Chapter 9

Wei Shu was overjoyed. She picked up the pair of flat shoes wrapped in a sealed bag from the side of the suitcase. The leather case was well-stitched, so the inside was completely dry.

“I have shoes!” Wei Shu gingerly held the white flats, her bright black eyes shimmering. She looked as if she’d found an incredible treasure, a sight that made even Li Yuanxi’s heart ache.

Li Yuanxi walked to the cave entrance, her back to the light, and watched Wei Shu carefully sorting through the clothes in the suitcase. They were all trousers and button-up shirts, clearly the belongings of an Omega who traveled frequently for work.

“Li Xin.” Wei Shu pulled a work ID card from one of the inner pockets. She stared at the smiling woman in the photo. Covering her mouth, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears that wouldn’t stop streaming down her face.

The woman in the ID had long hair cascading over her shoulders. She wore a white ladies’ suit, and a faint smile played on her lips. She looked gentle and refined. Now, all that was left of her was this ID card.

Seeing Wei Shu’s expression change, Li Yuanxi stepped forward and gently took the card from her hand. She looked at the woman’s name and title, then silently gazed out at the sky beyond the cave.

Neither of them spoke. Their brief moment of joy had been replaced by sorrow and grief. This disaster had torn apart hundreds of families. They were the lucky ones, still alive.

“We’ll live well. We’ll bring her home.” Li Yuanxi’s voice was hoarse, her gaze distant. Her tone was flat, devoid of much emotion.

But Wei Shu could hear the emotions she was suppressing. She wiped her tears, then suddenly stood and threw her arms around Li Yuanxi. She buried her face in Li Yuanxi’s shoulder and sobbed.

“Wah—”

“Wah… I… I miss home… Li Yuanxi… I want to go home…”

Wei Shu’s hands gripped Li Yuanxi’s shoulders tightly. She hid her face, crying as if she could let it all out if no one could see her.

Li Yuanxi’s right hand clenched the work ID card until her knuckles were white. She remained silent, letting Wei Shu cry on her until the fabric of her shirt was soaked through. She didn’t try to stop her.

When Li Yuanxi heard Wei Shu say she wanted to go home, she had to admit she felt the same way.

If the rescue team didn’t find them here, they might never have a chance to go home again. Facing that endless ocean, even if she cut down every tree on this island, she couldn’t build a boat sturdy enough to withstand a storm.

Li Yuanxi wrapped her arms around Wei Shu’s back. Tears silently slipped from her own eyes. The two of them held each other tightly in the cave. In that moment, they were each other’s only comfort and support.

The rescue teams must still be searching. But they hadn’t seen a single ship or helicopter, which meant this island was outside the search zone.

After all, a large passenger jet had crashed, carrying over six hundred people. The rescue teams wouldn’t give up until they found some clue, even if the airline did.

Wei Shu’s family certainly wouldn’t give up. They would keep searching, either until they found the wreckage or until all hope was lost.

She was different from Wei Shu. If Wei Shu went missing, the Wei family would turn the world upside down looking for her.

But she was the black sheep of her family. They’d probably search for a week or two at most.

Her parents might spend everything they had looking for her, but they weren’t core members of the Li family. They might not even have the right connections to call in favors.

Still, at least there were people in this world who loved her that selflessly. That was enough to make Li Yuanxi feel content.

And the two families she was thinking about were indeed searching for them like mad.

Especially the Wei family. Wei Shu was the youngest of five siblings, and also the most career-driven.

Her two older brothers and sisters were all hopelessly caught up in their romantic lives. While they were throwing money at love, Wei Shu was working overtime. While they were going crazy for love, Wei Shu was in meetings. While they were crying over love, Wei Shu was on a business trip.

The vast difference between the five of them had often made Old President Wei suspect that the other four weren’t his biological children. He’d almost gone for a paternity test.

When he heard that Wei Shu’s plane had crashed, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed on the spot. When he woke up, his eyes were bloodshot. His veins bulging, he grabbed his eldest son’s hand and snarled, “How dare you joke with me about something like this!”

“Get Wei Shu on the phone!” the old man roared, his terrifying aura making the eldest son cry even harder. “It’s true, Dad! It’s really true!” he sobbed, wiping his tears.

