You're really a silly dog

"Olivia, you look really beautiful right now. Whoever marries you will be the luckiest man alive."

Tom couldn't help but admire Olivia, who was looking exceptionally charming.

"Hmph, you men are all talk, just trying to make a woman happy."

Olivia retorted with a playful glare at Tom.

Though she said this, she was actually quite pleased inside. After all, no woman dislikes being complimented on her beauty.

"I'm not just trying to cheer you up; I'm telling the truth."

Tom said earnestly.

"Then who do you think is prettier, me or Sophia?"

Olivia asked with a sly smile.

"Uh, that's hard to compare since you two are not really the same type."

Tom replied awkwardly.

This was definitely a tricky question, and he couldn't just answer carelessly, especially if Sophia were to find out—it would be a disaster.

"So, if you had to choose one of us, who would it be?"

Olivia quickly followed up.

"That's a tough question."

Tom replied with a wry smile.

"Hurry up and answer, or I won't talk to you anymore."

Olivia pressed him.

Tom glanced around with the corner of his eye to make sure Sophia wasn't there, then he finally said, "If I really had to choose, I'd definitely pick you. You're so gentle and understanding, any man would choose you."

Tom was actually being quite sincere.

Although Sophia was no less beautiful than Olivia, she was a bit too proud and somewhat capricious. Tom preferred Olivia a bit more.

"You do know how to talk."

Olivia's face broke into a satisfied smile upon hearing Tom's answer.

"Alright, enough of that. Go change your clothes now."

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Olivia naturally didn't want to make things difficult for Tom anymore.

"Okay, okay."

Tom quickly went to change into the clean clothes he had picked up earlier.

Afterward, Olivia took Tom's dirty clothes and the clothes that had been used as bed sheets on the ground to the seaside to wash them, while Evelyn and Isabella went along to help.

At half-past two in the afternoon, Tom, along with the Brown sisters and Oliver, who had joined them the previous night, entered the forest.

This time, Tom wasn't out hunting but was mainly exploring the nearby woods to see if there were any dangers and what natural resources could be utilized.

Unknowingly, they reached the edge of a pond.

After drinking some water and resting briefly, they continued on their way.

During this time, Tom collected any edible items or herbs they came across.

After walking for nearly an hour, the Brown sisters began to feel exhausted.

"Tom, I can't go on, let's rest a bit longer."

Mia wiped the sweat from her forehead and said breathlessly.

Navigating through the primitive forest was physically demanding. Mia, who had been practicing dance since she was young, had a good physical foundation, but even she was now utterly exhausted.

"You three rest here for a while; I'll go check out that area."

Tom told Mia, still feeling relatively energetic.

Hearing this, Mia and the others rested on the spot, eating the shark meat they had brought along, while Tom headed alone towards a small hill nearby.

Just as he reached the top of the hill, Tom suddenly heard roaring sounds.

Following the sounds, Tom saw a group of wild dogs attacking an injured one on the flat ground below the small hill.

The injured dog seemed to have a broken leg, but it still appeared fiercely aggressive, continuously fighting back against the surrounding dogs.

"Hey!" Tom shouted at the pack, picking up a stone and hurling it towards them.

The dogs scattered at the sight of the flying stone, turning their gaze towards Tom.

Feeling their hostile, icy stares, Tom couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy.

He knew wild dogs were ferocious, capable of even attacking lions and tigers when in packs, and here he was alone. If the dogs decided to attack, his chances weren't good.

But Tom knew he couldn't show fear; showing fear would only hasten his demise.

He grabbed a thick branch and started thrashing it on the ground while shouting loudly, "Hey, hey, hey!" Regardless of how scared he felt inside, he projected a strong front.

Seeing that Tom seemed formidable, a slightly larger dog, apparently the leader, gave a low growl and quickly led the pack into the woods, disappearing from sight.

Only then did Tom, who had been bluffing, breathe a sigh of relief.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Tom walked down to the injured dog.

"Roar..." The wounded dog bared its teeth and growled lowly as Tom approached, looking ready to pounce at any moment.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here to help you." To reduce the dog's hostility, Tom threw the branch aside and took out some dried shark meat.

He took a bite himself first, then signaled to the dog that it was edible before tossing the meat towards it.

The injured dog sniffed the shark meat, and upon realizing it was food, devoured it voraciously.

In a blink, the piece of shark meat was gone.

Seeing this, Tom threw another piece of shark meat he had on him to the dog.

The dog didn't hesitate and quickly ate up the meat.

"Easy there, little guy, let me check your wounds." Tom said, slowly approaching the dog again.

"Roar, roar, roar..." The dog growled again, as if warning Tom.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Tom continued speaking to the dog, moving closer regardless of whether it understood him or not.

"Woof!" The dog suddenly barked loudly, almost biting Tom.

"You really are a silly dog." Seeing the dog's strong defensive reaction, Tom didn't dare to get too close and stopped about three feet away.

Thus, man and dog stared at each other.

As time passed, the dog seemed to realize that Tom meant no harm and its aggressiveness visibly lessened, though its eyes still held a wariness.

"Silly dog, stay still. I'm going to treat you now. If you dare bite me, I swear I'll stew you and eat dog meat."

Tom spoke again to the dog, slowly moving closer, trying his best to radiate goodwill.