“Why are you dragging me?”
By the time they reached the office, Wen Yu finally shrugged off his hand and complained, pulling out a solar-powered lamp as she did.
The soft light chased away the darkness in the office, and Pei Ye’s voice came through along with the glow: “Then go ahead and see—look at how they’re gathering discreetly.”
?
Wen Yu realized that leveling up abilities did indeed amplify desires, and that such enhancement could cause some… unsavory situations among men and women…
Blushing, she stuffed the lamp into Pei Ye’s arms, telling him to find a place to set it.
But soon, her embarrassment was replaced by shock.
“Gathering discreetly”?
Pei Ye actually said that… tsk, truly, the mind shapes the words.
Wen Yu smirked, collapsed onto the sofa, and teasingly looked at Pei Ye. “Didn’t expect a person like you to say something like that.”
Pei Ye, uncomfortable, clenched his fist to his lips, coughed, and asked, “What kind of person am I?”
“Self-disciplined and respectful, cautious in solitude, skilled in both literature and martial arts, with both virtue and talent.”
Wen Yu spoke without much thought, but it made Pei Ye blush intensely.
After a long moment, he sat beside her, voice barely above a whisper: “I’m not as good as you say.”
Huh?
Wen Yu realized Pei Ye was embarrassed by her words.
She curiously stared at his still-flushed profile, gritted her teeth, and crossed her legs.
The weapon for training a dog…
Bah.
The weapon to handle a subordinate comes from the power of words.
She rubbed her nails with one hand, softening her voice: “In my eyes, that’s exactly the kind of person you are. Otherwise, why would I have always trailed behind you as a kid? Because I admired you.”
Thinking of the novel, where grown-up Wen Yu and Pei Ye’s relationship develops, she quickly added: “After growing up, I didn’t follow you because I didn’t want to distract you from studying—after all, my dad was strict with you. And I had my own teenage crushes, afraid my feelings would go to waste, so I locked away my heart to avoid getting hurt…”
Wen Yu was completely making it up.
The original Wen Yu avoided Pei Ye as an adult simply because she learned his identity and knew Old Wen was grooming him as a potential son-in-law, thinking he didn’t deserve her.
But the original was gone; now she could say whatever she wanted.
Whether Pei Ye believed it or not, that was his problem.
And Pei Ye actually believed her. That smart, sharp man—he turned bright red like a monkey’s behind at her words.
He pressed his lips together, silent for a long moment, then suddenly jumped up and hurried outside.
Wen Yu was stunned.
It felt like she hadn’t even exerted any effort, yet Pei Ye had gone and “conquered” himself—how strange and wonderful.
She quickly retreated into her space and took a hot bath.
Afterward, she set out a mattress, a sheet, a blanket, and two pillows.
One pillow went under her head, the other she hugged as she curled up under the blanket.
Rainy days were perfect for sleeping.
As for how ruined the world would be after the acid rain, that could wait until the rain stopped. Worrying now would do no good.
After a day full of exercise, Wen Yu fell asleep, clutching the pillow.
Ten minutes later, Pei Ye pushed the door open. He saw the mattress in the middle of the office, Wen Yu wrapped up like a cocoon—neatly tucked in, no one needed to fuss over the blanket corners.
Because the blanket corners were pressed under her…
Pei Ye chuckled, standing at the mattress for a while before quietly saying:
“You always manage to take care of yourself so well.”
Wen Yu twitched in her cocoon and hummed softly—a second tone “mm.”
Whether she was responding to him or just unconsciously murmuring, no one could tell.
That night, nobody leveled up their abilities.
For one, it was unclear what problems might arise during leveling; for another, night watch shifts were necessary.
Outside, one had to guard against both zombies and humans—falling asleep could mean being wiped out at night.
Wen Yu didn’t know these details.
She slept nine hours straight.
Waking up at 4 a.m., she realized this might be why ancient people were so diligent—waking early was easy when well-rested.
Wen Yu sprang up and saw a black shadow almost in sync with her on the sofa.
Before she could scream, the room lit up.
Pei Ye had noticed she was getting up and switched on the lamp.
Seeing him, Wen Yu relaxed. She half-heartedly asked why he was awake.
“I didn’t sleep.”
“Why not?” Was he keeping watch for her? So dedicated!
Before she could smile, Pei Ye tugged her down.
“We’re on night watch together for the second half of the night.”
Understood.
Wen Yu’s eye twitched as she politely asked, “Do you want to lie down on the mattress for a bit?”
The office sofa was short; a grown man curling up wouldn’t be comfortable.
“No need.” At 4 a.m., it was easy to nod off, and he didn’t want to oversleep.
Wen Yu didn’t insist. She put the mattress away, washed up in her space, changed clothes, and came out.
The rain continued, and the temperature had dropped a few degrees. Wen Yu added a lightweight summer jacket over her short-sleeved shirt.
Pei Ye had also worn a similar jacket yesterday—one gray, one pink. Styles were alike, giving a subtle couple vibe.
Wen Yu didn’t notice and, after changing, asked if he wanted something to eat.
“Isn’t it a bit early for breakfast?”
“Then some midnight tea?”
Absurd name, but Pei Ye understood instantly—midnight tea being an offshoot of afternoon tea.
He rinsed with his bottled water and began enjoying the spread Wen Yu had set on the coffee table.
Coffee brewing, cupcakes, a nut platter, and two boxes of cut fruit.
Before the apocalypse, this was nothing special—but in the apocalypse, it was quite lavish.
Pei Ye let Wen Yu eat first while he nibbled nuts and fiddled with the coffee.
Since Wen Yu disliked bitterness, the coffee was clearly for him.
Wen Yu had planned the same: she grabbed a box of fruit, removed her shoes, and sat cross-legged on the sofa to eat.
Not satisfied, she put the remaining half-box on the table, and pulled out a whole durian from her space.
With a thud, it landed on the table. She clapped her hands, ready to peel it by hand.
Pei Ye sighed.
She disliked bitterness but loved stinky food. Wen Yu’s tastes were sometimes baffling.
Had they collected durians from the supermarket last time? Pei Ye couldn’t remember, but Wen Yu’s space definitely held secrets—she simply didn’t share them.
All five durians were opened, and Wen Yu was ecstatic, generously sharing with Pei Ye.
Pei Ye’s coffee was ready. He politely declined the durian, sipping coffee and watching Wen Yu’s delight as she ate, looking like pure bliss.
After a while, Wen Yu raised the durian slightly, asking wistfully:
“After this rain, what will City S become?”
“It’ll be bad.”
Land polluted, vegetation destroyed, marine life likely decimated.
“And what about humans?”
“To survive.” Pei Ye said slowly and firmly. “To live long. To live longer than me.”
Survive longer than me.