CH 116

Ye Ming stood there, his entire body stiff, his face turning pale from nervousness.

Xu Xiaoyue reacted a step ahead of him, and said with pleasant surprise, “Yang Qian-ge, you, you’re here too?”

Yang Qian strode over until he was standing beside Ye Ming, then glanced at him with a spurious smile, before he turned to Xu Xiaoyue and said, “Yes, ah.”

Xu Xiaoyue looked at Yang Qian, and had a moment of uncertainty. Although Yang Qian was acting normal and had only said two words, she could instinctively feel that something was wrong. Yang Qian’s gaze, and his tone… were inexplicably chilling. 

Not like the person she was familiar with… that steady and reliable big brother.

Ye Ming finally came to his senses, then grabbed Yang Qian’s arm, and turned to face him so that Xu Xiaoyue wouldn’t be able to see his expressions. He looked steadily at Yang Qian, a deeply imploring look in his eyes as his lips slightly moved, “Didn’t you go out? When did you come back?”

As he said this, his voice had an extremely slight tremor to it that Yang Qian might’ve missed if he hadn’t been listening carefully, but he could clearly see the desperate plea on Ye Ming’s face.

Ye Ming didn’t know why Yang Qian had come in, and didn’t know whether or not he would go along with him, but he still wanted to make one final struggle.

Yang Qian’s eyes fell on Ye Ming’s face, on the humble entreatment in his dark eyes… he’d originally wanted to come in to expose Ye Ming, unable to tolerate Ye Ming’s hypocritical, cheap tricks that made him sick to his stomach any longer.

But at this moment, as he looked at Ye Ming’s beseeching gaze, he suddenly couldn’t bring himself to say the words he’d stewed over before, as though it’d be some kind of extremely cruel thing to do…

Xu Xiaoyue didn’t see Ye Ming’s expression. When she saw Yang Qian staring at her brother without speaking, the air around him somewhat chilly, she called out uneasily, “Yang Qian-ge?”

Yang Qian looked at Ye Ming for a while, before a smile slowly appeared on his face, “Xiaoyue, I didn’t expect you’d come here too. I just returned to the base, otherwise I would’ve come with your brother to see you.” 

When Ye Ming heard these words, his entire body relaxed. It was as though he’d seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and had been snatched from the jaws of death, and he clutched Yang Qian’s arm tightly, slightly leaning against him, as he said to Xu Xiaoyue, “I forgot to tell you that Yang Qian has been with me the entire time.”

Xu Xiaoyue was a little puzzled. Her brother and Yang Qian had always had such a good relationship. Yang Qian couldn’t be considered an outsider, so how could he even forget about such a thing?

Ye Ming seemed to have no intention to say much more, “Next time I have a chance, I’ll elaborate then. We have to go now.” He didn’t dare to let Yang Qian stay here for too long, because he couldn’t control Yang Qian’s actions at all, and only thought of taking him away from here as soon as possible.

Yang Qian, however, wasn’t happy with this. He raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, “It’s not that urgent. Xiaoyue being reunited with us is something special. It’s okay to stay a while longer.” 

Xu Xiaoyue nodded repeatedly, and said to Ye Ming, “See, even Yang Qian-ge says so, so it should be okay, ba.” There were really a lot of things she felt unsure about, and she had a lot to tell her brother.

Xu Xiaoyue smiled at Yang Qian and said, “It turns out that Yang Qian-ge has been with my brother this entire time. That’s really wonderful, at least you guys still have each other. I…” There was dejection and pain in her gaze when the topic turned to herself.

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Looking at Ye Ming, Xu Xiaoyue’s lips moved a little, before she finally still said in a whisper, “Ge… I still have something else to tell you.”

Ye Ming saw her acting like this, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart, as he said, “What is it?”

Xu Xiaoyue said, “When the virus broke out, you and Yang Qian-ge were near the school. I… I had actually just made a trip back home, and was staying with mom and dad…”

Ye Ming’s body slightly swayed as soon as he heard this. He didn’t know that Xu Xiaoyue had coincidentally been with their parents at the time. He’d thought that they’d also been separated, so he hadn’t rushed to ask about this. 

So, they were together at the time? Then why… weren’t they together anymore…

Ye Ming didn’t dare to think about this answer.

