Chapter Text
Lan Xichen is certain that he is already dead, jumping into the water without thinking will surely lead him to his death. He may be good at a lot of things, but he is not perfect, and one thing that he can’t do is swim. He was sure that he drowned back there; that’s why he was so confused about why he was feeling something pumping on his chest.
He tried to speak, but he couldn’t breathe, as if something was blocking his airways. Suddenly, he felt something warm against his lips. He could also feel pressure against his chest; air is desperately trying to enter his mouth, but he still can’t take a deep breath.
After a few pumps, he managed to choke out and sputter the water that was blocking his airways.
Lan Xichen suddenly coughed, rolling on his side and coughing out some water. He could barely see a blurry figure of a person hovering over him before he drifted back to unconsciousness.
The next time Lan Xichen opened his eyes, he had to squint; it was too bright and hot, making him raise his hand to cover his eyes. Groaning, Lan Xichen looked around, trying to remember what happened.
"Finally awake?"
Surprised, he turned to his side to see Jiang Wanyin sitting beside him. The man was only wearing a white dress shirt and short boxers. His pale, long legs are on full display, and Lan Xichen’’s gaze lingered there for a moment without him noticing.
"Hey, my face is up here!" Jiang Wanyin snapped, pointing at his own face.
Lan Xichen looked back up at his companion and slowly sat up, avoiding looking at his boss. It was embarrassing to be caught staring like that. He did not truly mean it; it was just too distracting. "What happened?"
"Well, we got washed into this God-forsaken island." Jiang Wanyin sighed.
"I remembered jumping. I thought I drowned..." Lan Xichen murmured, rubbing his head and still trying to process what happened to him.
"You did, idiot you can’t swim, right? Why did you even jump?"
"I .. don’t know, I panicked and jumped" Lan Xichen removed his coat and frowned at the wet fabric. Glancing at his boss, he noted that once again he was only dressed in his dress shirt. "What happened to your clothes?"
"Drying them off," he pointed at the nearby tree where his pants, coat, and shoes were hanging "you should do it with yours too, that must be uncomfortable."
Lan Xichen slowly stood up and started to remove his coat, walking towards the tree as well to hang his coat. Removing his shoes and socks, he isn’t that wet, but some parts of his clothes must have dried when he was lying under the sun. He found his phone in his coat pocket and sighed; the device was pretty much soaked and unable to be used.
"What are we going to do now?" Lan Xichen mused with a small frown.
Jiang Wanyin stood up and squinted. "They are probably looking for us by now," he murmured. "Hopefully they can find us."
There was a small silence between them, and suddenly Lan Xichen’s stomach growled, and Jiang Wanyin raised a brow at him. The secretary looked away a little embarrassed, saying, "I haven’t eaten dinner.."
"You didn’t?" Jiang Wanyin asked, looking at him. He was confused because they had dinner back on the yacht.
"Well, a little, but I was making sure you were able to get your schedule right."
Jiang Wanyin stared at him for a moment before he stood up and brushed off the sands on his boxers and legs before grabbing his pants and wearing them. "We should find some food and look for some shelter for the time being. I think I saw a cave while I was walking around earlier."
Lan Xichen nodded at this and picked up his shoes once again to wear them, seeing Jiang Wanyin doing the same.
They started to explore the beach, heading further inside the island, looking for some trees and fruits they could find. Anything to eat, and hopefully something that would last them till night. They spent their time exploring in silence. Lan Xichen observed his boss, and he hasn’t heard any complaints from him. Well, Jiang Wanyin does not really complain; he might be very strict and hard on some of his employees, but he only does that when something does not go the way that it should. Jiang Wanyin is a hardworking man, but he sometimes forgets that his employees could not catch up with such dedication. Even Lan Xichen himself could feel the burnout; well, he already is burned out after all; he just submitted his resignation.
"That!" Lan Xichen stopped in his tracks, looking up and pointing at a round green fruit.
Jiang Wanyin walked towards him and then up to the fruit at which he was pointing. "That’s a guava tree" he murmured before nudging Lan Xichen on the shoulder. "Go on"
"What? Me?" Lan Xichen blinked, and Jiang Wanyin shrugged.
