Chapter 260: Song Xingchen To The Rescue (1/2)

Ten minutes later, two thirds of the water in the swimming pool had been drained and we were both free to breathe at the same time.

Our bodies were suspended in mid-air; I was below while Xiaotao lay on top.

My current position was extremely hard to bear, with my entire upper body tilted downward so the blood rushed to my head. I tried lifting myself by grabbing onto the shackles, but without the buoyancy of the water, my body felt as heavy as lead and my muscles ached after maintaining this posture for a while.

”Song Yang, I really don't know what to say,” muttered Xiaotao, unable to hide the gratitude in her voice.

”You don’t have to say anything,” I gave a weak, watery laugh. “With how close we are, why be so polite with me? Do you need to use the restroom?” I joked.

Xiaotao remained silent. In truth, I had the urge to pee, though it wasn’t urgent. Besides, if I tried peeing in this position, I would only get it all over me so I’d rather endure it.

Although our lives were saved, we were still trapped here, body cold, joints aching and skin burning. This combination of unpleasant sensations was uncomfortable beyond description.

Suddenly, I heard a low hum come from Xiaotao as the room soon echoed with a tune that I did not recognize.

”What are you humming?” I asked.

”The Three Bears,” she replied. “I learned the song when I was still a trainee in the police academy. Alas, at the time, I yearned for the future but I never imagined that one day I would be in such a sorry plight.”

”Do you think we would have been friends if we had known each other back then?” I asked.

”I doubt we’d have anything to talk about,” laughed Xiaotao. “Back then, I was like a little peacock who walked around with my nose in the air. Have you ever had the impulse to kill yourself?”

”Hmm, I have to say I think I’m rather narcissistic,” I grinned. “When I was a child, I was a cute, pink-cheeked little fella. I don’t want to kill him at all!”

”You have to come visit my place when the case is finally over!” suggested XIaotao.

”That’s a promise!” I nodded.

The conversation lapsed and we fell into silence. But after a while, Xiaotao suddenly declared, ”Song Yang, actually, I hope you can be a little bolder!”

The meaning in her words were clear as day, sending my heartbeat into complete disarray. When we solved the case, I was going to express my feelings for her and end the ambiguity between us. I didn’t care if the sky fell or if aliens invaded the earth; I had to let her know how I truly felt.

After experiencing countless dangerous situations together, even life-threatening ones, the precariousness of our lives weighed heavily in my heart. Perhaps the words I so desperately wanted to say might go unspoken one day.

Xiaotao broke into violent coughs, pulling me out of my thoughts and back to our grim situation. The rusty odor of blood filled my nose. I pounded the surfboard and cried, ”What's wrong with you?”

”Nothing, it’s just a cough.”

”You‘re lying! You just vomited blood. Are you poisoned?” I panted, heart in mouth as I waited for her reply.

But Xiaotao kept mum, her silence further exacerbating my worries. ”What's wrong with you?” I shouted. “Answer me!”

”I’m fine,” whispered Xiaotao. “It’s really nothing!”

I gritted my teeth. The frustration of being so close to her yet powerless to help gnawed away at me. She might have choked on some water earlier and swallowed some of the chemicals. Although the concentration of chemicals in the water wasn’t large and would not be fatal, it might leave sequelae if left untreated until dawn.

At this moment, there came the sound of footsteps from outside.

”There’s someone out there!” I exclaimed. “We have to call for help!”

At first, we were a little embarrassed to scream like helpless little girls. After all, this was the first time in our lives that we had to shout for help. But on second thought, who cared about that? Compared to our lives, a little humiliation was nothing! Thus, we yelled at the top of our lungs, praying our voices would be loud enough to attract attention. Fortunately, the footsteps seemed to get closer and closer until a dull thud reverberated around the room–someone had pushed the door and entered.

As the footsteps slowly approached, a nagging doubt emerged in my mind. Could this be the murderer who returned to make sure we were dead? I certainly didn’t have the energy to play any more of his games.

But just as the thought crossed my mind, I suddenly caught sight of a familiar face–it was Song Xingchen!