Stranded on a Deserted Island—They All Started Plotting Against Me - Chapter 14 - Chapter 14

When Anya closed her eyes earlier, Zhang Liu hadn’t immediately acted. He first pulled her underwear back up to her ankle and removed his own shirt to cover her exposed lower body.

Helping her by sucking out potentially infected blood was a last-resort measure.

Meanwhile, covering her lower body was Zhang Liu’s way of preserving Anya’s dignity in this dire situation.

He wasn’t someone who would take advantage of a vulnerable girl.

Feeling the gentleness with which Zhang Liu treated her wound, Anya’s eyes drifted to the shirt covering her.

His movements were tender, with a balanced pressure. After sucking out a small mouthful of salty blood, Zhang Liu quickly turned his head to spit it out, careful not to swallow any.

When he looked up, he noticed tears silently streaming down Anya’s face.

The glistening drops fell to the ground one after another. Caught off guard, Anya immediately turned her head to avoid his gaze.

Zhang Liu had no time to comment. He resumed his task, repeating the process three times.

Once no more blood could be easily drawn from the wound, Zhang Liu stopped.

“It should be fine now.” After running to the shore to rinse his mouth with seawater, Zhang Liu returned to find Anya dressed in her pleated skirt, with one shoe back on, her head still lowered.

He said softly, “No one will know of this.”

With that, he took the black T-shirt from her hands and put it back on.

“Let’s head back,” Anya said softly, avoiding Zhang Liu’s gaze. “It’s getting late.”

“Alright!” Zhang Liu agreed quickly, turning to leave without waiting for Anya to lead the way. Just as he took a step, he heard her quiet plea from behind.

“I can’t walk properly… can you carry me?”

Using the stick she’d picked up as a crutch, Anya could barely hobble along. Earlier, she might have insisted on walking on her own. But now, she found herself longing to lean on the boy before her for support.

“Sure!” Zhang Liu tucked the plastic bottle into his pocket, crouched in front of her, and bent down. “Climb on.”

Without a word, Anya obediently leaned onto his back. Her petite frame pressed against him, and Zhang Liu immediately became aware of the soft sensation on his back.

Even through her clothing, it was undeniably gentle and smooth…

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Liu forcibly cleared his mind of any improper thoughts. He focused on navigating back toward the cave.

Earlier, he’d noticed several fallen fruits on the ground, which had been nibbled by insects. While their edibility wasn’t certain, they seemed promising and could be tested later. If they were safe to eat, it would mean avoiding another meal of cold, slimy coconut meat.

As he planned their next steps, a faint, aggrieved voice from behind pulled him back to reality.

“Can you… hold me properly?”

Anya had wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to secure herself on his back. But this position caused her injured inner thigh to rub uncomfortably against him, while her grip with her arms strained her shoulders.

Her strength, honed through years of kendo practice, allowed her to endure the discomfort, but she couldn’t sustain it much longer.

“Wouldn’t that be… inappropriate?” Zhang Liu hesitated, his hands awkwardly hanging at his sides. He didn’t want to take advantage of her, especially after the earlier incident, which had already left her in tears.

“It’s fine!” Anya mumbled after a pause, her voice barely audible. “If it’s you…”

“Huh? What did you say?” Zhang Liu asked, tilting his head. The sound of the waves muffled her soft words.

“I said, you’re such an idiot!” Anya snapped, rolling her eyes before raising her voice. “Why are you still worrying about that?! You didn’t hesitate earlier to—” She cut herself off, her face flushing.

“Alright, alright!” Zhang Liu relented, carefully shifting his hands to support her from below. With her weight more evenly distributed, he steadied his pace.

The journey back was quiet. Anya rested her flushed face against Zhang Liu’s shoulder, inhaling his faint scent. Her thoughts drifted to the boy carrying her—someone she’d never considered in a romantic light before. Yet now, she couldn’t picture anyone else in her thoughts.

“Zhang Liu… do you think we’ll ever make it back home?”

Anya’s voice broke the silence as she gazed at the horizon, her face bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun. She had spent two days and a night on this desolate island, her hope for rescue still alive but tempered by reality.

“We will,” Zhang Liu replied with unwavering conviction. Whether by rescue or by their own efforts, he was determined to return. His family was waiting for him, especially his little sisters.

Anya nodded, comforted by his confidence. As her gaze shifted to his profile, she hesitated before softly asking, “After all the awful things I said and did to you before… are you mad at me?”

Zhang Liu didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stopped walking and gently set her down.

“Are you upset?” she asked again, her voice tinged with worry as she bit her lip. Her earlier bullying suddenly felt unbearable in this newfound context of reliance.

Zhang Liu remained silent, his eyes fixed on the nearby woods with a contemplative expression. Anya instinctively took a step back, fear creeping into her heart.

Could he be planning to take revenge for everything she’d done to him back at school?

“I…” she stammered, her thoughts racing. “Don’t do anything rash… If you have something to say, we can talk about it. It’s not that I won’t consider it…”

Zhang Liu turned to her, his expression puzzled. “Would you mind if I… took off my shirt?”

Anya was momentarily stunend. Her overactive imagination went into overdrive, and her face turned red.

After a long silence, she blurted out, “No! No way! That’s absolutely out of the question right now! At most… I can hold hands!”