194: Chapter 194 How did you end up here?

"Before that, there was nothing on the beach."

"After Wang Laoliu went back, what he wanted to do was none of my business. But I knew clearly that if I wanted to leave this Deserted Island, I had to keep my life until the rescue team arrived."

Her tone had no emotional fluctuations, just like stating a clinical fact.

"Coming up, there is at least a place to live and someone to maintain order."

After listening, Lin Fan did not rush to reply.

This logic had no loopholes. A person who had received higher education made a rational decision in an extreme environment, choosing to stay with the side that had the most survival resources.

From the perspective of game theory, this was the optimal solution.

The wind from outside poured into the Karst Cave, blowing the hair stuck to Xu Zhixia's cheeks backward a bit.

Lin Fan did not speak.

Xu Zhixia's gaze shifted to Yang Ningcong and paused for a few seconds.

"Also, he is my employer."

"The contract says full accompaniment, from departure to return voyage." Her tone was very flat, "We haven't returned yet."

Liu Feifei muttered softly from the side, "What time is it, and you're still talking about the spirit of contract."

Xu Zhixia ignored her.

Lin Fan actually smiled, not because he was moved by the spirit of contract.

But because he felt this reason was very interesting.

For someone to bring up a contract at a life-or-death moment, either their professional ethics were truly top-notch, or they were using the contract as an excuse with their real purpose hidden behind it.

"Just this?"

Xu Zhixia was silent for a short moment.

"There is one more reason."

She turned around and looked deep into the Karst Cave.

"Su Qingxue."

When this name came out of her mouth, her tone was a bit different from the previous sentences.

Earlier, when talking about survival strategies, environmental assessment, and contract obligations, her pitch had been very steady, like doing a preoperative consultation.

When mentioning Su Qingxue, her voice softened by half a notch.

"She is my friend."

Lin Fan looked at her.

Xu Zhixia added, "We met when we were studying in the UK. She studied business, and I studied clinical medicine. We lived in the same dormitory building, two doors apart."

She didn't elaborate.

Lin Fan didn't ask her to elaborate either.

He had no interest in hearing stories between best friends.

But this information point was very critical.

If the relationship between Xu Zhixia and Su Qingxue was true, then her final layer of motive for coming up made sense.

Survival was the first layer, the employer was the second layer, and Su Qingxue was the third layer.

The three layers were stacked together, and each layer stood on solid ground.

Lin Fan stepped aside, "Go on in, Su Qingxue is inside."

Xu Zhixia didn't ask much and entered the Karst Cave.

The smell of smoke, blood, and meat in the cave mixed together, choking one's throat with astringency.

As soon as she took two steps, she saw water, cured meat, rattan baskets piled by the stone wall, and a few sharpened bamboo spears.

This wasn't a makeshift shack cobbled together by a group of castaways.

It looked more like a small stronghold.

Xu Zhixia glanced around. Su Qingxue's shipwrecked cruise ship had more than a hundred people, yet here, it seemed Lin Fan was the only one able to move around.

For one person to support so many people on a Deserted Island showed that he had ability.

It showed that her choice was not wrong.

Xu Zhixia withdrew her gaze.

Lin Fan followed behind her. The curtain was lifted, and the light inside the compartment was even darker.

Su Qingxue lay on a soft cushion, covered with a coat, with dried sweat still on her forehead.

She was sleeping very lightly. Hearing the movement, her shoulders twitched first, and before she was even fully awake, her hand had already grabbed a stone beside her.

Xu Zhixia stopped her steps.

She looked at Su Qingxue for two seconds, her brows furrowing down.

"Qingxue."

Su Qingxue's eyelashes moved, and she opened her eyes.

She saw Lin Fan first, and her tense hand relaxed a little.

Her next glance fell on Xu Zhixia.

Su Qingxue froze all over.

"Zhixia?"

As soon as these two words came out, her throat was terribly hoarse.

Xu Zhixia squatted down, reached out to press her shoulder, without hugging her or making a fuss by shouting.

She simply took the stone from Su Qingxue's hand and put it aside.

"It's me."

