Chapter 15: Sharing a Room
29th floor of the high-rise.
The room, with its lights turned off, was steeped in darkness. Only faint traces of light from outside spilled in, illuminating the edge of the floor by the window.
In the stillness of the night—suddenly, a thud.
Light sleeper that he was, Yan Chuanbai’s eyes snapped open.
The sound of a window latch clicking down followed, and in that instant he flipped upright in bed, gaze shooting toward the window.
The night was heavy, the cool wind stirring.
The window was wide open, and a familiar figure appeared outside. Qi He was clinging to the frame, white shirt fluttering lightly against the sheer glass façade nearly thirty stories high.
Yan Chuanbai’s breath stopped for a second.
They locked eyes for two seconds before Qi He said, “I’m a little scared. Can I come in first?”
“……”
Yan Chuanbai fixed his stare on him.
“I’m scared too.”
After a moment, Yan Chuanbai lowered his voice.
“Come in.”
Qi He propped himself up with both hands, flipped inside, and landed in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
The system’s soul was shaken to its core:
[…This is your method!?]
Qi He said, “See? I’m in now.” That neatly avoided all excuses and tug-of-wars.
The corner of his shirt fluttered in the wind.
Suddenly, a figure brushed past him. Yan Chuanbai had stood up to close the wide-open casement window, then turned back to look at him:
“You’re hanging outside my window in the middle of the night instead of sleeping—what are you doing?”
Qi He said, “My water heater broke.”
Yan Chuanbai’s brow twitched.
“…What?”
The setup was painfully cliché, straight out of some third-rate novel: late at night, borrowing a shower, the two of them alone in one room… But the one saying this now was Qi He.
So he asked again, “And then?”
Qi He sighed. “Also, I haven’t eaten all day.”
The jump in topics was too abrupt, but Yan Chuanbai forced himself to be patient.
“And the connection is?”
Qi He took out a crystal core and placed it by the table.
“Just let me use your bathroom. I want to wash… a hot vegetable dish.”
“…”
Yan Chuanbai looked at him for two seconds, the color of his eyes darker than the night outside.
“What, vegetables have evolved to the point where washing them in cold water makes them catch a cold?”
Qi He said to the system, “See how considerate he is? He even came up with a reason for me.”
[…I don’t believe that counts as a reason.]
Yan Chuanbai’s gaze lingered on him.
Qi He simply stood there quietly. He seemed to have a certain quality about him: no matter how absurd the situation, his attitude was so natural it somehow made it feel reasonable.
After a pause, for reasons even he might not know, Yan Chuanbai finally said: “Go ahead.”
Qi He nodded at those words and walked toward the kitchen counter.
Halfway there, he suddenly remembered and turned his head to Yan Chuanbai: “You can go back to sleep, or wait until I’m done, and we can eat together?”
He said it as though the place were entirely his own.
Yan Chuanbai tugged faintly at his lips and murmured, “You think I could sleep now?”
Qi He gave it some thought: since there would be a late-night snack, it was time to activate Plan B.
“Then wait until I’m finished.”
…
From the bathroom came the sound of running water.
On the frosted glass flickered a blurred silhouette, carrying a certain suggestive allure. Yan Chuanbai sat on the bed facing the bathroom, the corner of his temple twitching.
He couldn’t shake from his mind the image of Qi He “washing vegetables.”
Soon, with a loud bang, the bathroom door swung open.
Qi He stepped out carrying a bundle of freshly washed vegetables.
Steam still clung to the air. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, slightly damp, revealing lean, fluidly shaped forearms.
He walked straight to the counter and began cooking.
Yan Chuanbai remained sitting on the edge of the bed. The entire floor was open-plan save for the bathroom; a single glance took in everything.
Above the counter, a small lamp glowed to life.
The warm yellow light spilled down as Qi He deftly dropped vegetables into the pan. With a sizzle, smoke and aroma burst out in a wave of homely fragrance.
Yan Chuanbai asked, “What are you making?”
“Creamed mushrooms and cabbage vermicelli.”
Truthfully, he had wanted to cook something more elaborate, but the interval between two plot segments was too short—there were only ten minutes left until the second part.
After that, Yan Chuanbai said no more.
Qi He timed everything precisely, finished the dishes, scooped them into bowls, and said,
“All done. Come eat.”
With one long stride, Yan Chuanbai walked over.
The dining table was right by the counter.
Yan Chuanbai pulled out a chair and sat down. Seeing Qi He still standing nearby, he raised an eyebrow.
