Chapter 55

Chapter 55

On their way to the base, everyone had already agreed that Cheng Jing would make all decisions regarding the team's actions after entering—since they stuck together through thick and thin.

When the base officials extended their invitation, Cheng Jing accepted it on behalf of the entire team without hesitation.

To mark the occasion, they threw a big feast.

Jiang Nian produced two bottles of red wine, while Liao Yu—the young master who was an expert at this sort of thing—handled chilling them with ice.

The group busied themselves preparing a lavish spread—chicken, duck, fish, and meat, all expertly seasoned and plated, with no shortcuts taken.

The spotlight was on their teammates today, so Jiang Nian didn’t overindulge, and Cheng Jing, as always, kept his drinking in check.

They feasted, drank, and joked around, temporarily forgetting the disaster outside.

As the sun dipped toward the horizon, the fun team hangout wrapped up.

Huang Qian had drunk too much and clung to Jiang Nian, gushing over him—unlike her usual teasing, her bleary eyes were dead serious as she declared, "Sister loves you! If anyone bullies you, I’ll turn ‘em into kebabs and toss ‘em past the walls as zombie bait!"

Everyone was equal parts annoyed and amused. In the end, the "drunken diva" got hauled off by Lu Ningzhou.

Their rooms were on the third floor, with Huang Qian and Lu Ningzhou’s dorm just above Jiang Nian’s. Long after they’d gone, Sister Qian’s voice still drifted downstairs.

The others helped clean up before leaving.

Cheng Jing took the bagged trash downstairs to toss.

Once the room fell quiet, Jiang Nian washed his face in the bathroom and flopped onto the brand-new couch, staring at the ceiling, spacing out.

He was glad his teammates had settled in, and he understood why he and Xiao Ya kept their superpowers hidden—it was both a trump card and a practical necessity. Still, he couldn’t shake a twinge of disappointment.

Back in the day, he’d been the king of the school’s backstreets!

Every time he’d secretly used his fists to assert dominance, he’d dreamed of showing the world his full power.

But now, in the apocalypse, he’d become the obedient one—talk about life throwing you curveballs.

"Sigh…"

Slacking off wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Year after year, he sighed:

"Even the cushiest gig gets old after a while…"

Before the apocalypse, he’d joked about freeloading, but now that he’d gotten his wish, it didn’t hit the same.

The main issue was feeling weak next to Cheng Jing—like some trophy boyfriend… not that he was complaining.

Even though Brother Jing had promised to adjust their days off for side hustles, it still felt like something was missing.

"Bored already?"

Cheng Jing, having just returned from taking out the trash, overheard him. After washing his hands, he leaned in and kissed his lazy boyfriend.

"I’m just getting hooked on pampering you. Don’t go getting bored on me—I’ll lose my drive."

Everyone’s got their kinks, and he was no exception. With Jiang Nian, beyond love, there was also a low-key urge to domesticate.

No offense meant—just wanted to keep someone close, keeping them within reach at all times.

Mainly because Jiang Nian’s nature was too wild—under that obedient act was pure rebellion.

Of course, he’d never say that out loud, or Jiang Nian would blow up at him.

Jiang Nian narrowed his eyes and hooked a finger into the collar of his T-shirt:

“I’ve noticed that after two years apart, Brother Jing, you’ve gotten slick.”

Back in the day, he was the one doing the teasing—now he was the one being teased. The audacity!

Cheng Jing raised a brow in response:

“Not a fan?”

Who was it that had complained he acted like a retired old man when they first got together? Naturally, he had to step up his game.

“I love it, absolutely love it…”

Jiang Nian answered with a grin, his eyes sharp and daring.

Cheng Jing’s pulse jumped when their eyes met, and he blurted out:

“You’ve got plenty to do—no room for daydreaming. The sun’s setting, so let’s take a bath together. I stocked up on high-grade water vouchers—we can try out the new tub we bought.”

From the extreme cold until now, they hadn’t bathed together once.