“Wah—”

The old president covered his face in pain, unable to believe it was true. He immediately ordered his secretary and assistant to investigate.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Li Zheng, after a night of revelry, was cheerfully waiting for his daughter to come home. He had pulled out all sorts of premium ingredients, handed them to his chef, and was looking forward to a nice meal with his precious daughter.

“Sir, your phone is ringing,” the nanny said, bringing him his phone.

“La la la la~ Thank you.” Humming a nameless tune, Li Zheng answered the phone in a good mood. “The plane your daughter was on crashed! Get lost, you scammer! Scram!!” he yelled into the phone, furious.

The nanny stared blankly at her enraged boss. Swallowing nervously, she looked down at the news alert on her phone and asked hesitantly, “Boss… Was Xiaoxi on flight N968, the big plane?”

She asked very carefully. In an instant, all color drained from Li Zheng’s face. Just then, his wife, Lu Wan, came stumbling down the stairs in her pink pajamas, looking distraught.

“Zheng! Zheng! Look at this! Is this our daughter’s name? Quick, look!” The usually beautiful, elegant, and refined Lu Wan was now pale with terror.

Li Zheng’s hands trembled as he took the phone from her. All the blood in his body rushed to his head. He was shaking so badly he couldn’t focus. His vision blurred. He couldn’t even see the words on the screen. He collapsed, his body going limp, and hit the floor with a thud.

After that, Li Zheng and Lu Wan, in a daze, were sent to the airport by the people the family patriarch, Li Zhenhua, had dispatched.

At the airport, they stood in a daze, watching hundreds of people outside the terminal, shouting and crying, demanding answers from the airline.

“Wanwan… Xiaoxi… she’s really in trouble.” Li Zheng’s face was ashen, his eyes unfocused as he mumbled to himself. Lu Wan couldn’t hold it in anymore and started wailing loudly.

After that, the airline and international rescue teams combed the flight path, searching back and forth. They found nothing, and kept expanding the search area.

This was the worst possible scenario. It meant the plane had crashed directly into the sea.

After that, the Li family and the Wei family hired professional rescue teams, from helicopters to boats. They had consulted many experts and were still searching, even now.

“It’s been three days, Second Brother.” Wei Zheng, wearing a life jacket, sat on the deck. Her lips were cracked, her eyes full of grief. She was Wei Shu’s second sister. They were five siblings.

Their youngest sister was missing, her fate unknown. Each of them still clung to a shred of hope, but gazing out at the endless ocean, she could see none.

“I’m not going home until we bring Little Shu home.” Wei Qi’s face still bore the clear imprint of a slap. His eyes were full of self-blame and regret. “This business trip was supposed to be mine. But I didn’t want to go, so Little Shu went in my place.”

Looking at the dark blue water, tears streamed down Wei Qi’s face. His lips parted slightly. A strong wind picked up again, and he and Wei Zheng stumbled, unable to stay on their feet. They were helped back inside the cabin.

Why couldn’t they find the crash site?

Before losing control, the plane had deviated from its course entirely, flying southeast. Then, during the pilots’ desperate attempts to save it, the plane had reached its maximum speed, flying sideways, completely jumping out of the search area.

Even if they expanded the search, they wouldn’t reach the island where Li Yuanxi and Wei Shu were stranded. It was as if the heavens were deliberately hiding this small island from them.

Many bodies of those who had been ejected from the top of the plane had been found, but they were all disfigured beyond recognition.

Wei Shu had finally cried herself out. Her eyes and nose were red. She lowered her head, wiped her tears, and slowly pulled away from Li Yuanxi’s embrace.

Li Yuanxi patted her shoulder. Her voice was hoarse, her eyes also red. She sniffled. “I’m going to get the seafood. You tidy up here. This afternoon, I’ll take you treasure hunting.”

“Mhm.” Wei Shu’s reply was barely audible. This time, she didn’t watch Li Yuanxi walk away. She crouched down and picked up the clothes and shoes.

When Li Yuanxi returned, Wei Shu had already changed into the jeans and white shirt. She had tidied herself up a bit, using the compact mirror from Li Xin’s makeup bag to fix her hair.

When Li Yuanxi came back, she was greeted by the sight of a clean, refreshed Wei Shu. She was stunning, not just in the ordinary sense.

