superficial work
To Du Mingxing's surprise, there has been no movement in the past few days since Tianyu handed over the ambergris, as if the Spark Organization had not noticed anything wrong.
The emperor wasn't anxious, but she was. No, she had already sent the villain to her door, so was she going to take Shen Chumo with her to surrender to the enemy?
Du Mingxing waited and waited, but finally couldn't hold back any longer and pulled Tianyu to ask indirectly.
Although Tianyu felt that she was a little too concerned about this, after careful recollection, she added some details.
"I remember a man in black clothes—who seemed to be their leader—saying that they were going to prepare for an experiment or something."
"I guess they're also working as hard as they can, experimenting with ambergris to figure out how to maximize its effectiveness."
Du Mingxing thought it made a lot of sense.
She was too concerned and confused. Before it could be officially used, it must have undergone many tests. She didn't even think of this.
Tianyu saw her silence: "What's wrong?"
"It's okay," Du Mingxing shook his head and took a deep breath, "I was just thinking, it should be almost over."
Tianyu responded to her words with a smile.
The next day, as agreed, Du Mingxing went to Fang Xiaozheng's house to meet her.
Fang Xiaozheng moved out of the outermost area. The new house has been completed. The exterior has been simply painted and decorated, and the ceiling is covered with tiles, making it look quite presentable.
When he reached the door, Du Mingxing hesitated.
Tianyu didn't urge her, but just leaned against the wall with a nostalgic look on her face.
Du Mingxing calmed himself down and knocked on the door.
Compared with the other two members of the Troublemaker Team, Fang Xiaozheng has a deeper relationship with her. Now that they are about to meet, he feels a little "homesick" and doesn't know what to say.
The door opened before the second knock.
What caught my eye was a woman with short hair. She pursed her lips, and tears were in her eyes.
Du Mingxing was slightly stunned and looked her up and down. Fang Xiaozheng's cheekbone lines, which were originally slightly flared, became softer now, probably because of the secretion of oxytocin, which added some maternal kindness.
Fang Xiaozheng took her hand and led her into the house: "Sister Xin, come in quickly. Hey, no need to change shoes, it's not that complicated, just come in directly."
The person standing in the room was Fang Xiaozheng's fiancé. He had a dark complexion, and even though he was wearing long-sleeved home clothes, one could vaguely see the tendons on his arms through the rolled-up cuffs.
Mr. Fang greeted Du Mingxing friendly, put away the gift she brought, and didn't pay much attention to her outfit.
The faint aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.
Shen Chumo did not come with them. It was said that Fang Xiaozheng had something to say to Du Mingxing alone, so he simply did not come and just stayed at Tianyu's house to look after the house.
The two went into the bedroom.
Du Mingxing took off his mask, sunglasses, and hat, revealing his true face. Fang Xiaozheng was startled and stunned.
Although Fang Xiaozheng had been informed of the situation, seeing Du Mingxing's translucent state at this time was still beyond imagination.
But otherwise, she was exactly as she remembered her, even more beautiful, as flawless as porcelain, like a Venus that the sculptor had spent his entire life creating.
The girl who had appeared in her dream was looking at her with a smile, and her tone was gentler than ever before.
"Xiao Zheng, long time no see."
Those long-lost memories...seemed like a lifetime ago. Those adolescent worries and anxieties now seemed insignificant.
She only heard her own dry voice, no longer as clear as the mountain spring.
"……haven't seen you for a long time."
Du Mingxing hugged Fang Xiaozheng carefully. Her belly was already showing, so Du Mingxing moved very gently for fear of disturbing the little resident inside.
The child was troublesome and noisy, but his presence here made her feel that the world could still be saved.
Fang Xiaozheng smiled and placed her hand on her belly. Du Mingxing held her breath. The first thing she felt was something hard beneath her palm, solid and full of vitality. Only then did she vaguely sense the weight of a new life.
"She will grow up healthy."
Du Mingxing promised, feeling an inexplicable bitterness in his heart.
She failed to step down from her lofty perspective sooner and see that this was also a world with its own operating logic, a fixed flow of time, and vibrant life and emotions, no different from hers.
"Sister Xin," Fang Xiaozheng paused, looking a little embarrassed, "My wedding is scheduled for seven days from now. Would you like to be my bridesmaid?"
"Of course." Du Mingxing said without hesitation.
Before he finished speaking, Fang Xiaozheng breathed a sigh of relief: "Great! I was worried you wouldn't come!"
"Oh, by the way, don't worry. I know you're not in a good condition to see anyone. I'll make a veil to cover your face, and also cover your arms and neck tightly so no one can see..."
She rambled on for a long time, gradually lowered her head, and her voice became softer and softer: "You must come, Sister Xin."
Du Mingxing nodded.
When Fang Xiaozheng looked up again, her eyes were red and her face was covered with tear marks. Du Mingxing was startled, not expecting her to be so emotional, and hurriedly wiped her tears with his sleeve.
She patted her shoulder and coaxed her: "What's wrong, my little Zheng, don't cry, don't cry... I'm reunited with you, aren't I? It's such a happy thing, there's nothing to cry about."
"Sister Xin, are you real?" Fang Xiaozheng asked while sniffing.
“Of course,” Du Mingxing smiled soothingly, “Do you hope that I’m really Shen Huaixin?”
