Chapter 53 is unofficial history.
Bai Chenzhu woke up early. When he got up, rubbing his forehead, his headache had gradually subsided. Zhou Zhuohua looked at him with concern and said that she had secretly brought back some painkillers.
"Thank you, the medicine is very precious, please keep it." Bai Chenzhu gestured for her to put it away. He glanced at Bai Tao and Zhou Zhuohua, then frowned. "Where are Jiang Ye and Tang Zhao?"
Bai Tao said, "They haven't woken up yet. They have many injuries, but something is strange."
What's strange? Bai Chenzhu's eyes seemed to speak volumes. As soon as his gaze fell on Zhou Zhuohua, Zhou Zhuohua explained, "The healing speed. Tang Zhao had a broken left hand and two broken ribs. Normally, it would take a long time to heal, but after I treated him, he was already half-healed in just one night. And Jiang Ye's is even more outrageous..."
Zhou Zhuohua gasped, "He was clearly more seriously injured than Tang Zhao, but after lying down for a night, he only had some superficial wounds left."
"So amazing?" Bai Chenzhu was stunned. Bai Tao thought he didn't believe her, so she quickly gestured, "It's true! I check on Jiang Ye's wound every hour, and it really heals very quickly! Even Hua Tuo's medicine isn't that miraculous. You really should go and see for yourself!"
Evil Peach smacked her lips. "Has he turned into some kind of 'living dead and flesh-regenerating' Tang Monk's flesh? Why don't we divide him (the flesh) up before he wakes up?"
Zhou Zhuohua patted her on the head and teased, "Stop your gluttony, you peach spirit."
Bai Chenzhu got up and looked outside at the bright daylight. People passing by had smiles on their faces, as if they were discussing some happy event. He leaned against the window and listened carefully, and could vaguely hear keywords such as "Mr. Li", "resurrection", and "daughter".
"What's going on outside?" Bai Chenzhu asked with a grave expression.
Last night's incident caused such a big commotion that it's impossible for the other people in the manor not to know about it.
Zhou Zhuohua and Bai Tao exchanged a glance and shook their heads. Zhou Zhuohua adjusted his glasses and said, "We've been taking care of you all night and haven't had time to check the news."
Bai Chenzhu frowned, a sense of crisis preventing him from lying down. He said, "I'll go outside and inquire."
Zhou Zhuohua was afraid that he would faint again if he went out alone as a patient, so she followed him.
They learned what had happened after just one conversation with someone.
It turns out that Li Zhenzhen went to the hospital to pick up Mr. Li without stopping, and announced to the public that Mr. Li had been sick and injured and could not see people, but now that he was cured, he returned.
No one knows about Bai Guangzheng's disappearance yet, and those who do know about it keep quiet about it.
The manor originally belonged to the Li family. The bodyguards and others did not completely obey Bai Guangzheng. Now that Bai Guangzheng has disappeared and Mr. Li has reappeared and taken control of the manor again, they are like weather vanes, immediately obeying their original employer.
The manor was in disrepair, and Li Zhenzhen suggested that they stay at the Holiday Inn for a while, but Mr. Li insisted on staying in the original place, saying, "This is a lesson learned."
Bai Chenzhu lived far from the small building, so they weren't affected. Also because it was quite far, they couldn't participate in the lively welcome and visits in the front yard.
——
That afternoon, Li Minnian and Li Zhenzhen brought gifts, but no one else. Bai Chenzhu and the other two received them.
Bai Chenzhu felt that there was no connection between them other than the fragments, so there was nothing to say. Zhou Zhuohua only cared about matters concerning his own people and had no opinion on the change of leadership in Luozhou.
As for Bai Tao, her eyes widened, her innocent, round eyes staring blankly. She seemed clueless and looked rather silly. Li Zhenzhen stared at her for a while before looking away. They tacitly agreed that Bai Guangzheng had never existed, nor had they ever crossed paths with him because of anyone.
