See Through

The cicadas rasped hoarsely, as if heralding the arrival of summer.

Chen Qin sat demurely, chatting with Ye's Father and Ye's Mother, her every word and gesture exuding a ladylike charm that endeared her to them.

"Alright, we’re heading to the company. You two can amuse yourselves."

Breakfast concluded, and Ye's Father and Ye's Mother promptly left, leaving only Chen Qin and Ye Shuang at home.

"Finally!" The moment the elders were out of sight, Chen Qin seemed to burst free from restraint, flopping onto the sofa. "Ye Shuang, fetch Her Majesty the fan—"

"Where’s the fan?" Ye Shuang asked reflexively.

"In your room, duh. Hurry up! And grab me a pair of shorts too… second drawer in the wardrobe. This skirt is so uncomfortable." Chen Qin grinned, seeming even more familiar with the place than Ye Shuang himself.

Ye Shuang paused to recall—back then, Chen Qin had often stayed over, so much so that his wardrobe still held a few sets of her clothes.

At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it. They’d sometimes pull all-nighters gaming and then crash together without a second thought.

Ye Shuang returned to his room and opened the wardrobe. In the second drawer lay Chen Qin’s clothes, along with several neatly folded pairs of underwear.

Ye Shuang: "…"

"Shorts, right?" he confirmed.

"Yep, the hot pants."

Ye Shuang eyed the shorts in his hand—they barely looked longer than underwear.

He handed them over. "Here."

"Woo!" Chen Qin immediately began shimmying out of her skirt.

"What are you doing?!"

"Huh?" She froze.

"Why not change in your room?" Ye Shuang asked.

"Um… is there anyone else here?" Her fingers stiffened as she glanced around.

"No."

"Then what’s the problem? It’s just you." She tossed the skirt aside and slipped into the hot pants, stretching her long, pale legs. "Ah, so much better!"

Ye Shuang: "…"

Come to think of it, this was how things used to be.

Back then, neither he nor Chen Qin had seen it as a big deal.

He sat down, and Chen Qin promptly plopped her head onto his lap. "Turn on the TV, turn on the TV!"

"Right."

But Ye Shuang’s gaze drifted to the clock, its hands inching toward a critical hour.

Time was running out.

The scene before him blurred—white light flooded his vision, accompanied by a deafening ring in his ears—

…

His sight returned to the present.

Inside a rocky cave, atop a makeshift blanket, Chen Qin lay fast asleep. Compared to the girl from his memories, her figure had blossomed, all traces of youthful innocence shed.

Recalling her wild sleeping antics the night before, Ye Shuang couldn’t help but think of the girl who once rested her head on his lap.

Chen Qin was still Chen Qin.

"Ugh…" A wave of dizziness hit him, but after sitting still for a moment, it passed.

The cicadas’ chorus was gone, replaced by the rhythmic crash of waves against the shore and the occasional cry of seagulls.

"I’m back. Wish I could’ve stayed longer." Ye Shuang murmured. Yet seeing his parents again, even in memory, had eased something in his heart.

After all, such moments were luxuries even dreams seldom granted.

He found this new feature of the system invaluable. Though it couldn’t alter the past, simply being able to see his parents and talk to them was enough to bring him peace.

Who could resist the chance to speak with loved ones long gone?

Even if just to say sorry.

Ye Shuang shook off his reverie and stepped onto the beach. The sun blazed mercilessly—without sunscreen, he had to work quickly to avoid getting scorched.

He gathered dark-colored stones along the rocky shore and arranged them into a massive "SOS" on the sand—the universal distress signal, meant to catch the attention of any passing helicopters.

Next came the matter of water and food.

Seawater was undrinkable, so unless he could distill it or find a freshwater source on the island, he’d be in trouble.

Thankfully, the survival kit still had water, buying him a few days—but he couldn’t afford complacency.

"Am I really going to be stuck here forever? What about Yu You?" Ye Shuang gazed at the endless horizon, sighing.

What lay beyond the sea?

"Not even a change of clothes. And even if there were, they’d probably be ruined by seawater." As he spoke, a thought struck him. He glanced down at his swim trunks, then ran a hand over his skin.

"…"

A while later, Chen Qin stretched awake in the cave. "Haaah—"

The moment she opened her eyes, she found Ye Shuang sitting nearby, his dark bangs shadowing a faint, amused glint in his eyes.

"Morning, A-Ye."

"Morning’s long gone," he replied. "Hungry?"

"Coffee."

"None. Only water." He handed her a canteen, its cap already loosened.

She took it and eyed the open lid. "You drank from this?"

"Yeah."

"Good." She tipped it back and gulped noisily. "Ahhh, that hits the spot. Felt like bugs were crawling all over me last night."

"Well, I did see a few spiders burrow into your hair."

"Eek?!"

"Kidding. Let’s get moving." Ye Shuang stood.

"Moving? Where?"

"Back to the hotel. Or did you plan to live here?"

"But… we can’t contact anyone. How are we supposed to—" Chen Qin blinked, then grinned.

"No need to contact anyone. We’ll walk."

"It’s just the other side of the island."

Chen Qin’s smile faltered. "Oh. Oops."

"Honestly, what were you thinking with this wilderness survival act?" Ye Shuang sighed, then pointed at his swim trunks. "These don’t even look like they’ve touched seawater."

"Should’ve stripped you naked when I had the chance…" Chen Qin muttered under her breath. She hadn’t even gotten to have her fun before he figured it out.

This entire setup had been her doing—the so-called "deserted island" was just the far end of her private island.

Another one of her strategist’s brilliant ideas.

"Guess I’ll have to report this to Uncle Chen." Ye Shuang smirked, pinching her cheeks and stretching them sideways.

"A-Ye, I’m sowwy…"

Just then, a strange noise cut through the air.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

Ye Shuang looked up, spotting a helicopter overhead.

"Your people?" he asked.

"Dunno."

A second later, a small figure in noise-canceling headphones peeked out from the cabin.