PSW - Chapter 114
Chapter 114
For the two 888-point gift sets, seeing as Chu Yi was Yu Yinan's friend, Zheng Yi mercifully rounded down the price, charging her only 1770 contribution points. As for how Zhao Haiyue would later lament having no contribution points left to buy a house, that was outside the scope of Zheng Yi's consideration.
Before leaving, Zheng Yi generously gave Zhao Haiyue three bags of frozen dumplings, then departed with Yu Yinan.
The contribution points seemed like a lot, but upon careful calculation, the items Zheng Yi offered were essentially priceless in the apocalypse. The more powerful ability users could save up a considerable amount of contribution points, but there were only so many types of goods available for trade within the shelter. Many things they wanted couldn't be bought even with points.
After seeing off the two fearsome deities she couldn't afford to offend, Zhao Haiyue sat in her living room and opened the box of gifts Zheng Yi had given her at the beginning. She immediately felt that the two 888-point sets weren't such a bad deal after all. Perhaps "bad deal" wasn't the right term, because… not everyone had the chance to receive a genuine gift from Zheng Yi, rather than some "blessing" like "deliverance."
She walked into the bathroom, used her stored clean water to wash her face thoroughly, and tried to clear her head. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she took deep breaths, finally gritting her teeth and making a decision: This time, she absolutely could not run away again!
After experiencing the zombie horde, Zhao Haiyue had a deeper understanding of the apocalypse. Putting aside the terror of harsh climates like the extreme cold and heat, the evolution speed of the zombies alone was horrifying. With her level of strength… if she didn't confess soon, she really didn't know how many more years she could survive in this wasteland.
If she was going to die, she might as well die without regrets.
"I didn't expect Chu Yi to have so many worries…" So this is the bittersweet secret crush between childhood friends? From Chu Yi's perspective, even though Yu Yinan had spoken so freely at her place, she actually understood Chu Yi's actions very well.
When she had suddenly learned Zheng Yi's true nature, hadn't she also clung to their false "sisterly bond" and pretended not to know? Zheng Yi hadn't even tried that hard to keep up the pretense back then; perhaps she was testing her reaction? At the time, Yu Yinan had also chosen to run away.
It was the burning slip of paper, the silent back, the self-deceiving, deliberate ignorance. As for facing it, Yu Yinan hadn't done so willingly. Zheng Yi had forcefully shattered her evasion, forcing her to confront the truth, and at that moment, she had been utterly lost. She hadn't even known what kind of complex emotions she was feeling as she faced Zheng Yi, wanting to stay by her side.
"As I thought, I'm really not good at counseling people on matters of the heart…" Yu Yinan sighed in frustration. Her own situation wasn't exactly optimistic. To Zheng Yi, she was special; Zheng Yi could even be described as "doting" on her. But in terms of emotional feedback, Zheng Yi always remained calm and self-possessed. Yu Yinan didn't think Zheng Yi's affection for her was the kind between lovers or partners. As for love… Yu Yinan had even less confidence.
Even after their intimate, intense, and deep exchange last night, Yu Yinan hadn't glimpsed a single trace of desire in those dark eyes. It was as if she were the only one lost in the moment.
It was just like that dive in Chuanyang. Zheng Yi had led her deeper and deeper, and she was the only one who had suffocated, nearly drowning on the seabed, while Zheng Yi remained effortlessly at ease. She could easily pull her down into the deep sea and just as easily bring her back to the surface.
When… when would those dark eyes show an uncontrollable emotion for her? When would Zheng Yi finally lose control because of her? When would those dark eyes be tinged with the color of desire? Even half a moment of captivation would be enough. Yu Yinan thought to herself, holding Zheng Yi's hand. She glanced at Zheng Yi's profile, and Zheng Yi, sensing her gaze, turned her head slightly and smiled. The smile was incredibly sweet, as if she had reverted to her "little sister" persona from the early days of the apocalypse.
Yu Yinan's expression flickered. She lowered her eyes, thinking that her current situation wasn't so different from Zhao Haiyue's. Honestly, she should be content. She got along well with Zheng Yi now, and their relationship was even more intimate. Even if Zheng Yi's feelings for her weren't actually that deep, she was already the special one. Besides, Zheng Yi was an expert at pretending; she could slip into any persona with ease and could be the perfect girlfriend.
But she was still not satisfied. She was utterly greedy, still craving more.
Would such greed and craving disgust Zheng Yi and ultimately destroy the harmony they now had? Yu Yinan didn't know, but this fire of desire would never be extinguished.
