Chapter 11: Then Help Me First

Chapter 11 Then You Help Me Out First

Shu Hanqing looked into Rong Hua's eyes, let out an inward sigh, and reluctantly leaned in to give a quick peck on the corner of Rong Hua's lips.

Rong Hua's eyes instantly lit up, and the vines that had been coiled restlessly at the bed's edge like snakes, wrapped around Shu Hanqing's ankles, silently retreated as if they'd received a withdrawal order.

Just then, the Plot System's electronic voice finally came online in his mind, sounding a bit exasperated.

Shu Hanqing: "...What do I do? Rong Hua actually seems to really like me?"

The Plot System's voice was filled with helplessness: "I told you to mind your own business in daily life! Stop drawing so much attention!"

Shu Hanqing felt unfairly accused and shot back confidently: "What did I do? He's the one with the problem, right? He claims I seduced him. I know I'm charming and good-looking—is that my fault? This is pure victim-blaming, and I'm not taking the fall for it."

The Plot System: "..."

Shu Hanqing's tone carried an indescribable excitement: "So what now? His vines look pretty powerful—what if he ends up driving me insane?"

The Plot System's voice suddenly went up an octave: "...Is that the point here?"

Shu Hanqing ignored its breakdown, focused on the one thing he cared about most: "Oh right, the real question—if I sleep with him, will I get erased?"

The Plot System's electronic voice glitched for a moment.

Shu Hanqing immediately caught that flicker of hesitation: "It won't happen, will it?"

The Plot System was silent for a few seconds, then said reluctantly: "...You can't be with him. That goes against the world's main storyline. Something bad is going to happen."

Shu Hanqing: "Then wouldn't it be fine if I just acted reluctant? And when did I ever say I wanted to be with him?"

A subtle sense of pride welled up in Shu Hanqing. He just found it amusing—the original male lead actually falling for him, a cannon fodder character.

The Plot System seemed annoyed by his attitude, its voice turning cold and stern: "Can't you just reject him outright?"

Shu Hanqing rolled his eyes: "Would that even work? What if he forces the issue? You know in the apocalypse, chastity is more fragile than paper—fists are the only thing that matters. I'm no match for him."

The Plot System: "Just say no."

Shu Hanqing felt like he couldn't get through to the Plot System: "I will say it. I'll definitely say no. I'm just telling you now—I'm cooperating with you, doing my best to keep him calm. But you've seen it too, we're not even in the same league when it comes to fighting ability. Especially since I'm still carrying Lei Zheng's Thunder Mark on me right now, I'm not in a stable state. I need to make sure I survive first."

The Plot System also knew that reality beat ideals. After a moment of silence, it came up with a terrible idea: "...Then don't live with Rong Hua."

Shu Hanqing almost laughed out of frustration: "Then where am I supposed to live? With Mu Ye? That works too."

The Plot System was at a loss for words.

Shu Hanqing: "Don't worry, I'll say no. I'll stand my ground."

Knowing that Rong Hua had such improper feelings for him, Shu Hanqing found their interactions getting more and more awkward.

He talked about taking things slow, but Rong Hua clearly had a very loose interpretation of that term. He would often catch Shu Hanqing off guard, suddenly hugging him from behind, arms wrapping around his waist, his palm landing right on the spot Yun Ying had once invited him to touch—that full chest.

Shu Hanqing would immediately say "No" every time.

Rong Hua would only tighten his grip, squeezing so hard Shu Hanqing's bones ached, burying his face in Shu Hanqing's neck, asking in a muffled voice full of jealousy and insecurity: "Are you still thinking about Mu Ye?"

Shu Hanqing let out a muffled grunt from being squeezed, saying irritably, "No, I'm not. And don't let those vines wrap around my legs."

He hated that slippery, snake-like feeling.

Rong Hua whined: "You clearly don't hate me."

Shu Hanqing: "...I don't hate you, that's true."

Rong Hua latched onto it like a lifeline, immediately pressing, "Then do you like me?"

Rong Hua had secretly gone to ask Sang Mai and the others for advice. Sang Mai probably assumed the kid was pining for someone, so he'd given him a terrible piece of advice—saying that as long as the person you like doesn't hate you, that's enough, and not hating you means there's a chance.

Rong Hua's arm was around Shu Hanqing's waist, and the part below his waist was anything but calm.

Shu Hanqing was also a normal man in his prime, and he was hardly some ascetic saint. His body's instincts were the most honest—even with a hundred reasons to refuse in his head, certain parts shamelessly reacted anyway.

Rong Hua immediately noticed the subtle change. He pressed against Shu Hanqing's ear, his breath hot: "...See, you have feelings for me too. You can't fool me."

The room was small—one bed, two men, constantly in each other's space. The air was thick with each other's scent and restless hormones.

Shu Hanqing, pressed against him like this, finally hit his limit and refused again: "No."

Rong Hua looked like he'd been doused with cold water, freezing mid-motion. He stared at Shu Hanqing's tense profile for a few seconds, frustration and hurt churning in his eyes, before finally letting go.

He was like a scolded large dog, ears drooping, and trudged out dejectedly.

Shu Hanqing let out a long breath. He'd almost lost his composure just now—good thing he held it together.

Rong Hua stormed out the door, his pent-up frustration with nowhere to go, and happened to run into Sang Mai and the others, who were gathered in the hallway smoking and chatting.

The Shengsu Squad hadn't taken many missions lately. Mu Ye had everyone on standby to conserve their strength.

Sang Mai saw Rong Hua looking dejected and blew out a smoke ring, asking casually, "What's up? Xiao Rong, got hit by frost? Come on, let's go grab a drink."