Tears flowed down Xu Xiaoyue’s face, and she gritted her teeth, then slowly said, “Mom turned into a zombie, and dad refused to leave her behind, and was bitten, so… so they’re at home… I locked the door, and ran away by myself.”

When she said this, she finally couldn’t herself hold back anymore. All of the hardships and grievances she’d suffered for so long on her own welled up as tears coursed down her face. “Wuwu… I’ve really let them down, I left them behind… I left by myself… I was so afraid, I didn’t have any other family left, so I could only go to find you. Fortunately, you’re still here… you’re still here… ” 

Mom turned into a zombie… dad refused to leave her behind, and was bitten…

This sentence seemed to echo in Ye Ming’s ears repeatedly, his mind going completely blank as he began to totter. In the end, a powerful grip pulled his body into a firm and warm embrace.

Ye Ming lifted his gaze in a daze, then saw Yang Qian’s sharp chin, and the scar on the side of his face. At this moment, that warm embrace seemed to be suffused with ice, and could no longer bring him the slightest bit of comfort. This warmth was nothing more than an illusion.

This was no longer a person he could rely on. 

His parents were dead, his lover hated him, and he only had his younger sister left.

Yang Qian looked at Ye Ming’s fragile and dazed gaze, and sighed almost inaudibly. Even until this point… he actually still couldn’t completely harden his heart.

“I’m sorry about uncle and aunt…” Yang Qian told Xu Xiaoyue in a deep voice.

Xu Xiaoyue wiped her eyes, then exposed an extremely unsightly smile, and said, “It’s okay, a lot of time has already passed by… at least you guys are still here… I, I’m already very happy.” 

Yang Qian’s gaze was dim.

No, actually I’m no longer the person that you once knew.

But at this moment, Yang Qian couldn’t bring himself to say this sentence out loud. At this moment, the powerlessness and sorrow the apocalypse had brought to mankind had demonstrated its might once again. In the face of too many of life’s final farewells, some things also seemed to be somewhat meaningless now.

Yang Qian kept an arm around Ye Ming, and said to Xu Xiaoyue, “You should just live here. I’ll have a talk with the person who bought you, and get him to not lock you up anymore. Xiaofei and I will come visit you again some other day.” 

Xu Xiaoyue nodded her head sensibly. The apocalypse never gave people much time to grieve. She was already used to it.

But, the only good thing was that Yang Qian was also here. Originally, she was very worried about her older brother being by himself. Her brother wasn’t that strong, so what if he got injured outside? But if Yang Qian was there with him, at least the two of them could help each other out. The danger would also be lessened by a lot, so she also felt much more at ease.

She told Yang Qian seriously, “Then I’m counting on you, please take good care of my big brother.”

Yang Qian looked down at Ye Ming, a complex look flickering in his eyes, and he slowly said, “I will.” 

………………

On the way back, Ye Ming didn’t say a single word, and muddled along, his gaze dull, just like a puppet following behind Yang Qian.

Seeing his condition, Yang Qian frowned slightly, and sighed from the bottom of his heart.

This was what the apocalypse was like. Was there anyone who was actually happy even if they were alive? Even though Ye Ming really had sold himself to Huo Yi, was he actually happy and satisfied? Paying such a price in order to survive probably wasn’t something he was truly willing to do, ba. 

You lost your family, and so did I. I lost contact with my parents around the same time. Maybe the same thing happened to them just like with your parents…

And, I may not receive any news about them ever again.

Sometimes, no news can even be considered good news, ba. At least that person can pretend that their family members are still alive somewhere in this world.

Yang Qian shut his eyes with exhaustion and pain. At that time, if you hadn’t trampled all over my love by saying such heartless words, if you hadn’t stood by as Huo Yi did those things to me, indifferently watching me go off to my death… then, I probably wouldn’t have blamed you, ba. 

