She knew this man couldn't live without her.
The bathroom door slid to the side.
But it was empty behind it—no one there at all.
Yu Ning froze in place, and then a familiar figure emerged from behind the door.
He was extremely tall, his two-meter frame nearly brushing the ceiling. Damp white hair hung down over his chest and shoulders, covering half his face, yet failing to conceal his handsome features. A pair of narrow, elongated eyes were lowered, their pupils white like those of an albino. His posture was straight and imposing, muscles taut with a sense of raw power—one of his arms was thicker than her calf. He was nothing like a sick man.
Seeing him, Yu Ning could barely restrain herself from rushing over to embrace him, but seeing him completely naked, with that part of him standing erect, her cheeks flushed crimson. She pouted coquettishly, "You—you couldn't even bother to put some clothes on! Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"
She hurriedly grabbed a towel from nearby and wrapped it around his waist, tying it securely with both arms encircling him, then simply hugged him right there, rising on her tiptoes to rub against him and kiss his chin.
She had wanted to kiss his lips directly, but he was too tall, and he hadn't lowered his head to respond in time.
Yu Ning was about to complain about his lack of cooperation and ask why he had come back so late without a word. But before the words left her mouth, the man tightened his grip on her waist, lowered his head, and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her with extraordinary force, as if he wanted to knead her into his body.
"Gen—gentle…" Yu Ning murmured with a frown.
The arm around her waist instantly released its strength, but the kiss continued.
Pei Chongqing's heavy breathing brushed past her ear, in rhythmic pulses, reminding Yu Ning of a giant dog.
Yu Ning wouldn't let a dog kiss her anywhere but her cheeks, but Pei Chongqing carried her to the bed and kissed nearly every part of her, including her curled toes.
His desires ran deep. Every time he returned, he would seek her intimacy without explanation, and this time was no exception.
When her legs were parted and hoisted onto his shoulders, it signaled that they were getting to the main event. Yu Ning covered her lips with the back of her hand, not daring to open her eyes, afraid he would torment her into pain, yet secretly anticipating it.
The foreplay stretched longer than she had imagined. She closed her eyes, not noticing that the man before her was gazing down at her without blinking—from the top of her head to her ears, to her rising and falling chest and the rose-red beneath the folds of her skin.
He was observing carefully, thinking about how to proceed with the next step.
In the past, he had known nothing of pleasure. He only knew that there was a place between this woman's legs he could reach to warm himself. But now, a year had passed, and he had learned some techniques—though he wasn't yet adept at them, requiring a few seconds of thought.
Yu Ning would occasionally give him instructions, very clear ones, and he would respond promptly. But at this moment, she clearly wasn't going to say anything.
He leaned down, threading his fingers through hers, and kissed the rose-red there, causing the woman to arch her lower back off the bed.
That was a clear signal of pleasure, a signal that he could proceed.
Pei Chongqing curved his lips upward, the corners of his mouth rising high, splitting, tearing back toward his ears, emitting a "heh heh" sound.
Yu Ning's head was turned away from his, and through the strands of his hair, she could hear his laughter, but she didn't see the eerily bizarre expression on his face.
She sensed a thick, rank smell at her nostrils, like the scent of blood. Before she could discern it, Pei Chongqing filled her completely, thrusting rapidly to give her what she needed.
Lost in that overwhelming sensation of fullness, Yu Ning forgot to investigate further and surrendered herself to the pleasure.
They kept at it until the small hours. Yu Ning had no energy left to get up and shower. She simply wiped herself with a tissue and lay resting on the man's solid chest. She could still smell a rank odor, but strangely, Chongqing was perfectly clean, his force was restrained, and she hadn't bled either, had she?
Yu Ning was too exhausted to dwell on it. She only murmured, "Honey, you stink," before drifting off to sleep.
When she woke the next day, she heard the sound of water running from the shower again. She tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but something pressed against her cheek.
Yu Ning groped blindly with her hand and squinted to look—
It was a translucent, thin piece.
What was this?
She brought it closer to examine it, feeling that the texture was familiar. It was a bit like… a fingernail.
Pei Chongqing had showered again this morning. This time, he didn't come out naked—he was dressed in a shirt and dress pants, looking neat and proper all over.
Yu Ning looked him over, left and right, satisfied with his model-worthy appearance. But having read fashion magazines, she still felt something was missing, so she added a belt for him.
This man couldn't live without her—she knew that. He couldn't cook, couldn't dress himself properly. When they first met, he was wearing a pair of tattered pants with a hemp rope for a belt—rustic, dirty, and reeking.
At first, Yu Ning was somewhat repulsed by him. Even though he had saved her from the monster's jaws, she didn't really want to stay with him. He couldn't speak, only making guttural "huh-huh" sounds—strange and sinister, like a zombie. She was terrified, thinking she had fallen into the hands of some other monster.
