Day One on the Deserted Island: First Love vs Younger Ex…
Xiao Zhiran removed everything they would not need for the time being from his backpack and gave it to Fang Yuyao to carry.
“Don’t go too far,” he said, still visibly worried. He made her promise in advance, “You have to come back within two hours at the latest.”
Fang Yuyao agreed.
She strode towards the western side of the island.
Neither she nor Xiao Zhiran had explored that direction before. From a distance, she could see a vast stretch of pitch-black reefs. Waves repeatedly crashed over them, staining half their surfaces snowy white before swiftly receding.
As she drew closer, she discovered that the water around the reefs nearest the island’s edge did not even reach her calves.
The tide was currently going out.
Fang Yuyao overturned rocks, searching for crabs hiding in crevices or beneath stones, as well as snails clinging to the reefs.
Small shrimp and crabs that had failed to retreat into the sea with the waves were trapped inside shallow pools. Fang Yuyao held her breath, approached slowly, and caught them with her bare hands.
Ten minutes later, she had placed two stone crabs roughly the size of a baby’s palm, three white shrimp no longer than her little finger, and more than ten small sea snails into the waterproof compartment of the backpack.
This amount of food was nowhere near enough to fill an adult’s stomach.
She needed to find more.
Fang Yuyao straightened and stared at the horizon, which appeared to be gradually shifting farther away.
As she mechanically continued foraging along the shore, she began reconsidering the question that had troubled her ever since she became stranded on the island.
Where was the cruise ship that had struck an iceberg and capsized within mere minutes?
A luxury cruise ship weighing hundreds of tonnes was an enormous object. How could it simply vanish without leaving a trace, no matter how thoroughly she searched?
It remained an unsolved mystery.
Fang Yuyao sighed and stopped forcing herself to dwell on the question.
Now that she had a trustworthy partner in Xiao Zhiran, the dangers of surviving on the deserted island had decreased considerably. She could investigate the mystery of the missing cruise ship later.
For now, she needed to feed herself and Xiao Zhiran.
…
In the next moment, Fang Yuyao’s eyes lit up.
The heavens had finally shown her favour. The extraordinary luck that had accompanied her throughout her life had begun working again.
When she lifted another rock, she found two octopuses squeezed tightly together beneath it, their bodies sticky and intertwined.
They were an excellent source of protein and seafood that was relatively easy to prepare.
She reached down and lifted them, but their suckers immediately latched fiercely onto her skin. Fang Yuyao struggled to peel them off before stuffing them into the waterproof compartment of the backpack.
She estimated that the two octopuses weighed close to half a kilogram.
That would be enough for one meal.
Since she was already there, Fang Yuyao decided to make the most of the low tide. She continued walking back and forth across the soft, muddy tidal flats, searching for more edible seafood.
Her collection grew.
Two cat’s-eye snails that had not yet managed to bury themselves in the sand.
One imposing crab standing beside a rock with both enormous pincers raised.
Several greenish shrimp of an unknown species, each roughly as thick as her thumb.
Two hours had passed since Fang Yuyao left their temporary shelter.
She decided to return.
…
On the way back, Fang Yuyao continued observing the island’s surroundings.
Before encountering Ni Fang and Xiao Zhiran, she had only examined the beach where she first awakened. Because it lacked survival resources, she had been forced to spend the night there in restless, uneasy sleep after darkness fell.
The environmental details she had memorised were therefore limited to that single beach.
Now, she had explored a different area.
Fang Yuyao mentally recorded the location where she had foraged that day.
After returning, she would discuss it with Xiao Zhiran. They should mark this section of coastline and use her watch to observe it over several consecutive days, recording the times of high and low tide until they understood the island’s tidal pattern.
Once they determined the tidal cycle, shore foraging would become one of the most direct ways for her and Xiao Zhiran to obtain food.
Around low tide, they could search the reefs, beaches, and shallow-water areas for stranded shellfish, crabs, and shrimp. With enough luck, they might even find fish that had washed ashore.
From a distance, Fang Yuyao spotted black smoke rising above their temporary shelter.
Following the smoke, she returned.
Xiao Zhiran had already been waiting for far too long.
He had piled many items beside him. During the two hours they had spent apart, he had completed every necessary preparation for cooking food over a fire.
A pile of coconut fibre sat nearby for future use. It could serve as tinder or be twisted into rope when they had spare time.
He had fashioned coconut shells into bowls. As a skilful engineering student, Xiao Zhiran had used the German multipurpose knife to pierce two holes in each shell, then threaded sturdy vines through them so they could eventually be used to carry and store water.
The single plastic bottle in his backpack only held five hundred millilitres, nowhere near enough to satisfy the drinking needs of two people for several days.
Almost ninety per cent of every coconut could be put to use.
