Stepping onto the pond, holding a lotus leaf, Su Li looked down at her mud-covered body and glanced to her left. In the distance, in the setting sun, shimmering waves reflected in the mountain hollow...

Without hesitation, Su Li turned around and ran along the winding country path. About five minutes later, a cool body of water appeared in front of her. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the lake, about several hundred square meters in size, was as smooth as a mirror.

Su Li, who cannot swim, chose a slightly raised grassy bank near the mountain by the lake.

"Silver Mirror Lake, here I come." Su Li squatted down and began to wash the mud off her body...

The birdsong in the forest and the golden glow of the setting sun illuminate the lake, creating a feeling of stepping into a painting.

Looking at her graceful figure, clear eyes, and rosy, youthful face reflected in the water, Su Li smiled and splashed some lake water on her clothes with her fingers. The reflection in the lake dispersed and reappeared, instantly bringing a pleasant coolness to her sweltering body.

At this time of year, there are always some people swimming in the lake.

But for some reason, there wasn't a single person on the lake today. The setting sun reflected in the lake, making it as beautiful as a painting.

Enjoying the coolness of the river water, and thinking of her mother waiting for her to come home for dinner, Su Li sighed, washed the lotus leaves, and got up to leave...

She had only taken a few steps when a muffled sound suddenly came from the lake behind her, "Splash!"

The sound was strange, and Su Li was so startled that she quickly turned her head away...

But there were no other creatures here just now.

"Help! Help!" Right where she had just washed her clothes, a head of long hair floated on the shimmering water. Soon, as the water rose and fell, a small arm appeared, raised high.

Oh no, whose child has fallen into the water? I don't know how deep the lake is, but every year there are always a few accidents.

Not wanting to stand by and watch someone die, Su Li's heart tightened. She quickly threw away the lotus leaf in her hand and turned to run towards the lake...

Her forearm seemed to have drifted further away from the lakeshore. Undeterred, Su Li slid down the bank. The lake didn't seem very deep; the water only reached her thighs.

Su Li took a deep breath, stretched out her right hand, leaned forward, and the distance seemed just right. With a slight bend of her fingers, she hooked the little finger that was about to be submerged.

Su Li thought that perhaps she could pull the child back with just a little effort.

But she seemed to have overlooked the power of the water flow; despite her efforts, the child's body could not get close enough.

Su Li's face quickly turned bright red. The girl's head began to emerge from the water, but before she could see the other person's face clearly, Su Li suddenly lost her footing, her body swayed, and the little girl fell back into the water, where she began to sink and float again.

"Quick, quick, grab my hand!" Su Li cried out anxiously, stretching her fingers further out. Her feet, which were resting on the bottom of the lake, began to sway violently.

"Pfft!" The little hand that was in front of them disappeared in an instant.

Su Li strained to look around for the girl, but the lakebed where she had been able to stand just moments before was now nowhere to be found.

Suddenly without support, Su Li's figure thrashed about in the water, drifting with the waves.

A person who can't swim can't last long at all. "Glug!" A large mouthful of lake water was poured into Su Li's mouth.

A stinging pain, accompanied by suffocation, assaulted Su Li.

With the lake water above her head, a wave crashed over her. Su Li, already far from the shore, looked down through the water and was surprised to find the bottom of the lake unfathomably deep...

"Glug glug!" She swallowed mouthfuls of lake water one after another, feeling a tearing pain and a swelling in her chest. Her vision went black, and she knew nothing more.