【Ding. Yang Qian’s Blackening Value -10. Current Blackening Value: 60】

【888: You did that on purpose, didn’t you, knowing that Xu Xiaoyue would bring up this matter, and after hearing it, Yang Qian’s blackening value would definitely be reduced.】

【Ye Ming: This was just pure coincidence, I also didn’t know about this matter, ah… but the implications were grim for her parents just from seeing that Xiaoyue was by herself. It’s not too much of a surprise.】

【888: Then why did you have to come see Xu Xiaoyue and perform this play.】 

【Ye Ming: This play had to be performed, otherwise it wouldn’t have fit with my personality, just that it was a tad bit excessive. The most important thing is still for Xu Xiaoyue to find out about my actual situation o(∩_∩)o~, so she can help me reduce the blackening value. I believe that my good younger sister won’t let me down! She won’t be willing to let me pay such a price for her sake~】

【888: He he he.】

The apocalypse could always easily change a person, and make a person become ruthless. Although some of Yang Qian’s blackening value had been reduced, it didn’t mean that he could forgive Ye Ming for his actions. Yang Qian still locked him up inside the house, and only let Ye Ming meet with Xu Xiaoyue every once in a while, and would even act along when necessary.

Ye Ming was always melancholy and submissive, and seemed to have no opinions about living such a life. What he’d lost hadn’t only been his dignity, but also his pursuit of ideals, and he acted like a puppet who was living only for his younger sister. 

Because he really had no one else.

Yang Qian kept his promise and didn’t keep Xu Xiaoyue locked up anymore.

Xu Xiaoyue began to stand on her own legs in the base. She’d always been a girl with self-respect who’d work to improve herself. Before, she’d been sold off by her boyfriend, but now that she’d finally regained her freedom, she wasn’t willing to drag Ye Ming down, so she worked hard to earn food.

There were also many jobs suitable for women in the base. Xu Xiaoyue helped out in the hospital. She used to be in the healthcare field, so she could also be considered a professional expert with certain skills. 

More than ten days passed by in the blink of an eye.

Ye Ming ate and slept every day, not doing a single thing, looking as though he was letting nature take its course.

【888 couldn’t watch any longer: Weren’t you waiting for Xu Xiaoyue to find out about your situation?】

【Ye Ming: Aren’t I waiting right now?】 

【888: You don’t seem to be in a rush at all.】

【Ye Ming: There are some things you can’t rush, ma o(∩_∩)o~】

【888: …】

888 decided not to bother with him anymore. Since Ye Ming wasn’t in a hurry, then what was he hurrying for? He might as well go take a vacation by himself. If he became soft-hearted again and stayed here to chat with Ye Ming, he’d write his name upside-down. 

Xu Xiaoyue had to work for a long time every day, and the amount of food she earned was barely enough for sustenance. But, she felt like the future was full of hope… originally, she’d thought that she was going to be reduced to a slave and die miserably, but hadn’t imagined that she’d coincidentally be purchased by someone who just so happened to be a friend of Ye Ming’s and Yang Qian’s, who even released her, and then gave her her freedom.

It was just like a desperate person suddenly discovering a light from the heavens.

Now, her most important loved ones were in this base. No matter how hard it got, she ought to still work hard to live on.

Her only regret was that she couldn’t see her big brother too often. Her brother seemed to be very busy, and spent most of his time outside. Xu Xiaoyue was reluctant to be apart from him, but she put up with it without uttering a single word of complaint. It wasn’t easy for her brother either, ah… this base could only be maintained by depending on all of the people risking their lives outside. They searched for supplies along with killing zombies and other invaders, all in order to ensure the continued operation and safety of the base. 

Xu Xiaoyue had a bright and cheerful disposition, so it didn’t take long for her to become familiar with her colleagues. She knew that if she wanted to fit in here, she couldn’t be too distant from everyone else. After the apocalypse, having both friends and information were equally important, and it wouldn’t do to remain ignorant.

On this day, she was working in the hospital as usual, when two other nurses invited her to eat together with them.

Women were always bound to gossip a little while eating.

Nurse Zhao was an older middle-aged woman who was fairly kind, and normally looked after Xu Xiaoyue. She said with emotion, “Don’t think too poorly of us only having these things to eat, it’s actually already pretty good when compared to those outside.” There was only a simple plate of green vegetables and a can on the table, which was already considered a meal.

Nurse Yin who was a bit younger said, “Yes ah, our work in this base really is pretty good already, plus it’s not dangerous.”

Xu Xiaoyue smiled and went along with them. She didn’t quite understand the state of affairs here, so it was better for her to listen more and say less.

Nurse Yin then said, “Speaking of, Zhao-jie, have you seen our new boss before? I took a sneak peek when he came back last time, and he’s really very handsome!”