The flesh had been scooped out and placed inside a coconut-shell bowl, where it sizzled over the fire. The rich fragrance of roasted coconut filled the air.
Xiao Zhiran had also gathered a large pile of coconut leaves and spread them across the flat ground inside the shelter.
The beautiful young man wore a solemn expression. He rubbed coconut fibres between his hands while distractedly watching the direction Fang Yuyao had taken.
The instant she returned, his entire face brightened.
He immediately stood, dropped what he was holding, and bombarded her with questions.
“Did you go far? Are you tired? It must have been exhausting, right?”
Fang Yuyao shook her head and smiled.
“Not really. The tide happened to be out, so there was plenty of seafood on the beach.”
Xiao Zhiran removed the backpack from her shoulders.
Fang Yuyao deliberately inspected his fingertips and palms. As expected, the process of starting the fire had raised blisters across his hands.
He showed no intention of complaining.
Even when Fang Yuyao took his hand and examined it carefully, he merely grinned.
“It was my first time making a fire. Once I gain more experience, I’ll become much better at it.”
Fang Yuyao stroked his palm tenderly, lowered her head, and kissed it.
Xiao Zhiran thoroughly enjoyed the attention and broke into a brilliant smile.
The atmosphere between them was unexpectedly similar to when they had first been passionately in love. Whenever they met, they had always stared at each other with foolish smiles before pressing close together affectionately.
They had been a pair of sweet, idiotic lovebirds.
Now that Fang Yuyao had a dependable, trustworthy, handsome, and adorable companion, much of the fear that had hung over her since becoming stranded on the island had faded.
After cuddling affectionately for a while, Fang Yuyao and Xiao Zhiran finally began preparing their meal.
The snails of various sizes had already been rinsed with seawater during the journey back, so they could now be placed directly inside coconut shells and roasted.
The crabs and shrimp had also been washed.
One crab wildly waved its pincers and nearly clamped onto Xiao Zhiran’s finger. He reacted quickly, dodged it, and shoved the crab into the fire.
As for the main prize—the two octopuses—Xiao Zhiran used the German multipurpose knife to remove their internal organs and damage their suckers before rinsing them with seawater stored in a coconut shell.
“I’ve watched deserted-island survival videos before,” he explained.
Fang Yuyao had not expected him to be so proficient. Just as she was about to ask, she heard him continue.
“I also paid attention during the wilderness survival elective I took for extra credits in my second year. At the time, I complained that the final assessment was ridiculously difficult.”
“Thinking about it now, knowledge that can save your life is never unnecessary.”
They simply roasted the seafood.
Without seasoning, they could only taste the ingredients in their natural state.
To two people whose stomachs were growling with hunger, however, it was already a supreme delicacy.
There was rich, oily roasted coconut flesh, refreshing coconut water, springy and tender grilled octopus, and flavourful crabs and shrimp…
By the end of the meal, Fang Yuyao and Xiao Zhiran were both ninety per cent full.
Only three or four snails remained, stored inside a coconut shell.
Fang Yuyao checked her watch.
Two forty-five in the afternoon.
Twenty-two hours had passed since she became stranded on the island.
The sun blazed overhead, and the sky was such a vivid blue that it hurt to look at.
Fang Yuyao suggested, “Let’s rest for a while and sleep until three thirty. Afterwards, we’ll search together for other survivors.”
At the mention of other survivors, Xiao Zhiran inevitably remembered the man in the suit who had clashed with her several hours earlier.
His expression changed.
Fang Yuyao looked up, swept her gaze over the young man’s face, and immediately understood what he was thinking.
Just as in the past, Xiao Zhiran always became extremely vigilant whenever potential rivals appeared to covet his beautiful girlfriend.
“Yuyao, did you meet that man on the cruise?” he asked.
Whenever Fang Yuyao entered a relationship, she was completely devoted. She never divided her attention between several people and never remained entangled with former lovers.
Even after amicably breaking up with one of her former boyfriends, Weng Yu, they had continued fighting side by side in the workplace.
Xiao Zhiran had always known that Fang Yuyao worked at the same company as one of her ex-boyfriends.
During the passionate stage of their relationship, he had occasionally thrown minor tantrums over it. Whenever Fang Yuyao became too busy with work to spend time with him, he would become fiercely jealous and sulk.
Later, he would manage to comfort himself.
He merely took his “revenge” the next time they met—which meant putting even more depth and effort into their time in bed.
…
Xiao Zhiran was indeed wary of Ni Fang, the “man in the suit.”
“He’s my first boyfriend,” Fang Yuyao said.
Her answer was remarkably straightforward.
For a moment, Xiao Zhiran did not know what to say.
He was upset that Fang Yuyao had only told him now. Had he not mentioned the man in the suit, would she never have said anything?
