In early winter, I saw a young man jump into a river to commit suicide. Without hesitation, I jumped in to save him.

However, in the water, he grabbed my head and tried to push me under, causing me to choke. I thought it was just his instinct to survive.

When the rescue ladder was lowered, he refused to climb up and instead held on to the ladder tightly to prevent me from going up.

After prolonged exposure to the cold water, I developed a severe lung infection and lost my job. To make matters worse, my wife left me and remarried.

When my life was at risk, that young man faced the cameras, weeping and expressing gratitude.

But when he turned to me, a sinister smile crossed his face. "You deserve it. It's your fault for saving me."

I passed away filled with regret.

Then, I was reborn on the day he jumped into the river.

Passersby asked me if anyone was asking for help.

I calmly replied, "I didn't hear any cries for help. Maybe he was winter swimming."

——

I was suffocated, stuffy, and in pain.

I was so ill that I couldn't utter a word.

But I saw the crowded room with family, friends, neighbors, and reporters.

Among them was Kenny, the man I saved three years ago.

He and his family were expressing their gratitude to me in front of the media.

Afterward, they left one by one, and my gray-haired parents barely smiled as they saw them out.

As the door opened, a cold wind and snowflakes rushed in.

Kenny, the last to leave, sneered, "You deserve it. It's your fault to save me."

The door slammed shut, and I recalled the moment my wife left with our child because I couldn't afford medical expenses.

She packed her bags, ignoring my fevered state. "Zane, do you really not regret saving him?"

I still believed saving lives was the right choice.

"Self-righteous." After saying this, she angrily dragged our son, who was crying breathlessly, and slammed the door and left.

At that moment, I longed to see my son, drink water, and return to work, but I lacked the strength to blink.

Tears of anger, powerlessness, and deep regret streamed down my face.

Blood gushed again, and I realized that if given the chance, I would never save him again.

Suddenly, I felt myself floating.

When I opened my eyes, I was on a busy street surrounded by vehicles and pedestrians.

Light snow fell, and an aunt sweeping the street hummed a tune.

A cold wind blew, and I coughed, surprised to find no pain in my chest or blood.

And there was no coughing up of blood at all, which made me even more ecstatic. My illness was completely cured.

I looked at my reflection on my phone and saw my healthy, robust self again.

It was what I looked like when I was at my healthiest.

Hearing the sound of water, I followed it to see a figure struggling in the river.

I was so familiar with these scenes.

I saw the drifting snow, the humming cleaner, and the struggling figure.

I realized I had been reborn again on the day Kenny fell into the water.

As soon as I realized my situation, an old man behind me quickly caught up with me, asking, "Do you think that man jumped into the river trying to suicide?"

Remembering my past life and his actions, I vowed not to intervene this time.

"It's hard to say," I replied. "I didn't hear any cries for help. Maybe he was winter swimming."

With that, I picked up my phone and resumed playing with it.

Kenny struggled increasingly in the water. Seeing I had no intention of jumping in, the old man quickly called over the cleaner for help.

They acted swiftly, shouting for assistance, and within minutes, over ten people had gathered on the bridge.

As the crowd exchanged helpless glances, an older woman in a flowery headscarf urged, "You're the youngest here. Go save him!"

In my last life, I'd avoided the water out of fear of cramps, but she kept pushing me, warning me that the man would drown if I didn't quick.

Unexpectedly, she was still so anxious in this life.

Rolling my eyes, I pointed at the boy who was closest to her. "He looks younger than me. Why not let him do it?"

She sniffed and clutched the college student, whispering, "Son, the water's too cold. Let's not risk it."

She shot me a glare, her double standard causing laughter among the crowd, leaving her embarrassed as she pulled the young man away.

The snow fell heavier, forming thin ice on the river's surface, and the murmurs grew.

"The ambulance won't be here for at least twenty minutes."

"Even if he doesn't drown, he'll freeze to death."

"He didn't shout for help or grab the stick thrown at him. Is he a fool?"

Suddenly, a man stripped off his jacket and leaped into the frigid water.

He swam hard to Kenny, and pulled him to the shore with great effort.

