PSW - Chapter 134

Chapter 134

But in reality, the things you dread the most are the ones that always seem to happen.

Zhao Haiyue's eyes glazed over as Murphy's Law replayed in her mind. Amidst the howling winds and blizzards of this extremely cold day, she couldn't fathom why—just yesterday, she had prayed that Zheng Yi and her companion would never show up again in her lifetime, yet here they were, returning right in the middle of the extreme cold period.

Why, oh why! This was the extreme cold period! Of course, Zhao Haiyue could understand that this kind of temperature was probably nothing to a powerhouse like Zheng Yi, not to mention she had a fire-ability user girlfriend by her side. But understanding and accepting were two completely different things. Looking at Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan, who had appeared right at her doorstep, Zhao Haiyue's mind was already racing, calculating whether she could secretly erase their entry registration, hide them in another room in the shelter, or even sneak them away without Yun Lingjian and Zhou Xiyue finding out.

"Chu Yi Jiejie, you don't seem very happy to see me, do you?" Zheng Yi stared at her, then suddenly lowered her gaze, a look of hurt and grievance on her face. "Acting like this… you'll hurt my feelings."

"No, of course I welcome you. I'm just… so excited and happy to see you that I'm at a loss for words." Zhao Haiyue thought to herself, What is my life coming to! She, an ordinary, innocent person in charge of ability users, was being forced to improve her acting, facial expressions, and emotional management. "It's so cold during this extreme cold period, with the strong winds and heavy snow outside, driving must be difficult, right? Why did you… rush back? Did something urgent happen?"

"Nothing particularly urgent~ I just suddenly thought of you and came back to see how your relationship with Yun Lingjian is progressing." Zheng Yi's smile was as kind and lovely as ever. "Aren't you going to invite us in to rest? It's cold out here~"

"…" Zhao Haiyue really didn't think Zheng Yi was cold; she could feel the warmth radiating from Yu Yinan even from a distance. And Zheng Yi was holding hands with Yu Yinan! But the powerhouse had spoken, so what could she do? Zhao Haiyue struggled to maintain her expression, trying to appear enthusiastic and positive as she stepped aside to let them in. "It was rude of me to be so overcome with joy. Please, come in. Sit anywhere."

Zheng Yi accepted with a smile and walked right in. Yu Yinan squeezed her hand, a silent signal for her not to tease Zhao Haiyue too much, before turning to Zhao Haiyue with an apologetic explanation. "We just came back from Xuancheng. Everything over there has been resolved."

Xuancheng, they went there before for… the meteor fragment! Zhao Haiyue instantly snapped out of her conflicted emotions. She looked at Zheng Yi. Resolved? The meteor fragment was resolved? Did that mean… it was destroyed, or did they bring it back? Or maybe it meant they simply cleaned up Xuancheng and secured the meteor fragment in a safe place… In just a moment, Zhao Haiyue's mind raced through multiple possibilities. She quickly poured two cups of hot water. "Um, what's the situation with Xuancheng and the meteor fragment? Can you tell me?"

"Of course I'll tell you~ But before that, why don't you tell me what you've been hiding, Chu Yi Jiejie? Did something happen after we left?" Zheng Yi obediently took the hot water with both hands, cradling it in her palms. The steam from the cup rose and swirled before her dark eyes.

Zhao Haiyue sighed, but she felt a sense of relief. As if a great weight had been lifted, she brought over a small stool and sat down opposite them. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she told them about the meal with Yun Lingjian and Zhou Xiyue. She also truthfully recounted Yun Lingjian's request, her speculations, and her desire to have a meal with Zheng Yi.

"I really don't want to hide it from her. It's impossible for me to have secrets from her. I also know she's just not forcing me to say it." Zhao Haiyue sat up straight and proper. She and Yun Lingjian knew each other too well. After breaking through that final barrier between them, their relationship had progressed at lightning speed. Years of tacit understanding had accumulated, and when they were relaxing at home together, they didn't even need to speak. A single glance or gesture was enough for the other to know what she was thinking.

"Such great chemistry~ Then just tell her." Zheng Yi said with a beaming smile, "To be honest with you, now that I have the meteor fragment, my power has reached a whole new level. Even if the news gets out and your shelter has any ill intentions toward me… I can easily crush you all~"

"…" Zhao Haiyue couldn't help but feel that "easily crush" was no different from "massacre a city." She didn't dare to meet Zheng Yi's gaze and silently averted her eyes. This powerhouse, why does she still like to say such terrifying things in such a light and playful tone? "If I explain the stakes, she won't… and neither will Zhou Xiyue. They wouldn't risk all of Humanity's Light." As long as Zheng Yi showed even a fraction of her power, the higher-ups at Humanity's Light, unless they were incredibly stupid, would never choose to make an enemy of her.

"So I can just tell them the truth? The news of your return to Humanity's Light… if they've been paying any attention, they should already know." Zhao Haiyue felt a sense of relief. She really didn't want to rack her brains anymore trying to come up with plausible-sounding explanations that Yun Lingjian would never believe. "Then… the information about the meteor fragment… can I still know? Can they know?"

