Chapter 26

"Alright, girls, I'm going up, you continue!" Thomas was having a great time, but he thought of Annie who was setting up the tent, so he got out of the water early.

He wiped the water off his body and decided to change clothes in the tent. Annie was inside the tent, arranging the sleeping gear and a small rechargeable lamp, which Claire needed to sleep soundly in the wild.

"Where's Claire?" Thomas asked after changing his clothes.

"She's playing outside, maybe still chasing butterflies!"

Thomas couldn't help but smile, and said nothing more. He lay comfortably on the sleeping pad in the tent, feeling refreshed after his bath.

"Zhen, our school will have a club dance soon. Do you want to go?" Zoe swam next to Zhen Fan, then stood up treading water, pressing close to Zhen Fan.

The water shimmered with a hint of gold, making Zoe's chest appear even more white. Zhen Fan couldn't help but look, which made Zoe quite pleased, even though they were small, they still attracted him.

But Zhen Fan didn't just glance; he kept staring, smiling as if looking at her chest was the most natural thing in the world. This made Zoe feel a surge of anger.

"Beautiful?" Zoe looked at Zhen Fan provocatively.

Zhen Fan rubbed his nose, "Yes, beautiful. If they were a bit bigger, it would be even better. Don't misunderstand... I think I have a way to make them... fuller!" Zhen Fan realized that staring at a girl's chest was indeed a bit awkward, so he fumbled and pointed at Zoe's chest.

"Really?" Zoe was delighted, then shook her head, "I wouldn't dare entrust a breast augmentation surgery to a rookie. If you were an experienced plastic surgeon, I might consider it, but you're just a rookie doctor, or rather, a pre-doctor, and a traditional Chinese medicine doctor!"

In Zoe's view, using traditional Chinese medicine for breast augmentation was a bit of a stretch. It was almost unbelievable.

"Trust me, just like I guaranteed to treat Kelly's freckles, I have some methods. The key is that you have to trust me. Once I get my medical license and open a clinic, you can try it out!" Zhen Fan was very enthusiastic. He needed to attract customers before his clinic opened, or no one might come.

"Are you trying to attract customers?"

Julia swam over and heard Zhen Fan and Zoe's conversation, laughing.

"Of course, I need people to know that traditional Chinese medicine is also a good treatment method!" Zhen Fan didn't hide his intentions and spoke clearly.

"Why don't you join a community hospital? You know, it's harder to open a small clinic in the U.S. than to be a community doctor!" Julia was well-intentioned.

"No, Zhen, don't go to a community hospital. It's so boring, and I don't like that atmosphere. It's just... terrible!" Zoe couldn't help but jump in to oppose.

"Why?" Julia was taken aback. She noticed Zoe's words. Why should Zhen listen to you just because you don't like the atmosphere? Thinking about this, she couldn't help but smile at Zoe.

Zoe clearly realized she had misspoken. Even with a slightly thicker skin, she couldn't help but turn red and stammer, "I... but... it's like this, I told Zhen he asked me to do nursing work. You know, I study that in school!"

Zhen Fan was taken aback, then remembered what Zoe had said. He smiled, knowing he hadn't agreed to anything but didn't plan to expose her lie.

"Forget it, Zoe, you haven't even gotten your nursing certificate. Do you expect Zhen to hire you? That's illegal, unless he wants to go to jail and become a pauper!" Julia clearly didn't want to let Zoe off, grinning triumphantly.

"Damn, can't you keep quiet?" Zoe's face turned bright red, and she complained, "You guys are... I'm going to change my clothes!" Zoe glared at Zhen Fan and stormed off to the shore. As she emerged from the water, her long neck, slender waist, and firm buttocks, highlighted by the white fabric of her swimsuit, and her long legs, glistening with water droplets in the setting sun, made Zhen Fan lick his lips.

Julia looked at Zhen Fan and couldn't help but laugh.

"Beautiful?"

"Really beautiful!" Zhen Fan turned to Julia, smiling without a hint of embarrassment at being caught ogling, instead looking quite pleased.

This made Julia pause.

Zhen Fan saw Julia's expression and understood. He smiled, "I never consider this as peeping. If I can appreciate it, I will. Such beauty, if not appreciated, is a waste of nature's gift!" The idiom "waste of nature's gift" was hard to translate into English, so Zhen Fan said it was a natural beauty that, if not cherished, was too cruel.

If a Chinese person heard this, they would be speechless, but to deal with the girl in front of him, he had to twist the meaning a bit.

"Really?" Julia's eyes brightened, about to speak.

