Chapter 506: 506. Extreme Tug

A gentle breeze and warm sunshine accompanied everyone by the lake as they enjoyed delicious grilled meat, all the while staring at the lake’s surface, watching to see if Yan Shiba could make a comeback in this round.

As the children finished their chicken legs, there was still no movement on the lake’s surface.

Su Liang frowned slightly. She knew that Yan Shiba and Sheng Yue had both entered Mo Yan’s “Transmigration Road” before, so they should have excellent swimming skills. But she also knew the time limit for a normal person to hold their breath underwater. She wasn’t worried about Sheng Yue, but she was starting to worry that Yan Shiba might do anything to win, regardless of the consequences…

Just as Su Liang was about to call an end to the contest to avoid any accidents, the sound of water splashing came, and someone’s head emerged from the water, followed by a few coughs.

Ji Xiaoshu’s eyes lit up, “Aunt Yan won!”

Everyone laughed, happy for Yan Shiba, who had been trying hard to defeat Sheng Yue but hadn’t been able to. Of course, they all favored Yan Shiba.

After taking a deep breath, Sheng Yue looked around and didn’t see Yan Shiba. He heard Su Liang call his name, “Sheng Yue!”

As their eyes met, Sheng Yue understood Su Liang’s furrowed brows and immediately dove back into the water.

Zhengzheng’s face tightened, “Could something have happened to Aunt Yan?”

The children began to call for Yan Shiba one after another. Just as Su Liang was about to get Feng Ming and Zhu Zan to help, Sheng Yue dragged Yan Shiba out of the lake. Yan Shiba’s condition was clearly abnormal.

Sheng Yue reached the nearest shore on the opposite side of the lake.

Su Liang flew across the lake, with Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu following closely behind. Weng Ran also ran around the lake at high speed.

The smiles vanished from everyone’s faces, and those who were eating grilled meat put it down, revealing worried expressions.

By the time Su Liang arrived, Sheng Yue had already started first aid on Yan Shiba. He cleared her nostrils and mouth of any secretions, then controlled water. Seeing that Yan Shiba still wasn’t breathing, he knelt beside her, performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions.

Sheng Yue knew these techniques because his mother had taught him after crossing worlds. Although he had never performed them before and wasn’t proficient, he remembered the steps clearly and performed them perfectly.

Su Liang watched from the side, not asking Sheng Yue to move away.

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu both clenched their small faces, each holding onto Su Liang’s hand.

“Mother, will Aunt Yan be alright?” Ji Xiaoshu’s eyes reddened, almost crying. He was the one who pushed Yan Shiba into the water, and couldn’t help but feel scared.

Su Liang held the children’s hands without speaking. She felt that Yan Shiba hadn’t been submerged for long, and Sheng Yue’s first aid methods were correct.

On the opposite shore, everyone was initially shocked to see Sheng Yue giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to Yan Shiba. They thought Su Liang would take over the rescue, but seeing her not intervene, they knew Sheng Yue must be doing the right thing.

Weng Ran’s eyes were red with anxiety as well, but Cheng Yun held her hand, and the two stood together in silence, watching.

Soaked to the bone, Sheng Yue didn’t notice who had arrived or what reactions the others had. He simply continued to focus on saving Yan Shiba, following the method his mother had taught him.

As Sheng Yue drew a deep breath, about to give Yan Shiba another breath, she slowly opened her eyes.

Su Liang saw this and let out a sigh of relief. Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu jumped excitedly, “Aunt Yan woke up!”

Everyone on the opposite shore relaxed. Cen Man said with lingering fear, “From now on, we can’t joke around and make rash bets.”

Gu Xiaonuan asked Gu Ling, “So Uncle Sheng kissing Aunt Yan made her better?”

Gu Ling kissed Gu Xiaonuan’s forehead, planning to have Su Liang teach the family some first aid techniques later. She had taught the two little disciples before, but many people were still unfamiliar with it.

On the other side, the moment Yan Shiba regained consciousness, she saw Sheng Yue very close to her, seemingly kissing her. Her mind exploded and she tried to push Sheng Yue away, but she didn’t have the strength.

Sheng Yue pulled away the moment Yan Shiba opened her eyes, then sat down beside her. He wiped the beads of water from his forehead, not knowing if it was lake water or cold sweat, and let out a long sigh.

Then, Yan Shiba got up, pounced on Sheng Yue, and began to hit him. “Scumbag! Bastard! How dare you take advantage of me! You’re asking for death ah!”