“Why are you still standing there?”
Qi He was looking at the prompt panel before his eyes:
…Yan Chuanbai utterly despises you and is about to forcibly drive you out. You decide to go all the way—directly take off your white shirt, stand before him, and sedu▇▇▇▇
[Two minutes remain until the key plot ends. Please hurry, Host.]
Qi He answered Yan Chuanbai: “Right away.”
With that, he went all in, lifting his hands to strip off his white shirt. The hand Yan Chuanbai had pressed on the edge of the table suddenly tightened. This time, he didn’t avert his gaze—he stared motionlessly as Qi He pulled the shirt off, revealing a plain undershirt beneath.
“I was afraid I’d get my shirt dirty.”
Saying this, Qi He pushed the bowl closer toward Yan Chuanbai, teasing his appetite.
“I added minced meat to your portion. Eat up.”
“……” Yan Chuanbai.
[……] The system was utterly dumbfounded:
[This is your idea of seduction!? So abstract!?]
“As long as it clears the stage, it works.”
Beep! Key plot completed.
Qi He sat down, lifted his bowl, and said,
“Hurry and eat. If you don’t, the minced meat’s mine.”
Yan Chuanbai drew in a breath and picked up his chopsticks.
—
When the late-night meal was finished—
Yan Chuanbai gathered up the dishes. Qi He, having wrapped up the plot segment, no longer cared who cooked or who cleaned. He lounged on the sofa beside the dining area to digest, confirming with the system:
“So nothing else for me to do in the second half of the night, right?”
[Strictly speaking, you’re supposed to pester him relentlessly and stay here.]
Qi He let his fingertips rest lightly against his lower abdomen.
“Strictly speaking” meant “not actually necessary.” The system knew his temperament well, and was about to say go on home when Qi He unexpectedly replied:
“Alright.”
System: [?]
Qi He gazed up at the ceiling, the faint glow of the light strip reflected in his eyes. In the “plot” to come, he might have even deeper entanglements with Yan Chuanbai. He wanted to know just where Yan Chuanbai’s tolerance line currently lay.
The sound of water stopped—Yan Chuanbai had finished washing the dishes.
Leaning back against the sofa, Qi He spoke:
“Can I sleep here tonight?”
Clang—a bowl seemed to knock against the counter’s edge.
Qi He pushed himself upright, only to see Yan Chuanbai standing behind the kitchen counter, staring straight at him. The overhead light cast down from above, throwing the tall figure’s shadow across the counter. Yan Chuanbai watched him for a long moment:
“Sleep here?”
“I’ll just take the sofa.”
That firm line of lips seemed to press together.
Just when Qi He thought Yan Chuanbai would ask him for a reason, he instead heard only:
“And then?”
Yan Chuanbai’s gaze lingered on him with meticulous attention, just as it had when Qi He first arrived—waiting, as if expecting some “follow-up.”
Qi He’s lashes flickered.
“There’s no ‘then.’”
The gaze withdrew.
Yan Chuanbai bent down to put the dishes into the cupboard, then straightened again. Without looking at him, he said in a tone that sounded almost indifferent:
“Suit yourself.”
The system silently widened its eyes: [——]
So—sharing the same room was within tolerance.
Hearing that, Qi He lay back down on the sofa.
“Then I’ll sleep.”
“Mn.”
…
The next morning, the alarm rang.
There was a meeting at 9:30.
When Qi He opened his eyes and sat up from the sofa, he happened to see Yan Chuanbai’s back as the man sat on the edge of the bed, slipping on his shirt. The taut, fluid lines of his back rippled once before being covered.
Yan Chuanbai stood, glanced at him, and said:
“Time to get up.”
After that, he turned to freshen up.
“System, what time is it?”
[9:00]
Half an hour left.
Enough time for him to return to his own place, wash up, and change clothes. Qi He waited for Yan Chuanbai to finish, then went out the door with him, heading for the elevator.
The two of them stood waiting in front of it.
The floor numbers ticked downward—ding! The doors slid open.
Yu Jin was inside, pushing Yu Jiang’s wheelchair.
Their eyes met, both sides pausing for a beat. Then Qi He quickly offered a greeting.
“Morning.”
Yan Chuanbai also gave a small nod. After the two stepped into the elevator, Qi He pressed the button for the 28th floor.
Yu Jiang looked at the two figures in front of her, eyes widening slightly.
Two of the four S-Ranks.
Leaving the same residence, early in the morning.
She was astonished, whispering,
“You two are…”
Both men turned their heads at once.