Therefore, the father and daughter simply thanked each other, gave some gifts, and left.
The gifts were displayed in the small hall, and Bai Tao excitedly grabbed one and stuffed it into the car, saying, "Why not take it if it's free?"
Bai Chenzhu and Zhou Zhuohua went to check on Tang Zhao and Jiang Ye respectively. Although the two were still unconscious, their injuries did look much better.
"Don't let anyone else know about this." Bai Chenzhu lifted Jiang Ye's bandages to take a look, her brows furrowed on her frosty face.
"That's what I think too, it's too dangerous." Zhou Zhuohua stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the door, watching him. She hadn't slept for a day and a night, and her face inevitably showed signs of fatigue.
Bai Chenzhu tried to restore the bandage to its original state, but ended up wrapping it crookedly. Zhou Zhuohua found his clumsy movements amusing and slowly walked over. "That's not how you wrap it. Let me teach you."
Bai Chenzhu became interested and rolled up his sleeves. "Okay."
——
Another day passed, and Jiang Ye woke up first.
Bai Chenzhu had learned some bandaging techniques from Zhou Zhuohua and was bandaging Jiang Ye with his head down when he heard Jiang Ye groaning in pain. He looked up and saw cold sweat dripping from Jiang Ye's forehead, so he raised an eyebrow and said, "You, who are usually so arrogant, are now beaten up like this by a zombie. If we hadn't lured it away, were you really planning to hold on to it?"
"Hmm." Jiang Ye fiddled with the ribbons tied into a bow on his arm, reasonably suspecting that Bai Chenzhu was taking revenge. "It has no sense of pain and is slow to perceive its own body. As long as we remove its limbs and render it unable to move, things will be much easier afterward."
Bai Chenzhu shook his head, disagreeing. He tightened his grip, causing Jiang Ye to gasp and beg him to go easy on him. Bai Chenzhu said, "Your method is deadly. What if you get beaten to death first?"
It's not impossible. Gambler Jiang Ye fell silent, then started to renege on his promise, slapping his thigh, "Weren't you going to save me?"
Bai Chenzhu could easily tell he was avoiding the issue, and amusedly punched him on the shoulder. "Fooling around! Who's going to save you?"
Jiang Ye clutched his shoulder and cried out in pain.
Bai Chenzhu knew he was faking it and ignored him. But the longer Jiang Ye cried out in pain, the more hesitant he became. He pulled open Jiang Ye's clothes to look at him. "Where does it hurt?"
Jiang Ye looked pitiful and said, "It hurts my heart to say you won't save me."
Bai Chenzhu: ...
"You're being cheeky, aren't you?" He was both amused and annoyed, tightening the bandage around Jiang Ye's neck.
After a bit of fooling around, Jiang Ye, who had been avoiding the topic, burst into laughter, swaying from side to side, which caused his bandages to tear. He was then slapped and quieted down.
"Don't be so reckless next time." Bai Chenzhu bent down and pulled the bandage on his arm, saying seriously, "What will you do if you push me out the door? Do you really think you're invincible?"
"I don't want to owe anyone a favor, and neither do you," Bai Chenzhu said coldly. "If you die because of me, I will only hate you."
Jiang Ye smiled again.
Bai Chenzhu felt a sense of doubt. He remembered that although Jiang Ye often smiled, it was definitely not the kind of vacant, silly smile he had.
He looks like a big, dumb oaf.
He hesitated, then tentatively waved his finger at Jiang Ye, who grabbed his hand.
Bai Chenzhu's worries deepened.
Jiang Ye looked at him with fascination, examining him closely with a completely new perspective. "A-Zhu, you are so beautiful."
"Beautiful?" Bai Chenzhu paused, looking at him with some surprise, and tentatively asked, "What's so beautiful about it?"
Jiang Ye raised his hand and touched the air behind Bai Chenzhu. "Your wings are colorful, very big, and very beautiful. They feel soft and cool to the touch, just like a fairy."
