164 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

When Chen Wan and the group returned to the RV, Cai Cai was playing with the dogs, almost buried in their fluffy pile. Seeing them come back, he joyfully leaped into Chen Wan's arms. Scooping the little guy up, Chen Wan gave his chubby round face a kiss and asked with a smile, "Darling, what were you playing with the doggies?" Cai Cai snuggled into his mommy’s embrace, happily swinging his little legs. "The doggies hugged me." "Do the doggies like my little rascal?" Chen Wan asked playfully, squeezing Cai Cai's chubby little hands for a bit. For dinner, they prepared a simple fish porridge, nutritious and suitable for those who were unwell. Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin served three bowls to Qi Jing and her companions in the adjacent minibus. As soon as Chen Wan boarded, she noticed Qi Jing had woken up, and the bag of glucose was nearly empty. Seeing it was Chen Wan and the others, Qi Jing tried to sit up to express her gratitude, but Chen Wan quickly waved her hand to stop her. "You should lie down, you're still recovering, don’t move unnecessarily. We brought some food, you can eat something once the infusion is finished." "Thank you," Qi Jing spoke weakly; her complexion was still pale, as if she could faint at any moment. Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin handed the other two bowls of porridge to the two female Omegas. "I’m Chen Wan and this is my wife, Jiang Yan Xin. You two take care of Qi Jing here. If you need anything, come find us in the RV." "Thank you for taking us in. Otherwise, being with Guang Tou's group, we wouldn’t know if we'd safely wait out this snowstorm. I'm Li Xiao Xiao, and this is Kang Wan. We're students from Jing Da University, and we stayed in the capital after the world changed, but never expected such extreme weather," the girl briefly introduced themselves to Chen Wan. "Ice and snow are still manageable; the nearby cities were flooded and have turned into vast lakes," Chen Wan recalled the place they left, still shaken. Noticing the frightened look on the girls’ faces, she reassured them, "The situation here in Jing City is much better than in Qingji City. No matter how heavy it snows, it will melt. You don't have to worry too much." During the conversation, Qi Jing's drip had almost finished. Chen Wan went over to help remove the needle and instructed her to press on her hand to stop any bleeding. "The drip is done; have this bowl of fish porridge to replenish yourself. There's also this thermos with brown sugar water—it’s beneficial for replenishing blood," Chen Wan said as she handed it over. Ye Lan had specifically prepared it to help with blood replenishment. "Thank you. Back at the supermarket, if not for you all stepping in, we wouldn’t have made it. You even took the trouble to get me medication and porridge, it's really too much trouble." Qi Jing thanked them once more, feeling embarrassed for imposing on Chen Wan. Chen Wan smiled, dismissing the concern. "It's no trouble. Since we’ve met, we’re friends. You remind me of a friend of mine. Even in apocalyptic times, she didn’t just think about her own survival; she also worried about those who were ungrateful. Once you recover, be careful and don’t do everything for those people. They won’t appreciate it, and even if they do, it's useless. Nothing is more important than your own life." "Thank you for the reminder. I’ll be more cautious," Qi Jing said, struggling to sit up and thanking her again. Chen Wan placed the porridge within her reach before going back to the RV with Jiang Yan Xin for their meal. After a while, Qi Jing picked up the bowl of fish porridge next to her. Having been busy fighting zombies and gathering supplies earlier, she was indeed hungry. Moreover, with the low temperatures outside, despite the heater running in the vehicle, a steaming bowl of fish porridge was a comfort. The porridge was soft, with tender fish that melted in her mouth. Qi Jing quickly finished the hearty bowl of porridge. Li Xiao Xiao and Kang Wan kept Qi Jing company in the backseat. Li Xiao Xiao glanced at Qi Jing’s pale face and said, "I think Chen Wan made a lot of sense. Qi Jing, don’t tire yourself out for those people. Look at you; your face is still frighteningly pale." "Exactly. What happened earlier clearly shows the situation. If not for Chen Wan and the others stepping in, those people wouldn’t have helped you climb the shelf," Kang Wan added, continuing from where Li Xiao Xiao left off. They were too weak to lift Qi Jing themselves, otherwise, they wouldn't have left her behind. Fortunately, everyone was safe now. "Don’t worry, I know what to do now. I won’t let Guang Tou use me like that anymore," Qi Jing said flatly. The previous incident had left her disheartened, especially since the auntie tried to drag her to death with her, which was unexpected. Her power was a blood clone, and every use drained a large amount of her blood. It could be said that she was risking her life to save others, but despite that, they were