"Mhm, of course you can." Zheng Yi directly told her about the "God Country" in Xuancheng, including a brief account of how the ordinary people and ability users who once believed in a non-existent god ended up believing in her. As for the subsequent change in leadership, there was no need to hide it, since Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan had never been interested in managing any territory from the start.

Her tone was exceptionally calm as she spoke of these things, but even from her simple words, Zhao Haiyue could imagine what Zheng Yi had actually done and how shocking it must have been at the time.

Zheng Yi… she needs faith, doesn't she? Water-type? Mental-type? Or some kind of role-playing type? It could even be a completely new ability. Powerhouses are always so hard to fathom, so unpredictable. How long has it been? A little over half a year? And Zheng Yi has already reached this level. She was definitely not this powerful when she first arrived at Humanity's Light. Such a terrifying growth rate…

Zhao Haiyue suspected that if Zheng Yi had possessed such power when she first arrived at Humanity's Light, she might have directly entered into a dialogue and "friendly negotiations" with the shelter's leadership to make all of Humanity's Light believe in her.

"Don't worry, given the current development trend of Humanity's Light, I won't interfere." Zheng Yi saw right through Zhao Haiyue's thoughts and offered a reassuring smile. "It's just that if you want something from me, whether it's military assistance or knowledge and information… the transaction has to be fair, right?"

"Then, what do you need?" Zhao Haiyue couldn't think of anything she could offer Zheng Yi in a trade. Zheng Yi didn't seem to lack anything! "Should I offer you my faith? Should I believe in you?"

"No need. Since Yun Lingjian wants to talk to me, just arrange it. Have Yun Lingjian and Zhou Xiyue come together. If I remember correctly, Zhou Xiyue is one of the shelter's leaders, right? She should have a say."

"Okay." Zhao Haiyue agreed immediately. "When? Now? Can I go contact Zhou Xiyue now and then pick up Yun Lingjian from the lab?"

"Of course you can~" It seemed Zhao Haiyue was truly uneasy about hiding things from her lover. Now that Zheng Yi had agreed, she was quite impatient. "My Jiejie and I will rest here for a bit. It should be fine if we make some food, right?"

"Please, use the kitchen and utensils as you wish… It's just that I don't have much food stored. If you need anything, I can see if I can exchange for some frozen meat or something else when I get back."

"No need to trouble yourself. You just need to go get them," Zheng Yi said with a bright smile, pinching Yu Yinan's fingertips. Zhao Haiyue said no more, quickly got up, and left to run her errand.

"Jiejie, you don't seem very enthusiastic?"

"…I'm fine." Yu Yinan's eyes held a complex mix of emotions. She sighed. "I just felt a bit left out of the conversation. I didn't know… what I could talk to Chu Yi about." Yu Yinan felt they had grown a little distant, but on second thought, their friendship hadn't been that long, so even if they were distant…

"It's just that the situation and her mood weren't right for pleasantries. When she saw me, her mind was filled with her dilemma and guilt, so naturally, she wasn't in the mood to catch up or gossip with you." Zheng Yi, in a good mood, began to comfort Yu Yinan and explain on Zhao Haiyue's behalf.

Yu Yinan was always very sensitive when it came to emotions, even a little insecure. She was thoughtful and prone to overthinking. Although she had become more and more proactive, passionate, and fearlessly bold in their romantic relationship, when it came to handling other interpersonal relationships… she still seemed a bit awkward.

The last time they had New Year's Eve dinner with Zhu Lanyuan and the others, Yu Yinan had also been very awkward and uneasy.

"It'll be fine once you two have a chance to talk alone later. You can ask her about her relationship with Yun Lingjian, what happened at Humanity's Light while we were away, if she's been busy with work lately, or if they're short on anything. She's curious about our relationship and our trip to Xuancheng, and you can talk to her about that, too. There's nothing you can't say."

"Mm. I know." Yu Yinan was a little embarrassed. She squeezed Zheng Yi's hand back and pulled her own fingertips away. "I just… felt for a moment that we'd grown distant. It's my fault. Let's not talk about it. What are we eating later?"

"Jiejie, you're not the problem at all. It's a normal reaction. You haven't seen each other in a long time, and now you suddenly meet, and she didn't ask you anything, only talked to me. It's her fault." Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, placed her cup back on the coffee table, pulled her hand back, and stood up. She briefly opened the system store and glanced through it. "Five people… I'll just make a simple four-dishes-and-a-soup meal. Two meat, two vegetable dishes, and steamed rice."

"During this extreme cold period, they probably don't get to eat many fresh vegetables… I wonder what kind of seasonal vegetables I should stir-fry?"

On a cold day like this, something spicy would be good. Zheng Yi simply purchased a batch of ingredients from the store and took out all the seasonings and cookware from her backpack. She used her ability to conjure some clean water for a quick rinse, then handed the unfinished bag of rice to Yu Yinan, asking her to help wash and steam it.

"Smashed chili with fried eggs, stir-fried pork with leeks and dried tofu, stir-fried bok choy… and a plate of hot and sour squid rolls should be about right. Hmm, and I'll just whip up a simple tomato and egg drop soup." Zheng Yi casually listed the menu, and a long list of ingredients appeared directly from the store into the room. Yu Yinan reacted instantly, starting a fire for Zheng Yi and getting the wok ready. She then turned, set up the steamer, and carefully put the washed rice on to cook.

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