Surviving the Apocalypse with the Young Miss - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Second Update

At night, Song Ge followed her usual routine of meticulously checking the doors and windows before lying down on the sofa.

The moonlight was bright.

Listening to the soft, rhythmic breathing of the other person in the room and looking up at the moon, which hung in the sky like a jade plate, Song Ge thought: If Fan Mingyuan weren’t here, I really could have let Tong Xiangyu stay and wait for rescue.

However, that man with the glasses wasn’t a good sort either.

The Young Mistress was far too beautiful. In normal times, she might receive preferential treatment for it, but when chaos and accidents occur, her total lack of self-defense makes that beautiful skin nothing but a magnet for trouble.

I knew she’d be a hassle the moment we climbed over that wall, Song Ge thought, and soon fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Song Ge took Tong Xiangyu up to the rooftop.

Yes, she brought Tong Xiangyu along.

While Song Ge had been monitoring the monsters’ movements since they arrived, the brief windows at lunch and dinner weren’t nearly enough. Since they were planning to leave, she needed to gather more useful information.

This meant Song Ge couldn’t stay cooped up in the room all day.

The room had been safe before, but the situation had changed. If Song Ge left for long periods and left Tong Xiangyu alone, she would face constant harassment from Fan Mingyuan. It would be a different kind of being “left behind.”

It was better to keep her close. After all, even if Fan Mingyuan had dark designs, he wouldn’t dare do anything untoward under the watchful eyes of the group.

Song Ge chose the rooftop because observing from the first-floor gate was high-risk and offered a narrow field of vision. Furthermore, if the others saw her, it would invite resentment and resistance. The rooftop was the best option—it was safe, and the view was far more comprehensive.

The day was fully bright. Song Ge stood at the rooftop railing. A few monsters with twisted limbs wandered aimlessly in the streets.

Half a month had passed, and the monsters’ physical forms didn’t seem to have changed much. If they weren’t extremely resistant to starvation, it meant they didn’t need to eat at all. They bit people perhaps only out of an instinctual drive to spread the virus. From what she could see, they didn’t seem to die of natural causes either.

This area belonged to the outer rings of Kecheng, where the population wasn’t as dense and consisted mostly of students. As for the city center… the situation was likely grim.

However, they were heading for the neighboring city, not the center.

Song Ge scanned the routes, looking further and further out with great care. Gradually, she realized the streets matched perfectly with the map Tong Xiangyu had drawn based on the landlady’s descriptions.

Song Ge raised an eyebrow in surprise. As expected of an honor student; the Young Mistress actually has some skill.

Song Ge looked back.

The “skilled student” was currently playing a string-cradle game with two little girls under the age of ten. Her hair was tied up in a high bun, revealing her fair, beautiful face. When she laughed, her eyes curved like crescents, showing bright lips and white teeth.

The Jiang couple was nearby making breakfast. Mrs. Jiang was surprised that such a wealthy-looking, beautiful girl was so approachable. Among the students eating with them, there were quite a few girls, but they all without exception disliked dealing with children, and her daughters didn’t take to them either.

The younger sister said, “Sister Yu-Yu, it’s your turn.”

Tong Xiangyu asked, “So I hook my little finger here first?”

The older sister said, “Right. Hook it here, Sister Yu-Yu.”

As Tong Xiangyu hooked the string, she suddenly sensed a gaze. She looked up and met Song Ge’s direct, open stare. In that instant, Tong Xiangyu’s hooked pinky twitched involuntarily, and she felt a surge of inexplicable nervousness.

Tong Xiangyu hadn’t washed her hair since the water was cut. Although Granny Tian had bottled water, the resource was precious; she only used a little to brush her teeth and wash her face, saving the rest for drinking. Though it felt gross, she could endure it given the circumstances. However, in this light, her hair surely looked a bit greasy…

Song Ge had no idea what Tong Xiangyu was thinking. Looking at her, she felt the girl’s eyes were clear, obedient, and a bit vulnerable. It seemed that if Song Ge just beckoned, she would submissively stand up and come over.