Where did these wings come from? Bai Chenzhu felt a chill run down his spine. He touched Jiang Ye's forehead, but there was no fever. He then touched other parts of Jiang Ye's skin and, unable to tell the difference, quickly got up and opened the door. "Sister Zhuohua, come quick!"
Not only Jiang Ye, but Tang Zhao also experienced similar hallucinations. The world in their eyes seemed to be a combination of reality and fantasy.
Fortunately, aside from experiencing some hallucinations, the two remained relatively well-behaved and did not cause any trouble. Their hallucinations gradually disappeared as their injuries healed.
——
After recovering, Jiang Ye covered his forehead, thinking about the stupid thing he had done, and lowered his head, not wanting to say anything.
But Bai Chenzhu, standing right next to him, exclaimed in an exaggerated tone and without any expression, "Wow~ those are butterfly wings!"
"Colorful!"
"It was also icy and cold."
Bai Chenzhu rested her head on his shoulder, pointed to her empty backside with a smile, and said, "Want to touch it again?"
Jiang Ye pushed his head away with one hand and explained to the onlookers, "It's an upgrade, an advancement, an evolution—you can think of it however you like. It's similar to A-Zhu's headache; it's a good thing. It's just a temporary confusion. Let me say it again, I'm not crazy!"
This time, it was Tang Zhao who exclaimed "Wow!" Hearing that it was a "level up," he was so happy that he ran around the hall twice. Then he went over to look Bai Tao up and down, and was immediately disappointed.
Bai Tao asked, puzzled, "What are you looking for?"
"Peach Tree Spirit, the peaches on your body are gone, the illusion is completely gone, and my leveling up is over?" Tang Zhao scratched his head.
Bai Tao was stunned for a moment before she realized what he meant. She was so angry that she chased after him, hitting him repeatedly. The two of them circled around Zhou Zhuohua. Zhou Zhuohua tried to stop one of them, then the other, both amused and exasperated. "Stop it, stop it!"
“Li Minnian came by once while you were recovering from your injuries.” Bai Chenzhu sat up straight and got down to business. “I sent him away. Now that we have the fragments, there’s no need for us to have anything to do with them anymore.”
Bai Chenzhu has always been very independent in his actions. Since Jiang Ye hasn't woken up, he does things entirely according to his own will.
Jiang Ye shook his head, lost in thought. "No, we still have things to talk about. Before that, Azhu, why don't you come with me for a walk around the streets?"
Bai Chenzhu has gone out these past two days, but Jiang Ye has hardly left the house at all.
Although Bai Chenzhu didn't understand what he meant, she was still willing to go out.
——
Today is a rare sunny day.
Bai Chenzhu traded a coconut with someone, pried open the shell, and held it to his chest, taking sips every now and then. He walked beside Jiang Ye, watching Jiang Ye look at the scenery, and he watched Jiang Ye, trying to guess what Jiang Ye was looking at on the street.
"What are you looking for on the street?" Bai Chenzhu finally couldn't suppress his curiosity.
Jiang Ye turned around and launched a sneak attack, but Bai Chenzhu, who was prepared, nimbly dodged while holding her coconut.
Jiang Ye burst into laughter at his possessive manner.
Bai Chenzhu glanced at him, then calmly drank his beverage.
Jiang Ye stopped joking around, let out a sigh of relief, and leisurely asked with his hands behind his back, "What do you think of Li Minnian?"
"He's quite good. Although he's a bit old, he's good at handling things and is well-liked." Bai Chenzhu said truthfully. He had gone out with Zhou Zhuohua to get information and had also paid special attention to Li Minnian's activities in the past two days.
In his eyes, since dealing with Bai Guangzheng, Li Minnian seized the opportunity to escape house arrest and, in everyone's eyes, 'came back to life' and returned to the main house.