Everyone held their breath, watching closely. "Where is he?"

Two were heading to shore, but now only one was left. I looked and saw the man was missing. The onlookers didn't understand what was going on, but I knew it all.

When Kenny saw the rescuer saving him, he pushed him into the water.

Remembering my treatment in a previous life, I felt a surge of anger and cursed the bastard.

But I didn't expect that the rescuer came out of the water holding his breath.

Then he forcefully pushed Kenny into the water.

I couldn't follow what happened next. While waiting for the ambulance under the bridge, I hurried away to make my interview.

Because the interview was about to begin.

I missed the interview in my previous life because I was saving someone. But this time, I was determined to seize the opportunity.

With my work experience and education, I aced the interview at this new branch desperately in need of talent.

When I was about to leave, the drenched rescuer barged in, looking distressed.

He hadn't noticed me and complained to the personnel manager, Addison. "I just saved a guy who jumped into the river. He pressed me down and wouldn't let me climb up the rescue ladder. If I hadn't pushed him away, I wouldn't be able to work today."

Addison glanced at me, slightly embarrassed, handed him a towel, and said, "This is our Vice President, Alex. He is straightforward but kind-hearted."

I smiled in understanding and excused myself.

As I closed the door, I could still hear Alex venting, "It's right to save a life, but not everyone appreciates it. He's evil, and I'm even worse."

On my way home, I kept thinking about it.

As Alex said, not every rescue led to such challenges.

Yet, I had to admit I wasn't strong enough compared to him.

I realized that we must be prepared for the negative human consequences we might encounter when offering help.

In my previous life, my parents sold our cozy city home and returned to a humble hut to care for me.

As I opened the security door, I was greeted by a warm, bright house that felt dreamlike.

My father lounged on the sofa, watching TV, while my mother served dinner, scolding me for coming home late on a snowy day after my fever had just subsided.

"You need to finish this," she insisted.

If it were in the past, I found her nagging annoying, but now it filled me with sadness, and I resolved to treat the two people who loved me most well.

I glanced toward the bedroom where my wife, Marie, was helping our child with homework.

It was great. Everything was the happiest.

At the dinner table, our family shared a joyful moment.

My son, Bruce, complained between bites, "My deskmate was bullied by the class monitor, and I stood up for him. Now they became close and say bad things about me."

I gave him a piece of meat, saying, "Every failure makes you wiser. Let's stop interfering in other people's business in the future."

My parents were surprised by my response, not expecting the usually kind me to speak that way.

Bruce grinned and agreed, "Dad is right."

At that moment, I offered him not just food but also my regrets for the growth I had missed in my previous life.

When my parents learned I had succeeded in my interview, they were extremely happy. But Marie kept eating without saying a word.

Later that night, she closed the curtains and asked, "Zane, you know how to swim. Why didn't you go down and save people?"

I was puzzled. "Haven't you always wanted me to mind my own business?"

She frowned. "Yes, but being righteous and being nosy is different."

Seeing her tired face, I swallowed my response about fearing lung infections after my fever.

After all, she didn't know anything, so I secretly comforted myself and didn't take it seriously.

She seemed to think I had nothing to say and continued, "If Alex hadn't saved that person, you'd be no different from a murderer in my eyes."

Only then did I realize Alex was my wife's college classmate.

I retorted, "Yes, it's right that he saved that person. But do you know what happened when he saved people? Do you think the person he saved was a good person?"

She said, "Zane, it's fine if you don't save people, but your sarcasm makes you a terrible person."

Marie looked disappointed and didn't want to say anything more to me. She picked up her pillow and went to sleep on the couch.

At night I dreamed about my previous life again. My wife and children had left me, my house was empty, and I was lying on the bed helpless.

I woke up in a cold sweat, convinced I had made the right choice.

But I didn't expect Kenny's parents to come to the company to make trouble on my first day at work.

His mother, wearing bright lipstick, expressed her displeasure, "It's fine if you didn't save our Kenny, but why did you lie to bystanders about him winter swimming? You are delaying the rescue time. If anything happens to him, I won't let you off the hook."