Will You Take Care of Me in the Next Life

"Whoa!! Get him, get him!!"

"Don't shoot my eyes!!"

"I'll fight you!!"

......

Su Yang was having a blast brawling with others, but Pan Ning nearby wasn’t so lucky.

After being hit by water guns from several strangers in a row, her hair, which had been barely damp before, was now dripping wet.

Su Yang knelt in the rubber raft, furiously scooping water with a bucket and splashing everyone who passed by.

"Childish," Pan Ning remarked flatly.

Su Yang turned to her with a grin. "Come on, join in! Here, take the bucket."

"I don’t want to."

"Seriously? The whole point of rafting is the fun atmosphere. Sitting there doing nothing is boring—come on!" Su Yang insisted, shoving the bucket into her hands.

Reluctantly, Pan Ning scooped a few symbolic handfuls of water and tossed them behind her.

Just then, Meng Wenzhou and Xia Keke drifted into view.

The water landed squarely on Meng Wenzhou’s head.

"What the—?! Who did that?!"

"Oh? Old Meng? When did you guys get here?"

"Just floated over. Where are the others?" Meng Wenzhou asked.

"No idea. Everyone split up once we hit the water. Was it you who splashed me?"

Pan Ning turned her head. "That was me. Got a problem?" She waved the bucket menacingly.

Meng Wenzhou chuckled. "Uh... if it’s you, then never mind. You’re forgiven~"

"Tch." Pan Ning rolled her eyes and turned back, continuing to splash others.

She hadn’t planned on joining in, but she found herself enjoying it a little.

Su Yang laughed. "See? That’s more like it. Someone like you needs to get out more and have fun in crowds."

Meng Wenzhou gave Su Yang a thumbs-up. "Nice one, Su Yang. You’re the only one who can boss her around."

"Damn right! Now take this!" Su Yang yanked off the flip-flops he’d bought at the visitor center and hurled water at Meng Wenzhou.

"Hey!! No fair!" Meng Wenzhou shielded his face, then bent down to retaliate with his own bucket.

Xia Keke burst into laughter beside them.

"Don’t just laugh—help me out!!"

The river echoed with laughter and shouts—sometimes, adult happiness was just that simple.

......

Soon, they drifted past the lively, calm stretch and into a faster, more turbulent section.

Screams filled the air as one raft after another plunged down a steep slope.

Su Yang and Meng Wenzhou’s groups followed, one after the other.

After another calm stretch, they reached a series of sharp, rapid drops.

The current surged, spinning Su Yang and Pan Ning’s raft wildly.

Pan Ning gripped the raft’s handles tightly.

Whoosh!

The raft slammed sideways into a boulder, sending a wave crashing over them.

"Holy crap!!"

Su Yang shook the water from his eyes, bracing with all his strength to keep the raft from flipping.

But how could human strength compete with nature? At the bottom of the slope, the raft collided with another boulder, sending water flying.

With a loud thud, the raft rebounded, and before they could react, they were hurtling down another drop.

Pan Ning finally let out a scream.

"Ahh—!"

Splash!

Her cry was cut short as she plummeted, icy water drenching her pale face.

The raft spun again, tilting toward Su Yang’s side.

Their uneven weight distribution made the raft unstable, and when it hit another rock, Pan Ning’s side flipped upward.

Su Yang’s eyes widened. ‘Oh crap, we’re going over!!’

"Ahhh!!" Pan Ning shrieked as she was thrown into the water.

Su Yang lunged, wrapping an arm around her slender waist—but lost his balance instantly.

Boom!

Splash!

Both plunged into the raging river.

Meng Wenzhou, not far behind, shouted, "Holy shit!! Someone help them!!"

The shore rescuers had already seen it—the flip happened in seconds.

As soon as they hit the water, rescuers dove in after them.

But the current was too strong, sweeping Su Yang and Pan Ning away. Su Yang held Pan Ning tightly, keeping her head above water.

Pan Ning knew how to swim, but this was no ordinary situation—the water was practically a torrent.

As a woman, no matter how skilled, panic was inevitable. She’d already choked on a few mouthfuls of water.

Her makeup was ruined, her hair a tangled mess as she clung to Su Yang.

In the water, their position was awkward: Pan Ning’s legs wrapped around Su Yang’s waist while he held her with one arm, using the other to paddle and avoid rocks.

The river wasn’t deep, but after being swept so far, Su Yang’s legs were scraped by submerged stones—though he didn’t notice.

Soon, two rescuers in life jackets reached them, dragging them onto a large, flat rock on the shore.

"Phew..." Su Yang exhaled sharply.

He set Pan Ning down. "You okay? Did you hit anything?"

Pan Ning trembled, shaking her head. She’d been cold even on the raft, and now, soaked in freezing water, her lips were turning blue.

A rescuer asked, "You two alright?"

"We’re fine—thanks!"

"No problem. Just be careful next time. Guys, try sitting more toward the middle—your weight can flip the raft easily."

Su Yang nodded. "Got it. Thanks for the tip."

One rescuer retrieved their raft and left.

Su Yang helped Pan Ning sit. "Let’s stay here and warm up in the sun. Look at you—your lips are purple."

As she sat, Pan Ning spotted a four-to-five-centimeter gash on Su Yang’s calf, bleeding steadily.

She gasped, reaching to wipe it.

"What’s wrong?" Su Yang looked down, finally noticing the wound.

"You’re hurt!" Pan Ning’s face was full of concern as she dabbed at the blood.

"Relax, it’s nothing. A quick rinse and it’ll be fine." He plopped down, dunking his leg into the river.

"That’s not safe! It could get infected!" Pan Ning fretted.

Su Yang leaned back on the rock, grinning. "Nah. And if it does, and my leg’s ruined, you’ll just have to take care of me for life."

"You... how can you joke at a time like this?"

[Ding! Detected that Pan Ning's affection toward the host has increased to: 100. Reward: 20 million. Congratulations, host, for successfully unlocking two affection-level-100 targets. Automatic check-in function activated. Additional reward: New skill—Healing, Level 1.]

[Detected that the host has not checked in today. Auto-check-in successful. Reward: 50,000.]