Chapter Seventy-Eight: Tasting the Flavor of Anticipation

Chapter Seventy-Eight

The destination for this mission lay nestled in the mountains southwest of Changyang Base. Though it was only a little over two thousand kilometers away in a straight line, the reality was far different. The snow outside had yet to fully melt, and the roads were treacherous; even at their fastest pace, they would not reach the foot of the mountain until nightfall. It meant they would enter the mountains as evening drew near, and from then on, the journey would be completed solely on foot.

Seated in the vehicle, buffeted by its constant jostling, Mei found the atmosphere inside peculiarly tense. Of the later arrivals, the Xiao siblings—Xiao Keran and Xiao Kefeng—were especially noteworthy. Xiao Keran kept her gaze fixed on An Ziyou, her cheeks reddening every so often for reasons unknown. Xiao Kefeng, meanwhile, watched over his sister with care, ensuring she didn’t injure herself during the bumps and jolts.

There were two others: one was Sitou Qing, and the other, a man unfamiliar to Mei, whose resemblance to Sitou Qing suggested he was likely her brother or cousin.

Sitou Qing seemed yet unwilling to give up on Mo Chen; sitting directly opposite him, she would steal glances at him whenever she could. The man beside her swept his appraising gaze over each person in turn, the evaluation in his eyes leaving Mei distinctly uncomfortable.

On Mei’s side, An Ziyou ignored Xiao Keran’s attention entirely, absorbed in his own world with headphones on, fiddling with a handheld device. Mo Chen, in much the same way, feigned ignorance of Sitou Qing, playing a lively co-op game with Lin Shaojie. Ye Jingxuan rested with eyes closed, while Qu Wenjuan read intently, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

Bored, Mei observed everyone one by one, finally focusing on Qu Wenjuan. Though she made no sound, her expression was vividly animated; Mei guessed that if not for the crowd in the vehicle, Qu Wenjuan would have already burst out in excitement.

“Sister Wenjuan, what are you reading?” Mei asked, curiosity piqued, unable to see the book’s contents due to Mo Chen sitting between them.

“Ah? Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!” Qu Wenjuan was startled by the question, took a moment to react, and quickly closed the book, as if afraid Mei might glimpse its pages.

She forgot to cover the cover, though. Mei caught a quick look: on it, two handsome, half-naked men entwined in a passionate kiss, rendered in striking detail—a vivid and beautiful illustration.

Mei thought it was quite well drawn, and as she glanced at Qu Wenjuan again, her eyes grew thoughtful.

No wonder Qu Wenjuan never stared at any of the men in the team; she preferred scenes of two men together. The men in their group seemed uninterested, even somewhat repulsed by such things, so she couldn’t witness the images she longed for.

But Mei didn’t find this preference odd. If reality couldn’t satisfy her, then let her enjoy her books. Mei scanned her own space, and under the cover of her bag, produced two more similar volumes, offering, “So Sister Wenjuan likes these kinds of books? I have some more—would you like them?”

Qu Wenjuan saw the similar illustrations in Mei’s hand and was immediately embarrassed, feeling a guilty sense of corrupting a child. She quickly snatched the books and stowed them in her own bag. Fortunately, Mei had held the books upright, so those opposite only saw their blank spines; had they glimpsed the covers, Qu Wenjuan’s embarrassment would have been greater.

However, Mo Chen caught sight of the covers. Seeing the two men in intimate embrace, his face darkened. With outsiders present, he merely shot Qu Wenjuan a warning glare, silently telling her not to show such things to Mei again.

Qu Wenjuan received the warning, nodded hurriedly to show she understood, and smiled obsequiously.

Sitou Qing, sitting opposite, didn’t catch what was happening, nor did she see Mo Chen’s warning. From her vantage, she only saw Mo Chen’s glance—full of charm—and Qu Wenjuan’s subsequent smile. Their behavior irritated her, making her blood boil.

Her whip had been well used that day!

She shot Qu Wenjuan a vicious glare and broke the silence in the vehicle, rummaging through her large bag and producing a lunchbox, which she opened and offered to Mo Chen. “Mo Chen, did you eat breakfast? I brought a lunchbox—have some!”

“No need,” Mo Chen refused coldly, not even glancing at the offered food.

Mei, curious, peeked at the lunchbox: one half contained neatly sliced steamed buns, the other sliced braised meat. There was not a hint of steam—clearly the food had long since cooled.

