“Help! Someone please save my husband!” The woman with the businessman cried out, her voice weak and frail, filled with panic and despair.

“Save him! Hurry, save him!” Two shouts rang in my ears, so loud I thought I’d go deaf, when suddenly my body was lifted into the air. I immediately began to struggle, tilting my head to look down, only to see that it was Uncle Grant and Henry Clark who were holding me up with fierce expressions. I had no idea where they’d come from—they just suddenly appeared behind me.

Just as I was about to scream, they shouted, “Here’s someone who can swim, he’s going down to save them…” And then, in an instant, I was thrown off the boat, crashing face-first into the sea.

Chapter Eight: Peril at Every Turn

It was only at this moment that I reacted in anger—Uncle Grant and Henry Clark hadn’t let me off at all. They actually dared to brazenly, in broad daylight, commit such a murderous act.

But at this point, anger was useless. I floated in the water—even though it was already June, the sea felt bone-chillingly cold. I didn’t know if it was the current or the time of day. My body became extremely stiff, my arms and legs completely unresponsive, as if I were about to cramp up. Luckily, I’d grown up by the sea, so I didn’t panic too much in situations like this. Gritting my teeth, I forced my body to move, and after a while I finally managed to find my footing in the water. With a few strong kicks, I swam to the side of the boat and grabbed on tightly.

Just then, I heard cries for help not far away. I turned my head and saw that the businessman who’d fallen in didn’t know how to swim and was struggling desperately, already swept quite a distance away by the waves. He seemed unable to hold on any longer, his cries growing weaker. Compassion welled up in me—being a physician, I couldn’t bear to watch someone drown before my eyes. I took a deep breath, clenched my teeth, and kicked hard in the water, thinking that since I was already down here, I might as well save him first.

From afar, I could see passengers on the boat’s rail waving and shouting something, but I couldn’t make out their words in the water, nor did I have time to care. A wave crashed over me, pushing me under. When I surfaced and wiped my face, I saw the businessman struggling in the water not far away, his cries now silent. I could only see him bobbing up and down, his face twisted in terror, bubbles constantly escaping from his mouth.

When I reached him, I saw his eyes were tightly shut and his teeth clenched. Rescuing someone in the sea is extremely dangerous, so I didn’t grab him right away. Instead, I carefully circled behind him, hooked his arms, and began swimming back toward the boat.

By the time I was just a few steps from the boat, I was completely spent. The icy seawater seemed to have a powerful pull, dragging my body downward. I reached out to the fishermen on the sampan, but just then, the unconscious businessman suddenly twisted around, rolled his eyes back, and grabbed one of my legs, trying to drag me down into the water.

“Damn it…” I shouted, but couldn’t hear my own voice. Seawater flooded my mouth, my lungs felt like they were exploding with pain, and all I could see was a blur of blue. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I vaguely saw something strange below the waterline of the Fuchang—something didn’t seem right.

The underwater part of the boat looked different from all the others. The hull was much thicker than the other boats, and from this angle in the water, a sense of foreboding suddenly rose in me—this was practically a giant, living coffin!

I didn’t know why it gave me that feeling. My body was already sinking uncontrollably, and memories began to flash through my mind like a silent movie. My whole family, sitting together for New Year’s Eve dinner when I was a child—I’d already forgotten their faces, but now I remembered them clearly; my sister’s panicked eyes when we were separated; my uncle’s slow, heavy steps as he left; Grace Carter’s charming smile when we secretly met… and then, slowly, it all faded again.

It was like a dream—I don’t know how long it lasted. Suddenly, sounds became clear again, and I was thrown onto hard ground. In agony, I collapsed forward, salty seawater pouring from my nose and mouth, tears and snot streaming down my face. Groaning, I forced my eyes open and, in a daze, saw a pink embroidered shoe. In the biting cold, I suddenly sneezed and sat up straight.

But I didn’t see the woman wearing the pink shoes. Instead, it was the bearded Frank Grant squatting in front of me, water dripping from his shorts and hairy legs. When he saw me sit up, he looked disappointed. “Damn it, good people die young, but troublemakers live forever. I knew this pretty boy wouldn’t die…” Hearing the way he was hoping for my immediate death, anger surged in my heart. This hateful fisherman—I hadn’t provoked him, so why did he have such a grudge against me?

But a man under another’s roof has no choice but to bow his head. I knew it would be ridiculous to argue with Frank Grant on the boat, so I just ignored him and slowly knelt on the deck. At that moment, a cotton handkerchief was handed to me from behind. I turned to look and saw it was Annie, her eyes red. She said softly, “Thank goodness you woke up. You scared me to death…”