When Lu Jinghuai said they should elope, he truly took Ji Nian and ran away.
By the time Shen Qingtang received the news, the two had already landed.
"What’s this island called?"
Ji Nian, wearing a sunhat, held Lu Jinghuai’s hand as they walked.
"I call it X11."
Hearing the name, Ji Nian laughed.
Others might not understand, but Ji Nian did.
X11 was the name of an island from a famous animated series in Country O, where the protagonist and his little monkey were shipwrecked and stranded on an uninhabited island ruled by a red-haired orangutan. The island was home to 11 types of fantastical creatures—mermaids, winged beings, and other mythical species.
The protagonist, a human, stood out starkly on the island. Though he faced many challenges at first, he overcame them with his wit and ingenuity, eventually befriending the island’s inhabitants. With their help, he finally made his way back home.
Ji Nian had watched this series before—in a parallel world, where she’d watched it with that world’s Lu Jinghuai.
"You’ve seen it?"
Lu Jinghuai noticed her reaction and realized she recognized the reference.
Ji Nian nodded. "Why this name? Does your little island also have a red-haired orangutan?"
Lu Jinghuai chuckled. "No orangutan, but there are monkeys."
She found it amusing that Lu Jinghuai had named his island after an animated series. She wondered if, back then, he’d hoped for his own magical adventure to unfold.
Thinking about it, Lu Jinghuai was really—
[Adorable.]
Though he didn’t understand why Ji Nian was suddenly grinning at him, Lu Jinghuai didn’t mind. He leaned in and kissed her.
After all, there was no one else around. This was their private world.
True to his word, Lu Jinghuai took Ji Nian to feed the monkeys.
Since they were wild, the two kept their distance, sitting on a rocky outcrop while watching the monkeys play on the beach.
"There’s a cave nearby with ancient murals on the walls. Want to see them?"
Ji Nian thought for a moment. "Is it far?"
Lu Jinghuai said it wasn’t.
He had Ji Nian wait while he went to fetch something, returning shortly with a kayak.
"Hello, beautiful lady. Need a ride?"
His hair had grown longer lately, so he’d braided the loose strands. A single fang-shaped earring dangled from his ear—the one Ji Nian had given him was safely stored away before their trip.
He’d muttered something about monkeys possibly stealing it or losing it in the sea, so he’d tucked it away carefully. While exploring local stalls earlier, Ji Nian had spotted this handmade earring and bought it for him—the one he wore now.
With only Ji Nian around and no reporters in sight, Lu Jinghuai was completely relaxed, his posture lazy.
Ji Nian stepped closer. "I’ll take the ride. What’s the fare?"
The man in the kayak tilted his head, squinting playfully at her. "Hmm."
"A kiss will do."
Ji Nian climbed aboard smoothly, adjusting her seat before hooking an arm around his neck and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "There. Now, Captain, set sail."
Lu Jinghuai adjusted her life jacket. "Aye aye."
The cave’s entrance resembled a bat with wings spread wide, its mouth agape. As they paddled closer, Ji Nian craned her neck to gaze at the towering stone walls, marveling at how they seemed to loom precariously overhead.
Inside, the cave was dim. Lu Jinghuai navigated effortlessly, avoiding jagged rocks without even looking.
The cave teemed with insects—some Ji Nian recognized, others she didn’t.
One creature, half the size of her palm, was entirely translucent. Its body resembled a centipede, but it had mantis-like forelimbs. If not for a familiar plant nearby that caught her eye, she might have missed it.
Lu Jinghuai, however, was knowledgeable. "This is a cave-dwelling insect. An elder once told me it’s highly venomous. Long ago, someone tried to catch it, got bitten, and within half an hour, they were convulsing—dead. Their blood supposedly turned transparent, like the insect’s body."
"But it won’t attack unless provoked."
Most people would be terrified hearing this, but Ji Nian’s eyes sparkled with fascination.
Venomous? Highly venomous??
Truthfully, Ji Nian wasn’t all that interested in murals. She’d come hoping to discover unfamiliar flora or fauna.
Lu Jinghuai knew this. He pulled a jar from a bag—prepared in advance for moments like this.
"Want to catch one?"
He shook the jar teasingly.
How could she refuse?
Lu Jinghuai began setting up the trap.
"Though venomous, these insects aren’t good climbers. They love a certain moss here."
He paddled forward, pointing to a patch on the cave wall.
Using the paddle, he scraped some moss down and fashioned a simple trap. Luring the insect into the jar, he pulled a string, sealing it inside.
Unfortunately, the insects were scarce. After some effort, they only caught three.
Still, Ji Nian was pleased. Cradling the jar, her emerald-green eyes flickered with excitement, a faint, eerie smile on her lips. "You better stay alive."
She longed to study them immediately, but conditions weren’t ideal.
After leaving the cave, Lu Jinghuai made a call. Soon, someone arrived to collect the jar, promising to care for its contents.
Next, they went diving, drifting hand-in-hand among coral reefs and schools of fish.
On a whim, Ji Nian gathered sea urchins, filling a net to the brim. She cracked a few open, feeding them to the fish with Lu Jinghuai.
Dinner was served on the beach. Lu Jinghuai had arranged for a table, utensils, and fresh ingredients to be delivered, then cooked for her on the spot.
Ji Nian was astonished. She remembered a time when Lu Jinghuai couldn’t even distinguish vegetables, yet now he moved with practiced ease.
Noticing her surprise, he glanced up. "I had my father find someone to teach me."
It had started after a fever, when he’d tasted He Xiang’s pear soup. From then on, Lu Jinghuai resolved to learn cooking.
Now, at last, the skill had its moment.
The thought of Lu Jinghuai secretly learning to cook, just to impress her someday, made Ji Nian want to laugh.
"Confess. What else have you been learning behind my back?"
Placing a freshly grilled oyster on her plate, Lu Jinghuai leaned close, whispering in her ear, "I’ll show you. After my performance… want to try it?"
Ji Nian: Try what?
Soon enough, she found out.
Lu Jinghuai proceeded to demonstrate—
Tying a knot with one's tongue.
Ji Nian: Stunned Speechless.jpg
In the end, Ji Nian didn’t try it, and Lu Jinghuai didn’t bring it up either—no one knew what he was plotting.
They had nearly explored every corner of the island together, walking hand in hand under a sky full of stars, their faces radiant with joy as they headed back.
The island boasted a small castle, meticulously replicated to match the one owned by the red-haired orangutan island chief from X11.
Lu Zhi doted on her child, indulging Lu Jinghuai’s whimsical side—not only was there a castle, but many of the surrounding structures and decorations were also modeled after the animated series.
Had Lu Jinghuai not insisted on preserving the island’s natural beauty, Lu Zhi might have transformed the entire place into a carbon copy of X11.
Back at their lodging, Ji Nian took a shower first. When she stepped out, she found someone in her room.
Lu Jinghuai was sitting on her bed, hugging a plush toy she had brought from home. The golden tips of his hair were slightly damp, clinging to the slender curve of his neck, while droplets of water trailed down into the exposed expanse of his chest where his collar hung open.
He simply sat there, staring straight at Ji Nian, offering her a smile that was deceptively ‘well-behaved.’
“It’s so dark at night. I want to sleep with you.”
