Chapter Thirteen: Qu Wenjuan's Secret

Chapter Thirteen

After treating Ye Jingxuan’s wounds and making sure he had taken his medicine, Mei and Lin Shaojie finally left the bedroom.

The moment the door closed, Ye Jingxuan opened his eyes. His gaze was sharp and clear, with none of the confusion that comes from a long slumber; in fact, it seemed as though he had been awake for quite some time.

In truth, the sting of alcohol when Mei first began to clean his wounds had brought him to his senses, though his weakness kept his eyes shut. Halfway through the process, he had opened his eyes briefly, but both Mei and Lin Shaojie had been so preoccupied with his injuries that they hadn’t noticed. Observing the girl’s calm and unflinching manner as she tended to his wounds, he realized that the little girl he had barely noticed back in the small temple was far from ordinary.

Bloodied wounds and the stench of rot—even he found them unbearable, yet she seemed utterly unaffected. That alone set her apart from ordinary people. Even the doctors had turned pale at the sight of the wounds left by the giant python, covering their noses as they worked. Lin Shaojie and Qu Wenyuan had looked equally horrified the first time they saw him.

How was she able to remain so composed?

He was starting to believe her claim that she had killed zombies; at the very least, someone who could treat his injuries without batting an eye was unlikely to be afraid of the undead.

When she had lifted the thin blanket off him, if not for his physical condition, he would have jumped up in protest. No matter how young she was, she was still a girl, and he had never before exposed his lower body in front of the opposite sex. At that moment, he was grateful for his habitual stoicism—otherwise, they would have realized he was awake.

Fortunately, Lin Shaojie had the sense to send people out, sparing him further embarrassment.

But that boy was rather hopeless—he couldn’t even manage to wrap a bandage properly. When Lin Shaojie called someone back to help, Ye Jingxuan could have kicked him out in frustration.

Once he was lying clean and comfortable in bed again, the agitation brought on by his injuries finally subsided. Listening to the girl’s soft, clear voice as she explained the medication dosages to Lin Shaojie, and recalling her words back in the temple, he found himself deeply curious about her.

What kind of person was she? Was she truly so innocent and naive, or was it all an act? And if so, what was her true nature?

After Mei had thoroughly explained how to use all the medicines to Lin Shaojie, she finally left their home.

Upon her return, Mo Chen was already waiting for her.

“That group was truly unlucky to encounter Qu Wenyuan,” he remarked, his lips curling with amusement after hearing about Mei’s morning.

Clearly, he shared her opinion.

“She wanted to silence witnesses, yet you rushed to help—aren’t you afraid she’ll hold a grudge?” He hadn’t realized she was so compassionate, giving away half the supplies he’d entrusted to her.

“I just wanted to see what other tricks she has up her sleeve. Besides, protecting rare creatures is everyone’s duty. Someone as guileless as Lin Shaojie is hard to find, even before the apocalypse,” Mei replied with righteous conviction, as if she were not the one so easily swayed by appearances.

Mo Chen rolled his eyes at her. “Hurry up and eat. This afternoon’s training is about to start.”

The team’s morning regimen focused on endurance and agility; the afternoon was reserved for combat training. Those with weapon abilities practiced with their chosen arms, honing their skills. Those without trained in martial arts.

Mei spent the entire afternoon at the shooting range, loosing arrow after arrow—first at stationary targets, then at moving ones. She pretended not to notice the others’ intentions, shooting with an easy cheer.

That evening, she took her portion of two steamed buns and a serving of vegetables and delivered them to Lin Shaojie. After all, there were three people in his group, one of whom was a wounded man. The food he received was nowhere near enough for them.

Under Lin Shaojie’s grateful gaze, Mei returned home, light-footed. Only when she had disappeared from sight did Lin Shaojie take the food and head home, going straight to Ye Jingxuan’s room.

“Brother Ye, time to eat!” he called out as soon as he entered.

Placing the two buns and vegetables before Ye Jingxuan, Lin Shaojie watched as he picked up a bun and pushed the rest of the food back toward Lin Shaojie.

“Brother Ye, you eat! There’s extra tonight—you’re injured, you need to eat more so you’ll heal faster!” Lin Shaojie pushed the food back.

“Where did this come from?” Ye Jingxuan asked, his voice hoarse.

“Mei brought it over—she said she couldn’t finish all her food and didn’t want to waste it,” Lin Shaojie replied breezily.

It was true girls had smaller appetites, but that didn’t mean she could just give away her food. In the post-apocalypse, when food was so scarce, a single bun could mean the difference between life and death. Mei barely knew them, and yet she had given them such a precious gift. Was she truly as naive as she seemed?

