Their Punching Bag Became The Storm novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23 Chase and Ebuly Coming Back

Chapter 23 Chase and Emily Coming Back

Elian and Nora moved at lightning speed, determined to prove themselves. They packed that huge cart completely full, leaving no empty space at all.

They leaned on the cart and wiped the sweat from their brows.

No wonder Whitney was so quick to agree to share her ingredients with them. Her team already had first place locked up.

Even if the other three teams had the luck of the century, there was no way anyone could find more ingredients than Whitney’s team.

They couldn’t help but exclaim, “You are incredible. How did you manage to find so many ingredients?”

“Wild Beauty did all the work. I coasted to victory,” Ryan said coolly.

Elian and Nora weren’t surprised at all. After all, Whitney could catch a snake with her bare hands.

Still, they were stunned that the aloof Ryan had actually spoken to them. And that he even had called Whitney “Wild Beauty.”

They paused and shot odd, curious looks at Ryan and Whitney.

By the time the four of them made it back to the meeting point, there were still fifteen minutes left before the eleven o’clock rendezvous.

Elian and Nora waited by the cart.

Whitney and Ryan planned to head back to their shelter, take off their makeshift raincoats, and clean themselves up a bit.

Soon, the other teams started trickling back in. The meeting point turned into a hive of activity. Everyone kept asking how many ingredients each team had found.

But since it was all about the rankings, even though everyone was clearly carrying a lot of ingredients, they all played it coy and refused to give any real numbers.

During the small talks, everyone’s eyes landed on the cart between Elian and Nora. It was packed to the brim with ingredients.

They were all stunned, their faces full of shock and disbelief. It took a long moment for them to wrap their heads around what they were seeing.

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Henry, the star actor, was the first to walk over. He slapped Elian on the shoulder. Whoa, you’re really something. Your days are seriously impressive.”

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Bella, his teammate, came up and yuucine Duys of ingredients Henry was holding. “Henry, you can’t compete with Elian. He turned eighteen, and he’s already

Chapter 23 Chase, and Emily Coming Back

famous for his crazy skills in extreme sports and parkour.”

She was clearly poking fun at Henry, but there was clear envy in her tone.

Jason and Kayla crowded around too, turning on the charm as they piled compliments onto Elian. They might as well have been wearing a sign that said, “Since you have so many ingredients, how about sharing a few bags with us?”

Elian soaked up all the praise but felt a little shy. He scratched his head and laughed, You’ve got it all wrong. This stuff belongs to Whitney and Ryan. Nora and I are the ones doing the heavy lifting while they provide the goods.”

The others looked even more shocked at Whitney and Ryan’s names.

“No way,” Kayla blurted out, her eyes wide as she stared at the cart overflowing with ingredients.

In her eyes, Whitney was a gold digger who pulled strings to get on the show. There was no way she had the skill to find this much food.

As for Ryan, everyone knew he was weak and sickly. He was basically the team’s good luck charm. The idea of him going into the wild to hunt for ingredients was ridiculous. There was no way this entire cart of ingredients belonged to Whitney and Ryan’s team. So she assumed the production crew had to be playing favorites for Ryan.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. This is a live broadcast. There’s no way to fake anything,” Elian said.

He caught their expressions and knew exactly what they were thinking. No way was he going to let anyone misunderstand Whitney. He had to clear her name.

He looked each of them in the eye, his voice steady and sure. “Whitney found every single ingredient here herself. It’s real and fair.” He finished with a proud smile.

The others were still skeptical. Jason marched right up to the production crew and insisted they double–check whether Whitney and Ryan’s haul was actually found fair and square.

Darian stated firmly, “The guiding principles of our show are authenticity and fairness. If you have concerns, you can raise them after we leave the island. Present the

recorded footage, and we will review it together.”

Things were getting pretty wild over there.

As the countdown hit eleven o’clock, the last team, Chase and Emily, finally made it back empty–handed. They looked so beaten up that no one could even recognize them.

Emily usually looked like a princess, no matter where she was, even on this wild island. But now she was absolutely caked in mud, her face smeared and dirty. Dirty water

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Chapter 23 Chate si Emily Coming Back

dripped off them, leaving little puddles wherever they walked.

Clearly, their ingredient hunt was a total flop.

Even Jason and Kayla, the team with the smallest haul, still managed to bring back three bags of ingredients.

An awkward silence hung between Chase and Emily. Even with mud smeared all over their faces, their pale, grim expressions were impossible to miss.

Kayla rushed over, trying to show she cared. “Emily, Chase, what happened to you?” Emily was so annoyed that she would have lost it right then and there if the cameras weren’t rolling. She didn’t want to deal with Kayla’s fake sympathy right now. Chase did not say a word. With a dark look on his face, he walked off toward his shelter.

Emily quickly followed him.

But then she overheard some people talking nearby.

“Darian sounded so sure. I guess Elian was telling the truth. Who would have thought Whitney was such a dark horse?”

“No wonder Ryan was so quick to team up with her. Do you think they have known each other all along?”

“When I see her later, I am going to ask how she found so many ingredients in such a short time.”

Emily’s brows furrowed sharply at the mention of Whitney’s name, and she stopped dead in her tracks.

She turned and saw Henry and Bella, two of the biggest names in the industry. Henry had a rock–solid reputation as a true powerhouse, and Bella was still riding high from the success of her hit drama.

It was strange to hear them talking about Whitney. And Henry couldn’t even stop praising her.

Emily’s brows knitted together as dread settled in. She yanked Kayla’s arm, her voice sharp with suspicion. “What the hell happened? What did Whitney do this time?”

Kayla instantly felt something cold and sticky on her skin. Emily had smeared a handful of mud all over her arm.

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