Chapter 69
Without the yachts, the sea returned to its former tranquility.
The weather is fine today, and the sea is calm, so even though it is deep sea, the surface is very calm.
The two were in the sea, rising and falling with the waves, but perhaps because they could breathe easily, they were able to remain relatively calm.
Looking at the boundless sea around them, Xiang Wan was still speculating in her mind about their approximate location and how long it would take for Chen Yan and the others to realize they were missing.
Although she felt desperate, she forced herself to relax and stretch her body so that more of her body could be above the water.
She glanced at her watch and noted down the time they fell into the sea. While she was still keeping track of the time, she heard Zhou Xinyi calling her from the side: "Sister Xiang Wan."
Xiang Wan kicked her foot in the sea to face her, thinking that she would ask her what to do.
Unexpectedly, the first thing Zhou Xinyi said after falling into the water was:
"Sister Xiang Wan, I didn't push you."
"..." Xiang Wan blinked, truly stunned by her thought process.
They are now adrift in the deep sea, like duckweed with nowhere to go. She doesn't even dare to think about the dangers they might face, yet Zhou Xinyi's focus is on this.
And of course she knew that it wasn't Zhou Xinyi who pushed her in. Although she was very close to Zhou Xinyi when she fell into the sea, there was no contact between them.
Xiang Wan was about to say that she knew, but Zhou Xinyi, seeing that she was not speaking for a long time, thought that she did not believe her, and then went on to explain at length:
"It really wasn't me. Even though there were only the two of us on the deck, I swear, I absolutely didn't push you..."
She wanted to continue, but Xiang Wan interrupted her, saying, "I know you didn't push me, and you wanted to save me."
Although both of them fell, Zhou Xinyi did indeed try to save her.
Seeing that Xiang Wan believed what she said, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and the expression on her face relaxed a lot.
Seeing Zhou Xinyi's relieved expression, Xiang Wan seemed to have temporarily forgotten their predicament and couldn't help but tease her, "Does our current situation really matter that much?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xinyi's expression became much more serious: "It's very important."
Xiang Wan managed to laugh despite her predicament. She had been a bit stubborn in her past life, and that trait remained unchanged in this life, making her seem even more adorable.
The two of them lay on their backs in the sea, so relaxed that it seemed as if they were swimming on their backs rather than falling into the sea.
On the vast sea, it was so quiet that not even a bird could be heard. They tried to call for help, but no one could hear them.
The sea stretched as far as the eye could see, and there weren't even any fishing boats passing by. Fortunately, they hadn't encountered any sharks in this area, or they would have been in grave danger.
They were miles from the shore, and the two of them couldn't tell which way they were going or where this place led. So they could only drift with the sea and let the current carry them away.
Zhou Xinyi lay in the sea, her mind blank, while Xiang Wan looked at her thoughtfully.
She had already sensed the extent of Zhou Xinyi's change. In her previous life, she was a brother-obsessed woman who would stop at nothing to be with Zhou Chengze.
However, in this life, although her feelings for Zhou Chengze remain unchanged, she first tried to matchmake him with her, and now she jumps into the sea to save him.
If it was all for the sake of putting on a show for Zhou Chengze, risking one's life is far too much of a gamble.
Moreover, Zhou Chengze's changes made Xiang Wan feel somewhat melancholic, and all of this made her start to think about a question—
Is it that the two siblings' personalities changed drastically because of her rebirth, or is it that everyone in this world's personality and behavior are all serving the plot?
Because of the needs of the plot, they will also be portrayed with corresponding personalities.
Everything they did in their previous life was because of the plot, not because they were truly like that.
If her idea is correct, then the invisible hand that wants her dead is very likely the author of the original book.
It's not because she's the "white moonlight" character and should be removed from the story, but because her current behavior violates the plot, which is why the other party wants to kill her.
When Xiang Wan realized this, she felt a chill run down her spine. Over the years, she had been pondering: who exactly was the mastermind behind it all?
But like a puzzle piece that was always missing, she couldn't find the missing piece, nor could she understand why the other person wanted to kill her. Only now did she suddenly realize everything.
From her first ascent of Moon Cliff Mountain where she fell into a dry well, to her second encounter with an avalanche while skiing in Northern Europe, to her near-death experience in an apartment fire after taking fever-reducing medication, and this latest fall into the sea is her fourth time.
According to the plot, Xiang Wan was supposed to choose to sponsor Zhou Chengze in Lijia Village, let him step on her to rise to power, and then obediently leave the show when he loved her the most.
However, she did not do that. First, she changed her beneficiary and chose to sponsor Chen Yan, and then she kissed him and developed a romantic relationship with him.
She was formally rebelling against her fate. Although her resistance was small and weak, the author still saw it and decided to take her off the show early.
So now she has fallen into the sea.
Although Zhou Xinyi was originally slated to be the female lead, she was abandoned by the author because she disobeyed the author's wishes, tried to match her with Zhou Chengze, and even attempted to save her from being discarded.
Everything makes sense now. Why have Zhou Chengze and his sister changed so much compared to their previous lives? And why have people tried to kill her time and time again?
After analyzing everything, Xiang Wan deduced that the reason the author hadn't been able to kill her yet was because she couldn't come to this world directly and could only change some elements through the plot, which is why she encountered such strange things every time.
