Chapter Summaries

Lu Zhe and Ning Shu gathered seafood along the beach, then spotted a distant object that might have been a boat and made an SOS marker before heading back to camp. As they left, Lu Zhe saw the object flash once.

• Jiang Yao and Tang Xiaoguo stayed at camp while Lu Zhe and Ning Shu went to gather seafood at low tide.
• Lu Zhe used powdered salt to catch a razor clam, and he and Ning Shu collected shellfish, seaweed, and edible starfish.
• Ning Shu spotted a distant object on the horizon, but she and Lu Zhe could not tell whether it was a boat.
• Lu Zhe and Ning Shu made an SOS marker and spelled out that five people were stranded on the island.
• As they started back to camp, Lu Zhe noticed the distant object flash once.

Lu Zhe caught a rat whose cries had frightened the girls, then roasted it with starfish roe and chili oil for their dinner. As the group shared rat meat and seafood soup, they felt closer as a family, while Jiang Yao and Tang Xiaoguo teased Lin Qianqian about liking Lu Zhe.

• Lu Zhe and Ning Shu returned to camp and found Tang Xiaoguo, Jiang Yao, and Lin Qianqian hiding in the shelter because they heard a ghostly wail.
• Lu Zhe caught a rat in one of his traps and explained that its cries warned other rodents of danger.
• Lu Zhe cleaned the rat, coated it with spicy starfish roe, and roasted it over the fire while Ning Shu and the others prepared seafood and coconut.
• Lin Qianqian tried the rat first, then Tang Xiaoguo, Ning Shu, and Jiang Yao also asked for a taste.
• The group shared dinner and said their life on the island had improved, while Jiang Yao and Tang Xiaoguo teased Lin Qianqian about liking Lu Zhe.

Lu Zhe caught a haul of tiny fish using a stocking baited with his sock and Yaoyao’s feces, then prepared them for breakfast with Ning Shu. After eating with the girls, he planned to check the other side of the island for the distant ship-like object.

• Lu Zhe and Ning Shu told the others about the ship-like object they had seen offshore, and Lu Zhe set an alarm to investigate it in the morning.
• The girls invited Lu Zhe to sleep in their shelter, where Tang Xiaoguo tried to warm her feet against him before everyone fell asleep.
• After waking, Lu Zhe found twenty or thirty small fish in the stocking trap he had set with Yaoyao’s feces as bait.
• Lu Zhe gutted the fish, skewered them, and grilled them with chili oil while Ning Shu kept their unusual bait a secret from the other girls.
• The group ate grilled fish, roasted coconut flesh, and crab and kelp soup for breakfast, and Lu Zhe prepared to check the island’s far side for the ship-like object.

Lu Zhe and Ning Shu explored the island and spotted what appeared to be another small island, not a rescue ship. Lu Zhe decided to enter the jungle with Ning Shu and climb to their island’s highest point for a better view and to learn more about the island.

• Ning Shu stayed with Lu Zhe while Lin Qianqian, Tang Xiaoguo, and Jiang Yao divided camp chores among themselves.
• Lu Zhe and Ning Shu gathered useful supplies as they searched the island, and Ning Shu asked Lu Zhe whether he liked Jiang Yao and Tang Xiaoguo.
• Lu Zhe told Ning Shu that he liked all four girls, including her, and said choosing only one would be impossible.
• Lu Zhe used Potential Points to sharpen his perception and identified the distant object as a small island.
• Lu Zhe decided to enter the jungle with Ning Shu and climb to the island’s highest point, and she took his hand as they prepared to go.

Lu Zhe and Ning Shu found wild raspberries while making their way through the jungle, but Ning Shu accidentally wiped herself with stinging grass after using the toilet. Lu Zhe identified the plant and began looking for a way to relieve her severe itching.

• Lu Zhe carefully led Ning Shu through the jungle and found wild raspberries, which they picked and ate.
• Ning Shu needed to use the toilet, and Lu Zhe pointed out a sheltered spot while she went alone.
• Ning Shu realized she had no tissues, and Lu Zhe refused to let her use pages from her notebook.
• Ning Shu wiped herself with a leaf and soon felt intense itching; Lu Zhe recognized it as stinging grass.
• Lu Zhe checked the plant's information and considered possible treatments, then thought of a way to find sterile water.

