From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

"what?"

Su Qing and I were both startled. We looked at each other, our minds completely blank, utterly bewildered.

The man extended his hand to me, his attitude sincere and polite: "My wife told me about this before, and I've been wanting to find you to thank you properly in person. After the incident, we even went to check the surveillance footage from the scene, but unfortunately, your face wasn't captured in the key locations, so we haven't been able to find you."

"I never expected to run into you here, it's such a coincidence. Thank you so much, you've essentially saved our whole family."

He spoke in a humble yet assertive tone, and his manner was calm and composed.

His tone of voice is similar to that of leaders I've seen on TV, but he doesn't have that aloofness; he's very approachable.

But the more this happened, the more I began to have second thoughts.

An older Passat, an executive jacket, and various other details all come together.

I secretly guessed that the other party was most likely someone within the system.

Did they save their child? I have absolutely no idea about this.

Just as I was completely bewildered and standing there dumbfounded, Su Qing's pupils suddenly contracted slightly.

As if suddenly remembering something, he blurted out:

"Oh! I remember now! You're the mother of the child who fell into the river that day!"

Su Qing's reminder brought back a flood of memories.

No wonder she looked familiar; now I know why.

That night, Su Qing and I went to the riverbank to relax and have a drink. Suddenly, we heard cries for help coming from the riverbank, saying that a child had fallen into the river.

Without thinking, I jumped into the icy river and pulled the child ashore with all my might.

After rescuing the person, we didn't linger and left the scene quietly.

A long time has passed since then, and one thing after another has piled up, so I had long put this matter out of my mind and almost completely forgotten about it.

I didn't leave any information at the time, and I never expected that the couple would remember me and recognize me on the street late at night.

With my inner turmoil resolved, the bewilderment on my face disappeared, and I quickly reached out and shook hands tightly with the man.

"It was just lending a hand, nothing serious."

The man shook his head and said in a deep voice, "You can't say that. If we had been a moment later that day, the child would have been lost, and our family would have been ruined. You are our family's benefactor in every way, both morally and legally."

I gave a slightly awkward laugh: "To be honest, it's been so long that I had almost forgotten about it. I really didn't expect you guys to still remember."

The woman quickly replied, her tone still filled with gratitude: "How could we forget? We were so focused on the child that by the time we realized we wanted to thank you, you were long gone. We've always remembered this kindness."

"Yes," the man nodded in agreement. "After that, we inquired everywhere but still couldn't find any clues. It was really unexpected to run into him today."

The couple was so enthusiastic, calling me their benefactor over and over again, that I was at a loss for words and didn't know how to respond.

Seeing this, Su Qing also tried to smooth things over, saying, "It was really just a small favor, you don't need to take it to heart, it makes us feel embarrassed."

The woman smiled apologetically: "We were too abrupt. It's just that when we met you in person, we couldn't control our emotions."

I quickly waved my hand and said, "Big sister, the title of 'benefactor' is too heavy for me. You can just call me by my name, Lin Ye."

"Lin Ye?"

Upon hearing the name, the man's tone rose slightly, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he looked at me with a touch of uncertainty.

"Are you Lin Ye, the guy who's been trending on short videos lately, leading a team on a trek through the no-man's-land?"

I nodded slightly. "Yes, it's me. You've also seen the relevant content?"

The man gave a wry smile: "I can't say I looked closely. I just heard my colleagues talking about it casually. They said that a young man from Jiangzhou dared to venture into the no-man's-land, and I remembered the name Lin Ye. I never imagined that the hero who saved people and the adventure blogger on the internet would be the same person."

I could only smile modestly and say nothing more.

He paused for a moment, then suggested, "Let's not stand by the roadside chatting in the wind. Have you had dinner yet? I'll treat you to a meal so we can sit down and have a proper chat."

I shook my head apologetically: "I'm really sorry, brother, we've already had dinner."

The man smiled faintly: "It's alright, let's exchange contact information. I'll definitely treat you to a meal sometime."

Su Qing and I exchanged a glance.

The other party was very sincere and grateful, so I couldn't very well refuse them.

For me, it was just a casual act, but in their eyes, it was a matter of life and death for the child.

So we exchanged phone numbers, and that's when I learned the man's name was Tang Jianshan.

The name sounds like it has a touch of chivalrous spirit.

He warmly invited us to meet the next day and even invited us to his home.

These days, compared to banquets at grand hotels, family dinners are considered the highest level of hospitality, demonstrating their sincerity.

Since things had come to this point, it would seem unreasonable for me to refuse, so I agreed.

During a brief pause in our conversation, I casually asked, "By the way, how is the child who fell into the water doing now?"

The woman smiled gently: "He's recovering quite well. He's been talking about it a lot these past few days, asking if we've found the uncle who saved him. He'll be so happy to know he'll see you tomorrow."

I felt increasingly embarrassed.

For me, it was just an instinctive act of rescue, but for their family, it was an immense gift.

People ultimately have different perspectives on things.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, as the night deepened, Tang Jianshan and his wife turned to return to their car.

Before leaving, they repeatedly asked for our address, wanting to drive us back.

Su Qing and I shook our heads and politely declined, telling him that we were just out for a walk after dinner and didn't need to trouble him to see us off.

The Passat's headlights came on, and it slowly drove away from the roadside, gradually disappearing at the end of the road.

After watching Tang Jianshan and his wife's car disappear completely into the night, the entire street returned to silence.

I turned my head and exchanged a glance with Su Qing. We both laughed at the same time.

"I never expected to run into him while taking a walk in the middle of the night."

Su Qing sighed softly, her tone full of emotion.

I nodded, the evening breeze brushing my cheeks. Recalling what had just happened, I still felt a sense of mystery.

I smiled and said, "It is quite a coincidence. When I saw her just now, I felt that her face looked familiar. I racked my brains, but I couldn't figure out that it was the time I saved someone by the river. Luckily, you were the first to realize it."

"So people should do more good deeds."

Su Qing leaned against my arm again and said slowly, "Look, just one favor, and they've remembered that kindness for so long."

She paused, her eyes darting around slightly, then changed the subject: "Speaking of Tang Jianshan, this guy doesn't seem like a simple person."