Surviving the Apocalypse with the Young Miss - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Fortunately!

Tong Xiangyu had no idea they were all coming. The closed door provided excellent soundproofing, muffling the voices outside, but the knocking was clear.

Three knocks.

Not Song Ge? Just as the thought crossed Tong Xiangyu’s mind, she heard Song Ge’s voice from outside: “Little Milk Tea, I heard you’re not feeling well. Everyone came to check on you.”

Everyone?

Which everyone??

The moment Tong Xiangyu realized Fan Mingyuan might be there, her face went deathly pale. Her heart hammered in panic. She gripped the hem of her shirt tightly, walked to the door, and said in a small voice: “I’m much better. I don’t want to pass my illness to everyone…”

A man’s voice spoke up rudely— “Open the door first. we have a doctor here!”

Tong Xiangyu bit her lip, hesitated for a long time, and then carefully turned the lock.

At first glance, more than a dozen people were crowded at the door.

When Fan Mingyuan saw Tong Xiangyu, he was overjoyed. He lunged into the room to grab her hand, but she dodged and retreated several steps.

Song Ge stepped forward quickly, blocking Fan Mingyuan and eyeing him warily. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Fan Mingyuan ignored Song Ge completely, looking only at Tong Xiangyu. “Yu-Yu, it’s me, Mingyuan. What did she do to you? How did she threaten you? Tell me, don’t be afraid.”

Tong Xiangyu’s face was white. Her hand tightly gripped a corner of Song Ge’s shirt. She kept her eyes down, refusing to look at Fan Mingyuan. Her body trembled slightly, radiating an undeniable fear.

However, Fan Mingyuan wasn’t the only one noticing this delicate, pitiable beauty. Wu Senjun saw it clearly too.

He was shocked. A person as unlikable as Song Ge actually had such a beautiful classmate curvaceous figure, exquisite features, and those large, watery eyes. Wu Senjun’s gaze lingered on her waist and chest, and he actually swallowed his saliva.

Seeing Wu Senjun’s lecherous look, Liu Qian’s face immediately darkened. She walked over and stomped hard on his foot!

Wu Senjun let out a yelp of pain.

Liu Qian turned with a smile and walked into the room, proactively taking Tong Xiangyu’s hand with feigned intimacy. “Little sister, I’m a nurse. Where does it hurt? Tell me.”

“My stomach doesn’t feel very good.” Tong Xiangyu looked at her. People generally have a natural trust in medical professionals; she relaxed a bit and let go of Song Ge’s shirt. She whispered to Liu Qian: “I get diarrhea whenever I eat. And I haven’t been sleeping well at night.”

Liu Qian was already pretty, and her smile made her look even kinder. “The diarrhea is because your digestion is weak, and our food has been stored for a while; it’s not that fresh. It’s okay; I saw some anti-diarrheal medicine at Granny Tian’s. As for the sleep, it’s probably just stress. You can try some light exercise before bed to tire your body out; it’ll be easier to fall asleep.”

“Thank you, sister.”

“You’re welcome.” Liu Qian smiled and found two items from the first-aid kit for Tong Xiangyu. “Take one of these pills if you have diarrhea again. And this syrup—take a sip before you eat.”

Tong Xiangyu: “Okay.”

“Yu-Yu,” Fan Mingyuan called her name again.

Tong Xiangyu knew she couldn’t hide forever while living under the same roof. Talking to the nurse had relaxed her somewhat, so she looked at Fan Mingyuan and forced a small smile. “Fan Mingyuan.”

“I knew it!” Fan Mingyuan was agitated. He grabbed her wrist and asked in front of everyone: “Are you being controlled by Song Ge? Is it inconvenient to talk to us? Don’t be afraid! We’re all here now!”

Tong Xiangyu was shocked and pulled her hand away. “How could that be? Song Ge saved me.”

Fan Mingyuan turned to glare at Song Ge.

