Everyday Romance After Becoming a Billionaire

The sun was setting.

On the shore of the vast Jiangning Lake, a girl named Aina heard someone shouting for help. She rushed out, snatched the lifebuoy from Su Ran’s hand, and took a leap. Her graceful figure drew a beautiful arc against the evening sky, plunging into the water. Like a mermaid, she swam swiftly toward the drowning person.

Yes! That’s right! The one who had jumped in to save a life without a second thought was none other than the seemingly carefree Aina.

Xie Yiren calmly walked over. She glanced at the nimble figure in the lake, then at the stunned and worried Su Ran beside her. "Don’t worry, Su Ran," she said. "Aina grew up by Bosten Lake in the Western Regions—the legendary West Sea. She’s even successfully swum across the entire lake before."

"Really? I’ve never heard that before."

"All she ever does is compare her beauty to one person and the length of her legs to another. She’s not going to brag about how good a swimmer she is or how many people she’s saved. Relax. She has the lifebuoy, so rescuing one person will be no problem."

Su Ran was truly amazed. He felt like he was finally getting a true sense of who Aina was. That dive had truly leaped into his heart, an unforgettable sight.

「In the lake.」

Aina quickly reached the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl and grabbed hold of her. "Hey, don’t latch onto me like that! If you’re clinging to me, I can’t swim, and we’ll both drown."

It was no use. A non-swimmer will always clutch desperately at a lifeline. Aina ended up swallowing a few mouthfuls of disgusting lake water.

"Stop clinging!" Aina shouted, annoyed. After all, rescuing someone wasn’t about some noble spirit of ’self-sacrifice’.

"Just hold on like this and don’t move. Otherwise, I’ll just leave you here."

The girl nodded vigorously and coughed violently. Aina gave a powerful kick and swam to a small boat nearby. She got under the girl, pushed up on her backside, and shoved her upward. The girl’s friend on the boat pulled her in, then quickly extended a hand. "Miss!"

Aina started to reach for the hand, but hesitated. Then, a silly, goofy idea popped into her head. She shook her head and said, "No thanks, I’ll swim back."

With that, she let go of the boat, dove headfirst into the water, and vanished. A moment later, she resurfaced, looking toward Su Ran and the other three on the shore.

By now, Xiao Wanqing had brought a towel and was waiting. Seeing Aina swimming slower and slower, she called out, "Hey, Aina, swim faster! The water’s cold, what are you dawdling for?"

"You think saving someone takes no effort?" Aina retorted. She continued to swim at a leisurely pace as another goofy idea sprouted in her mind. When she was about 50 meters from the shore, inspiration struck. She started thrashing in the water, SPLASH SPLASH, and cried out, "Help! My leg’s cramping!"

"Stop your act and get back here."

"It’s really cramp—BLUB BLUB... ing... BLUB BLUB..."

Seeing this, Su Ran leaped into the water without hesitation. After a few frantic strokes, he reached the ’sinking’ Aina, wrapped an arm around her slender, wet waist, and pulled her into his embrace. He looked at her wet hair plastered to her face as he swam with her back to the shore. Jinyu and the others pulled them both onto the bank. The ’drowning victim,’ Aina, lay on the ground, as motionless as a doll.

Xiao Wanqing patted her cheek. "Hey, Aina, stop acting. I just saw you choke on a single mouthful of water. Don’t tell me that one mouthful was enough to kill you."

They knew full well what a drama queen Aina could be. This wasn’t the first or second time they had fallen for her tricks.

Xie Yiren chimed in, "Exactly. A duck would drown before you did. Get up. This act is going way too far, you know?"

Liu Jinyu said, "She’s not moving at all. Did she actually drown?"

At these words, the three women lost their composure. They dropped to their knees beside Aina, trying to listen for a heartbeat, pressing on her chest, even tickling her. She remained motionless. This time, the three of them were so scared their legs turned to jelly.

"Su Ran, Aina’s really not moving!" Liu Jinyu was on the verge of tears.

"Huh?" Su Ran, who was busy trying to get water out of his ear, glanced over. "For real? But she didn’t even swallow any water."

Just as he said that, a trickle of water flowed from the corner of Aina’s mouth.

"It’s true! Look, water’s coming out of her mouth! She really drowned!"

"Let me see."

Su Ran tossed the towel aside, walked over, and knelt in front of Aina. He looked at her soaked, delicate form, patted her cheeks, and called her name twice with no response. Then, he laced his hands together over her chest and began giving it a series of presses and kneads, all while listening for her breathing.

’Hmm... Her breathing is intermittent. It gets rapid when I do the compressions, but it’s very weak when I stop.’

"Does he need to do artificial respiration?"

He wasn’t sure which of the three girls had said it, but Su Ran agreed. ’Saving her is what’s important,’ he thought, not wanting to overthink it.

Su Ran parted Aina’s pink lips, took a deep breath, and, leaning down, breathed into her mouth.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Still no reaction.

Liu Jinyu asked, "Su Ran, is it too windy? Maybe your mouth is too far away, and the air isn’t getting in?"

"I think it’s fine?" Su Ran said, uncertainly.

Liu Jinyu urged, "Get closer."

"Any closer and our lips will touch," Su Ran said.

"Saving her is what’s important," Liu Jinyu insisted.

Speechless, Su Ran shook his head and took another deep breath.

’Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have learned ’Uyghur’!’

Deep breath. Artificial respiration +1.

’An idle youth, a needy age. The Host’s learning ability is very strong. Please keep up the good work!’

Deep breath. Artificial respiration +2.

’A great roc rises with the wind in a single day, soaring ninety thousand li. The Host is ambitious and striving. Please continue your diligent studies!’

PFFT~

Su Ran nearly burst out laughing. The slogans his System was shouting were so ridiculously ’proper’.

’Whatever, I have to save her.’

He took another deep breath.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH~"

Aina was awake. She forced out a few coughs, spitting up some water. Her friends cried tears of joy and rushed to hug her.

"Did I pass out?" Aina asked, looking ’wan, dazed, and weak’.

Xiao Wanqing nodded emphatically. "Mhm, you passed out just now. Su Ran saved you by giving you artificial respiration."

Aina touched her lips, looked at Su Ran, and thanked him with utmost sincerity. "Thank you, Su Ran. I don’t know how I can ever repay you."

"You can work for me like a beast of burden," Su Ran said casually.

With that, he turned and walked toward the courtyard.