“Hah~ Is this your new way of coaxing me? High-grade vouchers are for drinking, you know. Using them for a bath is wasteful as hell.”

Jiang Nian teased with a raised brow, his earlier gloom vanishing instantly.

Wow, he’s learning quick—already knows how to sweet-talk me like this. Truly, there are no unteachable men, only idiots who won’t try.

Water tiers existed due to varying levels of filtration and purification.

In this post-apocalyptic world, pollution was severe, and every base’s water purification system was a huge energy sink. That was why even the most basic water had to be purchased with points.

Ordinary domestic water wasn’t drinkable—it had mutant bacteria that couldn’t be eliminated even by boiling. Drinking it could lead to illness at best, death at worst.

Weirdly enough, though, using it for bathing or washing food before consumption caused no harm. Even experts couldn’t figure out why.

Cheng Jing held his gaze before replying dismissively:

“So what? Only the lucky ones get to enjoy life. Since we have the means, we should live a little. Points buy water—it’s not like the whole base has a strict quota. We’re not hogging anyone else’s share, so use it without worry.”

Resources belonged to those with the ability to claim them. Other people’s misery wasn’t on them—why should they care?

“Makes sense. Thanks, Brother Jing.”

Jiang Nian nodded with a smile, recalling some experiences from his past life.

Back in Z Base, there had been no free drinking water distribution. He’d seen plenty of lower-tier survivors from the outer districts whose bodies were slowly eroded from the inside out by unknown pathogens after consuming domestic water.

In the end, their organs turned to mush, leading to a gruesome death. The early stages showed no symptoms, but once discomfort set in, there was no saving them.

As a test subject, he too had been force-fed that filthy water by Chen Yue’s personal doctor to observe the effects of his Purification Superpower.

In the end, he survived unscathed, but his entire body burned like fire ants biting him for a long, long time.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

He’d mentioned his experience as a volunteer test subject in passing before, and his Brother Jing had remembered it.

"No need to thank me. That’s how it should be. If we can afford it, you should have the best."

Cheng Jing spoke, noticing his eyes brighten, and couldn’t resist giving his lean waist a quick grope.

"Want me to carry you to the shower?"

"No need!"

Jiang Nian sat up with a quick movement. Though he enjoyed acting spoiled, he wasn’t the helpless damsel type—he didn’t need to be carried around like that.

Unless they really went at it, he might allow it occasionally.

Otherwise, he preferred to keep things normal.

Cheng Jing couldn’t resist touching again, pinching Jiang Nian’s reddened earlobe.

"It’s not like I’ve never carried you before. Why so dramatic?"

Sometimes he didn’t understand why Jiang Nian was so stubborn. Being more pliant with him wouldn’t hurt—it was just lovers’ play. It wasn’t like he’d go around telling people.

Jiang Nian saw through his thoughts and, like a puppy, bit his lip.

"If you want to carry me so bad, just be more impressive."

That precise provocation became perfect kindling.

The two of them wrestled their way into the bathroom and didn’t emerge until a long while later.

"The weather’s getting warmer… it’s hot…"

Cheng Jing turned on the fan by the bed and picked up the water pitcher.

"Want some water?"

"..."

Jiang Nian was sprawled on the freshly laundered sheets, still recovering. At the question, he waved a hand dismissively without speaking.

Earlier in the shower, he’d already gulped down plenty while leaning against the wall under the spray.

After drinking some water himself, Cheng Jing moved closer again, toying with Jiang Nian’s slightly longer messy strands.

"Nian Nian..."

"Knock it off!"

Jiang Nian’s voice was hoarse as he nudged him away with an elbow.

"What was that? I didn’t catch that..."

Cheng Jing smirked, seizing his hand and interlacing their fingers to pin him down.

"Where exactly should I ‘knock it off’? It’s been almost a month—we’ve got a long way to go~" Ever since leaving Qingyun City for the base, they’d barely had any time alone. After holding out for so many days and finally settling down, there was no way things would end so quickly.