Rong Hua didn't say anything, just followed along sullenly. When they got there, he chugged a big gulp of alcohol, the burn making him wince.

Sang Mai saw this and had a guess. He nudged Chen Wu beside him with his elbow and asked Rong Hua in a low voice, "Got rejected by the one you like?"

Rong Hua tilted his head back and finished the rest of the drink, his Adam's apple bobbing, then nodded and set the empty bottle aside.

Sang Mai looked at Rong Hua's handsome yet slightly forlorn face, a bit incredulous: "No way? You look like that, your Superpower's strong—half the base is queuing up to sleep with you. Are you being too eager? These things take time."

"...How am I supposed to take it slow? He said no, plain and simple."

The apocalypse had already stripped away most of the courtship rituals.

Chen Wu beside him took a drag of his cigarette: "Xiao Rong, you've never been in a relationship, have you? Let me tell you, sometimes when people say no, that actually means yes. It's called playing hard to get, get it? So you need to be more proactive. Don't be a wimp."

Rong Hua: "You mean he's embarrassed?"

Chen Wu grinned slyly: "Don't you have eyes? Can't you feel how he reacts?"

Rong Hua remembered the change in Shu Hanqing's body, and his ears flushed again. He stared down at the empty bottle, murmuring to himself, "...He clearly reacted too."

Rong Hua still hadn't come back this late. Shu Hanqing lay in bed, feeling a little restless. This young man—surely his pride wouldn't be so hurt that two rejections would drive him to do something drastic?

But then again, he was the male lead after all, with a strong will to live. He probably wouldn't. Shu Hanqing shook his head, pushed the thought aside, and snuggled into the blanket, ready to enjoy some rare peaceful sleep.

Just as he was starting to drift off—

A soft click.

A very faint sound came from the window.

Shu Hanqing's eyes snapped open. Through the dim moonlight outside the window, he saw the window latch sliding open on its own, slowly, with no one touching it. Several slender vines slithered in through the gap, twisting nimbly—first opening the window, then, as if they had eyes, zeroing in on the door handle and giving it a gentle twist.

The door unlocked.

Rong Hua's figure appeared in the doorway and stepped inside.

Shu Hanqing stared at the window and door that had been pried open by the vines, thinking that whether Rong Hua had a key or not made little difference.

The next moment, Rong Hua's eyes, startlingly bright in the darkness, locked onto him. He radiated a far more intense aggression than before—predatory, like a hunter locking onto its prey. He crossed the room in a few strides, yanked the blanket off Shu Hanqing without a word, and pressed down on him with scorching heat and an undeniable force.

"No."

The refusal was weak and futile against such overwhelming physical disparity and raw lust.

In the apocalypse, everyone was too busy just trying to survive to care about chastity or moral boundaries—those things had long been shredded by zombie claws along with civilization itself.

Shu Hanqing's first reaction, honestly, was arousal.

It was terrible, even a little depraved, but he couldn't lie to his body's instincts.

In his past life, when he'd been with Lei Zheng, it had happened often, and that feeling of being dominated had long been carved into his soul.

Now, though this young body was untouched and instinctively tense and uncomfortable, his soul was well-versed in this familiar aggression and even secretly yearned for it.

The plot remained as silent as the grave.

In intimate moments like this, when the story spiraled out of control, the plot might as well have been dead.

Shu Hanqing couldn't overpower Rong Hua—he'd accepted that since the last time Rong Hua had easily dragged him back to bed. In this world where might made right, resistance was futile; better to just lie back and take it.

Rong Hua hovered over him, his scorching breath on Shu Hanqing's neck, pleading with humble desperation: "...Just try me. I'm better than Mu Ye. I'd give you everything."

Shu Hanqing almost laughed out loud. When had he ever tried Mu Ye? He and Mu Ye had barely even touched fingers.

How ridiculous—the one who should have been pursued was now circling around him, a mere nobody. Rong Hua had bowed his head in submission, desperate to rip out his own heart and hand it to him.

A malicious thrill, laced with vengeful satisfaction, surged from deep in Shu Hanqing's heart.

He looked into Rong Hua's eyes, full of devotion and longing, and suddenly pressed the back of his head, guiding him down. His voice was hoarse: "...Then help me out first."

Rong Hua visibly froze.

He'd never done this before—clumsy, awkward.

Shu Hanqing found it refreshing. This dominant stance, watching Rong Hua go from flustered to lost in it, gave him a twisted sense of accomplishment.

The Rong Hua from before—stubborn, obstinate, like a stubborn piece of taffy you couldn't shake off—had been insufferable.

But this Rong Hua now—panting, eyes flushed red at the corners, completely following his commands—inexplicably made Shu Hanqing feel a rush of satisfaction: the thrill of control, a small, vicious rebellion against fate.

First, the five vines.

They were like living tentacles, cold and slick, secreting a lubricating fluid with a faint, grassy fragrance.

Once his body had barely adjusted to the foreign sensation and he'd mentally prepared himself—

Then came Rong Hua.

Even with the vines as a warm-up, when the real thing arrived, Shu Hanqing's mind went blank in an instant. The actual impact far exceeded his expectations.

He instinctively struggled, trying to get away from the overwhelming fullness.

But there was no way out now. Rong Hua's grip on his waist was ironclad, the force so immense it felt like he was trying to fuse them into one.

Shu Hanqing threw his head back, his neck arching into a fragile curve, gasping for air. This body, seemingly frail and tormented by the Thunder Mark, had an astonishingly supple waist—it didn't break, but bent at an almost impossible angle, enduring the ferocious onslaught.