Under Jiang Chenyu’s healing ability, Chen Jun’an and the others’ wounds rapidly closed. Before long, they had gone from being severely injured and on the verge of death to being full of vitality again.
The heaviness in Lin Qiao’er’s heart eased somewhat when she saw this, and she revealed a genuine smile. Turning to Song Qing, she said, “Sister, go inside and rest for a while. I’ll come in once I’ve finished here.”
After saying that, she turned to Chen Jun’an.
“Brother Jun’an, could you take care of Sister and the others for me?”
Chen Jun’an glanced at the bodies scattered across the ground and silently nodded.
Song Qing did not go inside. She let Jiang Chenyu and Wang Haiting go in while she stayed behind, unable to feel at ease because Lin Qiao’er was behaving far too calmly.
Lin Qiao’er stared at her family members lying on the ground, her eyes red, remaining silent for a long time.
The clear sky gradually darkened as thick clouds gathered overhead, and a heavy sense of sorrow filled the air.
The sight reminded Song Qing of her own parents and younger brother.
She bit her lip, her eyes stinging as she thought painfully,
If she had come a little earlier, if she had not hesitated so much at the office, would Lin Qiao’er’s family have survived?
The more Song Qing thought about it, the more upset she became.
She lowered her head and picked at her fingers forcefully, her eyes dim.
Jiang Chenyu had been paying attention to Song Qing all along.
He had already noticed that something was wrong with her when she had beaten Zhou Kaifan earlier, and now it was even more obvious.
She was like a flower that had been full of vitality only moments ago but had suddenly wilted.
It made him extremely uncomfortable.
With a click of his tongue, he walked outside, raised his hand, and vigorously ruffled her hair several times.
“Don’t be sad. They can still be saved.”
“Really?”
Song Qing looked up at him in surprise and tightly grabbed his arm to confirm.
“Really.”
Jiang Chenyu nodded.
He took her little hand and circulated his ability to heal the skin she had picked raw on her index finger.
He had seen too much death.
With the order and laws of the apocalypse completely gone, countless tragedies were happening to families everywhere, either because people with power had become blinded by greed or because of zombies.
Such things no longer stirred even the slightest ripple in his heart.
The people several steps away were barely breathing, but there was still some life left in them.
He had originally not intended to interfere.
Unfortunately, the little coward beside him was acting as if it were her own family that had suffered. Her eyes were red, her head lowered, and even her fair fingers had been picked until they were injured.
Several steps away, Lin Qiao’er heard their conversation and was overwhelmed with joy.
Whether it was true or not, she was unwilling to let this opportunity slip away.
She immediately bent her knees and knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing to them.
“Please, Brother and Sister, save my family. I’ll do anything you want. Please, I beg you!”
She placed both hands on the grass and repeatedly slammed her forehead against the ground.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Before long, her pale forehead was covered in blood.
Her desperate wish to bring her parents and brother back to life made her completely ignore the pain.
Song Qing was horrified.
She quickly bent down to help her up, but Lin Qiao’er stubbornly remained kneeling and continued kowtowing.
Song Qing did not dare use too much force, afraid of hurting her, so she looked up at Jiang Chenyu for help.
Jiang Chenyu showed no intention of being gentle with her.
Looking coldly at the girl on the ground, he said,
“They aren’t dead yet. If you keep kowtowing, that might not remain true.”
Lin Qiao’er trembled all over.
She immediately stood up in panic and pleaded with Jiang Chenyu.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do it anymore. Brother, please save my parents, all right? Please, I beg you.”
Blood from her forehead had flowed down over her eyes and face, making her look frightening.
Song Qing could not bear to watch and pulled her away.
“Don’t beg anymore. Brother Yu already said he’s going to save them.”
Jiang Chenyu said nothing.
He simply walked past them and crouched beside the middle-aged couple and the young man lying on the ground.
White light emerged from his hands and enveloped them.
Song Qing and Lin Qiao’er hurried over, clenching their fists as they nervously and excitedly watched.
Without looking back, Jiang Chenyu said,
“The man in the middle can be saved, but the place in his abdomen where his ability gathers was burned through by the flames. He won’t have an ability anymore.”
