The cave was warm.
The firewood crackled, illuminating the spacious cave.
A row of smoked fish hung on a long stick propped against the wall. The woven palm-leaf basket in the corner was filled with various wild fruits and vegetables.
A slender figure sat by the firelight, skewering a processed, plump sea bass on a thin branch, slowly rotating it over the simple grill. From time to time, she pinched a bit of brownish-green powder from a bamboo tube with her delicate fingertips and sprinkled it over the bubbling, greasy fish meat.
This was certainly not cumin or chili powder, but crushed wild pepper.
Where did the pepper come from?
It was, of course, picked nearby.
This was the south of the swamp region, located in the island's southwest bay. Not only was the terrain flat and vast, but because a freshwater river, formed by the convergence of water from the island's high ground, happened to flow through the jungle near this bay, resources were extremely abundant. Various wild fruits and vegetables were everywhere.
Moreover, the coast was mostly a shallow sea reef area, home to large numbers of shallow-sea fish. Just a few simple fishing traps would provide a steady supply of grilled fish. Even better, close to the tropical dense forest, there was a cave on the rock face that was high up, away from the beach, and quite spacious inside.
If Chuck and Julia, who started at the Southern Beach, had been on Normal Difficulty, and the Gu mother and daughter, at the Eastern Beach, had been on Easy Difficulty, then the person who started in this Southwest Bay was probably in the legendary God Mode.
However, a perfect start seemed to be business as usual for her.
Tang Yumo, twenty-nine years old, came from a highly educated family, was exceptionally beautiful, and had been excellent in academics since childhood. Everything had gone smoothly for her; she was the quintessential "child everyone else's parents talked about."
She went from the city's best middle school to the best high school, then entered the provincial famous normal university—her parents' alma mater—with a top-ten college entrance exam score. She was active in the student union during her four years of college, participated in various competitions, and smoothly transitioned into a teaching position at her former key high school after obtaining her master's degree at twenty-five. She didn't teach graduating classes or act as a homeroom teacher. She attended classes when scheduled and left when done, spending her free time reading, gardening, and cycling. Her life was peaceful and elegant…
Aside from being single to this day, there was nothing to fault in Tang Yumo's first half of life.
She was naturally beautiful, and her appearance, education, family background, and income were all top-notch. She had countless suitors since childhood. When she first started working, calls for matchmaking came to her parents every so often. The reason she had no romantic experience to date, and her most intimate contact with a peer was a polite handshake, was not surprising:
Her standards were too high.
Because Tang Yumo had good family education and traditional values, she firmly believed against dating while in school. After graduation, her perfectionist personality, developed since childhood, made her determined that if she were to date a man, she must ensure they would go all the way—marriage, children, and growing old together.
Therefore, she had to be extremely cautious in her selection.
She was 168 cm tall, so her partner should be at least 180 cm. She was stunningly beautiful, so her partner didn't need to be handsome but should at least have balanced features and be pleasing to the eye. She had a master's degree from a prestigious university, so her partner didn't necessarily have to be better but should at least have a top-tier undergraduate degree. She was a teacher in the public sector with a monthly income of over 10k RMB, so her partner should at least have a reliable, stable job. Her family was wealthy. She didn't require much about his background, but she was almost thirty. If she were to find someone of a similar age, even if he didn't own a house or car, he should at least have some savings, right? She had never been in a relationship, so her partner's dating history should also be clean—at least no more than two exes, right?
Furthermore, she couldn't tolerate smoking or drinking. Being untidy was also unacceptable. And even if all requirements were met, she first needed to see if they had common ground, or else the rest of her life would be torture…
The final result was that in the last two years, no one had approached her parents for a blind date anymore.
She still occasionally received messages of concern from former male classmates she knew from high school and the student union in college, but their intentions were too obvious, which made her uncomfortable.
