68 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Jiang Yan Xin, feeling quite cheerful, glanced at the lunch spread and asked Qin Ke with a smile, "We’re having spaghetti for lunch?" "Yes, the beef sauce is ready. Once the pasta is cooked, it'll be ready to eat," Qin Ke replied, glancing at Jiang Yan Xin. Seeing her in a good mood and recalling that Chen Wan had just spent quite some time with her, Qin Ke could guess what had happened and held back a laugh, simply returning to her task of cooking the pasta. Jiang Yan Xin looked over at Yi Yi and Zai Zai, watching as Yi Yi chatted away, telling stories to the little guy who was happily nestled in her arms. Noticing Jiang Yan Xin’s gaze, Zai Zai took a moment to smile back at her. The aroma of beef made the little fellow restless; he wanted to see what delicious dish Auntie Qin Ke was making. He whined to Yi Yi, "Auntie, I want to see the food." As the vehicle's system, Yi Yi was always with them and understood Zai Zai's intention perfectly. She placed the little foodie in her arms, letting him see what Qin Ke was preparing. Qin Ke was plating the pasta when she noticed the little one watching her intently. She scooped up some beef chunks and offered them to Zai Zai, "Yang Yang, want to taste if it’s good?" This was exactly what Zai Zai had been waiting for. Opening his mouth wide, he devoured the spoonful of beef, his head bobbing with excitement, not forgetting to praise Qin Ke, "Delicious!" "If you like it, have some more later so you won’t be hungry with your little tummy," Qin Ke said as she turned, pouring the sauce over the pasta. Satisfied, Zai Zai savored the taste, contentedly swinging his short legs from Yi Yi's arms. Jiang Yan Xin chuckled and clapped her hands at Zai Zai, "It's time to eat, come over here. You've been clinging to Auntie for quite a while now." Only then did Zai Zai extend his hands toward Jiang Yan Xin. Yi Yi handed him over with a smile, "It's okay, he was keeping me company when I had nothing to do. Isn’t that right, Yang Yang?" "Yes!" Zai Zai nodded his small head obediently. Encouraged by Jiang Yan Xin, who played with him after the meal, the little guy felt more joyful, seeing more people in the vehicle meant more playmates. He swayed his short legs eagerly. Meanwhile, Chen Wan, still blushing from Jiang Yan Xin's earlier kiss, covered herself with the blanket, pondering the situation. She thought of herself as the mighty A, yet she got flustered from a simple kiss from her wife. Tightly cocooning herself, Chen Wan inwardly criticized herself several times over. "Chen Wan, how could you be like this? One kiss from your wife and you melt when you’re supposed to be the alpha!" She cautiously pulled down the blanket to reveal her head, only to recall the feeling of Jiang Yan Xin’s lips, causing her heart to race again. As much as she preferred direct lip kisses over cheek kisses, Chen Wan resolved to find an opportunity to return the gesture. The moment was interrupted when she heard Jiang Yan Xin calling her for lunch through the door, making her quickly retract her head again, responding softly, "Got it, I’ll be right out." Jiang Yan Xin knocked gently on the door before entering, finding Chen Wan burrowed under the soft bedding. Amused, Jiang Yan Xin closed the door behind her and playfully lay on top of Chen Wan, lifting a corner of the blanket to tease her, "Oh, Chen Wan, are you feeling shy?" "No, I’m just coming out for lunch," Chen Wan's raised her voice in denial. Jokingly, if she admitted, how could she maintain her reputation as the great alpha? Carefully, she moved Jiang Yan Xin off her back and hurriedly ran out of the bedroom without even fixing her hair, only adjusting it once she reached the bathroom outside. Jiang Yan Xin laughed so hard she almost cried; her alpha was adorably pure. A simple kiss could make her so shy, which was incredibly cute, but not wanting to truly upset her, Jiang Yan Xin also got up to prepare for lunch. Meanwhile, Yi Yi, who didn’t need meals or much rest, leaned against the driver’s seat, idly contemplating something. Around one o'clock, the motorhome hit the road again. Yi Yi planned to fill up at a nearby gas station, topping off the water tanks as well. Given the distance from Pingze City to the nuclear-leak-afflicted Linqi City, they hadn’t yet encountered any nuclear-mutated zombies. Many vehicles were converging in this area, likely heading to the largest survivor base in Funan City. Yi Yi found a gas station in the suburbs for refueling, while the others took a break. As they were refueling, a convoy of five small cars approached, evidently with the same intention of refueling. The convoy quickly parked near the pumps, and several men got out to start refueling their cars. They soon noticed the motorhome, and the leader, a man with