ungrateful. Now that she was in this state, she had no intention of dealing with Guang Tou’s issues any longer. After dinner, Chen Wan brought over some biscuits, canned luncheon meat, and several bottled waters to the minibus for Qi Jing and her group’s daily sustenance. Once everything was sorted, they returned to their RV to rest. Li Xiao Xiao looked at the supplies Chen Wan brought and felt grateful. "Chen Wan and her group are really generous, bringing us so much food. Being all females, it’s much better than being with Guang Tou’s group, sparing us from constant worry." "I think so too. However, we should also recognize that it’s because of Qi Jing that we were taken in. Otherwise, Chen Wan wouldn’t have. Their team seems well-established, not the type to take in newcomers," Kang Wan mused. "True, but it’s already great like this. Having their vehicle next to ours provides peace of mind," Li Xiao Xiao replied. Meanwhile, spirits were low on Guang Tou's side, reduced to just about thirty people. Chen Wan's group clearly had no intention of taking responsibility for their survival. Guang Tou’s sole ability user was now with Chen Wan, leaving them dispirited. Amongst them, the Omegas were the most silent. They've heard tales of Omegas becoming slaves in other cities during the apocalypse. Now, they could only minimize their presence to avoid provoking the Alphas' primal instincts. A five-year-old boy, now without his grandmother, had no understanding of the impending hardship. Hungry, he bawled loudly, and Guang Tou slapped him to the ground, making him cry harder and louder. Already in a foul mood, Guang Tou was driven further to anger by the child's cries. Pointing at the boy, he yelled, "Shut up! Your grandma is dead. If you want to join her, I can arrange that. If not, then shut up!" The boy wailed even louder, challenging Guang Tou’s authority. Furious, Guang Tou shouted, "Someone get me a rag to stuff this brat's mouth with! Hurry up, damn, it's driving me insane." Trapped in such a place, everyone’s emotions were on edge. Some of the Omega’s even envied those who left with Qi Jing. Qi Jing was kind, whereas Guang Tou’s group couldn’t be trusted not to act rashly under pressure. There were only a few Omegas, about ten or so, with Alphas and Betas making up the majority, mostly male. This exacerbated the Omegas’ anxiety, as the situation had already spiraled beyond their comprehension within a single day. Among them were also four male Omegas, all equally uneasy. Around eight in the evening, Guang Tou distributed some supplies, and the people in the warehouse ate a bit, then made makeshift beds from the blankets scavenged from the mall. Three Omegas quietly made their way to the warehouse entrance but caught Guang Tou's attention. Guang Tou glanced over, smirking. "Where are you going? Don’t you know it’s dangerous outside?" One of the Omegas gathered courage to answer, "We’re just going to the bathroom." Before she could finish speaking, Guang Tou burst into laughter. "Bathroom? We’re in the apocalypse, and you’re still being pretentious? Why go to the bathroom when you can just do it here? We're not strangers, after all. What’s wrong with letting us see?" "You, you’re being inappropriate." The woman in the business attire, draped in a long black down coat, covered the two student-looking Omegas behind her, glaring coldly at Guang Tou. "Is that too much for you? All I did was talk a bit. From what I see, the Omegas here in Jing City have been spoiled by the military. Let me tell you, it's chaos everywhere else. It's common for an Alpha to have five or six Omegas around them, just like that female Alpha who left earlier. Didn't she have several Betas and Omegas with her? You think she's some kind of saint? Oh right, there's also the case where one Omega is shared by five or six Alphas, and that's considered normal now. So, dare you stare at me like that? Alright then, everyone here is cooped up and needs some entertainment. Today, we'll just start with you lot." Chen Wan wasn’t aware of how many people they actually had, and since the warehouse was at least a hundred meters away from the garage in a straight line, even if there was some commotion here, Chen Wan and her group wouldn't be able to hear it. Moreover, according to what Guang Tou heard from Chen Wan, they wanted to keep their water from mixing, and any talk of not targeting the vulnerable was just to frighten them. After all, with such distance, Chen Wan couldn’t possibly know what they were up to. Even if things went terribly wrong, they could always dispose of the bodies and claim they died while out gathering supplies. There were plenty of excuses that could be made, which emboldened Guang Tou. "You’d better not dare. The Alpha who took Qi Jing warned you not to harm vulnerable groups," the woman said, sweat starting to drip down her face. In times like these, with such extreme weather, the dirtiest and ugliest sides of human nature were further provoked by external pressures. She feared these people might truly commit acts worse than beasts.