It was a beauty of both appearance and spirit: a noble, elegant aura; a cool, distant expression; a determined, intelligent gleam in her eyes. They all added to her charm.

She didn’t have the forceful, aggressive presence of a typical strong woman. Instead, she was like a distant beauty, but you could never ignore the unique aura she possessed.

She could effortlessly take control of any situation, commanding respect, and no one would question her because she was an Omega. People saw her ability and the power she represented.

At the same time, she was the pearl held dear by the Wei family. It wasn’t necessarily Old President Wei who had the final say in the Wei family.

Li Yuanxi couldn’t take her eyes off Wei Shu’s fair neck and slender waist. Her gaze kept drifting to Wei Shu’s face.

Her eyelashes are so long. Those fluttering, curled lashes are so captivating. Li Yuanxi snapped out of it and quickly averted her eyes.

Wei Shu didn’t notice her stare. She was still examining the basket Li Yuanxi had brought back.

Her small, delicate face held her bright, clear eyes. “What do we do with these?” she asked, watching the red grouper thrash its gills in the air.

Li Yuanxi was jolted back to reality by the sound of Wei Shu’s voice. She quickly looked away. Strange. Why hadn’t she noticed how beautiful Wei Shu was before? Li Yuanxi questioned her own sanity. It must have been because Wei Shu was always so high and mighty back then.

“I asked you a question!” Wei Shu waited, but Li Yuanxi didn’t answer. She raised her voice. Li Yuanxi quickly turned around. “Let’s just boil it. Roasting it might give you a sore throat.”

“Oh, okay. But you’re acting a bit weird today,” Wei Shu said suspiciously, glancing at Li Yuanxi, who was now fiddling with the fire.

“What’s weird about me? I’m not the weird one! I told you not to go out. Look, you went out and got hurt! What if that gets infected!” The first half of Li Yuanxi’s sentence sounded a little guilty, but the second half was pure anger. She pointed at the cut on Wei Shu’s calf, her tone stern.

“It’s just a scratch. It won’t get infected,” Wei Shu mumbled in weak protest, then turned her attention back to the crabs, snails, and the octopus trying to escape from the basket.

Seeing Wei Shu quiet down, Li Yuanxi breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly used her shell to sharpen two sticks, skewered the grouper, and held it over the fire for a minute.

The grouper went from thrashing wildly to stiff, its body curled, in no time at all.

Li Yuanxi placed the grouper in a large shell, set it by the fire, poured in some cooled boiled water, and let it slowly simmer.

As for the octopus, snails, and crabs, she planned to cook them all together after the grouper was done.

The smell of the cooking grouper was irresistible. Wei Shu sat by the fire, her eyes hungry, her expression reserved, watching the fish cook.

After about ten minutes, the grouper was cooked. Li Yuanxi folded a banana leaf into a bowl shape, poked a small stick through it, and had herself a nice, eco-friendly bowl.

Using the chopsticks she’d made from sticks, she carefully scraped off the scales. She knew Wei Shu definitely wouldn’t eat them.

Wei Shu had been about to copy her, but she was surprised when Li Yuanxi placed the tender, white fish meat right in front of her.

Wei Shu froze, not reaching for it. Li Yuanxi waited a moment, then said, confused, “Take it. Can you get full just by looking at it?”

“Oh.” Wei Shu was a bit dazed. She reached out and took the green bowl full of fish. She ate the hot meat elegantly and carefully, her peripheral vision catching sight of Li Yuanxi’s throat as she kept swallowing. The corner of her mouth lifted.

For the first time, the two of them had a hot meal on the island. They ate every bite gratefully.

After their seafood feast, they ate a few bananas, and that was lunch.

They agreed to go out and gather more food in the afternoon. They were also running low on fresh water in the cave. They needed to stock up before the sun came out. “Look at those thick rain clouds in the sky. It’ll probably rain again tonight. I’ll dig a big pit outside the cave later to store water. We can’t spend all our time looking for food.”

“I know a lot of plants. Those Thunder Bamboo Shoots I saw yesterday should be ready to eat. Let’s go check them out.”

After their discussion, they got ready to leave. Li Yuanxi placed two large logs on the fire, arranging them so that when the front ones burned out, the back ones would fall into the flames, keeping it alive.