Chapter 77 - So Dramatic
It turned out that the man had changed. He was tall and had long legs, completely covering the woman in his arms.
“Qianying, I’ve missed you so much… Tonight, my roommate isn’t in, come to my room…” The man spoke with deep emotion, burying his head in the woman’s shoulder and affectionately nibbling on it.
“Brother Yunjiang, mmm…”
Her delicate voice carried a sweet delight. After a moment, Su Qianying felt someone walking through the hallway and half-opened her eyes.
Suddenly, those half-opened eyes widened in shock. Almost instinctively, she pushed away the man covering her.
Her gaze shot past him and fixed on Bai Qi, who had just turned the corner across from her, her face flushing with a mix of red and white.
She was actually here with Fan Yunjiang…
And now he had caught her.
Just a moment ago, she thought she had found a man she could trust for a lifetime, which had prompted her to resolve to distance herself from her previous, carefree lifestyle.
Having noticed the woman next to him was dressed in a style he seemed to prefer—innocent, schoolgirl outfits—she had gone upstairs to change into a blouse and a pleated skirt, planning to run into him on the street. She hadn’t expected to encounter Fan Yunjiang instead.
Before the apocalypse, she had never given Fan Yunjiang a clear answer. After the apocalypse began, seeing that he had awakened his ice-based abilities and become the leader of a group that had escaped from F University, she reluctantly accepted his pursuit.
After all, Fan Yunjiang had genuinely cared for her, and she truly enjoyed the feeling of being envied and admired by the other girls in their team.
But now, when comparing Fan Yunjiang to the man in front of her…
The phrase that comes to mind, using an expression from before the apocalypse, is that the man in the trench coat before her is exactly Su Qianying’s type.
Fan Yunjiang couldn’t perceive the embarrassment within Su Qianying. He only noticed her fidgeting with her pleated skirt, as if she were about to cry, while her gaze shifted past him, staring intently at the two figures behind him without blinking.
So, he turned his head to look.
Bai Qi was already pulling Tang Ruo toward the eighth floor. When Fan Yunjiang turned his head, he could only see their backs. He frowned and turned back, saying, “Qianying, do you know them?”
Su Qianying shifted her gaze back to Fan Yunjiang, her heart racing. Afraid that he might misinterpret her earlier actions, she replied softly, “Brother Yunjiang, that woman seems to be Tang Ruo…”
Fan Yunjiang’s expression changed: “How could it be her…” He placed his hands back on Su Qianying’s shoulders, “Qianying, I only like you. You know I’ve never liked anyone else; it’s always been her shamelessly clinging to me.”
Su Qianying nodded absentmindedly.
She certainly believed that the woman could not be Tang Ruo because the day before the apocalypse, Tang Ruo had gone to H City. After that, with the outbreak and the numerous zombies, she couldn’t possibly have made it to A City, let alone be with such an elegant man.
Now, her mind was filled with thoughts of how to run into Bai Qi and change the impression he had of her.
As for the fact that he already had a female companion, Su Qianying didn’t care at all.
If an outstanding man didn’t have a woman by his side, it was even more concerning because he was likely a gay!
And stealing someone’s boyfriend was not something she had never done before.
Meanwhile, Tang Ruo, who had already reached the eighth floor, recalled the scene she had just witnessed, feeling a bit frustrated.
She wasn’t someone who enjoyed gossip, but what she had seen today was simply too bizarre.
Walking normally, encountering the same person twice in one day is already enough, but to have it happen with the same individual is ridiculous!
It really confirms Yu Wanli’s saying: life is full of drama, and drama is everywhere.
That girl is really putting in the effort—how many clients does she have to see in a single day?
And she does it anywhere, anytime, regardless of the occasion.
Beside her, Bai Qi noticed her gloomy expression, chuckled, released her hand, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders: “Why bother worrying about irrelevant people?”
Tang Ruo replied sullenly, “It’s a bit eye-polluting.”
Bai Qi laughed out loud and patted her on the head: “There will be more eye-polluting things in the future; you’ll get used to it after seeing enough.”
In the future, there will indeed be many such women in the base. Without powers or resources, it won’t just be women who benefit from the situation—there will be plenty of men too.
Upon reaching room 802, they really did find Fang Qinglan.
Although Fang Qinglan looked somewhat different from his previous life, Bai Qi recognized her at a glance.
