Chapter 53: Wild Dodder (11)

Duan Jiayou walked out of the log cabin with a grim expression.

The more enjoyable his time with Bai Ling had been, the worse he felt upon learning their relationship was about to end.

Initially, he believed that the young lady needed him. No one else at the camp provided her with food; only he and his brother secretly supported her. As long as he had sufficient supplies, he could maintain this connection indefinitely.

But now, hearing that he was never the preferred choice and that the young lady could leave him at any moment, Duan Jiayou’s heart chilled instantly.

Should he give up? Impossible! After much difficulty, Duan Jiayou had finally found someone who sparked his interest. On this deserted island, nurturing the young lady was his sole source of amusement. The thought of yielding her to Fu Jingyan was utterly absurd!

Apart from Little Zuo, Duan Jiayou couldn’t tolerate anyone else having an intimate relationship with Bai Ling. Zhu Zhan’s one-sided infatuation didn’t count; Duan Jiayou knew well that the young lady held no regard for him.

However, Fu Jingyan… Despite being exceptional and outstanding wherever he went, resorting to such tactics with Bai Ling truly made him a despicable beast!

To take on Fu Jingyan, Duan Jiayou alone wouldn’t be enough.

He had initially planned to conceal things from his brother for as long as possible, but now it seemed there was no need to continue hiding. Judging by Renjie’s demeanor today, he might have already sensed something.

When Duan Jiayou found Duan Jiaze, the latter was languidly slumped on the beach, surrounded by a pile of decorative seashells with no practical use whatsoever.

“Where’s Zhu Zhan?” Duan Jiayou looked around but couldn’t spot him nearby.

Upon hearing Duan Jiayou’s question, Duan Jiaze immediately realized what had happened. “As expected—it was you sneaking behind me earlier!”

Whenever Duan Jiaze recently visited Bai Ling, he felt like someone was watching him. He was certain that his private meetings with the young lady were well-concealed, yet the sensation persisted.

After being unable to bring sweets to offer her, the young lady’s attitude towards him noticeably cooled down. However, considering Bai Ling had just recovered from illness and remained frail, despite feeling irked, Duan Jiaze didn’t hold any resentment against her.

He knew that when sick, people often become more demanding than usual. Moreover… he had indeed broken his promise.

Duan Jiaze had told Bai Ling he would bring her delicious treats, but he hadn’t followed through. Consequently, he felt too embarrassed to bring up his request again.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t be firmer, but facing the delicate young lady—where even slightly exerting himself made her teary-eyed—Duan Jiaze inadvertently softened once more.

Most importantly, he needed to show the young lady that he was better than Fu Jingyan; enduring these extra difficulties was worth it for that goal.

However… Duan Jiaze didn’t anticipate encountering so many complications.

“Did you find out…” Duan Jiaze realized that despite trying to keep it secret from his brother, his clandestine visits to feed the young lady had been discovered.

The calm demeanor of his brother in response to this perceived betrayal startled Duan Jiaze anew.

“When did you learn about it?” Duan Jiaze’s expression turned serious as, relying on their twin intuition, he swiftly pieced together all the crucial points.

“Not only did you know, but you also…” Duan Jiaze’s eyes darkened. “The reason you didn’t give me those foods was because you were saving them for the young lady.”

Duan Jiayou applauded softly. It must be said that seeing Duan Jiaze’s current expression considerably lifted his sour mood.

“Little Zuo, from the moment you chose to meet the young lady alone, you should have anticipated this outcome.” Duan Jiayou repeated what Duan Jiaze had once said, “You told me, ‘We’ve both grown up; there’s no need to ask so directly about such matters.’ Now, do you still feel the same?”

Duan Jiaze fell silent. What could he say?! He clutched at his head and muttered, “I’m sorry, Little You. I understand my secrecy hurt you, but if you had interacted with the young lady yourself, you wouldn’t fail to comprehend how I feel…”

If anyone understood him best in the world, it was undoubtedly Duan Jiayou, who shared half of his being.

Since birth, they had been closely connected individuals, even their senses aligning remarkably well. How could Duan Jiayou not grasp his brother’s thoughts?

“Exactly, because I know now, I’m even more upset.” Duan Jiayou sat next to his brother, eyes downcast as he gazed at his fingers. Remnants of sugar still clung to them; that sweet fragrance made him involuntarily recall the person who had brought him such delight.

“I’ve experienced this possessiveness too,” Duan Jiayou said softly. He put his finger in his mouth and slowly licked away those precious traces of sweetness.

Duan Jiaze’s head snapped up. “So… you’re going to compete with me, Little You?”

From the moment his brother refused to share food, he had made this choice—just like Duan Jiaze himself, unwilling to divide their prize, only wanting to monopolize it entirely.

