"He's here... he's here!"
"Here? Who's here?"
"That man!"
"Oh my God..."
Through the curtain of rain, a tall figure emerged from the storm.
His steps were so steady, he seemed less like a human and more like a small mountain, calm and resolute, growing clearer amidst the pouring rain.
Finally, he stepped into the cave.
His hair and clothes soaked to the bone, Chuck stood still upon entering. He casually wiped the rainwater from his face and hands, then wrung out the hem of his shirt and pant legs, though it was of little use.
Only then did he look up at the group of women before him.
The women sitting around the fire stood up simultaneously at that moment, looking at this dripping wet man with tension, expectation, or a hint of fear.
And Lee So-yeon, in the center of the women, watched this scene with uncontrollably trembling pupils.
This rain outside had been falling for about an hour.
Estimating the size of this island, although she didn't know how he crossed that volcano, the journey from the south of the island to here probably took an hour. Since he appeared here at this time, it meant...
He had come all the way braving this storm for a full hour!
What did this mean?
Could he be out of his mind??
No...
He actually managed to do this. Is this guy even human???
"...Why are you here?"
Although her heart was trembling, and she was even in a daze for a moment, Lee So-yeon still forced herself to put on her usual indifferent and calm posture, looking at Chuck and asking in confusion.
But that slightly trembling voice faintly exposed her true emotions.
"Huh?"
Asked by her like this, Chuck was the one who felt puzzled instead.
"Didn't you say you wanted to meet this afternoon and have another trade?"
After Chuck finished speaking, he reached his hand behind him, and then brought out a medium-sized palm basket, containing a few items somewhat different from last time.
Five fresh eggs, two catties of cooked sago pancakes, and two sea fish weighing two catties each, marinated with sea salt.
So-called fishing requires giving the cold shoulder from time to time, and then giving some sweetness from time to time. Chuck had ignored Lee So-yeon, who had been bombarding him with text messages, for three days. Coming again this time, he naturally had to add some sweetness as bait.
So looking at what was in the basket in his hand, everyone present except one person was instantly dumbfounded.
So much food, even more abundant than the lamb and sweet potatoes from last time!
There were even eggs!
Where did he get these things from?!
Then the sound of swallowing saliva echoed continuously in the cave again.
Although they were all very simple and plain things, to the women who lived on wild vegetables, wild fruits, and sea shells all day, these plain ingredients were the things they dreamed of most in the world.
And Chuck, who brought these things, gradually became like a deity comparable to Santa Claus or the Kitchen God to them.
But as the leader of the settlement here, Lee So-yeon couldn't be happy at all.
Chuck came with things, and with even more tempting food than last time, but this time, the wild fruits she had on hand for exchange were not even as much as last time.
Even less than half.
Although her sister Lee Na-eun had a tough personality, she was young and capable. In the past, she was the one who entered the jungle to pick fruits and gather firewood, contributing the most to the family. With her falling ill these two days, the pressure suddenly increased, and the originally stored fruits and wild vegetables decreased at a visible rate.
Not enough wild fruits for exchange naturally meant the trade couldn't be completed, but he was already here. If she just let him go back like this, it would probably completely cut off the chance of future contact...
Lee So-yeon just stood there, looking helplessly at the soaking wet Chuck holding the palm basket. She held it in for a long time before clenching her fists tightly and sighing somewhat helplessly.
"But it's raining outside. Normally speaking... shouldn't this trade be postponed until after the rain stops?"
"Then did you contact me?"
Hearing this, Chuck's expression remained as usual, but he looked at her and asked back.
"I..."
Lee So-yeon was instantly rendered speechless. She instinctively reached into her pocket, wanting to take out her phone, but quickly withdrew her hand. After all, not contacting meant not contacting, and it was impossible to magically produce it now.
At this point, Lee So-yeon was completely at her wit's end, and she couldn't just deny it, so she had to step out of the crowd, come in front of Chuck, lower her head, and bow deeply.
"Sorry, my sister has a cold and fever... I forgot about this for a moment."
