Surviving the Apocalypse with the Young Miss - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: First Update

When Song Ge went back upstairs this time, many more people were waiting for her.

The crowd felt a wave of disappointment when she reached the rooftop alone and closed the door behind her.

Wu Senjun, who still had his arm around Liu Qian, was the first to ask, “Is your friend not coming to eat again?”

Song Ge didn’t look at him, her tone and expression indifferent. “She’s not feeling well.”

“Didn’t we already give her medicine? Why is she still unwell?” Wu Senjun pressed.

Song Ge didn’t respond. She glanced at the table; it was almost entirely meat dishes. She walked over to the Jiang couple and repeated her request to borrow the stove and some noodles.

Seeing himself ignored, Wu Senjun angrily tightened his grip on his lover’s waist.

Liu Qian shoved his hand away with her palm. When he looked at her, she glared back. “Why are you so concerned about someone else?”

Wu Senjun pushed his glasses up his nose, adopting a refined look. “We’re living under the same roof. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”

Liu Qian snorted coldly. “You weren’t this concerned before.” Everyone knew he only cared because he saw how pretty the girl was. Dog of a man, thinking with his lower half.

Zhu Lulu, standing among the students, watched as Song Ge started chopping vegetables. She walked over and whispered, “Um, do you need help?”

Song Ge looked at her, recognizing her as the student who had talked back to the man in glasses on the first day. “No.”

“Oh, okay…” Zhu Lulu looked a bit awkward. Even after being rejected, she didn’t leave immediately but stood by, hesitating.

The water in the pot began to boil.

Zhu Lulu plucked up her courage. “Um, excuse me, is Senior Tong still feeling very unwell?”

This time, Song Ge didn’t look up. “She’s delicate.”

Zhu Lulu blinked, not expecting that answer. She froze for a moment before asking, “Then, can I go see her later?”

“She probably wouldn’t want that.” Song Ge dropped the thin noodles into the boiling water, stirring them with chopsticks to keep them from sticking. She added a pinch of salt and covered the pot before looking back at the round-faced girl. “Maybe next time.”

Zhu Lulu was thin-skinned; after several rejections, she could only nod with a forced smile and slink back to her group.

Song Ge followed her retreat with a glance. They were all students, but because they were standing behind the makeshift shed, she couldn’t see exactly who was there. However, since it was dinner time, everyone should have been present.

Song Ge didn’t linger and continued cooking the noodles.

In the first-floor room, Tong Xiangyu had been thinking about many things. After reviewing everything that had happened over the past ten or so days, the warmth in her heart had cooled.

Hugging her quilt, she closed her eyes, which were still sore. She was surprised by the calm she felt after sorting through it all: the terrifying monsters, her best friend pushed to her death, the two-faced Fan Mingyuan, and Song Ge…

When she fell that day, Tong Xiangyu truly thought she was finished—that she was going to be bitten to death. In a life-or-death moment, running away is human instinct.

But Song Ge…

In the middle of her thoughts, she suddenly heard a knock at the door.

Knowing Song Ge was back, Tong Xiangyu felt her heart skip a strange beat. She rubbed her flushed face and got out of bed to open the door.

But halfway there, she stopped.

Except for that one time when she brought the whole crowd, Song Ge always knocked five times. Tong Xiangyu had grown used to the rhythm. Even though she had been spacing out, the count was clearly wrong.

With a mix of confusion and caution, Tong Xiangyu softened her footsteps and crept toward the door.

Knock, knock, knock. Fan Mingyuan raised his hand to knock again. Despite the urgency he felt, his rhythm remained normal.

He had watched Song Ge the other day; they both lived here, but she knocked to enter, meaning the door was kept locked. When Song Ge knocked, she didn’t say anything, and Tong Xiangyu would come to open it.

Fan Mingyuan knew Tong Xiangyu was currently rejecting and resisting him. Thinking about the series of things he intended to do once she opened the door, a surge of abnormal excitement rose within him.

Patiently, he raised his hand for a third time.

Inside the room, Tong Xiangyu pressed her hand against her chest. She finally understood why Song Ge used five knocks as a signal.

People usually knock three times. If they are anxious, they might instinctively knock four. If they want to alert someone inside, they usually knock twice in groups of three with a small pause—totaling six.

“Five” is a very deliberate number for a knock.

Because of that number, Tong Xiangyu was certain: the person standing outside was not Song Ge.

Who could it be? Who else but Fan Mingyuan…

Tong Xiangyu felt her heart being squeezed. Her hands and feet went cold. She didn’t dare make a sound. Every knock from outside felt like it was hitting her heart directly.

Suddenly, the knocking stopped. Footsteps faded away.

Instead of feeling relieved, Tong Xiangyu grew more panicked. She looked around frantically, only to realize all the windows were locked. Song Ge had locked them.

That thought brought her a moment of peace.

