RIACMET chapter 113

 

Zhao Lei took advantage of the moment while Liao Yu was distracted and pulled him onto his lap.

“I wasn’t pretending. I just didn’t dare.”

Some of Young Master Liao’s careless words had struck straight to his heart, making his thoughts run wild.

However, whenever he calmed down, he felt that it just wouldn’t work. He might be careless about everything else, but not this.

It was always true—once you put someone in your heart, you became timid.

“…”

Liao Yu’s face reddened with anger. He sat straddling Zhao Lei and pinched his neck with both hands. But when he met those affectionate eyes, he lay down on top of him in frustration and muttered,

“You didn’t dare chase your wife, but you dared to pretend? Hmph…”

After becoming teammates with Zhao Lei, Liao Yu could feel how their mindset had shifted while spending time together.

The main reason was that this person treated him too well, differently from how Lu Ningzhou and the others acted toward him. Only he could feel the difference in the little, trivial details.

The other teammates thought it was only natural that Brother Zhao would be extra attentive since he had been his personal bodyguard for years and owed him money. But the truth was far from that.

Yet, every time he carefully tested it, this man acted as if nothing had ever happened and kept dragging things out until now.

His whole plan was to pretend to be alive so he could pretend to be dead!

He should have asked his godfather for advice on how to catch a big black koi fish.

“I won’t pretend anymore from now on.”

Zhao Lei said as he lifted the man’s face and kissed him. Liao Yu was about to retort when Zhao Lei brushed his lips against his and whispered:

“Xiao Yu, I want you.”

“…Huh?”

Liao Yu was stunned for a moment. Then, his cheeks flushed red, and his voice stammered.

“You…shouldn’t you…maybe you should pretend again. It’s the middle of the day, uh…”

He slapped the man’s chest and arms, but it was no use.

Zhao Lei picked him up horizontally.

“All right, but you don’t want me to take a day off work, do you?”

“…”

Liao Yu was dazed for a moment; he couldn’t think of a way to counter the gossip.

Fortunately, his moment of clarity didn’t last long before he gave in to his boyfriend’s willful behavior.

“…”

Those who weren’t pretending anymore stopped pretending and behaved like rogues.

They used their lunch break to burn through their physical energy so they could go back to work feeling refreshed.

Liao Yu watched someone change into their uniform. Then, looking at the blazing sun outside, he couldn’t stop himself from covering his face.

It’s the middle of the day—aren’t we being wasteful?!

But to Zhao Lei, this was nothing out of the ordinary. What did it mean to be obsessed with love? This was it.

If he weren’t worried about negative effects, he would’ve taken time off for a honeymoon right then and there.

“…”

Everyone was surprised, though not shocked, that Young Master Liao finally got the person he wanted. The whole team gave their blessing.

Liao Yu was embarrassed at first, but his teammates were so warm and accepting that he couldn’t stay shy for long.

It didn’t take him long to return to normal. Even when facing his boyfriend, he’d still argue and bicker when necessary.

Only in private did their relationship become sticky and ambiguous.

Although they were so familiar with each other that it rarely sparked fiery passion, their stable relationship became sweeter after adding love as a filter.

They evolved from a simple working relationship to teammates who shared life and death, and finally, a pair of lovers bound by fate.

They would protect and support each other and ultimately spend their lives together.

…

The weather grew hotter, with temperatures steadily hovering around 35 degrees.

According to experts’ predictions, it wouldn’t be long before the numbers rose further and didn’t drop back down.

After surviving the extreme cold, the central broadcast warned all bases to stay alert and prepare for the extreme heat to come.

The Nancheng Base had begun constructing massive water reservoirs in every district. As long as there was enough drinking water, most people could survive.

The base issued notices early on.

Once the reservoirs were finished, the water would be stored and sealed for emergencies. Aside from basic filtration and supply, high-ranking superpower users with water abilities were hired to provide water for a fee.

This was a reasonable policy, but some “self-righteous saints” started complaining.

They declared that superpower users were part of the base too, and that the stronger one’s powers were, the greater one’s responsibility was—so they should offer their water services for free. They said that the base’s reward points weren’t as valuable as the subsidies given to the impoverished people on the outskirts.

In response, the base ordered these “fake saint fathers and mothers” to lead the effort to build the reservoirs by moving bricks and digging earth for free.

Any protester who refused would be expelled from the base immediately and left to fend for themselves.

Within a day, all of the so-called voices of “justice” had vanished without a trace, and their leaders had become meek and cowardly.

Regarding this, Minister Wang told Cheng Jing and the others:

“This kind of moral hijacking chaos can happen zero times or countless times. If you let it slide even once, who knows what ridiculous situation will erupt next? Some people with ulterior motives will seize the chance to stir up hostility.”

“…The less capable you are, the more anxious you become. It’s fine to want to be a hero, but don’t try to take advantage of others. You’re all just a bunch of brainless fools!”

Inside a shop, the teammates who had just had lunch were each holding an ice pop to cool off while Liao Yu cursed as he ate.

As a water-type mutant, he’d received a job offer, so he was directly involved in the bizarre drama of these “fake saint parents.”

Zhou Rongbin shook his head.

“They’re weak but self-righteous. They always step forward when others face hardship so they can carve out a piece of the benefit. There are too many greedy thoughts etched into their bones.”

Jian Cheng picked up the thread:

“As long as they’re shameless enough, they’ll morally blackmail anyone indiscriminately.”

“If the base ever started following that kind of ‘public opinion,’ I’d be out of here overnight…”

“If that really happened, we wouldn’t be the only ones running away.”

Nancheng Base is principled and puts people first. It’s not a babysitting club that coddles idiots.

“… ”

The teammates all complained one by one, and Jiang Nian nodded in agreement.

“Luckily, the base handled it so decisively. Some people just deserved that!”

Honestly, the brains of people who love spending other people’s goodwill are best left to be eaten by zombies. Hopefully, they’d get chewed up sooner rather than later!

…

The base added swimming pools to help deal with the extreme heat and give more survivors a chance to earn points.

Since everyone now had more points, they started buying things more often. Jiang Nian was so delighted that he rocked in his chair every day, tallying up his gains.

He never would have dared to imagine this kind of apocalypse life in his previous life. Even before the apocalypse, he hadn’t lived this comfortably.

Moreover, to prepare for the scorching weather, Cheng Jing had recently been busy making all sorts of arrangements.

He hired people to reinforce the wiring in their dormitory, especially the connections, so that as long as the power stayed on, the air conditioner would keep running.

They also paid extra to have a construction team install hollow insulation boards over the entire outer wall and build a thick, double-layered insulated storage room on the balcony.

They added movable partitions to the windows so they could be closed or opened as needed. Even the outdoor AC units had protective covers.

Apart from solar-powered equipment, they tried to shield everything else; otherwise, it would overheat and break down.

They used the best materials they could find.

Some modifications might have seemed unnecessary or ineffective, but Cheng Jing didn’t care—heat resistance and insulation could be layered.

In addition, there were daily supplies:

cooling clothes, cans of liquid nitrogen spray in various sizes, medicines to prevent heatstroke and hyperthermia, first aid injections, and specialty medicines sourced through special channels.

The same went for the shop. Refrigerators, air conditioners, and all kinds of heatproof supplies had to be fully prepared.

In short, regardless of what others were doing, he wanted to ensure that Jiang Nian wouldn’t experience any discomfort when the heat arrived.

His special power made him unafraid of cold, heat, lightning, or fire, so he wasn’t concerned.

However, if the weather became too hot, he would become so distressed that it would darken his spirit and wear him down.

The suffering his lover endured in their past life would never be allowed to happen again.