From yesterday afternoon until now, this storm had barely lasted a day.
If nothing unexpected happened, it probably wouldn't stop until tomorrow.
Chuck's original plan was to wait until the rain stopped before returning, but after the past half-day, he had personally experienced the scarcity of resources in the hands of Lee So-yeon and her companions. With the storm preventing them from foraging outside, they had to forcefully split one meal into three.
His appetite was already larger than normal, plus the events of last night might have scared these women, so much so that even the few women who surrounded him yesterday didn't dare to approach and strike up a conversation now.
Regarding this, Chuck didn't care too much. The Spanish mare delivered herself to his door; he just played around casually. Which of the women at home didn't face this kind of intensity from the start?
Compared to life and death, being fucked into a puddle of mush and fainting with rolling eyes was completely insignificant. Chuck believed they would figure out this logic after going hungry for another two days.
But now, continuing to stay and waste time was meaningless.
The rain outside was heavy, but for Chuck, it was no different from running under a showerhead. His powerful memory and perception were enough to let him proceed unhindered in the storm, almost without obstruction. Not to mention, the giant bird blocking the way on the mountaintop halfway through had also clocked out to take shelter from the rain.
Although Wang Xinrui was rustic, she inexplicably gave Chuck a good impression. In the internet-developed modern society, this kind of girl was quite rare.
Therefore, Chuck asked the question. If he could bring her home this time and let her help out under Julia and Janet, it would both alleviate the food pressure on Lee So-yeon and the others during this storm and add new labor to Chuck's own settlement.
Unfortunately, when Chuck asked this question, he had already guessed the answer.
And the facts didn't exceed his expectations. Hearing this sudden invitation, Wang Xinrui opened her mouth in astonishment, then lowered her head, raised her hand to scratch her neck, and showed an ashamed smile.
"Brother Chuck's good intentions, I appreciate it, but Sister So-yeon has it rough, I want to stay and help her..."
The simple girl from the Central Plains was naturally also willing to endure hardship and valued relationships. Chuck's invitation was rejected, but he didn't feel the slightest displeasure in his heart; the smile on his face even became somewhat gentler.
He didn't persist, but nodded, raised his hand, and gently patted her shoulder.
"It's okay, whenever you change your mind, you can tell me anytime."
"Okay."
Wang Xinrui once again revealed a quite simple smile, but immediately after, that smile turned into astonishment once more.
She saw Chuck, who was just sitting calmly by the fire, suddenly stand up without a word, and walk straight to Lee So-yeon, who was kneeling on the ground, carefully taking care of her sick sister.
"Ms. Lee."
Lee So-yeon was startled. The hand holding a cloth carefully wiping her sister's forehead trembled. She looked up in astonishment, her gaze meeting Chuck's, who was looking down at her.
The unforgettable scene from last night naturally surfaced in her mind the moment she saw Chuck.
As a result, her heartbeat accelerated, her body grew tense, and she even instinctively leaned back a bit, forcing a smile onto her face.
"What's the matter? Mr. Chuck."
Chuck looked down at her, but his gaze didn't linger. Instead, he looked all the way to her side, at the pink-haired girl with her eyes tightly closed, who looked five or six parts similar to Lee So-yeon. He shook his head slightly, revealing a trace of regret.
"It's a pity I couldn't exchange a few words with your sister this time. I hope she recovers soon."
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Chuck."
Lee So-yeon's attitude remained neither humble nor arrogant, sincere and polite. Chuck nodded, his gaze turning to the other side, to that equally unconscious figure.
"One more thing."
"When Sofia wakes up later, please pass a message to her for me."
As soon as these words came out, the smile on Lee So-yeon's face suddenly stiffened. But Chuck didn't mind, just paused briefly, and continued speaking.
"Tell her, I'm not that kind of irresponsible man. So if she's willing, she can come with me next time I come. Tell her to consider it carefully."
After speaking, Chuck, under the gazes of Lee So-yeon and those around who kept a respectful distance but constantly paid attention to her intentionally or unintentionally, walked towards the pouring rain curtain outside the cave without any hesitation.
Seeing this, Lee So-yeon's heart tightened. She immediately stood up, looking at Chuck's back and shouting in confusion.
