"Oh no, Brother Steve is missing!"
Not long after he had left, Peng Peng came rushing back, his face flustered.
"Huh? Gone? Where did he go?" Kevin's expression turned serious. Although the production team had inspected the island beforehand and confirmed that there were no large wild animals, no one could be certain of hidden dangers.
Peng Peng was clearly panicked. "I don't know! I looked around everywhere, but I couldn't find him."
Chris stood up, trying to calm the situation. "It's okay, don't panic. Maybe he just went to the toilet. I'll go with you to check it out."
Sister Bird frowned. "I'll go too. We aren't familiar with the environment here. We should be cautious."
Kevin nodded in agreement. "In that case, let's all go look for him together."
Even though Kevin wasn't particularly fond of Steve, he didn't want anything bad to happen to him.
Upon hearing Kevin's decision, everyone stood up and followed Peng Peng to the place where Steve was last seen.
When they arrived under the tree where Steve had been resting earlier, he was nowhere to be found. They scanned the area, but there was no sign of him.
Kevin, who had been preparing for a military-themed TV series and had learned a few tracking skills, surveyed the ground and said, "There are no footprints leading into the woods. That means Steve didn't go inland. He might have gone to the beach."
At the same time, Zhang Xiaoai checked the supplies and suddenly exclaimed, "The spear gun is missing! Could he have gone fishing?"
Gu Limina's eyes widened in surprise. "Fishing?"
She hesitated to voice her doubts. Steve looked frail—probably not as strong as her. How could he possibly catch fish? Was this a joke?
Sister Bird seemed to have similar concerns. Her expression changed as she suddenly gasped. "Oh no! If he really went into the water, that's dangerous. We have to go to the beach now!" She immediately took off running.
Diving in the ocean was entirely different from swimming in a pool or a calm lake. Even if the surface looked peaceful, dangerous undercurrents could sweep someone away. The deeper waters also had colder temperatures, increasing the risk of hypothermia.
Professional divers always paid close attention to tidal currents before entering the water. If Steve had unknowingly waded in, there was a significant chance he was in danger.
Of course, since this was a reality show, there were production crew members nearby, and emergency rescue boats were stationed just offshore. But still, the group couldn't help but feel anxious.
As they approached the shoreline, Bai Xiaolu suddenly shouted, "Look! Over there!"
From a distance, they could see someone lying motionless on the beach.
The sight made everyone's heart skip a beat. Some of the girls even turned pale with worry.
Kevin instantly picked up speed, sprinting towards the figure ahead.
Steve, who had been lying down to rest, heard hurried footsteps approaching. He turned and saw Kevin rushing toward him with a tense expression.
Startled, he quickly sat up. "Brother Kevin? What's wrong?"
Kevin, panting slightly, scowled at him. "You… damn it, kid! Where were you? We couldn't find you, and we thought something had happened to you!"
Hearing this, Steve smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I was just a little exhausted and decided to lie down for a bit. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."
The rest of the group arrived moments later, surrounding Steve with a mix of concern and frustration.
Some were genuinely worried about his safety. Others, however, felt slightly annoyed.
After all, they had gone through all this trouble searching for him. If he wasn't going to contribute to their survival efforts, the least he could do was not make things worse.
Steve could tell that some of them were irritated, but he didn't take it personally.
They were all essentially strangers at this point, knowing each other by reputation but not having much of a personal connection.
Now, after looking for him in distress, they were bound to have some emotions about it.
Among them, the only person who seemed entirely free of complaints was Jarvis.
The relationship between Steve and Jarvis was a bit special—they had been classmates once and even sat at the same table in school.
Back then, Steve had been at the peak of his career—handsome, popular, and a rising star in the entertainment industry.
Jarvis, on the other hand, had been just an ordinary girl at the time. Though she admired Steve from afar, she never expected to cross paths with him again in such a setting.
First love—especially a secret one—had a way of lingering, even after years passed.
Although she no longer harbored the same feelings for him, she still found herself subconsciously wanting to protect him.
Jarvis approached Steve, eyeing his soaked clothes, and scolded, "Why did you go into the water? If you had heatstroke, you should have rested properly. Instead, you ended up causing trouble for everyone!"
Though her words were harsh, her voice carried undeniable concern.
Steve had just opened his mouth to explain when Chris suddenly let out a loud exclamation.
"Holy crap! What a huge fish!"
Everyone turned in the direction he was pointing.
Behind Steve, in the shade, lay a massive fish and a pile of conchs.
The fish, still bleeding slightly, had clearly been speared. Nearby, the missing spear gun was propped up in the sand.
With the additional evidence of Steve's wet clothes, everything started to make sense.
The group stood frozen for a moment, stunned by the revelation.
Steve, seeing their expressions, held back a chuckle.
He kept his face calm and said in an almost innocent tone, "I saw everyone working so hard, and I felt guilty just lying around doing nothing. Since I know how to dive, I thought I'd try to get some food for everyone. I got lucky, I guess."
"Lucky?!"
Everyone collectively stared at him in disbelief.
Steve scratched his head. "It's not much, but I figured it might help."
Not much?
Was he joking?
With this many conchs and such a huge fish, they had enough food for at least ten people!
Kevin's disbelief quickly turned into admiration. "Wait… did you catch all this by yourself?"
Steve simply nodded.
Sister Bird smiled knowingly. "We were all busy building a shelter. Who else could've caught them? It's not like the production team is secretly feeding us."
Kevin let out a short laugh, realizing how absurd his own question had been. "Damn… I take back what I said earlier. Brother, I seriously respect you now."
He grinned and gave Steve a thumbs-up.
Meanwhile, the girls were practically buzzing with excitement.
Chen Chichi's eyes widened as he examined the seafood. "Whoa! Look at this big conch—it's even bigger than Chris's head!"
Chris shot him an exasperated look. "Are you even trying to be polite?"
"Oh my god, it's massive!"
"It's so pretty! Does anyone know if this type of conch is tasty?"
The girls gathered around, marveling at their unexpected bounty.
Many had assumed they'd be starving on the first night, but now, thanks to Steve, they were looking at a full-blown seafood feast.
Their admiration for him grew instantly.
The two youngest members, Bai Xiaolu and Peng Peng, practically jumped in excitement.
Bai Xiaolu clapped her hands. "Brother Steve, you're amazing! We're gonna eat so well tonight!"
Peng Peng, his earlier embarrassment forgotten, looked at Steve eagerly. "Brother Steve, can you teach me how to dive? I want to learn how to catch fish too!"
Steve smiled and nodded. "Of course. There will be plenty of opportunities."
Chen Chichi smirked and nudged Peng Peng. "So, Peng Peng, still want to ask where Brother Steve ranks on the 'waste list'?"
The entire group burst into laughter.
Peng Peng, looking sheepish, scratched his head and muttered, "Yeah… I think I'll pass on that question."
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