However, when he looked at Fang Yuyao’s expression as she spoke about her first boyfriend, Ni Fang, Xiao Zhiran realised something.
“The breakup wasn’t very pleasant,” she added.
Those words immediately reassured Xiao Zhiran.
He forcibly restrained the corners of his mouth and behaved as though his jealousy from moments earlier had never existed.
“I see.”
Xiao Zhiran could not help feeling smug.
Compared with Fang Yuyao and Ni Fang, his breakup with her could be described as “extremely pleasant.” Their connection had never truly been severed, even now.
After they officially broke up, Xiao Zhiran had clung to her reluctantly and begged her to promise him something.
“When I fly over to see you, you won’t refuse to meet me, all right?”
Fang Yuyao had agreed.
Even now, he remained her choice.
The corners of Xiao Zhiran’s lips curved slightly.
He still cared deeply about all the men buzzing around her like bees and butterflies.
Fang Yuyao noticed.
Without revealing anything, she felt warmed by the attitude of her young and beautiful former boyfriend while simultaneously realising that her chances of surviving on this island had increased considerably.
No matter how one looked at it, cooperating with a young, beautiful man who loved her deeply was much better than cooperating with anyone else, wasn’t it?
During their afternoon nap, Fang Yuyao curled up inside Xiao Zhiran’s strong arms.
Breathing in his familiar scent and enveloped by the warmth of his body, she enjoyed the deepest and sweetest sleep she had experienced since reaching the island.
The nap lasted a little over an hour.
Its quality was more than a hundred times better than the fragmented, anxious sleep she had managed in the early morning.
After waking, they began patrolling the island as planned.
Xiao Zhiran carried the backpack. Inside it were the plastic mineral-water bottle, now filled with green coconut water, the German multipurpose knife, and several other items.
He followed behind Fang Yuyao.
She was responsible for recording the surrounding terrain. Her memory was excellent, so she did not need to use her phone’s camera. She could roughly sketch a map of the land inside her mind.
Xiao Zhiran was responsible for carrying any resources she collected.
With a companion beside her, Fang Yuyao boldly entered the deep-green, silent jungle.
The resources inside the forest were completely different from those found along the coastline.
Their temporary shelter would not remain their permanent home. During their future exploration, Fang Yuyao intended to select a more suitable and secure location.
There was another extremely important reason to explore the jungle.
Seafood was not an appropriate food source to consume exclusively over a long period.
If they could locate starchy roots and tubers growing in the forest, or capture small mammals living on the island, their diet would become much more varied and nutritionally balanced.
Since they had been unable to contact rescue services, Fang Yuyao had to make every possible preparation for long-term survival.
At the same time, venturing deeper into the jungle meant there was a strong chance she would encounter Ni Fang again.
Sure enough, when Fang Yuyao returned to the area where she had met Ni Fang and Xiao Zhiran several hours earlier, she saw Ni Fang once more.
The handsome, aloof man carried something heavy wrapped inside a jacket.
When he saw Fang Yuyao and Xiao Zhiran following closely behind her, the mocking expression returned to his face.
Without saying a single word, he threw the heavy bundle towards Xiao Zhiran.
It flew directly into the young man’s arms several paces behind her.
The force was considerable, as though Ni Fang were venting his anger through the throw.
Fang Yuyao’s expression hardened.
“What are you doing?!”
Xiao Zhiran stopped her.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
He glanced at Ni Fang, who had already turned away without responding, then pointed at the contents wrapped inside the jacket.
There were several freshly washed tubers.
At a rough glance, they appeared to be sweet potatoes.
Fang Yuyao froze.
The jacket was also clearly intended for her.
Xiao Zhiran placed the sweet potatoes inside the backpack, then handed the jacket to Fang Yuyao.
This was hardly the time to behave petulantly.
On an island where resources were scarce, another person had given Fang Yuyao a spare jacket. No matter how jealous he felt, Xiao Zhiran could not childishly reject it on her behalf.
Regardless of everything else, Xiao Zhiran called towards Ni Fang’s retreating back.
“Thanks.”
Ni Fang’s back remained as cold and rigid as ever.
Fang Yuyao gripped the jacket.
She pressed her lips together and stared at his gradually receding figure before calling loudly, “Ni Fang, do you want to cooperate with us?”
Ni Fang stopped walking.
He turned back and looked at her coldly, refusing to spare Xiao Zhiran even a glance.
“With you, yes.”
Possessively, Xiao Zhiran wrapped an arm around Fang Yuyao.
His face became expressionless as he glared ferociously at Ni Fang like a tiger protecting its territory.
The peaceful and friendly atmosphere from moments earlier vanished instantly.
Fang Yuyao: “…”
Her head was already beginning to hurt.
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