Hua Manman wasn’t in the mood to go to the library today.
She felt mentally and physically exhausted when she got home.
She didn’t even want to eat dinner. She just took off her clothes, went into the bathroom, and turned the knob. Hot water came SPLASHING down from the showerhead.
Hua Manman tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and let the hot water wash over her face.
The bathroom gradually filled with steam, and the temperature rose.
All day, Hua Manman had only eaten a little bread for breakfast; she had skipped both lunch and dinner.
Combined with her low spirits, she couldn’t help but feel a little dizzy.
The high temperature and humidity in the bathroom made her dizziness worse.
She steadied herself against the wall, wanting to go out for some fresh air.
But her foot slipped, and she fell backward.
The back of her head hit the tiled floor hard.
A sharp pain shot through her.
Then her vision went black, and she couldn’t see anything.
A massive amount of icy water rushed in from all directions, flooding her ears and nose.
But miraculously, she didn’t feel any difficulty breathing at all.
She could even float effortlessly in the water, completely unafraid of sinking.
Just as Hua Manman was wondering what was going on, she suddenly heard a SPLASH.
It sounded like something had fallen into the water.
Ripples spread through the water.
The waves pushed Hua Manman back a couple of steps.
Immediately after, she heard a child’s cry.
"H-Help me!"
Hua Manman fumbled her way through the water, swimming toward the sound.
Gradually, she spotted a faint light in the darkness.
As she got closer to the light, she saw a little boy struggling desperately in the water.
He looked to be about three or four years old and was wearing a thick, round-collared brocade robe.
The clothes that should have been warm and comfortable had now become a heavy burden, dragging him down.
He couldn’t get the clothes off and could only flail about, his eyes wide with helplessness. Bubbles escaped from his mouth as he let out terrified, desperate pleas for help.
"Help..."
Around his neck hung a Lotus Jade Pendant.
The light Hua Manman had seen was coming from that Lotus Jade Pendant.
The light was like a beacon in the darkness, drawing Hua Manman to the little boy’s side.
Without a second thought, Hua Manman wrapped one arm around the little boy, supported his bottom with her other hand, and kicked her legs, forcefully pushing him upward.
The little boy clung to Hua Manman for dear life, as if she were his last hope.
The two of them broke the surface.
Hua Manman looked around and found herself in a completely unfamiliar place. They were surrounded by snow-covered trees, with not another person in sight.
Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and a thin layer of ice coated the lake’s surface.
And the two of them were in the middle of the lake.
Hua Manman was shivering from the cold.
She instinctively hugged the child in her arms tighter and comforted him in a trembling voice.
"It’s okay. I’ll get you to shore right away."
The little boy gasped for fresh air, the immediate danger of death having passed.
He lay against Hua Manman’s chest, coughing violently.
A child so young would freeze to death if he stayed in the icy water for too long, even if he didn’t drown.
Hua Manman didn’t dare to waste any time and started swimming toward the shore with the little boy in her arms.
The little boy choked on several mouthfuls of water along the way.
He coughed hard but didn’t dare make a sound, clinging tightly to Hua Manman, his small body trembling uncontrollably in her embrace.
Hua Manman swam for a long time before her fingers finally touched solid ground.
By this point, she was completely exhausted.
But she gritted her teeth and used her last ounce of strength to push the boy onto the shore.
Soaking wet, the little boy sat on the ground, his body shivering violently from the cold.
His face was pale, and he reached out a small, blue hand, wanting to help pull Hua Manman out of the water.
But Hua Manman refused his help.
"Don’t worry about me. You should go back."
She had a feeling she couldn’t stay here for long, that she would be leaving soon.
Looking at the little boy’s face, which bore a striking resemblance to Li Ji’s, she couldn’t resist asking.
"Who is your father?"
The little boy stammered, "Prince... Prince Zhao."
Although she had been prepared for it, hearing the answer still made her nose tingle and her eyes burn.
She raised her right hand, her cold fingers touching the little boy’s cheek, and asked in a choked voice.
"What’s your name?"
"Li Xun," he paused, then added shyly in a small voice, "My nickname... is Gou Dan."
Hua Manman laughed, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
"You’re already so big."
Li Xun’s body was so cold he was starting to go numb.
He knew he should leave this place as soon as possible and go home to find his father.
But looking at the young woman in front of him, he was overcome with a feeling of reluctance.
He didn’t want to leave this place. He didn’t want to leave her.
He couldn’t help but ask.
"Who are you?"
Hua Manman felt a powerful force pulling her down.
She couldn’t break free from it.
She knew she was about to leave.
She grasped Li Xun’s small hand and said, enunciating each word in a trembling voice.
"I am your mother."
Li Xun stared at her blankly, his eyes widening bit by bit.
The mother he had longed for day and night had miraculously appeared before him.
’So this is what Mother looks like.’
Happiness had come so suddenly that he could hardly believe it was real.
The force from underwater grew stronger. Hua Manman could no longer hold on and had to let go of Li Xun’s hand.
She met Li Xun’s panicked gaze and gave him a gentle smile.
"Don’t be afraid. Mother is only leaving for a little while."
Then her entire body sank into the icy lake water, disappearing in an instant.
Li Xun lunged instinctively toward the lake, reaching out his hand helplessly.
"Mother!"
The sound of hurried footsteps came from behind him.
It was Li Ji.
Behind him followed a huge crowd of people.
Today was the first day of the Lunar New Year. In the capital, all the nobles, officials of the fourth rank and above, and their families had to enter the palace to offer New Year’s greetings to the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
But since the Emperor was still paralyzed and unable to rise, everyone could only pay their respects to the young Crown Prince.
However, the Crown Prince was too young to understand anything and needed someone to look after him.
That person was none other than Prince Zhao, Li Ji.
The Crown Prince sat in the seat of honor, with Li Ji beside him, and together they received the three kneelings and nine kowtows from the civil and military officials.
Under the circumstances, Li Ji couldn’t keep Li Xun by his side, so he had Chen Wangbei take Li Xun to a side hall to rest.
Who would have thought that Li Xun would sneak out?
When Li Ji learned his son was missing, he immediately sent people to look for him.
After a long search, they finally found the soaking wet Li Xun by the lake.
Li Xun was shouting for his mother not to leave as he started to slide into the lake.
Fortunately, Li Ji arrived just in time and yanked him back from behind.
But Li Xun was still struggling desperately.
"Let go of me! I want to find my mother!"