Lan Xichen sighed and shook his head; it seems that he still had to work under Jiang Wanyin despite being outside the office. He looked around and spotted a long stick. Picking it up, he walked under the tree and looked up to where the fruit was. Raising the stick, he started batting the fruit with it.
"No, that’s not ripe yet, the one on the left! No! not that!—that! Yes, stop hitting it so hard!" Jiang Wanyin’s voice was nagging behind Lan Xichen, and he could not focus on his task; he was ripping apart the ripe fruits with his stick.
"I can’t believe this, move!" Jiang Wanyin sighed and walked towards the tree, rolling his sleeves up to his elbow and his pants up to his knees, and started to climb.
"Sir! What are you doing?!" Lan Xichen looked up, gasping as he saw his boss start to climb the tree.
"Trying not to starve and save our food from your baseball batting," he responded, grunting as he reached out to one of the branches, picking up the ripe fruit, and looking down at Lan Xichen.
"It’s dangerous! Please get down!"
"I won’t! Stay the fuck there and catch this!" Jiang Wanyin dropped the fruit, and Lan Xichen tried his best to catch it.
.
.
In the end, they were able to gather a handful of guava fruit, and Lan Xichen carried them on his arms close to his chest so they would not fall. They returned to the shore and started to eat. Lan Xichen sighed in relief. He never thought a fruit would make him feel so full, he was truly hungry.
"We should get to that cave I saw earlier, gather some wood, and probably more fruits. The sun is going to go down soon," Jiang Wanyin murmured, glancing at the shore.
"Yes, we should."
Jiang Wanyin sighed and stood up, patting the sand off his pants as he headed towards the tree, where he hung his coat and started checking its pockets before he whipped out a lighter. He flicked it a few times and cursed under his breath when there were nothing but sparks coming out of it. "Come on! he hissed, trying it a few more times before it finally lit. "Thank fuck, this still works. He sighed and grabbed his coat, glancing at Lan Xichen.
"Let’s go"
Lan Xichen finished the last bite of his fruit and stood up as well. He went to fetch his coat and his socks before following his boss as they walked along the shore, heading towards the cave. He could see it in the distance. He was honestly tired and worried about how his brother and uncle must have reacted to the news. He hoped Jin Ling was safe and was able to report what happened; that way they would be able to get some search and rescue. Shaking his head, he turned towards the sea. It reminded him of the brochures and websites that he saw while searching for a get-away beach vacation.
"I was thinking of having a vacation by the beach once I resigned. It seems to arrive earlier than I thought," Lan Xichen said out loud, breaking the silence before them.
"The show will be three weeks from now, we need to leave here as soon as possible" Jiang Wanyin replied. It wasn’t even a close reply to what Lan Xichen said; it seems that the man was also speaking his thoughts out, which are still about work.
"Easier said than done," Lan Xichen murmured beside him.
There were no words exchanged after that as they continued walking towards the cave. Lan Xichen might be able to read his boss like the back of his hand during working hours, but outside of them, he could not get a good read of Jiang Wanyin.
Once they arrived at the cave, Lan Xichen took a good look inside. It was near the shore and big enough to shelter them and allow them to move about. It’s better than nothing. They walked inside the narrow pathway to inspect the area, and once they deemed it safe, they finally sat down.
"What are we going to do now?" Lan Xichen asked, setting his coat down.
"You gather some wood or sticks; I’ll find some fruits; try to also look around to see if there is any fresh water we could use but do not stroll too far let's meet back up here before sunset," Jiang Wanyin replied with a sigh.
Lan Xichen nodded and stood up. They left on their devices. He started gathering some dry wood and leaves. He was not the outdoor type of person, especially when his uncle raised them in a strict household. He and his brother were homeschooled until high school. It was such a big adjustment when they started attending the universities, and Lan Xichen had practiced all the social skills he could muster. He adjusted quite well and quickly compared to his little brother. So this experience now is his first time being too far away from his home, and now he was walking in the woods, picking up wood and sighing every now and then.
