Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"..."

Jiang Nian rubbed his sore left shoulder and sat on the edge of the bed, wincing. He pulled open his collar to take a look. Damn it—through such thick clothing, the clear imprint of five fingers had already formed, turning purple. If the clothes had been any thinner, he would’ve been seriously hurt!

If he had really brought up breaking up, wouldn’t Cheng Jing have delivered an instant widow-maker move right then and there?

Cheng Jing noticed his reaction and apologized again, looking genuinely remorseful:

"I’ll rub some medicated wine on it later... I’m sorry, I let my emotions get the better of me. It won’t happen again."

In that moment, anger flared inside him. With that kind of instinctive grip just now, Jiang Nian’s shoulder must be bruised.

Did this count as domestic violence?

Not really—it wasn’t intentional.

"Tsk..."

Jiang Nian had always thought that having a boyfriend more handsome than himself came with two benefits: first, better meals, and second, when they argued, just seeing that face could dissipate most of his anger.

And if the other person looked guilty on top of that, he’d feel there was no need to stay mad.

What was there to be angry about? Brother Jing hadn’t done it on purpose—he was just afraid of being dumped again. Might as well let it go.

...

As evening approached, Cheng Jing went to the command room again, incorporating Jiang Nian’s findings into his own thoughts before sharing them.

Zhou Li agreed and worked out more detailed plans with the others in the office. Afterward, he even invited Cheng Jing to stay for dinner.

It was just a couple of simple dishes, but Zhou Li opened a bottle of baijiu. Though their ages spanned different generations, both were straightforward by nature, so they got along quite well.

A few drinks helped them bond, and soon their conversation became much more relaxed.

When it grew dark, Cheng Jing took out his phone and sent Jiang Nian a message telling him not to wait for him to eat.

After waiting a while, there was still no reply—whether he was tied up or giving him the silent treatment, he couldn’t tell.

Zhou Li noticed his actions and, eyeing the ring on his left ring finger, took the opportunity to remark:

"You and Jiang Nian are partners."

A statement, spoken with certainty. In front of others, Cheng Jing always maintained his team leader demeanor, but only when he was with Jiang Nian did his guardedness unconsciously melt away. Though their interactions seemed ordinary, you could feel the connection between them.

"Yeah."

Cheng Jing didn’t deny it, rubbing the base of his ring finger with his thumb.

"Engaged."

This was the first time since arriving here that someone had pointed it out directly.

Zhou Li arched an eyebrow.

"Being protective, are we? Is that why you won’t let him join the rescue squad?"

A man’s protective and possessive instincts were hardwired into him. But from what he could see, Jiang Nian wasn’t some meek pushover—outwardly obedient, but with claws sheathed beneath the surface. He had a good eye for people.

“He’s not like us.”

Cheng Jing didn’t respond either way. Jiang Nian wanted to keep a low profile, and Cheng Jing personally didn’t want the man getting involved too soon, either.

In his past life, Jiang Nian had suffered too much. Now that circumstances allowed him to take it easy, that was only normal.

Zhou Li nodded thoughtfully:

“Yeah, he really isn’t… Don’t worry, I was just making conversation. No hidden meaning.”

Even if Jiang Nian wasn’t part of the rescue team or superpowered, for Cheng Jing to think so highly of him meant he was definitely no ordinary guy. Zhou Li had a hunch that all the suggestions and ideas Cheng Jing offered had been discussed with Jiang Nian first.

Of course, he wouldn’t recklessly offend—pissing off Cheng Jing wouldn’t help anyone.

“Hmm.”

Cheng Jing caught the hint but didn’t care. As long as they didn’t admit anything, no one would get answers about Jiang Nian anyway.

Cheng Jing didn’t leave until almost eleven. When he returned to the tenth floor, he knocked for quite a while, but Jiang Nian didn’t come out to greet him like usual. He gave up and let himself in with his key.

The apartment was dim, lit only by a nightlight. The heater was running, and the rewired electric blanket was on.

Jiang Nian was curled under the thick quilt, only his fluffy head visible.

“Nian Nian?”

Cheng Jing called tentatively, but the figure under the covers didn’t react—apparently asleep.

After showering, brushing his teeth, and using his power to shake off the cold, Cheng Jing slipped under the covers—only to find the other man completely ignoring him, engrossed in playing Tetris on a glowing screen.

He could tell right away that Jiang Nian was still sulking over what happened earlier, even though they’d already made up after their fight.

“Why are you ignoring me?”

Annoyed, Cheng Jing took the game and set it on the nightstand before flipping over and pinning him down.

“Didn’t hear you.”

Jiang Nian lied smoothly, his face all but saying, *Yeah, I meant that.*

“You little liar!”

Cheng Jing bit his neck, then tugged at his clothes to check his shoulder. The medicated wine did its job—the bruises were almost gone.

“Off, that hurts.”

Jiang Nian grumbled, pushing his hand away and fixing his pajamas.

Cheng Jing grabbed his wrist and kissed him instead:

“I’ll be careful not to touch your shoulder…”

“Not tonight.”

Jiang Nian turned his head aside.

“But I want to.”

Now Cheng Jing was the one being stubborn. His breath warm with alcohol, he kissed him hard.

The intimate yet domineering actions quickly chased away Jiang Nian's sour mood.

As the moment deepened, Jiang Nian had to admit that Cheng Jing had mastered the most effective way to communicate and calm him down—something he now recognized as essential between lovers.

...

After a peaceful night, early the next morning, the command center mobilized all available personnel to conduct a full search of Jiahe Community.

Jiahe Community consisted of 15 buildings, each with 23 floors and two elevators for four units per floor.

Therefore, the official rescue team, in collaboration with other Superpowered Teams, assembled 20 temporary search squads.

Apart from Cheng Jing’s nine-member team, each of the other squads had ten people.

Each squad was assigned one building to search collectively, while the remaining five squads searched the area for other clues.

The search started at 7 a.m.

Since the Western District’s command center was set up in their community, people from other neighborhoods often came by. Additionally, Cheng Jing and his team frequently visited the command center, so they recognized many residents.

They especially remembered those whose loved ones had left and never returned.

For instance, in Building 13, Unit 501, the elderly couple seemed to have aged decades in just a few days after losing their children.

Their eyes were dull, and despite the search team’s presence, they kept asking about their son and daughter. Bundled up in thick layers, they coughed violently with every word, their frail bodies swaying unsteadily.

To Jiang Nian, it seemed they didn’t have long left.

They also recognized the residents of Unit 1805—the woman who had begged for help finding her husband at the command center a few days ago, along with her daughter.

Originally a family of three, the man with metal-manipulation superpower had left and never returned. The mother and daughter got by on scraps, their faces gaunt with exhaustion.

Though each floor had four units, most real estate avoided the number "4," so what should have been Unit 1804 became 1805.

Just as Cheng Jing’s team finished checking the four units on the 17th floor and prepared to move up, they spotted the woman from 1805 leading her daughter, swaddled with only her eyes showing, down the stairs, clearly heading down.