98 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Jiang Wan Ning couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked, "In your mind? Are you both telepathic?" Yi Yi nodded with a smile and explained, "Yes, of course. Chen Wan is my host. We don’t need to speak aloud; we can communicate within our minds." "Oh." Jiang Wan Ning glanced at Yi Yi, who was smiling, and responded indifferently. Qin Ke looked at the four people around her. She felt the atmosphere becoming subtly delicate and decided to observe from the sidelines with interest. Chen Wan remembered Jiang Yan Xin getting jealous last time, so she quickly cleared her throat and changed the topic, "By the way, Yi Yi, what materials do we need for the next upgrade?" "We need 1,000 second-level zombie cores, 30 heavy trucks, and 500 small cars. Previously, we absorbed 9 heavy trucks and 541 small cars. We have over 700 first-level zombie cores and 236 second-level zombie cores. Additionally, we have three first-level mutant animal cores. Overall, we have enough small cars, but we'll need to keep searching for the rest of the upgrade materials." Yi Yi quickly calculated using the light brain as she spoke. "Alright, let's look for opportunities to gather items at Busan University tomorrow while collecting more cars or zombie cores. Zombies are getting smarter; we need to upgrade the RV as soon as possible to ensure everyone's safety," Chen Wan suggested after some thought. "Yes!" Zai Zai, resting in Jiang Yan Xin's arms, enthusiastically kicked his little legs, amusing the adults. Jiang Yan Xin playfully teased Zai Zai, nuzzling his belly, "Little rascal, chiming in without understanding. Look at the rolls on your little tummy." Zai Zai pouted, squeezing his tummy rolls, and whined cutely to Jiang Yan Xin, "Chubby~" "Exactly, little rascal’s chubbiness." Jiang Yan Xin laughed and played with Zai Zai’s belly rolls. Zai Zai didn’t mind, happily nestled in his mother’s embrace while she entertained herself. Chen Wan, having nothing more to say, took Zai Zai from Jiang Yan Xin's arms. With a smile, she said, "That's about it. We don't know the route to Busan University anyway. Let's wing it tomorrow. Everyone's had a long day; let's rest early." "Okay, I'm going to rest as well." Qin Ke, noticing Yi Yi looking her way, quickly avoided eye contact and took a leisure book to her lower bunk, soon lying down to read under the light. Jiang Yan Xin planned to take a bath and rest early. Chen Wan, carrying Zai Zai, prepared to return to their room to tell him a story. Yi Yi, noticing the room emptying, grabbed Jiang Wan Ning’s wrist. Jiang Wan Ning blushed at Yi Yi’s boldness, her initial jealousy of Yi Yi's telepathy with Chen Wan subsiding. "Wan Ning, are you tired? If not, chat with me, won’t you? Look at them, disappearing on us. How unkind." Yi Yi grumbled about her friends, who couldn't even stay for a simple chat. Was it that hard? Her bright peach blossom eyes held Jiang Wan Ning's gaze, left hand still holding her wrist, with no intention of letting go. Embarrassed by Yi Yi’s gaze, Jiang Wan Ning forgot her earlier envy and readily agreed, "I’m not that tired. I’ll keep you company for a bit." "I knew you were the best. They're unreliable." Yi Yi's eyes brightened further upon hearing Jiang Wan Ning's agreement. She finally released the wrist she was holding and moved closer, "Let me tell you about one of my past hosts; that one was a real mess. I thought I'd never become human with them. Can you guess what happened?..." Yi Yi launched into her storytelling enthusiastically. Having been pent up at the base, she relished having a gentle audience like Jiang Wan Ning, narrating with vibrant emotion. Qin Ke, casually reading about treacherous romance, noticed the lively exchange and glanced over. Something seemed off between Yi Yi and Jiang Wan Ning, she mused, seeing hints earlier. Thus, Qin Ke lazed in bed, alternating between reading and spying, feeling inexplicably light-hearted. With friends like these, cherished and soon on a mission for essentials, her spirits were high. Listening to Yi Yi's stories, Jiang Wan Ning found them amusing, told with humor, yet felt increasing heartache for Yi Yi. Only after hosts completed specific tasks could Yi Yi appear in human form in their worlds. Many hosts tried but failed early, leaving Yi Yi as a system waiting around. She couldn't remember how many hosts had come and gone before Chen Wan, who miraculously