Actually, before the heavy rain arrived, the sky over the island had been gloomy for a while. When Chuck set off, he somewhat expected it but didn't pay much attention.
But he didn't expect this trip to yield an unexpected harvest.
It wasn't living with a group of unfamiliar women in this cave, but on the way here, crossing that small, dangerous section of the volcano, Chuck discovered that the giant bird wouldn't appear when it rained heavily.
The previous two times Chuck crossed the volcanic zone, he had to be highly alert and sprint at full speed, yet he was still chased by the bird each time. Fortunately, there were caves to hide in.
This time, hindered by the heavy rain, he thought it would be dangerous, but the giant bird never showed up.
Though a bit surprised, thinking about it, it made sense.
Despite its massive size, such an avian creature flew in the sky. Its weight was far less terrifying than its appearance, so naturally, it feared storms more than land animals.
When Chuck first realized this, he only felt surprised and didn't care much. But after pondering it on the way, he realized this was crucial intel.
Compared to that fierce giant bird, heavy rain was a completely surmountable difficulty.
In other words, even if he hadn't defeated the big bird yet, as long as he took advantage of rainy days, Chuck could lead the others across the volcanic zone, traveling back and forth between the north and south of the island!
...
"Hey, look at that."
"Holy shit... that's huge, right? Is he really a Chinese man?"
"Could he have had surgery?"
"No, looks natural. Probably just purely gifted."
Led by Lee So-yeon, Chuck swaggered into this all-female cave settlement.
Although with Chuck's current physical stats, getting drenched in rain was like taking a shower, sitting in the cave in soaking wet clothes was inevitably uncomfortable.
So after simple pleasantries and greetings, the dripping wet Chuck walked over to the fire.
The unfamiliar women sitting in a circle instinctively scattered, making a large space for him.
Chuck didn't stand on ceremony. He leaned over, warmed his hands, and directly started stripping.
This action instantly attracted almost everyone's gaze.
As the rain-soaked short-sleeved shirt was casually taken off, that muscular body with clear lines and a sense of power was laid bare before them.
Sturdy, upright pecs, clear and neat abs like chocolate, broad, thick shoulders, and those thick, powerful arms covered in bulging veins.
A low murmur instantly arose in the originally quiet cave.
Chuck's current figure wasn't the exaggerated, pin-headed style, but closer to the hormonal yet non-exaggerated healthy muscular form of Chris Hemsworth's Thor.
The attraction exuded by such a figure could hook the instinctual female genes that admire the strong. For women with normal orientations, stealing glances was only natural.
Even Lee So-yeon, who pretended to fetch water from a corner while secretly observing Chuck, couldn't help but freeze, standing up and widening her eyes at him.
In those always calm pupils, a trace of shock uncontrollably surfaced for the first time.
When he was dressed, she only thought he was tall. She didn't expect such a figure beneath the clothes.
The figure itself wasn't what shocked Lee So-yeon. As an entertainment company executive, besides her sister, Lee So-yeon managed many other artists and trainees. Countless young men and women aspiring to be trainees had been personally turned away by her. The number of high-quality humans she had seen was innumerable.
What surprised her wasn't Chuck's figure, but that he could actually maintain such a figure on this deserted island...
For an artist, figure is as important as looks. Her family's company even had a department dedicated to body management for their artists.
Since it was management, costs had to be considered. According to Lee So-yeon's experience, the most efficient and cost-effective plan for artists' body management was actually strict diet control. In other words, starving them.
After all, in this Eastern society where the "pale, young, and thin" aesthetic prevails, regardless of gender, as long as one slims down and possesses an assembly-line face, it's enough to appear on TV or phone screens.
But the so-called "muscular man"—aside from the much narrower audience for this type—the most important thing was the cost and time to cultivate such an artist. They had to train hard for decades like a single day; slacking off for even a few days would cause a precipitous decline in condition. Or the artist had to overdraft their health by borrowing the power of steroids.
It was a severe mismatch between input and output. No one was willing to do such a thankless task.
After all, compared to muscular men, creating effeminate pretty boys was much easier. Just starve them thin, take the company's advance salary to polish their faces on the assembly line, give them a decent styling, put on makeup, stand on stage, pinch their fingers into a heart, and they could make mountains and seas of repressed, heavy-set Korean girls scream like slaughtered pigs, emptying their own and their simps'—even their parents'—savings without leaving a single drop, generating revenue for the company.
With such easy money to make, let alone these male artists, even the company didn't want them wasting time in the gym all day.
As an insider, Lee So-yeon was naturally very clear about these common phenomena in the industry. Therefore, she knew that such a figure could only be possessed through long-term, continuous, systematic training coupled with a strict, sufficient dietary intake.
Even in modern society, wanting to possess such a figure required expending a massive amount of energy and even money.
How on earth did he do it???
...
Chuck hesitated but ultimately didn't take off his boxers.
Casually using branches to make a rack by the fire for his shirt and shorts, Chuck spaced out, watching the rain outside the cave under the converging gazes, occasionally taking out his phone to text Momo on the other side of the island.
