PSW - Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Yu Yinan drove very fast, as if she were truly in a hurry to get Chu Yi to the shelter. Zheng Yi leaned back in the passenger seat, seemingly fast asleep.
Several hours later, they finally arrived at Humanity's Light Shelter. After passing the ID card verification at the main gate, Yu Yinan drove Chu Yi directly to the shelter's main building. She watched as Chu Yi hurriedly swiped her ID card for authentication and then jogged quickly into the building.
She didn't wait for Chu Yi to come back down. Instead, she turned the car around and drove Zheng Yi and Xu Lanjun to the mission center.
Seven area-clearing missions and one missing person mission. Xu Lanjun was clearly experienced at turning in missions. She led Yu Yinan and Zheng Yi to the front desk to handle the process. "It's very simple. You just hand over your ID cards and the bounty forms, and they'll process the payment directly. If the mission verification later reveals any mistakes or discrepancies, the deduction will be taken directly from the contribution points on your ID card. If there's an additional reward, the contribution points will also be deposited directly into your balance."
At Humanity's Light Shelter, ID cards functioned much like bank cards did before the apocalypse.
The area-clearing missions were worth 45 contribution points each, and with the 150 from the missing person mission, the Two-Person Squad earned a total of 465 contribution points. Split evenly among them, each person received 155 contribution points.
After the transaction was complete and they got their ID cards back, Xu Lanjun glanced at Zheng Yi, who was half-leaning against Yu Yinan. She asked the staff for a slip of paper, borrowed a pen to write down her room address, and handed it to Yu Yinan. "I'll be resting for a few days. That Zhao girl knows where I live. This is my address. If you need anything, you can come find me."
"Thank you, Grandma." Yu Yinan carefully took the slip of paper and put it away. She then turned, borrowed a pen and paper as well, wrote down their room address, and gave it to Xu Lanjun in exchange.
After taking the paper, Xu Lanjun didn't linger and quickly left the mission center.
Yu Yinan, naturally, was in no mood to look at other missions. Zheng Yi was clutching her arm, acting as obedient as could be.
From the time Zheng Yi returned last night until now, Yu Yinan hadn't rested well either. Her mind was a mess. She was worried about Zheng Yi's condition and wanted to know what had happened over there, whether Zheng Yi was hurt... She actually had a stomach full of questions she wanted to ask—about Zheng Yi, about the camp, about herself.
She wanted to have a serious talk with Zheng Yi, but she didn't know how to begin or what capacity she should assume for the conversation. She couldn't judge the truth of Zheng Yi's feelings. How much sincerity was truly contained in that single word, "Jiejie"?
If she pierced that paper-thin veil and it turned out to be real, that would be fine. But if it was all fake, all a pretense... even thinking about that possibility made Yu Yinan feel an indescribable pain.
She found herself rather laughable. Yu Yinan thought back to when she had confronted her family, prompted by that note. She had thought that after completely letting go of a familial love that never really existed, she would grow. She would become less indecisive, less soft-hearted. She thought she would become resolute and strong.
...But now, Zheng Yi seemed to have taken the place of her family. Even though Yu Yinan knew it wasn't the same thing at all, she was too cowardly and anxious to open the box.
She was afraid she would find a dead cat inside.
Yu Yinan led Zheng Yi back to the car, drove it to the underground parking garage to park, and only then did she and Zheng Yi return to their room.
"Are you hungry? I can go to the cafeteria and get two servings of rice porridge." Yu Yinan noticed the bloodshot veins in Zheng Yi's eyes. She pressed her lips together, looked away, but her voice grew even gentler.
"No, it's fine... If Jiejie wants to eat, don't worry about me." Zheng Yi glanced at Yu Yinan's hand and said with a smile, "I'm going to take a nap when I get back. If Jiejie has things to do, you don't have to stay with me."
"What could I possibly have to do?" Just as Yu Yinan said this, Zheng Yi stopped. She looked at Yu Yinan and suddenly opened her arms.
"Then, can Jiejie hold me?"
"..." Yu Yinan froze.
Zero One, in Zheng Yi's mind, also froze. It didn't understand what Zheng Yi was up to this time. Zheng Yi was clearly in a bad state and desperately needed rest! Besides, why was she teasing Yu Yinan for no reason!
Yu Yinan silently lifted her arms and carried Zheng Yi bridal style. Zheng Yi's hands wrapped around her neck with extreme naturalness.
"Jiejie, am I heavy?"
The soft breath tickled her neck. Yu Yinan was still bewildered by the confirmed deception, but when Zheng Yi wrapped her arms around her neck and spoke to her so intimately, she couldn't help but blush. Her throat felt a little dry, as if her fire ability were activating uncontrollably. "Not heavy. You're very light."
"Jiejie, your face is so red~" Zheng Yi gently poked Yu Yinan's cheek with a fingertip. Her eyes curved into crescents as she leaned in mischievously, her nose brushing against Yu Yinan's jaw. She then clearly saw Yu Yinan swallow. But she maintained an innocent expression and asked curiously, "Jiejie, you're not sick, are you?"
"...Maybe." Yu Yinan lowered her eyes with a bitter smile. She felt that she must be sick. She carried Zheng Yi and walked quickly up the stairs, not even daring to meet her gaze.
"Jiejie~ My head hurts so much."
"It won't hurt after you get some sleep."
"But it really hurts..."
"..." Yu Yinan fell silent. She walked quickly to the door, put Zheng Yi down, and took out her key to open it.