“…”
Fang Xiaozheng suddenly hugged her and said nothing.
The embrace was tight, and Fang Xiaozheng's voice was choked with sobs and intermittent: "Sister Xin, I... I will make you one last meal."
"Um?"
She was in a trance for a moment, as if she was back in the old days, when she urged Fang Xiaozheng to cook for her mother every day, and she couldn't help but smile. But then she thought about how she couldn't prevent Fang's mother's tragedy and lost herself in thought.
Fang Xiaozheng wiped away a tear and said, "It's settled. I'll go get ready. There are still two dishes left to cook."
"Why would a pregnant woman cook in the kitchen? I'll be a sinner forever," Du Mingxing hurriedly rolled up his sleeves, "You command, I'll do it."
The two dishes were cooked quickly, although I didn’t know what they were.
After tasting two chopsticks, Du Mingxing politely said that he was not hungry, and as a virtual body, eating would be a waste of food.
Food is so precious in the end times. Du Mingxing's explanation is reasonable and no one except Tianyu suspects anything.
After dinner, Tianyu and Fang Fu went out to work. Fang Fu, in particular, though a psychic, had a heavy burden on his shoulders. After closing the door, Fang Xiaozheng looked out the window, watching the two men's retreating figures grow smaller and smaller.
She raised her head again, looked at the sky, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Du Mingxing took the initiative to ask about her recent life, and learned many details that Tianyu was unaware of. She had been swindled out of her food supply by criminals and nearly assimilated by a source of pollution. Only after entering the base could she barely make ends meet.
"...I'm sorry." Du Mingxing lowered his head.
Fang Xiaozheng reacted strongly: "What are you feeling sorry for? If it weren't for you, how would I be alive today?"
"It's me, it's my fault!" Fang Xiaozheng paused, "I mean... I led you astray before, I'm the bastard! I'm a piece of trash! I'm so heartless!"
She slapped herself in the face, the palm wind was fierce, and her cheeks quickly became red and swollen. Du Mingxing was so scared that he grabbed her wrist tightly and used all his strength to stop her.
"What are you doing? What's the point of talking about the past?"
“…”
Fang Xiaozheng's cheeks were covered with palm prints and tears. She looked up at Du Mingxing. She subconsciously covered her bulging belly, and after feeling the familiar weight, she took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Du Mingxing was frightened by her unstable state. He didn't dare to breathe and held her tightly with both hands.
"Sister Xin, I'm fine." Fang Xiaozheng closed her eyes. When she looked up again, her gaze was more focused and firm, and a faint smile appeared on the corners of her lips. "I'm sorry, I was too excited."
Du Mingxing slowly released her hand.
"I know you must be under a lot of pressure."
"To survive these days, few people are willing to welcome new life, yet you still took the risk and brought her into this world. You must have harbored hope, too."
"I understand."
“…”
Fang Xiaozheng smiled complicatedly, touched his white clothes, took out the faded amulet from his pocket, and handed it to Du Mingxing.
"Sister Xin, here are some spices I made for smoking. Please... keep them well. Please keep them well."
Du Mingxing took it and nodded seriously, indicating that he would definitely carry it with him.
After that, Fang Xiaozheng's mood stabilized a lot. The two shared their experiences with each other and said goodbye reluctantly in the evening.
Late at night, Du Mingxing was exhausted, but suddenly remembered something and shook Chen Chumo's arm.
Well, although it is not as hard as Tianyu's description of "as hard as a steel pipe", it is also strong and powerful, especially when it is tense and covered with a thin layer of sweat, it looks even more breathtaking.
"What?" Shen Chumo's voice was slightly deep.
She carefully observed his expression and spoke carefully, "I want to give Xiao Zheng a big gift at her wedding."
"But, promise me you won't be unhappy, okay?"
After listening to her thoughts, Shen Chumo touched the pillow, picked up the amulet-like sachet, and weighed it in his palm. His eyes were deep, and he uttered a "huh" in a voice that was not sure whether it was happy or angry.
"Did she give it to you?"
"Well," Du Mingxing said, turning the subject around, opening her watery eyes wide, "promise me, okay?"
The corners of the girl's eyes were slightly wet, with the lingering scent of a kiss. Her slightly hoarse voice was soft and sticky, like a piece of toffee soaked by rain.
Shen Chumo suddenly couldn't say anything, his body drove him to nod.
"Is it worth it?" he asked.
"Of course." She said without hesitation.
Fang Xiaozheng deserves it, Tianyu deserves it, all of humanity deserves it... He felt funny in his heart, but couldn't laugh, and when he tasted it carefully, it was full of bitterness.
Shen Chumo fixed his eyes on her: “You are informing me, not asking for my opinion.”
Du Mingxing choked and tried to retort several times, but he didn't know what to say. He avoided the main point and said, "It's idle anyway, so don't be so stingy."
Chen Chumo lowered his head and bit the girl's shoulder. The teeth marks that had gradually faded began to deepen again until a little blood came out. She just looked at him gently, and her slender fingers stroked his hair up and down, her attitude almost indulgent.
...superficial work.
But it was only these superficial efforts that gave Shen Chumo the illusion of being loved.
"You're nice to everyone," he said, omitting the last part.
Except him.
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