"What are you thinking about?" Zheng Yi asked, looking up at her.
"…Thinking about you," Yu Yinan replied, snapping back to reality. She blinked and smiled. Meeting Zheng Yi's dark eyes, she was certain that Zheng Yi could guess what she was thinking. Her anxiety, her craving, her greed, and the unquenchable fire of her desire—Zheng Yi surely knew it all. But that was just how Zheng Yi was; she would ask a question she already knew the answer to.
"I knew Jiejie only has me in her heart," Zheng Yi said with a smile, her eyes curving into crescents, looking completely harmless. She gently swung their joined hands and began to hum an unfamiliar tune that Yu Yinan had heard her hum before, smoothly changing the subject.
"Are we going to find Grandma Xu now?" Yu Yinan composed herself, pushing aside her stray thoughts, and asked.
"Mhm~ Let's go to Grandma Xu's first. Since we visited Chu Yi, it wouldn't be right to leave out the other two. We should pay a visit to Zhu Lanyuan and Lian Langxi later~"
Yu Yinan smiled, already imagining the bewilderment and shock on Zhu Lanyuan and Lian Langxi's faces when Zheng Yi showed up at their doors.
"Jiejie, for this extreme cold period, do you want to stay at Humanity's Light, or should we continue on our journey and travel to other cities?"
"I'm fine with either. We could celebrate the New Year at Humanity's Light and then set off. Don't you want to look for the fragments?"
"I do~" The southeast. If only the fragment's location was in the northwest of Ling Country, then they could have stopped by Changping on the way. A city that could send people out to search for and retrieve fragments might have other discoveries. "Then let's decide after the New Year, shall we? By the way, do you think it's appropriate to give Grandma Xu fruit and milk? Or should I give her things like sesame paste or oatmeal?" Grandma Xu was quite young at heart; she probably wouldn't like gifts like health supplements.
"Fruit and milk, I guess…" Yu Yinan said hesitantly. "Although I think Grandma Xu would prefer it if you gave her a few cans of beef hot pot?"
"Ah, that's definitely a possibility~"
Zhao Haiyue…
Yun Lingjian sighed and apologized to her colleague. This was the fourth time she had zoned out today.
Her poor mental state was plain to see. Fortunately, while it was a busy day, there was nothing that required extreme precision. She was only responsible for recording various data and observing and documenting the state changes of the zombie extract under different conditions.
"It's about time. Let's call it a day, shall we?" another researcher suggested. "New Year's Eve was so lively, and everyone is pretty tired. Since we're not in top form today, let's go home and rest early. It's not like we're going to have a breakthrough anytime soon… By the way, Yun Lingjian, you have good connections with the higher-ups. See if you can get them to publicize our research. It would be great if we could find a few volunteers." The energy crystal cores in the brains of a few zombies were very helpful to ability users, but they wanted to maximize their efficacy. It would be great if they could create something like an "awakening potion." Even if there was still a risk of zombification, as long as it was safer than the rain, it would be worth it.
"Okay." Yun Lingjian agreed. She left the research room with her colleagues, changed out of her gear in the locker room, disinfected and hung up her white lab coat, and finally gave herself a quick disinfection before changing into her regular clothes and leaving the lab. "The benefits of crystal cores for ability users have been confirmed. If we can secure a stable supply of zombie crystal cores, we can mass-produce ability enhancement potions." A few of the researchers had all tried the enhancement potion, monitoring and observing the reactions throughout, and had found no side effects so far. Compared to directly absorbing crystal cores, ability users could gain more stable energy by taking the potion.
"Sigh, where are we going to find that many evolved zombies?" That zombie horde was harrowing enough. No matter how great and tempting the benefits were, they didn't want to go through that a second time.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about work when we're resting! Huh? Isn't that Chu Yi? Yun Lingjian, she's looking for you!"
Yun Lingjian froze for a moment and saw Zhao Haiyue standing not far away. She quickly said goodbye to her companions and walked over to Zhao Haiyue.
She had thought… she wouldn't see Zhao Haiyue for a long time. After all, last night, Zhao Haiyue had refused to open the door no matter what.
…She actually had a vague idea of what was going on. But, it was just… Yun Lingjian wasn't entirely sure.
"Haiyue?"
