Chapter 13

"Daddy, can you save Jack Walker's aunt?" a little girl looked up at me. Kristina quickly interjected, "Lily, don't be silly! Don't listen to her!" It was the first time I had seen Kristina so serious.

However, looking at the little girl's hopeful expression, I found myself saying, "Okay, I'll go save her!"

"Are you crazy?" Kristina grabbed my hand. "Don't be impulsive."

I gently patted her hand. "My 'daughter' asked me for the first time. How can I, as a father, refuse? This is also a good time to set an example for the child."

Without further ado, I slipped from her grasp, kicked off my shoes, and dove into the water.

"William!"

"Daddy..." The cries of the two women echoed behind me, followed by the exclamations from the shore, "Get a lifebuoy, bring down a lifebuoy!"

The situation was critical, but a lifebuoy would only slow me down. I had grown up near a river and was a skilled swimmer, which gave me the confidence to jump in.

Soon, I passed the struggling man and dove towards the spot where the woman had disappeared. The shouts from the shore faded, replaced by the sound of the churning lake water.

The lake water was clear, and the visibility was high due to the good weather. Underwater, I searched desperately, praying that she hadn't sunk to the bottom. The lake bed was riddled with hidden passages, making it nearly impossible to find someone once they had sunk.

The deeper I dove, the greater the pressure became. My head began to throb, and my eardrums felt like they were about to burst. The oxygen in my lungs was rapidly depleting, and the lack of oxygen made my lungs feel as if they were on the verge of explosion.

Just as I was about to give up, a shadow appeared in front of me. My heart leaped with joy as I recognized the woman who had fallen into the water. I quickly swam towards her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and kicked upwards.

The woman had fainted from inhaling water!

"She's out! They're out, he brought her up!" The shore erupted in cheers and applause. I gulped in fresh oxygen and, with the woman in tow, swam swiftly towards the shore.

My love for basketball had gifted me a strong and muscular physique, which proved to be a lifesaver. Otherwise, I would have surely run out of energy halfway through the swim.

Once on land, I immediately started artificial respiration on the woman. She was strikingly beautiful, and as I performed artificial respiration, my heart fluttered. Her lips were incredibly soft.

Next came CPR. In that moment, my mind was focused solely on saving her, though I couldn't help but notice how soft she felt beneath my hands. I chastised myself for such thoughts in such a critical moment.

Suddenly, the woman coughed up water. Excited voices rang out from the crowd. "She's coughing, she's been saved." I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly instructed the people around me. "Make way, let the air flow."

The crowd quickly dispersed.

The man with the child climbed out of the water and knelt in front of me, his eyes red with emotion. "Thank you, thank you for saving my sister, thank you!"

I quickly helped him up. "Get up, don't be so formal!" Before I could help him up, the little girl also knelt down and said, "Lily's daddy, thank you for saving my aunt. When I grow up, I will definitely thank you."

I was taken aback. At that moment, Kristina pushed through with Lily and helped me support them. It took a while before they stood up. The kindergarten teachers and principal looked worried and thanked me repeatedly. After all, they were the organizers of this event, and if something had happened to the children, they would have been held responsible.

Finally, the lifeguards arrived, and the medical staff from Green Bay checked on the children. Apart from being scared, the children were all fine.

As the crowd dispersed, I went to take a shower and change my clothes. Thankfully, Kristina had prepared well and even had two sets of clothes ready.

When I emerged, the little girl looked at me with admiration. "Daddy, you're amazing. Everyone says you're a hero, and I think so too!"

I ruffled her hair. "Are you proud of me?"

"Of course!" she replied proudly.

At first, it felt awkward when she called me 'daddy', but after hearing it many times, I strangely got used to it. I even wondered if I would feel uncomfortable if she started calling me uncle when we got back.

"Wife, I'm sorry!" I approached Kristina. She had a stern expression, the first time I had seen her like this. "You think you're great now, being a hero? Have you ever thought about my feelings?"

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. I quickly hugged her. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Lily also quickly comforted her. "Mom, don't cry!"

After comforting her for a while, Kristina said, "You two, one big troublemaker and one little troublemaker. How am I supposed to handle you both!"

Just then, the man who had just been in the water walked over with the child, and the woman who had fallen in was also nearby. "Hello, sir, I'm Jack's father, Edward Walker. Thank you very much for saving my sister. Here's a token of my appreciation!"

He took out a card. "There's ten thousand dollars inside, though it's not much, I hope you'll accept it."

I was a bit surprised—ten thousand dollars. But I definitely couldn't accept the money. I had jumped in to set an example for the little girl, and if I took the money, the nature of the act would change.

"Mr. Walker, I can't accept this money. I appreciate your kind gesture." I waved my hand. "I believe that if it wasn't me today, someone else would have done the same."

Edward tried to hand me the money, but seeing my firm stance, he didn't insist. "I admire Mr. William's act of saving someone. Would you be willing to be friends with me?"

"Hehe, of course!" We exchanged contact information, and through our conversation, I learned that Edward was also a businessman, and it seemed like he had a pretty big business.

It was quite a pleasant surprise to be able to be friends with a wealthy man. Not only did it give face, but if he was willing to help in the future, it could save a lot of trouble.

At that moment, Edward's sister spoke up. "Mr. William, can I add you on Facebook?"

I was slightly taken aback, nodded, and then we added each other on Facebook. For some reason, my mood seemed to improve instantly after she added me on Facebook.

She had a beautiful smile with dimples on both sides, and I thought back to the scene of me performing artificial respiration and CPR on her.

Damn, this woman was definitely exceptional!

The morning passed in a rush, and we set off on the return journey.

Lily fell asleep leaning on me, while Kristina linked her arm through mine, resting her head on my shoulder.