When he got back to the cave, Jiang Wanyin was still not back. It was almost sunset, and he was a little worried about his boss as he placed the wood and sticks down, unsure of what to do as he stared at the wood he had gathered. It’s better to wait for Jiang Wanyin; he seems to know more about what to do in these situations.
Jiang Wanyin returned with a bundle of fruits cradled in his arms. Using his coat to support it, he set it down on the stone. "I found some mangos and more guavas," he muttered and glanced at the woods. "Great, we have to make do with this for now; it’s getting a bit late. I think I saw some fresh water back there, but it was a little late to explore; let's take a look tomorrow."
"Sure"
"Now help me set this up." Jiang Wanyin sat down and started to set up the wood and sticks to start a fire.
Lan Xichen stared at his boss. He was quite amazed at how Jiang Wanyin was able to make the fire, and he looked experienced while doing it; perhaps the man had done some outdoor activities. Jiang Wanyin sighed and handed Lan Xichen a mango, which he took, murmuring a small thanks as he started peeling the fruit.
They ate in silence, and Lan Xichen stared at his boss from time to time, observing him munching his fruit. His gaze must have been a little too intense because Jiang Wanyin frowned at it.
"You better start eating your food before your eyes fall out."
Lan Xichen immediately looked down. "I did not mean to stare."
"Sure you don't," Jiang Wanyin snorted. He glanced at Lan Xichen, seeing the strain on his face as he ate; the man was clearly tired and worried. "Whatever, they would probably find us soon, don’t worry."
"Of course"
They stared at each other for a while before resuming their meal.
Lan Xichen observed his boss once again and was amazed at how calm he was taking the situation they are currently facing however, he should have known that this is Jiang Wanyin’s calm before the storm.
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The next morning, Lan Xichen woke up with a slight pain in his back from lying down on the hard surface. He could not help the groan that left his lips when he sat up and started to roll his shoulders from feeling too numb laying on his side. When he looked around, he could not spot Jiang Wanyin, he was alone, and it made him worry if the man had left. He walked out of the cave and looked around. Rubbing his head, he walked towards the shore and finally spotted Jiang Wanyin walking in his direction.
"Where did you go?"
"I was checking if there’s any fresh water around here and some fruits," he said, showing him his coat, which was filled with different kinds of fruits this time.
Lan Xichen nodded and followed Jiang Wanyin back to the cave as he placed the fruit he got on the hoard that he made. It was a spot that Lan Xichen did not notice. Once Jiang Wanyin was done, he stood up and headed outside once more.
"Do you need help?" Lan Xichen offered.
Jiang Wanyin stared at him for a while and motioned for him to follow. "Find a stone that has a sharp edge, we can create a makeshift spear. Get some fish," he muttered as he continued walking.
"Got it"
The two of them had spent their morning gathering rations that they could find: wood, fruits, and any other things that Jiang Wanyin deemed useful. By lunch, they settled with the fruits once again, and by the afternoon, Jiang Wanyin had started making a SOS signal in the sand. After lifting a few items to form the huge letters, which Lan Xichen also helped with, they did not talk much. Jiang Wanyin seems to be so focused on his task that even when he advised him to take some rest and slow down, his boss just glared at him. Reacting by instinct, he decided to remain silent for the duration of their dinner.
He was staring at his mango with a small frown while Jiang Wanyin was busily using a stone to aggressively sharpen a wooden stick. Lan Xichen could not focus on eating when he heard his boss cursing under his breath and groaning at the force he was applying to gripping that stone.
Lan Xichen realized what was happening, and any second now Jiang Wanyin will explode.
"Fuck!" Jiang Wanyin threw the stone into the ground and sighed, "Why is no one coming to find us yet!? Just how far did we get washed out?!"
"I’m pretty sure they are already searching for us, young master Jin surely told the others about what happened." Lan Xichen tried to smile to at least give some comfort to the others.
"What if they can’t find us? Gods!.. The show is three weeks from now!" he hissed under his breath.
"We had everything prepared; I’m sure they are already working on it, and I am certain we will be able to get back before the show," Lan Xichen assured once again. He knew how crucial that show is, it’s the company’s anniversary show featuring the next collection that was never before seen, and it’s one of the events to which people and celebrities look forward, especially the charity gala at night. So it was understandable that it needed to be perfect and for Jiang Wanyin to worry since he personally oversees this event himself; everything from the clothes to the food to the guests to even the drapes needs to be approved by him first. However, this is really not the right time.