After spending some time with him, she discovered he didn't eat people or hurt anyone—he was just not very bright. Only then did Yu Ning relax and, gathering her courage, take the initiative to interact with him.
He loved to hug her and lick her, just like a dog.
At first, Yu Ning found it annoying. But once she wiped his face clean and took a good look at him, that irritation was immediately suppressed.
This man was too handsome. Describing him as "ruggedly handsome" would be an injustice—the word had to be "beautiful."
How beautiful? His bone structure was superior, his brows and eyes deep and striking, his features so finely crafted that there was no flaw to be found. Even his skin was flawless, with no visible pores.
Was it this place that nourished people, or was he born this way? Yu Ning couldn't figure it out, but from their time together, she could tell that it was likely the influence of this survival-of-the-fittest world that had left him unable to speak, making him as wild as a beast—just like the wolf-child from that animal story.
The name Pei Chongqing was one Yu Ning had picked from a romance novel she'd read. He looked very much like that novel's character.
Yu Ning had also tried to teach him to speak and write—at least to write his own name. But having grown up outside human society, it was nearly impossible for him to establish a language system. His communication level could only reach that of a cat or dog—responding through a voice translator with short phrases and words.
Half a year ago, Pei Chongqing had picked up a translator. After some adjustments, it had reached the point where he could converse with her in short sentences.
He didn't seem to like wearing the translator much, preferring to communicate with her using his original "huh-huh" sounds. When he did it out of nowhere, it was rather unsettling. That sound was like a low growl torn from raw flesh, vibrating up from the depths of his throat.
Actually, Yu Ning didn't need him to learn to speak. Waking up every day to see such a handsome face was enough to make her feel secure and happy.
Besides, he was truly impressive—not only did he have strong survival skills and physical stamina, but he could also traverse the monster-infested dense forest and come out alive, and even find all sorts of items to supplement their household needs.
"What are you doing?"
An AI male voice came through the translator—it was Pei Chongqing speaking.
He stood behind her, having arrived at some unknown moment. Yu Ning was startled, swatted him, and grumbled in a muffled tone: "It's all because of you! You got the bed dirty."
"Why?" Pei Chongqing gazed at her with his eyes fixed on her.
"You have the nerve to ask? Can't you smell it yourself?" Yu Ning shoved the bedding toward him. "It got all over this."
He had a bit of his own on there, not very noticeable—it was mostly hers… whatever, she was blaming him for it all anyway.
"Oh, and also." Yu Ning remembered something, set down the bedding in her arms, and picked up the fingernail wrapped in tissue from the bedside. "Where did this come from? Did you lose a nail?"
She grabbed his hand and examined it carefully—all ten fingers were perfectly clean, and his toenails were intact too, neatly trimmed. The black nails from before were all gone! So then what exactly…
"A trophy. No."
The AI voice suddenly rang out.
"A trophy. No."
"A trophy. No."
Pei Chongqing repeated it three times, the AI's emotive male voice maintaining the same tone, which sounded somewhat eerie. Especially when he indicated that he treated this thing as a trophy.
Yu Ning was puzzled: "How could it be a trophy? What's the use of it?"
"Annoying." Pei Chongqing used another response.
Sometimes Yu Ning couldn't fully understand what he meant, since the voice translator could only handle a few phrases anyway. She told him to be more mindful of hygiene in the future and not bring random junk onto the bed, then carried the clothes downstairs to wash them in the washing machine.
There was only one washing machine at home, and it wasn't even enough, but Jiang Xian's building had one too.
Thinking of him, Yu Ning's head started to ache again. She hadn't yet had the chance to tell Pei Chongqing about picking up a man on her own, and after all the fuss from yesterday, she hadn't even made breakfast—it was already ten-thirty now.
While the washing machine was still running, Yu Ning got up, planning to go to the kitchen to cook, when she heard Pei Chongqing's AI voice again.
"A trophy. In the living room."
He stood in the dim hallway, the single light from the partition casting upward from below, adding a more subtle chill to his smiling face.
He always wore a smile that didn't reach his eyes, as if he'd never learned how to express emotions through his facial features, and sometimes he walked without a sound—it was really easy to startle people, especially since she was timid.
Yu Ning went to flip the switch, pressing it twice, but the ceiling light didn't respond.
"The hallway light is broken…" she sighed softly. It had been working fine just yesterday.
A broken light was only a minor issue, so Yu Ning set it aside for now. Her first priority was to inventory the resources Pei Chongqing had brought back.
He couldn't write and struggled even to hold a pen, but he could somewhat read text, so she always wrote him a collection list. If she encountered words that were too difficult for him, she'd replace them with simple drawings.
Yu Ning had worked as a preschool teacher for a while before, drawing pictures for the kids the same way. But Pei Chongqing was easier to manage than an ordinary child—it was just that he never knew his own strength when doing things, and he really liked asking for rewards.
