Stranded on a Deserted Island—They All Started Plotting Against Me - Chapter 42 - Chapter 42

“Hm?” Zhang Liu turned his head in surprise; he hadn’t expected Anya to suddenly say something like that.

“So what did it taste like, that water?” Anya bit her teeth slightly and asked bluntly, “Is it really so strong that you had to rinse your mouth to get rid of it?”

“Of course not, rinsing was just psychological. That water’s nothing special, just a bit salty…” Zhang Liu hadn’t finished speaking before Anya’s small hand pinched the soft flesh at his waist.

“Nonsense! I bathed in the sea first! I only wiped myself with that water — how could it be salty?” Anya argued fiercely, gritting her teeth.

“Maybe it’s the seawater still on you!” Zhang Liu grimaced as the soft flesh at his waist was squeezed. “Or maybe it’s the smell of the wood ash! I never said it was your salty taste!”

“I don’t care! Lick it now and see if its salty or not!” Anya stretched out her arm in front of Zhang Liu, her face full of anxious determination to prove her body wasn’t salty.

“Isn’t that kind of inappropriate…” Zhang Liu was on the verge of tears from the pinch, and now there was pale white arm asking to be licked right in front of him.

In broad daylight, licking a girl’s arm — there was no way he could do that.

But then, quick-witted, Zhang Liu said, “I already licked your thigh before, and it wasn’t salty at all!”

“Thigh?” Anya was stunned for a second, then her face instantly flushed crimson.

She pinched him even harder before finally letting go.

After being bitten by a snake, Zhang Liu had sucked the venomous blood from the inside of her thigh—an event that, to Anya, had cemented his position in her heart.

Now that he mentioned it again, she had no other thoughts besides embarrassment.

She was even stumbling slightly while walking.

At that moment, a distracted Anya tripped over a tree root and stumbled forward.

“Be careful!” Zhang Liu quickly reached out and wrapped his arms around Anya’s slim waist, pulling her fully into his embrace from behind.

“Ying ying…” Held by the boy like this, Anya could only manage basic whimpering sounds.

“Are you okay?” Anya’s body was light, and Zhang Liu held her effortlessly.

After steadying her, he loosened his grip, ready to move on, but Anya suddenly crouched down, clutching her ankle with a pained expression.

“Zhang Liu… I think I twisted my ankle,” she said, eyes bright as she looked at him. “Can you carry me over to that shady spot under the trees so I can rest for a bit?”

“Carry you?” Zhang Liu was caught off guard. He had just been considering whether to carry her back and let Qin Ruoshuang take care of her while he continued gathering resources.

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be serious—just sitting for a bit will help. But the sun here is way too strong.” She raised a hand to shield the scorching sunlight beating down on her head. “Is that okay?”

“Alright! I’ll carry you over…” Zhang Liu nodded, not wanting to walk back under the blazing sun either, so he turned around and got into position to carry her.

“No, don’t carry me like that—it’s too tiring. I want you to hold me like this: one hand behind my neck and the other under my knees.” Sitting where she was, Anya’s lips curved into a smile for a moment, then quickly faded. She added, “Because I think I might’ve twisted my wrist just now too…”

“???” Zhang Liu turned and looked at her with a complicated expression.

To be honest, he was starting to feel unsure. Who could manage to twist both their ankle and wrist just by tripping once?

“Maybe… you should just go take care of your own stuff and leave me here!” Anya saw the doubt in his eyes and immediately “pitifully” lowered her head and whispered, “I’m useless anyway. I’ll just be a burden to you…”

Zhang Liu opened his mouth to say something but then thought better of it. He started to feel something was off.

If Anya was really just being unreasonable and demanding special treatment to prove her status, Zhang Liu could understand—girls sometimes had weird competitive feelings.

But what was with her current bizarre behavior, like “not blaming her brother for enjoying chatting with another girl, only blaming herself for bad timing”?

“Anya?” Zhang Liu cautiously walked over and softly asked, “Are your hands and feet really that inconvenient now?”

“…” Being stared at like that, and hearing his cautious tone, Anya’s heart jumped.

A thought popped into her mind:

Could Zhang Liu be thinking that since her hands and feet were inconvenient, this was his chance to reveal his true intentions?

If that happened… should she resist a little?

Tripping was really no big deal for Anya—she just wanted to be carried by Zhang Liu… in a princess carry.

Although Zhang Liu had repeatedly emphasized in the cave that he had no wandering thoughts, Anya truly had feelings for him now.

Not just the previous “misattributed adrenaline” effect, but a genuine idea that formed after seriously thinking while bathing in the sea that morning.

She thought that if the three of them really managed to escape, the genius heir of the An family might, out of gratitude, marry the poor but courageous and wise Zhang Liu.

It might not be a perfect match made in heaven, but it would be extremely suitable.

Since that was the case, she might as well try to have some physical contact and cultivate their feelings in advance.

But Anya was also a little worried—if Zhang Liu really tried to make a move, after her symbolic resistance, what should she do?

Should she fight harder, or just let it happen?

Zhang Liu was getting closer and closer. The calm and thoughtful Anya’s heartbeat was reaching a critical point.

She closed her eyes, held her breath, and waited for whatever was to come next.

One hand was already resting on her shoulder—was Zhang Liu going to move it down and… touch her chest?

The other hand was on her thigh—was it going to move upward?

Don’t be so direct…

And it’s so hot outside. Doing this in broad daylight is really embarrassing.

While Anya’s thoughts were all jumbled up like this, she suddenly felt her whole body lighten, as if she was lifted into the air, accompanied by a strange, swaying sense of calm.

When she opened her eyes again, Anya regretted to find that Zhang Liu was only carrying her in a princess carry.

“Don’t be so nervous. I’ll try to minimize the contact between our bodies as much as possible,” Zhang Liu said, watching Anya nervously close her eyes and then blankly stare at his actions. He couldn’t help but smirk proudly and stretched his arms even straighter.

Anya was very light, so Zhang Liu was confident he could hold her like this all the way to the shade under the big tree.

“No…” To Zhang Liu’s surprised look, Anya actively reached back and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, then softly complained, “Hold me a little tighter. What if you drop me?”

Feeling the softness pressing against his chest, along with the girl’s scent continuously wafting into his nose, Zhang Liu’s heartbeat started racing wildly.

He never expected Anya would do something like this to him!

Suppressing the feeling about to explode inside, Zhang Liu carried Anya to the shade under the tree, then put her down.

Without waiting for her to say anything, he spoke first: “Anya, I’ll go handle my stuff first.”

Zhang Liu didn’t dare stay with Anya any longer.

If he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t be able to keep his composure and would lose control!

“My ankle still hurts. Can you rub it for me…” Anya carefully studied the clearly restrained expression on Zhang Liu’s face.

The smile on her lips became more obvious.

She even stretched out her delicate foot, clad in a black leather boot, toward Zhang Liu.

Underneath her school skirt, the slender and straight curve of her leg almost made it impossible to look away.

Zhang Liu seriously examined Anya’s foot for a long moment before looking up at her, pursing his lips and saying, “Anya, I’m really sorry, I can’t hold it anymore!”

With that, he directly grabbed hold of Anya’s leg tightly.

Zhang Liu… is this how direct he is?

Could he be a leg fetishist?

Covering her eyes with her fingers spread apart, Anya peeked at Zhang Liu through the gaps as his breathing gradually grew heavier.

While her mind raced with wild thoughts, she was already starting to consider: Maybe I should just change my name to Zhang Ya tomorrow…