Chapter 40 Keep Your Distance
With that one remark, Ryan’s face turned beet red.
He hadn’t expected anyone to notice him sneaking off with the pork last night.
Overcome by his shyness, he truly wished he could disappear into thin air.
“I need to discuss something personal with Gabrielle, Caleb blurted out.
Finished
Brendan let out a quiet chuckle, a trace of ridicule evident in his sharp features. He cast his gaze downward, staring at the shameless man before him.
“Does Gabrielle look like she’s interested in discussing anything personal with you? We’ve only known each other for two days, and even I can tell she can’t stand you. If you were a man, you’d keep your distance instead of hounding her, Brendan retorted, his tone cutting. “You guys from Team A really have some nerve, always trying to dodge responsibility whenever you can! It’s a shame that Gabrielle is on my team. So, would you mind keeping your distance?”
Brendan’s words were blunt and unapologetic. Whether they were live broadcasting or not didn’t bother him, as the other team were incredibly annoying.
Netizen J: Brendan is so handsome. His words are as sharp as ever! He’s so protective. There’s no mistake in the way he spoils the woman
on his team.
Netizen K: I used to think Brendan was too aloof, but now I realize he simply refuses to stoop to the level of fools. He’s so cool.
Netizen L: Nadia is so cute for pushing Caleb aside. I can’t stop laughing
Netizen M: Has Caleb lost his mind? Why is he constantly pestering Gabrielle! Can’t he see that Gabrielle hates him? This man has no shame. I remember seeing a video online where he was cornering Gabrielle at night. It was absolutely appalling.
Fans engaged in heated discussions, while Caleb’s supporters remained silent, overwhelmed by a sense of unavoidable defeat. The conversation had initially been about Chloe and Benjamin.
For a while, the fans had been jubilant. Little did they expect Caleb to shoot himself in the foot.
They began to wonder if there was something off about Team A’s luck. Since their formation, their reputation had taken a nosedive, and public opinion about them continued to sour.
“Your Caleb was seething with suppressed fury as he met Brendan’s cold, unwavering gaze. But aware of Brendan’s influential backing, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.
He turned away abruptly and led Ryan back to Team A’s cave.
“We only had a little meat last night, so we’ll need to find more food today. With last night’s high tide, there might be fish and shrimp washed ashore. Let’s gather some,” Ryan suggested.
We can’t possibly starve forever, right? If this keeps up, we’ll become a joke across the internet.
Cleverly, Ryan avoided acting impulsively and chose to keep a low profile. He knew that a poorly managed live broadcast could backfire, drawing unwanted criticism.
“Okay,” Caleb responded.
Not far away, he noticed the staff had cleaned up the area.
Patrick approached them and said, “Your luggage is soaked. You’ll need to take it out to dry. The sun near the sea is quite strong. It should do the trick.
Following this suggestion, the two ventured into the cave, only to be left speechless.
Two snakes had entwined themselves around their luggage, which the staff promptly dealt with and removed. Wasting no time, they grabbed their belongings and stepped outside.
11 30 PM
Chapter 40 Keep Your Distance
Caleb’s fingers
s stiffened. He was caught in a moment of indecision, unsure whether to drop it or keep holding it.
It’s just underwear. In our team, aside from Chloe, there are no other women. It clearly belongs to a woman.
“I’ll just leave it here,” Caleb said, tossing the underwear onto a nearby tree branch.
Finished
He then rubbed his hands together nervously, picked up his luggage, and carried on. Fortunately, the luggage was of good quality. While some items inside were slightly damp, most remained in decent condition.
Despite Chloe and Benjamin’s near–death experience, they still returned and brought out their belongings.
Caleb shot a cold glance at Chloe and gestured toward the tree branch. “Is that yours?”
Chloe turned to look and saw her pink underwear hanging there. She hurried forward and snatched it off the branch.
“Don’t just leave your stuff on my suitcase in the future. It might give people the wrong impression,” Caleb remarked as he began airing out his clothes nearby.
Chloe stood frozen, feeling hurt as she watched his indifferent demeanor. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of discomfort.
Overnight, it seemed as if everyone had turned against her.
“Let’s dry our belongings and head to the coast to look for food, Caleb said, walking over to Benjamin.
They were a
all
part of the same team, so they should work together.
Benjamin nodded in agreement and approached Chloe. “If you’re not feeling well, you can stay here and rest. The three of us can go look for food.”
Chloe forced a smile and replied, “It’s okay. We’re all here for the variety show. I can’t just rest and do nothing, can I? I’ll go with you guys
Although she was smiling, her gaze remained icy cold.
Her reputation had been tarnished by Gabrielle, and she couldn’t let Gabrielle gain the upper hand any longer.
Moreover, the cameraman was live streaming at the time. She naturally couldn’t afford to be at a disadvantage. Even if she was being negatively portrayed, she was determined to turn the situation around.
However, she was unaware that even in the absence of the cameraman, the production team would activate hidden cameras. Every single one of their actions was broadcasted.
“All right, be careful later, Benjamin whispered, casually ruffling her hair.
Chloe lowered her gaze shyly, avoiding his large hand. She busied herself drying clothes and then quickly followed the group toward the seaside.
Her underwear, which she had hung to one side, swayed gently in the wind.
Hurrying to catch up with the others, Chloe arrived at the shore where they found various marine creatures left behind by the tide from the previous night. As the seawater receded, fish and shrimp were stranded along the shore.
“There are quite a few fish and shrimp here. Even though they’re dead, they’re still edible,” Caleb remarked, his tone carrying a hint of enthusiasm
Better this than nothing! Survival at sea is difficult. Let’s focus on getting food and staying warm.
Right, we should gather some to take back, just like Team B did. We can hang them up to dry so they’ll last longer, Ryan said as he joined the group.
The mention of Team B caused Chloe’s smile to waver slightly.
She had always wanted to prove herself, yet under the impressive shadow of Team B, she often felt inadequate. Biting her lip. sheistayed silent, continuing to pick up the pieces.
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Chapter 40 Keep Your Distance
No one objected, as they had to work as a team.
Finished
“Then you’d better gather more,” Caleb responded, his comment striking a nerve and leaving Chloe fuming internally. She hadn’t expected him to assign her extra work so casually.
they not have any sense of chivalry or consideration for me? I’m a girl. Shouldn’t they be doing more?
Frustrated but unwilling to express it, she forced a smile and replied, “Okay.”
With that, she turned away and walked off
Taking one step, then another, Chloe realized that no one was following her. It seemed as though gathering firewood was her task alone. Unable to suppress her disappointment, she glanced back and saw the others engrossed in their tasks.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lip, but spotting the camera trained on her, she quickly composed herself. Putting on a cheerful front, she waved and said, “Let’s go. I’m off to gather firewood. We’ll enjoy a seafood feast later! The tide came in last night, saving us so much effort. We owe our thanks to nature’s generosity.”
She bent down to collect branches as she spoke.
