133 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

To save time, Chen Wan and her friends picked up two more basins and began to bathe Er Hua, San Hua, and Si Hua simultaneously. Each puppy was dirtier than the next, yet surprisingly, unlike typical puppies who fear baths, they seemed to enjoy the warm water. As their owners washed their fur, the little dogs squinted their eyes contentedly, with Er Hua even drifting off to sleep. As she scrubbed Er Hua's fur, Shen Ming Yan chuckled, "They're enjoying this, aren't they? Look, they're falling asleep." "Yeah, I've never been so comfortable," Qin Ke mumbled softly next to Shen Ming Yan. Her girlfriend had never bathed her like this, yet these lucky pups were getting such royal treatment. Startled by Qin Ke's comment, Shen Ming Yan glanced at her, leaned in close, and whispered, "If you want, I can wash you too. Anyway, I don't sleep much at night." "No way," Qin Ke stubbornly replied. Even when she wasn't at her best, the thought of her girlfriend bathing her felt like admitting defeat. Shen Ming Yan merely smiled knowingly, planning to persuade Qin Ke later on. After several rounds of water changes, the puppies finally revealed their original fluffy white coats. Yi Yi dried them off completely and initiated the RV's automatic cleaning function, erasing all traces of water from the floor. The little dogs were then set free to play. Seeing Zai Zai comfortably sprawled on its mother's lap, the puppies hurried over, mimicking Zai Zai's actions and lying down nearby. In the midst of the canine crowd, Zai Zai fit right in with its adorable peers. Meanwhile, Ye Lan and Jiang Zhao Yuan washed their hands and prepared to cook. It had taken over an hour for Chen Wan and her friends to bathe the puppies, and now it was nearly 5 p.m., with breakfast still untouched from the morning. Ye Lan and Jiang Zhao Yuan, having eaten beef dumplings with Zai Zai at noon, weren't very hungry. But concerned about Chen Wan and her friends' hunger, they quickly set to work in the kitchen. Looking at the large pieces of octopus on the cutting board, Ye Lan couldn't contain her smile. Thankfully for them, since Chen Wan had rescued them from the base, they hadn't faced hunger. Ye Lan expertly scored a large piece of octopus, planning to stir-fry it, while slicing another piece for barbecuing. She brushed it with seasoning and placed it in the oven, preparing grilled octopus alongside rice. Chen Wan and the others, famished, devoured the massive pot of rice, which barely satisfied them. Chen Wan and Qin Ke ended up boiling 30 more beef dumplings to completely quench their hunger. Zai Zai, having never tried squid before, relished the meal. Jiang Yan Xin, concerned it might be hard for Zai Zai to chew, cut the squid into small pieces. Zai Zai happily gobbled them up with rice. The puppies, however, were too stuffed to take any interest in the human meal. They rested on the floor, occasionally glancing at Zai Zai, eager to play once it finished eating. By 6 p.m., rain began to fall from the sky once more. Yi Yi absorbed several military vehicles and drove to the bridge to refill the water tanks before driving the RV across. Trailing the RV was a refrigerated truck, prompting Yi Yi to proceed cautiously to avoid any mishaps. They stopped a distance from the bridge on a safe stretch of road, choosing to rest for the night as it was too risky to continue without streetlights. When Chen Wan went to retrieve Zai Zai from the pile of puppies, they reluctantly clung to it, not wanting Zai Zai to leave. She picked up Zai Zai, petting each puppy in turn before reluctantly taking it away. "You're really popular, aren't you, little one?" Chen Wan teased Zai Zai, squeezing its chubby little leg. "I’m cute~" Zai Zai declared, looking up at its mommy with wide eyes, not forgetting to praise itself. Laughing, Chen Wan playfully patted Zai Zai's little bottom, "Yes, you're the cutest." The adorably sweet Zai Zai clung to Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin for bedtime stories, soon falling asleep. Chen Wan leaned over and whispered mischievously in Jiang Yan Xin's ear, "Let's tuck the baby into her own bed. She’ll sleep until morning, won’t she?" Smiling, Jiang Yan Xin wrapped her arms around Chen Wan's neck, "Alright then, but if she asks tomorrow, you’ll have to explain it to her." "Don’t worry, darling, I'll handle it perfectly," Chen Wan reassured her, planting a quick kiss on Jiang Yan Xin’s lips before going to tuck Zai Zai in. Zai Zai was sound asleep as Chen Wan carefully moved it to its crib, tucking it in snugly. Returning to bed, she hugged Jiang Yan Xin and kissed her, "Sweetheart, it’s our private time now. Remember last time when you bullied me in the mental realm? Tonight, you're going to listen to me." "Sure, I’ll follow your lead," Jiang Yan Xin agreed, teasing Chen Wan affectionately, knowing she owed her alpha a bit of sweetness. Meanwhile, Qin Ke was laying in bed with Shen Ming Yan, recalling her earlier jealousy of the puppies. She pecked Qin Ke on the cheek and asked, "How about that bath I offered?" "I’d prefer to help you bathe," Qin Ke quickly retorted. "Want to have a little contest?" Shen Ming Yan suggested, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Qin Ke. Qin Ke, stubbornly asserting herself, replied, "Bring it on. I let you have it last night. I was too tired from patting you to keep going." Amused by her alpha's bravado, Shen Ming Yan kissed Qin Ke's neck before proposing, "I’m not tired. How about we try going non-stop tonight?" "Let’s," Qin Ke bravely accepted, though internally wondering whether her right arm would still be functional tomorrow. While Chen Wan and Qin Ke enjoyed their rooms, Yi Yi sighed on the sofa, lamenting her