Lost in thought, I gazed at the sleeping face of the girl beside me.
Zhang Liu didn't do anything out of the ordinary. He simply stood up, gently placing Qin Ruoshuang, who was instinctively clinging to him, onto the foam board next to Anya.
He moved quietly, taking care not to disturb them.
After keeping watch for a while longer, he listened to the crackling of the fire, then lay down on the edge of the cave, warmed by the flames, and closed his eyes to rest.
The next morning, Qin Ruoshuang stirred, feeling a slight chill. Still half-asleep, she reached out and hugged the warm figure beside her.
Suddenly, she snapped awake.
Wait—I fell asleep next to Zhang Liu last night! So who am I holding now?
Panicking, she opened her eyes and saw Anya's peaceful, sleeping face.
Relief washed over her when she realized it wasn't Zhang Liu she was clinging to. But as she exhaled, there was a faint, inexplicable pang of disappointment.
"You awake?" Anya mumbled, roused by Qin Ruoshuang's tight hug and the breath on her face.
She stretched lazily, her joints popping as she yawned. In the morning light streaming into the cave, her small, white teeth and the delicate pink tip of her tongue were clearly visible.
"Yeah," Qin Ruoshuang replied softly. She watched Anya stretch and yawn, a fleeting look of disappointment in her eyes.
She released Anya, who was now fully awake, but not before frowning slightly and sniffing the air. Her gaze lingered on Anya, thoughtful and knowing.
Then she turned toward the cave entrance.
There, sprawled out and fast asleep, was Zhang Liu—the boy from the next class who'd caused her that faint pang of sadness this morning.
The campfire beside him was nearly out, reduced to glowing red embers and wisps of blue smoke drifting out of the cave.
What happened last night? Wasn't I sitting next to Zhang Liu, chatting? How did I end up sleeping next to Anya?
"Oh… I think I forgot to switch shifts last night," Anya said, scratching her head sheepishly.
She'd slept like a rock, her mind feeling as refreshed as if she'd just eaten a popsicle on a scorching summer day.
"Then let's be quiet and let him sleep a bit longer," Qin Ruoshuang said with a smile.
She thought back to her conversation with Zhang Liu the night before, recalling the embarrassing stories he'd shared about raising his younger sister. A subtle sense of pride welled up in her—she knew secrets about him that Anya didn't.
She stood and walked over to Zhang Liu, intending to check on him, but her eyes inadvertently drifted to his crotch.
"…"
After a brief pause, she quietly crouched by the fire, adding more wood and blowing gently on the smoldering coals to coax the flames back to life.
Though her movements were soft, they were enough to wake Zhang Liu.
Blinking groggily, he turned his head and saw a pair of red sweatpants and a swaying backside near his face.
Recognizing Qin Ruoshuang, he glanced outside the cave. The sky was fully bright—probably seven or eight in the morning, at least.
"Uh… I think I overslept last night," Zhang Liu said, sitting up and looking at Anya, who was still stretching. "Anya, you'll have to take your turn keeping watch from now on."
"Erm…" Anya flashed an awkward but polite smile, then whistled and looked away, pretending nothing had happened.
"Cough, cough, cough…"
Qin Ruoshuang, still tending the fire, suddenly choked on the smoke and coughed hard, trying to clear her throat.
"Let me take over," Zhang Liu offered, stepping in to stoke the fire.
His stomach was already growling. The plan to grill fish on a stone slab, discussed the previous night, needed to get started soon.
Grilling fish perfectly on a slate was no easy task. Unlike an iron pan with a handle, which could be lifted to control the heat, a stone slab held heat longer and cooled slowly, making it easy to burn the fish.
Holding the fish tail, Zhang Liu took a deep breath and placed it on the scorching slate under the watchful eyes of Qin Ruoshuang and Anya.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…
The cold fish skin hit the hot surface, triggering an intense sizzling and burning reaction.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the fin and flipped the fish.
One side of the fish skin, along with some meat, peeled off instantly, while the other side stuck to the slate, continuing to cook with a faint burning sound.
That was fine, though. The fish was heating up, the meat softening and turning tender as it cooked.
Zhang Liu wasn't about to risk the fish falling apart or burning his fingers by messing with it further.
Instead, he picked up a thick wooden stick he'd prepared earlier to use as a makeshift spatula and flipped the fish again.
Normally, grilling fish on a slate required oil. But out here, no amount of effort could produce any.
So Zhang Liu had come up with the idea of using the fish skin as a protective layer between the meat and the hot slate to prevent burning.
"Now we just wait for it to cook," he said, picking up a jaboticaba fruit and beginning to peel and core it.
He glanced at Qin Ruoshuang, who was watching him closely. "Anya and I will head out to gather food after we eat. Can you keep an eye on the fire?"
"Got it," Qin Ruoshuang nodded gently. "Leave it to me."
Breakfast was the usual: jaboticaba fruit, coconut meat, and grilled fish.
Since their next task was to gather food, with chances to eat along the way, Zhang Liu didn't eat much.
He gave the protein- and fat-rich fish back meat to Qin Ruoshuang and Anya, sticking to coconut milk and fruit to stay hydrated.
Then he stepped into the cave to take care of some personal needs.
Inside the cave, Qin Ruoshuang, who was sharing fruit with Anya, suddenly spoke up.
"Anya, after Zhang Liu heads out to gather food, let's go to the beach and clean up."
"Huh?" Anya froze, caught off guard by Qin Ruoshuang's suggestion.
Then it hit her—the other girl was hinting that she might not be so clean.
Anya quickly lifted her arm and sniffed her armpit.
A faint whiff of sweat hit her nose, and her face flushed with embarrassment.
"I already wiped myself down with the sponge pad because I noticed I was getting a bit… ripe," Qin Ruoshuang said with a smile.
"I caught a whiff when you stretched earlier. It's no big deal—just sweat. A quick wipe-down, and it'll be fine."
"But…" Anya hesitated, her expression uncertain as she looked at Qin Ruoshuang.
"What's wrong?" Qin Ruoshuang asked, her tone soft but puzzled.
"Well… when you were talking just now, I think I noticed a smell from your mouth," Anya said cautiously, watching Qin Ruoshuang's reaction.
"A smell?" Qin Ruoshuang paused mid-bite, then blew a breath into her palm and sniffed.
There was a faint fishy odor. Her heart sank.
Do I have bad breath?