AERHABDAW 04

Chapter 4: Borrowing a Car

Shao Leyan gave a bitter laugh. “If you really think about it, a sweet, innocent girl versus a sickly, tragic type—you can tell who would be more popular! If I were the male lead, I’d choose the sweet girl too.”

“Ugh! I’m putting in all this effort just to help you get over your past! You have to understand, the world isn’t short of men. Forget that ex-husband already, and make room in your heart for a new handsome guy!”

The moment the words left her mouth, Le’an quickly realized she might have said the wrong thing again.

She stole a glance, and as expected, Shao Leyan’s small mouth was pouting to the extreme.

“I said he’s not my ex!”

“Well…”

Le’an pretended not to hear Shao Leyan’s protest. After all, she would have to get used to this way of addressing him sooner or later.

“We’re almost at the Chiyan Zone. Let’s grab some supplies first. Otherwise, we’ll starve before even meeting Fu Xingchen.”

Shao Leyan shivered all over. “Are we going to run into zombies? Honestly, I’m a little scared—they’re so ugly, and they smell terrible.”

“You don’t need to fight. You don’t have enough meat on you for them anyway. Wait in the car; I’ll go by myself.”

Shao Leyan smiled brightly. “You’re really kind.”

Le’an was momentarily dazzled by that delicate, lovely smile and smiled awkwardly in return.

“It’s no trouble at all.”

Chiyan Zone.

Before leaving, Le’an had repeatedly instructed Shao Leyan not to get out of the car, to lie low if she saw any zombies, and she had followed those instructions.

But in this world, unexpected things always happened.

“Miss, are you alone?”

Shao Leyan turned at the sound.

She didn’t consider herself a stunning beauty, but she wasn’t the kind of person who would scare people away either. Yet the man who spoke to her let out a scream sharper and more piercing than a pig being slaughtered the moment he saw her face.

“Holy crap! Zombies!”

Just as Shao Leyan looked around to find the zombies, a wooden vine, as thick as her thumb, shot straight toward her face, and she jumped aside in fright.

“Ah!”

The vine pierced her shoulder, and she gasped in pain.

If she hadn’t dodged in time, it wouldn’t have been her shoulder but her head that the vine penetrated.

Old Li stared in shock at the red blood flowing from Shao Leyan’s wound, completely flustered.

“You… you haven’t turned into a zombie? Oh my god, I’ve caused a huge mess! Are you okay?”

When the vine was withdrawn, it pulled out an even larger pool of blood. Shao Leyan’s face turned visibly pale and weak.

Old Li felt guilty but powerless. He tried to open the car door to help her down, when a cold, indifferent male voice sounded from behind.

“Old Li, what happened here?”

Old Li turned, ready to face whatever came, and the injured Shao Leyan was fully exposed in front of Fu Xingyan.

“Sorry, Director, I accidentally hurt someone.”

Fu Xingyan glanced at the exposed shoulder—what was there barely counted as a wound—and sighed in frustration at her foolishness.

“I know you’re young and full of vigor, but if you have needs, have a proper relationship. Don’t do anything reckless. Now, apologize.”

“Ah? What?”

Though Old Li was confused, he followed Fu Xingyan’s gaze and looked at Shao Leyan.

The shoulder that had been bleeding heavily just moments ago now only showed a faint red mark. Shao Leyan didn’t seem surprised and turned her head away.

“What… what happened?”

Shao Leyan shot him a glance, feigning a cold, serious expression as she dismissed them.

“I’m fine. You can leave now.”

Old Li, still in shock, didn’t notice the subtlety.

“I get it—you awakened a healing ability when the zombie bit you, right?”

Fu Xingyan frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Director!”

Old Li, eager to clear his suspicion, cheerfully revealed Shao Leyan’s secret.

“We just ran into her being attacked by several zombies. We thought she was dead, but she miraculously awakened a healing ability.”

Shao Leyan couldn’t stand being misunderstood and impatiently clarified.

“I didn’t awaken any healing ability. Stop spreading nonsense.”

Fu Xingyan silently observed the two of them, standing calmly aside.

He didn’t believe someone who had been throat-slash killed by Lu Chuchen could survive by awakening a healing ability on their own.

Anyone Lu Chuchen aimed to kill—even the King of Hell wouldn’t dare take.

Old Li assumed Shao Leyan was too weak to hide her abilities from strangers and hastily explained.

“Don’t worry. We’re ability users from the dungeon, not the crazy ones in the Chiyan Zone. Even if we knew your secret, we wouldn’t harm you.”

Shao Leyan pressed her lips, deciding to stay put for now.

Let the misunderstanding remain—it didn’t matter. They were probably just NPCs in this world; she might never see them again.

“So, why did you come looking for me?”

“Oh, it’s like this. One of the cars in our convoy got a flat tire. We couldn’t all fit in one car, so we thought we might find a working car nearby—and that’s how we ran into you.”

“I see.”

Shao Leyan breathed a sigh of relief and softened her tone.

“Sorry, this car belongs to my brother. He went in to get supplies and I don’t know when he’ll be back. You should check if there’s another car nearby.”

At this point, any reasonably intelligent person could detect Shao Leyan’s refusal.

But today, she encountered someone obstinate.

Fu Xingyan’s smile was light but unreadable.

“We can share our supplies with you. Bring your brother back. The car is ours; the supplies are yours.”

The offer was fair, but Shao Leyan always listened to Le’an. She couldn’t make the decision alone.

“I don’t dare go in. If you’re not in a hurry, you can wait until he comes back and talk to him.”

Fu Xingyan considered it for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Old Li, seeing their hesitation, slumped at the front of the car.

“Your brother really is careless, leaving you here alone. Aren’t you afraid of getting eaten by zombies again?”

Seeing that they had no intention of leaving, Shao Leyan felt uneasy.

She had never been alone with two unfamiliar men, and just moments ago, she had been attacked. Though she had healed, her clothes were still torn and bloodstained.

Seeing Shao Leyan remain silent, Old Li tactfully didn’t push further.

But Fu Xingyan, after observing her for a while, grew increasingly interested, his curiosity burning like a flame.

“I’m Fu Xingyan, and he’s Li Ming. May I know your name?”

Fu Xingyan!

His name differed by only one character from Fu Xingchen, the target Shao Leyan was trying to strategize with—they might even have some other connection.

Shao Leyan forced a smile.

“Shao Leyan.”

Fu Xingyan raised an eyebrow. “Your name is beautiful.”

Shao Leyan was momentarily stunned, a flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

From childhood, no one had ever praised her. Her parents were always demanding, as if she could never satisfy them.