The nights of the apocalypse always made people uneasy. Although it had only begun two days ago, the world was already full of cracks and wounds, as if it might fall into permanent silence at any moment.
By around ten at night, everyone in the supermarket had fallen into deep sleep, occasional snores echoing faintly through the space.
Only the weak light near the entrance was still on, stubbornly refusing to go out, as if guarding the last trace of hope.
Shi Ran couldn’t sleep.
Before the apocalypse, she had always been busy—so busy that she would fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, with no time to think deeply about anything.
Why had she awakened her abilities early?
It couldn’t be some kind of cheat or “golden finger.” Her arrival in this world felt like an insignificant event—so small that even fate couldn’t be bothered to notice her.
Was the original host actually some hidden big shot?
But she had never heard of that.
And yet, she could even affect the main storyline. It seemed there were no absolute rules in this world—everything could be changed by human action.
Sigh. She just hoped things would eventually return to the original track. After all, the only thing she could rely on now was that half-broken “script.”
“You’re tossing and turning so much… what, do you think my night watch is too boring and want to perform a taiji routine for me to entertain me?”
Zhou Nuocheng was sitting nearby with his eyes closed, resting. He tilted his head slightly and looked down at her, speaking in a low voice.
Shi Ran immediately opened her eyes and glared at him.
One was sitting, the other lying flat. In the darkness, neither could see the other’s expression clearly—only their eyes met without retreating.
Just as Shi Ran was about to lose the staring contest, she suddenly heard a faint movement.
Someone had gotten up.
Both of them turned toward the sound at the same time.
A figure was quietly standing, cautiously scanning the surroundings.
They didn’t move, only watched.
The supermarket was too dark to see clearly, but the outline looked like a slim woman—most likely Yang Ling.
She slowly walked toward Zhang Qichuan’s room, pressed down the handle, and slipped inside.
If she were just going to the bathroom, there would be no need to act like this.
The two exchanged a glance and silently stood up, following her quietly to the door.
Enhanced senses from ability users allowed them to hear faint voices through the door.
“I can feel that you’re good to me… I know you’re a really good person. Let me be the bad one instead. Accept me, okay?”
The woman’s voice was soft, with an unusual coquettish tone.
“Yang Ling, we can’t do this. Li Kai won’t be able to accept it. We need to stay united right now, we can’t cross boundaries.”
Zhang Qichuan’s voice remained gentle and polite.
“Don’t use those righteous excuses. You’ve been giving me less work, comforting me when I was upset, even handing me tissues today… I really like you. I don’t care about anything else.”
“Is it because of the two new girls today that you’re rejecting me now?” Yang Ling’s voice trembled slightly.
“How could you think that? It has nothing to do with how many girls there are,” Zhang Qichuan replied quickly.
After a moment, rustling sounds came from inside the room.
The two people outside stood awkwardly.
Maybe they were being too sensitive—it seemed like a private matter.
But judging from this, Yang Ling wasn’t acting alone. That made things more interesting.
Zhang Qichuan looked refined and polite… but something about his actions felt off. Especially when they thought of He Liukai’s injured leg.
Soon, faint gasps came from inside the room.
The two awkwardly glanced at each other and quickly pretended nothing had happened, walking away.
Shi Ran walked too fast and even tripped slightly over Zhou Nuocheng, making it even more embarrassing.
Under the cold, dim light, Shi Ran noticed Zhou Nuocheng’s ears were red.
So the male lead was actually this pure?
Earlier he had acted so cold and indifferent, but now…
People were funny like that—once you realized the other person was more embarrassed than you, you stopped being embarrassed yourself.
Shi Ran suddenly felt brave again.
Heh. Time for revenge.
This mouthy guy had gotten too arrogant.
She suddenly stopped, stepping in front of him and blocking his path. Turning around, she faced him with a slight smile, eyes shining with confidence.
“Zhou Nuocheng, I have something for you. Something no one else has—only you.”
To avoid waking others, she leaned closer to his ear. Her face was soft and delicate, eyes curved into crescents, dimples showing faintly. She looked harmless—like a little white rabbit.
But Zhou Nuocheng’s ears turned completely red.
He quickly stepped back.
“W-what… what is it?”
He turned his head away awkwardly. Not looking at her made his speech slightly more normal.
“Your friend will be jealous if she finds out you’re favoring me like this. There are plenty of people who want to please me—you’ll have to queue up.”
Shi Ran internally rolled her eyes but kept a sweet expression.
Then she walked up to him and cornered him against the wall beside the door.
Her slender arm lifted, bracing against the wall beside his shoulder.
The movement was smooth and confident—far more domineering than his earlier attitude.
“I’m biased?” she said lightly. “But my heart isn’t even in the center. What’s wrong with being biased toward you?”
Zhou Nuocheng’s mind completely short-circuited.
Not only his ears, even his neck turned red.
He had never been pinned against a wall like this in his life—especially not in such a dominant way.
Does she like me?!
Did he misunderstand? Was that it?
But he didn’t like her! How was he supposed to reject her without hurting her feelings? What if she cried?
Wait—no. He couldn’t just let himself be “claimed.”
He was expensive.
He quickly changed the topic.
“What are you giving me? I don’t just accept anything.”
That sounded polite enough, right?
Shi Ran chuckled softly. Something appeared in her hand out of nowhere, and she pressed it into his palm—just like he once casually handed her a bank account number.
Zhou Nuocheng already had a bad feeling.
Then he heard her say:
“You’re on night watch and sitting too long. I noticed your complexion looks a bit off—this should help. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
Under the faint light, Zhou Nuocheng looked down at it.
The moment he saw the words—
“Ma X Long Hemorrhoid Ointment”
His expression completely darkened.
Without hesitation, he set it on fire with an ability burst.
Then he returned to his spot stiffly, still furious, and silently switched from sitting watch… to lying down watch.
Shi Ran had already gone back to sleep like nothing happened.
He didn’t even get a chance to refuse.
He finally realized—she had done it on purpose.
A revenge prank.
If he had actually said something earlier… he would’ve been the joke for an entire year.
Honestly speaking, Shi Ran had succeeded.
Zhou Nuocheng barely slept all night.
He felt like he had a problem.
And she definitely had a problem too.
What neither of them realized was that—
The sounds coming from that room at the beginning had already changed.
What replaced them were muffled, increasingly desperate screams.