Johanna nervously held her father's hand and pleaded, "Dad, I want to go too. He risked his own safety to save me, so I should go see him."
"Alright! But you need to wear more clothes, otherwise your cold will get worse," Tyson reluctantly said.
Tyson left to pack his things and prepare for East Mountain Village.
Cheryl sat on Johanna's bed excitedly and asked, "Johanna, when you see Rosendo after what he did to save you, what do you want to say to him? Will you offer yourself or...?"
Johanna lowered her head with a blush on her face and shyly replied, "If he is willing, I can be his girlfriend." Johanna had thought about this idea for a long time. Every time she remembered how Rosendo used his last bit of strength to push her towards the floating bottle on the river surface while slowly disappearing himself due to exhaustion, she was deeply moved.
She believed that Rosendo liked her; otherwise why would he sacrifice his own life just to save hers and specifically urge her to live well?
After spending many times with Rosendo, Johanna discovered that he was actually a gentleman unlike others who treated her like a wolf seeing a lamb.
"Oh... Are you trying to repay him for saving your life or do you really love him?" Cheryl exclaimed in surprise. She had just been joking earlier but didn't expect Johanna actually had such thoughts.
"I think I really love him," Johanna's face lit up with happiness as she spoke these words. Saying it out loud made her feel sweet inside; she wondered if this was what being in love felt like.
"Oh no... Oh no..." Cheryl muttered expressionlessly repeatedly.
"What's wrong 'Oh no'?" Johanna curiously asked.
"Don't you know? You don't like Rosendo, so my dad asked me to pursue him. But now you're saying you like him again. Oh my goodness! We've become love rivals," Cheryl said helplessly.
Upon hearing Cheryl's words, Johanna became nervous. Cheryl was not inferior in appearance compared to her, and she really worried that Rosendo might be taken away by Cheryl. "Cheryl, do you actually love Rosendo too?" Johanna asked anxiously.
"Love? That's a bit much, but I quite like him. He is handsome, charming, loved by girls and knows how to make money... I think any girl would like someone like him," Cheryl raised her head proudly as memories of the time spent with Rosendo floated through her mind.
After speaking, Cheryl looked at Johanna and noticed that Johanna furrowed her brows with a worried expression. Cheryl knew that Johanna was afraid of her stealing Rosendo away from her.
"Johanna, don't worry! If he likes you too, I would never try to steal him from you. But if he doesn't like you, well... sorry about that, hehe..." Cheryl laughed.
"He will like me. If he didn't like me, why would he risk his own safety to save me?" Johanna nervously explained. Her anxious expression seemed as if she was afraid that Cheryl wouldn't believe her.
"Alright alright! I won't compete with you, okay? I was just joking earlier! Look at how nervous you are; it seems like you can only marry Rosendo." Cheryl laughed. She spoke without thinking because deep down she couldn't bear to give up pursuing Rosendo. However, seeing how much her good friend Johanna liked him, she really didn't want to lose this childhood friend who had been playing with her since they were young.
Johanna hugged Cheryl tightly and happily said: "Cheryl, you're so good to me. Thank you, Cheryl."
On the small road leading to East Mountain Village, a girl carrying a small bag was walking quickly with a nervous expression on her face. This person is Vanessa; she took the bus here and got off at the intersection before starting to walk on foot because there were no direct buses to East Mountain Village nearby.
After walking briskly for 20 minutes, Vanessa finally arrived at East Mountain Village. She dialed Toland's home phone number and Toland immediately came over to pick up Vanessa at the entrance of the village.
Toland brought Vanessa to his house. When Vanessa saw Rosendo lying on the bed, she couldn't help but burst into tears. Her worries, fears, and nervousness were finally released with her crying at this moment.
Rosendo gently stroked Vanessa's head as she lay on top of him and smiled: "Alright! Stop crying; if you cry any more, you'll turn into a little kitten."
Vanessa sat up and tightly held Rosendo's hand. She asked with concern: "Rosendo, how do you feel now?"
"I'm fine; I just caught a slight cold from being exposed to the cold air. Toland already had a doctor come over earlier who gave me medicine and an injection. I'll be fine in a few days, so don't worry!"
Rosendo comforted Vanessa.
"Mhmm, I'm not worried as long as Rosendo is okay." Vanessa said tearfully with a smile.
Vanessa and Rosendo started chatting slowly. In order to cheer up Vanessa, Rosendo told many jokes about the future century which made her laugh non-stop. At noon, Vanessa took the initiative to help Toland cook meals.
Toland, who had nothing to do, came to Rosendo's room and pulled up a chair next to Rosendo's bed. They chatted casually about their lives. "Rosendo, is this girl your girlfriend? She seems so diligent. You're really lucky to have a girlfriend like her," Toland said with a kind smile.
Embarrassed, Rosendo explained, "Toland, she's not my girlfriend. She's my sister."
"Sister? But you two don't look alike," Toland curiously remarked.
"She's the child from my neighbor's family. We grew up together since we were young, and I've always treated her as my own sister," Rosendo explained.
"Oh, I see! What a pity though. From her appearance alone, I can tell she is a kind-hearted girl and so hardworking. She will definitely be an amazing partner in the future," Toland joked.
"Toland, what about your children? Why haven't I seen them?" Rosendo asked.
"Oh them! They are all working outside; they're in New Mountain City for work. My son works as a security guard at New Mountain University. It's such a shame that he hasn't found a girlfriend yet even though he's already in his thirties. I wonder what he's up to?" When talking about his son, Toland frowned slightly as if he wasn't very pleased with him.
"Ah... Could it be just coincidence? I'm studying at New Mountain too! Your son works there as a security guard and is in his thirties... If I'm not mistaken, is his name Gus?" Rosendo asked cautiously.