Anya's suggestive offer to scrub each other's backs dripped with temptation, but Zhang Liu didn't hear a word of it.
Though he wasn't sure why Anya had stripped down to her underwear right in front of him, one thing was crystal clear in his mind: some boundaries couldn't be crossed lightly. Once you used flimsy excuses to step over that line, the rules would shatter. And if the floodgates of desire were opened, there'd be no turning back.
Zhang Liu had a firm grasp on his priorities. His plan was never to set himself up as some kind of island kingpin, lording over Anya and Qin Ruoshuang. Bullying them would not only fracture their group's unity, making it impossible to work together, but it would also sabotage any hope of escaping.
Building a seaworthy boat required cooperation, and if he were to exploit them, leaving them pregnant and unable to contribute, he'd be shooting himself in the foot.
And then there was the worst-case scenario: what if rescuers showed up while he was in the middle of such foolishness? Once they returned to civilization, the consequences would be catastrophic.
As an ordinary guy, he'd be crushed under the weight of the powerful forces behind Anya and Qin Ruoshuang—figuratively run over by a fleet of fully insured, eight-wheeled semi-trucks.
"Anya! I'm heading to the reef beach to check for shellfish. We'll have seafood for lunch!" Zhang Liu shouted from a distance at the pale figure by the shore before bolting away without a backward glance.
He didn't mention the giant clam shells they'd planned to collect, let alone respond to Anya's back-scrubbing suggestion.
Anya stood silently, watching Zhang Liu's retreating figure. A flicker of dissatisfaction crossed her face, but the corners of her mouth curled into a slight smile.
After a while, she waded into the cool seawater, letting it envelop her. She loved the sensation of being wrapped in the ocean's embrace.
But her cheeks, which had been relatively calm, began to flush with embarrassment as a thought hit her: if Zhang Liu hadn't refused, they'd be bathing together right now. Wouldn't that be… like a couple's bath?
Pop, pop, pop…
Anya dunked her head underwater, slowly blowing bubbles. Though she wasn't from a coastal part of Japan, she loved swimming—or just blowing bubbles and watching them burst above her head.
She couldn't hear the pops, but she could imagine them. It helped her calm down quickly.
Anya hadn't been trying to seduce Zhang Liu. Stripping down and inviting him to bathe together wasn't about temptation—it was a test.
She was unsettled by how quickly the dynamic between Qin Ruoshuang and Zhang Liu had shifted after just one night.
She hadn't forgotten the vigil from the previous night. In fact, Anya had woken up briefly in the middle of the night, right when Zhang Liu and Qin Ruoshuang had their awkward physical contact.
Pretending to sleep, she overheard their conversation. She also caught Zhang Liu gazing at the sleeping Qin Ruoshuang with a dazed expression.
But what stood out even more was the change in Qin Ruoshuang's attitude toward him.
At first, Qin Ruoshuang's support for Zhang Liu—feeding him, siding with him—seemed like a calculated show of approval, a reward for his leadership, like a company giving a raise to a hardworking employee.
But last night's conversation and the dependent look in her eyes as she fell asleep in Zhang Liu's arms revealed something deeper.
Qin Ruoshuang wasn't just admiring him anymore—she was relying on him, just like Anya was.
The difference was stark: admiration gave you control, while dependence left you vulnerable.
Anya kept quiet, even pretending that morning to have forgotten about the vigil.
Her bold move to undress and invite Zhang Liu to bathe was a test with two goals.
First, she wanted to see if he'd give in to temptation and reveal any hypocrisy.
Second, she wanted to remind him of her own feminine presence.
Zhang Liu's reaction thrilled her. He clearly saw her as an attractive woman but chose to resist temptation and keep his distance.
Running out of breath, Anya surfaced and glanced at the empty beach.
With a quick motion, she slipped off her black lace underwear and tossed it onto the shore. She began scrubbing her body thoroughly, her pale skin glowing faintly pink under the sunlight.
The aqua-blue sea accentuated her graceful figure, making her look like a lotus rising from the water.
Unable to find footing in the water, she moved to the shore and sat down, her long, shapely legs fully exposed as she carefully scrubbed her delicate, snow-white feet.
So focused was she on finishing quickly that she didn't notice her surroundings.
Meanwhile, Zhang Liu had already gathered a pile of shellfish from the reef beach and was heading back to call her.
But what he saw stopped him in his tracks.
Her glistening legs seemed to reflect the sunlight, so delicate they looked almost fragile, as if a gentle touch could coax water from them.
Her soft, flowing curves were a marvel, like a creation too perfect to be real.
Swallowing hard, Zhang Liu turned and sprinted back toward the cave without a second thought.
He needed an alibi, and fast. Compared to shellfish as physical proof, Qin Ruoshuang's word would be his best defense.
"What's wrong? Where's Anya?" Qin Ruoshuang asked, pausing as she filled a Nongfu Spring bottle with water. Her eyes were filled with concern as she saw Zhang Liu running toward her, breathless.
"Anya…" Zhang Liu started to say she was bathing but caught himself. "She told me to come back first. Said she wanted to play in the water for a bit."
"Play in the water?" Qin Ruoshuang frowned, studying Zhang Liu's earnest expression.
After a moment, it clicked. Anya was probably bathing, likely spurred by their earlier talk about smells.
She was bold to do it so openly, but thankfully, Zhang Liu had the decency to return instead of lingering to peek. If he had, Anya's privacy would've been completely exposed.
Unbeknownst to Qin Ruoshuang, Anya had already witnessed her private moment with Zhang Liu the previous night.
Observing his flustered expression now, Qin Ruoshuang felt a secret thrill but kept her face neutral.
"Zhang Liu, why don't we boil some more water while we have time?"
"Boil more water?" Zhang Liu blinked, confused. Boiling water made sense, but why more?
"Well… I found a pit nearby, about a meter deep. If we fill it with hot water, we could take a bath this afternoon," Qin Ruoshuang said softly, rubbing her legs together. "It might take a while, though."
Having heard Anya was bathing, her own urge to wash up intensified.
But Zhang Liu, still reeling from Anya's invitation and the sight of her on the beach, was caught off guard.
He'd come to the cave for an alibi, only for Qin Ruoshuang to suggest bathing together too.
If I go back to Anya for an alibi now, it'd be straight-up criminal behavior!
Staring at Qin Ruoshuang in disbelief, Zhang Liu had one thought: Are these two teaming up to mess with me?
Seeing his stunned expression, Qin Ruoshuang realized her words had come out wrong.
Blushing, she clarified, "When I said 'together,' I meant taking turns, not actually bathing together!"
"Oh, got it. That's a great idea!" Zhang Liu's face relaxed at her explanation.
"Bathe together, Zhang Liu? Qin Ruoshuang? What are you two planning?"
But just as Qin Ruoshuang finished clarifying, Anya appeared at the cave entrance, dripping wet.
She'd overheard the tail end of their conversation—Qin Ruoshuang's invitation and Zhang Liu's agreement.
A pang of jealousy surged through her.
Scrambling into the cave, she fixed them both with a sharp stare and demanded answers.