Hong Zhengyuan was in a foul mood, hoping to find some peace and quiet here, but he never expected to see Meng Siyao running over with a troubled expression. She took a bite of a biscuit and immediately changed her expression—what else could it be if not wasting food again?
Before, she’d throw it away in front of Jin Xiao; now, she was doing it secretly. Should he laugh at her progress or be angry that she hadn’t changed her ways?
“Meng Siyao.” Hong Zhengyuan took a deep breath. “Do you really not want to eat it? Do you know this is the only food we brought from the base?”
Tang Nai lowered her eyelashes and nodded.
Hong Zhengyuan was almost amused by his own anger. “If you know, why are you still throwing it away? I get it—this stuff tastes awful. It’s been tough on you, a young lady, eating biscuits for almost ten days. But if you don’t want it, you could give it to someone else. Do you know some people…”
He trailed off abruptly.
Perhaps her lips had dried out, but Tang Nai pursed them slightly, brushing away the crumbs at the corners. Like the deepest, reddest flesh of a peach, trembling as teeth sank into it, leaving a soft indentation before slowly regaining its plumpness. The seam of her lips was moistened to a vivid red, timidly releasing a sweet fragrance.
This scene overlapped with that night in the town. As if he could reach out and, like Jin Xiao, feel the softness of her lips beneath his fingertips, touch the heat left by rough friction.
He instantly lowered his gaze, but it landed on the biscuit in her hand. A small corner had been bitten off, seemingly still damp, carrying a faint, elusive sweetness.
Damn it. He’d never liked this stuff, not even regretting it after three days without food. But now, looking at the biscuit in her hand, he felt a vast emptiness churning in his stomach, twisting and urging him to devour everything. His mouth watered.
“Some people haven’t eaten for three days and nights…”
He finished his earlier words in a hoarse voice, and his stomach suddenly growled.
Hong Zhengyuan’s face flushed instantly.
“Then you eat it.”
Tang Nai said.
Hong Zhengyuan was taken aback. Tang Nai extended her hand slightly. “I’m not hungry. You can have this biscuit.”
What the hell? How could he possibly eat her food?! He’d rather starve to death than take food from another woman, especially the boss’s ex-girlfriend…
Hong Zhengyuan’s throat moved. “You… really aren’t hungry?”
“I’m not hungry.” Tang Nai shook her head. “I really can’t eat it. If I don’t, it’ll just go to waste.”
“Fine.” Hong Zhengyuan put on a reluctant expression. “I can help you out a bit. I… I’ll just take one bite…”
He grasped Tang Nai’s wrist, his Adam’s apple trembling as he tentatively lowered his head. The closer he got to her hand, the clearer the sweet fragrance in his nostrils became. Why hadn’t her perfume faded yet…? But the biscuit smelled sweet too. Could her mouth also be sweet?
In a daze, Hong Zhengyuan leaned in, opening his mouth just as he was about to take a bite from Tang Nai’s hand.
A voice tinged with casual amusement suddenly sounded from behind:
“What are you two doing?”
Damn it! Who is it now? Hong Zhengyuan jolted in surprise, but as soon as he realized who the voice belonged to, his expression changed instantly.
He released Tang Nai’s hand and sprang up abruptly. Turning around, he forced a smile.
“Chi Jing? What are you doing here, spying on me while I use the bathroom?!”
Chi Jing walked over casually with his hands in his pockets. "Just taking a stroll, and incidentally checking if someone who claimed they wouldn't eat for three days was hiding somewhere sneaking food."
His gaze dropped to the cookie in Tang Nai's palm, and the corner of his mouth curled into a meaningful arc. "Ah… so it's not sneaking food, but… fighting over it."
Hong Zhengyuan's ears flushed bright red. Fighting over it? Meng Siyao was the one who told him to eat it! He irritably ran a hand through his hair. "Who the hell is sneaking food? You make it sound like I'm a dog. I was just helping her out—she was about to waste food!"
Chi Jing unhurriedly took off his glasses and wiped them. "Helping out? I've never seen anyone 'help out' like that. If I'd arrived any later, you'd probably have eaten her fingertips too."
