Chapter 181 Husband
"What's wrong?" She turned her head to look at him.
Aren't you tired?
As he spoke, his men did not stop.
Josie immediately understood what he meant, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
She hadn't fully adapted to this relationship yet, and felt somewhat guilty in his presence.
Shen Han was not as nonchalant as he appeared.
His gaze uncontrollably drifted down, sweeping over her slender neck.
There, a few ambiguous, not-yet-completely-faded red marks stood out starkly in the base's bright light, like cold needles piercing the depths of his pupils.
He thought he could accept it, but he still felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
He forced himself to look away, suppressing his surging emotions.
He tried to maintain a calm facade.
He'll get used to it. As long as she's still by his side, he can slowly learn to accept everything else...
However... it will take some more time.
"I'm fine..."
Qiao Xi wanted to change the subject, but just then Lin Wei walked over. "Sister Xi Xi, the crystal cores are almost gone again. Do you... have any extra stock?"
Upon hearing this, Josie sighed softly: "Is the stock in the warehouse almost used up?"
“Yes,” Lin Wei nodded, “We’ve been expanding our capacity and upgrading low-level ability users, so we simply don’t have enough crystal cores. And then there’s the research consumption at the lab… The logistics department said that at this rate, we can only last for about ten days at most.”
After listening, Josie simply nodded, her voice clear and reassuring: "I understand. Don't worry, I'll find a solution as soon as possible."
Lin Wei also knew that this burden was too heavy, and it was so cold outside.
“Zhao Yan and I have discussed it, and we can go hunting as well.”
"Don't worry about these things, just focus on the logistics."
Just as Lin Wei left, Qiao Xi was about to discuss with Shen Han a plan to organize an elite team to immediately go out and hunt down high-level zombies and collect crystal cores when she caught a glimpse of Chen Chen out of the corner of her eye.
He was holding several packages of vacuum-packed food that looked well-preserved and a thick, brand-new down jacket.
When he saw Josh looking at him, his steps became noticeably more hurried.
But soon, he seemed to have mustered all his courage and walked over, handing the things to Josh. His voice was not much louder than before, but it was visibly nervous: "Josh, these are all for you."
As he spoke, his ears turned bright red at a visible speed, and even his neck was flushed with a thin layer of red. But this time, unlike the previous times, he didn't stuff something in his mouth and run away. Instead, he stood rooted to the spot, looking at her with a mixture of averted and longing eyes.
Josie understood immediately; she had seen this kind of situation far too often during her university years.
She felt helpless, but maintained a polite yet distant smile as she politely declined, saying, "Chen Chen, thank you for your kindness, but I really don't need anything. You can keep these things for yourself."
Chen Chen's lips trembled a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but the words were blocked by extreme shyness, and his face turned even redder.
Josie didn't want to give him any false hope or illusions, and she was even less willing to waste time on this meaningless push and pull.
A thought flashed through her mind, and she naturally turned to the side, reaching out to affectionately link her arm with Chen Han's beside her. Leaning slightly against him, her voice instantly became soft and sweet as she raised her voice, saying, "Honey! I think the weather seems to have stabilized for now. Before it gets the coldest, should we hurry up and go out again? Didn't we just say we didn't have enough crystal cores?"
The word "husband" struck Chen Chen like two thunderbolts.
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide open, staring incredulously at Qiao Xi's hands tightly wrapped around Shen Han's arm. He then looked at Shen Han's expressionless face, which naturally revealed a hint of possessiveness. Finally, his gaze returned to Qiao Xi's face, as if he couldn't understand what was happening before his eyes. He froze, his face turning from red to white, utterly lost and bewildered.
Qiao Xi seemed to only then notice his presence. She turned around, her tone carrying just the right amount of apology, yet sounding even more distant: "Chen Chen, we still have to rush out. Sorry, we'll be leaving now."
After saying that, she gently pulled Shen Han along and they passed each other.
Chen Chen stood frozen in place, like a statue frozen by the wind and snow, staring blankly at their departing figures. The food and clothes in his hands seemed to lose all weight in an instant, taking away all the courage he had just mustered.
Shen Han glanced expressionlessly at Chen Chen's dejected and devastated appearance, feeling no sympathy whatsoever, but rather a surge of intense relief.
He subconsciously tightened his arms, holding Josie even closer to his side. His palms pressed against the curve of her waist, and the real warmth dispelled that slight unpleasantness.
Fortunately... fortunately, he was the one who met Xixi first, and through a series of coincidences and fate, he became bound to her, which is why he now has the right to stand by her side and have her.
He will never let go of this good fortune.
Just as he turned the corner of the passage, avoiding everyone's gaze, Chen Han stopped.
Josie looked up in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Shen Han lowered his head, his deep eyes fixed on her, filled with suppressed emotions and a burning expectation. His voice was low and magnetic: "Xi Xi, say it again."
"Huh?" Josie didn't react for a moment, blinking. "What are you yelling about?"
"You just... used that name to address me in front of him," Shen Han prompted, his gaze intense, filled with unmistakable hope.
Josie coughed lightly, "I was just putting on an act in a moment of desperation, to make him give up on me..."
Shen Han gripped her waist with both hands, applying slight pressure to bring her closer to him, face to face.
He leaned down, his forehead almost touching hers, his eyes incredibly serious, even carrying a rare, almost coquettish plea: "But I want to hear it. Xixi, I want to hear you call me that again, seriously."
When he looked at her with those eyes, Josie felt her heart melt instantly, and she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
She pursed her lips, raised her eyes to meet his burning gaze, and said in a soft yet clear voice, "Husband..."
These two words were like sparks igniting dry tinder, instantly igniting all the suppressed emotions in Shen Han's eyes.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and almost the next second he suddenly lowered his head and precisely captured her lips, kissing her deeply and urgently, full of domineering possession and surging passion.
The force seemed to want to knead her into his very bones, and their lips entwined in a deep, unyielding affection.
Josie was so overwhelmed by the sudden, passionate kiss that she went limp and breathless, and could only cling helplessly to his shoulder.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
