Creak!
The harsh sound of metal scraping cut through the silence. The back door of the truck was suddenly pulled open from the outside.
A dim beam of morning light from the countryside rushed in, breaking through the darkness and making the three people inside, who had just gotten used to the dark, squint their eyes.
At the door stood a young man. He was tall, with a simple and honest-looking face, but he had a firm and upright presence.
When Eleanor saw the three figures inside, who looked messy but clearly awake, all the tension he had been carrying on the road disappeared. His face lit up with clear relief.
"You're awake."
Finally, he could breathe easy.
But the three people in the truck didn't share his happiness.
Yujun, Zacky, and Yullian were still tense. Their eyes were sharp like hawks, filled with suspicion and alertness, staring straight at Eleanor and Celine, who stood just behind him.
Even though they knew this brother and sister had risked themselves to pull them out of the river and skillfully avoided being discovered, their instincts, sharpened by years of work in the discipline office, would not let them trust strangers easily.
People's hearts are hard to read. Who knew if these two seemingly kind siblings were hiding something else?
Celine could clearly feel the heavy air of suspicion around them.
She looked calmly at their guarded faces. She understood, and she didn't get upset.
If she were in their place, after going through something like that, she would be cautious too.
She stepped forward and spoke in a calm tone. "Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
As she spoke, she pulled three unopened bottles of water from her backpack and handed them over. "Have some water. It will help you feel better."
Yullian, the youngest and the one closest to the door, instinctively reached out and took the bottle. He softly said, "Thank you."
But he didn't open the bottle or drink it. He just held it tightly.
That small action showed how cautious they still were.
Even though Eleanor was older than Celine, when it came to understanding people and reading the room, he was far behind his sister, who had already lived through one harsh life.
He was pretty direct and even a little wild. When he saw how nervous they were, he frowned and couldn't hold back anymore. His voice was a bit louder than before.
"You don't need to be this tense. My sister and I really aren't bad people."
He stepped closer and spoke clearly and openly.
"We were just driving by and saw a car fall into the river. We couldn't just stand there and do nothing."
"Even though we don't know exactly what you all do, judging by the situation, we can guess your status isn't normal. Looks like you're in some kind of trouble. We only wanted to help, that's it."
His straightforward and honest words made Yujun and the other two pause. Their guarded eyes relaxed a little.
Celine gave her third brother a mental thumbs-up.
She didn't think he was being reckless at all.
Sometimes, when dealing with people who were used to playing mind games, being completely open was the best way to lower their guard. It worked better than any carefully planned speech.
Instead of being sneaky and causing suspicion, it was better to be clear from the start.
So she didn't stop Eleanor.
In fact, right after Eleanor finished talking, she picked up the conversation. Her tone was calm, but there was a steady strength behind her words.
"My third brother is right. We were just passing by and don't want to get involved in your problems."
She looked at each of the three people, showing clearly where she stood.
"We helped because it was instinct. Now that you're awake and out of danger, for us, that's the end of a good deed."
She paused for a moment, then gave a real, helpful option.
"So, do you want us to take you to a hospital in the city, or do you want to contact someone to pick you up? We're happy to finish the good deed all the way."
"No" Yujun cut in without thinking.