Desert Island Girl (Pure Lily) - Chapter 30.1

“Ah—!”

In the morning, Mu Xiaoyang suddenly shouted loudly and sat up straight from the bunk bed!

“Phew…”

Damn it! When did she fall asleep?

Breathing lightly, Mu Xiaoyang touched her sweaty forehead: She felt like she had a nightmare or something.

Hmm… She couldn’t quite remember…

People are like that; after waking up, if not careful, they quickly forget the dreams from the night before.

Rubbing her throbbing temple with her middle finger, Mu Xiaoyang’s peripheral vision suddenly noticed: On her palm, a thin, diamond-shaped, pale birthmark appeared at some point.

Turning her hand, Mu Xiaoyang saw a similar mark on the back of her hand, looking like a scar left by a sharp object piercing through…

When did it appear?

Whatever, it was probably from getting bitten by some bug while searching for fish mint yesterday.

Mu Xiaoyang didn’t have time to think about such trivial matters: She had accidentally fallen asleep! How was Jiang Ning now? Did the fish mint help her fever go down? Was she getting better?

Quickly lifting the blanket, Mu Xiaoyang looked toward Jiang Ning’s bed but found she wasn’t lying there. Instead…

She was lying flat on the ground?

Not only was she on the ground, but the blanket covered her entire body—including her head…

Bai Niao, Yi Yun, and Lin Tingting stood beside her, their expressions solemn and heavy, undisturbed even by Mu Xiaoyang’s earlier shout.

Barefoot, Mu Xiaoyang walked forward in a daze.

She glanced at Jiang Ning, fully covered by the blanket, then at the silent girls: “Why… why is Ning sleeping on the ground? What are you all standing here for?”

“Xiaoyang…,” Yi Yun looked at her sadly and shook her head silently.

“…”

In that instant, Mu Xiaoyang seemed to understand something.

She tilted her head in disbelief at the other girls, a complex wave of indescribable emotions surging in her heart.

In the end… was everything in vain? No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she hoped, Jiang Ning still didn’t make it…

Lacking the courage to lift the blanket, Mu Xiaoyang didn’t dare look at Jiang Ning again—she suddenly felt so tired…

She thought she would collapse and cry hysterically, but she didn’t—she was surprisingly calm.

Stepping back two steps, Mu Xiaoyang turned and walked unsteadily out of the tent.

The forest after the rainstorm regained its vibrant life, the air carrying a long-lost scent of fresh soil.

Bright rainwater pooled in puddles on the ground, like clear mirrors.

Finding a fallen log, Mu Xiaoyang sat down dejectedly.

She looked up, slightly opening her mouth, and gazed blankly at the dotted sky through the dense branches.

So quiet, not a single sound, as if everything was frozen…

Mu Xiaoyang inexplicably recalled a line of poetry: Looking back at the desolate place I came from, there is neither storm nor clear sky…

She turned her head toward the tent, her beautiful eyes filled with sorrow: When they first arrived on the island, all five of them were disheveled but happy.

Now, in the blink of an eye, only four remained.

She… had tried her best, truly tried her best!

She clenched her fists: But her strength was too weak to save Jiang Ning’s life…

Vaguely, Mu Xiaoyang saw Jiang Ning walking gracefully from behind her.

She leaned against a small tree ahead, smiling gently at her.

“…?”

Heh… Was she so sad that she was hallucinating?

Looking at Jiang Ning with longing, Mu Xiaoyang wanted to cry but couldn’t.

“Why the long face, Xiaoyang?”

Jiang Ning’s voice echoed in the forest, sounding somewhat ethereal.

Still the familiar voice, the familiar tone, made Mu Xiaoyang shake her head sadly: “I couldn’t save you… Ning, I’m really… really so sorry.”

“Hmm… Is that so…,” Jiang Ning poked her chin thoughtfully.

She came to Mu Xiaoyang’s side and sat with her on the log: “But I think you tried really hard.”

“Heh, just an excuse—no matter how hard I tried, I can’t bring back someone who’s gone, and those who are gone will never forgive me…,” Mu Xiaoyang now felt that the “Jiang Ning” before her was likely a manifestation of her longing and guilt.

“No way! If Jiang Ning knew, she’d only say to you: Xiaoyang, as a common girl, you did an amazing job!”

Staring at Mu Xiaoyang, Jiang Ning smiled gently at her.

With that, she turned back—Bai Niao, Lin Tingting, and Yi Yun’s heads lined up, peeking out from the tent’s door gap, watching intently…

Jiang Ning turned around, and Mu Xiaoyang couldn’t help but smile through her tears: “That’s definitely the style of the young miss…”

“Hehe, right?” Jiang Ning stood up laughing and looked at the tent: “Then… go say goodbye to her—missing you in her final moments would make her sad…”

“…”

Seeing Mu Xiaoyang hesitate with her head down, Jiang Ning nodded to her: “I’ll go first. Good luck…”

Following Jiang Ning’s steps, Mu Xiaoyang saw her walk back to the tent and soon disappear.

When Bai Niao and the others saw Mu Xiaoyang turn back, they hurriedly pushed and shoved, scrambling to pull their heads back inside…

…

Staring at the soil beneath her feet for a long time, Mu Xiaoyang suddenly stood up.

She looked ahead, showing a confident smile—she decided, at the very least, to send Jiang Ning off with a bright face!

Striding into the tent, Jiang Ning still lay under the blanket.

Bai Niao, Yi Yun, and Lin Tingting were whispering to each other.

Seeing Mu Xiaoyang arrive, they quickly stood straight, showing pained and solemn expressions…

“…”

Mu Xiaoyang wanted to scold them for being distracted at such a time but couldn’t bring herself to reprimand them during Jiang Ning’s farewell.

She held back, silently walking forward.

The others automatically made way for her.

Mu Xiaoyang furrowed her brows slightly and went straight to Jiang Ning.

Kneeling gently, she looked affectionately at the girl under the blanket.

“Hi, I’m here, Ning… I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you…”

Taking a deep breath, Mu Xiaoyang held back the tears in her eyes and forced a smile.

“Um… how should I say this? I won’t ramble to avoid annoying you—I promise! I won’t let you be thrown into the sea. I’ll take you home! To see your mom and dad! You…”

Biting her lower lip, two glistening tears fell onto the soft blanket, quickly forming two wet spots.

Mu Xiaoyang sobbed softly: “Just go in peace…”