Lin Qiao’er stared at the charred wound on her father’s abdomen for a moment.
Then she revealed a relieved smile and shook her head.
“It doesn’t matter. As long as they can live, that’s enough.”
Even with her face covered in blood, she could not hide her immense joy. She was completely different from the desperate and dispirited girl she had been earlier.
Song Qing was infected by her happiness and could not help smiling as well.
Looking at Lin Qiao’er’s family, she felt as though she were seeing herself.
If someone had saved her parents and younger brother when they were in despair, how wonderful would that have been?
Under the white light, the horrifying wounds covering the three people on the ground rapidly healed.
Song Qing and Lin Qiao’er held their breaths as they watched the miraculous scene before them.
Lin Qiao’er’s mother was the first to wake.
The moment she saw her daughter’s face covered in blood, she rushed toward her in distress, trembling as she touched the wound on her forehead.
“How did you get hurt like this? Does it hurt? Did those bastards bully you?”
Lin Qiao’er cried and laughed at the same time as she hugged her mother and shook her head.
Filled with dependence, she buried her face against her mother’s neck, feeling the warmth and vitality radiating from her mother’s skin.
She was terrified that this was only a beautiful dream.
Not long after, the other two men also woke up.
The whole family excitedly embraced one another.
The scene was incredibly warm.
Song Qing’s eyes curved into a smile.
She turned around and grabbed Jiang Chenyu’s arm, just about to share her happiness with him and praise him for being so amazing, when she saw his crouching body stagger.
He suddenly fell backward.
“Brother Yu!”
Song Qing cried out and quickly wrapped her arms around his waist to keep him from falling.
She noticed that his face was deathly pale and that cold sweat had appeared all over his forehead.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Song Qing tightly held his waist with both arms and asked anxiously.
“I’m fine. I just overused my ability, and my body can’t quite handle it.”
Jiang Chenyu did not want her to worry, so he curled his lips into a smile and shook his head.
Seeing his pale, handsome face made Song Qing’s heart ache terribly.
Seeing this, Lin Qiao’er separated from her family and approached them guiltily.
“Thank you for your hard work, Brother. Please go inside and rest for a while.”
Song Qing immediately picked up Jiang Chenyu’s slender body in her arms, carrying him horizontally.
She turned to Lin Qiao’er and said,
“Help me find a room. I’ll carry him inside to rest.”
Jiang Chenyu’s body suddenly left the ground, startling him.
He struggled to get down, somewhat embarrassed.
“Qingqing, put me down. I’m fine!”
“No. You can’t even stand properly. How can you say you’re fine?”
Song Qing did not give him a chance to refuse and carried him toward the house.
Jiang Chenyu: “…”
Ever since he was reborn, he had rarely experienced such intense emotional fluctuations.
The few times he had were all caused by Song Qing.
Now that he did not have enough strength to struggle, he covered his face with one hand and let her do as she pleased.
Lin Qiao’er hurried after them.
Wang Haiting, Chen Jun’an, and the other two ability users were sitting in the living room.
They stared in astonishment as the one-meter-six-something Song Qing carried the one-meter-eight-something Jiang Chenyu into the room.
Before their surprise could even fade, they saw several people who were supposed to be dead following behind them.
Wang Haiting was fine. He did not know them, so he had no particularly strong reaction.
Chen Jun’an and the other two ability users, however, shot to their feet with a bang, their faces filled with excitement as they rushed toward them.
Chen Jun’an practically threw himself forward and shouted excitedly,
“Uncle Lin, Auntie Lin, Brother Xuan’yi, you’re okay?”
The reunion of familiar people was something Wang Haiting could not join in on.
He scratched his head, then turned and saw Song Qing disappearing upstairs.
He hurriedly followed.
When he reached her side, he asked,
“What happened to him?”
“Ability exhaustion.”
Song Qing did not turn her head. She remained focused on walking upstairs.
Wang Haiting looked at Jiang Chenyu, who was covering his face in her arms, and grinned happily.