The moment she stepped through the doorway, a powerful force grabbed her wrist.
Bang! The door was slammed shut. Zheng Yi shoved Yu Yinan hard against the wall, pinning her wrists. Her voice was as gentle as ever. "My dear Jiejie, do you think I'm a Saint?"
"..." The pain in the back of her head and her wrists wasn't important right now. Yu Yinan closed her eyes, feeling a hint of despair and sorrow. Zheng Yi... Zheng Yi isn't even willing to pretend anymore? Did she realize that I found out? "...Yes."
"I will always believe you and stand by your side." Yu Yinan kept her eyes closed, not daring to look at Zheng Yi's expression. Her voice trembled slightly, but she still gritted her teeth and asked, "We... we're good friends, right?"
What kind of expression was Zheng Yi wearing right now? Mocking? Contemptuous? Indifferent? Or was her face blank? Yu Yinan didn't know.
"Is that your answer?" Zheng Yi didn't get any Saint Points from Yu Yinan. The result was obvious: the ten Saint Points from before had been contributed by Yu Yinan. Including that time, it had been exactly three times this month.
How should she put it? Based on Zheng Yi's understanding of Yu Yinan's personality, she could guess what Yu Yinan was thinking and knew why she didn't dare to open her eyes. It was just... Zheng Yi stared at the woman, watching the clear tears slide from the corners of her eyes, and she didn't quite understand.
Zero One was screaming all sorts of nonsense in her head, making Zheng Yi increasingly irritable. The stabbing pain in her mind seemed to intensify, putting her in a very, very bad mood. For a moment, she had the urge to snap the neck of the person before her, just to see if she would still continue to believe in her. If she cut open this person's chest, would she be able to see the beating heart?
If she made Yu Yinan open her eyes and took out a small knife, stabbing it into her chest little by little, what kind of expression would Yu Yinan make? Would she resist? Or would she still believe, or would she show the despair of being betrayed and abandoned? Oh, perhaps she would tremble in fear and beg for mercy like everyone else. Or maybe she would be furious at the deception, hating her, cursing her, wishing she could devour her flesh.
The stabbing pain in her soul mingled with Zero One's loud shouts. Zheng Yi closed her eyes in irritation, her voice ice-cold. "Shut up."
[...] Zero One was stunned into silence. For a moment, it didn't dare to continue telling Zheng Yi to calm down, reminding her that her mental state was off, or nagging her not to treat Yu Yinan this way. Just a moment ago, it had been repeatedly emphasizing how rare it was to receive an acknowledgment that granted ten Saint Points, trying to persuade Zheng Yi with the benefits.
Yu Yinan opened her eyes at that moment. She looked at the closed-eyed Zheng Yi as tears continued to slide from the corners of her own eyes. She wanted to raise her hand, and just as she made the motion, Zheng Yi released her wrists. The red marks on her wrists were starkly visible, but Yu Yinan's attention wasn't on herself at all. She looked at Zheng Yi and raised a hand to touch the space between her eyebrows. "You need to get some proper rest."
"Mhm~" Zheng Yi suddenly laughed. She lifted her eyes to meet Yu Yinan's gaze. Her usual obedience and innocence had vanished without a trace, and the coldness in her eyes stung Yu Yinan almost instantly. "I call you Jiejie, but you didn't really think I was some pure and harmless little sister, did you?"
"...I know." The box had been opened after all. Yu Yinan didn't know what ending awaited them, but right now, she felt an incredibly real and profound sorrow. It was as if her entire heart had been seized, and the suffocating tightness left her feeling weak and helpless. Her voice trembled slightly, but she said stubbornly, "I knew long ago that you weren't what you seemed."
"Is that so?" Zheng Yi chuckled lowly. "What if I told you that everything was fake, that it's all been a pretense from the very beginning?"
"..." Yu Yinan bit her lip and didn't speak.
Zheng Yi still didn't receive a warning about her persona collapsing.
She suppressed the stabbing pain in her mind and the irritation welling up inside her, raising her eyes to study Yu Yinan seriously.
Suddenly, she spoke again. "You like me?"
"..." Yu Yinan felt as if she had been split wide open, but in her heart, she was also lost. "I don't know," she said.
"Jiejie, am I in your heart?" Zheng Yi suddenly seemed interested again. She tilted her head and gave Yu Yinan a sweet smile. The change in her expression could alter her entire aura. She now seemed harmless again, her lively black eyes shining with an innocent light. "Jiejie, can I dig out your heart to take a look?"
Yu Yinan met those eyes. Zheng Yi seemed to be joking, yet she also seemed genuinely curious, as if asking for her opinion. Did she like Zheng Yi? What kind of liking was it, what kind of emotion? As a friend, a partner, she did like Zheng Yi, but did she like the fake Zheng Yi...?
"I don't know... I don't know..." Yu Yinan murmured in a low voice. She felt like she was going crazy, too. She felt sick, very, very sick. So sick that she didn't know how things had developed to this point, how the situation had changed so drastically in the blink of an eye.
And yet... and yet... she had been so sad, so conflicted, and in the end, she had chosen to believe. She didn't want to open the box, didn't want to care about what was real or fake. She didn't know; she simply didn't know. How long had they been together? That inexplicable heat, what was that feeling made of? Her feelings for Zheng Yi... she really didn't know.
"...Go ahead and dig... dig it out... let me see it, too..."
She really didn't know, and she didn't know if she was even supposed to know.
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