After agreeing on a time, Feng Ruijie left.
Ji Chaoxi sat on the steps outside the door, staring blankly at the distant twilight.
Zhen Zhong walked over carrying a bag, grinning broadly.
“Sis Xi, why are you sitting out here? Waiting for me?”
When Ji Chaoxi saw him, the emptiness in her expression softened.
“You turned in the mission that quickly?”
Zhen Zhong sat down beside her and placed the bag between them. He pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket and handed it to her.
“This little thing isn’t cheap.”
Ji Chaoxi looked at it but did not take it.
“Thank you, but no need.”
“Alright.”
Zhen Zhong awkwardly slipped the chocolate back into his pocket.
“Sis Xi, when I came over, I saw Feng Ruijie. Did he come looking for you?”
As he spoke, the corner of his eye drifted toward the house behind them.
Not seeing the person he had expected, he secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Ji Chaoxi nodded.
“Mm. There is an escort mission to Yuzhou. I’ve joined it.”
Zhen Zhong sighed with emotion.
“Then doesn’t that mean I won’t get to see Sis Xi for half a month?”
At his words, Ji Chaoxi turned to look at him.
The young man had closely cropped hair and a resolute square face that radiated uprightness.
If there was anyone in this world whom Ji Chaoxi occasionally thought about, the young man before her counted as one.
She smiled faintly.
“Be careful during missions.”
“Don’t worry, Sis Xi. I value my life. At worst, the mission fails. As long as you’re alive, you can do more things.”
“That’s right. Only by staying alive can you do more things.”
Although she herself did not seem to have anything she particularly wanted to do.
Ji Chaoxi blinked.
“Do you want to stay for dinner?”
“No, no. My girlfriend is waiting for me to come home and eat with her. Sis Xi, I’m leaving.”
As he spoke, Zhen Zhong stood up and waved.
One hand in his pocket, he strode away stylishly.
Eating a meal under the King of Hell’s watchful eye?
Wasn’t that the same as an old man swallowing arsenic—courting death?
The moment Zhen Zhong left, several gazes immediately locked onto the bag beside Ji Chaoxi, greed obvious in their eyes.
Ji Chaoxi acted as though she did not notice them.
Picking up the bag, she suddenly discovered a chocolate bar lying on the ground.
Her gaze paused for a moment before she bent down and picked it up.
“Chaoxi.”
A timid voice called out to her.
Ji Chaoxi looked up.
It was An Chang, her neighbor, a second-rank wood ability user.
Back when Ji Chaoxi used to beat and scold Ye Jiming, An Chang had come over more than once to stop her.
She had righteously criticized Ji Chaoxi for going too far and said she should not bully people like that.
At the time, Ji Chaoxi had responded by offering Ye Jiming to her.
An Chang had immediately backed down.
After all, Ye Jiming had not yet awakened an ability then. Supporting one more idle person was too much pressure, and An Chang had been afraid.
Seeing Ji Chaoxi look over, An Chang spoke softly, her expression somewhat unnatural.
“Chaoxi, my father got sick yesterday. It’s very serious. He’s only managed to eat a little porridge so far. I have to stay home and take care of him, so I can’t work at the treatment center. Without work, I won’t have anything to eat. Could you lend me a bowl of rice? Flour would be fine too. I promise I’ll pay you back once my father recovers.”
Ji Chaoxi looked at her coolly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the many gazes secretly observing the scene.
If she agreed to lend something today, more people would come tomorrow with all kinds of excuses.
Without saying a word, she turned around and went inside, shutting the door and blocking the watching eyes.
An Chang stared viciously at the closed door, her fingers twisting until they turned white.
Thinking of the old man lying at home, draining her dry, she gritted her teeth and stepped forward to pound on the door.
“Ji Chaoxi! You’re a mutated wood ability user. You’re so powerful. Times are hard in the apocalypse. We’re neighbors—we should help each other! My family really has no food left. I only need half a bowl of rice. Ji Chaoxi, did you hear me—”
From windows and door cracks all around, people secretly watched.
