Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Thank you just now."

After packing up her things, Xue Ling walked up to Wen Jiuzhe.

She had only come over to greet him out of social courtesy, prepared to return to her dormitory for a midnight snack to console herself for the emotional hurt she had just experienced after he either said it was nothing or simply ignored her.

But Wen Jiuzhe asked her, "Why didn't you reject him outright?"

Xue Ling was surprised by his sudden question and, after a moment of stunned silence, helplessly smiled, "I'm not very good at rejecting others."

Not being able to reject others was a flaw Xue Ling had developed since childhood.

When she was very young, her parents divorced. In order to finalize the divorce and gain her custody, after prolonged contentious negotiations, her mother voluntarily gave up the family's savings and house, leaving with practically nothing.

As a single mother with a young child to care for, the pressures of life weighed heavily on her.

Her mother would often lose her temper for no reason and suddenly burst into tears in the living room. The young Xue Ling was terrified when her mother was angry and even more so when she cried.

So, Xue Ling knew from a young age that she must not upset or trouble her mother, who was struggling because of her.

Xue Ling had always been an obedient and sensible child. So, when her mother had to go work in another city and could no longer take care of her, leaving her in the care of her uncle's family, the elementary school-aged Xue Ling did not cry or make a fuss, but obediently agreed.

Her uncle's house was not large, and Xue Ling had to share a room with her older cousin, who was two years her senior.

When Xue Ling first arrived at her uncle's house, her cousin cried and threw a fit, not allowing her into the room, saying it was her house and her room and that Xue Ling was not going to take it away. She even threw Xue Ling's small bag outside.

Her cousin made a big fuss about Xue Ling living there, and even after she eventually accepted sharing the room, she would still occasionally say, "This is my house, I don't want you living here," especially when upset during playful arguments.

It wasn't until they both grew older and more mature that her cousin stopped saying things about driving her away.

Whenever the family laughed and talked about these childhood incidents, they would joke about how the two cousins used to quarrel when they were young but grew to have such a good relationship.

Living under someone else's roof, day by day, molded Xue Ling into a person without a temper.

She didn't dare lose her temper or cry and make a fuss like her cousin. She rarely made any requests that might trouble others, whether it was for a new school backpack, stationery, toys, or new clothes and shoes.

She would proactively help with chores, assist her aunt in cooking, and even wash her cousin's shoes when washing her own.

Everyone praised her for being obedient and sensible, but Xue Ling was simply afraid they would find her disobedient and throw her out.

Even though she knew she wouldn't be casually kicked out, the lingering fear of being expelled and having nowhere to go still haunted her childhood and adolescence.

Only during holidays and festivals, when her mother returned from working out of town, did Xue Ling feel a sense of security, like she had finally touched the ground.

After graduating from high school, her mother said she had grown up and her task was complete. Her mother remarried, found her a stepfather, and settled down in another city.

Seeing her mother's relieved expression, Xue Ling refused to go with her to the new family and chose to rent a place to live outside.

Not only in front of her family, but also at school, Xue Ling was recognized as a good-tempered person with no temper.

If someone asked her for help, even if she felt troubled, as long as they pleaded a little more, she would agree.

She was afraid that others would be angry or dislike her if she refused.

Everyone said she was gentle and kind, with no temper. After hearing it so often, Xue Ling gradually confined herself to others' words, unconsciously trying to live up to the praise and expectations of those around her.

This incurable "old ailment" carried into college, where her inability to reject others caused her many troubles, the most troublesome of which were various confessions and proposals.

She wasn't particularly beautiful, just a delicate and unassuming appearance, much like her gentle and harmless personality.

That was the worst part. Because very beautiful girls often didn't have many boys daring to pursue them, but many boys thought they had a chance with her.

Most of them didn't actually like her, but just thought she was suitable as a girlfriend, with a lower chance of rejection.

Even when rejected by her, because she never spoke harshly, they thought she was playing hard to get and refused to give up.

Standing in front of the not-so-familiar Wen Jiuzhe, Xue Ling helplessly said, "I'm not good at rejecting others," already imagining how the Wu so-and-so, who had just confessed and failed, would continue to pester her.

Her mood was terrible and low, losing the energy to continue talking to anyone.

In front of her, Wen Jiuzhe said, "You're not good at rejecting others? I don't believe you."

His expression carried disbelief and a hint of mockery.

Xue Ling didn't know why she suddenly felt anxious and explained, "Really, I..."

Wen Jiuzhe interrupted her, resting his hand on the railing and smiling, "Then how about you be my girlfriend? What do you say?"

Xue Ling was stunned again, staring at the amused look on his face, and, as if bewitched, nodded.

This time, Wen Jiuzhe was also taken aback. He had only meant to tease her and hadn't expected her to agree so readily.

He fell silent for a moment, regarding her with a strange look before saying, "Alright, I believe you now."

Xue Ling was so embarrassed she wished she could crawl into the trash bin next to her. She had just had a momentary lapse of judgment—

"Tell me, what were you thinking?" Wen Jiuzhe seemed to be trying to understand her thought process.

Xue Ling, controlling her urge to flee from the embarrassment, squeezed out a reasonable explanation under Wen Jiuzhe's gaze:

"Because, well, that guy just now will definitely come looking for me again. It's happened before, and it's really troublesome. So, I thought if I had a boyfriend, it wouldn't happen again..."

The real reason was something she found a bit hard to admit.