But the next moment, a face appeared outside the window. Tong Xiangyu nearly screamed in terror! She clamped her hand over her mouth.

Fan Mingyuan tried to slide the window open, but it wouldn’t budge. The room was set high off the ground, and with the sunset reflecting off the glass, it was hard to see inside. He gave it a hard tug, but it stayed firm.

Frustrated, he went back to the door. This time, he had lost his patience. He hammered on the door and shouted, “Yu-Yu, open the door!”

The sudden, heavy pounding made Tong Xiangyu jump. She covered her mouth tightly, tears of fear welling in her eyes, shaking her head repeatedly.

“Yu-Yu, would I ever hurt you?” Fan Mingyuan said. “Think about it. On the day it happened, didn’t I run specifically to find you and protect you? I love you. You’re the only person I ever wanted to marry. Why would I hurt you?”

“I know you blame me for what happened to Chu Qiao, but I swear, I didn’t know it was her. She was your best friend. I loved her by association—how could I hurt her? No matter how scary those monsters were, I would have died myself before hurting your friend and breaking your heart.”

Tong Xiangyu didn’t feel any better hearing his words. Her eyes were red; she trembled as she covered her mouth, tears rolling over her white fingers. Even though she knew he couldn’t see her, she kept shaking her head.

It wasn’t like that. It wasn’t like that at all!

Fan Mingyuan had killed someone. Regardless of who it was, he was a murderer.

Receiving no response, Fan Mingyuan grew visibly anxious. He glanced at the stairs; he hadn’t heard Song Ge’s footsteps yet. Lowering his voice, he spoke again. “Yu-Yu, I know you’re listening. You don’t have to talk, but listen to me.”

“You can hate me, you can refuse to forgive me, but take my advice: stay away from Song Ge.” He started speaking faster. “She’s a creep. A psychologically warped creep. Didn’t you know she’s a lesbian who likes girls? Why do you think she’s being ‘good’ to you for no reason? It’s because you’re pretty, innocent, and easy to trick!”

Tong Xiangyu had been trying her best to stay silent, but hearing him slander Song Ge like that, she couldn’t help herself. She suppressed a sob to retort, “You’re talking nonsense! Song Ge isn’t like that at all!”

She really is in there! A dark glint flashed in Fan Mingyuan’s eyes. He immediately softened his tone, coaxing her. “Yu-Yu, open the door. Let’s talk face-to-face. I missed you so much. These past two weeks have been agony; I’ve been so worried about you…”

Tong Xiangyu shook her head. Remembering he couldn’t see her, she started to speak but clamped her mouth shut again.

Footsteps sounded from above—Song Ge was coming down.

Fan Mingyuan cursed under his breath. He didn’t forget to get one last word in: “Yu-Yu, I’m leaving for now. I’ll come see you tomorrow. Remember, I love you and I’ll never hurt you.”

When Song Ge saw the door was shut tight, she felt a wave of relief.

Fan Mingyuan hadn’t been on the rooftop. His roommate said he had no appetite and was sleeping. Song Ge didn’t know if it was an excuse; worried that Tong Xiangyu might be in trouble, she had finished her meal quickly and brought the noodles back.

Now it seemed she had been overthinking.

As she reached the door and raised her hand to knock, she sensed something. She didn’t move her body, only shifting her eyes to scan the area behind her.

Someone’s there.

Song Ge frowned, but the other person didn’t move, clearly just hiding. Song Ge raised her hand, knocked five times, and called out, “Little Milk Tea.”

After a moment, the door opened.

Song Ge saw that Tong Xiangyu had been crying. The Young Mistress’s eyes were red, and her face was a mask of panic and lingering fear.

Song Ge’s lips thinned. Without looking back, she stepped inside and immediately locked the door.

A moment later, faint footsteps sounded outside. Soon, those footsteps ran back upstairs.

Song Ge placed the insulated box on the table, pulled out two tissues, and handed them to Tong Xiangyu. She said lowly, “I told you not to cry anymore. Do you want to lose your eyes?”

Tong Xiangyu reached for the tissues. Her tears had stopped, but hearing Song Ge’s words made her feel a sudden wave of grief. A sharp sting hit her nose and eyes, and she burst into audible sobs.

Song Ge realized she had said too much and fell silent.

After crying for a while, Tong Xiangyu wiped her eyes. She had been terrified, but Song Ge’s presence made her feel grounded. Even though Song Ge didn’t ask why she was crying, Tong Xiangyu volunteered, “Fan… Fan Mingyuan came to find me.”

“Did you open the door for him?”

Tong Xiangyu shook her head vigorously.

Song Ge softened her tone. “Go wash your face. You really can’t cry anymore.” She paused, then added, “Besides, you look better when you’re not crying.”

Tong Xiangyu froze, her red eyes staring straight at Song Ge.

