There were far too many people who could've been suspects like Chen Mo, and after the initial investigation, he wasn't even near the top of the list.
He had already planned everything carefully before disappearing — even instructing his parents on how to handle the money.
Zhou Tianhao was no law-abiding citizen; he had committed plenty of crimes, and fearing exposure, had hidden a fortune in cash and untraceable bank cards registered under fake or stolen identities.
After sorting through everything, Chen Mo had only taken cash and a few cards that couldn't be traced.
The cash was disguised as savings and borrowed funds to pay for "medical expenses."
His family was relatively well-off; it wasn't strange for them to have tens of thousands saved, and borrowing from relatives or colleagues to raise a few hundred thousand more made sense. It was enough to sustain them until things cooled down — then, he could start using the rest of the money gradually.
So, the police never focused their investigation on Chen Mo. Their inquiries stopped at a routine background check.
They didn't even know he'd been aboard the crashed flight.
When Chen Mo had left, he hadn't told anyone where he was going. His parents didn't know he'd gone abroad, and when the news broke about the plane crash, they had no idea their son had been on that flight — until the airline called.
The moment they learned Chen Mo's fate was unknown, they were devastated. But with Chen Jingde still in the hospital, they couldn't afford to collapse.
They could only follow the news every day, praying silently that their son might somehow survive.
Meanwhile, back on the island—
Zhang Xin and Xu Qing stared in confusion at the three foreign men blocking their way. Normally, those three kept entirely to themselves — never greeted anyone, never even looked their way. So why were they suddenly approaching them now?
Before the girls could react, one of the men lunged forward and snatched the cans from their hands.
"What are you doing?!" Zhang Xin shouted furiously.
The two girls stood their ground like angry kittens, glaring up at the much taller men, their eyes full of defiance.
The men only sneered in contempt.
"These came from the plane, didn't they? Then they belong to everyone. Why should you two get to keep them? From now on, everything you find has to be split evenly! Don't you people believe in fairness and communism?"
They'd been watching. For days, these "useless weaklings" they'd abandoned had somehow managed to keep finding biscuits and cans. The foreigners had searched too — in vain — and jealousy had been festering ever since.
Today, after catching barely any fish, seeing the girls find food again had finally made them snap.
They didn't seem to realize the hypocrisy — they'd never once shared their fish with anyone else.
Selfishness was one thing. But to demand generosity from others while keeping everything for yourself? That was beyond shameless.
From the treeline, Chen Mo's expression turned cold as he watched.
The three foreigners strutted proudly with the stolen cans, completely unaware of the danger quietly watching them.
At that moment, the noise drew attention from the main camp — the others came running toward the beach.
Seeing the furious girls and the cans in the men's hands, everyone instantly understood what had happened.
The bodyguard stepped forward and blocked their path.
"What? You want a fight?" one of the men snarled, raising his spear.
All three brandished their sharpened weapons, eyes full of hostility. They were used to conflict, muscles hardened by fights — and armed with spears, they had little to fear from a group of hungry, exhausted civilians.
The others outnumbered them, yes, but only the bodyguard was capable of fighting. Three men this size, with weapons in hand? Even he wasn't confident he could win.
"Let them go," said Su Wan, her voice calm but cold.
She'd seen it too — the odds weren't in their favor. The men had already taken the food; they weren't about to give it back. Their arrogance, and the sweat glistening on the bodyguard's forehead, told her plainly that pressing the issue would be dangerous.
If he got hurt, they'd lose their only defender — and on this island, that could mean death.
Better to back down, for now.
The bodyguard exhaled in relief, glancing at the elderly man beside him, who gave a weary shake of the head.
You can't reason with people who steal by force. If you can't win, then endure. There would be time to settle things later.
After the foreigners left, Su Wan crouched beside the girls.
"You're not angry that I let them go, are you?" she asked gently.
Both shook their heads.
"We know. If you fought, Brother Wang might've gotten hurt," said Xu Qing.
"But what about next time?" Zhang Xin muttered, clenching her fists. "They'll just come back for more!"
Su Wan stroked their hair softly but spoke with quiet resolve.
"Tonight, everyone makes their own spear. From now on, you two don't go anywhere alone. If they try to take from us again — we fight."
Her gentle tone carried a steely determination.
From the forest, Chen Mo's eyes lingered on her for a moment. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
So this delicate-looking woman had some steel in her after all.
"Su-jie's right," Xu Qing said, baring her little white teeth. "Next time, I'll bite them!"
Su Wan couldn't help but laugh. It seemed the girls didn't need comforting after all.
Of course, she didn't know that in the girls' minds, the three foreigners were now the ultimate villains — and their superhero would surely come to punish them soon.
As they trailed behind the group on the way back, Zhang Xin suddenly stopped with a soft gasp and ran toward the edge of the sand where it met the forest.
There, lying on the ground beneath a tree, were two cans of food and a sealed stick-shaped package.
The girls froze — then their eyes lit up with joy. The image of that tall, black-clad figure flashed vividly in their minds.
Excitedly, they picked up the cans and tore open the package — revealing a bar of chocolate.
The two of them cheered, grinning from ear to ear.
Watching them, Su Wan smiled too, though a faint unease crept into her heart.
This spot was far from the shoreline — much too far for the tide to have brought anything here.
And what were the odds that three separate items would wash up together like this?
Meanwhile, back at the foreigners' camp—
The three men returned triumphant, laughing loudly.
One of them couldn't wait; he popped open a can, and the rich aroma of meat filled the air. His stomach growled audibly as he swallowed hungrily and brought the can to his lips.
Then, suddenly—
A sharp crack!
He cried out as pain lanced through his arm. His hand jerked involuntarily — and the can went flying, spilling its contents all over the ground.
The precious food was ruined.