Fang Qinglan had been called out by his roommate, who said someone was looking for him. When she saw Bai Qi, he was a bit puzzled: “You’re looking for me?”
Bai Qi nodded, “Can we find a place to talk?”
Fang Qinglan took a look at their simple clothing but noticed they were both wearing luxury brands from before the apocalypse. Looking at how clean and poised they were, he figured they wouldn’t be after anything from him, so he led them into his bedroom.
After Fang Qinglan closed the door, he felt that the two of them were too extravagant, giving him the impression that his place was a humble dwelling.
Could it really be ‘This is a humble abode, but my virtue is fragrant’?
He walked over to the bed, brushed his hand over it, and said, “Please sit here; it’s a small space, so bear with me.”
This room was only about ten square meters, with two bunk beds for a total of four people.
Bai Qi didn’t stand on ceremony; he simply sat down on the bed with Tang Ruo.
After Fang Qinglan sat across from them, he asked, “What do you want?”
“We’d like to make a deal with you,” Bai Qi indicated for Tang Ruo to take out the items from her backpack.
Tang Ruo unfastened her backpack from her back and poured a pile of snacks onto the bed.
Her backpack didn’t look very big, but it was packed with an incredible amount of snacks: chocolates, chicken wings, canned goods…
“This…” Fang Qinglan was a bit surprised.
In the apocalypse, resources are currency, and Tang Ruo’s action was no different from those wealthy individuals flaunting cash on television.
“This is a deposit,” Bai Qi said. “After the deal is done, there will be nine times the remaining resources.”
Fang Qinglan cleared his throat a couple of times to ease his reaction of being a bumpkin upon seeing so many items. “Do you know me?”
Bai Qi nodded, “I’ve read your writing; it’s very good.”
His expression was calm, but Fang Qinglan sensed a feeling of satisfaction. He rubbed his hands together, wanting to boast a little, but considering the situation, he smiled wryly: “The last book, “I Raise a School Beauty in the Toilet”, hasn’t been finished yet, and then the apocalypse hit. Sigh, it’s been signed for film and television rights; what a ridiculous disaster…”
Tang Ruo: “…”
That title about raising a school beauty like it’s feces… How has he not been killed by his readers?
Bai Qi smiled and said, “A blessing in disguise; perhaps your book can find greater development here.”
“Alas, now that there’s no internet, how can I show it to others?”
Bai Qi handed over Yu Wanli’s manuscript: “Even without the internet, you still have your voice. Word of mouth is also a good option.”
Fang Qinglan took the manuscript and glanced at it. After skimming through it, he felt like cursing.
The content was so bad that he hadn’t written anything like that for eight hundred years!
But then he thought about it: this manuscript belonged to someone else, so he had to respond more tactfully. “This content is really clichéd; do you want me to help you revise it?”
Bai Qi replied, “If you can add more exciting content, that would be best. Just one thing: this isn’t a novel; it’s private gossip. You have to tell everyone that it’s based on real events.”
As soon as Fang Qinglan heard it was genuine gossip, his earlier urge to curse disappeared. He quickly read through the manuscript again. “Don’t worry; no problem. I will make sure it stays true to reality.”
Bai Qi nodded, “I hope this private gossip can become a sensation throughout the entire base.”
Fang Qinglan was no fool; upon hearing this, he immediately understood the implication.
He quickly ran through some thoughts in his mind.
His current position in the team was not great, let alone any future prospects. If he were to return to his old profession and make a living by writing novels, it wouldn’t be a bad choice.
Moreover, judging by this man’s demeanor, having him as a backer would certainly be better than his current situation in the team.
Since Fang Qinglan was already tempted, he had no reason to refuse and immediately agreed.
After finalizing the arrangement, Bai Qi felt it was getting late, so they naturally headed back to the villa.
They descended the stairs they had come up.
When they reached the fifth floor, they heard sobbing sounds in the corridor—mournful and pitiful, quite distressing.
The two had no interest in gossip, so they continued down the stairs.
However, just as they took a step down, a shadow that was sobbing in the corridor suddenly lunged at them like a ghost.
The unexpected scare made Tang Ruo’s foot slip, and she almost tumbled down the stairs.
Bai Qi was quick to react, pulling her into his embrace.
In the midst of this action, the ghostly figure in the corridor managed to grab the corner of Bai Qi’s clothing.