Airlines have scheduling needs for their flight routes. After landing, Wei Hanyan waited another twenty minutes before taking off again for the Bahamas.
This time, Wei Hanyan was traveling on Second Brother Wei’s private jet, which Zhong Ziyan noticed seemed slightly smaller than Wei Hanyun’s.
As usual, Zhong Ziyan inspected the interior of the plane to confirm there were no safety issues before settling in comfortably.
Since it was a private flight, Zhong Ziyan and Wei Hanyan headed straight to the island instead of the Bahamas airport, while the others who had chartered the plane had departed a day earlier.
Even with a direct flight, the journey to the Bahamas took over ten hours. Zhong Ziyan, well-trained in adjusting to time differences, quickly synced her schedule with Clouder Island’s time.
Wei Hanyan, less experienced, looked thoroughly exhausted when she woke up.
As the plane glided slowly over the ocean, Zhong Ziyan could already see several small islands scattered in the distance.
She had initially worried that the island’s landing strip might not be large enough, but upon spotting the neatly marked runway and parking spaces along the coast, she realized her concerns were unfounded.
Not only could it accommodate two planes, but even two more wouldn’t be a problem.
There was even room for a row of helicopters.
The island was only about half-developed, with lush forests covering half of its expanse.
It was early morning, and the tropical sunlight was intense, clearly illuminating the white sandy beaches and coconut trees near the shoreline. From above, the island resembled a halved honeydew melon.
A few kilometers from the coast stood an old, weathered house with local architectural features, clearly uninhabited for years—it looked almost like a haunted mansion from afar.
Wei Hanyan leaned against the window, resting her chin on her hand as she admired the emerald waters and white sand. "Wouldn’t it be better to clear out some of that forest?"
Zhong Ziyan didn’t respond immediately.
It wasn’t her fault—the combination of "deserted island" and "jungle" immediately conjured up another pair of notorious companions in her mind: monsters and annihilation.
To be thorough, Zhong Ziyan carefully scanned the ancient-looking forest and confirmed that aside from some venomous snakes and spiders, there were no real dangers before replying, "It’s fine like this. We can keep pets here."
Wei Hanyan gasped, her eyes sparkling. "We could raise dragons… uh."
She awkwardly bit her tongue.
For a moment, Zhong Ziyan actually questioned her own common sense: Did dragons exist in this world?
"Never mind," Wei Hanyan quickly changed the subject as if nothing had happened. "Auntie, are you hungry? I was thinking we could have a seafood barbecue buffet for our first meal here. How does that sound?"
Zhong Ziyan: "…" It’s my island, and the staff are yours—why emphasize "buffet"?
It’s not like we have to pay.
…Well, technically, their salaries are already covered.
"The chefs arrived by sea and will bring the freshest seafood to the island every day," Wei Hanyan said excitedly. "I wonder how the coconuts from those trees taste."
As they spoke, the plane descended further, bringing the island’s scenery into sharper focus.
Wei Hanyan pulled out her phone to snap photos and post on Weibo: "Vacation time~"
Her account wasn’t private, and netizens often jokingly referred to her as the "Wei family’s eldest granddaughter." With millions of highly active followers, her posts always garnered instant engagement.
The moment she uploaded the photos, comments flooded in.
[Shocked—what kind of beach is this with no people in sight? Private beach?]
[Wait, is this taken now? It’s nighttime here. Definitely not Hainan, Sanya, or Southeast Asia.]
[The real deal—a rich, beautiful heiress off on another luxury vacation, complete with that familiar private jet… Let’s all type "jealous" in the comments!!!!]
[Didn’t the Wei family just hold a big gathering a few days ago? Things went quiet afterward, and people were speculating about internal drama. But now the eldest granddaughter’s already out vacationing?]
[Wait… zoom in on the window reflection. Is that another girl faintly visible? Did she bring a friend? [Microscope-level screenshot attached]]
Wei Hanyan rarely checked the comments under her posts. After uploading the photos, she put her phone away and fastened her seatbelt.
The plane soon landed smoothly under the pilot’s expert handling.
The moment it stopped, Wei Hanyan eagerly unbuckled and stood up. "Auntie, let’s go."
Their luggage would be handled by the staff, and the butler, who had arrived ahead of them, greeted them with a smile.
Stepping out of the cabin, they were immediately met with the salty sea breeze, carrying the unmistakable scent of summer.
The unrelenting sunlight beat down mercilessly, and even the butler seemed noticeably tanner than when they’d last seen him two days ago.
Wei Hanyan hesitated at the cabin door, recoiling from the scorching heat, then glanced at Zhong Ziyan.
Standing under the blindingly white sunlight, Zhong Ziyan looked even more radiant than usual, her skin glowing as if lit from within. The sun seemed to cast a soft filter over her, yet every strand of her hair remained perfectly in place, as if she weren’t standing in 38-degree heat at all.
Wei Hanyan watched enviously before finally gritting her teeth, throwing on a sun-protective jacket, and stepping out under an umbrella. She quickly dashed to the beach-ready SUV, where the air conditioning revived her.
Peering out from the car, Wei Hanyan asked, "That house on the island isn’t livable, is it?"
"Not yet."
