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

"The baby is fine," Xu Zhixia said. "There was no external impact, and the uterus was not damaged."

Lin Fan's breathing eased a bit.

"But she's not in good shape right now," Xu Zhixia said in a low voice. "Stress response, plus the already unstable hormone levels during pregnancy, could trigger uterine contractions if we don't intervene."

"Abnormal uterine contractions are, simply put, a warning sign of miscarriage."

Lin Fan gritted his teeth.

Miscarriage, on this desolate, godforsaken island. There was no emergency equipment, no operating table.

If something goes wrong, it could mean two lives lost.

Xu Zhixia went out, picked up several plants, crushed a dark green leaf between her fingers, and brought it to Su Qingxue's nose.

A slightly bitter, grassy smell wafted through the air.

Su Qingxue's trembling decreased visibly.

The breathing rate gradually decreased from its previous rapid pace, and the unfocused pupils slowly contracted, refocusing.

Xu Zhixia collected the broken leaves and replaced them with a narrow-leaved plant with fine hairs, which she crushed and applied to Su Qingxue's temples and behind her ears.

"Qingxue," Xu Zhixia said calmly, "look at me."

Su Qingxue's gaze slowly turned towards her.

"Take a deep breath, follow my rhythm. Inhale... exhale..."

One, two, three.

Su Qingxue's shoulders slumped down, her fingers loosening from Lin Fan's clothes and gently touching her abdomen.

"The baby's here," Xu Zhixia said. "You touched it, didn't you? It's still here, perfectly fine."

Su Qingxue let out a sob.

It wasn't fear, it was the collapse of surviving a catastrophe.

"Yes, it's okay to cry," Xu Zhixia continued, placing her hand on Su Qingxue's back and patting it rhythmically. "Just let it all out."

Su Qingxue buried her face in her knees, her shoulders shrugging.

Xu Zhixia didn't stop the whole time.

A three-pronged approach: soothing hands, steady breathing guidance, and herbal remedies.

Lin Fan stood to the side, watching this scene unfold.

He admitted that the woman was indeed quite capable.

A dozen minutes later, Su Qingxue's crying gradually subsided.

Xu Zhixia brought over another plant.

She stacked the two leaves together, placed them on a stone slab, and crushed them with the bottom of the bottle. The juice that came out was pale purple.

"It's for calming the nerves and helping with sleep," Xu Zhixia explained without looking up. "It's a natural plant, so it won't affect the fetus."

She applied the juice to Su Qingxue's temples and then let Su Qingxue smell the broken leaves.

In less than two minutes, Su Qingxue's eyelids began to droop.

After struggling for a few moments, it finally closed.

Su Qingxue's breathing became long and even. Xu Zhixia stood up and moved her knees, which had gone numb from squatting.

Lin Fan covered Su Qingxue up and followed Xu Zhixia outside the cave.

The sea breeze blew in from outside, carrying dampness and coolness; it was already completely dark.

"Dr. Xu."

Lin Fan poured water for Xu Zhixia to wash her hands. "Did you see that thing's face clearly?"

Xu Zhixia paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"No, by the time I realized what was happening, I had already been thrown out; I only saw a side profile..."

"Long arms, arched back, on all fours."

"Similar to a monkey?"

Before Xu Zhixia could answer, Zhou Kai interjected from the side.

"Brother Fan, I think that thing looks a bit like a gorilla."

"When I was a kid, I watched animal documentaries, and that's how silverback gorillas walk. They put their forelimbs on the ground, arch their backs, and shrug their shoulder blades high."

"But it's thinner than a gorilla, and much faster."

Lin Fan didn't respond.

Whether it's a gorilla or a monkey, those things can use human shields and calculate when to escape. Just based on that alone, they're not ordinary animals.

"Yo..."

A drawn-out melody drifted from the cave wall.

She leaned against the stone wall. "I just want to ask one question."

Liu Feifei tilted her head and glanced at Lin Fan.

"Lin Fan, where were you when President Su was grabbed by that thing?"

The cave was quiet for a moment.

"President Su is pregnant, her belly is so big, are you letting a pregnant woman and a female doctor walk alone on the beach?"

She clicked her tongue. "Where did you run off to by yourself?"

Liu Feifei's gaze drifted to Song Ya, then back. The path she followed in that single glance was clear to everyone.

Xu Zhixia stopped wiping her hands.

She didn't speak, but she turned around and looked at Lin Fan.

Those eyes didn't have Liu Feifei's sarcastic tone, but were full of questions.

Lin Fan felt a throbbing in his temple.

A single glance swept over.

Zhou Kai understood immediately.

"Liu Feifei, shut up." Zhou Kai spoke directly, his voice low. "Does Brother Fan need to report to you where he goes?"

Liu Feifei was taken aback, turned her head and rolled her eyes, her mouth moved but she didn't say anything more.

But Xu Zhixia was not dismissed.

She sat up and looked at Lin Fan. "Lin Fan."

"Liu Feifei really has a sharp tongue; I usually ignore her."

"But I'm also quite curious about this issue today."

"I've seen your speed before. From here to the beach, it takes you at most ten seconds."

"But how long did it take you today?"

"If you had rushed down the moment you heard my first shout, Qingxue would never have been taken away by that thing."

"Where did you go?"

"If it had moved any more aggressively today, the baby would have been lost. Under these circumstances, there would have been massive bleeding, with no hemostatic drugs and no surgical options."

"Even Qingxue might not be able to be saved."

As soon as he said that, the air in the cave seemed to freeze.

Song Ya stood up from the shadows, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something.

Lin Fan caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye.

He and Xu Zhixia had known each other for a month.

This woman can drug people, seduce them, use psychological tactics, feign innocence, heal the sick and save lives, and even pin him to the ground to interrogate him about the size of his breasts.

A month has passed, and he still can't figure out which of her words are true and which are false.

She stood before him, arms crossed, waiting for his answer.

If Song Ya speaks up, what if Xu Zhixia schemes against her?

"I'll take Song Ya upstairs to gather firewood," Lin Fan said, his tone flat and even. "Is there a problem?"

Xu Zhixia looked away from his face.

It fell on Song Ya.

It paused for two seconds.

Then it was taken back.

In those two seconds, she glanced at Song Ya's misbuttoned collar, at Song Ya's reddened eyes, and at the bits of grass stuck to Song Ya's trousers.

Xu Zhixia looked away, her lips flat.

"no problem."

After saying that, she turned and left.

But as she passed Song Ya, she paused for a very brief moment...