Qi He was just about to explain when Yan Chuanbai said coolly, “Former teammates.”
He left it there, but then—keeping the proper distance—added, “Already settled.”
At that moment, ding! The elevator reached the 28th floor.
Qi He said to Yan Chuanbai, “I’ll head back and change clothes. See you in the meeting room.”
Yan Chuanbai nodded.
“Alright.”
The elevator doors closed again.
In the quiet space, Yu Jiang’s pupils trembled lightly. Ex-boyfriends… they’ve even kissed.
She hesitated, baffled, before finally asking:
“Then… how can you still share the same room?”
Yan Chuanbai turned his head, brows faintly furrowed.
“Why not? We’ve only cleared things up—it doesn’t mean we can’t work together.”
Just then the elevator stopped at the ground floor.
Finishing his words, he stepped out first, leaving Yu Jiang behind in stunned silence.
—
Qi He returned, got himself ready, and arrived at the conference room right at 9:28.
Today was the S-Rank meeting.
In total, only four people were present. Yu Tianxing and the others were already seated at the table. When he pushed the door open and entered, Yu Jiang’s eyes seemed to widen, lingering on him for several seconds before she quietly lowered her gaze.
Qi He: “?”
But soon, Yu Tianxing got straight to the point, smiling as he said, “Everyone’s here, then let’s begin.”
The meeting was chaired by Yu Tianxing.
Qi He had never asked about his ability, but he’d heard it had to do with brain-domain evolution—put simply, a natural-born scientific prodigy.
At the moment, the first thing Yu Tianxing raised was the heavy rain from two days ago and the signal at the relay station:
“It’s now confirmed that mutant plants can fuse with zombie genes and evolve into higher-order intelligent organisms. As for the soil after the rain… we can’t confirm whether the active organisms in the earth itself have mutated.”
While speaking, Yu Tianxing deliberately raised his voice a little:
“Personnel have already been sent to reinforce the relay station’s defenses, to prepare against new types of mutations.”
After finishing, he drew a line beneath the listed topics on the whiteboard.
“That brings us to the second matter—our three primary outbound missions at this stage.”
He raised his fingers one by one:
“First, search and rescue operations outside the base.
Second, resource gathering and zombie extermination.
Third, bringing back more experimental samples.”
Currently, Qi He had only taken on the latter two types of missions.
Search-and-rescue meant being away from the base for too long. For one thing, combat-type S-Ranks were needed to defend the base. For another—his plotline was still tied to Yan Chuanbai.
Thinking that, he glanced over at him.
Just as his eyes fell that way, Yu Jiang—sitting opposite—also glanced at him.
“?”
Yan Chuanbai’s senses were sharp—he noticed the situation at the conference table almost at the same time and, for no reason at all, glanced over at Yu Jiang.
Three pairs of eyes formed a neat little triangle.
At the front, Yu Tianxing, who was in the middle of speaking: “…”
He smiled gently, spring-breeze soft. “Did I… just happen to say some kind of keyword that triggered something strange?”
The three of them all withdrew their gazes at once. “Go on.”
Yu Tianxing: …
The topic slid back on track.
This time, though, he shifted his gaze toward Qi He and Yan Chuanbai, his expression growing a touch more serious. “Now comes the most important matter. We’re preparing to establish a training ground.”
“Back when the base was first built, it hadn’t yet been taken over by the military. Now that the system’s in place, it’s about time we put it to use. Especially after this latest emergency, the issue has become even clearer—most people who’ve entered the apocalypse may have awakened abilities, but their physical conditioning and combat awareness are still far from enough.”
Qi He felt something stir, meeting Yu Tianxing’s eyes.
“The new training ground,” Yu Tianxing said, “I’d like to put under the guidance of our two combat-type S-rank ability users.”
He clasped his hands together, smiling. “Qi He~ I don’t suppose that’ll be a problem for you?”
From the way he phrased it, it was obvious Yan Chuanbai had already agreed.
Qi He thought for a moment. “I don’t mind.”
He just wasn’t sure if the students would feel the same way.
Yu Tianxing, oblivious to his thoughts, brightened. “Then starting tomorrow, I’ll leave it in your hands!”
…
The meeting wrapped up in an hour.
Qi He and Yan Chuanbai both rose and left.
When the door shut behind them, Yu Tianxing lingered at the table, tidying up his papers. Yu Jiang hadn’t left yet, waiting quietly for Yu Jin to come push her wheelchair. She stayed in silence for a while—until Yu Tianxing suddenly asked, mild as ever:
“During the meeting, what exactly were you all staring at?”