Song Ge suppressed a sudden, mischievous urge to test that theory, turned her eyes away, and continued observing the monsters and routes.

After breakfast was ready, the Jiang couple invited them to join. It was dumplings. The wrappers were hand-rolled, filled with pork and greens. A large jar of chili sauce sat on the side—likely because they were worried the girls couldn’t handle spice and didn’t want to mix it directly into the filling.

Song Ge cut the dumplings open, kept the meat for herself, and moved the wrappers into Tong Xiangyu’s bowl, letting her eat them as a sort of noodle soup.

The Jiang couple stared in shock. Tong Xiangyu blinked her almond eyes at Song Ge.

Song Ge said, “What are you looking at? You’re lucky I’m giving you noodle soup at all.”

Tong Xiangyu had been in a bind; she didn’t want to eat the meat filling at all, but she felt bad refusing the Jiangs’ kindness. Song Ge’s move solved the dilemma perfectly, and she looked at Song Ge with gratitude.

Except Song Ge’s ‘performance’ is still so consistent… Tong Xiangyu thought.

Mrs. Jiang suddenly remembered the beautiful, delicate student had a weak stomach, and the meat used for the dumplings wasn’t exactly fresh. Feeling embarrassed, she stood up quickly. “Let me boil some noodles for you instead.”

Tong Xiangyu picked up her chopsticks. “No need to go to the trouble, Auntie. This is fine. I’m on a diet anyway, I don’t want to eat meat.”

Mr. Jiang was a blunt man and didn’t catch the nuance. “You’re already so thin, why are you dieting?”

Tong Xiangyu smiled. “What girl ever thinks she’s thin enough?”

Song Ge: “Me.”

Tong Xiangyu: “…”

Tong Xiangyu immediately shot Song Ge a look: I know you’re great at killing the mood, stop talking!

Song Ge’s own observations were limited. No one knew the monster dynamics better than the Jiangs, who had been living on the roof. Tong Xiangyu was excellent at socializing and conversation; without revealing their intention to leave, she quickly managed to coax all the information they needed out of them.

Tong Xiangyu asked the questions; Song Ge listened and memorized. Song Ge had an excellent memory she just refused to use it for schoolwork.

After the meal, Song Ge went back to the railing to memorize routes and shop locations, cross-referencing them with the map in her mind and using proportions to mentally fill in the layouts of the roads she couldn’t see. Slowly, a complete mental map of a large portion of the Kecheng district formed in her head.

On the other side, the two sisters were enthusiastically showing Tong Xiangyu the vegetables their mother grew. Although prices here weren’t as high as in the city center, the Jiangs were used to growing their own produce in foam boxes. Since Granny Tian grew flowers, there was no lack of soil. Cabbages, tomatoes, green onions, and sweet potato leaves were easy to keep alive.

Tong Xiangyu listened intently.

At that moment, the older sister, Dandan, said, “Sister Yu-Yu, that quiet sister is looking at you again.”

Tong Xiangyu coughed lightly. “Liar.”

“It’s true this time,” Dandan said. “Does she have something to tell you?”

Tong Xiangyu couldn’t help but look back, only to see Song Ge still standing by the railing. She was looking into the distance, her lean, tall figure standing as straight as a pine tree under the fierce sun.

Tong Xiangyu withdrew her gaze and looked at the triumphant Dandan. “Dandan, you lied again.”

“Hee-hee, because since you came over here, you haven’t looked at that sister for a long time.”

Tong Xiangyu looked down, pulling two tiny weeds from a pot. “Why should I look at her?” she whispered.

“I don’t know, but you used to look at her all the time.” Children are naturally sharp about these things. Dandan propped her chin in her hands and asked, “Sister Yu-Yu, are you sick? Is that why you always have the quiet sister bring you food?”

“Yes,” Tong Xiangyu said. “I was sick before.”

Dandan said, “Don’t be sick, Sister Yu-Yu. Oh, I have medicine! You’ll be better if you take one!” She ran into the room and came back out, stuffing a box into Tong Xiangyu’s hand.

