RIACMET chapter 29

 

“Brother Jing, you’ve been staying home so long that I feel drained…”

Inside the room, two heaters were turned on. Jiang Nian was curled up under a thick blanket, gazing at the man who could stand bare-chested on a battlefield in minus fifty-degree weather. He was the one wasting time, and he was also the one who couldn’t take it anymore. This was just too hard!

“…”

This man! Cheng Jing felt his ears heat up. He walked over and lowered his voice.

“How about I sleep in the living room for the next few days?”

Jiang Nian was too daring; his self-control was practically zero in front of this man. What a shame!

“No way. I’m scared of the cold!”

The figure under the blanket refused with a muffled voice. Then, he pursed his lips and added,

“Besides, I’m greedy for you. I can’t sleep without you here.”

All right, that was definitely him being playful. It wasn’t easy for him to admit defeat.

Cheng Jing was used to his nonsense. He didn’t say anything more, just got into bed to warm up.

“Sleep properly and stop wriggling around. If you don’t behave, I won’t come tomorrow.”

“…”

Jiang Nian looked up at the serious man. He grabbed the hand resting on his abs and decided it was better to stay quiet.

He could still tell the difference between eating until he puked and being full every day.

…

By December, three months of the apocalypse, temperatures across the country kept swinging between minus sixty-six and minus seventy degrees Celsius. Just as Jiang Nian had said, what came next was survival.

There were hardly any places in the world that got that cold—minus seventy degrees Celsius. It was deadly for most people. It could freeze a person solid. Without the right precautions, you could hear the ice cracking in your breath.

Along with that came a slowing heartbeat, drowsiness, loss of appetite, and a drop in body temperature—all of which could be fatal.

Supplies were running low, but as long as people could survive, that was enough. That’s what everyone thought once the extreme cold set in. If you could survive it, you could get through it. If you endured and made it to the other side, there was still hope.

Though many died when temperatures first plunged, the zoning controls ultimately worked well.

After the worst of the cold passed, the base was finally built and put into use. Most people made it after reaching the base when the military rescue teams arrived.

Getting used to the cold took time. It might take ten days or even a month before you started to feel better.

Even without zombies around, people still died every day once the extreme cold set in. After the zombie threat, the cold weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts.

The environment was what it was—no one could change it. Once you closed your eyes, you couldn’t be sure if you’d wake up again.

Jiang Nian had experienced this in his previous life. Even though things were much better now than before, with heaters, hot water, and his superpowered body, he still couldn’t match how quickly the others adapted.

This was most likely because he had never suffered in his life before, so he couldn’t handle the worsening situation the way others could.

Other than eating, all he wanted to do every day was sleep. If he weren’t worried about losing his abs and mermaid lines, he would’ve scrapped his workout plan and stayed in bed.

His boyfriend was already better-looking than him. If he got a little belly, people would definitely think he was a gigolo.

He wouldn’t let that happen!

Two heaters, a heat fan, and a four-sided oven were set up on either side of the small treadmill. Jiang Nian ran while Cheng Jing did push-ups on a yoga mat beside him.

As he ran, Jiang Nian turned to the man working out in summer sportswear and said,

“Brother Jing, you’re not afraid of the cold, are you? Take off your shirt while you’re at it. I want to see.”

He wanted the man to take off his shirt and show it to him so that he would feel more motivated to run.

“No.”

Cheng Jing shot down his wicked request without hesitation.

But someone wouldn’t give up.

“Brother Jing, take it off…”

Cheng Jing ignored him completely, focusing on counting his reps.

“Tsk…”

Jiang Nian stared at his boyfriend’s perfect push-up form. The more he watched, the more tempted he became. He turned off the treadmill, caught his breath, and walked over.

Then, with a light, sneaky move, he slipped right under Cheng Jing.

“You…”

Cheng Jing froze mid-push-up, suddenly annoyed.

“Stop fooling around. Get out of there.”

“Nope, hehe…”

Jiang Nian grinned, leaned closer, and stole a kiss.

“Just do this.”

“Jiang Nian!”

Cheng Jing’s breath hitched. This troublemaker had totally thrown him off.

If you tease someone like this, don’t blame them for wanting to hit you!

“What’s wrong, Brother Jing? Can’t hold out any longer?”

Jiang Nian smirked and played dumb as he kissed him again. He slid his cold hands under Cheng Jing’s shirt and felt his muscles rise and fall. It was amazing!

His boyfriend was there for him to enjoy and take advantage of. What was wrong with that?

“…”

Cheng Jing’s breathing grew heavy, and his face flushed. He wanted to drag the little rascal back to the bedroom and teach him a lesson. But he forced himself to wait, only stopping once the brat had touched him enough.

He bent down and pinned him tight.

“You have no tolerance, and you love to mess around. Do you think I owe you something?”

“No, I’m just hungry.”

Someone burst out laughing.

Cheng Jing clenched his teeth in frustration.

“When have I ever not fed you enough?”

He teased him eight hundred times a day and was always full of nonsense.

“Hey…”