Anya and Qin Ruoshuang emerged from the coconut grove one after the other.
Soon after, they ran into Zhang Liu, who had been searching for them.
The three of them locked eyes, frozen for a few seconds in surprise.
"Classmate Anya?" Like Qin Ruoshuang, Zhang Liu's face lit up with joy upon seeing her. He quickly asked, "Are you here to rescue us?"
At his words, Anya and Qin Ruoshuang fell silent for a moment. Both felt a slight wariness. In truth, that had been their first thought when they saw each other too.
"Uh… okay…" Sensing their expressions, Zhang Liu fumbled, unsure of what to say next.
"Classmate Anya arrived here with a piece of plane wreckage," Qin Ruoshuang said, breaking the awkward silence to explain the situation.
"Oh…" Zhang Liu nodded, calming the swirl of emotions in his chest. After a moment, he said, "Qin Ruoshuang, I found a cave that's perfect for us to sleep in tonight."
"Mm-hmm!" Qin Ruoshuang nodded slightly. She had already heard about Zhang Liu's plan to relocate.
Anya, standing nearby, chimed in, "Zhang Liu, do you have anything to eat? Get me something."
Gurgle…
As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly.
She had floated to the island clinging to a piece of plane wreckage. After reaching the shore, all she could see was the beach and a dark, intimidating forest. Naturally, Anya didn't dare venture into the woods.
With only two bottles of mineral water she'd salvaged from the wreckage, she wandered aimlessly along the coastline for a day, then spent a night on the beach.
The water had run out along the way, leaving her hungry and parched.
She had only just spotted the coconut grove and was about to grab a coconut to eat when she bumped into Qin Ruoshuang, who was already carrying some.
Now, seeing Zhang Liu, Anya—who was used to paying others to do things for her—immediately adopted a commanding, almost superior tone.
Qin Ruoshuang frowned slightly at Anya's tone.
"Uh…" Zhang Liu hesitated for a few seconds before pointing to a pile of coconuts stashed behind a nearby rock. "All we have right now are coconuts."
"Fine, go get me one," Anya said, waving her hand dismissively.
She noticed the foam mat on the ground near the coconuts, so she walked over, sat down, and added, "Hurry up, I'm dying of thirst."
"Okay!" Zhang Liu nodded but didn't immediately go to crack open a coconut.
Instead, he turned to Qin Ruoshuang, who was still standing there. "Classmate Qin Ruoshuang, why don't you sit for a bit? We can have lunch together."
"Mm." Qin Ruoshuang nodded, swallowing the words she'd been about to say.
She sat down next to Anya, but when her gaze fell on her again, it wasn't as warm as before. Instead, there was a hint of displeasure.
"Ugh… I wonder how long it'll take for someone to come rescue us…"
Anya said after taking a big gulp of coconut milk from the shell Zhang Liu handed her.
She glanced at Qin Ruoshuang, who was holding her own coconut milk but hadn't drunk any, and asked, "Why aren't you drinking?"
"Classmate Zhang Liu, you drink first," Qin Ruoshuang said, ignoring Anya.
She stood up, walked over to Zhang Liu, who was busy peeling coconut meat, and held the coconut shell to his lips.
"Huh?" Zhang Liu, who had never had such close contact with a girl besides his sister, instinctively turned his head, causing the coconut milk to spill onto the ground and soak into the golden sand.
"Sorry," he said quickly, noticing Qin Ruoshuang's embarrassed expression. "I'll open a few more for you."
"It's fine. Just drink something first—you're all sweaty," Qin Ruoshuang replied, reaching out to wipe the sweat from Zhang Liu's forehead.
Instead of returning to sit by Anya, she picked up a stone and began helping him scoop out coconut meat.
As the heir of a prominent family, Anya wasn't clueless. From Qin Ruoshuang's actions and expressions, she could tell the other girl was deliberately trying to win Zhang Liu's favor.
But why?
Zhang Liu was just an ordinary guy. What was so special about him that she needed to curry favor with him?
Though she felt annoyed and confused, Anya stayed quiet and sipped her coconut milk.
Compared to Zhang Liu's rough-and-ready method of scraping coconut meat, which left about 40% stuck to the shell, Qin Ruoshuang's approach was far more refined, leaving only about 10% behind.
But soon, Zhang Liu asked Qin Ruoshuang to sit back down.
The reason was simple: he wasn't blind. He'd noticed the blood on her thigh.
It wouldn't be right to let a girl work in her condition.
Before heading back, though, Qin Ruoshuang picked up a few pieces of coconut meat and fed them to Zhang Liu.
The sensation of her soft, cool fingertips brushing against his lips gave him a strange, refreshing feeling.
"Why are you trying so hard to please him?" Anya whispered to Qin Ruoshuang after she sat back down.
Qin Ruoshuang glanced at her but didn't respond.
Her actions weren't about pleasing anyone—they were about gratitude.
No one is obligated to be kind to others without reason. She and Zhang Liu were just classmates, yet he had already helped her so much.
She hadn't been able to do much earlier because she wasn't feeling well, but now that she was recovering, Qin Ruoshuang was determined to repay him generously once they were rescued—and to work with him to survive on the island until then.
"…"
Anya looked at Qin Ruoshuang, shrugged, and pretended to be bored.
"Come on, let's eat together," Zhang Liu said, bringing over the lunch he'd prepared.
This time, he'd gone all out with the coconuts.
The snowy-white flesh from four coconuts was piled into a small mountain, with little peaks rising from it.
Three large coconut shells were filled to the brim with clear coconut milk.
As for the snail-like shells he'd had in his pocket…
Only now did Zhang Liu realize they'd been ground down into a mess of mucus and shell fragments from all the climbing.
With no other choice, he pulled the questionable "food" from his pocket, tossed it aside, and buried it in the sand.
"Thank you," Qin Ruoshuang said sincerely, reaching out to help with the coconut milk.
Anya, meanwhile, grabbed a handful of coconut meat and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing a few times before swallowing.
She hadn't eaten solid food in over a day and night.
Even the coconut meat that Zhang Liu and Qin Ruoshuang were starting to get tired of felt like a feast to her.
"Eat slowly… have some coconut milk to wash it down," Zhang Liu said, noticing Anya choking on the coconut meat.
He quickly handed her a shell of coconut milk. "I've got some other things to prepare, so take your time."
Anya didn't say thank you, just grabbed the coconut milk and drank.
Qin Ruoshuang watched silently, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised.
She could tell Zhang Liu's attitude toward Anya was overly attentive, almost fawning.
After hesitating for a moment, she reached out, grabbed Zhang Liu's sleeve, and said, "Zhang Liu, can you come with me for a second?"
"What's up?" Zhang Liu asked, puzzled, as he was in the middle of sipping coconut milk.
"Just… come here, okay?" Qin Ruoshuang's eyes were earnest.
After a few seconds of looking at her, Zhang Liu nodded.
So, leaving Anya to keep eating, the two walked a short distance away.
"Classmate Zhang Liu, do you like Anya?" Qin Ruoshuang asked, her expression serious.
"No, I don't like her that much," Zhang Liu replied, glancing subtly at Anya, who was watching them from a distance.
He added earnestly, "Why do you ask?"
"I just think your attitude toward her is… odd," Qin Ruoshuang said, grabbing her left arm with her right hand. "It feels like you're being too enthusiastic."
Seeing Zhang Liu's confused look, she added softly, "And I feel like Anya looks down on you…"