Chapter 27: Continuing to Grill and Feast

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The next day, while the base was undergoing earth-shattering changes, the four people inside the room were still sound asleep.

They had returned to the base in the middle of the night, and after wandering around for a while before finally going to bed, there was barely any time left before dawn. But whatever happened at the base today had nothing to do with them, so they slept right through breakfast and lunch, and nearly missed dinner as well.

“Brother Mo, Sister Mei, Brother Ye, are you there?” Lin Shaojie pounded on the door around dinnertime, calling out loudly from outside.

Mo Chen, yawning, went to open the door and saw both Lin Shaojie and Qu Wenyuan standing there.

“You’re all still sleeping?” Lin Shaojie exclaimed as he walked in, glancing at Ye Jingxuan and another unfamiliar man, both of whom were tidying up their beds and had clearly just woken up.

“What’s the matter? Did zombies attack the base?” Mo Chen asked casually as he washed up in the bathroom.

“No, nothing like that! But early this morning, Lieutenant Yang led a team to take down the Huang family. They spent most of the day cleaning out the Huang family’s influence in the base. Didn’t you hear the gunfire?” Lin Shaojie said quickly, his tone full of excitement.

What happened today was truly satisfying! The Huang father and son had been seized by the military, their subordinates’ forces taken over by the troops, and all the troublemakers in the base had been rounded up. The atmosphere in the base had been purged overnight. Yang Hao had led his team to reorganize everything from top to bottom.

“Didn’t hear a thing.”

The answer was flat and emotionless, like a bucket of cold water thrown over him. Lin Shaojie instantly wilted.

Qu Wenyuan sat quietly next to Lin Shaojie. After a day of rest, her emotions had stabilized. She glanced at the new extra bed and the clean, soft bedding in the room, curious where these things had come from. Could it be that someone among them had a space ability?

Her gaze swept over Ye Jingxuan and Mo Chen, finally settling on the man she hadn’t seen before. He was strikingly handsome, his features neither as sharp as Ye Jingxuan’s nor as devilishly charming as Mo Chen’s. His bearing was gentle and refined, his frame tall and slender, and in the sunlight, he almost seemed angelic.

Such an outstanding man—how had she never noticed him in the base before?

Perhaps he sensed her gaze; he glanced over. Qu Wenyuan quickly offered a friendly smile. He seemed surprised for a moment, then politely nodded before turning his gaze away.

Only now did Lin Shaojie notice the unfamiliar man in the room.

“And this is...?”

“A friend we happened to run into yesterday,” Mo Chen replied offhandedly as he stepped out of the bathroom, then walked to Mei’s bedroom door and knocked. “Mei, time to get up!”

The door opened, and Mei emerged in cartoon pajamas, still bleary-eyed. “A Chen, you’re so noisy!” she complained, rubbing her eyes.

It was rare for her to get such a good sleep, and she hadn’t had nearly enough.

She stumbled over to the twin beds in the living room and collapsed bonelessly onto one of them.

None of the others had seen Mei like this before. After a moment’s surprise, they quickly accepted it—after all, in their minds, she was still just a child, so this was probably the most normal behavior.

Mo Chen shook his head helplessly and went to pull her up. She seemed to have forgotten there were other people in the room.

“Wake up, no more sleeping! After all this time in bed, aren’t you hungry?” He had to resort to his ultimate weapon.

“Are we eating now?” At the mention of hunger, Mei’s eyes instantly opened wide.

She was still a bit dazed, but at least more alert than before. Her big eyes were misty, her expression a little blank, and her long hair was a wild mess, but instead of looking slovenly, she seemed adorably disheveled.

Lin Shaojie was the first to be thoroughly charmed by her cute appearance. If not for the others in the room, he might have scooped her up and fussed over her on the spot.

Qu Wenyuan forgot all about the handsome newcomer, watching Mei cup her face with both hands, hearts practically popping from her eyes as she inwardly screamed, “Kawaii!”

Ye Jingxuan remained as expressionless as ever, though he seemed a little uncomfortable and turned his head away. But the tips of his ears turned red, revealing more than he’d admit.

As for An Ziyou, he didn’t know Mei as well as the others. He hadn’t witnessed her shooting a giant python dead with a single arrow, nor seen her slaughtering zombies without mercy. Although she’d seemed unusually calm and detached during the chaos at the Huang family’s place yesterday, he’d simply assumed she was oblivious to the gravity of the situation. Watching her like this now, he became even more convinced she was just an innocent young girl—exactly as she ought to be.

He’d also misunderstood the relationship between Mo Chen and Mei, assuming they were brother and sister. This warm scene of a brother waking his sleepy sister was rare and precious, especially in the aftermath of the apocalypse, and he found it heartwarming.