a buzzcut, curiously approached to scrutinize it. Upon spotting Yi Yi and Chen Wan in the front seats, he paused in surprise, then couldn’t hide the excitement in his eyes. A teammate, noticing the leader's fascination with the motorhome, asked, "Li Zhe, what’s caught your attention inside the motorhome?" Joining him, this teammate was also momentarily stunned upon seeing Chen Wan and Yi Yi's appearances. Both women had clean faces and clothes, stirring conflicting emotions within him. His teammate nudged Li Zhe, laughing, "Li Zhe, are you attracted to them? Surviving in the apocalypse with such a vehicle indicates there’s someone powerful behind these women. We’re on a tight schedule, so don’t make any trouble." "I know, I was just looking. Why so many useless words?" retorted Li Zhe, glancing at Ma Yong Qing. Ma Yong Qing wrapped an arm around Li Zhe’s neck and chuckled, "Even if you fancy them, you need to be alive to enjoy anything. Our priority is surviving to reach the base in Funan City." "True, plus, my wife is with us; it's not possible to be blatant," Li Zhe said, flashing Ma Yong Qing a knowing smile. "Indeed, my partner watches me like a hawk," Ma Yong Qing laughed, shaking his head. Their exchange was interrupted by Li Zhe’s wife, Liu Jia Jia, who strode over, having had enough of their dawdling. She gave a dismissive glance at the motorhome and immediately snapped, "What are you two gawking at? Drooling over beauties on the road? Looking at the kind of people inside, wearing bright skirts even in the apocalypse; clearly nothing good!" As Liu Jia Jia glared at Yi Yi and Chen Wan through the window, Chen Wan found it absurd. Why blame them for another’s wandering eyes? Like blaming a girl’s short skirt when harassed on a bus, it was as ridiculous as a mad dog randomly biting people. Initially, Chen Wan intended to ignore the remark, but the woman’s aggressive attitude forced her hand. She asked Yi Yi, "How much longer to fully refuel?" "About ten more minutes," Yi Yi replied. She’d heard Liu Jia Jia's remarks but had hoped to ignore them since they were only verbal. A moment later, Chen Wan honked the vehicle’s horn. If these people were so idle with gossip, she'd give them something to do. After all, the motorhome wasn’t afraid of zombies. At the sound of the honk, zombies in the surrounding alleys started converging on the gas station. Li Zhe, shocked by the scene, glared at Chen Wan, "Damn, are you crazy? Honking now—do you want to die?" Still fuming, Li Zhe kicked the front of Chen Wan’s vehicle, hastily rallying his people to flee, "Go! Those crazy women are attracting zombies; if we don't go now, we’re dead." In no time, Li Zhe’s group abandoned their refueling, jumping into their cars, speeding towards the zombies to escape. Clearly experienced with dealing with zombies, they sped up and crashed through the horde to carve out an escape, their cars modified with roaring engines capable of creating an exit. Inside the motorhome, Chen Wan assessed, "These guys have some sense, modifying their cars to withstand zombie attacks." "Yes, but they can’t control themselves, and the woman is too mouthy. I doubt they’ll survive long," Yi Yi replied nonchalantly from the driver's seat. Neither was concerned about the approaching zombies. To Chen Wan and Yi Yi, they were merely moving crystal cores. After their last motorhome upgrade, they had over a hundred cores left, making this an opportune moment to collect more. While they were talking, the 5600-liter fuel tank was filled to the brim. However, there was still a considerable amount of gasoline left in the station's underground storage tank. Chen Wan, looking a bit regretful, asked, "Yi Yi, can't we store the remaining gasoline somehow?" "For now, we don't have the capability for that. But once our motorhome reaches level four, the fuel tank capacity will double to 11,200 liters. Then we'll be able to store a lot more gasoline. We just have to be patient," Yi Yi explained. She wasn't too worried about gasoline scarcity in the early stages of the apocalypse, as it wasn't as scarce as one might think. "I guess we'll have to make do with this. At least the tank is full," Chen Wan resigned. With the motorhome now fully refueled, Yi Yi hit the accelerator, driving straight towards the gathering horde of zombies. The area had been cleared out by the zombies, making it easier for Yi Yi and Chen Wan to maneuver. Yi Yi expertly drove through, ramming and crushing zombies, all while operating the mechanical arms at the back of the motorhome to hurl them away. Meanwhile, Chen Wan controlled the front mechanical arm, deflecting zombies and tossing aside any that got too close. After dealing with the zombies, they managed to collect 723 level-1 zombie crystal cores, which was more than enough to meet their daily needs.