After venting his excitement, Luo Yaqin kicked me and Shangguan Yao out, as the room was too small and it was time to change their medicine.
As soon as I came out, I saw Qi Xinxin and Qi Qiaoqiao outside the house. Qi Xinxin was squatting on the ground, bored, watching ants. Upon seeing me, she happily threw herself into my arms.
"Lu Ziye, you're really capable. You brought back two more girls on just one trip!"
Shangguan Yao crossed her arms, making her already ample chest more pronounced. Her gaze swept over Qi Qiaoqiao, and she looked at me with a half-smile.
This young lady was jealous again!
"Don't overthink it. If I hadn't met them, I would have died in the sea long ago!"
Seeing that trouble was brewing, I quickly explained to Shangguan Yao.
Returning here felt like a battlefield; who could stand it!
I wanted to pull Qi Qiaoqiao to help me explain, but Qi Qiaoqiao watched me with great interest, not saying a word. She might as well have grabbed a bag of seeds and sat on the side to watch the show.
Shangguan Yao saw all this and her expression grew colder. Finally, she turned and went into the innermost room.
Damn it, as soon as I got back, she started causing trouble.
I glared at Qi Qiaoqiao hatefully. Unexpectedly, she pulled Qi Xinxin out of my arms.
"Be good, Xinxin. Scumbag is a disease; we should stay away from him, or you'll get infected."
Qi Qiaoqiao, speaking all the while, took Qi Xinxin to a tree nearby, completely ignoring me.
I smiled bitterly. I finally understood why this little vixen wasn't speaking up for me. It turned out she had seen my intimate moment with Luo Yaqin when I returned, and earlier, Shangguan Yao had been clinging to my arm when I came out of the small room.
In Qi Qiaoqiao's eyes, I was a scumbag playing both sides, so naturally, she wouldn't help me.
A surge of frustration welled up in me, but I couldn't express it.
Come to think of it, the current state of my relationships with Luo Yaqin and Shangguan Yao was inseparable from our current environment.
This wasn't me making excuses for myself. After all, on this precarious deserted island, companions who were laughing and chatting one moment could be devoured by beasts the next.
Under such pressure, people instinctively attach themselves to the strong; it's human nature.
Now that Qi Qiaoqiao saw me through tinted glasses, there was nothing I could do. It seemed she didn't want to talk to me now, so I'd have to find another opportunity to chat with her later.
Feeling restless in the camp, I decided to take my weapons and find some food nearby.
After the temple and the sea of mist, returning to the forest felt like a university student arriving at kindergarten – absolutely no difficulty.
Two hours later, I returned to the camp with a small deer and four rabbits, the gloom in my heart completely dissipated.
The sun was about to set.
When I returned, Luo Yaqin had already started a bonfire in the center of the camp. Everyone was gathered around the fire. To my surprise, Qi Xinxin and Qi Qiaoqiao were chatting and laughing with Luo Yaqin, having seemingly integrated into our team.
Shangguan Yao, however, still had a cold expression when she saw me return, turning her head away and refusing to speak to me.
I knew Shangguan Yao's proud personality responded better to gentle persuasion than to force, so I ignored her cold shoulder and sat down beside her.
"I've returned from the brink of death. Tonight, we feast!"
Soon, the night grew deep. We all sat around the bonfire, talking and laughing. Luo Yaqin had somehow found a few bottles of beer, and under the influence of alcohol, I couldn't help but tell them about my recent adventure.
From the temple to the sea of mist, my vivid narration elicited shrieks of surprise from the women.
Of course, I also appropriately omitted some details about the company. It wasn't that I didn't trust them, but rather that some things were better known by fewer people, which was also a form of protection for them.
We continued eating and drinking with high spirits for a long time before preparing to conclude. At the end, I saw Shangguan Yao get up and walk to a nearby tree. A thought sparked in my mind, and I followed her.
"What are you following me for?!"
Shangguan Yao reached the shade of the tree and turned around when she heard movement behind her, her expression immediately soured upon seeing me.
"Yaoyao, you have no idea how much I missed you. How can you, a grown woman, still be jealous of children?"
I had already had quite a bit to drink, and seeing Shangguan Yao's cold little face, my heart fluttered. I stepped forward and pinned Shangguan Yao against the tree.
"What are you doing?! There are so many people here..."
Shangguan Yao was, after all, just a young girl, and being cornered by me made her shy.
"Yaoyao, you are so beautiful."
Bathed in the firelight behind me, I looked at the blush on Shangguan Yao's cheeks and could no longer resist.
"Mmm..."
Sometimes, conflicts arise simply due to distance. When that distance is bridged, anything can be resolved...