"Are we staying in tents, then?" Wei Hanyan asked hesitantly.
"We bought something livable," Zhong Ziyan said, pointing toward the horizon. "That."
Floating above the water was a peculiar, two-story structure that seemed anchored in the sea. Modern and stable, it stood firmly despite its unconventional location.
"It’s nicknamed the Noah’s Ark. It’s fixed with hydraulic pillars," Zhong Ziyan explained, feeling particularly satisfied with this purchase. "It runs entirely on solar power and can even be relocated—like a portable house."
A self-sustaining mini-base that could be moved around was far more flexible than a traditional house.
While moving it might be a challenge for most people, for Zhong Ziyan… as long as no one was watching, it was a breeze.
This floating house, originally designed by an avant-garde architecture company, had struggled to sell due to its price. But Zhong Ziyan had discovered it just in time after learning that the island only offered tents and temporary shacks.
The "Ark" spanned over 400 square meters, fully furnished, and naturally priced like a luxury home—over 40 million yuan.
For an additional fee, the manufacturer was more than happy to upgrade the interiors with even more lavish touches.
Like a million-yuan Hästens mattress or a 300,000-yuan Dyson air purification system.
When Zhong Ziyan was at Tingshan, she found the mattress exceptionally comfortable and initially assumed it was some kind of cutting-edge technology. It was only after asking the butler that she learned such a mattress—one expensive enough to buy a house—existed in the world.
After purchasing the "Noah's Ark," Zhong Ziyan didn’t hesitate for a second when upgrading its interior—she immediately opted to replace the bed with the same luxurious mattress.
Wei Hanyan spared no effort in showering her with praise: "Auntie, you’re amazing! I had no idea something like this existed! Now we won’t have any issues with accommodations!"
True to her youthful habits, Wei Hanyan immediately pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of the floating house, which appeared to hover above the sea from a distance, then posted it on Weibo with the caption: "Staying here for the next few days. Just gained some bizarre knowledge!"
The comments section erupted first with confusion—"What even is this??"—before a knowledgeable netizen swooped in with a detailed explanation, complete with the price tag.
[I’m so jealous. Why haven’t I unfollowed the princess yet?]
[This is literally a whole house!! I’m not envious!! Not at all… sobs]
[Being rich must be nice.]
[Being rich must be nice +10086.]
[A rich, beautiful girl’s friends must also be rich and beautiful! Show us who it is!]
The off-road vehicle came to a stop in front of the floating house. Wei Hanyan dashed inside the moment she stepped out, escaping the direct sunlight before slathering herself with sunscreen as if it were free.
Under the island sun, getting a tan took no effort at all—just a matter of minutes.
Wei Hanyan inspected her exposed feet and noticed the faint outline of her sandals already forming, which made her sigh in resignation.
After diligently reapplying sunscreen to every inch of exposed skin, she was about to call Zhong Ziyan over to join her when she noticed the latter standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor, searching for a charging port to plug in her phone.
—Of course, a beauty like her wouldn’t get tanned.
In that moment, Wei Hanyan fully understood the envy expressed in her Weibo comments.
If she had to sum it up in one word? Bitter.
She approached Zhong Ziyan with the sunscreen. "Auntie, what are you looking for? You should put some on—the fairer your skin, the easier it burns."
"I don’t mind the sun," Zhong Ziyan replied simply, shaking her phone. "It’s out of battery. Wei Hanyun asked me to call him once we landed to confirm we arrived safely."
"Use mine!" Wei Hanyan handed her phone over like an offering to a superior. It wasn’t until Zhong Ziyan thanked her and walked away that she suddenly frowned, sensing something was off.
—She had just used Zhong Ziyan’s phone before boarding, and it had been at over 70% charge. Plus, the plane had charging ports. How could it have died so suddenly?
Detective Hanyan poked the phone left on the table—sure enough, the screen was black, completely powered off.
Her imaginative young mind immediately spun three dramatic scenarios, all involving the mysterious number Wei Hanyun had ordered blocked.
Zhong Ziyan’s call ended quickly. When Wei Hanyan took her phone back, she deliberately asked in a casual tone, "Auntie, how did your phone run out of battery? Didn’t the plane have charging ports?"
"Well…" Zhong Ziyan hesitated.
Wei Hanyan’s heart skipped a beat.
Even though the family privately gave Zhong Ziyan an adorable nickname, that didn’t mean Wei Hanyan saw her as just a cute and harmless person.
On the contrary, Zhong Ziyan fit the description of "ruthless and sparing with words" perfectly—the kind of person who made you think "big shot" the moment you laid eyes on her.
In all the time Wei Hanyan had spent with her, this was the first time she’d seen Zhong Ziyan hesitate.
—A fourth dramatic scenario took shape in her mind! Damn it, who was that mysterious caller…?
"I wasn’t really interested in mobile games before," Zhong Ziyan finally said. "But I accidentally downloaded one and got hooked. It drained my battery before I realized it, and by then, the plane was already descending."
Wei Hanyan: "…"
She let out a long sigh, unsure whether it was relief or disappointment.
"Mobile games are easy," Wei Hanyan shared her wisdom. "Just find the in-game shop, tap the 648-yuan option, and you’re set. If that’s not enough, tap it again."
