Volume 1 Chapter 20: Earthquake

“Don’t move, hold still, Miss!”

At this moment, he truly understood Lin Yao’s feelings.

Even though he wasn’t afraid of snakes, if one slithered inside his clothes, he would tremble all over, his hair standing on end.

And right now, his danger was no less severe.

A dozen adult silver-ringed snakes were less than two meters away from him.

Originally, his plan was to lure these snakes away, but an unexpected twist had disrupted it.

The tension in the air had reached its peak.

The other women had their voices raised to the highest pitch, their eyes fixed intently on Lin Yao—especially on the spot on her chest where the snake’s head pressed against her. Their fear was overwhelming.

At the same time, they felt immense sympathy for Lin Yao.

And at this moment, Lin Yao remained utterly still. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to move; she desperately wanted to. But she was so frightened that her whole body had gone weak, her mind blank, completely unable to think.

She seemed as if her soul had fled her body—at least one part of it had been scared away.

Her pale face and vacant eyes spoke volumes.

“Rumble—”

Just as everyone’s nerves were stretched taut, a deafening sound erupted.

Immediately after came a violent shaking of the ground.

Two words flashed through their minds: earthquake!

Because the rumble wasn’t thunder, though they couldn’t identify the sound, the violent shaking of the earth that followed led them to that conclusion.

The dangers of this deserted island had already made their hearts pound wildly.

Now, with an earthquake added to the mix, they truly feared that one day the sea might swallow them whole.

Such thoughts were fleeting, because just then, Ye Feng suddenly noticed that all the silver-ringed snakes around them had slithered away, retreating with astonishing speed—far faster than when they had arrived.

This scene surprised Ye Feng, but more than that, it brought relief.

At least the immediate danger was over.

Yet when he looked at Lin Yao’s still pale face and the slight bulge in her clothes over her chest, he was speechless.

Everyone else had left, but this thing still clung on? Was it that stubborn?

Clutching his Swiss Army knife, he slowly approached Lin Yao.

As he reached her side, Lin Yao’s vacant gaze suddenly brightened with a flicker of life.

“Don’t move!”

Ye Feng warned her hurriedly.

He crouched down cautiously, knowing he had no absolute confidence in this delicate situation.

One wrong move and he might hurt Lin Yao.

On a deserted island, a bite from a silver-ringed snake could mean certain death.

Luckily, Lin Yao’s upper garment was loose-fitting today.

Combined with her slight forward lean, it created more space around her chest.

And there, he spotted the snake’s exact position.

He took a deep breath and gave Lin Yao a reassuring look.

In the next moment, he moved swiftly, grabbing the snake’s head firmly.

He succeeded, though he also caught hold of some softness along the way.

His breath quickened a bit.

“Ah—Ye… Ye Feng, hurry and get it off!” Lin Yao screamed, unable to bear the contact any longer.

“Miss, don’t move. I’ve got it. If you move now, it could slip away, and if it bites you, don’t blame me,” Ye Feng cautioned.

Lin Yao’s nervous movements, combined with his momentary distraction, had nearly caused him to lose his grip, prompting his warning.

She immediately froze.

Meanwhile, he gently pinched the snake’s head with his other hand.

The snake wasn’t large or fully grown, so he felt confident in holding it.

He separated the snake from Lin Yao’s soft flesh.

“Don’t move. Watch what I’m doing. Don’t blink!”

From now on, everything was under his control.

Time to show off.

His other hand slipped inside Lin Yao’s chest area.

The inadvertent brush made his heart skip a beat.

Seeing Lin Yao’s exquisite face, he thought how fortunate he would be if she were truly his girlfriend.

Without hesitation, after securing the snake’s head from inside, he smoothly pulled it out under the watchful eyes of the women.

In no time, he extracted the snake’s gallbladder, skinned and de-veined it, and resumed preparing the barbecue.

“Wah—”

Lin Yao, alive after such a harrowing ordeal, couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into loud sobs.

“Such a quiet night—if you keep crying, you’ll attract wolves. Tonight won’t be easy for us,” Ye Feng teased.

“Ye Feng, watch your mouth!” Chen Jing shot him a glare.

Anyone would have broken down after what just happened.

They had narrowly escaped death, and the emotional turmoil was more than they could bear.

Lin Yao’s reaction was perfectly normal.

She didn’t speak, but her tears ceased, and she quietly sobbed on her knees.

After a long while, when the others had fallen asleep, Lin Yao slowly lifted her head.

She glanced toward Ye Feng not far away and walked over.

“Ye Feng, thank you,” she whispered.

“No need to thank me. But what you said before—does that still count?” he asked.

Under the faint moonlight, her stunning face was clearly visible.

Especially with the trace of recent tears, her delicate and moving appearance stirred an urge in him to pull her close.

But he knew he couldn’t do that—it would be taking advantage of her vulnerability.

Since his image had grown strong and noble, he wouldn't crumble now.

“What did I say before? I was too scared to remember,” Lin Yao replied curiously.

Ye Feng was momentarily stunned, then laughed and shook his head.

“Just kidding. You didn’t say anything. Hurry back and rest. Tomorrow we need to find a safer spot. This place isn’t safe at all.”

He felt a bitter pang inside.

But only briefly, because he had long expected this outcome.

Besides, he knew well that for someone like Lin Yao—a wealthy young lady—if they managed to escape alive, their time on the island would probably just be an unforgettable chapter in her life.

Of course, over time, his presence in her heart might fade.

After all, they were from different worlds.

“I want to wash up, or else I won’t be able to sleep,” Lin Yao said shyly.

“It’s too far from the sea here. You should hold off,” Ye Feng replied.

“I remember there’s a small puddle outside. It collected rainwater during the day. It’s not far. Could you come with me?” she asked softly.

“All right,” Ye Feng agreed, glancing at the sleeping women before nodding.

He took up a baseball bat and led the way out of the cave.

Sure enough, not far to the left of the cave entrance, a shimmering pool of water glistened.

“Ye Feng, if we all get out of here, I’ll repay you properly. Right now, I don’t have the heart for anything else—I just want to survive and go home,” Lin Yao suddenly said as she walked to the puddle and began washing herself simply.

Ye Feng turned slowly, the bitterness in his heart deepening.

Because in her words, there was a hint of calculation.

Honestly, he could have braved this island alone—his confidence was greater that way.

But now, with these women relying on him, his conscience wouldn’t allow him to abandon them.

Facing life and death, no one would risk rescuing strangers out of pure kindness.

To be frank, not only Lin Yao but also Gao Fei’er, Chen Jing, and Lin Xiao Xiao all hoped to depend on him to make it out alive.

But would they really survive?

That was a question with no answer.

Ye Feng sighed deeply, staring up at the moonlight above, lost in thought.

“Ye… Ye Feng, could you come here for a moment?”

At that moment, Lin Yao’s slightly shy voice called out.