"I’m feeling anxious; if we are stuck here for so long, they might do something stupid without me there I—"
"Can you please stop thinking about work!?" Lan Xichen finally reached his limit. Interrupting and raising his voice to Jiang Wanyin for the first time feels a little liberating. He knew it was rude to interrupt, but Lan Xichen is tired and stressed, and the only companion he has is talking about work, of all things to talk about while being stuck on an island.
Also, Jiang Wanyin’s shocked face was a sight to behold.
"Did you just cut me off?"
"Yes, I did." Lan Xichen sighed and looked at Jiang Wanyin, who was sitting across him. "This is not the right time to be thinking about work, we need to think about how to survive here."
"Do you think I am not thinking of that as well?!" Jiang Wanyin snapped back at him, if this were set in the office, Lan Xichen might have cowered and lowered his head. There are only a few instances in which Jiang Wanyin yelled at him, those were the times when he was still starting, but after a year or so, he had never been the recipient of his boss's wrath during work.
"That’s not what I said."
"That’s what you are implying!"
Lan Xichen opened his mouth to argue, but he sighed instead and rubbed his forehead. "I shouldn’t be here in the first place," he murmured under his breath. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that they were in a cave, and so Jiang Wanyin heard what he said.
"Right, I’m sorry for not granting your immediate resignation and dragging you into this mess." His boss scoffed at him.
Lan Xichen looked up to him and blinked before replying back, "I’m not saying it’s your fault, and what happened was an accident; I jumped out to save you!"
"I didn’t ask you too!"
"Why are you being like this!? Being so difficult! This is why one likes working with you!" Lan Xichen replied. The years of working under Jiang Wanyin and the pent-up frustration he was feeling since his resignation and since they arrived on the island were all pouring out of him, and he could not stop. "You can’t think of anything else, you are harsh with your words towards your workers! You don’t care if it hurts them! You only care about your company! I don’t even know if you are a machine who only thinks about work! Do you even have a life outside—" Lan Xichen trailed off from his rant when he saw Jiang Wanyin across him.
The man didn’t say anything, but there was a clear expression of hurt on his face that was illuminated by the fire. Lan Xichen realized he must have said too much as well.
They remained silent for a moment, and Lan Xichen could not bear it. He was about to apologize but stopped when he heard Jiang Wanyin reply in a small voice.
"That company is the only legacy my parents left.." Jiang Wanyin shrugged, brushing the statement off as much as he could. "That company is on the brink of bankruptcy; our properties were being sold, my brother, who I thought would help me, went missing, there is no one to trust and just when everything was going well, Jin Ling’s parents died." He started adding more wood to the fire, "fighting for his custody and thinking how I could give him a better future while building everything back up on my own."
"Sir.. I—"
"So yes, I will worry about the company."
Lan Xichen stared at his boss; it was the first time the other shared something about himself. Most of the things he knew about Jiang Wanyin were from articles and rumors, and Lan Xichen does not believe in those, but he knew that the man inherited the company when he was still young, was mocked, and had to fight against the power struggle with the boards. They wanted Jiang Wanyin to sell the company, but the man was too stubborn, and yet he perceived himself to be the wildcard of the industry. Lan Xichen had forgotten the struggle that his boss must have endured for years before getting here.
"I apologize about my earlier outburst; that was uncalled for" Lan Xichen said.
"It’s alright, there is no need to apologize, nothing you said is something I haven’t heard before, you are just being honest, and I was being an ass." Jiang Wanyin looked up to him.
"Still," Lan Xichen murmured.
"But you are right, we need to focus on our survival." He sighed and folded his coat, using it as a pillow, before laying down. "I’m sleeping and you should too, tomorrow I want to eat some fucking fish." Jiang Wanyin huffed, shifting on his side as he laid down.
Lan Xichen observed him first before nodding and throwing what was left of his mango on the fire before preparing to sleep as well.
He was hoping tomorrow would be much better for the both of them.