Song Ge met his gaze calmly and expressionlessly.

Fan Mingyuan was displeased, but with so many people present, he could only say grudgingly: “It seems I misunderstood you. Thank you for saving Yu-Yu.”

“I have already thanked her myself.” Tong Xiangyu didn’t need Fan Mingyuan to thank anyone on her behalf. She stepped back, putting distance between herself and him. “I still want to rest, so I won’t keep you for a chat.”

Tong Xiangyu was beautiful, and the two men weren’t the only ones who noticed; so did the female students.

Zhu Lulu couldn’t believe she was actually under the same roof as her “life role model.” She was vibrating with excitement, but since the other girl was unwell and they were strangers, she had to suppress her enthusiasm.

The girls from the Second High finally understood why Fan Mingyuan had ignored all their advances. It turned out he liked someone this refined and beautiful. They knew they couldn’t compete.

However, the girl named Yu-Yu seemed uninterested in—or even repelled by—Fan Mingyuan. Seeing the guy who treated them with indifference act like a “simp” for another girl made him lose his appeal instantly.

Tong Xiangyu’s rejection was obvious even to outsiders. Fan Mingyuan certainly knew it himself. Although she had given a polite response in the end, it was a far cry from their former intimacy.

A fire burned in Fan Mingyuan’s heart. He replayed the events in his head and finally realized: Tong Xiangyu had been the first to slide down the curtains to escape. Later, when Chu Qiao was about to jump, she had called for Tong Xiangyu to catch her.

And he had pushed Chu Qiao away.

Fan Mingyuan remembered clearly that after he landed, Chu Qiao’s blood had pooled under his sneakers. Her eyes and fingers were still moving, her bloody mouth opening and closing as if trying to say something. He hadn’t wasted a second looking back; he just ran.

At that time, he hadn’t noticed where Tong Xiangyu went.

Is she disappointed in me?

Fan Mingyuan’s expression darkened. He had been obsessing over whether she was dead or alive all these days, and she was afraid of him? She thought he was a monster?

If he hadn’t led the defense against the monsters that day, they would have all died in that classroom! The more he thought about her rejecting him in front of everyone, the more humiliated he felt.

Despite meeting everyone at noon, Tong Xiangyu still didn’t want to eat dinner with the group. Since everyone knew she was “unwell,” she just continued using that excuse.

Her only worry was being a burden to Song Ge by making her bring food every time.

Song Ge didn’t mind. If Tong Xiangyu didn’t want to go, she didn’t have to. She only remarked: “I thought you liked lively crowds and being around girls your age.” Especially the ones who clearly liked to dress up.

Tong Xiangyu whispered: “I don’t want to make friends anymore…”

Song Ge raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Tong Xiangyu looked down and continued: “And among those people, except for the nurse sister and Granny Tian, I feel like I have nothing to say to the others.”

Song Ge said: “You seemed to love making friends before.”

Tong Xiangyu was about to explain, but she stopped mid-sentence and looked at Song Ge with surprise. “Before? Song Ge, did you used to pay attention to me?”

Song Ge: “…”

Song Ge said: “I just remember your group was always especially loud, and someone was always talking trash about me.”

Tong Xiangyu quickly explained: “It’s not like that. Chu Qiao didn’t actually have any ill intent. It’s mostly because the first person to spread rumors was quite extreme, and you didn’t come out to clarify, so the stories just got worse and worse…”

Song Ge: “So it was my fault?”

Tong Xiangyu: “Of course not!”

Seeing that the topic of her “paying attention” had passed, Song Ge said casually: “There was nothing to clarify.”

Tong Xiangyu looked at Song Ge and asked tentatively: “But…”

Song Ge said: “I am an orphan, my grades are bad, I don’t talk to people, I am a loner with a gloomy personality, and I was often criticized by teachers.”

Tong Xiangyu blurted out: “Nonsense! I know you’re a good person!”

