Desert Island Survival: A Hundredfold Improvement After Having a Baby?

That's a bit harsh.

Xu Zhixia wasn't angry.

She sat down next to Su Qingxue. "I'm not standing next to him."

She said, "I will stand and live."

Su Qingxue's gaze darkened.

Xu Zhixia continued, "Qingxue, I'm different from you. You were protected and raised."

"Most of the evil you've witnessed is behind glass. Corporate infighting, business mergers and acquisitions, family pressure—no matter how ugly, there are lawyers, contracts, police, and the media."

"Not here."

"I heard everything you just said."

Su Qingxue did not respond.

"You said that intern was selfish, that he didn't want to give the decision-making power back to others."

Xu Zhixia turned her head to look at her, "Have you ever thought about this?"

"What?"

"He released Yang Ningcong, and then what?"

Su Qingxue frowned. "Then activate the PLB and wait for rescue."

"No," Xu Zhixia shook her head. "I mean, what will Yang Ningcong do after we release him?"

Su Qingxue remained silent.

Xu Zhixia explained things clearly.

"You know better than I do who Wang Laoliu is."

"He's an assassin the Yang family paid a fortune to hire, not a bodyguard, and certainly not a driver."

Su Qingxue pursed her lips.

"What did that intern do today? He held a knife to Yang Ningcong's neck, shot Wang Laoliu, tied him up, confiscated his gun, and trampled the young master of the Yang family under his feet in front of everyone."

"What kind of personality do you think Wang Laoliu has? Does he think he can tolerate this? If he doesn't kill this intern, how will he ever be able to survive in that industry again?"

Su Qingxue did not answer.

"Yang Ningcong was held at knifepoint, wet his pants, was beaten, and utterly humiliated in front of a woman. Do you think he'll be magnanimous and say 'let it go' when he gets back?"

"When he gets back to Wang Laoliu's side, what's the first thing he'll do? You don't need to guess, he'll point to this cave entrance and say, 'Kill him.'"

Su Qingxue's fingers tightened on her knees.

"Qingxue, this is not a business negotiation. There is no settlement agreement, no confidentiality clause, and no penalty for breach of contract."

Xu Zhixia looked at her.

"This is a life-or-death situation."

Su Qingxue had no intention of taking Lin Fan's life; she believed that she and the Su family behind her could protect Lin Fan.

As long as she gave the word, Yang Ningcong knew he could go back. Considering her and the Su family's reputation, he didn't dare to do anything to Lin Fan.

"Even if we take a step back," Xu Zhixia continued, "even if Wang Laoliu has a change of heart and doesn't kill him, even if Yang Ningcong is so badly beaten that he forgets about revenge."

She held up one finger.

"PLB was pressed. And then?"

Su Qingxue looked up. "Search and rescue response within twelve hours."

"What if they don't come?"

"It will come," Su Qingxue replied quickly. "The 406 MHz band, the international search and rescue satellite system, this is not a toy."

"I didn't say it was a toy," Xu Zhixia said. "I asked, 'What if it didn't come?'"

Su Qingxue stared at her. "Zhixia, you don't understand this. PLB technology is already very mature. It's a military-grade beacon with global coverage. As long as the signal is transmitted..."

"What if it can't be sent?"

Su Qingxue was speechless.

Xu Zhixia didn't pressure her, giving her a few seconds to process it.

Then she said something.

"Qingxue, do you know what Uncle Su did after you disappeared?"

Su Qingxue's expression changed.

"On the first day your signal disappeared, he mobilized all of Sheng Tang's shipping resources to conduct a thorough search of the sea area where you last appeared."

"In the first week, he deployed twelve search and rescue ships and seven helicopters, covering a radius of two hundred nautical miles."

"In the second week, he raised the bounty to 500 million. 500 million for a living person, 200 million for a corpse."

Su Qingxue's throat bobbed.

"In the third week, the bounty doubled, and he directly declared that anyone who could find you, whether a pirate or a fisherman, would receive 1.8 billion."

"Everyone who could be mobilized was mobilized, not including those who didn't want money but wanted to curry favor with the Su family."

"Who wouldn't do it if there's money to be made?"

"The manpower, material resources, and financial resources spent in finding you are unprecedented in history."

Xu Zhixia paused for a moment.

"By the time I set off, the bounty had risen to over five billion."

"Five billion lives lost and two billion bodies lost," Xu Zhixia said. "This number is posted on the international maritime rescue network, and all ships operating in this area around the world can see it."

Su Qingxue felt a lump in her throat and turned her head away.

Xu Zhixia didn't give her time to be sentimental.

"A bounty of five billion, dozens of search and rescue ships, national resources, foreign aid, satellite imagery, thermal imaging scanning, sonar detection, and underwater robots."

"Two months."

"Using the most advanced technology, they turned that sea upside down."

"I couldn't find you."

Su Qingxue turned her head and looked at Xu Zhixia.

Xu Zhixia said, "Your entire cruise ship, hundreds of people, vanished from that area of ​​the sea."

Su Qingxue's lips moved, but no sound came out.

"You told me you believe in technology." Xu Zhixia looked into her eyes. "Okay, I believe in technology. Technology tells me that 5 billion yuan plus the world's top technology plus two months equals zero."

"Then tell me now, what makes you think a single PLB can succeed?"

Su Qingxue opened her mouth.

"Perhaps... the search area was wrong, perhaps the ocean currents scattered the wreckage, perhaps..."

"Perhaps this island can't even send a signal."

Xu Zhixia interrupted her.

Su Qingxue was stunned.

"Perhaps the magnetic field here is abnormal, the compass is malfunctioning, the satellite search is fruitless, and no debris can be found in the area where the signal disappeared."

She listed them out one by one, "Qingxue, you're studying business, you should be calculating probabilities. How much of this, when all these conditions are combined, can be covered by a normal explanation?"

Su Qingxue did not answer.

"I'm not saying there's definitely something supernatural involved."

Xu Zhixia continued, "But you have to admit one possibility: there is some kind of interference around this island that we cannot explain at present."

"It could be a magnetic field, atmospheric refraction, or signal shielding caused by the geological structure of the seabed."

"Perhaps... something is covering this island."

Su Qingxue's back was pressed against the stone wall.

Xu Zhixia continued, "Your father spent five billion yuan and mobilized search and rescue resources across half the Pacific Ocean, yet he still couldn't penetrate this barrier. What makes you think a PLB costing a few hundred thousand US dollars can do it?"

There was a long silence in the cubicle.

Su Qingxue's hands were trembling, but she finally asked, "If you knew you might not be able to get out, why did you still become Yang Ningcong's private doctor and come here?"

Xu Zhixia did not answer that question.

The cubicle was quiet for a moment, then, "Qingxue."

Su Qingxue looked up.

Xu Zhixia didn't look at her, but stared at the sliver of light coming through the curtain.

People's joys and sorrows are not shared.

Su Qingxue frowned, not understanding why she suddenly brought this up.

Xu Zhixia turned around to face her.

"I didn't come here to discuss whether PLB can be deployed."

"So what do you want to say?"