Joanna watched the golden-haired girl get swallowed by the deep, the sea a cold, ruthless maw.
She knew—without Xiao Qianxue pulling her back, the storm would’ve dragged her down instead.
She scrambled into the yacht; the door thudded shut; she slid down it, dazed, like a leaf in rain.
Brown hair clung in wet ropes to her shoulders; her brown eyes brimmed until they turned glassy.
Sob... sob...
She was only thirteen, a sparrow in a gale, and the terror finally broke her open.
“Xiaoxue... it’s my fault... I wasn’t careful... I put you in danger...” she sobbed, voice thin as drizzle.
Rain drummed the hull like a thousand fingers, drowning her crying; exhaustion closed over her like night.
She cried and cried, then sleep took her, heavy as tide on stone.
No one knew how long; the sky cleared, blue as polished glass, and a deserted islet lay quiet.
A golden-haired girl lay unconscious on the shore, the waves lapping her like a mother’s breath.
Chirp-chirp, chirp-chirp—only birdsong and gentle surf made nature feel near and kind.
“Mm...” The Little Loli stirred, awareness a thin flame.
“Where is this?”
She cracked open her golden eyes and saw only soft sand and endless blue water.
With the last of her strength, she pushed herself half upright; memory rushed in like a tide.
“Right—after I got Nana back aboard, I blacked out; looks like I got washed onto an island.”
She turned; a band of forest rose behind her, green like folded fans.
“Whoa! This island even has trees!” she gasped, surprise bright as sunlight after rain.
A diehard fan of Bear Grylls, she steadied herself, mind clicking back like a compass.
“An island with trees means I won’t starve—misfortune with a small silver lining,” she said with a wry smile.
She patted her pocket; her phone was still there, a little miracle like a shell in sand.
“Huh, it didn’t get washed away!” She pulled it out and pressed power, hope flickering.
But her Apple hated saltwater; the screen stayed dead, cold as a stone.
“Damn it!” She hurled it; the pink case traced a perfect arc and thumped into soft sand.
She’d pictured turning it on, calling for help, and leaving this cursed place—too pretty a dream.
Her mood dipped like a sun behind clouds. “How do I get back?”
Oddly, her hair and clothes were dry already, time a blank slate she couldn’t read.
“How long was I out?” she muttered, then shook her head and stepped into the trees.
“What? My daughter got swept into the storm and the sea?” Her adoptive dad got the call at home.
The news struck like lightning; her adoptive mom buckled and fainted on the spot.
When Joanna woke again, the weather outside was clear, blue as a rinsed bowl.
She stepped out; the port was visible, a gray line on the horizon like a promise.
But the thought of a friend dragged away for saving her made tears flood, a broken levee.
“Ow, my head...” The driver groaned awake nearby, the fog in his eyes lifting.
Joanna cried and told him everything; her words shook like leaves in wind.
“What? Miss Xiao got swept away?” the driver gasped, sleep burned off like mist.
He dove for the wheel and gunned the yacht toward the pier, wake foaming like torn silk.
He called the staff mid-run. “One passenger swept overboard? I’ll contact Search and Rescue now!”
The staff relayed the news; the rescue center promised to launch the search immediately.
Joanna exhaled, a tight knot loosening; the phone showed it was already next morning.
Soon the news of the Little Loli’s disappearance reached her adoptive parents, and panic followed.
Even with rescue underway, her adoptive dad couldn’t accept it; a stone pressed his chest.
Days ago she’d nestled in his arms; now she was missing, the house hollow as a shell.
Cai Wenbin heard quickly. The girl he secretly loved was missing at sea, a speck on a vast map.
He had no rescue connections and couldn’t mobilize resources behind his parents’ backs.
“Xiaoxue, please come back safe,” he whispered, helpless as a candle in wind.
In a mountain manor deep in the hills, a young man roared at his people.
“What? Xiaoxue got swept away and is missing?” That was Lin Fan, long absent, now burning hot.
He’d been training in seclusion, yet ordered his men to watch Xiao Qianxue’s daily life.
Of course her sea trip was on that list, a red pin on his mental chart.
“Are you all f***ing brain-dead? You tell me now?” His voice cracked like thunder on stone.
“Find out! If the storm took her, ask those idiots at the meteorological bureau and map its path.”
“Then borrow access to military satellites. Sweep that route like a net, grid by grid.”
“Don’t leave a single patch unchecked. Heard me? Then do exactly what I said.”
Rage made his head swim, but commands fell crisp, like blades into scabbards.
His men scattered to execute; no one knew how far his reach went—military satellites, even.
“Xiaoxue, hold on. I’m coming to get you,” he said, eyes sharp as cut stone.
His face had gained edges; a mature aura bled out, steady as a mountain.
Compared to before, Lin Fan carried a confidence that made people trust and obey.
Meanwhile, the Little Loli kept exploring the island. “Hey... there’s a cave you could live in...”