"Mr. Chuck?? Where are you going?"
"Life is hard for everyone, I won't continue to be a freeloader here. It's already light outside, I'm heading home early."
After speaking, he didn't give Lee So-yeon a chance to make him stay. Like going out for a walk, he stepped straight into the freezing storm.
In just the blink of an eye, that tall and robust back disappeared.
Inside the cave, for an instant, time seemed to freeze. Everyone's breathing stagnated for a moment, and then, like a long-suppressed eruption, they began chattering and discussing in a mess.
Some were terrified and fearful, some hesitated and yearned. In the eyes of these women, Chuck's existence now was like a mysterious Pandora's box, perhaps able to fulfill all wishes, but also capable of making them fall into the abyss from then on.
After all... yesterday's "victim," Sofia, was still lying there unconscious.
"Sister."
A slightly hoarse voice suddenly rang out. Lee So-yeon turned her head in astonishment. She saw Lee Na-eun—who had shown no reaction since Chuck arrived yesterday afternoon, only briefly waking up to eat, her consciousness very blurred—actually sit up directly from the straw mat.
Seeing her sister's still-flushed cheeks but eyes that had regained some spirit, Lee So-yeon opened her mouth, her beautiful eyebrows knitting together.
"Were you... pretending to be sick just now?"
Chuck's actions just now were clearly to bid her farewell, and incidentally, politely check on Lee Na-eun's condition. But Lee So-yeon didn't expect that her own sister was pretending to be sick the whole time.
"I don't want to talk to that kind of man."
Lee Na-eun crossed her snowy legs, reached her slender arms behind her head, and tidied the hair stuck to her neck by sweat. The flush on her face quietly receded mostly.
Lee So-yeon raised her hand, gently placed it on her sister's smooth forehead, tested the temperature, and only then realized that yesterday's high fever had somehow turned into not even a low fever.
But her mood didn't relax. Raising her hand, she somewhat forcefully pressed her sister back down onto the straw mat, conveniently covered her with the woven blanket and jacket, and criticized in a slightly stern tone.
"Even if the fever is gone, it doesn't mean you're cured. Honestly lie back down. It's still raining now, there's nothing you need to do. Recover well. When the rain stops, there will be plenty of time for you to work."
Seeing this, Lee Na-eun knew she absolutely couldn't talk back to her sister in this situation, so she sensibly lay down obediently. But her gaze looked into Lee So-yeon's eyes, lowering her voice as much as possible, yet her tone was unusually serious.
"Sister, if this continues, all the sisters here will be abducted by him one by one."
"..."
Her sister's words brought a chill to Lee So-yeon's heart again. Her eyes uncontrollably turned towards Sofia, who was lying on the other side of the fire. She hesitated for a long time, but ultimately just lowered her head and smiled helplessly.
"I know, but what can I do?"
...
Putting this matter on the table openly right in front of Lee So-yeon was Chuck's overt scheme.
This overt scheme had begun from their very first trade. The initial target was only these two Korean idol sisters, but it quickly spread to everyone here except Tang Yumo.
Chuck possessed powerful martial force, an overwhelming advantage in supplies, and besides his needs and intensity in that area far exceeding ordinary people, he had no dangerous or violent tendencies.
So even as an overt scheme, under the current situation, it was unsolvable.
Chuck understood this, and Lee So-yeon naturally understood it in her heart too.
So Chuck straightforwardly put the matter of taking in Sofia on the table, just wanting to pierce this window paper early, letting the two women who were still companions discuss a result in private later.
Whether they wanted to use this to exchange for more supplies, or had any special requests, as long as it was reasonable, Chuck wouldn't refuse.
Taking down the first person and opening this head, subsequently recruiting He Xiaoyu, Wang Xinrui, and that American girl named Nicole would be a matter of course. And when these few were all recruited, taken home with food and board provided, and turned into productive forces...
Then with the precedent of their companions, among the remaining few who were still hesitating and wary, there would definitely be someone who would figure it out one after another.
Therefore, when this overt scheme reached its end, all the companions around the sisters would be under his protection. By then, the initial goal of subjugating the two of them would naturally be a matter of course.