"This rain came suddenly, plus my sister suddenly fell ill, the supplies on my side haven't been gathered enough. Failing to contact you in time is my responsibility. Letting Mr. Chuck make a wasted trip, I'm really sorry."
In business negotiations, although one must weigh the pros and cons, sincerity and reputation are equally important, sometimes even more important than profit.
Having not been an idol for many years and having served as an executive in her family's company for several years, Lee So-yeon now understood these principles very well.
And right now, besides telling the truth and apologizing sincerely, she had no other way.
Hearing her explanation, Chuck didn't feel the slightest displeasure in his heart.
Not to mention a basket of wild fruits and bananas like last time, even if given a cartload, the current him wouldn't cherish it much. The women at home ate and drank their fill all day, and really didn't have that much empty stomach to eat basins of fruit.
He really didn't care.
Not to mention, Lee So-yeon's attitude was quite sincere.
But a trade is a trade. No matter how much Chuck didn't care, and no matter how good Lee So-yeon's attitude was, it didn't mean Chuck could just give her the things in his hands for free.
And just like she said, Chuck braving the rain for a wasted trip also required an explanation.
"Ms. Lee, you are also a respectable person."
Chuck looked down at Lee So-yeon, who was still bowing before him. He thought to himself, why does this Korean act like a Japanese politician, learning barbaric etiquette from barbarians? His tone carried a slight hint of displeasure.
"If apologies were useful, what would we need the police for?"
"..."
Upon hearing these words, Lee So-yeon's slender shoulders trembled slightly, and her heart felt somewhat cold. Then, with her black hair swaying, she finally straightened her graceful waist, pressed her red lips tightly, looked at Chuck, and spoke cautiously.
"What Mr. Chuck said is also true, then..."
Lee So-yeon frowned tightly. Within a few short seconds, a battle waged in her mind. After a bout of weighing and hesitating, her gaze finally rested on the palm basket in Chuck's hand, so she hardened her heart and made a decision.
"Then please come in, Mr. Chuck."
After Lee So-yeon finished speaking, she turned sideways slightly and stretched out her hand towards the fire behind her.
"Who knows how long this rain will last. Although our place here is simple and crude, we can't let Mr. Chuck brave the rain to go back again. Please Mr. Chuck, stay and rest with us temporarily. Wait until the rain stops before returning. During the next trade, So-yeon will definitely do her best to compensate Mr. Chuck for this loss."
After these words were spoken, not only the women behind Lee So-yeon, but even Chuck couldn't help but be shocked.
Not only hosting him to stay and rest, but also compensating for the loss?
Actually so easy to talk to???
This woman...
Chuck couldn't help but rest his gaze again on the face of this former Korean female idol in front of him.
He saw that the expression on her face still revealed no emotion, and there was nothing but sincerity in her eyes.
No.
It wasn't that Lee So-yeon was easy to talk to, but she understood very well what the trade with him meant, and had absolutely rational judgment regarding her own and her companions' current predicament.
Thinking of this, Chuck also couldn't help but gradually become serious.
He had underestimated her.
In terms of brains and decision-making ability alone, this Korean woman could be said to have completely crushed Yitong, the former female executive and current cow beneath his crotch at home. If these two women had business dealings in their former society, one didn't need to think to know who would play who in the palm of their hand.
Not surprisingly, as Lee So-yeon's voice fell, the women behind her instantly broke into a noisy uproar. And the pink-haired girl Lee Na-eun, who was originally lying on the straw mat, even sat up directly, looking at Lee So-yeon's back.
Her already pale face turned somewhat green.
"..."
She wanted to scream and refute her sister loudly right now, but although she was resolute towards her sister, she wasn't that kind of spoiled and foolish young lady. Refuting her sister's face in front of this man at this time was the most unwise choice.
So despite a million reluctances in her heart, Lee Na-eun could only grit her teeth and forcefully suppress the emotions in her heart.
Anxious in her heart, her already hazy vision went dark again. Forced to lie back down on the straw mat again, her body turned away with her back to the fire, directly out of sight, out of mind.
Watching the scene before him, the corners of Chuck's lips curled up, and he silently calculated the time in his heart.
