RIACMET chapter 45

 

Whenever Cheng Jing and his team patrolled past Huang Qian’s hideout at night, Xiaoya would come out and deliver steaming hot steamed buns or dumplings as midnight snacks.

The little girl was still shy and quiet. She’d hand them the food, then run back inside without saying a word.

Thus, a group of grown men ended up with their own personal “filial daughter.”

Chewing on warm buns as they continued their rounds, Liao Yu joked,

“I’ve got a godfather who saved my life and a dutiful little daughter. If this isn’t peak apocalypse living, I don’t know what is.”

One must find joy even in hard times—only then can hope survive. As for Xiaoya, since the team had officially taken on this task, they only had to manage their emotions and treat it like any other mission.

Even when there is no danger, many interesting things happen during the night patrol.

The most common are noises that are not suitable for children.

After checking the building where Huang Qian’s group lived, they moved on to the next unit. As soon as they reached the second floor, loud moans and foul, explicit language erupted from Room 1.

As far as they knew, the room was home to three male superpowers who were a bit older than them. Two were combat types and one was support, a pretty balanced team.

Lately, every time they passed by, there was the same ruckus. Sometimes the guy was yelling. Sometimes it was a woman.

They weren’t sure if it was fighting or… something else.

Tonight’s guy had a decent voice, though.

Everyone had gotten used to it by now. Honestly, they heard something like this nearly every night.

Zhao Lei and the others even made a few snide remarks.

But only Cheng Jing, with Jiang Nian beside him, noticed the hint of awkwardness in his expression and immediately picked up the pace up the stairs.

Cheng Jing didn’t respond, only rubbing his nose before following. Of all of them, Jiang Nian was the most thin-skinned. He was not like Huang Qian, who could throw sass like a pro. He only relaxed like this when they were alone.

And this delicate shyness? Cheng Jing loved it.

Jokes aside, the others weren’t actually interested in eavesdropping. They swept their flashlights around, found nothing suspicious, and moved on.

Meanwhile, the ever-unfiltered Liao Yu glanced up at the two figures climbing the stairs and whispered,

“Hey, do you think Brother Cheng and Godfather are… y’know?”

“… ”

The entire team fell silent for a moment, then five pairs of eyes snapped toward Liao Yu like synchronized missiles.

Tang Yi coughed politely to cover it:

“Maybe you should be careful with your words…”

Jian Cheng looked horrified, his eyes darting nervously toward the stairs, as if Brother Cheng might come charging back down with an AK and mow them all down.

Zhou Rongbin whispered a warning:

“Dude, that’s playing with your life…”

Only Vice-Captain Zhao Lei fanned the flames.

“Why don’t you go ask him yourself?”

Liao Yu smirked.

“If I can beat Brother Cheng, maybe I will.”

Then, he looked at the others and lowered his voice.

“Don’t pretend you’re not curious.”

Everyone knew. Everyone had speculated. Yet, the question still carried the allure of forbidden fruit.

“If you show your curiosity, you’ve already lost.”

Lu Ningzhou patted his shoulder with a grin.

Zhao Lei chimed in:

“Go ask on behalf of all of us. Brother Cheng won’t actually kill you.”

The rest nodded eagerly.

“Yeah, yeah—go on.”

“Do it for the team.”

“Think of the greater good…”

Liao Yu stared at their wicked expressions, hesitated for a moment, and then shook his head.

“Forget it. I’d rather find out for myself than die just because I was nosy.”

Cue a round of dramatic stares.

Zhou Rongbin gasped.

“Wait—you like men, too?”

Liao Yu spread his hands.

“I’ve never been in a proper relationship, and I don’t discriminate. In this day and age, who cares about gender? Just look at that guy on the third floor. He’s been lusting after zombies for years. I’m pretty sure he’s into necrophilia[mfn]sexual attraction to or sexual activity with corpses.[/mfn] now.”

Then he added casually,

“Relax. I don’t eat grass from my own backyard unless I’m starving.”

Jian Cheng nodded with rare seriousness.

“Fair. You have to fall in love early. Give it a few more years of apocalypse, and even zombies will start looking cute…”

As soon as he finished speaking, the others gave him the same horrified stare.

Oh wow, another one. Where there’s a sleeping dragon, there’s always a phoenix waiting to rise.”

Lu Ningzhou, who had been quiet until now, suddenly got serious.

“Then I’d better hurry up and win Sister Qian’s heart. I’ve already got the prime location. If any of you try to poach her, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He’d liked Huang Qian for a long time. But she had a boyfriend, so he held back.

Her ex had been abusive, and she broke his back before breaking up with him. That was before the apocalypse. Surely she’d moved on by now.

With the world having ended, he didn’t want to live with regrets.

“You guys are really something else.”

Tang Yi sighed and shook his head as he headed upstairs. The others fell silent and followed him.

God knew what might come out of their mouths if they kept talking.

Zhao Lei brought up the rear, casting Liao Yu several exasperated glances.

Even in the apocalypse, Young Master Liao was chaos incarnate. It was a good thing Huang Qian wasn’t around tonight—if she had been, someone would’ve gotten their face flattened.

…

The night passed peacefully. The next day was technically just another day off—but things got interesting quickly.

Lu Ningzhou finally made a move on Huang Qian.

The rest of the team, including Cheng Jing and Xiaoya, were his biggest cheerleaders. They offered advice and emotional support, making it seem like a full-blown reality show.

Lu Ningzhou’s confidence soared. After a week of relentless pursuit and full team support, he finally achieved the result everyone had been waiting for.

Huang Qian agreed.

She wasn’t the type to play hard to get. Once they were officially a couple, she straightforwardly invited him to co-parent Xiaoya.

Everyone’s an adult now—there’s no need to drag things out.

Lu Ningzhou was so thrilled that he nearly ran off in tears of joy. He moved straight into Huang Qian’s apartment, leaving his bachelor pad behind.

Zhao Lei and Liao Yu exchanged a look.

They’d been through so much together, and now he was leaving them for love? Just like that?

He didn’t even offer a matchmaking fee! Shameful.

“There’s a cooling-off period after a divorce, you know. Don’t come crawling back when she kicks you out!” Zhao Lei warned as he helped pack blankets. Helping someone and roasting them can happen at the same time.

Liao Yu added sarcastically,

“Sister Qian’s not someone you can take lightly. Are you sure you’re up for this, kid?”

“You’re threatening my boyfriend!

Before Lu Ningzhou could respond, Huang Qian and Xiaoya walked in at the perfect moment and immediately helped him pack.

Dog food fell from the sky, hitting Zhao Lei and Liao Yu in the face. In the middle of the apocalypse, too—how could PDA[mfn] Public Display of Affection—that’s when people show romantic or affectionate behavior[/mfn] be this blatant?

“…Tch. Fine. Congrats or whatever,” Zhao Lei muttered, stepping aside with his bowl of dog food.

Liao Yu raised his hands in surrender.

“Sister Qian, you’re amazing. I was way out of line earlier!”

Huang Qian turned to look at them. Lu Ningzhou shot them a smug grin and mouthed,
“I’ve got backup now.”

Zhao Lei and Liao Yu gritted their teeth in silence, their fists itching for a “brotherly beatdown.” Xiaoya giggled behind her hand, completely entertained.

Even after Lu Ningzhou left with Huang Qian, Liao Yu was still sulking.

“We’re all good-looking. We’re all charming. So why did he find love first?”

Suddenly, the available “grass” in his yard felt a little…sparse.

As soon as this freezing apocalypse ends, he’s definitely going out there to find someone.