Hong Zhengyuan's Adam's apple bobbed. Amidst his shame and annoyance, he couldn't help but find Chi Jing's tone grating. Perhaps it was his aversion to Meng Siyao that made the other man reluctant to see him interact with her. His own tone turned sharp. "Then what do you suggest? She just doesn't want to eat it. Should we force it down her throat?"
Chi Jing put his glasses back on and looked down at Tang Nai.
"Alright, let me show you what to do."
Tang Nai leaned against the tree trunk, still holding the cookie, her gaze vacant. She seemed to feel no remorse for wasting food, was completely unaware of the confrontation between the two men, and had no inkling of the "punishment" that awaited her.
Why did she look so innocent, so pitiful, as if utterly oblivious to the chaos she caused? Did she feel no shame at all?
Chi Jing crouched down halfway, his eyes fixed on her hand. "Why won't you eat? This time, there's no hot water to scald your mouth."
Tang Nai's face was still pale. She lowered her long lashes. "I don't want to."
Don't want to? Chi Jing smiled. "Do you know what the punishment is for wasting food in the team? Last time, you got off easy because you were lucky. This time, it won't be as simple as going hungry for three days."
He activated his special ability, and sharp thorns sprouted from the ground, seemingly ready to pierce her skin at any moment.
[Just agree with him. Before carrying out the mission, you need to ensure your own safety first.]
Tang Nai's eyelashes fluttered. She tentatively opened her mouth but only moved her lips. "Can I eat it later?"
Chi Jing slowly shook his head, his voice unwavering.
"Delaying tactics won't work on me. I'm not as easily fooled as Yuanzi."
He grasped Tang Nai's wrist and slowly pushed the cookie toward her lips. "Now, I'll watch you finish it. Not a single crumb left."
He smiled, his glasses reflecting a blinding white under the sunlight, exuding an unyielding, uncompromising force.
The cookie pressed against her lips, leaving a small indentation on her full, fleshy mouth.
Tang Nai had no choice but to part her lips. They brushed against the cookie, leaving a small bite mark and a damp trace.
Feeling the cookie crumble in her mouth and mix with saliva, she frowned. Chi Jing applied a bit more pressure, and she silently swallowed.
Fortunately, Chi Jing's fingertips carried the fresh scent of grass and trees, which effectively suppressed the nausea rising in her chest. She nibbled away at the cookie bit by bit, her cheek puffing out slightly. Unconsciously, her head drooped lower and lower. Seeing that Chi Jing hadn't moved, she placed her hand on his wrist.
Chi Jing lowered his gaze, watching as she finally reached the last bit on his fingertip.
A small biscuit was held between his fingertips. With just a gentle bite, the other person's lips and tongue would touch the pad of his finger.
Tang Nai instinctively glanced at Chi Jing. His eyes behind the lenses were blurred, carrying a hint of coldness.
After understanding Chi Jing's insistence, she paused, lowering her head slightly. Her breath was restrained, but the escaping airflow felt like the soft snout of a small animal, gently brushing against his fingertip. As she lowered her head, her soft hair cascaded onto Chi Jing's wrist first. Chi Jing watched as her lips parted, moist and tender, descending toward his finger.
The pupils behind the lenses trembled instantly.
Yet, he did not withdraw his hand. With restrained strength, he neither pressed forward nor pulled back, neither stopped her nor urged her on.
He wasn't expecting anything. He merely wanted to see how far this woman, skilled in deception, would go to avoid punishment… that was all.
The damp cloud finally landed on his fingertip.
Suddenly, a hand gripped his wrist.
He flinched, turning to see Hong Zhengyuan forcing a smile. "Chi Jing, it's just the last bite anyway. The boss is calling us. Let's head back quickly."
Hong Zhengyuan's hand exerted force, rendering Chi Jing's hand immobile.
Tang Nai looked up, her mouth slightly open, quietly waiting for the two of them.
Hong Zhengyuan glanced at her, his throat tightening. "What are you waiting for? Finish it and let's go!"
Tang Nai closed her mouth. She brushed off the grass blades clinging to her clothes and, seeing that the two were no longer forcing her to eat, left with relief. Noticing Gu Qing standing by the car in the distance watching her, she quickened her pace.
After Tang Nai left, Chi Jing stood up, hands in his pockets, all emotions vanishing from his expression.
"Forget it, it's boring."
He said.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
It was Hong Zhengyuan who forced a smile first. "Chi Jing, about what happened earlier… don't tell the boss, okay?"
