108 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Yi Yi watched Jiang Wan Ning dash off, her charming almond-shaped eyes blinked, filled with self-congratulatory pride. Not only did she declare her intention to be Wan Ning's girlfriend, but she had also even stolen a kiss. No wonder Chen Wan listened to Jiang Yan Xin so willingly—if Wan Ning would let her cuddle and kiss her every day, she wouldn’t mind being obedient too. At this moment, Yi Yi completely ignored her previous complaints about Chen Wan being henpecked. Contentedly lying down, Yi Yi felt that the instructional videos in her light brain were exceedingly helpful. She resolved to study them even more. With cheeks flushed, Jiang Wan Ning returned to the second floor. Even as she lay on the sofa bed, her heart was still hammering away—“thump, thump, thump.” The two kisses replayed incessantly in her mind. That person was truly bold. She hadn't even agreed to be her girlfriend yet, and Yi Yi had already kissed her! What would happen in the future if she agreed? However, Jiang Wan Ning's face was full of smiles as she buried herself in her blanket and rolled about, her eyes curved into crescents. Jiang Wan Ning didn't plan to accept so easily. She intended to tease Yi Yi a little more. Chen Wan woke up early the next day. Looking at Jiang Yan Xin nestled in her arms, her eyes softened with affection. Her wife treated her so well—whatever she wanted last night, her wife cooperated. Chen Wan pecked Jiang Yan Xin on the corner of her lips, hoping she’d sleep a bit longer, and gently rose to head to the living room. As expected, Qin Ke was already up. She was steaming buns and sipping tea, with Yi Yi standing beside her, chatting. “Morning.” “Good morning. A few more days of early to bed and early to rise. Maybe when Yan Yan returns, I won’t have to get up so early.” The RV had started upgrading at two yesterday afternoon. Considering the twenty hours required for the upgrade, it would be complete by ten this morning. This meant they’d have the afternoon to search for the materials Yan Yan needed, bringing her return one step closer, which put Qin Ke in increasingly high spirits. Chen Wan chuckled, “Indeed. I wonder if this upgrade will provide extra rooms. We don’t want to find ourselves short on space.” Yi Yi nodded along at hearing this. When would she and Wan Ning get to live together like Chen Wan and her friends? Chen Wan and Qin Ke had a few bites of breakfast and started strolling around the RV, fitting in some morning exercise. Chen Wan lowered the steel panels around the RV, allowing warm sunshine to flood inside, making her feel that this life with family and friends was not much different from before the apocalypse. But this was merely an illusion; such serene beauty was fleeting, and the end times had just begun. Chen Wan and the others were up early, and so were Ye Lan and Jiang Zhao Yuan. They had already washed Zai Zai and were coming downstairs, carrying him. Zai Zai’s big eyes were still squinting. Upon seeing him, Chen Wan immediately reached out to take him, “Mom, let me hold Yang Yang for a while.” “Alright, here you go. The little one isn’t fully awake yet, still a bit grumpy after waking.” Ye Lan chuckled as she handed Zai Zai over. Watching the still-dozing Zai Zai, Chen Wan smiled softly, pulling him into her arms and gently tapping his little nose, “Baby, not fully awake yet? Want to nap for a bit in Mommy’s arms?” Zai Zai, eyes still closed, snuggled against Chen Wan, genuinely ready to nap a bit longer. Sitting on the sofa, Chen Wan let Zai Zai use her as a makeshift bed, carefully draping an extra jacket over him. One arm circled Zai Zai while the other flipped through a leisure book. The more Ye Lan observed Chen Wan, the more satisfied she felt. The RV belonged to Chen Wan, stocked with ample supplies. Moreover, Chen Wan had two formidable friends, and her temper was consistently good. Unlike many apocalyptic Alphas who accumulated a harem of Omegas with a bit of power, she treated both her daughter and Yang Yang exceedingly well, spoiling the child beyond measure, determined to give him the very best. Ye Lan thought, if only her Wan Ning could find someone who treated her as well as Chen Wan did to her family. Just as the thought crossed her mind, Ye Lan noticed her daughter talking with Yi Yi. Clearly, it was Yi Yi who was pursuing Wan Ning while Wan Ning paid her little mind. Ye Lan felt this wouldn’t do; her daughter’s attitude would delay any romantic prospects. She figured she ought to encourage her daughter to be kinder to Yi Yi. Who knows, they might just work out? Unbeknownst to Ye Lan, Jiang Wan Ning was embraced by Yi Yi and kissed twice just the night before. Behind Jiang Wan Ning, Yi Yi seized the chance, pulling Jiang Wan Ning’s wrist when everyone’s attention was elsewhere, softly asking, “Why are you ignoring me?” Jiang Wan Ning shot Yi Yi a glare and whispered, “You don't know? Think carefully about what you did wrong, and then I'll talk to you.” “Please, Wan Ning, just tell me. You humans are so complicated. A simple micro-expression can supposedly unravel eight hundred different stories—my light brain is struggling to understand,” Yi Yi trailed after Jiang Wan Ning, complaining softly. “If you can’t figure it out, think it over slowly. And stop following me so closely; my parents are here,” Jiang Wan Ning’s mood lifted seeing Yi Yi being so compliant. However, she was puzzled by why her mother kept glancing over. Could she possibly have