Chapter 66 Being Family
Under the menacing gazes of those people, Jiang Ye hummed a lighthearted tune as he picked up the fuel nozzle and filled the car with gasoline. He casually tossed a lighter in one hand, his nonchalant demeanor radiating menace.
The group whispered among themselves and left, but Bai Chenzhu didn't think they would give up so easily.
Sure enough, the car was blocked by four other vehicles less than fifty meters from the service station, and was trapped in the middle.
"You can leave, but leave the car and the woman behind," the bald man in the car said menacingly, sticking his head out.
Jiang Ye chuckled, rolled down the car window, and casually waved his index finger, "You have a road to heaven but you don't take it, you have no way to hell but you insist on going through it."
"We should be the ones saying that," the bald man persisted, unable to understand how a group of three men and two women dared to say such a thing to eight burly men. He immediately began to curse, "Are you out of your mind? How dare you steal our lines?"
Jiang Ye shouted, "Come down and let's have a competition? If you lose, I'll give you the whole car. If you win, I'll make sure you don't have any underwear left."
"Come on, come on!" The eight of them quickly got out of the car, grabbed their tools, and gathered in the small open space in the middle of the car, their faces beaming with confidence and smugness.
Jiang Ye turned his head slightly, "Tang Zhao."
"Hey! Bro, I'm here!" Tang Zhao excitedly got out of the car.
"Me too! Me too!" Bai Tao shouted, but Zhou Zhuohua covered her mouth.
Zhou Zhuohua said helplessly, "Miss, please spare your own people."
Bai Chenzhu glanced at the sky, figuring it would be completely dark by the time the battle was over, and he'd probably have to spend the night at a service area. He took out a map and studied the terrain of Luming Ancient City. Before he could even memorize how many bridges and mountains there were in the ancient city, the results of the competition were announced.
Eight muscular men lay on the ground, groaning and begging for mercy. Jiang Ye, in a fit of kindness, stripped them down to their underwear—at least he left them a pair.
They also seized their stronghold—a small supermarket in the service area.
The supermarket must have been looted; the empty shelves had all been swept aside, garbage was piled up in the corners, and mattresses were laid out on the open floor in the middle. As soon as you entered, there was a strong sour smell.
Bai Chenzhu looked around and suggested, "Let's go next door. The passageway in the food street next door is spacious and doesn't smell as bad."
Bai Tao, covering her nose and clutching her instant noodles, was the first to cheer and run out.
Bai Chenzhu grabbed Jiang Ye, who was about to turn and leave, and said, "Come with me to see those people."
——
With their sleeping quarters taken over, these people could only huddle in the car, feeling wronged. As soon as they saw the two of them coming, they all looked like they were facing a formidable enemy.
The bald man, clutching his groin, begged for mercy, "Brother! Dear brother! We really have nothing left! All our food and drinks are in the supermarket. Take whatever you need. There are really no supplies in this car. It's chilly tonight, and we don't have any clothes. Could you leave us the car to sleep in?"
Without a doubt, Jiang Ye was already considered a ruthless bully in their hearts.
Jiang Ye chuckled twice, looking at Bai Chenzhu with great pride, showing off his competence. "What do you want to ask?"
Bai Chenzhu ignored him, "This place is very close to Luming Ancient City. Do you know what the situation is like inside Luming Ancient City?"
"Ah! You're going to Deer Cry Ancient City?" The man was startled and incredulous. "That place is full of zombies now, what's the point of going there!"
The original Luming Ancient City was a place that everyone longed to visit, especially at night. Buses would bring tourists to admire the lanterns and colorful lights in the ancient city, dancers would dance gracefully in the middle of the river, and actors would perform on stage to portray all aspects of human life.
Therefore, when the epidemic broke out rapidly, most people were not spared.
Even the administrators of Luming Ancient City abandoned their responsibilities and ran away irresponsibly when they discovered that the ancient city was almost entirely ill and beyond saving.
His escape caused even the normal people who were already observing to flee, turning the entire ancient city into a "sick" city, and now it's a zombie abode.
"We barely escaped from there! We were just going on a family trip, but we ended up getting into trouble there!" the bald man wailed.
Bai Chenzhu raised an eyebrow, coldly and ruthlessly exposing him, "So you're one of the people who ran away, and you abandoned your family?"