Tong Xiangyu flipped it over. The label read: Stomachic and Digestive Tablets.

Tong Xiangyu: “…”

Dandan said, “Mama said your stomach is bad. This is medicine for the stomach. See? I recognize these words.”

“Wow, you’re so smart.” Tong Xiangyu smiled and handed the medicine back. “Thank you, but Sister Yu-Yu is better now and doesn’t need medicine. Keep this for you and your sister.”

“I don’t eat them now either, because my tummy doesn’t feel bad.”

Tong Xiangyu thought: That’s because in this situation, you never get the chance to eat until you’re stuffed…

Tong Xiangyu finally ate lunch with everyone. When Wu Senjun saw her, he felt like the day had instantly brightened. If Liu Qian hadn’t been dragging him along, he would have approached her to chat.

Song Ge noticed all the students were present, except for Fan Mingyuan, who was absent again. Recalling what Tong Xiangyu said last night, Song Ge guessed he was currently outside their first-floor room, confessing his heart to the empty air. She couldn’t help but let out a small, mocking snort.

Lunch was rice, with heavy meat dishes supplemented by small portions of vegetables. With the power out, the meat couldn’t be kept long, even with salt curing. The smell of spoilage would only grow, so it had to be consumed quickly. There were vegetables, but they didn’t grow fast enough; they had to rely on sustainable harvesting since no one knew when rescue would come.

Tong Xiangyu struggled to find anything to pick at on the meat-heavy table. Fortunately, she had a small appetite; she finished half a bowl of rice and some sweet and sour tomato and eggs.

At the table, Wu Senjun enthusiastically tried to serve Tong Xiangyu food several times, but Liu Qian intercepted every move with her own bowl, making Wu Senjun’s expression quite ugly. Liu Qian ignored him, kindly asking Tong Xiangyu how she felt. Tong Xiangyu smiled and thanked her, saying she was much better.

The meal was harmonious. Zhu Lulu watched Tong Xiangyu, internally excited to be at the same table as her “role model,” but frustrated that she didn’t know how to start a conversation.

After the meal, Zhu Lulu saw that Tong Xiangyu hadn’t left immediately and finally found the courage to greet her. “Senior… Senior Tong.”

Tong Xiangyu looked at her, surprised. “Hello?”

“I… my name is Zhu Lulu, also a student at Kecheng High.” Zhu Lulu clenched her fists to stay calm. “Senior, you’ve always been my goal. You’re so beautiful, yet you study so hard and are so excellent.”

Tong Xiangyu’s eyes curved. “But beauty doesn’t seem to have anything to do with studying, does it?”

“It does!” Zhu Lulu said. “Even though Kecheng is a key school, many girls in our class who are even slightly pretty start dating boys and their grades suffer.”

Tong Xiangyu smiled softly. Zhu Lulu’s face turned red, and she almost couldn’t look her in the eye. “Senior Tong, you’re so beautiful, and so kind, gentle, and approachable.”

Tong Xiangyu asked, “So according to you, beautiful girls aren’t usually kind?”

“N-no,” Zhu Lulu said. “But they think they’re superior. Compared to ordinary girls like us, they show a lot of arrogance. But I always think—Senior Tong, you’re so pretty, ranked first in the grade, and your family background is so great. If you don’t act superior, what right do they have? It feels unfair.”

“Why are you getting upset on my behalf?” Tong Xiangyu’s voice was gentle. “I don’t think I’m that beautiful. Aesthetics are very personal, subjective, and biased. Maybe you think I’m pretty, but others don’t. Others think someone else is pretty, but you don’t. So don’t worry about it. Besides, who says you’re ordinary? I think your round face is very cute.”

Zhu Lulu looked at her, nervous and flattered.

“What, you don’t believe me?” Tong Xiangyu thought for a moment and decided to use an example. She turned to look at Song Ge, who was busy, and whispered, “For example… what do you think of Song Ge?”