noticed something? “Oh,” Yi Yi pursed her lips, her charming almond eyes blinking at Jiang Wan Ning, making Jiang Wan Ning’s heart flutter with the urge to pat Yi Yi’s head. Nevertheless, with so many people around, she restrained herself. Instead, she took a bun from the pot for breakfast and sat beside Chen Wan, watching the little one sleep. Little Zai Zai indeed treated Chen Wan like his personal bed, snoozing soundly in her lap with chubby arms and legs occasionally twitching, invoking an irresistible urge to give them a playful squeeze. After a solid hour of sleep in Chen Wan’s arms, the little boy finally nuzzled his face deeper against Chen Wan, waking with a murmur. Chen Wan squeezed his little chubby arm gently, her voice soft, “Awake? How about Mommy gets you some breakfast? Want little dumplings or buns?” “Dumplings, beef ones,” Zai Zai mumbled, not yet opening his eyes, but quick to place his order. “Alright, Auntie will cook for you. Play with Mommy for a while first.” Jiang Wan Ning stood up to prepare food as Zai Zai started playing with Chen Wan. Once Zai Zai was munching on the dumplings, Jiang Yan Xin emerged from her room. Having enjoyed a good mood the previous day, she and Chen Wan had stayed up late, and now she awoke in search of food. She decided to cook herself a bowl of dumplings too—they had made plenty the day before, with many still left in the fridge. As Jiang Yan Xin ate, Chen Wan discussed with the others about searching for nearby scrapyards or similar establishments once the RV upgrade was complete, as such places typically had ample steel and metal alloys available. However, Jiang Wan Ning wasn’t familiar with the location of any scrapyards. They’d just have to drive around in their RV to find one. At 10 AM, the RV upgrade concluded on schedule. Yi Yi sat beside Chen Wan, and seeing Jiang Wan Ning nearby, she had learned her lesson, broadcasting the update clearly: “RV upgraded to Level 4 successfully. All RV attributes improved. Host gains one attribute enhancement opportunity, acquires one mechanical arm, compressed space upgraded to 120 square meters, fuel and water tank capacities increased to 11,200 liters. Additionally, the second floor now features a small room (15 square meters with an ensuite bathroom) and a simulated sunlight room for growing fruits and vegetables.” Upon hearing Yi Yi’s report, Chen Wan felt a wave of relief. With more people aboard, the expanded water and fuel capacities were a necessity. Chen Wan first installed the mechanical arm to the left front of the RV, giving it two front arms and one rear arm—superb for fending off zombies. She then applied the attribute enhancement to her agility, thus illuminating all her attribute enhancements. Having done so, Chen Wan planned to focus on upgrading one specific attribute. With the extra small room and simulated sunlight room, Chen Wan was keen to check them out. “Yi Yi, what do the new room and sunlight room look like? Take us to see them,” Chen Wan suggested thoughtfully. “The room and sunlight room are upstairs. Let's go take a look together,” Yi Yi smiled, leading the way. Yi Yi led the group to the second floor, to the empty space behind the bathroom. In the same spot relative to the first floor, there was now a doorknob. Yi Yi turned the knob and opened the door, inviting everyone to enter. Chen Wan observed that the setup for the second-floor room was identical to their first-floor rooms, fully equipped with amenities. Smiling, Chen Wan said, “Perfect timing with Yan Yan coming back, this room is just right for Qin Ke and her group.” Yi Yi blinked at Jiang Wan Ning, thinking they needed to level up quickly—they didn’t have a room yet. Jiang Wan Ning felt Yi Yi’s gaze was utterly baffling. She didn’t understand why Yi Yi looked at her when the room was meant for Qin Ke's group. She had a place to sleep, didn't she? “Shall we take a look at the sunlight room now?” Chen Wan was curious, as most of the other additions were within expectations, but the sunlight room was something new. “The sunlight room is over there,” Yi Yi pointed to the wall behind the rocking chair on the second floor, where a door had now appeared in the previously bare space. Yi Yi pushed the door open, revealing a room filled with soft, black soil. The entire space was about twenty square meters, resembling a small garden. Chen Wan nodded, slightly puzzled. They had the sunlight room now, but in the midst of the apocalypse, where were they supposed to get seeds? She asked, “Yi Yi, where can we get seeds?” Yi Yi smiled and explained, “Seeds can be exchanged using zombie crystals. One crystal from a level-one zombie can be exchanged for 10 level-one plant seeds. Similarly, a level-two zombie crystal can be exchanged for 10 level-two plant seeds, and so on. We can plant and water them in the sunlight room. Thanks to the special enhancements of the simulated sunlight room, the plants will mature every five days, so everyone should be able to enjoy vegetables and fruits soon.” The news made Chen Wan exceptionally happy. It had been a while since they had tasted fresh vegetables. The little one had suffered from constipation several times, relying on honey to manage. Now with access to vegetables and fruits, Zai Zai’s nutrition would improve, and everyone would enjoy some fresh produce. “That’s fantastic! We’ll finally be able to enjoy some vegetables. Once this batch is ready, we can even have a hot pot,” Chen Wan said with a smile, and everyone else shared in the excitement.