Su Qingxue stared at her for a few seconds, as if to confirm that the person in front of her was not an illusion.

Then, her eye sockets turned red.

But she didn't cry.

This woman could scold people with a cold face even when a report went wrong in the company. Now, fallen into this ghost place, she had to swallow even her tears back.

Xu Zhixia put her hand back under the coat, felt her pulse, and flipped open her eyelids to take a look.

"How long has it been since you slept well?"

Su Qingxue didn't answer.

Xu Zhixia asked again, "Did you hear gunshots just now?"

Su Qingxue's throat moved, "Mn."

"Do you have chest tightness, numbness in your hands and feet, or ringing in your ears?"

"Yes."

"Want to vomit?"

"Yes."

Xu Zhixia nodded, "Excessive fright, plus dehydration, hypoglycemia, and long-term sleep deprivation. Not a big problem, you can still hold on."

Su Qingxue looked at her, "How could you be here?"

"It's a long story."

Su Qingxue closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was much steadier than when she first woke up.

Having Xu Zhixia by her side was in itself a dose of a sedative.

In civilized society, they were separated by two majors, yet they lived in the same dormitory building.

At that time, Su Qingxue had not yet taken over Shengtang, and Xu Zhixia had not yet become the private doctor of the Yang Family.

The two of them cooked noodles in the dormitory kitchen in the middle of the night. Su Qingxue thought instant noodles were cheap, and Xu Zhixia said if you don't eat, you go hungry.

Later, Su Qingxue actually ate them.

And she ate two packs.

That kind of relationship didn't need much explanation.

Lin Fan stood by the curtain, watched this scene, and spoke, "Is she really a doctor?"

Su Qingxue raised her eyes to look at him.

This question was asked very directly.

And very Lin Fan.

"Yes." Su Qingxue answered decisively.

Lin Fan didn't move.

Su Qingxue added, "In civilized society, you couldn't hire her even with money."

Xu Zhixia glanced at her, "Don't hype me up."

Su Qingxue's throat was still hoarse, "I'm not hyping you up. Your resume, placed in a top-tier Class III Grade A hospital in China, would be fought over by departments."

"I don't even have shoes right now."

Hearing this, the stone in Lin Fan's heart dropped by half an inch.

The identity matched, and the person could be used; that was enough.

He did not continue to ask about the best friend's bond, nor did he waste time reminiscing.

"Dr. Xu, someone here was bitten by a poisonous insect. Can you save him?"

Xu Zhixia raised her head, "How long ago?"

"Bitten in the middle of last night."

"Bite location?"

"Calf."

"Has it been treated?"

"Tied off, incised to bleed, rinsed with mineral water, scorched with fire once, and applied with herbal medicine externally."

Xu Zhixia stood up.

"I'll go take a look now. Qingxue, we can chat later..."

Su Qingxue nodded.

Xu Zhixia's professional reaction was very fast—so fast that one second she was still comforting Su Qingxue, and the next second she was lifting the curtain and walking out.

Lin Fan followed her out.

Su Qingxue propped herself up to sit and wanted to get out of bed too.

Lin Fan turned back to look at her, "You lie down first."

Su Qingxue's movement stopped. She pressed her lower lip and pulled her feet back.

Outside, Zhou Kai leaned against the stone wall with half of his leg elevated. Herbal medicine and plant ash were applied around the wound, a cloth strip was tied tightly above his knee, and a row of empty mineral water bottles was placed next to him.

He was still awake, but his whole face was turning grey from the pain.

Xu Zhixia squatted down. She first checked the binding position, then looked at the color of the instep, and pressed Zhou Kai's toes.

Zhou Kai trembled from the pain, but he bit hard and made no sound.

Xu Zhixia asked, "Can you move your toes?"

Zhou Kai gritted his teeth and moved them twice.

"Is it numb?"

"Numb, like it's burning."

Xu Zhixia lifted the dressing.

The herbal medicine was soaked dark by blood, a cross incision had been made at the wound, and there were burn marks on the edges.

The treatment method was crude, but the direction was right.

She glanced at Lin Fan.

"Did you do this?"

"Mn."

"Who taught you?"