Prologue

Winter had already set in, yet many couples still lingered by the lake in Central Park, bundled in thick coats as they huddled together.

"You're a good man." These five words escaped the woman's lips softly, causing Wu Shan to smile bitterly in his heart.

Seeing that he might have misunderstood, she immediately corrected herself: "I mean it. You really are a good man. We've been together for so long; I know."

Xu Xian leaned against the lakeside railing and looked up at the gloomy sky. As if asking a question or perhaps just talking to himself, he said, "Is it bad to be a good man?"

"Of course it's good, but sometimes you're simply too good! I want you to be good only to me. For my sake, please stop getting involved in all that nonsense, okay? Otherwise, we can only break up."

Wu Shan hesitated for a moment before finally lowering his head dejectedly. "Alright then!"

A flicker of a smile finally appeared on the woman's tense face. Just as she was about to speak, a cry for help suddenly rang out.

"Help! Someone fell into the water!"

The woman stared at Wu Shan. He sighed inwardly, Heavens, are you toying with me?! He gave her a helpless shrug, stepped back pace by pace, then turned and accelerated, sprinting toward the lake.

"Wait for me!" These words drifted through Wu Shan's mind, but in the end, he never said them aloud.

The woman watched his departing figure with a look of resignation. She saw Xu Xian take off his shoes and coat and leap into the freezing water. There was a hint of admiration in her eyes, yet she still chose to leave resolutely.

Xu Shan was a decent swimmer. Driven by the passion to save lives, it didn't take long for him to pull the first child from the icy depths. A cheer went up from the shore. Then came the second. By this point, Xu Xian was utterly exhausted.

"There's one more! There's one more! Please, save him!" a girl pleaded desperately. Wu Shan's lips were purple; he waved his hand weakly, signaling that he was at his limit. But the girl just kept begging.

Xu Shan looked up, but the figure on the shore was already gone. Gritting his teeth, he dove into the water once more. However, no matter how he searched, he couldn't find the last child. I can't give up. Keep looking, keep looking!

His body grew numb, and his consciousness began to fade.

He vaguely remembered someone telling him: Be a good man! It will bring you happiness.

Wu Shan felt his body become heavy, incredibly heavy, as he continued to sink toward the bottom of the lake. The artificial lake shouldn't have been deep, yet he couldn't seem to reach the floor.

"Unconditional benevolence, universal empathy. Boundless merit, attain Buddhahood on the spot." Amidst his stupor, a vast and majestic voice echoed in Wu Shan's ears as he finally lost his last spark of consciousness.