While eating breakfast, Jiang Miao Miao felt that Lu Qiming was acting strangely, as if he was hiding something in his mind.
She waited for a long time but didn’t see any mention from the other party, so she asked: “Are you still worried about something?”
Lu Qiming shook his head.
“Then why have you been absent-minded all morning?”
Usually, when he eats in the morning, his posture is so heroic he can’t wait to snatch everything from her bowl and eat it.
Today, he scooped slowly, one spoon at a time, obviously uninterested.
The oatmeal doesn’t need to be finely processed. It can’t be that she makes it unpalatable.
Also, he used to like to walk around topless and wear only a pair of big pants.
But now he is wearing long-sleeved trousers, covering his entire body, only showing his face.
The temperature is not low today. As for that cold?
After thinking for a while, she came up with a shocking guess.
“You…you shouldn’t…”
Lu Qiming became nervous, “What?”
“It’s not really kidney deficiency, is it?”
No appetite, afraid of the cold, maybe it is a sign of kidney deficiency!
Lu Qiming: “…No.”
“Then what’s the matter with you?”
Jiang Miao Miao slapped the spoon on the table, not giving up until she got an answer.
He took a deep breath and looked dignified.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Why?” Jiang Miao Miao was puzzled, “Isn’t it already agreed to stay for a while and then leave when there is no other way? It’s obviously quite safe now.”
His eyes flickered, staring at the table without looking up.
“I thought about it carefully but still don’t think it’s safe.”
She was silent for a few seconds and chose to agree.
Anyway, her original plan was that she would go wherever Lu Qiming was, and she didn’t necessarily have to stay here.
There’s just one problem to figure out.
“Where are we going?”
Going to the base was unrealistic. It was too far, and they didn’t even have a bicycle.
The car in the city has been soaked by floods before and has broken down long ago. How can it be possible to walk to the base with legs?
The city next door is equally dangerous, but any safe place will not be too close.
They can’t go there either in deep mountains, old forests, or the cave wilderness.
Jiang Miao Miao was still thinking hard, but Lu Qiming seemed to have made a decision long ago and said without hesitation:
“Go to the base.”
“How to get there?”
“Since they put drugs here, they will definitely keep watching. Let’s find a way to attract them here.”
“But didn’t you say before that they won’t accept you? What if you are mistaken for being infected and want to kill you?”
Lu Qiming said: “It is indeed possible, but I want to try.”
Jiang Miao Miao frowned, unable to understand him.
“Why did you suddenly change your mind? Isn’t it good for us to stay here? There’s no need to take risks. Even if there may be danger in the future, it’s the future, not the present. Can’t we live in the present first?”
He leaned back in the chair and slightly raised his eyelids.
“I had a dream last night.”
“What?”
“I dreamed the zombies were all dead, and humans returned to the city. You and I found our respective families, got married, had children, and started a family. You wore a beautiful wedding dress and the diamond ring I gave you on your wedding day. That look is gorgeous…”
There was no focus in his eyes as if he was recalling the dream he described, with a faint smile on his face.
Jiang Miao Miao said, “That was just a dream.”
“That’s right, that’s a dream.” Lu Qiming withdrew his misty thoughts and looked at her seriously, “But if we go to the base now and work hard to survive, then we have a chance to make a dream come true.”
She looked at him with complicated emotions, not knowing what to say.
Lu Qiming suddenly got up, knelt in front of her on one knee, and held her hand with both hands.
“Miao Miao, promise me, okay?”
He is tall, and he is not much shorter than her when he kneels down.
The look in his eyes is extremely sincere, making people feel that rejecting him is a sin.
Jiang Miao Miao had no other thoughts initially, so she nodded upon seeing this.
“Okay, let’s go to the base.”
He was delighted and hugged her in that position, burying his face in her chest.
Jiang Miao Miao held his head up, “But how can we attract their attention?”
Even if the base keeps observing the city, it is impossible to observe every corner.
Cities are so big. They are so small.
Even if you yell every day, and your voice is broken, the other party can’t hear you.
Lu Qiming said confidently, “I have a solution.”
“What way? Let’s hear it.”
“Let’s eat first. You will know then.”
Jiang Miao Miao was very interested in his so-called method and speeded up the meal.
Lu Qiming probably also wanted to start quickly, put down the bowls and chopsticks after she finished eating, and go out with her.
But he walked very leisurely, relaxed. He walked slowly behind so that Jiang Miao Miao had to turn around to wait for him from time to time.
They climbed up from the twenty-fifth floor and found a wedding company on the way.
Lu Qiming dug out many balloons and inflatable tubes from their warehouse, packed them in plastic bags, and continued walking up.
Jiang Miao Miao clapped her hands suddenly.
“Do you want to put balloons on the top floor? It’s really eye-catching. But is it too high? If they install the monitor on a lower floor, they won’t be able to see it. How about we go to the first floor?”
Lu Qiming shook his head, did not explain, and climbed to the last floor with his half-dead steps, found a window, and started to blow up balloons.
Jiang Miao Miao served as his assistant and, according to his instructions, tied the inflated balloons to each window.
The scope of work of the two of them covered nearly forty floors, with only a few windows on each floor, and most of their energy was spent on climbing the stairs.
When Lu Qiming said the word “complete,” she was so tired that she sat on the ground directly, her back hurt, and she gasped heavily.
“Huh… I’m exhausted… What the hell did you do?”
She thought she would spell “SOS” or “HELP” on the window, but the more she spelled it, the more she felt that it didn’t look like it, and the order of the strokes was obviously different.
Lu Qiming squatted on the ground, sorting out the remaining balloons.
She thought of a way to climb to the window and check the results through the reflection on the windows of the opposite building.
