“Slurp.”
In the stillness of the night, aside from the crackling pop of burning firewood, the sound was absurdly loud. It carried clearly to both Mo Chu and Li Chen—so clear neither of them could pretend not to hear it.
The two exchanged a glance. Then Mo Chu followed the sound with her eyes.
Behind the same tree where they had picked up the bucket earlier, a girl was crouched halfway down with half a bundle of firewood in her arms. One hand was still stretched toward a dry branch on the ground, as if she had wandered over while gathering wood and then frozen in place mid-motion.
Her eyes were locked straight ahead.
More accurately, they were locked onto the pot of fish soup.
Mo Chu could practically swear the girl’s eyes were glowing green.
Mo Chu: “…”
So that loud swallow just now had been her?
Seriously? It was only a pot of plain fish soup. Was it really that tempting?
Mo Chu looked back at the soup, then at the girl again. Seeing the other woman still standing there in a daze, she found herself, for once, completely at a loss.
She had survived six years in the apocalypse in her previous life. Even if she had never been one of the truly powerful survivors, she could still shamelessly claim she’d seen her fair share of battles and disasters.
But even so, she had never encountered a situation like this.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, she finally said, “…Um.”
The moment she spoke, the girl snapped out of it and looked over.
In the flickering firelight, Mo Chu finally got a good look at her face.
Her features were delicate, but her brows were bold and boyish, giving her an easy youthful charm. When she parted her lips, a pair of little tiger teeth peeked out, making her seem unexpectedly earnest and a little silly.
The girl glanced at Mo Chu.
Then at the soup.
Mo Chu asked, “Do you want some soup?”
At the exact same time, the girl blurted out, “Do you want seasoning?”
Both froze.
They stared at each other—and immediately caught the identical spark lighting up the other’s eyes.
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
Agreement was reached instantly.
The girl hurriedly scooped up the scattered firewood from the ground, excitement spilling out of her voice.
“Wait for me! I’ll go grab the seasonings right now. Just turn the fire down first so the soup doesn’t boil to mush. You only have to let me drink one bowl! Just one! I haven’t had a single hot meal in over a week!”
Her enthusiasm was infectious. Mo Chu nodded immediately.
“Okay!”
Then she quickly urged Li Chen to lower the fire.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but she thought she caught the faintest trace of amusement in Li Chen’s eyes. He lifted a hand toward the flames, and the fire instantly died down to a gentle simmer.
Meanwhile, the girl bundled up the wood in her arms and prepared to run back for the seasonings.
But just then, the man who had slammed shut his trunk earlier the moment he saw Mo Chu drive over came hurrying toward them. He shot Mo Chu and Li Chen a wary look before grabbing the girl by the arm and lowering his voice, clearly thinking they couldn’t hear him.
“Didn’t I tell you not to come over here for firewood? Why did you come anyway?”
“So what if I did?” the girl replied casually.
The man choked on her answer, irritation flashing across his face.
“What were you talking to them about just now?”
The girl answered honestly, “I said I’d bring them some seasoning, and they said they’d let me drink fish soup.”
As she spoke, excitement crept back into her voice.
“I need to hurry and get the seasoning.”
She tried to leave again.
The man grabbed her arm once more, the refusal flying out before he could even think.
“No.”
The girl frowned. “Why not?”
The man stalled for a second before saying self-righteously, “Because I said so. I’m your boyfriend—I’m not going to hurt you, am I? I’m doing this for your own good.”
Then he softened his tone.
“Come back. We can make fish too.”
The smile in Mo Chu’s eyes faded instantly, replaced by faint disgust.
I’m your family. Your lover. Your friend. So every choice I make for you is for your own good—whether you want it or not.
Her expression stayed calm as she waited for the girl’s response.
Then she heard the girl ask bluntly:
“Do we even have a pot?”
The man: “…”
“Can you catch fish?”
“…”
The girl delivered her final conclusion with complete sincerity.
“Then where exactly are you planning to get fish soup from?”
Anger crept into the man’s voice.
“You—ever since you awakened your ability, you’ve stopped listening to me more and more. Do you think I’m useless now? Are you planning to dump me?”
The girl went quiet.
After a moment, Mo Chu heard her say softly:
“Have you ever considered that maybe the problem is you?”
Her voice was flat now, completely different from the lively, energetic tone she had before.
The man opened his mouth again, but before he could speak, she smoothly twisted his arm away and turned back toward Mo Chu.
“I’m going to get the seasoning now! Wait for me—I’ll be right back!”
For some reason, Mo Chu suddenly wanted to laugh.
And then she really did.
The moment she relaxed, her features softened with it. Firelight flickered across her face as her lips curved into a smile, and for an instant she looked almost unreal—like something that might dissolve into the flames if you looked away too long.
The girl stared blankly.
Then hurriedly said, “Wait for me!”
And promptly dragged her boyfriend away by brute force.
Watching them leave, the smile in Mo Chu’s eyes slowly faded.
Li Chen looked at her for a moment before suddenly holding out a piece of chocolate.
Mo Chu blinked in surprise and accepted it.
“Eat,” he said quietly.
Mo Chu looked at him—and laughed again.
Not long after, raised voices drifted over from the other camp.
Someone with a shrill voice was accusing the girl of taking their supplies to trade for food just for herself.
Through it all, the so-called boyfriend didn’t say a single word.