If the person who had just confessed could barely be recognized as a guy, and the previous Wen Xuan could clearly be recognized as a handsome guy, then the current Wen Jiuzhe was a tall, striking, and captivatingly handsome man that would make people take a second look as he walked by.

She had been momentarily dazzled by his looks and, in a trance, nodded.

After listening to her explanation, Wen Jiuzhe nodded. "Alright, let's leave it at that."

Leave it at what? Xue Ling was fidgeting with her slippers using her toes again. She wished she could turn back time and not come over to talk to him.

"So, we're in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship now. Oh, I forgot to mention, my name is Wen Jiuzhe."

"Ah... My name is Xue Ling."

She watched Wen Jiuzhe stand up blankly, her eyes trailing up to his chin, and heard him chuckle softly.

Just like that, they haphazardly and casually defined their relationship.

Wen Jiuzhe was a real jerk. Xue Ling realized this soon after they got together.

One of his favorite phrases back then was, "You're not mad, are you? I don't believe it."

And then he'd start his annoying antics. Strangely enough, she had endured so many infuriating things before, but Wen Jiuzhe always managed to push her buttons effortlessly.

When it came to making her angry, Wen Jiuzhe was exceptionally creative and enthusiastic, and his efforts never went to waste.

Xue Ling, who had been a soft pushover for twenty years, was now like a hard Russian black bread.

Everyone who knew Xue Ling said she had changed, that she had become much more irritable.

The friends who used to hang around asking for her help were fewer, and the guys who would come to flirt with her were gone.

They lamented that her temper had grown worse since she started dating Wen Jiuzhe, and they didn't dare provoke her anymore.

Yes, her temper was nurtured by Wen Jiuzhe.

In just over a year, he had easily turned her into someone else.

Xue Ling had once wondered if Wen Jiuzhe broke up with her so carelessly because he thought she had changed.

Isn't there a classic breakup line guys use? "How did you become so different from before?"

Could that really be the reason? Damn Wen Jiuzhe, it was his own doing!

Xue Ling suddenly got angry. She no longer wasted energy doubting herself. Now when she was angry, she just wanted to go crazy! Go crazy!

She propped herself up from the passenger seat and checked the road ahead, which was still clear. Suddenly, she raised her hand and forcefully punched the driving Wen Jiuzhe.

"Ouch!" Wen Jiuzhe flinched. "I don't think I did anything to provoke you. What's wrong?"

Xue Ling ignored him, flailing her limbs and using the back of her head to hit the seat.

"Stop hitting it. Your head will flatten if you keep hitting it like that," Wen Jiuzhe said, placing his hand behind her head.

The cramped car was filled with banging noises. Wen Jiuzhe pulled over, let go of her, and carried her out of the car.

"Come on, let's get some fresh air and stretch our limbs," he crouched by the roadside and said, "Why are you like a cat? You act up when you're cooped up in the car."

Xue Ling ignored him, walking in circles nearby as Wen Jiuzhe followed slowly. Once she calmed down, Wen Jiuzhe carried her back to the car and continued driving.

He didn't have a specific destination in mind. The only time he stopped was when Xue Ling suddenly went crazy and needed to walk around. Otherwise, he barely rested, eating convenient compressed rations and cans while driving.

After a smooth stretch of road, they encountered a narrow path that hadn't seen any cars for a while. Wen Jiuzhe had to get out and push the abandoned vehicles blocking the way.

He had always been strong, but now his strength was even more astonishing. With a crowbar, he could push smaller cars aside with his muscles tense.

For larger vehicles, he tied a rope to the car and pulled it, managing to clear the path as well.

While he was clearing the road, Xue Ling wandered around.

In this dusty, desolate world, all she could see were abandoned cars and houses, along with discarded zombies.

Xue Ling walked a bit further and saw a few of her kind wandering nearby.

These wild zombies were everywhere. She used to be one of them, but now she was captured. The human who caught her didn't notice her, and soon came looking for her.

The wild ones smelled the food and excitedly lunged at him. Wen Jiuzhe took them out with his blood-stained crowbar.

"You ran too far. I couldn't see you," he said, grabbing her arm and leading her back to the car.

When Wen Jiuzhe got out of the car again to push another vehicle, Xue Ling found another direction to wander off.

She saw a drainpipe overgrown with weeds by the roadside and slowly squeezed herself into it.

The dry pipe was clean, with only a bit of dust. Xue Ling lay inside quietly.

She had slept in pipes like this to avoid humans before. It was peaceful and clean, except for the time when it rained heavily in the middle of the night and almost flooded her.

After a while, she heard Wen Jiuzhe calling her.

"Xue Ling."

"Xue Ling."

"Xue Ling."

His voice calling her name was distant and then closer.

No one responded, and he stopped calling.

Right, zombies couldn't understand him. What was the point of calling her name? Xue Ling thought, remaining still.

The wind blew the weeds at the pipe's opening, swaying back and forth.

After a long while, a large, rough hand parted the weeds, and Wen Jiuzhe crouched down, peering into the pipe with a grin. "Playing hide and seek with me, huh? You're really good at hiding."

Wen Jiuzhe patiently went through the trouble once again to find her and bring her back.

The seventh attempt to leave ended in failure.

On the way back, being brought by him, Xue Ling thought that while people always said she had a good temper, it was actually Wen Jiuzhe who had the best temper. She had never seen him angry.

Sometimes she was quite curious about what he would look like when angry.

Even like this, when she deliberately hid and made him search for a long time, he still didn't get angry.