Unable to help himself, he gently straightened her crooked collar and softly said, “Mei, if you’re hungry, you should wash up and get dressed quickly. That way, you can eat sooner!”

“Okay, got it, Ziyou!” His gentle manner and voice made the still-groggy Mei think she was back in her old world, and she addressed him as she would have back then. Considering her real age, calling him “Ziyou” was perfectly reasonable, though in the current context, it was rather comical.

At least she hadn’t mistaken his identity entirely; that would have been even more awkward.

The others each reacted differently to her casual use of “Ziyou.”

Lin Shaojie and Qu Wenyuan simply assumed they were already acquainted, which fit with Mo Chen’s explanation of having just run into him yesterday.

But for Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan, who knew the truth, things felt much stranger. Mo Chen, who had spent the most time with Mei, knew she only let her guard down so completely when she trusted someone. With others, she was always alert and cautious. Now she was obediently listening to someone she’d just met—was it blind trust in her idol, or did An Ziyou simply have an irresistible charm?

Ye Jingxuan found it even more baffling. Mei was already addressing someone she’d only met last night so intimately—was there something going on between them that he didn’t know about? He eyed An Ziyou with a hint of scrutiny.

As for An Ziyou, Mei’s soft, adorable voice, especially the affectionate “Ziyou,” melted his heart. His expression grew even gentler, the gloom of the apocalypse slowly fading from his demeanor.

When Mei finished washing up and changing, she was fully awake. Remembering what she’d just done, she felt a bit embarrassed. But it wasn’t really her fault—An Ziyou’s tone and manner had been so much like her old butler’s that she’d instinctively responded. She was resilient enough not to dwell on it; a simple mistake in address was hardly a big deal. No one would know she’d mistaken him for someone else. So when she emerged, her expression was perfectly calm.

Unbeknownst to her, a little misunderstanding had already taken root in everyone’s minds.

“A Chen, didn’t you say we were eating? Where’s the food?” As soon as she stepped out, Mei’s eyes automatically scanned the table. Seeing nothing but a few glasses of water, she glared at Mo Chen in protest.

How dare he trick her with the promise of food! Unforgivable!

“I have to ask what you want first, or you’ll just complain about whatever I make,” Mo Chen replied, unfazed by her glare, clearly used to handling her.

Sure enough, Mei stopped glaring and began contemplating what she wanted to eat.

“I want rice. And I want grilled snake meat!” She couldn’t forget the fragrant, juicy grilled snake meat from the other night. The thought of savory roasted meat with a bowl of rice made her order without hesitation.

“Grilled meat? Didn’t you say my cooking was no good? Are you sure you want it?” Mo Chen raised an eyebrow with a mischievous smirk.

Instantly, Mei’s expression fell. She looked at him with obvious resentment—she wanted delicious, aromatic grilled meat, not his overly salty, burnt version!

“If it’s teppanyaki-style, I can make it. I just don’t know if we have the ingredients,” An Ziyou offered, unable to resist when he saw her pitiful expression.

At his words, Mei’s eyes lit up, brimming with hope. “Really? Don’t worry about the ingredients—A Chen has everything you could possibly need!”

Even if Mo Chen didn’t, she would. She absolutely had to make sure of it!

Hearing there’d be grilled meat for dinner, Lin Shaojie was instantly excited, not bothering to question where the ingredients would come from. He rolled up his sleeves, eager to help.

Qu Wenyuan, upon hearing Mei’s words, realized at last that Mo Chen was the one with a spatial ability. No wonder Mei and he always looked so well-fed and their clothes were spotless. She recalled how, in the novel, Mo Chen was always described as bold and indifferent, rarely caring about anything. But if he had a space ability packed with supplies, it all made sense—even if the book never stated it outright.

She looked at Mei with envy again. To have someone so attentive looking after her—no wonder she could always be herself!

But envy was all she felt. Now, all she hoped for was simply not to be abandoned, and to survive peacefully.

With An Ziyou as head chef and everyone else assisting, he mixed soy sauce, salt, MSG, pepper, green onions, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, and a dash of fruit juice to make a marinade. He soaked the sliced snake meat, then slowly grilled it over low heat, basting with the sauce as it cooked. The fragrant aroma of freshly grilled meat soon filled the room.

“Ziyou’s grilled meat is delicious!” Mei praised An Zi between mouthfuls, the saucy roasted meat exactly to her taste.

“If you like it, have some more,” An Ziyou said softly, placing another piece of grilled meat in Mei’s bowl and adding fresh strips to the teppan.

The meat sizzled as it met the hot iron, sending waves of delicious aroma throughout the room.

Just as everyone was relishing the feast, a knock sounded at the door!