Song Ge’s lips twitched slightly. She looked at her. “You’re the first person to ever call me a good person.”

Tong Xiangyu felt their conversation was getting deep today. They were, after all, life-and-death companions—different from those people outside. After a period of quiet, she suddenly glanced at the door, leaned into Song Ge’s ear, and whispered: “I saw Fan Mingyuan kill someone.”

Tong Xiangyu covered her mouth with her hand. Her warm, fragrant breath drifted against Song Ge’s face. Song Ge’s eyes moved, and she uncomfortably leaned back a bit. “Don’t get so close, I can hear you.”

“I know, but this has to be quiet.” For some reason, Tong Xiangyu usually felt sad and nauseated whenever she thought of that moment, but after Song Ge’s interruption, the heavy atmosphere vanished. She didn’t feel quite so bad anymore.

Tong Xiangyu whispered: “Why aren’t you surprised at all?”

Song Ge looked at her, perfectly calm. “What is there to be surprised about? If we stay here, you’ll see even more cruel sides of human nature.”

Tong Xiangyu froze, unable to imagine it. “Like what?”

Song Ge looked at her innocent, beautiful face and shook her head. “You don’t need to know. I’m taking you away tomorrow. There’s an old electric scooter in the backyard. I asked the landlady; she said it still works and gave me the keys. It might just be low on battery. We’ll see how our luck is.”

Tong Xiangyu bit her lip. Song Ge noticed she had something to say but was holding back. “You don’t want to go? We don’t have to—”

Tong Xiangyu said quickly: “No, no! I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

Hearing this, Song Ge’s heart gave a strange, tiny flutter. She didn’t show it, only waiting for the Young Mistress to continue.

Tong Xiangyu blinked her large eyes. “I just wanted to know… why do you call her ‘Granny’ to her face, but call her ‘the landlady’ behind her back?”

Song Ge: “Because she’s not my grandmother.”

Tong Xiangyu was confused: “Isn’t it just a title?”

“No,” Song Ge said. “I’m not used to attaching emotions or special meaning to people or things. That way, when I lose them, it won’t hurt.”

“But if you don’t give of your emotions, life is so cold,” Tong Xiangyu said. “Emotion is a two-way street. You have to give to receive.”

 “I don’t need a return.”

“But you’re very good to me.”

They spoke at the same time.

Song Ge glanced at her and said: “I haven’t been very good to you.”

And Tong Xiangyu said simultaneously: “I will repay you.”

In the sun-drenched room, the two girls sat facing each other, eyes meeting. After a moment, Song Ge asked: “Are you done?”

Tong Xiangyu felt a bit embarrassed. She touched her reddening ear and whispered: “I was afraid of talking over you again…”

Song Ge didn’t say more. She looked at the time on the wall; it was time to go upstairs for dinner. She stood up and said to Tong Xiangyu: “It might sound cold-blooded, but…”

Tong Xiangyu looked up at her expectantly!

Song Ge looked into those bright, beautiful almond eyes, and the harsh words she was about to say suddenly wouldn’t come out. After a pause, she said stiffly: “I haven’t had a friend in a long time.”

“That’s okay!” Tong Xiangyu’s eyes curved into crescents. “I can be your first friend in a long time!”

Song Ge was silent even longer. Eventually, she said: “Whatever.”

She turned to leave the room, not forgetting to command: “Lock the door.”

“Oh, right! Got it!” Tong Xiangyu ran to the door like a little butterfly, watching Song Ge’s figure walk away. For some reason, her heart was racing.

She closed and locked the door, patted her chest, and let out a long breath.

That was close. She had thought Song Ge was going to say something cold and humiliating like, “It might sound cold-blooded, but I haven’t been good to you and I don’t need you to repay me.”

But…

Fortunately!

Tong Xiangyu ran and flopped onto the big bed, hugging the quilt tightly. For some reason, her heart was filled with a strange kind of joy. She happily buried her face in the covers, then tilted her head, lost in thought.

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