Her female friends, her best friend since childhood, and her college roommates all got married and had children one after another, leading happy lives. Seeing her thirtieth birthday approaching in another year, she suddenly felt the misconception of being left behind by her peers.
During the long summer vacation, she returned home but was so irritated by her parents' nagging that she lost her temper. She then bought a ticket to Hawaii alone, intending to travel abroad to clear her mind.
Unexpectedly, in the end…
Sitting alone in the firelit cave, Tang Yumo looked at the fish in her hand, which was gradually getting scorched, and suddenly felt no appetite.
She had thought she was still young, and even if she was alone now, she would surely meet the right person and have a happy relationship soon.
But now, it was likely that such an opportunity would never come.
No, maybe…
Thinking of this, Tang Yumo suddenly recalled the figure she had glimpsen far away in the swamp that afternoon.
It was a person walking with a staff, seemingly injured, but judging by the back, it appeared to be a young man.
When Tang Yumo saw the person, she initially thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. After the plane crash, she hadn't seen a single piece of wreckage in this bay, and she had once thought she was the only one on the entire plane who was lucky enough to drift to this deserted island via the ocean currents.
But now, it seemed there might be other surviving passengers on the island, just that they landed on a different part of the island than she did.
Thinking of this, Tang Yumo gave a self-mocking smile.
She really must be going crazy.
Stranded on this deserted island, could she possibly fall in love at first sight with a random stranger she encountered?
Not to mention, what happiness could there be left on this desolate island?
But then again.
Had she ever, even once in her life, been genuinely moved by a man?
As this thought arose, Tang Yumo by the firelight suddenly froze.
Deep in her memory, a lean, nostalgic figure inexplicably surfaced in her mind.
It was during her university days.
In the summer vacation of her sophomore year, to gain life experience, Tang Yumo and her roommates rented an apartment near the school and found several summer jobs to earn money for her next year's tuition.
One of her jobs was tutoring English for a high school sophomore.
The boy was thin, very introverted, avoided eye contact when speaking, had some teenage acne, and was unremarkable in appearance.
The boy spoke softly but was very polite. Every word she spoke and every grammar point she explained during lessons was listened to and memorized. She never had to repeat a single concept more than twice, which gave her, a student of education, a top-tier teaching experience.
It was from that time, for some unknown reason, that Tang Yumo began to develop a slight crush on the boy over the course of their meetings…
Unfortunately, the feeling merely flashed through her heart and was quickly suppressed. At that time, all her energy was focused on student union work and various on-campus and off-campus competitions. She never considered romance, not even a thought.
But soon, something happened that caught her off guard.
The month and a half of English tutoring passed quickly. As the new semester approached, Tang Yumo came to the boy's house for the last tutoring session. She used a self-prepared and printed test paper to check his learning progress over the past period.
In the end, the boy finished the test paper, and the excellent test score proved that his English level had indeed improved significantly.
However, at the end of the test paper, there was a confession that stunned Tang Yumo.
Upon seeing the confession, she put down the test paper and found that the boy, breaking his usual introverted habit, had bravely looked up and met her eyes.
It was then that she felt her heart suddenly skip a beat.
An unprecedented feeling arose.
But reality was not fiction. Even if she had a crush, it was impossible for her to have a relationship with a high school sophomore. So, she did not respond, nor did she ignore it. Instead, to the boy's dismay and horror, she calmly handed the test paper with the confession to his mother.
She sincerely apologized and fully refunded the tutoring fee she had earned.
As expected, the boy's mother was furious, scolding and berating the boy mercilessly in front of her. The mother also insisted on paying the tutoring fees, but Tang Yumo refused.
Tang Yumo still remembered the look of shame on the boy's face.
But this was her code of conduct: always act with a clear conscience.
He must have graduated from university now, or perhaps he's in graduate school, or has a job, right?
Come to think of it, today is Saturday.
On a rare weekend, maybe he's out shopping with friends, or staying home watching movies and playing games? If he already had a girlfriend, maybe he's on a date with her?