The surrounding gazes initially filled with curiosity and wariness towards Chuck, but no one dared to strike up a conversation proactively. As time slowly passed, these women gradually got used to his presence.
Hunger returned to their bellies. Chuck's arrival seemed just a brief interlude distracting them. Compared to him, making their bellies less hungry was far more urgent.
The wild vegetable soup in the pot was finally cooked and quickly consumed. The food Chuck brought was carefully stored deep in the cave by Lee So-yeon. Carefully divided into a few portions along with the remaining wild fruits and vegetables, this was the only food everyone present had until the rain stopped. It could only go into the pot at mealtime.
Lee So-yeon and these women were indeed having a hard time.
As attention shifted away from him, Chuck finally had a chance to secretly observe his surroundings, especially Lee So-yeon's companions.
Since they were only 6 or 7-point women, Chuck hadn't memorized them carefully during the previous two meetings. But now, with plenty of free time, these people stranded on the same island might be useful to him in the future. Knowing what to expect wasn't a bad thing.
Right now, there were eight people sitting by the fire with him.
Their ages generally ranged from 20 to 30. Two had darker skin, appearing to have some Black heritage. Three were obviously Caucasian; one woman even had pale blonde hair from head to eyebrows, though her looks weren't on the same level as Julia's.
The last three had Asian faces. Chuck couldn't tell if they were Chinese or Japanese, but one of them, even sitting by the fire, kept her back very straight, her gaze constantly darting towards him.
Chuck raised an eyebrow and looked at this woman's face without evasion, feeling slightly surprised.
Although a 7-point woman, for some reason, she carried a dignified and generous temperament.
Probably a professional like an etiquette instructor or flight attendant.
Seemingly feeling Chuck's gaze, the woman's eyes, originally cast to the ground, raised again, looking at Chuck carefully, only to meet his half-smiling gaze. Her shoulders trembled, she hurriedly withdrew her gaze, and her ears flushed red.
Seeing this, Chuck's expression remained calm, but he wanted to laugh inwardly.
If some honest boy who had never been in a relationship, just studying and working honestly for over twenty years, saw this act on a blind date, he'd probably empty his and his parents' wallets in minutes.
Of course, if it were those truly handsome guys, this act might not necessarily be fake. But over the past decades, besides Jiang Qi and Julia, no woman had shown interest in him at first sight. He knew he wasn't fresh meat.
So this woman was either pretending to be shy or a strong-worshipping bitch who liked muscular men.
Thinking this, the corners of Chuck's lips slowly curled up.
Whatever.
According to recent patterns, this storm probably wouldn't stop for two days. Since he decided to stay here for these two days, holding it in wasn't an option.
Of these eight women, besides the two with Black heritage Chuck had no interest in, he could try the remaining six over the next two days.
Later, he'd start with this 7-point temperamental woman and see.
But then again...
Besides Lee Na-eun lying flat behind the women and Lee So-yeon busy inside the cave, shouldn't there be one more person here?
And an old acquaintance of his.
Chuck looked around but didn't see the expected figure. Frowning slightly, he was about to get up and ask Lee So-yeon when his ears twitched. He suddenly noticed suppressed whispers coming from deep in the cave, the direction where Lee So-yeon had just packed things away.
He immediately sat firmly back in his original spot.
...
"Tang... have you thought it through?"
Deep in the cave, in a dry, cool spot where food was stored, Lee So-yeon looked at the figure hidden in the darkness before her, lowering her voice and asking softly.
Her eyes carried deep guilt.
"Say no more, So-yeon. I made up my mind long ago."
"..."
Lee So-yeon fell silent for a moment and sighed slowly.
She felt both helpless and somewhat relieved.
Rather than a guilty conscience, she preferred not to watch her companions go hungry day by day, nor did she want to offer her body as a bargaining chip to a strange man. Now that Tang Yumo was willing to take on this role, although sad, she was truly relieved.
This way, they could hold on again.
But quickly, she looked up again, lowering her voice and saying seriously.
"Tang, the situation is special this time. Let's forget it. Wait until he brings things over next time, then I'll discuss this with him. And there's no need to give him such a big sweetener right from the start..."
"So-yeon, please... let it be like this."
Lee So-yeon's wrist was gently grabbed. Tang Yumo's voice sounded more exhausted than ever before.
Seeing this, Lee So-yeon ultimately couldn't speak again. She nodded and said nothing more.
It was like sitting in an exploding hot air balloon. After throwing everything out, they were still one person's weight short. One companion volunteered to sacrifice herself. As the party benefiting and surviving, saying meaningless pleasantries in this situation would truly be unsightly.
"Thank you, Tang. I will keep this in my heart forever, and I believe everyone else will too."
Heh.
By the fire, Chuck couldn't help but let out a cold sneer through his nose. Looking at the flickering fire before him, he shook his head helplessly.
Among the foolish people in the world, having no self-awareness is number one.
These two people—one thinking she was righteously sacrificing herself, the other hypocritically putting on a sincere act—in the end, they never even considered...
Would I even want her?
Truly boring to the core.