bashfulness. With the dogs occupying the first floor, she felt too shy to be affectionate with herself. Determined, Yi Yi resolved to upgrade the RV, longing for private space to try out new things with her girlfriend. In her free time, she had learned new skills in the virtual world, eagerly awaiting a chance to experiment with them. The next morning, Chen Wan awoke early. The sky remained filled with heavy clouds, a murky gray hovering on the horizon. Despite it being summer and the clock striking 6 a.m., it was still dark, with low visibility. Gazing at the gloomy weather, Chen Wan felt a twinge of unease. After a quick sesame soup, she discussed the previous day's haul with Yi Yi, planning to inventory their supplies before setting out around 8 a.m. "How well did we do yesterday? How many Level 2 zombie cores do we have now?" Chen Wan inquired, considering their gains. "Adding what we retrieved from Dr. Wang’s box to what we collected ourselves, we have 4,639 Level 2 zombie cores in total, along with 723 Level 1 zombie cores, one Level 3 mutated animal core, 1,321 small vehicles, and 238 large trucks. After deducting the refrigerated truck, there are 237 large trucks left. We've got everything we need for the upgrade except two more Level 3 mutated animal cores," Yi Yi summarized from her data. Chen Wan nodded, somewhat at ease. They just needed to find those two remaining cores on their way to Beijing. One by one, the occupants of the RV awoke. In the distance, she heard Jiang Yan Xin calling out, announcing Zai Zai's wakefulness. Saying a quick goodbye to Yi Yi, Chen Wan returned to the room, finding Zai Zai sitting in its crib with a pout. She rushed over to comfort it, "What’s wrong, darling? How about a kiss from mommy to make that frown disappear?" Zai Zai shook its little head, pointing at its crib, "Mommy, I slept in the big bed last night." "Did you? I remember you slept in your crib. Don’t you remember playing with this little rabbit toy yesterday? You wanted to sleep with it, didn’t you?" Chen Wan fibbed easily. Zai Zai shook its head, recalling only the story from the big bed, forgetting the rest. It didn’t remember wanting to sleep with the toy rabbit at all. Seeing its mommy so certain, Zai Zai hesitated before tentatively nodding, "I don’t remember." That's right, you forgot, but mommy is reminding you. Come on, darling, let's freshen up and play with the puppies. "Puppy playtime!" At the mention of the pups, Zai Zai's eyes lit up with excitement, eagerly clinging to Chen Wan. Jiang Yan Xin silently gave Chen Wan a thumbs-up, acknowledging her adeptness at convincing Zai Zai. As they headed out for breakfast, Chen Wan couldn't shake the feeling something was amiss. She looked around, realizing she hadn’t seen Qin Ke, who usually woke before everyone else. It was certainly unusual for her absence. Her curiosity piqued, Chen Wan watched as Shen Ming Yan descended from her room. Shen Ming Yan glanced at the buns in the pot, picked up a bowl, and placed three inside. Noticing Chen Wan's puzzled expression, she explained, "Qin Ke twisted her wrist again. It happened once before, but this time it's worse—she can hardly lift it. She needs to rest well in the room for now." "That's definitely a good idea," Chen Wan agreed, concerned. "There's a Yunnan Baiyao spray in the RV. Maybe you should apply some to ease the pain." She genuinely believed Qin Ke had accidentally strained her wrist, unaware of the true cause. Thinking this was a sensible suggestion, Shen Ming Yan replied, "Alright, I'll spray it on her." Chen Wan kindly handed Shen Ming Yan a can of Yunnan Baiyao spray along with a bottle of safflower oil. "Try these. If the spray isn't effective, use the oil. Just apply a little to the affected area and rub it in." "Got it, I'll head up now." With breakfast and medicine in hand, Shen Ming Yan returned to the second-floor room. Chen Wan, embracing Jiang Yan Xin beside her, mused, "Why is it that Qin Ke seems to twist her wrist more often since Shen Ming Yan came back?" Jiang Yan Xin paused, then recalled Shen Ming Yan’s unique constitution, attempting to suppress her laughter. She hadn’t anticipated quiet, composed Qin Ke to become so eager in matters of affection, to the point of injuring herself. Their alpha counterparts certainly valued pride, just like Chen Wan. After their mental domain exchanges, she'd always insist on completing the engagement physically. Back in the room, Shen Ming Yan found Qin Ke lying on her side, visibly distressed. She gently caressed Qin Ke's face, kissed her, and softly encouraged, "Get up and have something to eat. Does your wrist still hurt? Chen Wan sent some medicine over. I can spray it on you after you finish breakfast." Qin Ke sniffled, wondering how she—a fierce type 1 persona—had come to rely on medication for her wrist. Looking up at Shen Ming Yan with pained eyes, Qin Ke worriedly asked, "Yan Yan, do you think I'm not capable anymore?" Shen Ming Yan hurried to comfort her alpha, "No, you’re amazing. It’s my fault for teasing you for so long. Let's keep it to a minimum next time, okay?" Shaking her head, Qin Ke vowed to strengthen her combat skills against zombies to avoid the recurring wrist injury. It was too embarrassing. "They don't know how I hurt my wrist, do they?" Qin Ke, absent of her usual composed aura, clung to her girlfriend, anxious about their friends joking at her expense. "No, they don't. I just said it was a twist, so no worries. Let's eat now." Shen Ming Yan picked up a bun and fed it to Qin Ke. Qin Ke initially wanted to manage on her own but, seeing her wrist's condition, decided to just accept the help. Letting herself be pampered by Shen Ming Yan wasn’t so bad, after all. With her, she could never really maintain her stern demeanor.