Chuck closed his eyes, letting the pouring rain wash over his body. With his hands behind his back, he strolled leisurely on the wet beach, pondering the plan in his heart, growing more satisfied the more he thought about it.
Until the recall skill's judgment was completed and the button lit up, Chuck raised his hand and tapped it lightly.
His figure instantly vanished into the storm, as if evaporating into thin air.
...
"Wait... are you sure he'll be happy with this?"
"Sister Tina, let's just forget it, Darling will definitely be angry."
"Didn't you say he likes feet? Fine, then I have no ideas."
Hearing Yitong and Julia's dissuasion, Valentina, who was holding Chuck's pillow, ready to take off her shoes and step on it a few times, regretfully threw it back onto the bed. Then she walked back to the dining table, plopped down in her seat, crossed her arms, put both feet on the table, and once again entered a dazed, spaced-out mode.
"It's a rare opportunity... everyone quickly brainstorm, are there any better ideas? Something to give him a surprise before he comes back."
Sitting in the main seat was none other than the "ex-girlfriend" Jiang Qi, the latest to join the family bucket meal. After breakfast, chatting casually with Julia about Chuck promising gifts to everyone in the family, she had a sudden inspiration. She gathered the women of the house, proposing to use the day or two Chuck was away to pool everyone's efforts and prepare a small surprise for the pillar who supported the whole family alone.
In the past, whenever there was an issue, everyone gathered together could express their opinions one after another. But this time, for some reason, they all turned into little mutes.
Even Jiang Qi herself, who used to be Chuck's ex-girlfriend, and Julia, who had been by Chuck's side the longest on this deserted island, wracked their brains for a moment but couldn't come up with a good idea.
In the end... unlike Chuck promising and fulfilling wishes for them one by one, they simply didn't know what Chuck himself wanted now.
Naturally, there was no way to plan.
So after thinking left and right, Julia only thought of "feet." After all, this was the tacit understanding she had cultivated with Chuck in bed over such a long time, which led to Valentina's hilarious scene of acting resolutely but then pulling back from the brink just now.
The women around the dining table all frowned tightly, brainstorming. The living room subsequently fell into a long silence.
It was finally broken by Julia's helpless sigh.
"The things Darling wants... we actually really can't think of a single one."
"Me? I don't really have anything special I want anymore."
But unexpectedly, just as she finished speaking, a familiar voice suddenly came from the storage room on the side. The women instantly widened their eyes and stood up to look. They saw Chuck, soaked to the bone by the rain but with a relaxed smile on his face, reach out to pinch his collar and shake off the rainwater on it.
"If I had to say, what I want most right now is a pot of hot water, wash my hair, dry my body, then change into clean clothes, and then have a warm little mouth take my little brother in, hahaha."
As soon as these words came out, the surprise on the women's faces gained a bit of shyness. Julia stood up immediately, stepped forward with a flushed face, playfully patted his wet chest, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"Didn't you say you were going to wait until the rain stopped? How did you suddenly come out of the room?"
"Couldn't eat or sleep well, so I rushed back first. By the way, what are you guys gathering together to ponder over this for?"
Chuck impatiently squeezed Julia's perky breast. The familiar and top-tier sensation instantly satisfied him. Then, under the blonde mare's loving gaze, he took off all his wet clothes in a few swift motions.
In just a moment, Kaoru's small hands holding two clean cloths came behind Chuck, carefully wiping the rainwater off his body and hair. Janet fetched a set of clean clothes and placed them aside, then put away the wet clothes on the floor. Following that, in just a few breaths, Yitong walked out of the kitchen carrying a steaming iron pot.
Attended to by the women, despite the limited conditions due to the storm, Chuck still took a comfortable hot bath indoors and changed into new clothes. The wishes he made upon returning home were satisfied one by one by his harem.
Of course, including that last one.
"Ah woo—"
Chuck sat leisurely at the dining table, holding a cup and savoring the vanilla milk tea Yitong had prepared using her freshly squeezed milk. And under the dining table, Julia, this slutty little mare, had already impatiently knelt between Chuck's legs, opened her soft, warm mouth, and passionately taken that fiery hot dragon inside.