Hearing Yan Shiba’s voice, Su Liang looked skyward, speechless. She seemed to be recovering quickly, proving her brain wasn’t damaged. Instead of separating the two, Su Liang flew back across the lake.

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu hurriedly ran over to break up the fight.

“Aunt Yan, you misunderstand! Uncle Sheng was trying to save you just now!”

“Yes, yes! You were unconscious in the water, and Uncle Sheng was the one who saved you!”

Yan Shiba paused with her raised fist and showed a strange expression, “Don’t lie to me, he was clearly molesting me just now!”

“Oh no, that wasn’t molestation, that was to save you, by giving you his breath! You weren’t even breathing! Master’s wife taught us that’s how we should rescue someone who is drowning!” Ji Xiaoshu quickly said, grabbing Yan Shiba’s arm to stop her from hitting Sheng Yue.

Yan Shiba was still on top of Sheng Yue at this moment. She furrowed her brows upon hearing this. “Really? Then why didn’t that sneaky girl save me, why did he have to give me his breath?”

“It was urgent, and we were far away. He was the closest, and he knows how to do it.” Zhengzheng said.

“Why does he know how?” Yan Shiba asked. “I don’t even know how!”

“My mother taught me.” Sheng Yue’s internal strength recovered, and he pushed Yan Shiba away. Yan Shiba slapped him twice, but it was gentle and not a big deal.

Someone came to help Sheng Yue up, it was Cheng Yun. Although his brow was still furrowed, his attitude towards Sheng Yue had conspicuously changed after what happened just now. He even asked, “Why hasn’t my mother taught me?”

“Because you were a little silly back then,” Sheng Yue replied faintly.

Cheng Yun’s face darkened slightly. Indeed, he had no memories of his mother, having lost her at a very young age and being too young to remember anything.

Weng Ran also helped Yan Shiba up and asked if she felt discomfort anywhere.

Yan Shiba shook her head and looked at Su Liang, who was eating meat on the other side of the lake, feeling angry. “Sneaky girl, I really misjudged you, you didn’t even try to save me!”

Weng Ran quickly explained, “Su Liang was the first to come over and the first to notice that something might have happened to you. She went back only after Sheng Yue rescued you and you woke up.”

Yan Shiba’s face stiffened. “Well, she shouldn’t have let that scoundrel kiss me!”

Zhengzheng couldn’t help but say, “Anyway, Aunt Yan and Uncle Sheng are going to get married, so it shouldn’t matter, right?”

Yan Shiba’s frown tightened. Although Sheng Yue was the first to reach the surface of the lake, Yan Shiba had drowned. She was quite confident that she could win this round, reclaim her dignity, and no longer had to get married. But to her surprise, she not only lost but had lost miserably.

Weng Ran could see that Yan Shiba was in an awkward situation. It would be too difficult for her to change her opinion of Sheng Yue all at once, even though he had just saved her. In fact, the issue between the two of them was no longer about grievances or positions, but rather about saving face – and Yan Shiba was the one who cared most about face.

“Let’s go back to clean up and change first,” Weng Ran said, holding Yan Shiba as they started to leave.

Cheng Yun had already let Sheng Yue go and told him, “You should go back and clean up and change your clothes as well.”

Yan Shiba turned her head to see Sheng Yue looking at her and snorted coldly, “I’ll settle the score with you later!”

“Aunt Yan, we saved a chicken leg for you!” Ji Xiaoshu said.

Sheng Yue asked, “Do I have any?”

Zhengzhao hurriedly said, “Yes, everyone has some!”

It wasn’t until Yan Shiba and Sheng Yue had each left one after the other that the lively atmosphere by the lake truly resumed.

Zhengzheng chased after Weng Ran and Yan Shiba, while Ji Xiaoshu returned to Gu Ling and Su Liang’s side. For once, he took the initiative to admit his mistakes, “Master, Mistress, I was wrong, please punish me.”

Gu Ling nodded, “Your punishment is that you can’t eat grilled fish today.”

Ji Xiaoshu hesitated for a moment and looked at Su Liang. Su Liang mimicked the tone Ji Xiaoshu usually used to tease her, “Great God, just spoil him.”

Ji Xiaoshu cheered up, “I knew Master loves me the most!” He then took a plate with a grilled chicken and ran off, “I’m going to give Aunt Yan some meat to eat!”

Once he left, Gu Ling said, “We’ll punish him another day when he’s in a better mood.”

Su Liang held her forehead. However, she knew Gu Ling was only trying to help Ji Xiaoshu relax since he felt remorseful and nervous for his mistake today. Education could wait for now, there was no need to rush in the moment. After all, Yan Shiba didn’t even mind being pushed into the water. But Su Liang still wanted to have a good talk with the children about setting limits and being mindful of their jokes.

