Chapter 135
Rachel watched the two of them still bickering and let out a sigh. "If you two don't stop, I'm kicking you out so I can get some peace."
"Alright, Rachel, we'll stop," John quickly said. James nodded in agreement, signaling he was done arguing too.
They finally quieted down, and Rachel got a moment of peace. But it didn't last long. James suddenly looked down the mountain and asked, "Hey, Rachel, where's Michael?"
"He's behind us," Rachel replied casually.
John snickered, "He can't even keep up with two girls. What a loser!"
"That's not fair, it's probably Mandy slowing him down," James shot back, defending Michael. Rachel raised an eyebrow. She had to admit James had a point.
Soon enough, their guess was confirmed. Michael appeared at the top of the mountain, carrying Mandy on his back. He set her down and then collapsed onto a nearby rock, exhausted. Even for someone who worked out regularly, carrying an adult up a mountain was no joke.
James stood by, fanning him, wiping his sweat, and handing him water. "Michael, are you okay?" Mandy asked, concerned.
Michael had just opened his eyes to respond when James stepped in front of him, glaring at Mandy. "Isn't it obvious? Of course not!"
Mandy was taken aback and stammered, "I didn't mean any harm."
James continued, "Don't you have any common sense? Why don't you walk yourself?"
Mandy's eyes welled up with tears, looking very upset. James was about to say more, but Michael stopped him. "Stop it. I carried her willingly. It has nothing to do with Mandy. Move aside."
James looked at Michael, clearly unhappy. "Michael, I'm standing up for you, and this is how you treat me?"
"Are you moving or not?" Michael squinted his eyes.
James grumbled but eventually stepped aside, giving Mandy a fierce glare before walking away.
Mandy finally got close to Michael. "Michael."
Michael handed her a tissue. "Stop crying."
Mandy nodded, still feeling hurt. Just then, Rachel, Joseph, and the others returned with firewood and stones they had gathered.
Seeing Michael and Mandy, Joseph teased with a smile, "Michael, you finally made it up here; that wasn't easy."
Michael glanced at him indifferently, not responding. Before looking away, he unintentionally looked at Rachel for a couple of seconds.
Rachel was setting up a stove to heat lunch. It was getting late, and everyone was hungry. "Alright, does anyone have a lighter?" Rachel asked after setting up the stove, clapping her hands.
John shook his head. "I don't; I don't smoke. What about you?"
Joseph searched his pockets and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't bring one."
"I don't have one either." Ella and James also shook their heads.
Rachel looked up at the sky helplessly. "So no one brought one. What are we going to do about lunch?"
Everyone fell silent. At that moment, Michael calmly spoke, "I have one." He took out a fancy metal lighter, stood up, and handed it to Rachel.
Rachel took it and looked at it, hesitating for a moment. John noticed her hesitation and stepped forward, sneering. "Mr. Smith, better keep that lighter to yourself. How could we dare accept anything from you? If your fiancée gets jealous, we might find ourselves in trouble again."
Michael frowned and looked at Mandy behind him. Mandy smiled and said, "Mr. Davis, I'm not that petty. It's just a lighter."
Then she looked at Rachel. "Ms. Williams, please take it."
Rachel steadied herself and accepted the lighter. "Alright, I'll take it then. Thanks, Miss Brown and Mr. Smith."
"You're welcome," Mandy replied. Michael's frown eased, clearly pleased she accepted the lighter.
"Rachel, you really took it?" John was a bit annoyed.
Rachel lit the fire. "Why not? Everyone's hungry; let's eat first."
"But..." John started to protest but was cut off.
Rachel instructed, "Go get the lunch boxes." John reluctantly walked over.
The food was soon heated. Rachel handed the food to everyone, finally holding two portions and walking towards Michael and Mandy. "Here you go."
Mandy squinted slightly and smiled. "Ms. Williams, what's this for?" Michael was also looking at her. John and Joseph's attention was also drawn.
Rachel replied calmly, "Payment for the lighter."
"I see, thank you, Ms. Williams." Mandy accepted the lunch box.
"Thanks." Michael also reached out to take the lunch box. As their hands touched, Rachel's hand involuntarily flinched, and she looked up to meet his gaze.
Mandy saw this and almost dug her nails into her palm, her tone gentle but with a hidden coldness. "Michael, why are you staring at Ms. Williams, making her embarrassed?"
Michael and Rachel realized their lapse and looked away. Rachel shoved the lunch box into his hand and turned to leave.
Michael looked at the lunch box in his hand. As he thought that Rachel had personally heated it, he couldn't help but smile slightly.
Mandy saw this and felt a surge of anger, wanting to throw her lunch box away. However, she knew that if she did, these people would seize the opportunity to mock her. Suppressing her inner frustration, Mandy closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself.
Everyone eagerly opened their lunchboxes and began to enjoy their meals. Michael was no exception; he lifted the lid and was immediately enveloped by the rich aroma of the dishes. Taking a bite, he found the taste quite good, yet for some inexplicable reason, it didn't compare to the bowl of noodles Rachel had made the previous night.
Michael knew that this chef's culinary skills were undoubtedly superior to Rachel's, but it seemed that the food prepared by this chef lacked a certain ineffable flavor.
"Mandy, why aren't you eating?" Michael noticed Mandy hadn't started eating, so he asked.
Mandy smiled slightly. "I'm not hungry right now; I'll eat later."
"I think you're afraid to eat," John's voice came from not far away, with a hint of sarcasm.
Mandy's face turned cold. "Mr. Davis, do you have a problem?"
John smirked. "I just think that, given Rachel heated the food, you should feel guilty enjoying it after having wronged her so frequently. Moreover, who knows if you might harbor suspicions about something being in it?"
Hearing this, Mandy's heart trembled, but she tried to stay calm. "Mr. Davis, you're overthinking. I'm not eating because I'm really not hungry. I'll go get some fresh air."
With that, she put down her utensils and walked away. Michael watched her back with concern and then got up to follow her.
Watching them leave, John sneered, "Always finding excuses."
"Alright, alright, just eat your food!" Rachel rolled her eyes and casually gave him a piece of meat to shut him up.
John was so startled by the sudden gesture that he jumped from his seat. "Rachel, did you do that on purpose?"
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