"They're not my wife and children anymore! They're monsters!" The bald man's face turned pale with panic as he remembered something.
His mention startled the other men, who then began to share their own experiences.
Bai Chenzhu coldly observed their discussion, which was nothing more than saying that they had no choice but to abandon the people around them, and how terrifying the monsters that people around them had become.
"Alright, I don't want to hear any of this." Bai Chenzhu spread out the map he was carrying. "Now, tell me one by one where there are the fewest zombies."
"If you dare to deceive us." Bai Chenzhu pulled out the dagger he was carrying and stuck it on the table.
The group fell silent, trembling with fear.
Jiang Ye led them to a carriage and kept an eye on them, forbidding them from whispering to each other. Only one person was allowed to go out and talk to Bai Chenzhu at a time.
Bai Chenzhu asked several questions, including which city gate had the fewest zombies and where was a good place to stay for a short time.
Although the answers obtained differed slightly, the general situation was already understood.
Bai Chenzhu put the map away and looked at Jiang Ye, "I'm done, let's go."
They left the carriage carrying the group and headed towards the food street.
——
The moon was only half full. Bai Chenzhu was walking side by side with Jiang Ye, but as they walked, he slowed down and stared at Jiang Ye's back in a daze.
Jiang Ye turned around and waited for him. "Let's go."
"Jiang Ye." Bai Chenzhu paused, a layer of emotion he couldn't quite explain rising within him, lingering in his heart, so much so that he asked a strange question, "If a family member is infected, will you become one of them?"
Jiang Ye's face darkened, his brows and eyes sharpening like knives. "Are you kidding me? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
Bai Chenzhu belatedly realized that the analogy was indeed incorrect. He shook his head, stepped forward, and patted Jiang Ye on the shoulder, "That's not what I meant, I'm sorry."
Jiang Ye remained silent for a few moments, then suddenly said, "I will stay with them until the end, rather than not even knowing where they die."
Bai Chenzhu suddenly remembered that the person in front of him had parents who were often away on business trips and lost contact with him in the early days of the apocalypse. They had also been missing in that 'book' ever since.
However, since he hasn't appeared for ten years, he must have already met with misfortune.
"I'm sorry." Bai Chenzhu knew words were inadequate, but she didn't know what to say to comfort someone.
He himself knew how painful it was to lose both parents.
Jiang Ye removed the hand that was on his shoulder. "We're alike, aren't we? You don't have any family here either."
Speaking of this, Jiang Ye actually felt happy. He curled up the corners of his lips, finding joy in the midst of hardship, "Look, we can be family to each other, and we won't be afraid of being alone anymore."
Bai Chenzhu stared at him blankly, the palm on his wrist burning hot, the heat seeming to rush to his heart through his veins. He suddenly pulled his hand away from Jiang Ye's, "Is that what you think? You consider me family?"
"You don't want to?" Jiang Ye retorted, a hint of grievance appearing between his sword-like brows. He looked at him with a downturned mouth and furrowed brows, his eyes shining.
Bai Chenzhu looked at it like he had seen an abandoned puppy, with the kind of aggrieved feeling that comes from wagging its tail and barking at him but being scolded. Its eyes seemed to be accusing him.
He softened and hesitated, "It's not that I'm unwilling."
Why is that?
Bai Chenzhu rarely doubted his own judgment, "Don't you think our relationship doesn't quite resemble that of brothers?"
He has already understood this through their interactions.
Jiang Ye isn't ignorant about love; he can connect men and women to love. However, he finds it difficult to connect men and women... or more accurately, he finds it difficult to fit himself into the framework of "Jiang Ye likes men," as if this logic could shatter him completely.
Male, female, correct.
Male, male, respect and blessings.
Jiang Ye, male, absolutely impossible.
Bai Chenzhu is male. Going back to the previous level of logic, Jiang Ye's brain short-circuited, and his 'brain circuit system' directly avoided the relevant words.
So whenever this happens, his mind gets all tangled up, spinning and twisting like a rope. He can't figure it out, so he eventually just goes around this contradictory knot and veers off to something else, categorizing close relationships as kinship, friendship, brotherhood, and so on.
Just like now.
Jiang Ye replied matter-of-factly, "No."
Bai Chenzhu gritted his teeth, "You..."
He didn't know what to say.
Jiang Ye was still waiting for him to speak.
What are you saying?
