After lunch, Chuck accepted the invitation and left the table with Julia, heading to a secluded spot behind the house.
Just as the blonde mare was about to speak, Chuck raised his hand.
"Don't tell me yet. Let me guess."
Looking into Julia's blue eyes, Chuck paused briefly before testing the waters.
"It's about Jiang Qi, isn't it?"
"Oh..."
Julia blinked, surprised, and nodded blankly.
"Darling... did you already know?"
"Let me guess further. It's about her health, right?"
"Correct."
Julia looked up at Chuck, nodding while holding his wrist, pouting helplessly.
"Hey, although your reliability is charming, sometimes it's really a killjoy. Like everything is under your control..."
"This matter isn't under my control."
Chuck pulled her into his arms, stroking her soft golden hair. Her pout turned sweet instantly.
He looked toward the residence, his expression growing serious.
"Go on. What did you find?"
"Mmh."
Julia nodded, leaning her small face against Chuck's chest, and recounted exactly what she saw from behind the window that morning.
Chuck listened expressionlessly, then nodded just as stoically.
"I see."
Jiang Qi was indeed hiding her condition, as he suspected.
What kind of illness makes someone seemingly fine one second, then collapse pale-faced the next?
Chuck didn't know; he wasn't a doctor.
But Jiang Qi was a top medical student, yet she had abruptly cut ties with him during their passionate relationship years ago. Now it seemed highly probable it was related to this hidden illness.
Chuck knew even if he confronted her now, perhaps using Julia's eyewitness account, she likely wouldn't budge. She'd just laugh it off casually as usual.
"..."
After hesitating, Chuck decided to talk to her later.
The reason was simple—at this point, what Jiang Qi thought didn't matter.
Chuck had many women now, bearing countless responsibilities and pressures. If he racked his brain over a woman's thoughts, he might as well feed himself to the tiger.
Only incompetent simps obsessed over a woman's mind.
Chuck wasn't a simp. He was a desert island harem protagonist, a sigma male.
Being sigma didn't mean ignoring women, but focusing on oneself, unshaken by women, yet taking good care of those around him.
So Chuck would tell Jiang Qi his thoughts, then ignore her protests, focus on his tasks, and solve the problems.
Once he killed the tiger, synthesized the Essence Potion, and cured her, he'd pin this ex-girlfriend to the bed and fuck her until she cried.
...
"Gulp, gulp."
"Haa—"
Two hours after lunch, Jiang Qi, having rested and regained strength, finally appeared at the table.
Enjoying the reheated lunch Yitong prepared, she downed the fish soup in one go, sighing with satisfaction.
"Sister Gu, your cooking is amazing. This fish soup tastes better than restaurants~"
Jiang Qi wasn't just being polite. With abundant seasonings—sea salt, pepper, chili, herbs—and Yitong's improving skills, the simple meals were definitely above average.
High-end ingredients often need simple cooking. Due to the island's unique nature, the ingredients were inexplicably delicious—top tier.
"Hehe, are you full, Sister Jiang Qi? Want a roasted sweet potato?"
"Eh, is that okay? Hehe, I feel like I'll get fat."
"Girls look better with a bit of meat."
Yitong liked Jiang Qi's straightforwardness and enjoyed the praise. Being fellow countrywomen made communication easy. She was closest to Jiang Qi besides Chuck and Julia.
Five minutes later, the two sat facing each other by the stove in the kitchen, eating hot sweet potatoes and chatting.
"Yunshang Group? The Yunshang Group? Sister Gu, you were a general manager there?!"
Hearing Yitong's background, Jiang Qi was stunned.
Even without working a day in her life, she knew that company name.
"Not the company GM, just a department manager... it's complicated."
Yitong crossed her fleshy legs casually, biting into the sweet potato, explaining softly with a smile.
"That's still amazing."
Jiang Qi looked at the mature beauty in awe.
She had gotten used to Yitong's care, seeing her as a housewife managing chores. Unexpectedly, this gentle big sister was a corporate executive.
A true career woman!
"Then you..."
Jiang Qi opened her mouth, hesitating, then continued.
"Sorry, I know it's silly to ask now, but with your status, are you really willing to... live like this?"
