Alive, We See Him; Dead, We Find His Body

For three days straight, all rescue teams on the island were deployed to search for the man in white who jumped into the sea to save someone.

Island residents also voluntarily brought out their rubber boats, speedboats, and jet skis to search the nearby waters.

Some even brought in small ships to search farther out at sea.

The incident quickly trended online.

“Shock! Famous game streamer Fang Zhou disappears after heroically saving a drowning girl!”

“Is it worth sacrificing your life for someone suicidal?”

“Friend, I advise you to act wisely, not just bravely!”

Related topics surged to the top of trending lists, sparking heated discussions.

Countless tourists and netizens were captivated, tuning into live streams daily to check on the rescue efforts.

Various forces mobilized, even Fang Zhou’s fan club president, the long-absent Mei Chuan Chuan, hired a rescue team.

Standing on the shore, gazing at the endless sea, someone couldn’t help but express a pessimistic view.

“Sigh! It’s been three days, and still no sign of him. He might have been eaten by large fish or drifted to the open sea. It’s a one-in-a-million chance.”

Someone nearby immediately countered, “Not necessarily. Haven’t you heard of people surviving seven days adrift at sea?”

“Maybe he’s drifted to a small island, starting a Robinson Crusoe-like life.” (tln : english novel about adventuring)

The first speaker muttered, “That’s such a small chance. He’d need survival skills first.”

Most people felt this would likely end in tragedy.

The reason was simple: there are too few lucky ones, and miracles are rare.

“Shh, quiet. His friends and fans might hear you and skin you alive.”

He nudged his companion, gesturing toward a group of young people on the rocks, both men and women, all friends of Fang Zhou, the event’s protagonist.

Li Siming and Zhang Zhiyin looked at the sea with sorrow etched on their faces.

“I thought it was just a regular outing, but who knew this would happen?”

Li Siming’s voice was hoarse. In three days, he’d slept less than twelve hours, waking each time to ask, “Have they found Fang Zhou?”

Each time, he was met with disappointment.

Once a spirited man, he was now unshaven, his eyes bloodshot, his face haggard.

Zhang Zhiyin fared no better.

Upon hearing of Fang Zhou’s disappearance, she immediately joined Li Siming on the island, working tirelessly without proper rest.

Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her frail body swayed in the wind, as if it might be blown away.

Zhang Zhiyin’s lips were dry and cracked.

“Accidents always come too quickly.”

In recent months, due to Qin Yun, Zhang Zhiyin rarely contacted Fang Zhou, barely sending messages.

Qin Yun was possessive; whenever Zhang Zhiyin messaged, Qin Yun would grab Fang Zhou’s phone, sending a selfie of them both.

Once or twice was fine, but it became annoying, so Zhang Zhiyin stopped reaching out.

She only learned from Li Siming that Fang Zhou had gone on a trip with Qin Yun.

“I used to joke that Fang Zhou would die happily under a peony, but now it’s come true. I hope I’m not really a jinx.”

Li Siming, distressed, slapped himself, wishing he could take back his words.

Zhang Zhiyin shook her head, softly saying, “Even if it were someone else, Fang Zhou would likely try to save them.”

“He can swim; he probably found something to float on and drifted out to sea.”

The calm sea shimmered, the rising sun a fiery orb, painting the sky orange-red.

Reflected on the turbulent sea, it merged with the deep blue, creating a mesmerizing scene, a dream sunrise for many.

Behind the beauty lay countless dangers, with many lives lost at sea.

Zhang Zhiyin’s heart was heavy; her words were more for self-comfort.

Li Siming understood, nodding, “Let’s hope so.”

After all, if they didn’t find Fang Zhou’s body, there was still a chance he was alive.

“Let’s not tell his sister for now.”

Zhang Zhiyin doubted Fang Wenjing could handle news of her brother’s disappearance.

She’d just had major surgery and was still in intensive care, needing to avoid extreme emotions.

Li Siming nodded, “I’ll tell everyone not to mention it. We’ll say Fang Zhou is on a business trip abroad.”

“I’ve told the doctors to keep her off her phone, and the trending topics will be removed soon to prevent her from seeing them.”

Zhang Zhiyin knew Li Siming had done well, with nothing more to add.

She sighed deeply, her thoughts drifting far away as she watched the shimmering sea.

On her first day on the island, she sought out Qin Yun for details. The woman, red-eyed and haggard, had searched all night, in poor condition.

In a hoarse voice, she said, “Chu Xinran jumped into the sea, Fang Zhou went to save her, and never came back.”

Qin Yun was no longer the smiling, confident woman, but like a flower battered by rain, ready to break.

Zhang Zhiyin pressed for more, learning the women had proposed to Fang Zhou, but he rejected them, leading to Chu Xinran’s despair.

Now, Chu Xinran had been rescued and taken back to the capital by Chu Xuan, no longer on the island.

To protect Chu Xinran, no videos of the rescue were shared, and her identity remained unknown.

Yet the man who saved her, Fang Zhou, was missing.

This was the opposite of a dream.

Zhang Zhiyin knew dreams weren’t reality.

In reality, Fang Zhou loved Chu Xinran more than in dreams, risking his life for her.

Ironically, Chu Xinran thought Fang Zhou didn’t love her, driving her to suicide.

What is love, that it makes people pledge life and death?