“Sis! Sis—! Help! My sister fell into the lake! Somebody, please save my sister!”
A young woman with two braided pigtails pointed toward the middle of the lake, screaming herself hoarse.
There had already been plenty of people by the lakeside—some washing clothes, some chatting, and a few teenage boys kicking a ball nearby. Hearing the desperate cries, they all rushed over.
“Where? Who fell in?”
“Isn’t that Chunhua’s eldest girl? What happened? How’d she suddenly fall into the water?”
“Quick! Somebody save her!”
The crowd erupted into chaos, shoving one another, yet not a single person dared jump into the freezing lake.
“It’s only early spring. The water’s still icy. Anyone who jumps in could freeze half to death,” an older woman wrapped in a headscarf muttered, shrinking her neck.
“If a man saves her, sure, she’ll live… but her reputation will be ruined.”
“Who cares about reputation when she’s about to die? Somebody get her out!”
Just then, a tall figure leaped into the lake without hesitation, swimming swiftly toward the struggling woman.
On the shore, the young woman crying for help curled her lips into a smug smile.
Watching the man reach her drowning sister, pull her into his arms, and swim back toward the shore, she eagerly called out, “Uncles, please help pull that big brother and my sister up!”
Wonderful.
As long as that little bitch was seen by a crowd of men the moment she came ashore, her reputation would be completely destroyed.
When the man reached the bank, he noticed several grown men waiting above. Without a second thought, he stripped off his jacket and draped it over the unconscious woman’s body before helping lift her onto shore.
Only then did everyone realize he was a soldier.
He wore a navy uniform. His features were sharp and strikingly handsome, his frame broad and imposing, standing close to six foot three. After removing his jacket, only a fitted undershirt remained. Soaked through by the lake water, the fabric clung tightly to his body, revealing the powerful contours of his chest and well-defined abs.
The married and unmarried women nearby couldn’t help blushing.
When had such a handsome military officer ever come to their little town?
Meanwhile, the young woman who had been waiting to enjoy the spectacle stared in surprise. A moment later, jealousy flared inside her.
That little bitch was unbelievably lucky.
Of all people, she had been rescued by such a handsome young naval officer.
She hurried over and threw herself beside her unconscious sister.
“Sis! Wake up! Sis!”
Seeing that the young woman still hadn’t regained consciousness, the officer guessed she’d swallowed a great deal of water. He strode over, crouched beside her, and immediately began performing CPR.
“Who is that young man? He’s so handsome. Is he trying to save her?”
“Oh heavens! Why is he pressing on Chunhua’s daughter’s chest?”
“My goodness… he actually kissed her!”
As Liu Qingyue slowly regained consciousness, the murmurs around her drifted into her ears.
Those familiar yet strangely distant voices made her heart skip a beat.
Seeing her open her eyes, the younger sister crouching beside her beamed with delight.
“Sis, you’re finally awake! Thank goodness! I thought I was going to lose you. You accidentally fell into the lake just now. This big brother was the one who saved you.”
Liu Qingyue stared in shock at Liu Wanwan’s youthful, innocent-looking face and listened to those painfully familiar words.
Then, an unbelievable realization struck her.
She had been reborn.
Reborn…
Thirty years into the past.
At this moment, her mysterious spatial storage hadn’t yet been stolen by her half-sister.
She hadn’t followed the army to the island yet.
The tragic life that had awaited her… hadn’t happened.
The moment she recalled the misery of her previous life, hatred spread uncontrollably through her heart.
Everything was exactly the same as before.
Nothing had changed.
But after today, everything would.
It was as though an invisible hand had shoved her into an endless abyss, one she could never climb out of.
In her previous life, it had been this very man who had pulled her from the lake.
Her reputation had been ruined.
Although he had offered to take responsibility for her, she had been deeply in love with her fiancé, Zhou Heshan, and had firmly refused.
Afterward, Liu Wanwan had pretended to kindly escort her to the island to join her husband’s military posting.
But after the two of them arrived on the island, her fiancé declared that her reputation had been ruined and refused to marry her. Since the marriage arrangement couldn’t simply be canceled, he decided her younger sister would take her place instead.
Unable to bear the humiliation, she threw herself into death.
She had been saved—but her life was destroyed.
As memories of her previous life flooded back, Liu Qingyue instinctively clutched one wrist with the other hand.
The sharp pain told her one thing.
It was all real.
“Sister?”
Liu Wanwan’s voice sounded beside her as she reached out to help Liu Qingyue up.
“It was this big brother who saved you. We should properly thank him.”
She looked up at the man.
“Thank you for saving my sister, big brother!”
“We have no way to repay your kindness…”
Before she could finish, Liu Qingyue finally snapped completely out of her memories.
“Sister, what’s wrong?”
“Hurry and thank him. Even though we can’t repay him, we should at least—”
Liu Wanwan kept chattering away.
Listening to her voice, Liu Qingyue forced down the storm raging in her heart.
She slowly got to her feet.
Just as Liu Wanwan was about to continue speaking—
Smack!
A loud slap rang through the air.
Liu Qingyue’s palm landed squarely across Liu Wanwan’s face, leaving her completely stunned.
Frozen for several seconds, Liu Wanwan finally came back to her senses. She wanted to lash out, but seeing so many villagers gathered around, she could only clutch her burning cheek and put on a pitiful expression.
“S-Sister… why did you hit me?”
“Why?”
Liu Qingyue let out a cold laugh.
Still wrapped in the coat draped over her shoulders, she slowly walked toward Liu Wanwan.
“Why did you push me into the lake?”
What?
The man, the surrounding villagers, and even Liu Wanwan herself were all dumbfounded by the accusation.
Then, realizing they might be witnessing a huge scandal, the villagers who had been preparing to leave stopped in their tracks.
No one wanted to miss this drama.
“When did I ever push you?” Liu Wanwan asked, her heart pounding wildly.
“I clearly felt someone shove me from behind. At the time, it was only the two of us. If it wasn’t you who pushed me…” Liu Qingyue stared straight at her. “Are you saying I jumped into the lake myself? That I was trying to kill myself?”
Every word struck like a dagger.
The villagers couldn’t help but think she had a point.
In those days, a young woman’s reputation was everything.
Once it was ruined, the consequences were unimaginable.
Who would deliberately destroy their own reputation like that?
Could Liu Wanwan really have pushed her into the lake?
“I didn’t! Why would I push you?” Liu Wanwan frantically waved her hands.
If the villagers believed this and spread the story, her own reputation would be ruined as well.
As panic rose inside her, so did anger.
The Liu Qingyue she knew had never been this bold.
What had happened today?
Ever since she fell into the water and was rescued, it was as though she’d become a completely different person!
“Do you like Zhou Heshan?”
Liu Qingyue didn’t give her any chance to defend herself.
Question after question came relentlessly.
“Are you involved with him?”
“I noticed long ago that something was off between you two. Have you fallen for him? Did you want me dead so you could marry him instead? Is that why you pushed me into the lake?”
What?!
The villagers listening nearby felt as if they’d just heard a bombshell revelation.
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