When Chu Xiu heard that someone new had arrived outside, he barely reacted. Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, immediately grew tense.
"What do you mean, someone new? Who's here?"
"Is it a man or a woman? Where did they come from?"
Ning Rongrong was both nervous and excited.
Honestly, life on a desert island was more than most people could bear. There was no good food or drink, and no comfortable bed or room.
There wasn't even any entertainment.
If the newcomer could take them away, it would be wonderful news.
But what if the newcomer was dangerous?
Shui Bing'er shook her head. "I don't know where she came from, either. She seems to have lost her memory. All I know is that she's a woman, and she doesn't seem like a bad person."
When Chu Xiu heard Shui Bing'er say Ah Yin had lost her memory, the corners of his mouth lifted.
Pretending to have amnesia would avoid a lot of questions. Otherwise, once they started living together, a careless remark might give her away.
It seemed she had made the right choice.
"Come on. Let's go have a look."
Chu Xiu crawled out of the grass tent. Ah Yin and Qian Renxue were not far ahead.
When Qian Renxue saw him, she walked over. "I asked her just now. Like us, she was somehow transported here without warning."
"But..."
Qian Renxue frowned slightly. She glanced at Ah Yin and said quietly, "She seems to be hiding her identity on purpose."
Shui Bing'er nodded beside her.
Ah Yin was not much of an actress. Qian Renxue and Shui Bing'er were both sharp, and they had easily noticed that something was off.
"Don't worry about it."
Chu Xiu waved a hand. "She's only just arrived and doesn't know what's going on. Hiding her identity is a way to protect herself."
Qian Renxue nodded. That was what she thought, too.
Chu Xiu led the way, with Qian Renxue and Shui Bing'er following on either side. The three of them stopped in front of Ah Yin.
Ah Yin was still curled up on the ground with her hands shielding her chest, just as she had been last night.
But she was not in the same spot where Chu Xiu had left her.
Clearly, she had not stayed there all night. She had probably searched for a way out and returned only after finding that she could not easily leave.
"What's your name?"
"Ah... Ah Yin."
Ah Yin avoided his gaze and answered in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.
"Hello, Ah Yin. I'm Chu Xiu, and these two are Qian Renxue and Shui Bing'er. Just like you, we were suddenly transported here by some mysterious force."
Chu Xiu gave her a friendly smile and held out his hand.
Ah Yin blushed. She did not know whether to take it.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she accepted Chu Xiu's "kindness."
She put her hand in his. With a gentle pull, Chu Xiu helped her up from the sand.
While she was curled up on the beach, he had not noticed much. Now that she was standing, Chu Xiu realized she was exceptionally tall—around 1.8 meters, nearly as tall as he was.
She had gentle, beautiful features, a slender, graceful neck, full breasts, a waist he could circle with his hands, broad hips, and a pair of long, straight, fair legs.
In terms of figure alone, Ah Yin was the most striking woman Chu Xiu had ever seen.
Ah Yin's embarrassment had reached its peak. She turned slightly, trying to escape Chu Xiu's gaze, but with nothing to cover herself, how could she?
Fortunately, the others were there, and Chu Xiu did not behave as forcefully as he had last night.
After looking her over briefly, Chu Xiu turned to Shui Bing'er.
"Bing'er, get her a leaf to cover herself."
"Oh, right."
Shui Bing'er blushed. She had been so captivated by another woman's figure that she had forgotten. How embarrassing.
She jogged back to the grass tent, pulled two dry, tough leaves from the pile beside it, took two thin vines, and brought the Bone Dagger over to Ah Yin.
"Don't be nervous. I'll make you an outfit from leaves."
Shui Bing'er wrapped one leaf around Ah Yin's waist. Once she knew it would fit, she cut it with the Bone Dagger and stitched it in place with a vine.
That took care of the leaf skirt.
She made a leaf top the same way.
Once the outfit was finished, Ah Yin's nerves and embarrassment eased a little.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
By then, Ning Rongrong had also come out of the tent. She limped over to Chu Xiu, and the moment she saw Ah Yin clearly, her guard dropped.
Ah Yin was beautiful, with an incredible figure.
But she looked mature—older even than that old woman Qian Renxue.
A woman that age must have married and had children long ago. She could not possibly be a threat.
"So, your name's Ah Yin? I twisted my ankle today. You can go into the mountains to look for supplies in my place."
Chu Xiu introduced her gently. "Ah Yin, this is Ning Rongrong."
"Hello, Miss Ning."
Ah Yin dipped her head and forced a faint smile.
Chu Xiu continued:
"As you can see, this place is barren. We risked our lives to find everything we have."
"Our main job right now is to search the woods over there and the foot of the mountain beyond them for supplies we can use. It can be dangerous. I usually do most of the work, and you'll take turns helping me."
Ah Yin nodded. "That's fine with me."
As far as she was concerned, danger was a good thing.
If she died here by accident, surely he would not take it out on the people close to her.
"It's getting late."
Chu Xiu glanced at the sky and made the arrangements. "It should be Sister Xue's turn to rest today. Since Rongrong has twisted her ankle, we'll split you into two groups from now on. Sister Xue and Rongrong will rest today; Bing'er and Ah Yin will rest tomorrow."
"Any objections?"
Neither Qian Renxue nor Shui Bing'er objected, and Ah Yin was in no position to.
Ning Rongrong did not want to be paired with Qian Renxue, but her leg hurt too much for her to go into the mountains today. She would have to put up with it for now.
Chu Xiu headed toward the woods with Shui Bing'er and Ah Yin.
He had paired Shui Bing'er with Ah Yin because Shui Bing'er, whose Bond Value had already reached 80, was the next person he wanted to win over. He needed to separate her from Ning Rongrong.
"Ah Yin, walk in front."
Chu Xiu gave the instruction shortly after they entered the woods.
"It's her first time here. Won't it be dangerous to put her in front?"
Shui Bing'er sounded worried.
Chu Xiu smiled. "That's exactly why she should go first. She needs to learn what dangers are here as soon as possible. Otherwise, she might stir up trouble we can't handle when we reach the mountain. That would be truly dangerous."
Shui Bing'er did not believe that was his real reason. While he spoke, Chu Xiu had quietly taken her hand.
He just wants an excuse to get handsy with me, doesn't he?
He made Rongrong twist her ankle last night. Has he set his sights on me today?
What a bad guy.
But... why can't I bring myself to dislike him?
Before you continue