The building is relatively short, and the shadow on the glass is not clear. But because the font was so huge, she still saw the word “CCI” clearly.
What is CCI?
She turned around and asked Lu Qiming, and the other party finally spoke.
“It’s a code.”
The rookie Jiang Miao Miao became excited, walked up to him, and asked:
“What code? Is it for your mercenaries?”
“It can be understood in this way.”
“What does this CCI mean?”
“It means…” He looked out of the window, with an invisible sarcasm in the corner of his mouth, “Here is a good thing that cannot be missed.”
Jiang Miao Miao became increasingly confused the more she listened and wanted him to explain.
Lu Qiming had already stood up and walked outside.
“Go back to the hotel. They will be here soon.”
“Are you sure? What if they don’t have mercenaries on their team and can’t understand your password? Why don’t we switch to SOS? There are a lot of people who can understand…”
Jiang Miao Miao babbled behind him, but the other party stopped suddenly without warning, causing her to be unable to dodge in time, and bumped into his back hard, making her dizzy and her nose hurt.
Relying on his large back, Lu Qiming didn’t shake or speak but stood there with his head down.
She covered her nose and said in a low voice:
“Have you forgotten anything?”
“No.”
“Then what did you stop for? You’re really weird today. What’s wrong with you?”
Lu Qiming didn’t dare to turn his head back. The scent of the other party wrapped him tightly, making his bloodthirsty urge stronger and stronger.
He didn’t explain and hurried back to the hotel at a faster pace.
Jiang Miao Miao hurriedly followed, thinking she must find the truth no matter what.
Unexpectedly, when he returned to the suite, Lu Qiming didn’t go to the master bedroom but walked to the room where he used to live.
She immediately stood in front of him and blocked his way.
“What are you up to?”
Lu Qiming held his breath, trying to ignore the alluring smell.
“A little tired. Take a rest.”
“If you want to rest, go to the master bedroom.”
“That’s your room.”
“Yes, but you have been sleeping for several months. Are you just starting to be reserved now?”
Jiang Miao Miao was full of doubts. He turned his face away, looked at Jiang Meimu beside him, and said:
“Let’s sleep separately these days. The quality of sleep will be better.”
After speaking, he walked around her and wanted to enter the house, but a disappointed voice was behind him.
“Have you started to hate me?”
Lu Qiming stopped, “Of course not.”
“But if you don’t hate me, why don’t you even want to live in a room? You suddenly proposed to go to the base, probably because you want to get rid of me and don’t want to entangle me anymore?”
Jiang Miao Miao’s voice choked up, “If that’s the case, just say it straight. I’m useless, but I’m not cheap, and I will never cling to someone who hates me.”
Lu Qiming turned his head and looked at her in a daze.
Her eyes were red, “Tell me! Do you hate me?”
Lu Qiming had been shot before.
During a hostage rescue mission, because the other party was too cunning, he used false evidence to deceive the employer, causing them to wrongly estimate the number of people. He was shot through the shoulder blade by a 5.8mm bullet at the front and lay in bed for more than two months.
He always remembered the unforgettable pain and always reminded himself that what he did was a desperate job. He had to be extremely careful and cautious; if he was negligent, he might die.
However, at this moment, he couldn’t tell whether it hurt more when he was shot or if his heart hurt more now.
“Miao Miao, calm down…”
He opened his mouth with a hoarse voice, but he only persuaded her and refused to hug her like before.
Jiang Miao Miao’s eyes were wide open, and tears rolled down the corners of her eyes and hung on her chin.
“You answer me. As long as you say you hate it, I will leave immediately.”
Lu Qiming’s lips moved, but he finally lost the battle and hugged her tightly into his arms.
“How could I hate you? It’s too late for me to hate you.”
She leaned against his chest, clutching his shirt, and sobbed for a long time.
Lu Qiming’s plan fell through, and he walked into the master bedroom with her.
It’s getting dark. Time to make dinner.
But neither of them wanted to move. They lay quietly on the bed.
Suddenly, Jiang Miao Miao climbed onto him without making a sound and began to pick off his clothes.
Lu Qiming was startled and hugged his chest quickly.
“What are you doing?”
Do what I like with the person I like.”
“…we didn’t take a shower.”
“I do not mind.”
“But I do mind.”
“Just bear it if you mind!”
With a sound swish, she tore his shirt in two and threw it on the ground.
Lu Qiming didn’t even think about it. He hid under the quilt reflexively, unable to get out.
Jiang Miao Miao was speechless, “You don’t want it?”
Too many things have happened in the past few days. They haven’t done it for a long time. She clearly felt his outline just now.
Lu Qiming hugged the quilt, only showing his head, helpless and funny.
“Miao Miao, even if you are a woman, rape is still illegal.”
“Call the police and let the police catch me.”
“…This kind of thing should be restrained. We have done too much before.”
“There may be no chance in the future. You should cherish the present, right?”
His eyes wandered, but fortunately, it was dark, and he couldn’t see clearly.
“Who said there is no chance? When we get to the base, we have plenty of time.”
“I mean, you’ll grow old.”
“…”
“You are already twenty-six and will be thirty in a few years. Your physical strength will definitely decline sharply. Your muscles will degenerate, you will grow a big belly, you will lose your hair, and you will become Mediterranean. You will be so fat that you cannot climb stairs, let alone do such a thing.”
Lu Qiming: “…I will work hard and not let you down.”
“I don’t. I want it now.”
She crawled in front of him with hands and feet, blinked twice, “Unless you admit that you can’t.”
A real man, how can he say he can’t do it?
Lu Qiming took a deep breath and lifted the quilt.
“I……”
He clearly smelled the smell of her body and suddenly collapsed and rubbed against her arms.