Sitou Qing’s face fell at Mo Chen’s refusal. Noticing Mei’s gaze, she assumed Mei wanted to eat, but after injuring her third uncle, Sitou Qing no longer sought to curry favor with Mei. Now, seeing her interest, she looked at Mei with contempt, hurriedly closed the lunchbox, and stashed it away, as if afraid Mei would ask for it.

Mei watched her with silent exasperation—she wouldn’t care for cold food anyway!

Mo Chen, too, observed Sitou Qing’s actions, and his mood—already sour—grew worse. He lost interest in gaming with Lin Shaojie.

“Little one, hungry again? Didn’t the chicken soup dumplings this morning fill you up?” Mo Chen drew Mei into his arms and asked affectionately.

“No, I’m just bored sitting in the car!” Mei, accustomed to his embrace these days, leaned against his chest, absent-mindedly playing with his fingers.

The journey truly was dull; with outsiders present, she couldn’t take out many things, and she had nothing to occupy herself.

“Be patient, we’ll arrive soon. Here, a lollipop to pass the time.” Mo Chen patted her head, opened a lollipop, and placed it in her mouth.

“Mm, it’s too sweet!” Mei tasted it, then removed the candy, her face full of distaste.

She had never liked overly sweet things.

“Too sweet? Then try this lemon flavor—shouldn’t be as sweet,” Mo Chen said, selecting another lollipop and checking its flavor before unwrapping it for her.

Mei licked it and didn’t reject it; the tart sweetness she could accept.

But what to do with the other one?

Would throwing it away be wasteful?

“What should I do with this one?” Mei held the first lollipop up to Mo Chen, troubled.

Mo Chen didn’t hesitate; he opened his mouth and took the candy.

Everyone in the vehicle was startled by his action. Sitou Qing’s mouth hung open, finger pointed at the pair, unable to utter a word.

Xiao Keran looked at them in surprise; she had thought they were siblings, but now realized she’d been mistaken.

Mo Chen’s action left Qu Wenjuan and Lin Shaojie dumbfounded, darkened Ye Jingxuan’s gaze, and made An Ziyou quickly lower his head, his thoughts unreadable.

Even Mei was stunned, eyes wide, unable to speak.

“What’s wrong? We grew up together—are you really so stingy over a lollipop?” Mo Chen feigned pitifulness, though with the candy in his mouth he looked rather comical.

Was this really a matter of stinginess?

The point was—he’d eaten her saliva!

Mei looked at him, speechless and confused. Was it simply because they’d grown up together that he didn’t mind sharing her saliva?

Mo Chen saw her bewilderment, just smiled and patted her head, saying nothing more. He glanced at Sitou Qing opposite, who now looked at them with a complicated expression—disbelief mingled with discontent.

After witnessing this, she no longer spoke to disturb Mo Chen, which pleased him greatly; it was the effect he’d intended.

They stopped only once along the way, for just ten minutes; the rest of the time was spent either on the road or clearing zombies.

Lunch was taken in the car. The drivers, soldiers who had come with Ling Feng, used the brief stop to quickly eat some compressed biscuits. The others were prepared, taking out their own food when the time came.

Sitou Qing, her companion, and the Xiao siblings each held a lunchbox containing meat and vegetables. Though cold, they had thermoses of hot soup, making it easier to swallow. The four originally thought their meals superior, and the two girls complained about the food—today’s meat was too salty, or tough, not as good as yesterday’s—ostensibly dissatisfied, but in truth somewhat boastful.

Their comments ceased abruptly when Mo Chen produced meals from his spatial storage.

Mo Chen handed out steaming lunchboxes to each member of the team, each with a different dish: Ye Jingxuan had braised spare ribs over rice, An Ziyou had sizzling beef over rice, Lin Shaojie had kung pao chicken, Qu Wenjuan had assorted fried rice. Mei and Mo Chen had barbecued pork rice and braised fish respectively, each with a generous serving of rice.

As the six opened their boxes, the vehicle was filled with the aroma of delicious food. Even the drivers and Sitou Qing’s group, who had already eaten, couldn’t help but swallow.

“Chen, take out the box of little buns too!” Mei, noticing the driver had only eaten some compressed biscuits, felt sorry for him.

Mo Chen handed her another lunchbox, letting her deliver it.

“Here, big brother, this is for you—it’s still hot!” Mei opened the box and placed it where the driver could reach it without inconvenience.

The soldier wanted to decline, but Mei withdrew after setting it down, murmured thanks, and gratefully accepted the meal she’d offered.