”

Cen Huai’an shot a look at Fang Zhong and said, “Not only did your swimming nearly get you killed, but you almost got Jiang Zhengchen, who was trying to save you, killed too.”

Fang Zhong’s face turned even redder as a wave of guilt and lingering fear washed over him. “I’m sorry, I…”

He lowered his head, unable to come up with any defense for his actions.

“Jiang Zhengchen, go ahead and yell at me,” Fang Zhong said, looking toward Jiang.

Jiang Zhengchen was still recovering from the fear of what had happened.

If the situation repeated, he wasn’t sure he’d have the courage to jump back into the water to save someone again.

He waved his hand and said, “We’re classmates. We went into the water together, so of course I had to save you. Otherwise, what kind of person would I be?”

“No way, hahaha!” the other students continued laughing, now that the danger had passed, and everyone was feeling lighter.

Jiang Zhengchen playfully scolded the group for their teasing, and Fang Zhong’s burden of guilt lessened.

Fang Zhong knew it was Cen Huai’an, Zhang Lu, and Cao Gaocong who had saved both him and Jiang Zhengchen, so he walked over to the three of them with a look of gratitude and thanked them.

Zhang Lu waved it off, “We would’ve done the same for anyone.”

Cen Huai’an added, “No need to thank me. Just learn from this experience.”

Cao Gaocong put his arm around Fang Zhong’s shoulders and said, “A verbal thanks isn’t enough. Do something practical!”

Fang Zhong immediately replied, “I’ll treat everyone to a meal when we get back!”

Jiang Zhengchen raised his hand, “Count me in! I need to celebrate surviving this!”

Since all five of them were soaked, Cen Huai’an and Zhang Lu set up a grill and used dry branches they found to start a fire, cooking food while drying their clothes.

The other students stopped fishing and gathered around to help skewer and grill the food.

However, most of them weren’t very good at grilling.

Only one girl and one boy who had experience cooking at home managed to make anything edible.

The rest of the food was barely passable.

Following the principle of not wasting food, everyone ate whatever they cooked, no matter how bad it tasted.

Cao Gaocong, despite loving to grill, was the worst at it.

His stomach was filled with charred food, and he grimaced as he rubbed his belly. “I’m definitely going to have an upset stomach when I get home.”

Zhang Lu laughed, “I told you not to grill, but you insisted. Now you’re suffering the consequences.”

Cao Gaocong scrunched up his face in frustration.

Cen Huai’an, on the other hand, was skilled at grilling, and Zhang Lu managed to snag a lot of his well-cooked food.

When the barbecue was over, everyone finally remembered to check the fish they had caught.

One of the students guarded his bucket, saying, “I’ll count them myself. What if you scare my fish?”

“No way, we have to count them together to prevent cheating!”

After some playful arguing, they all tallied their catches.

Neither Zhang Lu nor Cen Huai’an had caught the least amount, meaning they successfully avoided cleanup duty after the meal.

Zhang Lu was delighted, humming a tune as she packed up her fishing gear.

She even showed Cen Huai’an her bucket of fish. “See these? My trophies. I’m going to have my parents try them when we get home.”

Cen Huai’an also packed up his fish, placing them in a small bucket with some water, then tying it to the back of his bike.

“My fish will be for my parents too.”

On the way back, the group chatted as they rode their bikes.

Someone asked why Cen Huai’an and Zhang Lu were so skilled at rescuing people.

Zhang Lu, knowing Cen Huai’an wasn’t much of a talker, answered that the two of them had specifically learned swimming and rescue techniques.

She then shared those tips with their classmates.

Even though Zhang Lu and Cen Huai’an had mentioned these rescue skills before, their classmates hadn’t paid much attention at the time.

After today’s thrilling moments involving Fang Zhong and Jiang Zhengchen, the classmates all took Zhang Lu’s words seriously.

Fang Zhong and Jiang Zhengchen, in particular, listened the most attentively.

It’s likely they would never swim in the reservoir again.

Zhang Lu wasn’t sure how many students would take her advice to heart, but she figured that if even one more remembered, it was worth it.

When Cen Huaian got home, it was already getting dark.

Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian were both waiting for him in the living room.

As soon as Cen Huaian walked through the door, Cen Zhengnian stood up and said, “I’ll get the food.”