As she was still pondering the details of each of her near-death experiences, Zhou Xinyi, who was beside her, seemed to have noticed something amiss and asked her, "Sister Xiang Wan, don't you think something's a bit strange?"
"What's wrong?"
Zhou Xinyi looked at her and said, "When I saw you fall into the sea, I was trying to pull you up, but I felt like someone was pushing me from behind."
Recalling the scene, her face turned pale: "But there were clearly only the two of us on the deck."
"Could it be a ghost?" Zhou Xinyi muttered to herself.
It was as if she was scaring herself; she turned pale with fright, while Xiang Wan, standing to the side, blinked slightly after hearing it.
Knowing the inside story, she naturally knew that what Zhou Xinyi said was true.
But if her guess is correct, given the other party's ruthless style, those who know the inside story will all die.
Although Zhou Xinyi couldn't save her, she genuinely wanted to. Besides, she had been dragged into the sea by Zhou Xinyi, and Xiang Wan didn't want Zhou Xinyi to be targeted by the author hiding in the shadows.
Therefore, she did not respond to her guess, but casually changed the subject: "Zhou Xinyi, why did you jump into the sea to save me?"
Xiang Wan just wanted to change the subject, so she asked a casual question.
However, Zhou Xinyi, who was opposite her, was a little embarrassed when she heard this: "Sister Xiang Wan, I have something to tell you."
"What?"
"I did initially intend to pull you up, but I didn't jump into the sea to save you. Actually, I was pushed in..."
"..."
After asking the question, Xiang Wan thought about what she had just said and realized the flaws in her question, but she still couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
"..."
"..."
Neither of them spoke, and both felt awkward. The silence of the sea only added to the awkwardness, and neither of them would look into the other's eyes.
The awkwardness only eased as darkness fell and the two could no longer clearly see each other's expressions.
But as night fell, the fear they faced was magnified many times over.
The two could no longer see each other clearly, and could only determine each other's location by the sound of water as they moved.
"Sister Xiang Wan, it's been so long, how come my brother and the others still haven't realized we're missing?"
On the yacht, apart from the somewhat dim-witted Che Nanbei and Jiang Zhuochun, neither Chen Yan nor Zhou Chengze were careless people.
It's not that they haven't been discovered yet, but rather that they simply can't be found.
Just like back then, in that dry well on the top of Moon Cliff Mountain, even though the trio and the search and rescue team had already searched that area and heard their voices, they just couldn't find them.
Those on the yacht may have realized that they had fallen into the sea, but perhaps some kind of barrier, or perhaps the author behind it all, had used some means to prevent them from finding them.
But waiting for rescue with no hope at all is not a good thing, so Xiang Wan knew this, but she didn't say anything to her.
She glanced at Zhou Xinyi, then at her watch, feeling a sense of despair, but she couldn't tell the truth: "Maybe they'll find us by dawn."
The problem is that they have been soaking in the water for almost eight hours without drinking a drop of water, and they only ate a box of cream puffs for lunch.
They could endure hunger, but they could not bear thirst. There was an inexhaustible supply of seawater before them, yet they could not drink a single drop.
Not only Zhou Xinyi, but even Xiang Wan's lips were peeling due to dehydration.
Moreover, they were not only thirsty, but also extremely exhausted.
Although they were lying on their backs in the sea and didn't have to do anything, just maintaining one position, coupled with the high level of mental tension, pushed their physical abilities to their peak.
But no matter how devastated they were, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and bear it.
These seemingly endless hours passed, and another three hours went by. It was now close to 3 a.m., and they had been soaking in the sea for a full 12 hours.
"Sister Xiang Wan, I feel like I can't hold on much longer." Zhou Xinyi licked her lips, but it didn't relieve her thirst.
She had lost count of how many times she had licked her lips: "If I die, please comfort my brother and tell him not to be too sad."
Xiang Wan was still a little sleepy, but when she heard this, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Zhou Xinyi's love-struck mind was still the same in this life.
Just as she was trying to bring her back to her senses, she sensed a sound in the distance: "Zhou Xinyi, can you hear anything over there? Is there a sound?"
"What was that sound? I didn't hear it."
Just as Xiang Wan thought she was hallucinating, a faint light appeared at the edge of the sea. The light was very faint, but it seemed exceptionally bright to the two people who had been adrift in darkness all night.
"Sister Xiang Wan!!!! It's a cargo ship!!!"
Zhou Xinyi was so excited that she thought she was dreaming until she held Xiang Wan's hand and felt her body temperature, and then she realized that she was still alive.
"They might not be able to spot us if we're too far away, so we'll swim over."
"good."
They waited all day before a cargo ship passed by, and the two men dared not relax, swimming forward with all their might.
Zhou Xinyi grew up in the river ditch of Lijia Village, so her swimming skills were naturally much better than Xiang Wan's, which is why she swam much faster than Xiang Wan.
Xiang Wan was also swimming forward desperately, but perhaps because she had been floating in the water for too long, her limbs were cramping and she couldn't move for a while.
She could even feel herself slowly sinking, her body feeling as if it weighed a ton, constantly plummeting downwards...
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