They were both in a state of mutual attraction. However, Bai Chenzhu himself was confused and acted on intuition, so it was impossible for him to so easily express his feelings first.
What's even more tragic is that the other one is a straight man who doesn't even realize it, constantly talking about brotherhood, but Jiang Ye's various actions suggest otherwise.
It would be incredibly difficult for Jiang Ye to suddenly realize that she likes men.
Bai Chenzhu rarely felt troubled. She took a deep breath, not wanting to look at Jiang Ye's face anymore, and looked elsewhere.
At this point, saying "Don't you like me?" would make him seem too narcissistic. Saying "Don't you think we're more like a couple?" would make him seem too presumptuous.
With her mind in complete turmoil, Bai Chenzhu sighed helplessly, "Go as you please."
Whatever.
Jiang Ye smiled and, catching Bai Chenzhu off guard, suddenly hugged her.
The hand encircling his waist was firm and strong, and his body temperature, higher than Jiang Ye's, was pressed against his chest. His warm breath was right next to his ear, and Jiang Ye's aura almost enveloped Bai Chenzhu completely.
"Don't be afraid, Ah Zhu. Even if you get infected, I will not abandon you."
It's always like this.
Bai Chenzhu should have found it annoying, but this person who was used to being alone was gradually getting used to Jiang Ye's approach.
“I’m not afraid.” Bai Chenzhu paused slightly, his initial stiffness gradually relaxing. He tentatively patted Jiang Ye’s back. “Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you.”
As Bai Chenzhu said those words, his heart was racing. He felt that everything was different now, concerning him and his connection with Jiang Ye.
He admitted that he was just an ordinary person, a selfish person, who did not believe in or want to believe in other people's promises because he felt that people are inherently selfish.
But one day, a day he never dreamed of, he would tell someone that he would never abandon them, even if they were sick.
How ridiculous! He only thought he was the same kind of person as those men, which is why he tried to probe and ask Jiang Ye.
But somehow, he blurted out those words.
Those were words spoken as if he were possessed by a demon, yet Bai Chenzhu felt that perhaps... he really could do it.
Jiang Ye released his hand, smiled, and raised two fingers to make a small figure. "You're already an ability user, so no matter how much you bite, you won't turn into a zombie. But what worries me is still your ability."
"You're too popular with zombies." Jiang Ye twirled the end of his hair and said helplessly, "I really want to hide you away, otherwise what will happen when all those zombies come and surround you?"
"A-Zhu, why don't you skip the Deer Cry Ancient City? Just wait for us at the service area, and I'll definitely come back to pick you up." Jiang Ye's brows furrowed with worry.
What kind of image does he have in Jiang Ye's mind?
Bai Chenzhu frowned and shook his head. "I haven't reached the point where I need protection everywhere. Don't worry, I can control my mental energy very well now. In Jinqiu Village, although what we saw was an illusion, the zombies inside the illusion didn't attack me en masse. Doesn't that mean I can control my mental energy very well?"
"Besides," Bai Chenzhu waved the map in his hand, "this is the fruit of my labor, do you want to take it for free?"
"Alright." Jiang Ye chuckled to himself.
"And Jiang Ye," Bai Chenzhu warned him solemnly, "we can be family, but not brothers. You can decide for yourself what to do."
He still had time and patience, for his own indecisiveness, and for Jiang Ye, who hadn't yet figured things out.
“However, my patience is limited. Perhaps one day I will change my mind, and then…” Bai Chenzhu paused, then smiled, his eyes crinkling with a hint of indifference.
As for what happens, when it comes to love, he has never made any clear statements or promises.
Jiang Ye looked at him in confusion, wanting to ask more, but Bai Chenzhu had already walked back ahead of him, leaving him only a back view as serene as a landscape painting.
Not brothers... Jiang Ye pondered carefully. The concept of family was too broad. He thought about it again and again, but it was as if a layer of fog was preventing him from thinking further, so he couldn't understand Bai Chenzhu's words.
A key piece of information flashed through his mind, but it was quickly denied by his cognition because of its contradictions, so much so that Jiang Ye felt that he had missed something but could not find the key.
What was missing? Jiang Ye had a headache and was extremely annoyed.
What can we do if we're not brothers? He scratched his head in frustration.
Relatives are nothing more than parents, sisters, brothers, mother and children...
Could it be... that they're going to be father and son?
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