Chuxia approached Cen Huaian to take the bucket from his hands, asking, “How many fish did you catch today?”

Cen Huaian opened the bucket and showed her. “About ten or so, but only one is on the larger side.”

Chuxia peered into the bucket.

The fish, crowded inside, had been shaken around during the bike ride and looked a bit dizzy, not in the best of shape.

“It’s fine,” Chuxia said with joy in her voice, “these are perfect for drying. I’ll fry them up, and you can take some to school.”

“Mm.” Cen Huaian thought of the delicious dried fish, and a smile lit up his eyes.

Although Cen Huaian had eaten quite a lot at lunch, the bike ride had made him hungry again.

That evening, Chuxia had made radish and pork rib soup, and he ate two whole bowls by himself.

After dinner, Cen Huaian went into the kitchen to help Cen Zhengnian wash the dishes. “Dad,” he said.

Cen Zhengnian glanced at him with a gentle expression. “What is it?”

“I saved two people today.”

Cen Huaian didn’t dare tell Chuxia because he was afraid she’d worry.

He knew he couldn’t hide it forever, though.

Zhang Lu was sure to tell her parents, so he decided to come clean with his dad first.

After hearing him out, Cen Zhengnian immediately understood.

With a small smile, he said, “So you want me to break the news to your mom?”

Cen Huaian looked at him sincerely and nodded. “Mm.”

“Alright,” Cen Zhengnian agreed without hesitation. “I’m your dad; I’ll take the heat for you first.”

Cen Huaian felt a bit guilty, glancing at Cen Zhengnian and quietly said, “Dad, if Mom gets too mad, you can call me in.”

“Your mom won’t be mad,” Cen Zhengnian said confidently.

He knew Chuxia’s temperament well. “She’ll probably praise you and then secretly worry.”

Cen Huaian still hesitated, unsure about telling Chuxia.

Cen Zhengnian, having finished cleaning up the kitchen, dried his hands with a towel and patted Cen Huaian’s head. “Don’t overthink it. Do you really want your mom to hear about this from someone else?”

Cen Huaian immediately shook his head.

As expected, Chuxia wasn’t angry at all when she heard what had happened.

In fact, she felt proud of Cen Huaian. But, just as Cen Zhengnian predicted, she did feel a bit of concern.

“Zhengnian,” Chuxia said, turning to him, “Huaian is so different now from when he was little. Now he’s responsible, thoughtful, and helps others. It really makes me happy.”

Cen Zhengnian gently pulled Chuxia into his arms. “I know, you’ve raised him well.”

“But sometimes I worry,” Chuxia sighed. “Did we raise him too well? When he helps others, does he consider his own safety?”

Cen Zhengnian stroked her hair soothingly, speaking in a calm tone. “You have to trust Huaian. He’s not the type to put himself in danger, and he won’t do anything beyond his abilities.”

Chuxia nodded softly.

Still, as parents, no matter how capable their child became, they couldn’t help but worry.

It was the same for Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian.

After the National Day holiday, Cen Huaian returned to school with the fried fish he and his mother had prepared.

As soon as he stepped into the classroom, Cao Gaocong yelled out like he had seen a savior, “Cen Huaian! Homework! Quick, let me check your holiday homework!”

Cen Huaian walked to his desk, pulled out his books and papers, and handed the homework to Cao Gaocong.

Cao Gaocong was thrilled, but when he opened the first math sheet, he froze.

“An’an, this is what you did?”

Cen Huaian nodded. “Some of the questions were too simple; not worth doing.”

Cao Gaocong, skeptical, flipped through the rest of the sheets.

On each one, Cen Huaian had only completed the additional questions, leaving the others either undone or just writing down the answers.

Cen Huaian could get away with it because he knew the material well.

Cao Gaocong, on the other hand, didn’t dare follow suit—he knew the homeroom teacher would scold him harshly.

Left with no choice, Cao Gaocong quietly returned the papers to Cen Huaian and hurried off to borrow someone else’s.

Zhang Lu hadn’t finished all her homework either, but she didn’t have much left, mostly just some copying assignments.

It didn’t matter if she didn’t finish.

Meanwhile, the rest of her homework had already been borrowed by classmates.

In the entire class, only a few, like Cen Huaian, had finished their work.

Most were frantically copying, as if they wished they had eight hands like an octopus.