So even the big shot could have such embarrassing moments.
Just as he was enjoying himself, he suddenly felt a chill run through his entire body.
He quickly looked left and right but saw nothing unusual.
Remembering Jiang Chenyu’s unpredictable methods, he hurriedly wiped the mocking expression from his face and returned to a serious expression.
He even pinched his voice into an overly delicate tone.
“Brother Yu, thank you for your hard work.”
The bizarre voice made Jiang Chenyu shudder.
He withdrew his mental power and stopped paying attention to him.
After entering the room Lin Qiao’er had arranged, Song Qing carefully placed Jiang Chenyu on the bed.
Lin Qiao’er’s mother entered the room and handed Song Qing a cup of prepared brown sugar water.
“Thank you.”
Song Qing accepted it.
Lin Qiao’er’s mother repeatedly waved her hand.
“If it weren’t for you saving me, I would have died already. There’s no need to thank me for something so worthless.”
Song Qing smiled and did not refuse again.
Holding the cup of brown sugar water, she scooped up a spoonful and brought it toward Jiang Chenyu’s lips.
Jiang Chenyu: “…”
He had only exhausted his mental power.
He was not severely injured and bedridden to the point of needing someone to take care of him, was he?
With an exasperated smile, he took the bowl from her hand.
“I can drink it myself.”
Song Qing did not insist on feeding him.
After handing him the sweet water, she crouched beside the bed and looked up at him.
Her moist almond-shaped eyes were filled with dependence and gratitude.
The two of them, one on the bed and one beside it, seemed to have an atmosphere that no one else could intrude upon.
Seeing this, Lin Qiao’er’s mother quickly pulled her daughter away.
She also dragged Wang Haiting, who wanted to say something, out with them.
After Jiang Chenyu finished drinking, Song Qing took the bowl and placed it on the nearby coffee table.
She then continued crouching beside the bed, looking up at him.
The pallor had faded from his face after resting for a while, and he no longer looked so frightening.
Song Qing stared at him intently, unwilling to even blink.
She was not stupid.
She knew that Jiang Chenyu had agreed to save Lin Qiao’er’s family because of her.
Otherwise, he would have saved them from the very beginning.
She thought that being imprisoned, having his blood drawn, and being cut open for research for more than a year must have affected him.
Otherwise, according to how the male lead had been described in the novel, he would have gone to save Lin Qiao’er’s family from the start.
Song Qing felt sorry for him, but there was nothing she could do.
When the System had sent her here, everything that was supposed to happen had already happened.
She could not change that.
Jiang Chenyu leaned against the headboard.
Her affectionate gaze made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
He coughed lightly and asked,
“What are you thinking about? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Song Qing suddenly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his lean waist and burying her face against his warm chest.
In a muffled voice, she said,
“I was thinking that Brother Yu is too good. It feels like no matter what I do, I can’t compare to you.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Jiang Chenyu’s expression was gentle as he reached out and rubbed the little head in his arms.
“I haven’t done anything. Instead, you’ve been responsible for keeping me safe and making sure I have enough to eat and drink along the way. How could you say you don’t compare to me? I haven’t done anything. If anyone should be saying that, it should be me.”
Hearing this, Song Qing’s body stiffened slightly.
She had protected him all this time because of her family and her own life.
Even though she now had feelings for Jiang Chenyu and was no longer doing it purely for her family, it did not change the fact that her original purpose for approaching him had not been entirely genuine.
She had never felt that there was anything wrong with it before.
After all, no matter what her original reason had been, the result was still that she was helping Jiang Chenyu.
But now, she had begun to care about it.
Jiang Chenyu noticed her stiffening.
The smile on his face became even gentler.
His long fingers slipped into her hair, his fingertips lightly rubbing her scalp.
The little fox’s tail would eventually show itself.
He was not in a hurry.
However, he was now somewhat reluctant to kill this timid, soft-hearted little coward in his arms.
When her true purpose was eventually exposed, as long as it was not too excessive, he supposed he could spare her life.
And when the day came that he grew tired of living and wanted to die, it would not be too late to drag her and everyone else along with him.