“It’s not that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind, but there is one thing I understand better than you, Little Zuo…” Duan Jiayou continued deliberately, “We are brothers. No matter how much I might desire the young lady, I have never considered leaving you behind.”

“Here, would you leave me behind, Gege?”

Without hesitation, Duan Jiaze replied, “No, I’d take both the young lady and you and leave this place together.”

Their goal remained unchanged—to safely depart from this deserted island hand in hand.

“But…” Duan Jiaze said, “matters of affection are different…”

“Let’s set those issues aside for now.” Duan Jiayou hadn’t anticipated his brother being so indecisive; he got straight to the point. “First, tell me everything you know. Apart from you and me, does Fu Jingyan also have a special relationship with the young lady?”

“You’ve noticed?” Recalling this matter, Duan Jiaze still felt somewhat irked. “Fu Jingyan has control over food distribution, so it’s not surprising that the young lady would go to him first. However, our food is superior to his—I’ll make her give him up eventually.”

“How come I never realized you were this naive before, Little Zuo?!” Duan Jiayou was practically astounded by his brother. With Fu Jingyan as their competitor, he couldn’t believe they were trying to keep things hidden from each other. “The young lady doesn’t just seek him out for food. Haven’t you noticed she needs medication?”

“Medication…” Prompted by Duan Jiayou, Duan Jiaze finally remembered—before they became stranded on the deserted island, it was Fu Jingyan who took care of Bai Ling. Fu Jingyan had medications for her heart condition, and he oversaw the young lady taking her pills.

“That rainy night, Fu Jingyan’s manner of administering medication was so practiced—it likely means he’s been doing it privately all along.” Duan Jiayou’s eyes held resentment and annoyance. “He has control over too many resources—food, medicine, as well as most items salvaged from the plane wreckage… Just with one bottle of medication, the young lady must obediently listen to him.”

As Duan Jiaze listened, a chill seeped into his heart. Earlier, he had felt quite confident, but now…

“Even in this situation, you still want to consider me your supposed rival?” Duan Jiayou asked.

Duan Jiaze instantly grasped what Duan Jiayou meant, reaching out towards his brother.

The corners of Duan Jiayou’s lips curved upwards, and he firmly clasped hands with Duan Jiaze. “With the two of us together, never mind dealing with just Fu Jingyan, even handling everyone on the island wouldn’t be much of a problem.”

A smile also appeared on Duan Jiaze’s face. “Do you have an idea?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of anything either,” replied Duan Jiayou.

Their eyes met briefly before they spoke simultaneously:

“Zhu Zhan!”

“That idiot Zhu Zhan had me searching along the beach for ages just now,” Duan Jiaze pouted, gesturing towards some seashells. “Look, all we found were these useless things. He even flipped rocks to search every crevice—guess what he discovered?”

Duan Jiayou played along and asked promptly, “What did he find?”

“A bunch of tiny crabs!” Duan Jiaze raised his pinky finger, chuckling uncontrollably, “So small, barely enough to fill a tooth gap!”

Duan Jiayou also burst out laughing, holding his stomach. “Poor guy! What should we do? We can’t let only Zhu Zhan go hungry; we have to help him!”

“Every night, Fu Jingyan takes the young lady to the beach,” said Duan Jiaze.

“His food is likely hidden there as well,” responded Duan Jiayou.

“I’ll bring Zhu Zhan with us,” stated Duan Jiaze.

“Then I’ll closely observe Fu Jingyan; I bet he carries that bottle of medicine with him at all times,” added Duan Jiayou.

The twins exchanged ideas back and forth, meticulously planning their course of action. Finally, they both concluded together, “Once we determine where the medicine is kept, we’ll steal it!”

“No, not stealing,” one of the twins said. “The medicine originally belonged to the young lady; helping her retrieve it, what’s wrong with that?”

M577 had a vague feeling that something wasn’t quite right. The host clearly could have continued mooching off both the twins and Fu Jingyan until this world’s storyline concluded—why would she so quickly end her deal with the twins? It didn’t align with her usual behavior.

“Isn’t your preference beautiful youths?” m577 asked. “Are you settling down already due to the body change?”

If the host truly decided to settle down, m577 would undoubtedly buy several bundles of the most exquisite fireworks just to set them off for her.

“The upcoming plot is predictable at first glance—it’s too boring.” Tong Ling had no interest in passing time in such a dull manner. “My Qingqing will find more and more food, everyone will praise and compliment her, and once I can’t bear it anymore, I’ll leave the team alone. No matter who they choose, they’ll continue feeding me as before.”

