"Ahem... well... Anya, could you please stop poking at my sore spots?" Zhang Liu said as he trailed behind the two girls.
He was carrying a large bundle of firewood on his shoulders, which slowed his pace considerably. His steps were so light that the two girls, engrossed in their excited conversation, didn't even notice him.
After overhearing Qin Ruoshuang and Anya's comments about him—especially Anya's blunt remark, "It's impossible for him and me to be together"—Zhang Liu didn't react the way most young men might.
He didn't get angry, embarrassed, or feel the need to prove himself. Instead, he was quietly relieved that Anya wasn't entertaining any misguided notions about "taking responsibility" for that awkward moment when she'd clung to his thigh.
At his core, Zhang Liu had no illusions about bridging the gap between himself and these girls. He wasn't some ambitious dreamer chasing after wealth or status. The class divide created by their different backgrounds was a wall he knew he'd never scale in his lifetime.
So, he patiently waited for their conversation to wrap up before approaching, pretending nothing had happened.
He'd overheard enough to know Qin Ruoshuang was about to say something else—probably defending him, saying he wasn't a bad guy, or maybe suggesting Anya could "support" him in some way.
Zhang Liu couldn't care less about such talk.
For someone whose imagination was shaped by a life of scarcity, the best-case scenario was simple: if they managed to escape this island, maybe Qin Ruoshuang and Anya would toss him a generous sum—say, 100,000 yuan—as a thank-you. That would be more than enough.
The idea of Anya being swayed by Qin Ruoshuang into "supporting" him to start a business or something? Ridiculous.
In the civilized world, Zhang Liu only cared about money. On this deserted island, his only dream was to see a rescue plane touch down from the sky.
As for women?
Zhang Liu had no interest whatsoever.
In his own words: Why bother when you've got your own hands?
And if his hands weren't enough, he could save up for one of those fancy NetEase Cloud cups in the future—the ones with rotating and vibrating functions.
Could a carbon-based lifeform like a woman pull off the miraculous feat of spinning five times and vibrating dozens of times per second?
Zhang Liu slowly approached the two girls, who had fallen silent.
He set down the bundle of firewood and spoke in a serious tone.
"Qin Ruoshuang, Anya, don't worry. I'm well aware of the gap between my status and yours. I won't have any inappropriate thoughts about either of you."
With that, he flashed a smile, shrugged casually, and turned to walk away.
For Zhang Liu, wasting time chatting with two girls—classmates he'd likely never see again after this—about compatibility or dating over afternoon tea was pointless.
He'd rather head to the beach and see if he could scavenge something edible.
Only a lunatic would think about romance on an empty stomach.
But after Zhang Liu left, Qin Ruoshuang and Anya exchanged glances, both grappling with a new wave of unease.
"Is he… mad?" Anya whispered, casting a nervous glance in the direction Zhang Liu had gone. "Is he going to abandon us?"
"…"
Qin Ruoshuang didn't respond. She hugged her knees tightly, staring at the beach in front of her as if counting every grain of sand.
This was her way of shielding herself when fear took hold, and right now, she was terrified.
The reality was crystal clear: without Zhang Liu, she wouldn't survive here.
Forget building a settlement or starting a fire—merely surviving the drift at sea would've been the end of her.
If Zhang Liu really felt alienated because of what they'd said and decided to go his own way, leaving her and Anya to fend for themselves…
She didn't even want to imagine the consequences, let alone face them.
Her fingers dug into her knees, and a faint pain stirred in her lower abdomen again.
As the one who'd started the conversation, guilt weighed heavily on her.
Zhang Liu had given up the foam board to sleep outside when she was on her period...
He'd offered her the first sip of coconut milk...
He'd even tested the fruit to make sure it wasn't poisonous...
And yet here she was, gossiping about him behind his back!
Biting her lip hard, Qin Ruoshuang felt not only the ache in her abdomen but also a deep pang of regret.
She felt like a despicable villain—a leech clinging to Zhang Liu, draining him dry. No, worse than a leech. At least a leech didn't leave you feeling disgusted after feeding off you.
"You're bleeding," Anya's panicked voice snapped Qin Ruoshuang out of her thoughts.
Following Anya's gaze, Qin Ruoshuang touched her lips and felt the warm, sticky sensation of blood on her fingers.
She'd bitten her lip so hard it was bleeding, a stark red streak now staining her crystal-clear chin.
"It's fine. I just accidentally bit my lip," she said, her pink tongue darting out to taste the blood. The faint salty flavor helped her regain some composure.
She stood up and started walking toward the woods near the cave.
"What are you doing?" Anya asked, jogging to catch up.
"Picking up firewood," Qin Ruoshuang replied with a smile, her calm demeanor seemingly restored. "No matter what, we're not going to wake up freezing tomorrow morning."
Anya followed her to gather wood, but worry lingered in her eyes.
A thought crossed her mind: Is she so overwhelmed with guilt that she's losing it?
Meanwhile, Zhang Liu was having a stroke of luck—or perhaps a man's success really does come from setting women aside.
In a tidal pool left behind by the receding waves on the rocky beach, he spotted something he'd been dreaming of: a fish.
He didn't know what kind it was, but it was undeniably a fish.
Its sleek, streamlined body was at least half a meter long and looked to weigh over ten pounds. It was trapped in a shallow pothole with some leftover water, flopping desperately, its fins and body thrashing as if trying to make its way back to the sea.
There was no way Zhang Liu would let this gift from the heavens slip away. He rushed over.
The fish had stopped struggling, perhaps exhausted. Its clear, glassy eyes stared up at Zhang Liu as he approached.
Zhang Liu, in turn, gazed at the fish with eager anticipation.
To him, this wasn't just a fish—it was dinner for him, Qin Ruoshuang, and Anya.
Even after gutting, scaling, and deboning, there'd still be plenty of meat left.
Meat... protein... savory goodness...
To avoid wasting this treasure, Zhang Liu didn't hesitate. He scooped up the fish and sprinted toward the cave where the three of them were temporarily staying.
If he weren't worried about parasites and the need to cook it first, he might've taken a bite out of the fish's head right then and there, just to taste the flesh.