“Zhao-jie gave her a helpless look, “You’re really open-minded, not even taking a look at what kind of person he is. What’s the use of just having a good-looking appearance? That’s a demon who kills people like flies, with a character even more ruthless than that of the former Boss Huo.” 

Nurse Yin stuck her tongue out for a bit, “I was just mentioning it casually. I wouldn’t even dare to be within ten meters of him.”

Xu Xiaoyue was very curious, and followed up, “Are you guys talking about the current leader of this base right now?”

Nurse Zhao smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll tell you a secret, this leader of ours is actually a newcomer. In the past, the leader wasn’t him, but he killed his way in and ran off the former leader, so that’s the only reason he’s able to call the shots here now. I’ve heard that he’s a really scary person… but it’s none of our business. As long as he’s still willing to maintain the current situation here, we can just count our lucky stars.”

Xu Xiaoyue also felt that it didn’t have much to do with her, so she just casually asked, “What’s the name of the new leader?” 

Nurse Yin said excitedly, “I heard he seems to be called Yang Qian.”

Xu Xiaoyue’s hand that was holding onto her chopsticks suddenly paused. Originally, she hadn’t cared at all, but she couldn’t help but care about what Nurse Yin had just said out loud. Had she heard it wrong? Or did they just sound similar?

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Nurse Zhao was much older, and noticed that something was wrong with Xu Xiaoyue. She asked with concern, “What’s the matter?”

Xu Xiaoyue forced a smile, “The name of this new leader that you guys just mentioned is very similar to a person that I know. It reminded me of him…”

The two of them thought that she was thinking of a friend who’d passed away, and looked at her with sympathy. Nurse Yin said, “Don’t be sad anymore.” 

Xu Xiaoyue nodded, and didn’t have any intention of explaining, but her heart still wouldn’t let go of this matter, and Yang Qian’s face kept flashing through her mind. She gritted her teeth, then asked, “This new leader you guys were talking about… is he really such a terrible person?”

When Nurse Yin thought about this, she nodded with lingering fear in her heart, and said, “Yes ah, not only did he drive Huo Yi and them away, but he also killed many of the subordinates that he’d left behind. Many people were watching that day… so now everyone is very afraid of him. Not just killing zombies… but actually killing people without even blinking an eye, ah.”

Xu Xiaoyue didn’t ask anything else, and bowed her head to eat in silence.

But ever since that day, she couldn’t help but pay more attention to any news about Yang Qian, and attempted all kinds of roundabout methods. 

There were always people who liked to talk about the new leader, and she actually managed to acquire a lot of information.

People said that this new leader was not only cruel and bloodthirsty, and had killed a lot of people, but had also taken over all of Huo Yi’s property, and had even seized the slave that Huo Yi used to like the most.

But, they’d heard that he also really liked that slave, and took pretty good care of him. Gradually, there were many people who discussed that slave with malice and envy, talking about what a troublemaker he was, a man who just had to coax the leader into keeping him, saying all kinds of unpleasant and disgusting things.

People said that this slave was called Xu Xiaofei. 

Xu Xiaoyue didn’t want to believe that this was the truth. She’d much rather that these people were only telling her the story of two people with the same name and surname, but she wasn’t able to deceive herself like this.

Could it be that everything her brother had said was just a lie? Had Yang Qian lied to her too?

All of those things about him living well were all lies, and nothing was anything like what they’d said to her.

Xu Xiaoyue already hadn’t seen Ye Ming for several days, and wasn’t sure when she’d be able to see him again. Ye Ming had never told her anything specific, and had also never told her how she could contact him. 

There was something off about all of this, wasn’t there? But because she’d wholeheartedly believed her brother before, and had thought that he was very busy, she hadn’t tried to get to the bottom of things out of consideration. She hadn’t wanted to add to her brother’s troubles, and it was enough that she knew he was still alive and well.

But at this moment, she was extremely, extremely eager to obtain more news on her brother, and wanted to know where he was, and what kind of life he was living.

Xu Xiaoyue couldn’t sleep all night. She thought about it for a long time, before finally coming to a decision.

Yang Qian had gone outside earlier, and she’d heard that Yang Qian would be back today. If he came back, he’d go to the villa where he lived. She only had to go there, and perhaps would be able to learn the truth. 

The truth may be very cruel, but hiding from it wasn’t a solution.