Jiang Qi had no issue with Chuck's harem.
Though his ex, she wasn't the bitter, unreasonable type from melodramatic novels.
Having faced death for years, she knew the fear.
So seeing her ex single-handedly provide a stable, safe life for so many, she knew how incredible Chuck was.
A harem or orgies—he deserved them.
But people are free. Just because Chuck deserved it didn't mean women had to accept it, especially successful modern women like Yitong.
Jiang Qi knew many elite women in medical school. They were independent, strong, and refused to be men's accessories.
Let alone share a man.
So learning Yitong was one of them surprised her.
Personality doesn't change overnight. She couldn't understand what turned a corporate executive into this gentle... and lewd slut, singing nightly with Chuck, even willing to share him with her daughter.
Hearing this, Yitong pursed her lips and smiled. Smart as she was, she understood the vague question immediately.
"Sister Jiang Qi, you're very clever."
Yitong tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, reminiscing.
"Indeed, like you said, initially I was... very wary of him. I kept my distance."
"That time was really hard."
Though Yitong didn't elaborate, Jiang Qi could imagine.
A successful woman stranded with her daughter and a strange, strong man. To protect her child, she had to be wary while struggling to survive...
Jiang Qi scratched her head.
Isn't that hell mode?
"I refused to accept reality then, almost costing Momo's life. If he hadn't helped regardless of the past, I'd regret it forever..."
Yitong looked ashamed.
"Later, when I truly understood him, I realized how foolish I was."
"He's not a bad person. On the contrary, if you ask for help, he'll extend a hand. He won't let any of us get hurt..."
She looked up, giving Jiang Qi a meaningful look.
"I believe you, having dated him, should know this better than me."
"There's no man in the world more reliable than him."
Jiang Qi froze, unsure how to respond, and lowered her head in silence.
Yitong smiled helplessly and said no more.
With her executive-level observation, she had noticed what Julia saw much earlier. Being prudent, she didn't blab to Chuck but took this chance to gently nudge Jiang Qi.
An awkward silence followed until the topic shifted to trivial matters, easing the atmosphere.
But Yitong looked at Jiang Qi with a hint of pity.
Though they hadn't known each other long, she saw a shadow of her past self in Jiang Qi.
The girl who tried to shoulder everything alone, unwilling to trouble others, especially those she cared about.
But you know, that's not strength...
Just self-righteousness.
...
Objectively, the loot from the leopard was meager compared to previous kills.
Besides the standard flowers, there were only unexpected Kapok fruits, skin, and bones. Luckily, Chuck didn't expect much.
Triggering the [Outer Soft, Inner Steel] passive to heal his arm consumed massive stamina. Chuck didn't schedule heavy work for the afternoon, focusing on assessing progress and planning.
Livestock was smooth but needed time. Nothing for Chuck to do.
But Julia's greenhouse had urgent tasks.
Crops transplanted from the jungle had been harvested several times.
Peppers, herbs, and mulberry leaves were stored or used. No worries there.
But sugarcane and mulberries, being perishable, were piling up.
Over time, they lost freshness. In the hot, humid climate, rot and insects would follow. Wasteful and troublesome.
Must be processed timely.
Chuck transplanted sugarcane not for eating, but to extract sugar. He just hadn't found time.
Mulberries were a byproduct of silkworm farming. Chuck planned them as snacks, but the yield was too high. With Julia's 20x growth speed, harvested crops piled up fast.
Eating too many caused diarrhea. Better to brew wine than let them rot.
Sugar from sugarcane, wine from mulberries. Both solved storage issues and had immense value.
Sugar: natural stimulant and nutrient. Wine: natural sedative and pastime.
Theoretically, both could be stored indefinitely—apocalypse currency.
Aside from this, he needed to discuss the tiger strategy with Valentina.
These were the priorities.
The tiger couldn't be rushed. But sugar and wine making were easy for current Chuck.
Thinking about it, he realized both processes required the same initial step.
Juicing.
Extracting juice from sugarcane and mulberries, filtering pulp and fiber to get sugar or ferment wine. Common sense.
This step differed from boiling palm oil or distilling salt. It required physical pressing.
Meaning, Chuck had to build a tool for efficient juicing!
An Island Juicer!