Song Ge didn’t think she had said anything wrong. But in Tong Xiangyu’s mind, Fan Mingyuan’s words flashed back—saying Song Ge was a lesbian, that she liked her. Her heart fluttered in a panic, and she immediately ran into the bathroom.

Song Ge had no idea what Tong Xiangyu was thinking. She knew of Fan Mingyuan but didn’t know him well. After a moment of silence, she pulled out the tactical knife from her waist and began sharpening it with a whetstone.

In the bathroom, Tong Xiangyu saw her reflection. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her face was flushed red from stress and fear, looking like a monkey’s butt.

Ugh, so ugly!!

She forgot about the bad mood Fan Mingyuan had caused; she was just mortified to look like this in front of Song Ge. She hurriedly poured some bottled water to wash her face, then patted her cheeks with the remaining water, trying to clear the flush. But looking in the mirror, her face was wet and still didn’t look great.

Melancholy, she sat on the toilet lid, waiting for the redness to fade. Once it finally did, she walked out to see Song Ge sharpening her knife.

“That took forever,” Song Ge remarked.

Tong Xiangyu walked to the bed, pretending she hadn’t heard.

Seeing that she had calmed down significantly, Song Ge realized she wasn’t coming up for dinner. She picked up the bowl of noodles and chopsticks and brought them to her.

Tong Xiangyu took them with both hands. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Song Ge said nothing and went back to sharpening her knife.

Tong Xiangyu opened the container to find not just greens, but a perfectly fried egg. She looked at Song Ge, hesitated, then asked softly, “Aren’t you going to ask what Fan Mingyuan wanted?”

“Do you want to tell me?” Song Ge countered.

“He… he came to apologize.”

“Oh.”

“He said he didn’t know it was Chu Qiao—my best friend. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have pushed her. But if it were someone else, would it have been okay to push them? Wouldn’t that still be murder?”

Song Ge didn’t comment, thinking the Young Mistress was quite the moralist.

Tong Xiangyu said, “And when he said those things, he didn’t sound guilty at all. He’s so scary. I never want to see him again.”

“What kind of person is he?”

“Huh?”

“Fan Mingyuan’s character,” Song Ge clarified.

“I don’t know,” Tong Xiangyu said. “I always thought he was a humorous, considerate guy. Bright, sunny, loved basketball, always smiling—even if his grades weren’t great. Everyone seemed to like him.”

“And you?”

“Ah?”

Song Ge looked at her. “Everyone liked him. What about you?”

Tong Xiangyu shook her head like a rattle, holding her noodles. Her voice was soft but firm. “No. I didn’t like him.”

“Because of what happened that day?”

Tong Xiangyu hesitated, thought for a moment, then answered seriously, “What happened that day is the main reason.”

“But human nature is inherently flawed, Little Milk Tea,” Song Ge sighed. “In a crisis, people act before they think. Their bodies instinctively protect themselves.”

Tong Xiangyu no longer argued about the nickname. She said earnestly, “But when I fell, you came back to save me.”

Song Ge paused imperceptibly and continued sharpening. “That’s different.”

“How is it different?”

“The situation wasn’t that critical,” Song Ge said flatly. “And I knew I could get away.”

Seeing how casually she spoke, Tong Xiangyu poked at her noodles. Watching the steam rise and smelling the egg, she wasn’t sure what she was thinking. She looked at Song Ge again. “What if it had been someone else who fell? Would you have saved them?”

“Of course not.” Song Ge looked at her. “Do I look stupid?”

Tong Xiangyu bit her lip and smiled; her mood suddenly improved. She hummed and muttered, “But you saved me.”

“I said I’d take you to find your parents.”

Tong Xiangyu gave a small “Mhm” and didn’t return to the topic of Fan Mingyuan. She began eating with refined, slow movements. Once she finished the noodles, vegetables, and egg, she walked over and set down the container.

Song Ge glanced at it. “Drink the soup, too.”

“But…”

“Who knows when you’ll have hot soup again after this.”

“Oh.” Tong Xiangyu picked the box back up. Suddenly, she looked at Song Ge, her dark eyes wide. “Are we leaving tonight?”

“In another two days,” Song Ge said. “I need to check the situation outside the gate over the next few days.”

Tong Xiangyu nodded repeatedly. After spending so much time with Song Ge, she no longer felt embarrassed about drinking leftover soup. She finished it bit by bit.

Song Ge finished sharpening her knife. She took the container and handed the tactical knife to Tong Xiangyu.

“This…” Tong Xiangyu looked at her, confused.

“Try holding it,” Song Ge said.

Tong Xiangyu took it. The knife wasn’t small or suited for a girl; it was heavy. She had no idea how Song Ge had been sharpening it for so long when it was this heavy.

“How is it?” Song Ge asked.

“So heavy.”

Seeing her struggle to hold it, Song Ge took the knife back and returned it to her waist. It was clearly not practical to give this to the Young Mistress for self-defense yet.

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