Chapter 173

Ruan Qing choked up, her face turning pale.

She quickly put on a hurt expression and secretly wiped the corner of her eye, looking so pitiful that she seemed about to cry.

Unfortunately, no one present showed any chivalry and remained silent.

Ruan Qing glanced at Qi Xiu, who smiled without saying a word, her smile carrying a hint of nonchalance.

Ruan Qing then looked at Qu Chao. Qu Chao was honest, and usually whenever she showed him a look of help, he would give her a way out.

But this time, to everyone's surprise, Qu Chao turned his head away and avoided Ruan Qing's gaze.

Ruan Qing's face darkened further, and her eyes began to redden. She looked at Xiao Mingxu one last time, but Xiao Mingxu didn't even look at her. He just frowned as if he was thinking about something.

"Captain, are you blaming me for wasting time too?" Ruan Qing asked, her voice trembling with tears. "I really didn't mean to. I had just awakened my superpower and wasn't feeling well, so I needed to rest!"

As Ruan Qing spoke, she became increasingly aggrieved, and this time she truly shed tears.

However, she wasn't crying because she felt wronged. Instead, she felt that she had worked so hard to present a good image to her team members, doing her best to be gentle and considerate towards them. They had taken good care of her before, but they turned their backs on her without showing any gratitude.

Hmph, of course she did it on purpose, but she would never admit it.

Ruan Qing deliberately only talked about her feeling unwell and didn't mention that she had taken the wrong turn, in order to highlight her special ability and make everyone remember that she was a rare and precious healing ability user!

With her special abilities, she should be treated like a precious gem wherever she goes. How dare these people embarrass her and give her the cold shoulder?

Ruan Qing subconsciously overlooked Rong Rong's role in it, or perhaps she knew it in her heart but was just afraid to face reality.

Wang Tao gave a sarcastic smile, while Xiao Mingxu said expressionlessly and coldly, "A delay is a delay. No need for excuses. Whatever the reason, if it happens again, you'll be kicked out of the team!"

Ruan Qing's eyes widened, and she could no longer cry; her face was filled with disbelief.

She couldn't believe that Xiao Mingxu would let her leave so easily? She was a healing-type ability user!

Upon seeing Wang Tao's disdainful smile, Ruan Qing froze once again.

Wang Tao doesn't care about superpowers or anything like that. He dislikes scheming women the most. He used to love criticizing scheming women when he was a streamer, let alone now. Besides, healing-type superpowered individuals are precious, but if it's a venomous woman, they don't know if they'll even have the chance to enjoy her healing!

Qi Xiu and Qu Chao remained unmoved, finding Xiao Mingxu's decision meaningless.

Unable to bear it any longer, Ruan Qing stomped her foot and left in anger.

...

Inside the room, Rong Rong was unaware that the male protagonist's team had already developed a rift with the transmigrated female protagonist.

She slept soundly in bed. She was staying in a large suite; she was in the bedroom, and Yin Wang was in the living room. Except for that night, the two slept separately.

However, Xiao Mingxu and the others did not know that in their eyes, Rong Rong was sleeping with Yin Wang. They all had gloomy faces and red eyes, and deliberately chose to stay in the room next to Rong Rong's, completely surrounding Rong Rong's room.

Only in this way could they feel a little comforted, as if they were very close to Rong Rong.

Ruan Qing returned to the team at noon the next day, where she found everyone at the restaurant in the hot spring area.

At that time, Rong Rong was sitting at the dining table eating. Yin Wang, Xiao Mingxu, Qi Xiu and Qu Chao were all sitting at the same table with Rong Rong.

Wang Tao was busy cooking in the kitchen.

It was an open kitchen, with the dining table right at the kitchen entrance. Wang Tao was cooking with great enthusiasm, and he didn't forget to interact with Rong Rong.

"Rongrong, do you want more sugar in this sweet and sour pork? Do you like it sweet?"

Wang Tao's voice was very loud, completely drowning out the voices of Qi Xiu and Rong Rong at the dining table.

Only Qi Xiu would talk to Rong Rong. Among them, Yin Wang had never liked to talk, especially after being locked in the basement for eight years, he was no longer used to communicating with people.

He simply sat quietly beside Rong Rong, serving her food, a skill he had learned from Qi Xiu.

Xiao Mingxu, who is introverted by nature, has been secretly watching Rong Rong for many years. He doesn't even go up to thank her personally after receiving her money. How could he be a talkative person?

Qu Chao was even less likely to be one of them. He was honest and taciturn, and he would even blush if he didn't speak in front of Ruan Qing, let alone a great beauty like Rong Rong. It would be good enough if he could just sit here properly.

In reality, his thoughts had already wandered off somewhere else.

Only Qi Xiu has rich social experience, has worked in the workplace, is very good at chatting with people, and makes people feel extremely comfortable.

His smile never faded, and he remained unperturbed even when frequently disturbed by Wang Tao, displaying true gentlemanly manners.

He didn't notice that Yin Wang, who was next to Rong Rong, had already scanned him with his gloomy eyes several times, and even Xiao Mingxu's aura was much lower than usual.

"I want lots of sweet!" Rong Rong replied loudly, then happily ate the pork chop in her bowl.

She was probably the only one who felt truly at ease at the dinner table.

Before, it was just her and Yin Wang. They weren't afraid of zombies or worried about food. She thought that was the happiest life in the apocalypse.

It was only after the male lead's team joined that she realized life could be even happier.

No more eating cold bread and biscuits, no more getting excited about eating a cup of instant noodles...

She's living like she's in the pre-apocalyptic world now.

Of course, this is only in her opinion. In reality, Wang Tao is an excellent cook, and a meal he prepares is as lavish as that of a famous restaurant.

What Rong Rong described as life before the apocalypse was something Ruan Qing, who lived alone in Beijing, never experienced before the apocalypse.

Rong Rong's movements were quick yet elegant, and she ate with great appetite, making people feel happy just by watching her.

Yin Wang tried several times to drive away the group of outsiders, but Rong Rong's smile silenced him each time.

He was restless and agitated, his nerves were on edge, and he desperately needed to do something to vent his frustration.

His bloodthirsty gaze swept over Xiao Mingxu and the others one by one, as if he wanted to tear them to pieces and use their blood to soothe his anger.

But he couldn't. Rong Rong definitely wouldn't like it, she would hate it. He couldn't, he couldn't.

Yin Wang lowered his head and frantically shoveled rice into his mouth. Even though the rice was much more delicious than the rice he had eaten before, it tasted like cardboard to him. He seemed to have no sense of taste.

The group was engrossed in their own activities and didn't react much to Ruan Qing's arrival.

Ruan Qing was so angry she felt like she was going crazy. She hadn't come home all night, and no one had bothered to look for her. But now that she had come back on her own initiative, they were still so indifferent.

And while she was eating hard bread outside, they were having a big meal inside, but no one came to call her to eat. Heaven knows that the aroma had already made her stomach rumble!

How could this be?

Ruan Qing gritted her teeth; she couldn't be shy in the apocalypse.

She glanced quickly at the dining table and noticed an empty seat next to Rong Rong, so she went straight over there.

However, just as she arrived and was about to sit down, someone plopped down on the stool to her side, pushing her aside.