121 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

As they were chatting in the courtyard, a few knocks resounded from the gate outside. Chen Wan was the first to go and open the door, closely followed by Qin Ke. When Chen Wan opened the door, she saw it was Han Qi again, the same person they had encountered on the road earlier. Seeing that the door wasn't answered by Shen Ming Yan, Han Qi paused for a moment, but then smiled at Chen Wan and said, "I was worried you hadn't eaten since coming from outside, so I had my aunt steam some buns and gather some wild vegetables from our village here by the river. It's not much, but please make do." Chen Wan's face remained expressionless as she politely declined, "No need, we already ate before we arrived. It's hard to come by food in the apocalypse, you should keep it for yourselves." She spoke while glancing past Han Qi, noticing Zhou Da Ye and the Fat Guy behind him. Zhou Da Ye was peering into the courtyard, but his view was quickly blocked by Qin Ke, who met his gaze with cold eyes, prompting Zhou Da Ye to avert his eyes. Han Qi's almost wavering smile stayed put; his usual ploy generally worked. No one freshly arrived from outside could resist steaming hot food – this was the first time he faced such a direct rejection. Quickly adjusting, Han Qi continued with a smile, “There’s really no need to be so polite, it’s just some home-cooked food. Please, do take it, Ming Yan, your friends are being too formal. Please, accept it.” Before Chen Wan could respond, Qin Ke coldly eyed Han Qi, “We already said no. Why? Must we accept it?” Han Qi hadn't expected the two alphas to be so unyielding. Worried about messing things up before getting them started, he forced himself to suppress his irritation, saying, “This is just a gesture of goodwill from us.” “But as I said, we don’t need it. Does Chief Han have any ulterior motives in mind? I recall an old saying: ‘Excessive courtesy often conceals evil intentions.’ Which one is it for you guys?” Chen Wan's lips curved into a smile, casting a cold look at Han Qi. This simple look made Han Qi step back slightly. The Fat Guy, not content, started shouting from behind Han Qi, “What do you mean! We came here to offer you food out of goodwill, and yet you suspect us? Unbelievable.” Han Qi nudged the Fat Guy, once again trying to assemble a smile. “It’s alright; amidst this apocalypse, it’s wise to be cautious. Since you’ve eaten already, we’ll take it back. It’s tough on everyone; having some food is not easy.” Chen Wan nodded, refraining from further words. Han Qi and his group of four turned to walk back, but once turned, Han Qi could no longer keep his expression controlled. He nearly threw the buns he was carrying. Ever since becoming village chief, no one had dared oppose him like this. The people brought by Shen Ming Yan were indeed interesting, yet he wasn’t worried. As long as they stayed, he had time to get them to lower their guard. As they walked further away, the Fat Guy started to complain, “Damn, Brother Qi, that group of Shen Ming Yan’s don’t know how to appreciate kindness. There’s only one man among them, just two alphas. If worse comes to worst, we could go in hard.” “It’s best not to. There aren’t many people left in our village; we shouldn’t fight unless it’s necessary. Moreover, the camper van Shen Ming Yan’s group has is quite nice. Once we have them, that van will be ours,” Han Qi replied, taking deep breaths to calm down, passing the large bowl of buns he carried to Uncle Zhou. “Uncle Zhou, take this back to eat. They are too guarded, seems like tomorrow everyone needs to put on a good show,” Han Qi planned with a furrowed brow. “Alright, we’ll follow your lead.” Uncle Zhou, too lazy to cook and short on food, grinned widely at receiving the buns from Han Qi, showing his yellowed teeth. “Disperse for now. Gather at the village committee meeting room at seven in the morning tomorrow. We need to figure out how to welcome our new guests,” Han Qi instructed coolly. “No problem, Brother Qi. I’ll go door to door to notify everyone,” the Fat Guy jumped to volunteer. With so many Omegas and Betas now, it had to be his turn to gain favor with Han Qi. Han Qi returned home with a stern face. Seeing his son back, Han De Liang hurriedly asked, “How did things go? Was it smooth?” “It’s not easy with Shen Ming Yan’s group; they embarrassed me. They didn’t want the buns or vegetables, claiming they’d already eaten. No matter how I persuaded them, they refused, and their words weren’t pleasant. We need to organize tomorrow’s welcome banquet carefully,” Han Qi reflected before replying. “Oh, you’re our only child with such potential. Your mother...she didn’t get to enjoy the good life before going to that warehouse. She’s probably starving over the past few days. We need to act quickly,” Han De Liang sighed softly. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve arranged everything. After the welcome banquet tomorrow, we’ll take the two male alphas from the courtyard they’re staying at. We won’t let Mom and the others go hungry,” Han Qi reassured after contemplation. “That’s good. Those ten people in the warehouse are really suffering,” Han De Liang sighed again. Meanwhile, Chen Wan and her group strolled near their courtyard before returning to the camper. Watching from next door, their neighbor Er Niu noticed none of them stayed in the house, instead returning to the camper, prompting him to report to Han Qi. “Chief, Chief.” Er Niu called out, breathless, before even stepping inside. “What is it? Is there any movement from Shen Ming Yan’s group?” Han Qi asked urgently. “Not really, it’s just strange. They have a perfectly good house but didn’t live in it. I saw them all return to the camper after leaving the yard,” Er Niu hastily explained. “It seems they’re really vigilant. Alright, I got it. Keep watching them, Er Niu. And promptly notify me with any updates,” Han Qi instructed. “Sure thing, Brother Qi. But, you know, keeping watch is quite tiring…” Er Niu hinted. “Looking to pick a wife?” Han Qi frowned at him. “No, no, I’m just following your orders. But about my sister, she’s always wanted a city alpha. I noticed there are two female alphas in Shen Ming Yan’s group, not bad looking either. Alphas aren’t much interested in the people from the village, could one be set aside for my sister?” Er Niu smiled at Han Qi. Er Niu could wait a bit longer, but his sister had pestered him numerous times about finding a city alpha. Left with no choice, he approached Han Qi with the request. Hearing Er Niu’s proposition, Han Qi chuckled. Er Niu's sister was plain and scheming, but the idea of Chen Wan and her group being taken home and bullied by the village Omegas satisfied him with a mysterious pleasure. Immediately, he agreed to Er Niu, “Sure, what about the female alpha in the green military shirt? She can be for your sister.” “Thank you, Brother Qi, thank you! I will definitely keep a close eye on them, make sure they don’t run off.” Er Niu gratefully promised. “No need to mention it; we’re all on the same side. You brought up a good point. Those two female alphas are indeed good-looking. If there’s interest, they won’t be sent to the warehouse but kept here for the village Omegas’ fun,” Han Qi noted with a chuckle. “But the one in the green shirt is promised to my sister, no one else.” Er Niu reiterated firmly. “Rest assured, she’s definitely your sister’s,” Han Qi reassured, promising himself that the woman in the green shirt wouldn’t have it easy after rejecting him twice. Unaware that she had already been promised away by Han Qi, Chen Wan was happily cuddling Zai Zai inside the camper. Qin Ke, thoughtful, commented, “That Han Qi coming over earlier definitely held no good intentions. We should be careful.” “Yes, let’s see what exactly they’re up to,” Chen Wan replied, squeezing Zai Zai’s tiny hand as they played. After a while of playing with Zai Zai, everyone decided to turn in early for rest. As Jiang Yan Xin showered, Chen Wan cuddled with Zai Zai on the bed, trying to reason, “Darling, isn’t that small bed adorable?” Zai Zai followed her gesture, looked, and then nodded earnestly. Seizing the moment, Chen Wan gently probed, “Darling, the little bed is so lovely. Would you like to sleep there?” Hearing this, Zai Zai shook his head vigorously like a little drum, “No, no, I want Mommy and Mama~” Amused, Chen Wan watched Zai Zai snuggle into her embrace, patting his small bottom, before sighing, “Alright, but you’re so adorable; I guess we’ll wait a bit longer before you sleep in the little bed, okay?” “No, no! I want to sleep with Mama and Mommy forever~” Zai Zai pouted, looking at Chen Wan with pleading eyes. Watching the adorably aggrieved Zai Zai in her arms, Chen Wan wondered when she and her wife could have some alone time. As Jiang Yan Xin emerged from her shower, she noticed Chen Wan’s forlorn look directed at Zai Zai and asked, “What’s wrong now? Why are you looking at our baby that way?” “Yang Yang said she wants to sleep with us forever,” Chen Wan replied, holding the little one with a hint of helplessness. "Really? Does Yang Yang love us that much? Then let's all sleep together," Jiang Yan Xin teased, brushing her hair as she playfully engaged Chen Wan. Chen Wan could only sigh in resignation, lifting Zai Zai to plant a kiss on the little one. After all, Zai Zai was their cherished little bundle of joy. If that meant all sleeping together, so be it; she would think of another way to gently persuade Zai Zai to try the small bed tomorrow. Watching Chen Wan's face, which clearly screamed "I give up," Jiang Yan Xin found it amusing. She reached over to stroke Zai Zai’s small face before caressing Chen Wan's, comforting her, "It's okay, we can connect through our mental link later. It’s all the same. If we sleep together, we sleep together." Chen Wan pouted a bit, knowing full well that, within the mental link, it was always her who ended up on the receiving end of her wife's playful teasing, unable to gain the upper hand against her. With one arm holding Zai Zai, Chen Wan used her other hand to gently tug Jiang Yan Xin's wrist, mischievously pleading, "Wife, will you go easy on me this time? I'm out of energy." Jiang Yan Xin, using her free hand to tousle Chen Wan's hair, readily agreed, "Alright, I'll let you be the one taking the lead later, how about that?" "Mmm," Chen Wan nodded vigorously. Once they had coaxed Zai Zai into sleep, Chen Wan, beaming with sweetness, was ready to engage in their special mental exchange. Soon enough, they found themselves in their familiar dark space. Yet, things didn't unfold quite as Chen Wan had imagined, as she found Jiang Yan Xin not quite living up to her promise of letting her take the initiative. After their exchange, Chen Wan was left sweaty and exhausted, pitifully wrapping herself up in her blanket. Turning her back to Jiang Yan Xin, she firmly decided to give her the silent treatment for the night. Why had Jiang Yan Xin gone back on her word?