As Ji Xiaoshu peeped in with the meat in hand, Yan Shiba had already changed into clean clothes, Weng Ran was drying her hair, and Zhengzheng was massaging her legs.

“Xiaoshu, why are you hiding? Come over!” Yan Shiba pretended to be stern.

Ji Xiaoshu ran in with the meat, lowered his head, and held up the plate. “Aunt Yan, I’m sorry. You eat the meat first, so you’ll have the strength to beat me up.”

“Where did you go wrong?” Yan Shiba said as she tore off a chicken leg, took a big bite, and nodded. “That bitch’s cooking is average, but our spices are really good!”

Wen Ran cleared his throat, “Didn’t you just promise us, Yan sister that you would not call Sheng Yue like that anymore?”

“I’m used to it, how can I change it all at once?” Yan Shiba shook her head, “I can only try my best.”

Ji Xiaoshu took the initiative to massage Yan Shiba’s other leg, “Aunt Yan, after today’s events, can you and Sheng Yue let go of your past grudges?”

Yan Shiba ate meat while complaining, “You two little guys, why do you have the same thing to say? Really!” Before Ji Xiaoshu came, Zhengzheng had asked the same question, word for word.

Ji Xiaoshu chuckled, “Big Brother and I must have a tacit understanding!”

Zhengzheng sighed softly, “Aunt Yan, I told Uncle Sheng last night to let go of his prejudices, try to get along with you, and discover your good qualities.”

Yan Shiba’s face was weird, “What was his reaction?”

Ji Xiaoshu answered, “Uncle Sheng said he would try! Today I feel that he really has changed!”

“So Aunt Yan, try to get along with him too!” Zhengzheng’s expression was serious. Even without Yan Shiba’s near drowning today, this would have been something he intended to say earlier.

Yan Shiba shook her head, “He once hurt me, and now saves me once, at most it can only be considered even! And even if he didn’t save me, the ghost girl could have! He also took advantage of me!”

Wen Ran couldn’t stand it anymore, “Sister Yan, if you’re holding a grudge over that incident and want to settle the score with Sheng Yue, it’s not reasonable.”

Ji Xiaoshu said weakly, “If that’s the case, everyone might think Aunt Yan can’t handle it…”

Upon hearing this, Yan Shiba’s face changed, and she huffed angrily, “Who says I can’t handle it? Forget it, let’s pretend it never happened! I won’t hold him accountable, alright?”

“Aunt Yan, do you still want to marry Uncle Sheng?” Zhengzheng asked.

Yan Shiba snorted lightly, “Do you all think he’s definitely not going to back down from marrying me?”

The two children nodded together, indicating that Sheng Yue would not chicken out.

Yan Shiba chuckled lightly, “Then I’m even more unwilling to admit defeat! The real competition hasn’t even started yet!”

“Aunt Yan, come on! I believe you’ll win!” Ji Xiaoshu said hurriedly.

Wen Ran also understood: Yesterday everyone was mostly against Yan Shiba marrying Sheng Yue, but after today’s events, they were probably going to change their attitude and think they were well-suited, including Wen Ran. After all, it’s hard to find another man who can arouse Yan Shiba’s fighting spirit and yet subdue her. Both requirements are indispensable – without the former, Yan Shiba couldn’t possibly be interested, let alone like the person; without the latter, even if Yan Shiba was interested, she would soon find it boring. The former Cheng Yun only met the first requirement, but with Su Liang’s intervention, he managed to subdue Yan Shiba. Now Sheng Yue can do it himself.

After eating a whole chicken leg, Yan Shiba sighed, “Because of that bitch… bastard, I lost all my face!”

Ji Xiaoshu suggested, “Why don’t Aunt Yan go find him and take back a kiss? Otherwise, won’t you continue to suffer?”

Yan Shiba raised her hand, and Ji Xiaoshu ran off, “Aunt Yan, don’t be discouraged, I fully support you!”

Wen Ran couldn’t help but smile, “That’s true, Sister Yan, if you can really go find him and take back a kiss, then your face would be completely regained.”

Yan Shiba twisted Wen Ran’s ear and looked at Zhengzheng, “If you’re also instigating, I won’t talk to you today!”

Zhengzheng smiled sweetly, “I think Aunt Yan might as well give it a try, just in case it feels good, and maybe she can conquer Uncle Sheng all at once!”

