A Life Ashore

Chapter 2 - Queenie Xavier

"Behaved yourself, and no wandering thoughts!" Queenie Xavier warned, staring at me. She then leaned a little against me, her eyes looking so aggrieved that it irritated me.

I had offered to help her, and she acted as if being supported by me was like I taking advantage of her.

Clearly, Queenie didn't want me to support her in this way, so she walked briskly. Little did she know, the sandy beach was particularly slippery after the rain. After a few steps, her body swayed, and she fell face down.

In a hurry, I carried her in my arms.

"Who told you to carry me, you filthy rogue!" Queenie screamed and slapped me in the face with a resounding smack.

Feeling frustrated and having been slapped twice today, I instinctively pulled back one hand, covering my face. Without my support, Queenie fell onto the beach again, and her painful scream filled the air.

"Why couldn't you let me down slowly?" Queenie, lying on the ground, screamed in pain, looking at me with tearful eyes filled with anger and frustration.

I was lost for words. Was I wrong whether I supported her or not? No wonder people say that everything has a spirit, but women don't.

I felt like Queenie was one of those unreasonable women!

I had no choice but to ignore her and returned to sit by the bonfire. Queenie Xavier glanced at me, saw that I wasn't coming to help her, and had to pout, limping over by herself.

Luckily, it wasn't a long distance, and she quickly reached the bonfire. With the large rock overhead providing shelter, we were spared from the wind and rain outside.

However, as the space under this large rock was relatively small, if she didn't want to get wet, she had no choice but to sit close to me. Seeing her reluctant and disdainful expression, I felt quite annoyed.

What was she thinking? She acted as if being next to me would defile her purity!

It was truly exasperating. Although I was a bit poor, I was tall and sturdy, not to mention not bad-looking. Besides, we were on a deserted island, and who knew if we would survive? Why couldn't she put away her arrogant pride?

Despite my inner annoyance, sitting with the aloof Queenie felt quite good. This woman, with her beauty and figure, and flawless skin, made me involuntarily think, "It would be great if I could marry such a wife."

However, these thoughts were quickly extinguished forcibly. Why bother thinking about her when she looked down on me so much?

Feeling a bit upset, I didn't want to talk to her. Queenie also thought I had touched her inappropriately, and she ignored me too. For a while, the atmosphere was silent.

Still, I sneakily glanced at Queenie several times. Her lovely face, illuminated by the firelight, appeared even more beautiful. If it were any other day, given the difference in our status, she wouldn't even bother talking to me, let alone sitting together like today.

"Christopher, do you think we are the only ones who survived this shipwreck?" Finally, unable to endure it, Queenie initiated a conversation with me.

"I don't know. I only remember that when the ship capsized, the waves were terrifying. At that moment, everything in front of me was water, and I couldn't see anything. When I woke up, we were already on this deserted island."

"What should we do? Are the others all dead? How could this happen?" Queenie Xavier suddenly became somewhat panicked. Her eyes were misty, and she appeared pitiful, on the verge of tears.

Seeing her distressed state, I felt a pang of sympathy. Queenie usually commanded us with authority in the company, but now looked so helpless, seeking guidance from me. Strangely, it made me feel a bit satisfied.

After a moment of contemplation, I consoled her, "Don't be afraid. With so many people on the ship, any incident at sea would surely have attracted attention. They must have dispatched a special rescue team by now. We will be rescued soon!"

To comfort Queenie, I didn't mention the suspicious details I observed. Our ship set sail from Moonlight Bay, and the incident occurred shortly after. So, we should be in a tropical region, but oddly, I noticed some plants on the island that belonged to the cold temperate zone—coniferous trees covering the beach, which was quite peculiar.

The temperature here was also somewhat chilly, giving me an uneasy feeling. However, in the chaotic state of my mind, I didn't delve into the reasons.

Having heard my words, Queenie seemed to feel much better, her eyes no longer filled with tears. However, she quickly touched her flat, smooth belly, saying, "I'm so hungry, Christopher, do you have anything to eat?"

Hearing her words, I suddenly felt hungry myself. Since waking up on the beach, I had been busy rescuing people and making a fire, not paying attention to my hunger. Now, realizing it, my stomach felt empty, creating a discomforting sensation.

Unfortunately, I had nothing to eat nearby.

I took a deep breath, knowing that survival on this deserted island presented a significant challenge.

Food!

However, having grown up in a rural area, I learned to find food on my own from a young age due to our impoverished circumstances. Sometimes, to get a piece of meat, I would resort to things I never thought I'd do.

Thinking for a moment, I reassured Queenie, "Don't worry, I won't let you starve. I'm hungry too, but now it's raining, and we have to wait for it to stop before we can go out and find food."

It was raining now, and without any medical facilities on the deserted island, catching a cold in this condition would be worse than going hungry.

However, my attempt to comfort Queenie didn't make her happy. She looked at me disappointedly, not believing my words. Not let her starve? It was a deserted island; could we simply find food?

"Save it. Perhaps we'll starve to death before rescue comes," Queenie said disappointedly, rubbing her stomach, opening her cracked lips, and tilting her head to catch the rain, hoping to alleviate her hunger.

I didn't respond to her words, closing my eyes instead to conserve energy.

Waiting for the rain to stop was crucial. If I had no energy to search for food later, that would be a real disaster.

As the sky darkened, a sense of foreboding crept into my heart. It seemed like we would spend the first night on this deserted island hungry.

However, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining, and it seemed like fate favored us.

Just as it was about to get completely dark, the drizzling rain that had persisted finally stopped!

I felt a surge of joy, hastily crawling out from under the large rock, and rushing toward the seashore. There were many marine creatures along the coast; perhaps I could find something to eat.

Seeing me leave, Queenie became anxious. She shouted behind me, "Wait for me, I'm scared alone here!"

Hearing her words, I couldn't help but feel amused. She disliked me so much and acted as if just sitting next to me seemed to contaminate her. Why did she still want to follow me?

Thinking like this, I still decided to wait for her. But at that moment, I suddenly noticed a black suitcase floating in the distance among the waves.

How did a suitcase end up washed ashore?

My heart was filled with excitement. Afraid that it might be swept away by the waves again, I quickly ran to the seashore.

After I jumped into the sea, the icy seawater instantly submerged me, but I swam forward with all my strength. Soon, I grabbed the suitcase.

The suitcase felt quite heavy, and the substantial weight delighted me. It seemed like there might be many useful things inside!

While swimming back, despite being adept in water, a mischievous thought of teasing Queenie suddenly crossed my mind.