Chapter 31: Shen Xingyu Cannot Die!
Shen Xingyu couldn’t pull him back. The person he could usually lift with ease was now being carried deeper into the water by the current. Whether it was out of fear or some other emotion, the hand Liang Sheng had shaken off was trembling violently.
“Get back here!”
He shouted at the small figure from the shore, instinctively wanting to step into the water to pull Liang Sheng back, but looking at the surf at his feet, the shadow of his hydrophobia made him retreat.
What should I do… Liang Sheng is truly looking for death!
Shen Xingyu clenched his fists. Although he was furious, his eyes couldn’t stop showing his worry.
He quickly made a phone call to Qin Lou. He only hoped that before the bodyguard could arrive, Liang Sheng wouldn’t have drowned.
The sun was setting. The residual red of the sunset was reflected on the sea, staining the entire area blood-red.
Shen Xingyu had never been this anxious. The agitation made him restless—so restless he felt like killing someone!
His eyes were turned crimson by the sunset, and a small figure was being embraced by that crimson.
The tide was rising, and dark waves were brewing in the distance where the sea met the sky, as if a storm were on the horizon.
Before long, the waves grew larger, layer upon layer, crashing against the reefs and sending up countless sprays of water.
On the beach, the fine sand was washed away by the seawater, leaving behind gullies. The sea breeze also gradually became stronger.
Liang Sheng’s entire body was already submerged; he could only barely keep his head above the water.
Why can’t I find them?!
Where… where did they go!
He thrashed his limbs, laboriously cutting through the water, wanting to continue swimming deeper.
But the waves were too large. His legs wouldn’t obey him at all; he was being tossed about. He swallowed several mouthfuls of cold seawater, which made him cough incessantly, and tears came to his eyes.
Why can’t I find them?!
He clearly saw Shen Xingyu throw them in this direction. They weren’t floating on the surface; could they have sunk to the bottom?
Liang Sheng’s heart felt a pang of pain, and he grew even more anxious.
When his mother was alive, he hadn’t been able to protect her. Now that she was dead, he couldn’t even keep her last relics—they had to be thrown into the sea!
Tears blurred his vision.
His nose and throat, choked by the seawater, were incredibly uncomfortable.
Yet he couldn’t care about that anymore. If he couldn’t find them, he would stay in the ocean forever with his mother’s things!
Liang Sheng raised his hand and forcefully wiped away the tears, then held his breath and plunged his head into the water.
In the distance, Shen Xingyu saw his figure being swallowed by waves that were higher than the last, and his heart skipped a beat.
Liang Sheng is drowning?!
Shen Xingyu’s expression changed dramatically. His mind was a mess. After cursing “Idiot!”, he threw off his cumbersome trench coat and, without another thought, rushed into the ocean toward Liang Sheng.
The moment he touched the water, he shivered for several seconds. Every cell in his body was screaming for him to leave!
This time, he didn’t retreat. Perhaps at the thought of what he would do if Liang Sheng died, he felt a wave of fear. He swam toward where Liang Sheng had submerged with even more determination, then took a deep breath and dived.
He wasn’t a strong swimmer and wasn’t used to the water. A mouthful of seawater was suddenly forced down his throat. The salty taste exploded in his mouth—the liquid was both bitter and salty as it flowed down. It felt like countless fine needles were stabbing him; every swallow was intensely painful.
Shen Xingyu felt as if a large stone were blocking his chest, making it hard to breathe. He was on the verge of fainting.
No, Liang Sheng needs me!
Shen Xingyu shook his head and took several breaths before he was finally able to sink beneath the surface.
He searched frantically.
But visibility deep in the water was too low. Coupled with his hydrophobia, his body felt weak. He was pushed quite a distance by the current and had to desperately grab onto a nearby reef to keep from being pulled into a vortex.
Liang Sheng, where are you?
On the other side, Liang Sheng could find no trace of the relics. Although he was a good swimmer, his body wasn’t what it used to be. He no longer had the strength to dive any deeper.
He was so anxious he was about to cry. Just as he was about to turn around and look elsewhere, his ankle suddenly tightened. He couldn’t swim out no matter how hard he tried. Looking back, he found that his left foot had somehow become entangled in seaweed!
Liang Sheng’s face filled with alarm.
The most terrifying thing in the ocean wasn’t sharks; it was the ubiquitous seaweed that could slowly choke a person to death!
Once you were entangled, it was impossible to pull free without a blade. The seaweed would cut into your flesh until you bled, and the scent of blood would attract even more terrifying creatures!
He tried to pull his leg back with force. As expected, the seaweed only tightened. The fine needles on the leaves stabbed into his flesh, hurting like a drill!
Though he had intended to die, he didn’t want to die this kind of long, slow death. He had already lived a life that was enough of a struggle!
Liang Sheng bent his waist, trying his best to reach down to pull the seaweed from his ankle, but the surging current made it hard to bend over. His hand couldn’t reach his foot. He was practically at the mercy of the waves, unable to move.
What should I do? Is it going to end like this?
I’m sorry, Mom…
Sheng-sheng is useless. I couldn’t even protect your things.
Liang Sheng closed his eyes in despair. Tears flowed from the corners of his eyes and were swallowed by the sea. He suddenly felt that he was just like this seaweed swaying with the current—able only to live in the shadows, lonely and helpless. As long as he could grab onto something, he wouldn’t let go.
Elsewhere, Shen Xingyu forced down his fear and dove deep without regard for himself. Sure enough, by a ray of light from the sky, he spotted Liang Sheng entangled in the seaweed!
