Many of the buildings on the island continued the local style, with a strong European character. At the very center of the island stood a huge castle.
The castle was the most iconic building on the island, not only magnificent but also occupying a vast area.
"Are we staying in the castle tonight?" Xiao Yuanzi asked, looking at the structure before him with immense curiosity.
The castle seemed to be from a fairy tale, like a place where princes and princesses lived.
Could he also stay in such a beautiful place? Shouldn't this be a place for royalty? Were his parents the king and queen?
Xiao Yuanzi's little mind couldn't fathom these questions, but he was very happy to be able to stay in a castle!
"Yes, your Uncle wants you to stay in the castle." Ning Min smiled, pinching Xiao Yuanzi's nose, not ignoring his questions.
"Wow, that's so cool! Mom, can you take pictures for me? When I go back, I want to show them to Junjun and Yiyi!" Xiao Yuanzi said excitedly.
When he returned, he could tell his good friends at kindergarten that he had stayed in a castle!
He wondered if he would get to meet the king, queen, prince, and princess!
"Okay, Mom will take them for you!"
...
There were many people who shared similar thoughts. After all, they could never have imagined living in a castle in such a place.
The next day,
After handing the little fellow over to Grandma Shen, Shen Yao got up to exercise.
Several members of the Shen family joined Shen Yao, including Mo Chen and Xiao Jun.
The morning air was a bit crisp, making one feel invigorated.
The wind carried a slightly salty scent, the unique aroma of the ocean, not unpleasant.
Running along the coastline, Shen Yao encountered several groups of tourists out for their morning exercise. They chatted as they ran.
To her surprise, some of them spoke Chinese, and their proficiency was quite good.
After a brief conversation, Shen Yao learned that some of them were locals, and the rest were friends of these locals.
They had come to the island because the island's annual festival was only a few days away and was exceptionally lively.
"We welcome you to our home then. On the day of the festival, every household will perform." said Eric, a man with curly blond hair.
The man had perfect facial features, but a large beard made him appear quite rugged.
"Certainly, we will definitely go then." Shen Huaijin said to Eric, then concluded the conversation.
Shen Yao was running at the front. As she ran, her pace suddenly slowed, and her gaze was fixed intently on a coconut tree not far away.
"What's wrong?" Mo Chen caught up and noticed Shen Yao's unusual behavior.
When Shen Yao's gaze fell upon Eric and the others nearby, she said, "It's nothing, I'm just a bit tired. I'll rest for a moment, you guys continue."
Shen Big Brother and Shen Second Brother, who had caught up, also stopped beside Shen Yao and Mo Chen when they saw them not continuing their run.
"Yaoyao, what's wrong?" Shen Huaijin asked, then began to examine Shen Yao from head to toe, checking if anything was wrong.
"It's nothing, I'm just a bit tired and want to rest," Shen Yao said, raising her head to Shen Huaijin, indicating the direction of Eric and the others.
With years of sibling understanding, Shen Huaijin immediately sensed something was amiss. He quickly scanned the surroundings and his eyes narrowed when he saw something.
Considering Shen Yao's actions, it was clear she disliked Eric and the others from the start.
Shen Yao had never been one to judge people by their appearance, and moreover, this was their first time meeting Eric and his group. Yet, Shen Yao seemed to dislike them at first glance.
Throughout the entire time, Shen Yao hadn't engaged with Eric's group at all, while Eric had been constantly conversing with them.
"Hello, Jin, you guys, why did you stop running?" Eric had already reached Shen Yao and the others.
"It's nothing. My sister is tired and wants to rest. I'm a bit concerned. Thank you, Eric." Shen Huaijin reacted extremely quickly, positioning his body to block the view.
Even though Eric was tall, from Shen Huaijin's perspective, he could see nothing.
Upon hearing this, Eric nodded understandingly, "Yaoyao, she is very formidable!"
"Thank you. We'll continue then, my sister needs to rest." Shen Huaijin promptly invited Eric and, nodding, Eric happily agreed and walked alongside Shen Huaijin.
Mo Chen was unaware of Shen Yao's hidden agenda, but seeing her serious expression, he knew there was a significant problem.
Shen Yao waited until Eric and his group had walked away, and she couldn't sense anyone else, before she finally relaxed. Then, as if nothing had happened, she approached the coconut tree.
Coconut trees were the most common trees on the island, visible every few steps.
The coconut tree Shen Yao approached was very tall. Beside it, several parasols were set up, with lounge chairs underneath.
Currently, a man was lying on one of the lounge chairs. His skin was tanned a bronzed color, and his body still bore numerous scars.
These scars were numerous and crisscrossed, but they were not very noticeable against his bronzed skin.
However, despite the tanned skin, the man's face was unmistakably an Oriental one, which appeared very approachable.
If one ignored the knife scars on his right cheek, extending from his forehead to his jawline, he would have been even more approachable.
From his uninjured side, it was clear that if the man's face had not been scarred, he would have been able to charm many young ladies!
"Hello."
Shen Yao walked up to the man and greeted him with a smile.
Seeing Shen Yao like this, Mo Chen felt a sense of alarm and immediately began searching his memory, trying to identify the man.
However, to his regret, even after searching all his memories, he couldn't recall who this man was.
The man, however, was very cold. He didn't even look up at Shen Yao's greeting, as if there was no one before him.
"Meeting an old acquaintance, aren't you going to acknowledge me?"
Shen Yao's gaze was piercing, fixed on the man, waiting for his reaction.
The man remained completely unchanged, still not paying Shen Yao any attention. However, even so, Shen Yao managed to detect a subtle shift in his demeanor.
Although the man didn't look at her, his breathing quickened slightly when she mentioned "old acquaintance," clearly indicating he wasn't as calm as he appeared.
"Brother A Zhe."