Zhu Lulu looked over, hesitating because she knew the two seemed to be close and she didn’t want to speak ill. “Senior Song’s personality is a bit cold. She looks hard to approach, the type that’s probably not easy to get along with.”

Tong Xiangyu asked, “And her looks? Do you think she’s pretty?”

Zhu Lulu looked again. The bright sunlight fell on Song Ge. She was tall and lean with great proportions. While short hair might be a slight deduction for some girls, if you looked closely at her features, she had nice double eyelids and a perfectly shaped nose. Her lips were thin on top and fuller on the bottom. Even if her skin wasn’t perfectly fair, she was far better looking than average. It was just that her expression was always so cold and her eyes so distant that she felt unapproachable and “unattractive.”

After looking, Zhu Lulu answered seriously: “She’s pretty.”

Tong Xiangyu was momentarily stuck. She had expected Zhu Lulu to say she wasn’t that good-looking, and she had prepared a list of praises for Song Ge to use as a point to prove that “aesthetics are personal.”

But Zhu Lulu actually said she was pretty.

Tong Xiangyu hesitated, thinking maybe she should secretly say she wasn’t pretty, but before she could speak, she saw Song Ge look over as if sensing something.

Tong Xiangyu immediately felt like she’d been caught doing something bad! Her heart hammered, and she guiltily looked away, abandoning her plan to “badmouth” Song Ge. She pulled Zhu Lulu further away and whispered, “Let’s use a different example. Let’s use Fan Mingyuan. You know him, right? Do you think he’s handsome?”

“He’s very handsome!” Zhu Lulu blurted out without thinking. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Tong Xiangyu. “Senior Fan is the school hunk and your suitor, right, Senior Tong?”

“No,” Tong Xiangyu said firmly this time. “He is completely not my type. You think he’s handsome? I feel absolutely nothing.”

Zhu Lulu was stunned. “Senior Fan’s looks are just average? Then what is your type, Senior?”

“I don’t know,” Tong Xiangyu answered. “I haven’t met anyone I like yet, so I don’t know what my type is.”

Zhu Lulu asked, “Then do you think Senior Song is pretty?”

“…” Tong Xiangyu propped her chin in her hand and turned to look at Song Ge, who was no longer paying attention to them. After her gaze lingered on Song Ge for two seconds, she withdrew it and answered softly but firmly: “I think she’s pretty.”

Zhu Lulu’s eyes lit up again. “Then our tastes aren’t completely different!”

“Right.” Tong Xiangyu laughed, her eyes curving. “Aesthetics are such a mysterious thing.”

That evening, Song Ge asked Tong Xiangyu what she had been chatting so excitedly with the junior about all afternoon. Tong Xiangyu said they were discussing the philosophy of life and that Song Ge wouldn’t be interested.

Song Ge said, “True, I can’t understand the world of you honor students.”

Tong Xiangyu hurried to defend herself. “I didn’t mean it like that, don’t twist my words.”

Song Ge gave a small laugh. Tong Xiangyu looked at her and suddenly said, “You should laugh more, Song Ge. You look better when you laugh.”

Song Ge immediately stopped laughing and looked up at her. “Oh.”

“…” Tong Xiangyu said, “Song Ge, I’ve found you’re quite rebellious. How old are you? Did you just turn three this year?”

“Don’t know. Probably almost.”

“Wow, you actually played along with the joke.”

Song Ge stopped indulging in the Young Mistress’s nonsense. “You’ve integrated quite quickly. In one day, you’ve broken into every age group and won everyone over.”

“That’s not it.” Tong Xiangyu didn’t think it was because of her. “Uncle and Auntie Jiang are naturally good people. Dandan and Yingying are just kids; kids are good to everyone. Zhu Lulu is a junior who says she looks up to me, and the nurse sister is naturally kind.”

“What about the girls from the Second High? They’re from the arts school; do you have anything in common?”

“They were cursing Fan Mingyuan with me.”

“…” Song Ge had nothing to say to the strange bonds formed between girls.

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