Chapter 72

"Ms. Bennett, how did you know there was a river here?" Elliot Hayes blinked his round eyes, looking at her with pure admiration.

The rest of the team turned to Aria Bennett in unison, their expressions brimming with curiosity.

Aria idly twirled a leaf between her fingers. "The humidity in the air, and the way these plants grow."

"Humidity?" Jonah Pierce sniffed dramatically. "I can't smell anything!"

"That's a gift," Aria said with a playful wink.

[OMG that wink just killed me!]

[How does she make even twirling a leaf look so mesmerizing?]

Cole Turner couldn’t help chiming in. "We could make an educated guess, but not as accurately as Aria."

"There should be a water source within three kilometers," he added.

"Which just proves our Ms. Bennett is the best!" Kieran Doyle puffed out his chest proudly, like a preening peacock.

Cole sighed and nodded. "True enough."

The group followed Aria’s direction, pushing through the dense jungle where vines crisscrossed the untamed path.

Fifteen minutes later.

"A river! There really is a river!" Mason Bell bolted forward, nearly tripping over a gnarled root.

Cole checked his specialized watch and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Exactly one kilometer from camp."

"Ms. Bennett is unbeatable!" the trainees cheered in unison.

Aria stood by the riverbank, sunlight scattering like gold dust across the water. Suddenly, she crouched down. "Fish!"

Several of the boys immediately kicked off their shoes and splashed into the water, flailing like a flock of ducks.

Half an hour later.

"These fish must be supernatural!" Jonah collapsed on the shore, utterly defeated.

Aria chuckled. "Use branches to make spears, or weave a net."

"A net! We want to learn how to make a net!" The trainees instantly perked up.

Damian Cross quietly sharpened a branch. "I’ll try the first method."

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing well-defined forearms. Aria’s gaze lingered for a moment.

"That one looks good," she pointed to a plump fish.

Damian’s focus sharpened. With a flick of his wrist—

Splash!

The sharpened branch pierced cleanly through the fish, sending droplets flying.

"Whoa!" The group gasped.

Aria clapped. "Impressive, Mr. Cross!"

Damian’s lips curved slightly. "Good teaching."

[OMG what kind of divine chemistry is this?!]

[The way Damian looks at Aria is so soft!]

[Just get married already!]

Working in perfect sync, they soon had five or six fish skewered.

Then the live comments exploded:

"Cross & Bennett forever!"

"Damian found his treasure!"

In a CEO’s office.

Arthur Reed glared at his phone screen and typed furiously: "The heart-and-soul pairing is better!"

Instantly, he was drowned in replies:

"Nolan Reed isn’t worthy of our Aria!"

"Ex-boyfriends shouldn’t even try!"

Arthur: "..."

This generation of netizens was impossible!

Meanwhile, the trainees finally finished weaving their net.

"Watch this!" Kieran flung it out with all his might—

Only for the net to tangle into a knot.

Damian took the net from Aria’s hands. "Let me."

His long fingers moved deftly, sending the net soaring in a perfect arc. When he pulled it back, the mesh was teeming with wriggling fish.

"So cool!" Mason’s eyes sparkled.

Aria suddenly pointed at the water. "There’s a bigger school over there."

Damian turned—only to slip on a mossy rock. He lost his balance—

"Careful!"

Aria instinctively reached out to steady him.

The next second, both of them tumbled into the river.

Water erupted around them in a spectacular splash.