“What exactly are you trying to do?!”
Qian Yuxuan’s brows instantly knitted together as she stared at Lin Mao with full vigilance.
She simply could not figure out what this man was thinking.
Seeing her look as though she were facing a great enemy, Lin Mao helplessly shook his head.
“You don’t need to be so nervous,” he said calmly. “What I’m proposing won’t harm you at all. If anything, it’ll actually help you.”
But neither Qian Yuxuan nor her companions believed him.
In this wasteland, there was no such thing as kindness without a price, nor help without a motive.
Qian Yuxuan took a deep breath and suppressed the irritation rising in her chest.
“Stop talking in circles,” she said impatiently. “If you have something to say, then just say it directly. We don’t have time to waste here.”
Under the watchful gazes of everyone present, Lin Mao slowly curled his lips into a faint smile.
“I want to visit your shelter,” he said leisurely. “Just to take a look around.”
The moment those words came out, Qian Yuxuan and the others froze.
They had originally expected Lin Mao to demand some harsh conditions, but never imagined that all he wanted was to visit their shelter.
Qian Yuxuan exchanged glances with Brother Zhang before looking toward the others. They stared at one another in confusion, all seeing the same disbelief in each other’s eyes.
“What? Is that not allowed?” Lin Mao urged lightly when no one responded.
“Think about it carefully. Right now, you can’t offer me any more resources anyway. Compared to that, this condition is already very generous.”
His words were like cold water poured over their heads, instantly pulling them back to reality.
He was right.
They truly had no other choice.
Rather than endlessly worrying about Lin Mao’s intentions, agreeing to his request was at least the safest option for now.
A few seconds later, Qian Yuxuan clenched her teeth and looked up at him.
“Fine. But—”
Lin Mao interrupted her before she could continue.
“I promise I won’t do anything harmful to your people, nor will I deliberately break your shelter’s rules.”
After a brief pause, he added,
“But at the same time, you cannot reveal my identity. If anyone asks, just say I’m an ordinary survivor you rescued outside who had nowhere else to go, so I’m temporarily staying with you.”
Even though they still couldn’t understand his true purpose, there was no better option left for them.
Brother Zhang was the first to nod.
“Alright. We agree.”
The others soon nodded as well, silently accepting the arrangement.
Lin Mao then turned toward his shelter while speaking over his shoulder.
“Wait here for a bit. I’ll settle a few things first, then I’ll leave with you.”
As they watched his figure disappear behind the shelter gates, Brother Zhang finally frowned.
“What exactly is he trying to do?” he muttered. “Our shelter is practically falling apart. What’s even worth seeing there? Why would he suddenly want to visit?”
Qian Yuxuan shook her head helplessly.
“I can’t understand him either. But we don’t really have the right to refuse. Instead of offending him, it’s better to go along with it for now and see what he’s really planning.”
Her words struck directly at everyone’s thoughts.
A heavy sense of helplessness settled over the group.
In this cruel wasteland, strength decided everything.
People like them simply had no right to refuse.
…
Meanwhile, Lin Mao returned to his shelter and found Wan Yuyan, Wen Rou, and Li Ruyue busy with their work.
He briefly informed them that he would be leaving for a while and asked them to manage the shelter in his absence.
As Wen Rou watched his hurried figure leave, she unconsciously bit her lip, her expression complicated.
At that moment, Wan Yuyan suddenly spoke beside her.
“What do you think Lin Mao is trying to do?” she asked curiously. “Ever since that girl Qian Yuxuan showed up, he’s been paying special attention to her. He’s even going all the way to her shelter personally.”
Hearing this, Li Ruyue’s already cold expression seemed to become even colder.
A faint emotion flashed through her eyes, but she said nothing and simply turned away to continue organizing supplies.
As for Wen Rou, it felt as though something had quietly tugged at her heart.
A strange bitterness spread through her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
She forced out a smile and said softly,
“Alright, I’m sure Lin Mao has his reasons. There’s no point guessing here. Managing the shelter properly is more important.”
After saying that, she quickly turned and walked toward her room, her retreating figure carrying a trace of haste.
Not long after, Lin Mao finished arranging everything and returned to Qian Yuxuan’s group.
Qian Yuxuan took a deep breath, suppressing the complicated emotions in her heart.
“Let’s go,” she said quietly. “We’re heading back.”
Then she took the lead and began walking into the distance.
Brother Zhang and the others exchanged glances before silently following behind her.
Lin Mao walked alongside them as they made their way toward Qian Yuxuan’s shelter.
Only when the sky gradually darkened did a blurry outline finally appear in the distance.
That was their shelter.
Lin Mao quickened his pace and walked beside Qian Yuxuan.
“Remember,” he whispered quietly, “treat me like an ordinary person. Don’t expose my identity.”
Hearing this, Qian Yuxuan’s eyes shifted mischievously as though she had suddenly thought of something amusing.
A sly smile spread across her face.
“If that’s the case,” she whispered back, leaning closer, “then while you’re staying at our shelter, you’ll have to be my little follower. If I tell you to go east, you can’t go west. If I tell you to do something, you have to obey me. Deal?”
She had long wanted a chance to get back at him after everything he had done to tease her. Now that she finally had the opportunity to “control” him a little, she naturally wasn’t going to let it slip away.
Lin Mao saw straight through her little scheme.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, but instead of answering, he simply shifted his attention toward the shelter ahead and began observing it carefully.
Being ignored didn’t make Qian Yuxuan angry at all.
Instead, the smile on her face grew even brighter.
She lightly patted Lin Mao on the shoulder and said cheerfully,
“Let’s go, my new little follower!”
Lin Mao could only shake his head helplessly before following behind her toward the shelter.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance, they saw a gloomy-looking man standing there with his arms crossed, his cold eyes scanning the surroundings.
The moment the man spotted Qian Yuxuan, a fake smile instantly appeared on his face.
He quickly walked toward them, looking both anxious and overly concerned.
However, the moment Qian Yuxuan saw him, the smile on her face vanished entirely.
It was replaced by obvious disgust.
Her brows tightened, and even her footsteps subconsciously slowed.
Lin Mao silently observed the changes in both their expressions and immediately guessed that the relationship between them was far from friendly.
The gloomy man soon stopped in front of Qian Yuxuan and put on a worried expression.
“Yuxuan, you’re finally back!” he said with fake concern. “How did it go? That guy didn’t make things difficult for you, right? He didn’t do anything inappropriate?”
“Song Hao, stop pretending,” Qian Yuxuan sneered coldly. “I know exactly what kind of person you are. Don’t you get tired of acting like this?”
The smile on Song Hao’s face stiffened for a moment.
A trace of cold anger flashed through his eyes, though he quickly hid it again.
Realizing she had no intention of entertaining him, he shifted his gaze toward Lin Mao instead.
After sizing him up from head to toe, his eyes filled with disdain and suspicion.
“And who exactly is this guy supposed to be?” he asked coldly.