Their Punching Bag Became The Storm novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17 She’s Survived on a Wild Island

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Whitney was busy.

She grabbed a bunch of edible stuff she’d just scavenged from the undergrowth and stuffed it into her plastic bag.

The bag was already packed to the brim, weighed down with all their finds.

Everything inside was the haul they’d just scored.

Whitney tested the weight of the bag, making sure it was sturdy enough to hold everything.

Ryan reached out. “Let me carry it.”

Whitney glanced at his pale, slender wrist. It looked way too fragile for this. “Never mind. It’s pretty heavy. I’ll handle it myself.”

Ryan glanced at her hand holding the bag of food, then at the other hand gripping the flashlight. “So, what am I supposed to do?”

Whitney blinked, totally lost. ‘What does he mean, what’s he supposed to do?’ she wondered.

She shot him a puzzled look.

But she met his refined eyes, now with a touch of hurt in them.

Whitney was speechless. She got it now.

With one hand holding the bag and the other gripping the flashlight, she couldn’t spare a hand to hold his.

‘Seriously? A grown man acting this delicate?’ she thought. ‘What, he can’t walk unless I hold his hand?

‘Or is he just afraid I’ll leave him all alone out here in the wilds?’

Whitney took a deep breath.

Right now, they were on the same team.

Even if it meant swallowing her pride, she’d keep pampering him.

r

Whitney lifted the flashlight and swept it around, scanning the surroundings.

Within seconds, she quickly settled on a direction.

She switched off the flashlight and shoved it into Ryan’s hand. “You light the way, and I’ Il lead you.”

As her hand touched his, Ryan suddenly gripped her fingers, catching her hand in his.

Whitney was about to yank her hand back. Ryan leaned in.

Chapter 17 She’s Survived on a Wik! Island

That signature cool, woody scent of his hit her again.

Suddenly, the weight in her other hand was gone.

Ryan was now carrying the bag of food in his hand.

He gave the plastic bag a little shake.

His arm looked extra hot holding that bag.

“Did you really think I couldn’t handle this?” Ryan said with a playful grin. “You just need to find the food and keep holding my hand, that’s all.”

Whitney was speechless.

‘Whatever, let him carry it if he wants,’ she thought.

She didn’t bother arguing. She turned the flashlight back on, grabbed Ryan’s other hand, and started walking in the direction she’d picked.

[Is Ryan actually being a baby right now?]

[My icy dream guy just switched to puppy mode? He really needs Whitney to hold his hand to even walk?]

[I can’t stand this, girls. Whitney’s face totally says, ‘Don’t drag me down, weakling. I’ll do it all myself.’ I’m cracking up. When has Ryan ever been this looked down on?]

Whitney walked up front, knowing exactly where she was headed.

Under the night sky, all they could hear was the sound of branches and vines scraping against their raincoats as they made their way through the forest.

Suddenly, Ryan spoke up. “Wild Beauty, can I ask you something?”

The nickname “Wild Beauty” made Whitney twitch a little. She still wasn’t used to it. But she kept her cool and shot Ryan a sideways glance. “Ask away.”

“How do you always manage to find every spot where food is hidden, so accurately?”

r Ryan said. Truth is, he wasn’t really curious.

“If you’re lucky, you might even stumble across some ingredients just walking on flat ground.

“With enough practice, it gets easy to spot,” Whitney explained. “But honestly, this isn’t some skill you can pick up overnight, especially for someone like you, who grew up with everything handed to you.”

J

[The crew literally knows nothing.]

[If you’re not a Ryan or Whitney fan, why are you even lurking in this livestream?]

Ryan’s Fans rolled in like a tidal wave, shaking the whole place up.

The trolls and haters got steamrolled in seconds.

Meanwhile, Ryan’s eyes trembled slightly at Whitney’s explanation, his gaze locking onto her refined profile.

After a long pause, he quietly asked, “How did you gain that kind of experience?”

This wasn’t the sort of expertise most people would ever acquire.

Chapter 17 She’s Survived on a Wild Island

Ordinary folks would never have any use for it.

Whitney suddenly paused mid-step.

‘How did I end up with this kind of experience?’ she thought.

Because she’d been put through this kind of thing more times than she could remember.

Her mentor might’ve seemed like a great doctor living in a small town. But for her and her fellow disciples, what they learned from him went far beyond healing. He taught them countless survival skills.

She’d survived the real thing, the kind of wild island ordeal forged through blood and sacrifice.

This so-called Real Survival was nothing more than a variety show.

It wasn’t even one-thousandth as tough as what she’d been through.

But Whitney had no intention of going into detail with Ryan about any of that.

After all, once the show was over, they’d probably just go their separate ways.

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