Hearing Anya's unusually gentle tone, Zhang Liu froze on the spot. Snapping out of it, he quickly said, "This water isn't safe to drink yet."
"Huh?" Qin Ruoshuang, who had been hoping to rinse her mouth with the water, looked surprised.
Anya turned her head, blinking in confusion as if asking why.
"I mentioned earlier that I'd test this water tonight. If I don't feel sick by tomorrow, then we can drink it," Zhang Liu explained seriously. "According to wilderness survival knowledge, bitter-tasting water is often poor quality and could even be toxic."
"You misunderstood. I just want to rinse my mouth," Anya said, a slight smile tugging at her lips as she noticed Zhang Liu's earnest expression.
For some reason, she felt a warm sense of being cared for. But she quickly scolded herself internally.
This guy's just a nobody. I'm only acting differently because we're stuck on this deserted island. That's all.
As the sole heiress of Japan's An family, Anya knew she'd inherit billions in assets someday. A regular guy like Zhang Liu, with his modest ambitions, was just another worker bee in the grand scheme of things—nothing worth fussing over.
Lost in her thoughts, head bowed, Anya didn't notice Qin Ruoshuang slip past her to the puddle, scoop up some water, and start rinsing her mouth.
"Gurgle… gurgle…"
Three days ago, Qin Ruoshuang would've never made such noises in front of a guy. She'd have chosen a private bathroom to rinse her mouth.
But now, she just glanced at Zhang Liu, who was watching her with concern, and gently spat out the slightly bitter water.
Qin Ruoshuang was strikingly beautiful, her delicate features accentuated by lips that were neither too thin nor too full—just perfect.
Though her name suggested coldness with the word "frost," her lips were anything but icy. With a touch of lipstick, they'd easily evoke the phrase "cherry mouth."
At that moment, she was awkwardly wiping away sticky water residue from the corner of her lips with the back of her hand. Some of it had dripped onto her chest and thighs, creating an embarrassing trail.
After wiping it off, she smiled with satisfaction. It had been a while since her mouth felt this refreshed. Even rinsing with bitter, salty seawater after drinking coconut milk hadn't come close.
Zhang Liu watched this scene, his gaze distant and thoughtful. Then, an annoyed voice snapped him out of it.
"Zhang Liu, what are you staring at?!"
Anya, a head shorter than the 1.78-meter-tall Zhang Liu, glared up at him, her expression sour. She thought he was practically drooling over Qin Ruoshuang.
"Me?" Zhang Liu blinked, looking down at Anya's furious face. "I was just… thinking about something."
"Thinking about something? More like plotting something creepy about Qin Ruoshuang!" Anya crossed her arms, trying to emphasize her slight figure. "You were totally staring at her chest and thighs!"
Qin Ruoshuang's eyes widened in surprise, her cheeks flushing red.
Zhang Liu froze, confused for a moment before embarrassment hit. He hadn't been staring at her chest or thighs—he was thinking about how to store water effectively.
The embarrassment came from recalling the moment he'd performed CPR on Qin Ruoshuang and felt her… well, very real presence.
"Don't talk nonsense," Zhang Liu stammered. "I was just thinking about how to carry water. If we all need to drink, waiting around would take forever. I'm not the kind of guy who takes advantage of people in trouble."
"Anya, Zhang Liu and I have always been respectful with each other," Qin Ruoshuang chimed in, defending him. "He's been nothing but caring toward me. He's a real gentleman."
Her praise only made Zhang Liu more embarrassed. Truth be told, when he'd parted her lips during CPR and glimpsed her delicate tongue, he had felt a fleeting, less-than-pure thought.
Anya pressed her lips together, staying silent. She regretted the pang of discomfort she'd felt and the overly personal accusation she'd thrown out.
But hearing Qin Ruoshuang and Zhang Liu defend each other made her feel even worse, just as she was about to say something to lighten the mood.
In her mind, if it came down to who was closer or who cared more, she was the one who'd spent a thousand yuan five days ago to have Zhang Liu buy snacks for her at the school supermarket. That had to count for something!
"Hmph! Qin Ruoshuang, you don't know what Zhang Liu's like at school," Anya blurted out, only to regret it immediately.
The words were out, though, and she felt compelled to keep going. But before she could, Zhang Liu clapped his hands and pointed toward the cave.
"Hey, why don't we check out this cave first?"
Qin Ruoshuang nodded gently, sensing he was steering the conversation away from the awkward moment.
"Looks like we won't have to sleep with the sea breeze tonight," she said, eyeing the cave.
Anya watched them, unsure of what to do. She knew they were deliberately dodging the topic. After a few seconds of silence, she joined Qin Ruoshuang and Zhang Liu in moving stones to make the cave more accessible.
The cave's entrance was high—too high for petite Anya to reach easily, about half her body length above her.
But nearby rocks provided climbing points, and with some stones added as steps, even Qin Ruoshuang, who was physically weaker, could enter without Zhang Liu's help.
"It's a bit dirty," Qin Ruoshuang remarked, contrasting Zhang Liu's satisfied nod as they stepped inside.
Anya, climbing in behind them, frowned at the gravel and stone fragments littering the floor.
Before the plane crash, she'd been obsessed with sleep, insisting it was 40% of her life. Her bed back home was a custom-made luxury worth millions of yen.
Now, after one night on the beach, she'd be spending tonight here.
As for the future…
She glanced at the vast sea outside, her nose stinging as she fought back tears. She refused to cry in front of Zhang Liu and Qin Ruoshuang.
"Anya, we'll sleep over here tonight, and Zhang Liu, you'll take that side, okay?" Qin Ruoshuang said, already planning how to use the cave.
"I'm not sleeping with that guy!" Anya, who valued her sleep fiercely, snapped instinctively.
Then she heard Qin Ruoshuang's calm reply.
"Then you'll have to find somewhere else to sleep tonight," Qin Ruoshuang said, sitting on a relatively clean stone. "Zhang Liu found this place. It's up to him whether we get to stay here."
She turned to Zhang Liu with a smile.
"Zhang Liu, are you okay with Anya staying here tonight?"