Staying... overnight here?
Seems like it's not impossible either.
Right now his phone was in his storage space. Sending a message to Momo's phone at home would put the women's minds at ease. And with the recall skill on him, as long as Chuck wanted, he could return instantly at any time.
On a rainy day like this, even if he went back, it would be nothing more than engaging in group reproductive behavior with the women at home, expending some physical energy without leaving the house. In the past, Chuck never let a spring night pass in vain, and he would have plenty of opportunities to enjoy himself with them in the future. Just like that time with Jiang Qi, taking a break for a day or two wasn't a big deal.
On the contrary, spending time together with this group of unfamiliar women residing in the north of the island in this cave was a rare opportunity.
"Since Ms. Lee says so, then I will impose."
After Chuck finished speaking, he smiled, not being stingy, and directly handed the palm basket filled with food in his hand to Lee So-yeon.
"Ms. Lee is sincere, and I am not that kind of stingy person. Since I'm staying to take shelter from the rain, it's not good to take the things I brought back again. It's better to count it as a small gift for my visit, and no need to talk about any trade."
"This..."
Lee So-yeon instinctively reached out to take the palm basket from Chuck's hand, her expression dazed for a moment, as if she didn't expect Chuck to have such a reaction. Then her heart was filled with joy, but on the surface, she only nodded gently.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Chuck. Surviving on a deserted island is not easy for everyone, I won't be polite with Mr. Chuck."
"Mmh, just accept it. After all, staying here, I also need to eat."
The simple negotiation ended like this in a fairly pleasant atmosphere. Under Lee So-yeon's lead, Chuck walked casually into this all-female cave in the north of the island, bathed in the storm.
How long would he stay here next? A day? Or two days?
Chuck didn't know.
He only knew that for the next day or two, he probably wouldn't be bored.
...
[Baba]: I'm trading with the survivors here in the north of the island. It's raining hard and difficult to go back. I'll take shelter in someone else's cave for a day or two temporarily. Let everyone do what they need to do, don't worry—[Photo].jpg.
At the end of the text message was a selfie Chuck took with his phone's front camera. Besides his wise, big face occupying two-thirds of the screen, one could see the cave exit behind him and the rain curtain outside.
"Sent five minutes ago... mmh, looks like he probably won't be back tonight."
Taking the phone from her daughter's hand, Yitong placed it on the dining table, letting all the women gathered around it see.
So that originally slightly tense atmosphere subsequently relaxed.
"As long as he's fine. Darling went out carrying food, and there's a cave there, he should be back after the rain stops."
Julia trusted Chuck the most, almost to the point of blind faith, so the moment she saw this message, her mood relaxed. She got up, stretched lazily, and walked towards the inner room on her long legs, planning to take a good nap.
"It's just that those people in the north of the island are not us after all, I'm just afraid those people might do something to Hubby..."
Compared to Julia's free and easy attitude, Yitong thought a bit more. Looking at the message on the phone, her slender willow eyebrows were still slightly furrowed.
Besides her, the Kaede and Kaoru duo beside her, as well as Momo, also looked worried.
"You can totally rest assured about this."
Valentina, who was casually leaning back in her chair next to them, swinging her legs and big white feet resting on the table, spoke calmly while looking at the rain outside the window.
"He said the survivors there are all women. Since they are women, even if they add up together, they couldn't even hurt his fingernail."
Hearing Valentina, the one in charge of force, say this, the women who were still somewhat worried in their hearts finally relaxed.
"But speaking of which..."
Right at this time, Janet, sitting in the corner, picked up her glass cup, took a sip of the mulberry wine left over from the last party, and spoke in a half-smiling tone.
"Looking at it this way, doesn't it mean he's going to live together with a group of women in a cave for a day or two?"
Speaking up to here, an unusual flush gradually emerged on Janet's beautiful and snowy cheeks, and the corners of her dark red lips curled up.
Not sure if she was drunk, or because of other reasons.
"Looking at it now, his trip to the north of the island this time, how is it going for some trade..."
"It's clearly going for mating~"