Opening the large sacks in the living room, the daily necessities and food inside were quite complete, though some frozen items had gone bad and the ice cream had melted. It seemed the new houses were quite far away, and the appearance of the Blood Moon had delayed their return.
Yu Ning didn't mind at all—after all, those Death Domains were extremely dangerous, and not every place could refresh supplies. As long as Pei Chongqing came back safely and there was enough food at home, that was sufficient.
Opening sack after sack, Yu Ning was quite satisfied with this haul, but…
Pulling out a silicone rod-shaped object, Yu Ning couldn't believe Pei Chongqing had brought back something like this—and not just one, but an entire bag full of them, all sorts of varieties!
What was going on—had a sex shop Death Domain spawned? Why were there so many?
She felt embarrassed, worried they might have been used, and immediately threw it back. She stood up and scolded: "Pei Chongqing, can you not bring back every random thing you find?"
While sorting through the goods, she had been squatting down, and Pei Chongqing had imitated her, crouching behind her. Probably because of his massive build, he couldn't maintain a full squat and had to hunch his back, supporting himself with his hands on the ground.
His shirt was stretched taut, making his solid shoulder muscles bulge roundly, his arms pressing tightly against his chest, causing the horizontal creases to slide into the V-neck. He was much taller than her—conservatively, at least thirty centimeters—so even when she stood, she was at eye level with him.
Pei Chongqing curved his eyes into a smile, still grinning at her even after being scolded head-on.
He couldn't tell whether he had done something wrong or made her happy. In his understanding, the way Yu Ning's face flushed and she yelled was the same as her state in bed—maybe he had accidentally hit one of her sensitive spots.
Because of that thing that resembled what was between his legs.
These items were brightly colored, prettier than his own. If they weren't inanimate objects that couldn't be fused into his body as replacement parts, he would have swapped his out for one of these styles before coming here. Something a bit more discreet, so no one could tell—after all, humans couldn't accept partners whose appearance differed too greatly.
Pei Chongqing had his own considerations; all of this was experience he had accumulated in his desperate attempts to get close to Yu Ning.
Yu Ning looked at his unchanging smile, pressed her hand to her forehead, and sighed softly, knowing she was talking to a brick wall.
Her husband… his intelligence was probably lower than that of a five-year-old child.
"Don't bring back this kind of junk anymore," she warned. "Answer me."
Pei Chongqing: "Don't like it?"
Yu Ning's face flushed red. She couldn't quite say. She had used them before with her ex-boyfriend, but… those strange shapes were terrifying—who would dare use them?
She took a deep breath, didn't deny it, and made up an excuse: "They're dirty. Can't use them."
Pei Chongqing: "Wash."
He meant washing them clean. His vocabulary was sparse, but combined with the previous sentence, it was understandable.
"If something like this has been used by someone else, washing won't make it clean." Yu Ning said with disgust, then demanded firmly: "Anyway, don't take any more from now on. They take up space and waste effort."
With that, she shut the black bag full of fake phalluses into the cabinet—out of sight, out of mind.
The smile on Pei Chongqing's face gradually faded. "Reward. None."
Yu Ning wasn't the kind of person who was overly harsh. She knew how to balance discipline with kindness, and she knew how to address things on their merits. She went over and hugged him, saying: "You only get one hug."
She pulled away almost as soon as she touched him—Pei Chongqing didn't even have time to raise his arms to return the embrace. It truly was just a brief moment.
Releasing the man and settling back on her heels, Yu Ning instructed, "Remember to hang the sheets from the washing machine to dry, and there's another basket that needs washing too."
Even though there were only the two of them in the house, Yu Ning didn't do everything herself. Simple tasks like hanging clothes were things she always had Pei Chongqing do.
As long as the instructions were clear, he would carry them out meticulously—even better than any of her ex-boyfriends from the past.
Pei Chongqing obediently went to do as told, and Yu Ning hurried to the kitchen to start cooking.
Based on what he'd brought back, she'd originally planned to make hot pot, but the neighbor next door probably couldn't wait that long.
Yu Ning boiled some dumplings instead. After thinking it over, she decided to bring Jiang Xian his meal first… and then take Pei Chongqing over afterward.
He would never defy any decision she made, so how could he possibly know to be jealous of a strange man? Much of his knowledge and reasoning had been taught by her, so she had no worries on that front.
Even so, Yu Ning wasn't foolish enough to leave through the front door and let him catch her in the act.
She slipped out through the side entrance of the small villa and walked over to the other building. Just as she reached for the bedroom doorknob, the door opened from the inside on its own—Jiang Xian revealed half his face, meeting her gaze. Startled, she stumbled back a step, then exclaimed in surprise, "You—how are you out of bed? You can walk now?"