SA 11.1

The dark blue seawater surged around them. Even through the churning waves, Ye Jingsheng could still make out Pei Jun’s furious, frustrated expression from afar.

Heh… Pei Jun, for me to make you show such a face, how could I ever deserve such an honor?

Back in the training camp, you told me that as a police officer, even if your closest kin died right in front of you, you’d still have to prioritize completing the mission.

You did it.

But I couldn’t. I never could.

Lost in thought, Ye Jingsheng felt a sudden cramp seize his left leg. He struggled to stay afloat as seawater surged into his mouth and nose, choking him.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

He shouldn’t have let his mind wander back there.

His movements grew frantic as the water closed in around him, cutting off his air. His throat burned, and a sharp pain spread through his chest. He frowned. This suffocating sensation felt eerily familiar, just like five years ago.

A hand gripped his arm, pulling him into an embrace.

Through his blurred vision, he couldn’t make out who it was. Warm lips pressed against his, tiny bubbles rising between them. Ye Jingsheng’s eyes flew open, and then he saw clearly.

It was Fang Yang.

He started struggling in the water, his black hair spreading wildly around him. Fang Yang clung tightly, holding his sinking body, and once again forced air into his lungs. Ye Jingsheng turned his head, but Fang Yang grabbed his chin and forced it back, methodically transferring every bit of air from his own lungs.

With a loud splash, Ye Jingsheng was dragged to the surface. Water streamed endlessly down his face as he remained dazed, lost in his thoughts for a moment. Fang Yang, supporting him with one hand, growled in his ear, “You idiot! You’re already done after swimming this little? Where was all that bravado when you dragged me into the water?!”

Ye Jingsheng shook his head, pushing the memories aside.

That’s right. He was Ye Jingsheng, the carefree wanderer who treated everything lightly. He’d never look back on the past again.

—-

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining down on the beach.

Fang Yang slowly opened his eyes. His clothes had already dried, leaving coarse salt crystals on the wrinkled fabric. It scratched uncomfortably against his skin, and he frowned, shifting to tear off the now-misshapen garment, but suddenly, a sharp blade pressed against him. With a ripping sound, the knife sliced through his shirt, grazing his skin. A playful voice rang out, “Not bad, nice body.”

Fang Yang scowled, yanked the shredded fabric off, and stood. “Now you notice I’ve got a good body?”

A sly glint flashed through Ye Jingsheng’s eyes before his expression returned to normal. He got to his feet as well. “Where the hell are we?”

“I don’t know.” Fang Yang glanced at the sky. “Probably washed up on some deserted island.”

Ye Jingsheng chuckled. “Stranded on a desert island? Sounds romantic.”

Fang Yang glanced at him, momentarily taken aback. The vulnerable expression Ye Jingsheng had worn amidst the crashing waves last night now felt like a fleeting illusion.

The Ye Jingsheng standing before him seemed far more real. Fearless, a carefree rogue who laughed his way through life.

“Stop with the nonsense. We better not die in this godforsaken place before Liao Qiu gets here to rescue us.”

Fang Yang grabbed the Swiss army knife from Ye Jingsheng’s hand, bent down, and sliced the bunched-up legs of his pants, freeing his limbs for easier movement.

Ye Jingsheng grinned lazily. “You’re right. Before the cavalry shows up, we’d better find somewhere to settle down, don’t you think?”

“Look for locals—”

“If this really is a deserted island, where would the locals come from? We’d probably die of thirst or hunger before anyone even finds us.”

Only then did Fang Yang realize the severity of their situation. He’d spent his life walking the edge, licking blood off the blade, but at that moment, he’d have gladly returned to the blood-soaked battlefield rather than face their current predicament.

Ye Jingsheng watched Fang Yang’s shifting expression with amusement. He raised his wrist, palm up, and adjusted his watch until the hour hand pointed at the sun. Studying the angle between the hour hand and the 12 o’clock mark, he traced a bisecting line with his finger and said, “That’s south. We’ll mark this spot so we don’t lose our way.”