Ning Shu asked Lu Zhe to date her for one day, and the pair explored their island before sharing a first kiss. They named their island Egg Yolk Island and the larger volcanic island Volcano Island, then Ning Shu said she had finally fulfilled her wish to fall in love in college.

• Ning Shu asked Lu Zhe to date her for one day, and he agreed so she could feel comfortable dealing with her discomfort.
• Lu Zhe and Ning Shu climbed to the island's high ground, where he mapped the island and they spotted coconut trees and a larger island with a dormant volcano.
• Ning Shu proposed naming their island Egg Yolk Island and the island across the water Volcano Island, and they toasted their hopes of returning home and school.
• Ning Shu suggested that she and Lu Zhe kiss because they were dating for a day, and they shared a gentle kiss.
• Ning Shu told Lu Zhe that she had finally fulfilled her wish to fall in love in college.

Ning Shu and Lu Zhe returned to camp with coconuts and found a message bottle from another survivor. Its letter said that flight attendant Ruan Bing had survived the crash alone on a large Pacific island, and the group realized she had been aboard their flight.

• Ning Shu and Lu Zhe woke from a nap, discussed the long wait for fruit crops, and set off back to camp while surveying the island.
• They collected coconuts and bottles in a small grove, where they found a bottle resembling one of their own message bottles.
• Ning Shu and Lu Zhe returned before dark and told Lin Qianqian, Tang Xiaoguo, and Jiang Yao about their trip.
• The group discovered that the bottle contained a letter from Ruan Bing, a lone survivor of flight CZ125 stranded on another island.
• Lu Zhe and the girls realized that Ruan Bing was the flight attendant who had been in first class.

Lu Zhe persuaded Ning Shu, Tang Xiaoguo, Jiang Yao, and Lin Qianqian to relocate to Volcano Island because their current island lacked enough fresh water. The group began preparing to build a raft, and Lu Zhe headed into the woods while the others gathered supplies and worked at camp.

• Lu Zhe explained that the group could not survive long-term without a reliable freshwater source, and Ning Shu and the others agreed to move to Volcano Island within seven days.
• The group ate a small meal, discussed their supplies and seeds, and grew concerned that Lin Qianqian had not had a bowel movement since they were stranded.
• Lu Zhe set his alarm for five, checked the traps, and shared the small fish caught in Guo'er's stockings for breakfast.
• Lu Zhe assigned Tang Xiaoguo to distill water, Jiang Yao to strip abaca bark and help cook, and Ning Shu and Lin Qianqian to gather supplies along the west coast.
• Lu Zhe stayed behind to cut abaca and trees for the raft, planning to search the woods for medicinal herbs as well.

Lu Zhe and the others gathered supplies and prepared materials for a raft while sheltering from the midday heat. When Lu Zhe planned to search deeper in the jungle for more wood, Lin Qianqian insisted on going with him, and Ning Shu objected despite her ongoing irritation.

• Lu Zhe cut down abaca and thirteen logs, while Jiang Yao and Tang Xiaoguo processed fibers into rope and prepared food.
• Ning Shu and Lin Qianqian returned with coconuts, bottles, seafood, and other items they had collected using a tarp as a stretcher.
• The group reported their supplies, shared coconuts, ate lunch, and rested from the heat.
• Lu Zhe decided to search deeper in the jungle for more raft materials because the camp did not have enough suitable wood.
• Ning Shu tried to join Lu Zhe but had to retreat to the grove, so Lin Qianqian offered to accompany him and learn survival skills.

Lu Zhe and Lin Qianqian searched the jungle for food and medicinal plants, and Lin Qianqian admitted she liked both boys and girls. They found useful aster flowers, wild mint, and a sweet potato plant, which Lu Zhe carefully dug up to transplant near camp.

• Lu Zhe taught Lin Qianqian how to identify edible leaves, wild vegetables, and berries while they searched the jungle.
• Lu Zhe asked whether Lin Qianqian liked a boy, and she said she liked girls too.
• Lu Zhe identified fragrant aster flowers as non-toxic and medicinal, then gathered them with Lin Qianqian along with wild mint.
• Lin Qianqian spotted a sweet potato plant, and Lu Zhe carefully dug it up intact so they could transplant it near camp.
• Lin Qianqian worried when sweet potato leaves leaked white sap, and Lu Zhe told her the leaves were edible.