At that moment, Zhan Lingfeng, who was far away in Country F, also witnessed this scene.
He rested his chin on his right hand and chuckled softly, his magnetic laughter escaping his lips in a low, alluring tone.
She always managed to surprise him.
Just then, Zhan Yi knocked and entered, his voice heavy, "Boss Zhan, we can't reach Meng Li. That guy has disappeared, and we can't find him anywhere."
After reporting, Zhan Yi expected Zhan Lingfeng to be disappointed. Instead, Zhan Lingfeng laughed, tapping his fingers on the desk with certainty, "No need to rush. He'll contact me on his own soon enough."
Zhan Yi's eyes widened in surprise.
The next second, Zhan Lingfeng's phone rang. It was Meng Li.
"Mr. Zhan, I've heard so much about you. I hear you're looking for me and want to protect Gu Nanyan. May I ask, who exactly is this Gu Nanyan?" Meng Li's voice was lazy, speaking fluent Hua Country language without a trace of foreign accent.
Zhan Lingfeng turned his gaze to the delicate figure on the computer screen, his voice deep, "My wife."
"Indeed, a tiger husband has no common wife. Mrs. Zhan is impressive."
What nonsense, Zhan Lingfeng frowned. This Meng Li, no matter how fluent in Hua language, wasn't a pure Hua Country native, misusing idioms.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Zhan Lingfeng negotiated with Meng Li, asking him to reveal the island's coordinates.
Meng Li chuckled, "Why the rush, Mr. Zhan? Your wife is in no danger. Not only is she safe, but she's also thriving, living quite freely."
Zhan Lingfeng knew Meng Li wouldn't compromise easily. He reminded him, "Has Mr. Meng checked your company's stock yet?"
Meng Li replied lazily, "I know. The Zhan family is targeting me. My little company is no match. The stock is nearly at its limit down. But, Mr. Zhan, I'm not like you."
Meng Li's tone exuded madness, "I don't care about anything. I just want to play. Even if you want my life, I won't tell you the coordinates."
Zhan Lingfeng's expression darkened, "What do you want? We can negotiate terms."
"I want the world to see the ugliness of human nature. I want to display it bare and raw to everyone. On an island with no morals, no laws, and extremely scarce resources, how will human nature manifest?"
"You're insane."
"Haha, you're right. I am insane." At this, Meng Li's voice paused, then suddenly said, "Mr. Zhan, are you trying to get information from me to buy time for tracing my location? Don't bother. Even if you catch me and kill me, I won't tell you the coordinates!"
With that, he hung up with a bang.
Zhan Lingfeng asked Zhan Yi, "Did you trace him?"
Zhan Yi shook his head, "Meng Li is very cautious."
Zhan Lingfeng massaged his temples. If Meng Li were a normal person, he'd have a thousand ways to force him. But he was a madman who cared nothing for money, family, or even his own life.
On the island.
Gu Nanyan unlocked her room door with a key. Inside was a bed, table, electric light, and even a shower. It looked simple, but had all the essentials.
Not bad, Gu Nanyan nodded in satisfaction. She couldn't be too picky on this deserted island.
After a day of walking, she felt tired and still smelled of blood. Gu Nanyan first went to the bathroom for a shower, then came out in clean pajamas.
Then, she sat on the bed drying her hair.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Chen Tian was chopping wood. Although he had an athletic background, a day of swinging an axe had left him exhausted, his arms aching.
But he couldn't stop. Although they had compressed biscuits, they couldn't just sit and eat through their supplies. The bag of biscuits would only last the five of them two days. What about the remaining 28 days? They couldn't starve.
All five were busy. Chen Tian chopped wood, hoping to make a small raft to make fishing easier.
The twin sisters were using knives to sharpen wooden sticks. Sharp-ended sticks were useful, both for spearing fish and as weapons.
The delicate sisters had never done such work before. They were covered in dirt, with blisters on their hands. The younger sister cried for a long time from the pain. If it weren't for her older sister constantly comforting her, she would have broken down completely.
Sister Sa was responsible for finding grass balls, but after searching the surroundings for a long time, she came back empty-handed.
Then there was Iron Pot Li Ang. Without a lighter, they had to use the most primitive method of friction to start a fire. It was almost dark, and there were wolves on the island. They needed a bonfire for safety.
After much effort, Iron Pot Li Ang finally got the fire going. Wiping sweat from his brow, he said, "Wonder how the others are doing. Teacher Qi has a fishing rod, so they should be able to catch fish. No need to worry about them."
Chen Tian's arms were too sore to lift. He put down the axe and said, "Teacher Qi's team should be fine. Just don't know how Gu Nanyan is doing now. Probably not having an easy time."
Hearing Chen Tian mention Gu Nanyan, the others, who had been feeling miserable, suddenly felt a bit better. At least they weren't starving. Gu Nanyan must be both exhausted and hungry now.
The younger twin sister said softly, "I was just complaining about how bad the compressed biscuits taste. Now I feel I shouldn't have. Sister Gu doesn't even have that to eat."
"Yeah," sighed the older twin sister. "Sister Gu must be starving now, maybe even eating tree bark and grass roots."
As these people discussed Gu Nanyan, feeling self-satisfied about how much worse off she must be, the online viewers were nearly dying of laughter, sending a flurry of comments.
[You're overthinking it. Gu Nanyan isn't suffering at all. She's eating chicken drumsticks right now.]
[Not just drumsticks, but also pork knuckles and steak.]
In Teacher Qi's team, despite having a fishing rod, fishing wasn't easy. After struggling for most of the day, they barely managed to catch two fish.
Without a pot, they had to use a large stone slab to grill the fish. Fortunately, salt wasn't scarce by the sea, so they sprinkled some on the fish.
The four of them cherished every bit of the two fish, not wasting even the head or tail. They ate every edible part.
Yang Tongtong, a former child star with years of acting experience, was still a minor despite her long career.
The girl, soft-hearted, brought up Gu Nanyan: "I wonder how Sister Gu is doing? Has she found anything to eat? We have a fishing rod and it's still so hard to catch fish. Sister Gu doesn't have any tools at all, how will she manage?"
Zhou Qinian frowned, "I searched in the direction she went for a long time earlier but couldn't find her. Don't know where she ran off to."
Song Ze was displeased, "Why keep mentioning her? It's her own fault for being reckless, not choosing tools properly, not picking team members wisely, just throwing tantrums. Doesn't she realize what kind of situation this is?
If she keeps acting like this, she's in for a lot of suffering.
Eating? She'd be lucky to have tree bark to chew on."
Meanwhile, Gu Nanyan, who was gnawing on a large pork knuckle, suddenly felt her nose itch. She rubbed it, thinking to herself: Who's talking about me?