Fang Yang was completely taken aback. Ye Jingsheng’s survival skills were far beyond what he had expected. He followed him to a low-lying, sheltered cave, which would serve as their temporary hideout. For someone like Fang Yang, who was used to being in control, this was an unsettling experience.

What baffled him even more was Ye Jingsheng’s ease in the wilderness. His instincts and precision felt less like learned skills and more like the training of a seasoned special forces soldier.

“Thirsty?” Ye Jingsheng suddenly turned to Fang Yang and asked. Fang Yang shook his head. He couldn’t bring himself to admit his stamina might be worse than Ye Jingsheng’s.

Ye Jingsheng pulled him outside and tossed him a knife. “Drink this.” He gestured to a cluster of half-human-height, greenish plants at the cave entrance. Fang Yang’s face stiffened, his stomach twisting at the thought. This… he wasn’t actually expected to chew them, was he?

Ye Jingsheng crouched down, gripping the stem of the plant with one hand while swiftly cutting at its base with the other. A stream of clear liquid spurted out, and he tilted the stem toward Fang Yang. “Drink,” he said firmly.

Fang Yang hesitated. Ye Jingsheng smirked and added, “Or you can drink seawater.”

Drinking seawater would only lead to a slow death from dehydration. With a resigned sigh, Fang Yang leaned in to sip the liquid. The taste was strange, but it eased his thirst more than he expected.

Once done, Ye Jingsheng cut another stem, peeled off the tough outer skin, and bit into the tender core inside. As he chewed, he glanced at Fang Yang and explained, “This is wild plantain, also called traveler’s banana. You can find it across the jungles of the Americas. When there is no water source nearby, this plant will keep you hydrated and fed.”

Fang Yang remained silent, gripping his knife and mimicking Ye Jingsheng’s actions. As he cut into another plant, a spray of white liquid splattered across his face. Ye Jingsheng quickly raised a hand to stop him. “That’s not wild plantain,” he said. “The liquid from the cut is milky white. This tree’s sap is poisonous. Drink it, and you’ll shit yourself to death. For us, there are only two types of plants. Edible and not edible.”

Fang Yang tossed the plant aside and sat on the ground. After a moment, he muttered, “Us? You mean you and Pei Jun?”

Ye Jingsheng said nothing.

Fang Yang tilted his head back, looking up at him. “I should’ve known. Pei Jun has a soft spot for you… it’s obvious you two go way back.”

Ye Jingsheng let out a short laugh. “Should I be grateful for his mercy?”

Fang Yang replied calmly, “You agreed to help me blow up the cargo just to settle a score with him, didn’t you? That is exactly the kind of person you are, always driven by your whims.”

Ye Jingsheng glanced at him, then sat down beside him. “You’re right. He used to be my partner… and my teacher.”

Abandoned at an orphanage as a child, Ye Jingsheng had matured early. He had learned the law of the jungle young. An orphanage wasn’t a place of brotherly harmony. To be adopted by a good family, to get a little more food, or even to have a chance at school, every child had to face the harsh reality of survival of the fittest.

But Ye Ling was different. Unlike the others, he never had to fight for scraps or struggle for attention because Ye Jingsheng had done it all for him. By the time Ye Jingsheng became the de facto leader of the orphanage and met Xiao Jie, his younger brother remained blissfully unaware of life’s hardships. Always a step slower to react, Ye Ling had been shielded from the worst of it. Ye Jingsheng often joked that the kid was dumb as hell and would probably choke on water without him.

But no matter how much he teased, everyone knew better than to cross the Ye brothers. Ye Jingsheng was like a coiled snake, always watching, always ready. Anyone who dared to touch his weak spot would face a deadly bite.

Ye Ling was his weak spot.

He sacrificed everything for Ye Ling, including the opportunity to attend school and the chance to be adopted by a respectable family. When Ye Ling was finally taken from the orphanage in a sleek black limousine, envied by everyone, Ye Jingsheng secluded himself in the warehouse and drowned his sorrows with bottle after bottle of alcohol.

He knew that was what was best for Ye Ling. But it also meant he would never see him again.

That same night, he slept with Xiao Jie for the first time.