He was both shocked and overjoyed, pushing through the water to swim down toward him.
Liang Sheng was already drifting into unconsciousness.
He felt so much pain, he was so tired…
In his daze, he felt someone forcefully shaking his shoulder. He thought his mother had come to take him home and felt joy in his heart. Then he slowly opened his eyes, only to see Shen Xingyu’s anxious face.
Liang Sheng was incredibly shocked. He instinctively wanted to speak, but swallowed a large mouthful of seawater, which choked him until his face turned pale, and he let out a series of bubbles.
Shen Xingyu pressed his finger to his lips, signaling him not to speak, then swam to Liang Sheng’s feet. Seeing the bloody marks on his ankle from being constricted, his frown deepened.
It was unknown whether he was heart-aching or just annoyed that his little wife was trouble.
He hadn’t brought any tools. He knew how dangerous this seaweed was, but there was no more time to think about how to solve it. If he delayed any longer, Liang Sheng would faint from exhaustion, and sharks would be attracted.
Shen Xingyu had no choice. He grabbed the seaweed with his bare hands, wanting to use his strength to tear it away.
Liang Sheng knew what he was trying to do and anxiously moved his leg, shaking his head at him.
Tearing seaweed with your bare hands will cut them! And how could you possibly pull it apart!
Shen Xingyu looked up and glared at him with a fierce gaze, warning him to be quiet and not move.
Liang Sheng looked at the black head by his feet, unable to bear it. This was the second time Shen Xingyu had saved him. In all their years of marriage, he had never seen the other do something like this—and without regard for his own life.
Even if he resented his husband, he didn’t want him to be hurt. Emotion and reason fought, and emotion won once again.
Shen Xingyu gritted his teeth. His hydrophobia was crushing him.
He forced himself to maintain consciousness, his hands gripping the seaweed. But the seaweed was long and very tough; as soon as he used force, it cut into his palms like a knife.
But Liang Sheng’s ankle was growing more and more swollen. Blood was visibly seeping out.
There was no more time. Both of them were in danger.
Shen Xingyu opened his mouth and bit a notch into the seaweed, then used the momentum while the seaweed hadn’t yet constricted to pull with all his might, tearing the tight seaweed in half!
Liang Sheng moved his foot, successfully breaking free from the seaweed. Like a fish that had been bound and finally gained freedom, he quickly swam away from the coral area.
Shen Xingyu breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. His hands had been deeply cut by the seaweed, leaving long wounds that instantly turned the surrounding water red.
The sharp pain spread through his whole body. Being soaked in the saltiness of the sea was like rubbing salt into the wounds.
That pain brought back memories of his childhood—when his stepmother used a knife to cut his body all over before heartlessly throwing him into the sea. It was just like now, like being burned by fire.
Liang Sheng’s swimming figure was becoming more and more blurred.
Shen Xingyu felt his eyes closing uncontrollably.
He tried hard to open them, but he couldn’t no matter what. He could only hear the sound of the water rushing past, and the screams and panicked crying in his ears.
Fear was like a net that was tightening. He was once again swallowed by the darkness of the deep sea and embraced by despair. In his delusion, he had returned to that day.
His consciousness faded into chaos. Shen Xingyu watched as Liang Sheng disappeared from his sight, while he himself slowly sank.
The breath he had been holding escaped, and the surging water poured into his body, emitting countless bubbles.
Liang Sheng had swum halfway when he realized the man behind him hadn’t followed. He turned back and saw that Shen Xingyu was drowning.
Oh no, I almost forgot—Shen Xingyu has hydrophobia! How could I have swum up first!
Liang Sheng swam back anxiously, trying his best to reach the man. He was afraid—afraid Shen Xingyu would die.
He bit his lip, holding back his crying, then reached out to grab Shen Xingyu. Using his last bit of strength, he pulled the man from the current, hugged his body tight, and swam toward the shore.
His strength was spent, yet Liang Sheng didn’t dare relax for a second. It wouldn’t matter if he died, but Shen Xingyu couldn’t. If Shen Xingyu was gone, Grandpa Shen would be heart-shattered, and the Shen family would be finished.
Thinking this, he quickened his pace.
The moment he broke the surface, Liang Sheng took a huge breath, feeling as if he had come back to life.
His small body carried Shen Xingyu, hauling him to the shore and carefully laying him on the sand.
Shen Xingyu was still unconscious. His abdomen was a bit swollen; he had likely swallowed a lot of seawater.
Liang Sheng knelt beside the man with a tremble, cradling his face and shouting with a sob:
“A-Yu! Wake up! Can you hear me?!”
The night was very dark. The beach was empty, only his voice and the sound of the sea echoed.
Shen Xingyu still had no reaction.
His hands and feet were cold and stiff, without a bit of warmth, like a corpse that had been dead for a long time.
Liang Sheng didn’t dare delay. He immediately began chest compressions, repeating the process to make him vomit out the water.
While performing CPR, he cried in terror, his tears falling one by one onto the man’s face.
“I’m begging you… wake up, alright? I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have called you a monster… it’s all my fault, boohoo! The one who should die is me, I’m begging you to be okay!”
Translator’s Note:
- Heart-saver Pills (救心丸): Mentioned in previous chapters, these are critical for Shen’s condition.
- 怪物 (Monster): The emotional weight of this word is the catalyst for this entire scene.
- CPR (心肺復蘇): Liang Sheng is literally fighting to save the man who just tried to destroy his most precious memories. Talk about a “Love-Brain”!
- A-Yu (阿禹): Liang’s affectionate name for Shen Xingyu.
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