Yan Shiba paused for a moment, seemingly thoughtful, “He kissed me without my consent, so it’s only right for me to kiss him back, right? If I don’t, it will seem a bit cowardly, and that’s not in line with my temperament!”

Zhengzheng and Wen Ran both nodded their heads in agreement.

“But looking at that face, I’m sure I won’t want to kiss him!” Yan Shiba shook her head.

“How do you know it won’t work if you don’t try?” Zhengzheng continued to persuade. At this point, it was impossible not to consummate their relationship.

“I might as well just drug him and make him beg me…” Yan Shiba said, suddenly laughing, then Wen Ran pinched her, reminding her to be careful what she said in front of Zhengzheng.

Yan Shiba coughed lightly, “I forgot, he’s immune to poison, that won’t work.”

“So, Aunt Yan, are you going to take back a kiss?” Zhengzheng persisted.

Yan Shiba clapped the table and stood up, “Even if I don’t want to, I have to save face and ask him if he dares to stand still and let me kiss him!”

Weng Ran:… Yan Shiba hasn’t learned any lessons at all, has she ever backed down from her fights with Sheng Yue?

At this time, Ji Xiaoshu had already run over to Sheng Yue and was speaking to him, “Uncle Sheng, if Auntie Yan comes to settle the score because you took liberties with her today, I can give you an idea!”

Sheng Yue actually was in a good mood. After today’s events, he could clearly feel that everyone’s attitude toward him had changed a lot. Before, Ji Xiaoshu didn’t even like him, let alone talk to him so warmly and actively. He had to thank Yan Shiba for relentlessly picking quarrels with him, which gave him a chance to be accepted.

“What idea?” Sheng Yue asked.

Ji Xiaoshu chuckled, “You can say, let her take liberties with you in return and you’ll never resist. See if she dares?”

Sheng Yue nodded slightly, “It is indeed a good idea.”

“Hey, Uncle Sheng, do you like Auntie Yan a little?” Ji Xiaoshu asked.

Sheng Yue frowned in thought, then shook his head after a moment, “I’m not sure. I’ll have to see.”

“Don’t you think she’s very cute with her fiery personality? Being with her would be so exciting!” Ji Xiaoshu asked.

Sheng Yue shook his head again, “To be honest, it’s too noisy.”

As soon as his words fell, Yan Shiba’s weird voice came from outside the door, “How are you not annoyed to death by me then?”

When they met again, the atmosphere was still full of sparks – mostly one-sided from Yan Shiba.

“Auntie Yan, you’re here to settle accounts, right?” Ji Xiaoshu asked with a smile.

Yan Shiba snorted softly, “That’s right! I’ll admit to the matter of saving people, and I’ll write off the previous grievances, but it was my first kiss! I can’t just let it go!”

Ji Xiaoshu’s eyes lit up, “Then, what do you want to do, Auntie Yan?”

Yan Shiba looked coldly at Sheng Yue, “Do you dare to let me kiss you in return? If you don’t dare, then admit defeat, and I promise not to ridicule you!”

Weng Ran:… Yan Shiba loses all her rationality as soon as she sees Sheng Yue.

Sheng Yue nodded, “It’s only fair. Do as you please, I don’t mind.”

Weng Ran pulled the two children and walked out, “Then let’s leave them be.” She even shut the door from the outside.

The atmosphere suddenly became very strange, and Yan Shiba slowly approached Sheng Yue with flickering eyes.

“If you don’t dare, or don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. I’ll tell everyone you did it anyway.” Sheng Yue said calmly.

Yan Shiba could not stand being goaded like this. When she heard this, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she stretched out her hand to hook around Sheng Yue’s neck. A charming smile appeared on the corners of her lips as she pressed herself against him, “Let’s see!”

Weng Ran and the two children hadn’t left yet.

Weng Ran was a little suspicious whether Yan Shiba would start her seduction conquest plan ahead of time? After all, her plan to marry Sheng Yue was based on this idea. If so, it would be hard to predict the outcome.

Ji Xiaoshu asked, “Auntie Ran, are they already kissing?”

Weng Ran shook her head and walked away with the two children, “Let them deal with what comes next. We’ll go eat grilled fish.”

Ji Xiaoshu sighed sadly, “Master has punished me and said I can’t eat grilled fish today! But if Auntie Yan and Uncle Sheng succeed, I’ll be a great contributor! By then, I’ll definitely ask Master to reward me!”

Zhengzheng laughed softly, “Master will certainly reward you with more writing practice.”

“Then I’ll run away from home!” Ji Xiaoshu huffed.

Zhengzheng happily said, “We’ll soon be able to go play in Su Family Village with Master and his wife.”