Then the girl’s voice rang out calmly:
“If you really think I’m wrong, you can put down the bread in your hands right now. After all, I’m the one who found all this food.”
Silence immediately followed.
A while later, the girl returned, her expression as relaxed as ever.
Mo Chu didn’t ask any questions. She simply accepted the seasonings the girl handed over.
There was a surprising amount—salt, MSG, pepper, cumin, everything.
Once they reached Li Chen’s hands, every single one became a weapon for making the soup irresistible.
A richer, deeper aroma slowly spread through the night air.
Mo Chu quickly dug out three empty water bottles and sliced them in half to make crude cups. Then she snapped a branch from the tree, shaved it smooth, and turned it into makeshift chopsticks.
Simple bowls. Simple chopsticks.
And impossibly delicious fish soup.
Mo Chu took the first sip.
Whether it was because Li Chen’s cooking was genuinely amazing or because she hadn’t eaten hot food in far too long, the taste exploded across her tongue with almost overwhelming satisfaction.
As for the girl—she clearly hadn’t lied about not eating a hot meal in over a week. She didn’t even wait for the soup to cool before gulping it down happily.
The pot was emptied clean in no time.
Full and satisfied, the girl flopped straight onto the ground without a shred of restraint and sighed dramatically.
“Now this feels like living.”
Then she turned toward Mo Chu and Li Chen.
“So, what are your names?”
They had shared an entire meal without even learning each other’s names. It was hard to say which side was more reckless.
Mo Chu smiled.
“Mo Chu.”
The girl waited a moment, but Li Chen said nothing.
She tilted her head toward him. “What about the cool guy over there?”
Knowing Li Chen’s personality, Mo Chu answered for him.
“His name is Li Chen.”
The girl studied them for a while.
Li Chen barely spoke to anyone, but his hands never stopped helping Mo Chu clean up the bowls and chopsticks. And though his expression remained cold, the way he looked at Mo Chu was unmistakably different from how he treated everyone else.
After watching long enough, the girl suddenly wailed dramatically:
“How come everyone else’s boyfriend is handsome and considerate, but mine’s only got a face and absolutely nothing else going for him?!”
Mo Chu froze.
She was just about to explain that Li Chen wasn’t her boyfriend when the girl abruptly sprang upright like a carp flipping out of water, wiped her face, and declared:
“Forget it. At least he’s still good-looking. For that face alone, I can endure it!”
Mo Chu: “…”
Well.
Being pretty really was a resource.
The interruption made her completely forget to explain.
At that moment, the girl finally introduced herself.
“My name’s Kang Xingchi. Honestly, you two are really interesting. If I didn’t have to escort those people to the survivor base, I’d probably just follow you instead.”
Kang Xingchi?
Mo Chu’s hands paused.
That name…
Could she really be the Kang Xingchi she knew of?
Mo Chu looked up at her.
The girl was smiling brightly in the firelight, full from the meal and clearly in a good mood.
But the more Mo Chu looked, the harder it felt to connect her with the Kang Xingchi from her previous life. Though she had never actually seen that Kang Xingchi before, she definitely hadn’t imagined someone with this kind of personality.
Questions swirled in her mind. Just as she was about to probe further, she saw the girl’s boyfriend jogging toward them again.
Mo Chu swallowed her words back down.
The smile on Kang Xingchi’s face faded as well.
The man seemed completely oblivious. His expression was stiff, his tone unpleasant.
“You done eating? Can you come back now? Everyone’s waiting on you.”
Kang Xingchi smiled sweetly.
“Waiting for me to do what? If they’re tired, they should sleep. It’s not like I’m not coming back.”
The man snapped, “You know perfectly well—”
Kang Xingchi cut him off with sudden realization.
“Oh, I get it. Without me keeping watch, none of you dare sleep, right?”
She gave a soft laugh.
“If you’d just said so directly, I would’ve come back immediately.”
His face darkened at once.
But Kang Xingchi looked utterly sincere, as though she had only made an innocent observation.
After a long pause, the man finally eased his expression and reached for her hand.
“A’Xing,” he said gently, “stop making trouble. Come back with me.”
This time, Kang Xingchi said nothing.
She simply waved at Mo Chu over her shoulder before following her boyfriend back to their camp.
Mo Chu watched them leave, the unease in her chest growing heavier.
Kang Xingchi…
Could she really be the same Kang Xingchi from her previous life?
But there was no point dwelling on it now. Once they disappeared into the darkness, Mo Chu shook herself out of her thoughts and continued cleaning up.
Then Li Chen suddenly pressed a hand over hers.
Mo Chu looked up.
Half his face was illuminated by the firelight, beautiful enough to seem almost unreal. In a low voice, he said:
“Go rest in the car. I’ll handle this.”
Mo Chu didn’t argue with him. She simply nodded and climbed into the car with Xiao Jin.
A little while later, Li Chen joined them. Seeing Mo Chu resting in the passenger seat, he immediately made her move to the back, leaving the more spacious area to her while he settled in front with Xiao Jin.
Mo Chu lost the battle without resistance and could only lie down in the backseat.
Sometime deep into the night, a sudden sense of dread jolted through her chest.
Mo Chu’s eyes flew open—
just in time to see Li Chen in the front seat sit upright as well.
Their eyes met.
At the exact same moment, a shrill scream tore through the darkness outside.