An Chang raised her hand to knock again.
A vine suddenly shot out and lashed her, sending her stumbling backward before crashing to the ground.
Ji Chaoxi’s icy voice came from inside.
“Get lost. Take one more step forward and face the consequences.”
An Chang rose to her feet with tears streaming down her face.
Looking down at the scraped skin on her palm, she shouted viciously,
“Ji Chaoxi! You’re letting people die without helping them! You won’t die a good death!”
With that, she stormed back home in humiliation and slammed her door shut with a bang.
The pairs of spying eyes quickly withdrew.
A fourth-rank mutated ability user was not someone they could afford to provoke.
At last, the outside world became quiet.
Ji Chaoxi sat on a stool.
She did not open the bag.
Instead, she silently stared at the chocolate in her hand.
Ye Jiming emerged from the bedroom and took the chocolate away from her.
His brows furrowed slightly.
“Something this expensive, and Zhen Zhong was willing to give it to you. He treats you pretty well.”
Ji Chaoxi pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Ye Jiming leisurely tore open the wrapper and put the chocolate into his mouth.
Ji Chaoxi stared at him eagerly.
A small trace of grievance unconsciously appeared on her face.
She had never eaten one of these before.
Back at the orphanage, as the older sister, she had always given way to children younger than herself.
After the system had bound her and brought her into this world, the apocalypse had erupted almost immediately.
She had not enjoyed a single good day before being forced into completing missions.
Knowing she would not get to eat it again this time, Ji Chaoxi turned her head away in annoyance and decided not to pay attention to him.
Seeing her rare display of cuteness, Ye Jiming raised an eyebrow.
He lifted a hand to hold her chin.
Then he lowered his head and pushed the chocolate he was holding in his mouth into hers through a kiss.
Ji Chaoxi tasted the sweet, silky richness spreading across her tongue.
Unable to resist, she lightly licked it with the tip of her tongue.
Originally, Ye Jiming had only intended to kiss her briefly before pulling away.
But his gaze darkened.
The kiss deepened.
The rich, smooth chocolate melted on their tongues.
When the kiss finally ended, Ji Chaoxi’s cheeks were slightly flushed.
Her breathing came rapidly as the sweet scent lingered in her mouth and flowed into her lungs.
“It’s sweet…”
Her fingers pressed lightly against her lips as if recalling the flavor.
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
Ye Jiming’s pupils contracted.
Looking at her beautiful features, now softened like a spring breeze, a bold thought gradually surfaced in his mind.
If even he could be reborn, then what was impossible?
Still, some debts had to be repaid by someone.
Tonight there was no moon.
The dense darkness painted the entire world black.
A cold wind rattled the door.
The window swayed slightly as well, producing faint sounds that sent chills through the body.
Ji Chaoxi sat at the table, holding a cup of hot water.
She drank from it for a long time.
The water eventually cooled.
The chill spread from the cup into her palm until even her hand lost its warmth.
Darkness filled her vision.
Gently setting down the cup, she lowered her head onto the table.
In the darkness, a hand settled on top of her head.
“Wife, it’s time to go back to the bedroom and sleep.”
Ji Chaoxi kept her eyes closed and remained silent.
Ye Jiming did not expose her pretense.
Bending down, he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.
The darkness posed no obstacle to his movements.
He carefully laid her on the bed before climbing in after her.
Stretching out an arm, he firmly imprisoned her within his embrace.
Ji Chaoxi’s body instantly stiffened.
Unpleasant memories shot up her spine and straight into her head.
Sensing her tension, Ye Jiming maliciously whispered beside her ear,
“Relax. Sleep. If you don’t want to sleep, we can do something else…”
Ji Chaoxi’s alarm bells rang immediately.
Her body tensed even further.
“Heh…”
Ye Jiming chuckled softly.
The vibration of his chest sent numbness across Ji Chaoxi’s scalp.
Ye Jiming said,
“Ji Chaoxi, you weren’t even afraid of death. Are you really afraid of me?”