Zhi Wan jumped in fright and obediently retreated. The man, his face an icy mask, took her place. To Wei Jinyi, who was still thrashing in the water, he said in a cold, deep voice, "If you don't want to drown, grab the branch!"
It's hard to say if it was his freezing tone or simply that she could finally reach the branch he held out, but Wei Jinyi obediently reached out and grasped it.
Just as he was about to pull her onto the bank, Lu Zhan suddenly turned to Wei Jinyi's maid. "You, pull her up!"
The maid, whether she hadn't heard or was simply too frightened, stood with her head bowed, motionless.
A flicker of impatience crossed Lu Zhan's brow. His voice turned to ice. "Do you not care about preserving your lady's reputation?"
The maid's eyes darted about nervously.
Lu Zhan scoffed and commanded directly, "Chen Jiu, you do it!"
Chen Jiu glanced at the drenched Wei Jinyi in the water, his expression hesitant.