Ye Jingxuan hid his thoughts and made no further protest, eating everything.

As he ate, Qu Wenyuan entered with a cup of water.

“Brother Ye, have some water,” she said, placing the cup on the chair beside the bed and reaching to check his forehead. He turned his head aside, avoiding her touch.

Accustomed to his distance, Qu Wenyuan turned to Lin Shaojie. “Tonight’s meal seems more generous than usual. Is something good happening at the base?”

“No, Mei gave us half her rations—she couldn’t finish it all,” Lin Shaojie explained again.

“With food this rough, I doubt she could stomach it,” Qu Wenyuan remarked, her eyes flickering with a feigned casualness.

“Mei isn’t delicate at all! She trained with us all day—never once complained, no matter how tough it got. She spent the whole afternoon practicing archery, and even the instructors praised her!” Lin Shaojie retorted, unable to hide his displeasure.

“I just remembered how, back in the temple, she and her friend ate well but still seemed dissatisfied. I thought she gave us the food because she didn’t like it,” Qu Wenyuan hurried to explain.

“And what if she did? These rations are a matter of life and death to us. Whatever her reasons for giving them, that doesn’t change the fact. Her reasons are hers; if we take it lightly, that’s being ungrateful!” Lin Shaojie replied earnestly.

Though Lin Shaojie usually seemed carefree, he remembered every kindness shown to him, no matter how small. He had his own standards for right and wrong and wasn’t easily swayed by others.

Ye Jingxuan appreciated this quality in him. Such a person could be trusted as a friend; this was why he had chosen to save Lin Shaojie in the first place, and time had proven him right.

As for Qu Wenyuan, she was even more calculating than he’d thought.

When she realized their ragtag group had the ability to escape the city, she’d clung to them relentlessly, even revealing her prophetic abilities to win their protection. Now that she and Lin Shaojie could no longer keep her safe, she was clearly making other plans. He knew perfectly well that every time Lin Shaojie left for training, she’d slip out too, claiming she was looking for work. In truth, she was probably searching for another way out.

Qu Wenyuan had no idea what Ye Jingxuan thought of her. In reality, she really was out looking for work these past two days. She didn’t know how to care for a patient, and with Ye Jingxuan asleep most of the time, she preferred to be out searching for something to do rather than sitting idly at home. She couldn’t bear the constant hunger any longer.

Other people who transmigrated to the apocalypse either became saviors, gathered handsome men, or at least never worried about food or clothing. How had she ended up starving?

After arriving in the world of an apocalypse novel, she’d thought her knowledge of the plot would guarantee her success. But in reality, aside from clinging to the male lead Ye Jingxuan at the very start, nothing else had gone her way.

Maybe if she hadn’t suggested stopping at that gas station, and had followed Ye Jingxuan’s group to Changyang Base as in the original story, things would have turned out differently.

No—things would have ended the same. The book was clear: that team was nearly wiped out by a mutant plant on the way to Changyang Base. Ye Jingxuan was gravely wounded and happened to be saved by the female lead. From then on, the two grew close, with Ye Jingxuan gradually falling for her. Outwardly fragile but inwardly strong and kind, the female lead possessed both healing and ice powers. Together, they thwarted an evil plot by a mysterious organization and, with her spatial ability, built the largest survivor base in the country.

In the end, thanks to the heroine, humanity finally developed a cure for the zombie virus, but that was eight years later. Right now, Qu Wenyuan doubted she could survive even one more year.

Although they avoided mutant plants by heading for Yuehua Base, they encountered a giant python instead, and three people still died. Even Ye Jingxuan hadn’t escaped serious injury.

Was she fated to end up as someone’s plaything?

No, she refused to accept that! Ye Jingxuan hadn’t met the heroine yet, which meant the plot could change. Besides, she’d encountered Mo Chen—the male supporting lead whose strength rivaled the protagonist’s. If she could win him over, with both male lead and male supporting lead on her side, perhaps she could change her fate.

Thinking of Mo Chen, she regretted not having clarified things back at the temple. If they’d joined forces with him then, Ye Jingxuan might not have been so badly hurt.

But it still wasn’t too late!

Yet that girl, Mei—who was she? She wasn’t in the original novel at all.

Would she soon be nothing more than cannon fodder?

Mei’s innocent appearance made Qu Wenyuan bitter with jealousy. How could a child like her awaken abilities when she herself never could? If only she’d transmigrated to the heroine’s side, she could have stolen the space bracelet before the protagonist discovered its secret. According to the novel, that space not only held a spring that prevented zombie infection, but also a fruit orchard and arable land. If only she had that, she’d never go hungry again.

But now, what was she supposed to do?

Qu Wenyuan tossed and turned in bed, sleep eluding her.