As this thought crossed her mind, an uncontrollable sense of loneliness surfaced in Tang Yumo's eyes.
She discarded the grilled fish, which she had only eaten a few bites of, turned around, and slowly lay down on the grass mat deep inside the cave, leaning her back against the firelight.
Looking at her shadow on the rock wall, Tang Yumo closed her eyes in exhaustion.
Come to think of it, what was that boy's name again?
Ah.
I remember.
It seemed to be…
"Wait! Chuuuuck!!!"
Gu Yitong screamed, tearing Chuck's hand away from her mouth, but before she could finish, Chuck's strong and powerful waist, like a stud dog, descended heavily without mercy!
And so, under the unwavering gaze of Gu Momo's watery eyes, the long spear fiercely stabbed into her mother's body.
In that moment, Gu Yitong's body suddenly arched backward. The expression on the beautiful, mature woman's face instantly shattered. Her mature, beautiful feet twitched wildly, her red lips opened into an O-shape, and a shriek like that of a female beast emerged from her throat.
A trickle of blood fell like a red thread. Chuck also felt a strange sensation. He looked down, satisfaction in his eyes.
I didn't expect that. She really was…
Honestly, a woman over thirty who's still a virgin is, in a way, a rare find.
The intense pain made Gu Yitong's eyes unfocused. The unfamiliar and terrifying feeling of fullness and tearing almost completely swallowed her.
But what followed was an unprecedented intensity of excitement.
Just now, under the watchful eyes of her daughter, Gu Momo, this man had mercilessly…
…taken the most important thing a woman can possess: her virginity…
This thought flashed through Gu Yitong's mind. Instantly, the bloodstains below were washed away by a surge of fluid. The shattered expression on the mature woman's face was replaced by a sick, dazed smile.
Chuck noticed the change in her body and easily guessed her inner monologue. He cursed her with a smile, calling her a puppet, and immediately switched on his uncompromising, high-speed motor mode.
Should I go slowly and gradually increase the speed because it's her first time?
Don't be ridiculous.
That was the treatment reserved for Julia, and perhaps for Gu Momo one day, but as for Gu Yitong, this puppet?
She was only worthy of being treated like a piece of meat, to be used as he pleased.
And so, a furious storm erupted. The long spear relentlessly scraped against the bloodied flesh. Screams were incessant.
Gu Momo, watching from the side, was flushed crimson. The black-framed glasses on her delicate little nose had slipped halfway down. Her eyes were blank and vacant.
Chuck… he really started doing that thing with Mom…
She watched her once icy mother being forcefully pinned beneath a man, her pale, large buttocks convulsing with exaggerated ripples, and her small hands unconsciously reached down again.
As the one being invaded, Chuck's assault clearly exceeded Gu Yitong's capacity to endure.
"Whoah-ho-ho-ho!"
Gu Yitong's screams grew even more high-pitched under the storm of thrusts, eventually turning into a series of incomprehensible syllables.
To Chuck's ears, it truly sounded no different from a wild animal.
"Damn… keep it down! Someone is trying to sleep!"
Even Chuck was startled by her sudden, loud cry. He angrily slapped her cheek again, but this time, instead of crying, she pressed even tighter against him.
Just as Chuck was about to look back, accompanied by a familiar scent, a pair of small hands suddenly wrapped around him from behind, gently embracing Chuck's waist.
Julia's voice, full of seduction and provocation, sounded in his ear.
"Yes, just like that, darling."
Chuck's movements at the waist didn't stop. He turned his head slightly and made eye contact with the foreign woman, who had been woken up by the noise and was draped in a blanket over her pale body. He gave her an apologetic smile.
But just as he was about to apologize, Julia suddenly leaned forward and gently kissed his lips. Then, she glanced at the woman pinned beneath him, a smile playing on her lips.
"Darling, can you be rougher?"
"Since she likes to be a dog, don't treat her like a person."