Seizing a Kiss, Water and Food

The sunlight was strong.

The clothes on us had already dried.

But Ying Gou still had not returned.

"How long has he been gone?" I asked.

Ye Jinghong said, "Almost two hours."

It had been two hours, yet Ying Gou still had not returned. Could something have happened to him?

Could this island be huge? So huge that he had gotten lost on it?

He could not possibly get lost. Any route he had traveled once, he could remember with perfect clarity.

"Come on, let's go take a look," I said. I was worried about Ying Gou.

But Ye Jinghong said, "I think we'd better stay where we are and wait a little longer. Before he left, he told us to wait here and not wander around. If we go looking for him, he might come back and not find us, then go looking for us instead. We'll just keep searching for each other and keep missing each other. Besides, don't you know what kind of person he is? Do you really think anyone could threaten him when he's alone?"

What she said seemed reasonable. Searching for each other like that would indeed waste time, and I knew what Ying Gou was capable of. She was right—without anything holding him back, no one could pose a threat to Ying Gou.

So I sat back down. Ye Jinghong immediately wrapped herself around my arm and rested her head on my shoulder.

I could not pull free at all. Besides, I did not want to. That would have been too hurtful.

"Do you think Ding Qing will die?" she suddenly asked.

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you think? You said she was dragged into the water. She doesn't seem to know how to swim. If she really fell in, she'd be