“On the day everyone gets rescued, I’ll ‘disappear’ from the island, and with that, the story ends.” Tong Ling pursed her lips. “How utterly monotonous.”

[“How is it boring?!”] m577 couldn’t understand what the host found unsatisfactory: [“This is the most relaxed storyline in this small world, with the added advantage of controlling your own departure timing. Isn’t that simpler compared to previous scenarios involving psych wards and car accidents?”]

“Exactly, it’s too dull.” Tong Ling lay inside the log cabin, gazing up at the verdant leaves overhead. “Surviving in the wilderness should involve more than just seeing the wilderness itself. Where’s the actual survival aspect? Is finding some food enough to count as survival? That’s not compelling.”

m577’s sense of unease intensified once again, and no matter how it tried to inquire further, the host remained unresponsive.

Nightfall arrived.

As usual, after everyone fell asleep, Tong Ling sought out Fu Jingyan.

Now, whenever Bai Ling approached, Fu Jingyan instinctively wrapped his arm around the young lady’s waist and gently carried her out of the log cabin, being mindful not to disturb others.

With shelter protected from wind and rain, a sustainable water source for some time, and the accumulated food reserves, Fu Jingyan felt their life on the deserted island gradually improving. After searching for food with Xuan Yiqing during the day, he also had time to catch up on sleep, significantly easing his overall stress levels.

As he had anticipated, Zhu Zhan rarely approached Bai Ling during these days. Even when he did come near, Fu Jingyan knew Zhu Zhan wouldn’t take any significant action.

His young lady was very obedient; now, without him needing to ask, she willingly shared with him everything that happened throughout the day.

“Zhu Zhan gave me a wild mint plant,” Tong Ling said while lying in Fu Jingyan’s arms, allowing his hands to gently rest on her body. “He chatted with me for a bit and asked if I would be upset because Qingqing hasn’t given me food.”

Tong Ling sounded puzzled, “It’s really strange. Just like Qingqing, he didn’t feed me either. Why would he bring up such a question?”

During the day, Fu Jingyan had burned some wood to create ash. He filled an iron basin with water, mixed in the ash, stirred it briefly, then submerged the young lady’s raven-black hair into the solution, meticulously washing it.

“I saw that mint plant you mentioned, do you like it?” Fu Jingyan asked.

“It’s alright, the mint-infused water tastes quite good,” Tong Ling replied.

Fu Jingyan leaned forward, his gaze fixed on the young lady’s delicate lips, “How good does it taste?”

Tong Ling’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, “Jingyan, would you like to try it yourself?”

“Mm-hmm.” Fu Jingyan lowered his head, a smile playing in his eyes. “My dear young lady, would you be willing to let me taste it?”

Tong Ling gently clenched her fingers and closed her eyes.

As if a spark had ignited within a haystack, flames began burning uncontrollably.

Fu Jingyan’s heart flared with warmth, his gaze deepening further in the moonlit night.

His lips brushed against the corner of the young lady’s mouth, tenderly and patiently exploring.

Gradually, as their lips met and breaths intertwined, Fu Jingyan truly tasted the refreshing mintiness. Despite its cooling properties, this moment only intensified the heat coursing through his body.

The carefully constructed order within Fu Jingyan once again teetered on the brink of collapse.

Unsatisfied, he slowly moved his lips downward, from her lovely mouth to the side of her neck.

His young lady, after a brief moment, looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. Unaware that such a gaze did not deter a man but rather fueled his desire even more intensely.

However, the young lady had gone hungry all day without eating yet.

Fu Jingyan decided first to satiate his young lady before satisfying himself.

Fu Jingyan picked up a towel and meticulously dried Bai Ling’s hair. Drops of water slowly soaked her white dress, and strands of loose hair clung to her cheeks. With a gust of sea wind, she shivered and nestled affectionately back into his arms.

Fu Jingyan had hidden food at multiple spots around the island. Holding the young lady, he approached one of these marked locations and squatted down to dig.

After uncovering a small box of cookies and some red wine, he prepared for a delightful “dinner” with the young lady. However, their peaceful moment was abruptly interrupted by an unexpected arrival.

“F-u-Jing-Yan!” The blue-haired boy emerged suddenly from the woods, nearly grinding his teeth as he spat out each syllable. Seeing Fu Jingyan holding Bai Ling while clutching food in his hand, there was no need for further explanation.

“So this is what you meant by ‘no food’? Is this how you distribute it?” Zhu Zhan stepped forward, grabbing Fu Jingyan by the collar. If not for Bai Ling cradled in Fu Jingyan’s arms, he wouldn’t have tolerated it even a second longer; all he wanted was to shatter that facade of deceit. “Put her down, I think we need a proper conversation now.”