"Claire!"

"Claire!"

Suddenly, anxious calls came from the shore. It was Thomas and Annie. They finally realized Claire was no longer on the lawn, and there was no sign of her anywhere, as if she had vanished into thin air.

"Trouble!"

Zhen Fan frowned, not having time to explain to Julia, and swam quickly to the shore. Drenched, he joined Thomas and Annie, who were shouting Claire's name on the lawn. Zoe had already changed and was preparing to search the woods.

"What happened to Claire?"

"Maybe... God... maybe she's in the woods. Let's split up and look for her!" Annie was at a loss, showing signs of panic without seeing Claire.

"Don't worry, the area isn't that big. She might have wandered into the woods and gotten lost. We'll find her!" Thomas was calmer than Annie. He nodded at Zhen Fan, "But, you're right. Let's split up to make it easier to find her!"

"Annie and I will check the eastern lawn and rocks, Zhen and Zoe, you go to the southern woods!" Thomas's tone was earnest.

"No, Thomas, Zoe should go to the southern woods, I'll go to the western woods!"

"Me too!" Julia followed Zhen Fan to the shore, already changed.

"You and Zoe can go together for support!" Zhen Fan nodded at her, "I can handle it alone. Don't worry, Annie. Claire will be fine. I have a feeling!"

"Okay, Zhen, let's go!" Annie nodded at Zhen Fan, feeling a bit more at ease. Deep down, Annie trusted Zhen Fan, a trust that had been built since he cured Claire's autism, making her feel reassured.

"Let's go!" Zhen Fan went into the tent and took out three flashlights, which were originally for camping but were now put to use.

The sun had set, and the sky was getting dark. Everyone was anxious, splitting up to search. Several beams of light flickered in the forest.

The forest was gradually shrouded in mist, making it feel cold. The surroundings grew darker, as if they had entered a surreal ghost town.

Julia and Zoe were dressed lightly, and the dropping temperature made them hug their arms, rubbing them and blowing warm air.

"Claire! Sweetie, come out, don't play hide and seek!"

Julia's voice trembled. Clearly, the mist was everywhere, the temperature was getting colder, and the trees surrounded them, making it impossible to see the path they had taken.

"Claire—"

Zoe called out, but her voice sounded dry and hollow, like a deflated plastic bag, unpleasant and awkward.

"Let's rest for a bit!" Zoe was tired, took out a tissue, and sat on a fallen log, pleading with Julia, "Just for two minutes, my legs are so heavy!"

Julia nodded and sat down. After a few minutes, Julia spoke.

"Let's go a bit further!"

Julia suggested, and it was the only idea. Zoe nodded, and they held hands, walking slowly and calling Claire's name.

On the lawn, there were a few large rocks. Even climbing to the top of the rocks, they couldn't see anything because it was dark, and the flashlight's range was limited.

"Claire, my sweetie, come out—"

Annie's trembling voice echoed in the air, but there was no response. Thomas remained calm, looking around.

"Claire is too young to have gone far. We must have missed something. Let's go back, maybe we'll find something! The lawn is open, our voices should carry far. If Claire can hear us, she'll respond!"

"I hope so. Poor Claire, God... how could this happen!" Annie was already in tears. Claire was her only treasure, and if she were to go missing or something happened, she didn't know how she would face it or go on.

"Don't worry. If we still can't find her, we'll join Zhen and Julia in the woods. We might find her there!"

Thomas put a hand on Annie's shoulder to comfort her, turned on the flashlight, and shouted, "Claire— we're here!"

Silence!

The flashlight beams flickered in the woods. Zoe and Julia had been walking for a while, and their throats were dry.

"Let's rest for a bit, Julia. Maybe they've found her. Shouldn't we call and check?" Zoe was too tired to walk, stopped, and put her hands on her hips, panting.

"Good idea!"

Julia took out her phone, ready to call, but then looked dejected and shook her head at Zoe, "No signal. Check yours!"

Zoe quickly took out her phone, but the screen showed no signal. Clearly, the trees were too dense and tall. They helplessly shook their heads.

"Ah—" Zoe suddenly screamed, staring at Julia as if she had seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?" Julia looked at her curiously.

"We... look here, the fallen log next to this red pine..." Zoe was panicked.

"Log? What log..." Julia followed Zoe's finger and froze. They remembered this log; they had rested here, and there was even a tissue Zoe had used.

They had walked for so long but had returned to the same spot. Zoe looked at Julia, and both their faces turned pale. This meant they were lost, trapped in the misty and dense forest.

---

**End of Page**