Xu Xiaoyue asked her colleagues for help to request sick leave. The next day, she secretly went to Yang Qian’s villa. She kept on waiting until nighttime, before she saw Yang Qian and them return.

Then she saw the very scene she least wanted to see.

The person who’d gotten off the ATV and walked into the villa was really Yang Qian! 

Xu Xiaoyue had already bitten her lips until they’d torn. If this was Yang Qian, then what about her brother? Her brother hadn’t been with Yang Qian at all before, and had been Huo Yi’s slave for two years, so was he back in Yang Qian’s hands now? All of that about being together… Yang Qian protecting him…

They were all lies!

Even though the cruel reality was right in front of her, Xu Xiaoyue still kept telling herself, trying to deceive herself, that perhaps the truth wasn’t really like this. Yang Qian loved her brother so much, so how could he be willing to treat him like a slave. It was all just those people who didn’t know what they were talking about making up nonsense! Yang Qian must have come back here to save her brother! The others just hadn’t known anything so they’d made up such groundless rumors!

But… if things were like this, then why had they lied to her? Why couldn’t her big brother come see her often? He’d clearly been here this entire time… 

Xu Xiaoyue’s eyes were brimming with tears. She sniffled a bit, summoned her courage, wiped away her tears, tidied up her appearance, then walked directly towards the gate!

The man watching the gate looked at her coldly, then gave her a sarcastic smile, “Beauty, aren’t you in the wrong place, ah.”

Xu Xiaoyue showed him a charming smile, then said, “I’m here to find Boss Yang.”

The two men were originally going to shoo her away, but seeing her calm and relaxed state, they were actually somewhat taken in by her. Such a beautiful woman, with the air of someone looking for the boss, it couldn’t be that she really was someone the boss knew, ba? 

A man asked, “What’s your name, and what business do you have with our boss?”

Xu Xiaoyue said, “He’s the one who told me to come find him today, and that I could directly go in once I arrived. Did he not tell you about this before?” She frowned as she said this, seeming very unhappy.

The man paused for a bit, then said, “We weren’t informed of this.”

Xu Xiaoyue raised an eyebrow, and said, “Let me go in and ask him in person, then we’ll know.” 

The man hesitated for a while, then finally gave his companion a look, “You guard the gate, I’ll bring her in.”

Presumably, no one would dare to lie about this kind of thing, otherwise wouldn’t they be exposed as soon as they went in? No one should be that determined to send themselves to her death, right? Their boss wasn’t the type to have a tender heart for the fairer sex. No one would dare to court death like this.

However, he still played it safe in the end, and instead of just arbitrarily letting Xu Xiaoyue go in, he intended to personally accompany her in.

Xu Xiaoyue looked relaxed on the surface, but her heart was already in her throat. She’d only manipulated them psychologically, so she dared to try this. Fortunately, she’d succeeded. 

The man opened the gate and let Xu Xiaoyue in, then said to her, “Follow behind me, don’t wander around.”

Xu Xiaoyue gave him a closed-lip smile, “I know.”

She followed the man in, walked for a while, then arrived at an innermost building with three floors that looked exquisite. The man took her to the second floor, knocked on the door, then said, “Boss, there’s someone here looking for you.”

After a while, Yang Qian’s cold voice came through, “Not meeting with them.” 

The man was startled, something wasn’t right, ah… wasn’t this someone the boss had made an appointment with? Why would the boss say he wouldn’t meet with them? Did he not make an appointment with this woman, then? While he was in a daze, Xu Xiaoyue took advantage of him not paying attention, and suddenly rushed over and directly pushed the door open!

The man was still in his original spot, thinking, this was bad! He may have been tricked! It turned out there really were these kinds of people who weren’t afraid of death!

Xu Xiaoyue stood still at the doorway, and clearly saw the scene inside the room, her feet as though they’d been welded to the ground. Her eyes instantly turned completely red, her face full of disbelief and incomparable fury.

Her brother… her dearest brother was wearing nothing at the moment, a heavy chain hanging from his neck, kneeling in front of Yang Qian like a slave, as though he was preparing to do something… 

Ye Ming and Yang Qian were also stunned by this largely unforeseen event.

Yang Qian frowned.

Ye Ming suddenly turned his head, then saw Xu Xiaoyue standing at the doorway. The color drained from his face. Why… why had Xu Xiaoyue barged in.