seemed reliable. They managed to bind the RV to the system, leveling up impressively, allowing Yi Yi to eventually regain human form. No wonder she was such a chatterbox. Jiang Wan Ning’s eyes grew misty with emotion, alarming Yi Yi, who had never caused her listeners to cry. Didn’t expect the gentle girl to be moved to tears already. Panicking, Yi Yi comforted softly, "If you don’t want to hear more, I’ll stop. Don’t cry, please. I don’t know what to do." She hurriedly pulled tissues from the box on the table, ready to wipe Jiang Wan Ning’s tears. Jiang Wan Ning sniffled, unwilling, tears slipping down her cheeks. As Yi Yi prepared to wipe them away, Jiang Wan Ning gently touched Yi Yi’s hair, startling her into silence. “I’m fine. I just wanted to say, you can talk to me anytime, about anything. I’ll always listen.” Though her eyes remained red, she smiled warmly at Yi Yi. Yi Yi barely comprehended the words, dazed by the affectionate head pat. Across countless worlds, despite once being synthetic, she’d never been treated like this before. "Warning! Warning! CPU overheating, enabling automatic cooling." Yi Yi jumped at the light brain's alert. However, overheating from a mere head pat? Was such a reaction necessary? Clearly, it was: her CPU overheating flushed her face pink. Last time she analyzed why humans blush; now she could barely consider her own reaction. Jiang Wan Ning noticed Yi Yi's flushed face, her tears giving way to a grin as she shook Yi Yi’s wrist, "Weren't you getting tissues to wipe my tears? If you don’t hurry, they’ll dry on their own." "Ah, oh, right!" Yi Yi replied hastily, cheeks bright with embarrassment, awkwardly using a tissue to dry Jiang Wan Ning’s tears. Jiang Wan Ning noted Yi Yi's reddened ears, chuckling as she asked, "Do you androids blush when embarrassed too?" "Warning! Warning! CPU overheating, increasing fan speed." Yi Yi’s light brain warned once more. Yi Yi's enchanting eyes blinked in confusion, hurriedly denying, "Uh, blushing is just a system glitch, normal; it repairs itself. We don’t get embarrassed. That's a human thing, not us." Jiang Wan Ning saw Yi Yi stammering and laughed, clearly disbelieving but didn’t press further, "I’m alright now. Let’s continue chatting." "Ah? Now I'm suddenly tired." Yi Yi brushed her hair aside casually, giving an excuse. Her CPU hadn’t cooled yet; continuing would be risky. She hadn’t figured out what was wrong. "Not chatting? Didn’t you say you don’t need sleep? Why rest so early?" Jiang Wan Ning inquired, recalling Yi Yi's claims of not needing food or sleep. "We also go into system standby. It's late; you should rest upstairs." Yi Yi stood, intending to rise, but found herself blocked, unsure what to do. Jiang Wan Ning noticed Yi Yi's uneasiness, smiled, and took her wrist, "Just one last question. Answer and I’ll go to bed." Yi Yi would have preferred Jiang Wan Ning leave quickly so she could address the CPU mystery. She couldn't possibly blush like a human. She wasn’t as timid as Chen Wan around Jiang Yan Xin. Meanwhile, Chen Wan sneezed in the bedroom. Zai Zai looked up and asked Chen Wan, "Mommy, what's wrong?" "It's nothing, just someone missing Mommy, so I sneezed," Chen Wan said, as she continued to gently rub Zai Zai's little belly. Zai Zai, ever the charmer, chimed in, "It was me missing Mommy~" "Alright, my baby missed me," Chen Wan said, lifting him up and planting several kisses on his little cheeks, utterly unaware of her system's grievances about her. Back in the small dining area, Yi Yi quickly promised, "Alright, I will definitely answer well." Jiang Wan Ning, her ears tinged with red, stood up, looking shyly at Yi Yi. "Did you ever have a girlfriend in those other worlds? A boyfriend counts too." Yi Yi felt stunned by the question; she had never dated anyone, having been purely a supportive system to her hosts. She quickly shook her head, "No, I only ever assisted hosts with their missions." Jiang Wan Ning, her ears still red, swiftly walked towards the small elevator and left Yi Yi with a simple, "Got it, I'm going to rest now." Yi Yi sat there, puzzled by Jiang Wan Ning's question, lost in thought. Finally, her CPU returned to normal, and she pulled out the sofa bed, planning to ponder why her CPU suddenly overheated. Qin Ke had noticed Jiang Wan Ning's flushed cheeks as she walked back and recalled the earlier buzz from the small dining area. Qin Ke realized she'd once again witnessed some juicy drama firsthand!