Chapter 50: You Have to Be Responsible for Me

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: You Have to Be Responsible for Me

Wang Chenning didn’t jump into the lake to save her. Jumping in might have seemed brave, but it would have been the stupidest thing to do.

If things went wrong, they would both freeze to death in the lake.

Wang Chenning hooked his legs around a peach tree by the lake, leaned out, and grabbed Zhao Xiao’an’s arm.

Zhao Xiao’an hadn’t fallen in far from the shore. The water of the North Sea wasn’t deep, and her survival instincts made her flail her arms.

After grabbing her arm, Wang Chenning lifted her clean out of the water.

Once pulled from the lake by Wang Chenning, Zhao Xiao’an, still in a state of extreme terror, clung to him tightly with both hands, but she managed to hold back her tears.

Her clothes were soaked through. The cold wind that blew over them was bone-chilling, and the chattering of Zhao Xiao’an’s teeth was clearly audible.

’She wished so badly for a warm embrace to hold her tight.’

She subconsciously wanted to hug Wang Chenning.

But to her surprise, Wang Chenning stopped her hands and began to take off her wet clothes.

Her clothes were soaked. If she didn’t get them off, even if she didn’t freeze to death, she would certainly get sick from the cold.

After removing her wet clothes, Wang Chenning quickly took off his own overcoat and wrapped it around Zhao Xiao’an’s entire body.

"Don’t move. I need to warm you up. Friction creates heat, so I’m going to rub your body with snow!" Fearing she might misunderstand, Wang Chenning leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, you won’t freeze."

Zhao Xiao’an finally understood what Wang Chenning was doing and stopped struggling.

Her abdomen, her neck, her chest—Wang Chenning rubbed them all down.

Zhao Xiao’an was extremely tense. Right now, what she needed most was heat; everything else was secondary. When the core of your body gets cold, you feel cold all over. Once her chest area began to warm up, she felt much better.

After rubbing her down with snow twice, Wang Chenning used his special palm technique to massage her, focusing particularly on her chest, which he rubbed again and again.

Once he felt Zhao Xiao’an’s body growing hot to the touch, Wang Chenning covered her with his own sweater and then started rubbing her arms and legs.

As some warmth returned to her body, Zhao Xiao’an finally began to feel shy, along with a sense of gratitude that was impossible to put into words.

She opened her eyes slightly and quietly watched this man bustling around her, her heart filled with tenderness.

When Zhao Xiao’an’s whole body was burning hot, Wang Chenning picked her up and ran toward where the car was parked.

He had taken off everything but his base layers, wrapping it all around Zhao Xiao’an.

But he didn’t feel cold at all. After that flurry of activity, he was actually sweating.

The spot where she had fallen in was quite far from the car, a distance of nearly eight hundred meters.

Jogging the whole way, it still took Wang Chenning nearly ten minutes to get there.

When they reached the car, Wang Chenning reclined the passenger seat, laid Zhao Xiao’an—still wrapped tightly in the overcoat—down flat, then started the engine and cranked the heat up to its highest setting.

The car had just started, so the air blowing from the vents wasn’t very warm yet. Wang Chenning squeezed in next to Zhao Xiao’an and held her tightly in his arms.

"I was scared to death when I fell in just now!" Zhao Xiao’an nestled obediently in Wang Chenning’s arms, looking at him with a mischievous expression. "Now I’m so moved, I practically want to give myself to you in gratitude!"

"Is this really the time for jokes?" Wang Chenning said with a wry smile. "If you hadn’t come out with me, this accident wouldn’t have happened."

"I have no secrets left in front of you." Zhao Xiao’an bit her lip, her face full of warmth as she looked at Wang Chenning. "You must be pretty pleased with yourself, aren’t you!"

"It was too dark. I couldn’t see anything clearly. I was in a rush to save you, so I wasn’t paying attention to anything!" Wang Chenning gave Zhao Xiao’an a wicked grin. "I have night blindness. I’m naturally deficient in vitamin A!"

"You’re terrible, you big jerk!" Zhao Xiao’an’s face immediately turned red. She wanted to reach out and pinch Wang Chenning, but she was completely bundled up in his clothes and held so tightly that her arms couldn’t move, so she had to give up.

Once he felt scorching air blowing from the vents, Wang Chenning set Zhao Xiao’an down, found a large bag in the car, and ran back to where she had fallen in to gather up all the wet clothes he had taken off her.

By the time Wang Chenning returned carrying the bag of now-frozen wet clothes, the inside of the car was already very warm.

"Wang Chenning, if you’re not holding me, I feel so cold!" Zhao Xiao’an said, half-pouting and half-serious. "I’m freezing to death!"

She did feel cold, but it wasn’t as bad as she made it sound. She just wanted Wang Chenning to hold her for a little longer.

"I’ve already turned the heat up all the way. The car will keep getting warmer." After holding Zhao Xiao’an again and comforting her for a moment, Wang Chenning asked, "Where do you live? I’ll take you home so you can get under the covers. I can use acupuncture to drive out the cold, so you don’t develop any lasting problems."

"Then take me home!" Zhao Xiao’an gave him her apartment complex’s address, then added lazily, "I’m so sleepy. I’m going to rest my eyes for a bit."

"Okay, I’ll wake you when we get there!" Wang Chenning agreed and immediately started the car.

Wang Chenning drove to Zhao Xiao’an’s apartment complex as fast as he could.

After parking in the underground garage, Wang Chenning carried her into the elevator.

After carrying Zhao Xiao’an into her apartment, Wang Chenning turned the heat up all the way and put her into bed, under the covers.

Although Zhao Xiao’an wasn’t fat, at over 1.7 meters tall, she had to weigh at least a hundred and twenty pounds.

The rescue in the snow had already taken a lot of his energy. Carrying Zhao Xiao’an, who weighed over a hundred pounds, all the way up here had made him break out in another sweat.

After tucking Zhao Xiao’an into bed, he stood to one side, panting heavily.

As he caught his breath, Wang Chenning heard Zhao Xiao’an’s teeth chattering.

"Wang Chenning, I feel so cold. I’m freezing to death!" Zhao Xiao’an called out weakly. "Can you hold me again?"

This apartment didn’t look like it was lived in often. The heat hadn’t been on, and the room was icy cold.

The blankets, of course, were also ice-cold, and there was no way for Wang Chenning to raise the room’s temperature quickly.

After a moment’s thought, Wang Chenning took off his clothes, leaving on only his briefs, and slid under the covers.

He then took off the clothes Zhao Xiao’an was wearing and pulled her into his embrace...