Chi Jing turned his back to him, his face blurred by the sunlight. "What happened earlier?"
"Playing dumb, huh?" Hong Zhengyuan kicked a pebble. "About me… sneaking food. I wanted to teach her a lesson, and I was starving. I lost my head and couldn't resist."
"And wasting water in the building a few days ago—was that also a momentary lapse?"
"Damn, bringing up old grudges? Don't want to be brothers anymore, is that it?"
Chi Jing slowly turned around, not a trace of a smile on his face.
"It's just a small matter. But some mistakes shouldn't be made from the very beginning. Hong Zhengyuan, there are things we can do and things we can't. After all these years as brothers, you should know that."
The smile on Hong Zhengyuan's lips slowly faded. He seemed to understand what Chi Jing meant, yet not fully grasp the deeper implication. He simply laughed and punched Chi Jing's shoulder. "It's just wasting water and sneaking food. You're making it sound so serious. Don't worry, I know my limits."
Chi Jing suddenly frowned.
He unbuttoned his cuff, revealing a red wound.
Hong Zhengyuan was surprised. "Damn, don't tell me I did that just now?"
Chi Jing paused. "Don't worry, it's not your fault. It's… just a scratch I got accidentally."
"You? Getting hurt accidentally?"
This was from the day of the car accident. At that time, Chi Jing had instinctively reached out but was grazed before he could fully extend his hand. The faint scent of sweetness seemed to linger in his nostrils again. He frowned, covering the wound expressionlessly.
"Just an accident. I'll be more careful next time. You go back first. I'll have a smoke."
"Damn, so much trouble."
After Hong Zhengyuan also left, he leaned against the tree, transforming a grass root from his fingertips and putting it in his mouth. Many people in the team smoked to relax, but cigarettes—those addictive things—were not within his consideration. Chewing a couple of grass roots was enough to quickly calm him down.
Compared to that faint, elusive sweetness, the familiar scent of plants and grass made him feel more at ease.
In this apocalyptic world, it was inevitable for people to be momentarily deceived by the sweetness brought by illusions. But before anything could sprout, it was best to nip it in the bud.
He absentmindedly ground the grass root between his teeth. But as soon as the juice burst open, he paused. For some reason, the originally bitter grass root now carried a fresh sweetness, different from the cloying fragrance that repelled his senses, more straightforwardly rolling over his tongue.
It was like biting into crushed flower petals, or like morning dew mixed with milk, sharply stimulating every one of his senses.
He raised his hand, instinctively recalling the dampness Meng Siyao had left on his fingertips earlier—soft and gentle. Interrupted by Hong Zhengyuan earlier, it now clung to the transformed grass root, sliding down his throat as he swallowed.
Just a little was enough to churn his stomach, as if stirring up an even greater hunger.
"…"
Chi Jing's throat tightened instantly.
When Tang Nai returned to the convoy, everyone's eyes drifted toward her.
Gu Qing handed her half a cup of water.
"Why can't you eat? Do you dislike my cooking?"
Tang Nai took small sips of the water, then shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
Her face was pale, and her cheeks had thinned noticeably in just a few days—clearly not the look of someone who wasn't hungry.
Gu Qing said, "It'll be better once we reach the provincial capital. There will be new supplies then."
After speaking, she glanced at Hong Zhengyuan and Chi Jing, who walked back one after the other behind Tang Nai. Both of their expressions were slightly odd. She smiled. "So you won't have to worry about food anymore."
Tang Nai had no interest in food. Having lived for so many years as a spirit, everything tasted the same to her. But the thought of the plot progressing lifted her spirits a little.
When she got into the vehicle, Jin Xiao loosened his bandage slightly and glanced up. "Where did you all go earlier?"
Chi Jing paused, shifting gears. "Went to give Yuanzi a lesson in thinking. Don't worry, he won't be so foolish in the future."
Jin Xiao chuckled and shook his head, his gaze settling on Tang Nai.
Tang Nai plucked a grass leaf from her hair and was about to speak when his brow furrowed.
"From now on, don't leave the convoy without my permission. If you encounter zombies, no one will save you."
Tang Nai held the leaf and looked at him, replying with an "Oh."
If you don’t want to know, why ask? she thought.