Yu Jiang blinked, skipped past his question, and instead asked, “So… you also know about their relationship?”
Yu Tianxing immediately looked up. “What relationship?”
Yu Jiang shook her head. “If you don’t know, then I won’t say.”
Yu Tianxing, “???”
What was that supposed to mean—those two have some kind of other relationship in private?
—
The training ground was put into use the very next day.
It had been built in the northwest corner of the base and covered a vast area. A new batch of recruits had just arrived, and the members—old and new—were mixed together, then randomly assigned under Qi He and Yan Chuanbai.
When Qi He arrived outside the training ground, he saw a sea of people crowded in the field.
His trainees were on the left.
Walking closer, he realized quite a few familiar faces were among them: the entirety of Ke Yuan’s squad, as well as Ji Yan’s trio. The moment Ke Yuan and his men spotted him, their expressions turned instantly sour.
Ji Yan, on the other hand, greeted him without fuss: “Yo.”
Qi He arched a brow at him in reply, then went straight ahead to put on his tactical harness.
In the ranks, Ke Yuan’s eyes trailed after him.
Only after confirming Qi He had walked far enough did his face twist with resentment. He hadn’t forgotten the humiliation at the base gates—but now that Qi He was an S-rank, he couldn’t hope to beat him in a fight.
His gaze swept around, settling on the unfamiliar new recruits. After brewing on it for two seconds, he let out a long, put-upon sigh. “Ugh… why’d we have to get assigned here of all places?”
The rookie beside him, confused: “What’s wrong with here?”
Ke Yuan shot him a quick glance, then muttered in a low voice, “His ability is gravity—total cheating! And it’s only rumored he’s S-rank. He’s never even been tested. Who knows if he can actually teach anything…”
Before he could finish, Ji Yan—close enough to overhear—snapped his head around, frowning:
“What the hell are you muttering about?!”
Ke Yuan, “…”
He cursed under his breath—“lapdog”—and fell silent.
Though he stopped talking, the newcomers exchanged glances.
None of them had ever seen Qi He’s abilities in action.
But judging from that slender figure… most likely he was just relying on the advantage of his power. Besides, S-rank was a classification of mental strength; when it came to actual combat instruction, he might not even be better than an A-rank in the combat division.
So why should he be the one to teach them?
Their gazes drifted over to the training ground next door: now that Colonel Yan from the regular army—that seemed far more convincing!
Meanwhile, Yan Chuanbai was studying the roster.
Sensing faint glances being cast over from the neighboring group, he looked up, his gaze lingering for several seconds.
Qi He returned just then, having finished gearing up.
The moment he reached the front of his squad, he keenly picked up on the faces—many of them wearing expressions that all but spelled out defiance.
He arched a brow and said flatly, “From today on, I’m your instructor. Anyone who wants to challenge me is welcome anytime. If you can beat me, the instructor’s position is yours.”
At that, the squad stirred.
The veterans instantly shut their mouths, not daring to make a sound.
Especially the ones who had once ridden in Qi-Qi high-speed car—even their eyes darted away…
In the silence, a newcomer suddenly spoke up: “But what we’re learning is hand-to-hand combat and adaptability! Against someone whose ability gives them an unfair edge, we can’t even get close to you in a fight.”
“Exactly—if we’re talking pure combat ability, you—”
Qi He was just about to reply.
When suddenly—every hair on his body bristled, a massive sense of danger jolting through him!
In an instant, he leapt half a meter backward.
None of the trainees had yet reacted when sharp icicles suddenly shot up from the ground—right where Qi He had just been standing.
And the instant he dodged back—gunfire rang out.
Bang!
A bullet slammed into the floor.
A figure followed close behind—thud!—crashing into Qi He, pinning him down. Strong, taut legs locked him in place as Yan Chuanbai loomed over him from above, gun muzzle pressing down.
Qi He jerked his head to the side.
Bang! The bullet grazed past, leaving a scorched mark on the ground.
A rush of exhilaration flooded his body. He looked up—Yan Chuanbai stood against the sunlight, gaze lowered, eyes shadowed.
In just half a second, Qi He twisted and reversed their positions, gravity slamming down as he straddled Yan Chuanbai’s waist, seizing the gun barrel in one hand—
His heartbeat thundered, his breath ragged. “Yan Chuanbai.”
**TN
Sorry for the delay. Our country got hit by a super typhoon, and I lost my internet connection. Cri.
Omg stay safe!!