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have run off and left you alone last night, and I shouldn't have locked you out for so long! I'm sorry, it's all my fault that you had a terrible New Year's Eve and that I wasted your time!" As soon as Yun Lingjian got close, Zhao Haiyue bowed deeply, her head lowered as she apologized loudly. "It was so late, and I made you go back alone, I'm sorry! I must have disappointed you so much…"
Zhao Haiyue's voice was so loud that the departing researchers slowed their pace, looking over in surprise. They saw Yun Lingjian turn and give them a "shush" gesture.
They felt too embarrassed to stay and watch the drama, so they quickened their pace and left. Although other passing ability users were curious, when they met Yun Lingjian's gaze, their burning desire for gossip was extinguished, and they didn't linger.
After all, one of them was Chu Yi, the person in charge of the shelter's ability users!
"Did someone say something to you? Haiyue, I'm not disappointed, and I would never be disappointed in you." Yun Lingjian placed her hands on Zhao Haiyue's shoulders, hoping to help her stand up straight. Her voice was as gentle as ever. "You didn't do anything to wrong me, and I'm not angry with you. The roses you gave me were wonderful, I loved them, and the fireworks were beautiful. Being with you is not a waste of time."
"But-but…" Under such a gentle tone, Zhao Haiyue completely broke down. The gentler Yun Lingjian was, the deeper her guilt became. She sniffled, and her vision started to blur. To make matters worse, she was wearing glasses, making it inconvenient to even wipe her tears secretly. She could only blink frequently and tilt her head up slightly, trying to hold the tears back. "It's all my fault…"
"…" Yun Lingjian gazed at her, watching as Zhao Haiyue's eyes reddened in distress, and for a moment, she felt a pang of panic. It had been many years since she had seen Zhao Haiyue cry. Not just since the apocalypse, but ever since Zhao Haiyue had started working, she had put on a front, maintaining a cold and unapproachable demeanor to the outside world. For a rare moment, Yun Lingjian was at a loss. She raised her hand, then lowered it, and finally sighed, raising it again to take off Zhao Haiyue's glasses. "You're not at fault. I am."
"I'm the one who knew you weren't interested but still insisted on discussing a field you didn't understand, just to make you look at me."
"I know you don't actually like scallion pancakes. You only said you liked them because they were the only thing I made that was edible."
"I know those supplements and stews were awful, even hard to swallow. I deliberately brought them to you every day to teach you a lesson, watching you force them down when you didn't want to, even having to squeeze out a satisfied expression for my sake."
"I know you've always been secretly watching me."
"I know that at the KTV on your eighteenth birthday, you sang that love song to me."
"All this time, I've known… So, it's my fault."
She raised her hand and carefully wiped the tears from Zhao Haiyue's cheeks, one by one, still gazing at her with that same gentleness. She spoke slowly, "Zhao Haiyue, I'm the one who likes you."
"I'm sorry for making you feel anxious and conflicted for so long. It's my fault. I should have been braver." Yun Lingjian looked at her, cupped Zhao Haiyue's face, and pressed her own forehead against Zhao Haiyue's, just like a game they used to play as children. "Can you forgive me?"
During those few hours of being locked out in the pitch-black darkness, Yun Lingjian had also been tempted countless times to probe, to speak up, but she had always retreated because of the silence from the other side of the door. Just as Zhao Haiyue was hesitant and afraid, Yun Lingjian was also anxious and uncertain. They had known each other for so, so long. Where was the line between friend and lover? She was afraid of mistaking friendship for love and losing a lifelong friend. She was equally worried that Zhao Haiyue didn't feel that way about her, that everything was just because they were "good friends."
It was true that she was gentle with everyone, but deep down, she knew that even though they were both friends of many years, her feelings for Zhao Haiyue were completely different from her feelings for Zhou Xiyue.
Zhao Haiyue could no longer hold back. Her tears flowed freely, and she threw all thoughts of her image to the wind. She sobbed and hugged Yun Lingjian tightly, burying her face in her shoulder and choking out, "That's not it! I was the one who was too cowardly. I-I was… yesterday… sniff… I had everything prepared, but-but… when I saw you, I don't know-I don't know why, I couldn't… I ran away…"
"It's me… Yun Lingjian, I'm the one who likes you. Sob… I like you so much… But you're so nice to everyone, I hate you. You knew all along… I like you…" Zhao Haiyue's words were jumbled from her crying, but Yun Lingjian understood what she meant.
She gently patted Zhao Haiyue's back. "Haiyue, will you be my girlfriend?"
This was completely different from how she had imagined it would happen. But, but… Zhao Haiyue's sobs grew louder. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. In the end, she just buried herself in Yun Lingjian's embrace and tried to calm herself down.
"Yes."
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