Since returning to his residence, Li Minnian has been working non-stop, coordinating and advancing various tasks such as recruiting and forming teams of superhumans, planning fishermen to go to sea, and planting crops. Even his secretariat is fully staffed.
Compared to Li Minnian, Bai Guangzheng is more like a spoiled rich kid who's just trying to "protect his empire." As long as he's strong enough, no one will dare to steal his money.
“Many people came to see him, and he even brought us a lot of food to express his gratitude, saying that he wanted to see you again when you woke up, but I don’t think it’s necessary,” Bai Chenzhu said frankly.
He paused. "Don't you have other ideas?"
Jiang Ye nodded. "I have a preliminary idea. Listen to it."
“You once asked me why I didn’t tell those influential figures about the fragments.” Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes. “What did I say back then? Because those who knew about the fragments are no longer here, and those who don’t know about the fragments won’t easily believe it.”
At this point, Bai Chenzhu understood, "You think there is Li Zhenzhen as a witness, and Li Minnian has gone through all this."
Jiang Ye sighed deeply, "It's not enough for just the few of us. As far as I know, they have quite a few people. We need allies."
But where can we find allies? The lords of these new bases are a good option.
Bai Chenzhu understood his meaning and nodded, "Indeed. I support your idea, but have you thought about how to say it?"
They walked side by side through the streets and stood by the sea. The huge, ship-like Holiday Inn stood in the center of the island, its silhouette like a reliable mountain.
Jiang Ye stared at the enormous 'ship' and twitched his lips. "A-Zhu, I still remember the story you told me. In the end, the villain destroyed that damned 'hope for the end times,' ultimately destroying the world and being despised by everyone."
"I have another version of the story here, would you like to hear it?"
“I’ve wanted to hear this for a long time.” Bai Chenzhu nodded. The time they had spent together was enough for him to vaguely learn a lot from Jiang Ye, but those were just shadows.
"Is that so?" Jiang Ye smiled and told him another version of the story's ending. He filled in the background and consequences of the story, as if he were rewriting an unofficial history, correcting it into a completely unfamiliar story.
In the stories Bai Chenzhu had read, Jiang Ye was the absolute protagonist. Everything went smoothly for him, he had women on both sides, and in the end, he acted on impulse and built the largest base, but he ended up destroying the zombie virus vaccine. He was a completely bad person.
However, according to Jiang Ye, at least in the end, he was not a 'God of War' who easily obtained everything. He struggled and climbed his way to the end, and he had relatives and friends, as well as a base that he cherished.
But all of this was destroyed because of a race that fell from the sky.
When faced with unfamiliar visitors whose allegiance was unknown, humanity split into two camps...
As the sun gradually moved westward, the coconut in his hand was long gone, leaving only the shell. Bai Chenzhu remained silent for a long time after hearing this, even showing some doubt.
The story of 'Jiang Ye' that he knew was more like the fantasy of an uninformed bystander, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
So, is that 'author' really the author? Or is he just like Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly without realizing it?
“I know what you’re worried about. If I hadn’t known you for so long, I wouldn’t believe it either.” Bai Chenzhu threw the coconut away and patted his shoulder. “Let’s call Tang Zhao and the others too. If Li Minnian doesn’t believe us, we can just leave.”
To their surprise, their journey to see Li Minnian went very smoothly. Li Minnian even took the initiative to dismiss everyone else, leaving only Li Zhenzhen behind.
They met in a conference room, which was rather rudimentary, with only a slightly larger round table in the center. Jiang Ye sat opposite Li Minnian, Bai Chenzhu glanced around and sat down next to him, and the others took their seats.
Li Minnian laughed heartily, "Young friend, you have done me and Zhenzhen a great favor. Please speak freely." He had long been prepared for Jiang Ye's arrival and had also thought of various arrangements for them.
But what Jiang Ye was about to say was not what Li Minnian had expected.
Jiang Ye remained silent for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Do you know about the Zerg?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com