Surviving the Apocalypse with the Young Miss - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: A Pity

“What is this?”

What could it be!

Tong Xiangyu’s face flushed a deep crimson. She hurriedly covered the back of her ear—which felt tingly and numb from Song Ge’s touch—and tried to dodge the topic. “What ‘what’? Song Ge, let’s hurry back into the city. It won’t be good if it gets dark; it’s dangerous.”

But Song Ge said, “Based on yesterday’s situation, it will be another twelve hours before the sun sets.” After saying this, Song Ge took off the sunglasses that covered half of Tong Xiangyu’s face and looked at her steadily. “I’m asking you what happened to that mark behind your ear.”

Tong Xiangyu unexpectedly met Song Ge’s gaze.

Without the sunglasses for “cover,” she panicked and instinctively looked away, her cheeks burning. After a long pause, she lowered her head and whispered something as quiet as a mosquito.

It was too muffled; Song Ge didn’t hear it.

“What?” Song Ge leaned down closer to her.

As soon as she leaned in, she caught a whiff of the other girl’s pleasant, faint fragrance. Song Ge felt a momentary daze. The scent was lovely and familiar, and it made her feel an inexplicable stir of emotion—her throat felt dry. She had smelled this when they shared a bed before, but she had never felt this strange way.

Tong Xiangyu, however, lost all her courage when Song Ge got this close. Terrified, she blurted out a lie: “It… it’s just an allergy!”

Song Ge heard her clearly and stepped back half a pace.

“Liar,” Song Ge said.

“…”

Tong Xiangyu’s face was still bright red. She kept her eyes down, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt, her heart racing like a trapped deer. She didn’t know what to say.

Looking at the young lady’s frantic series of reactions and combining it with the mark she’d seen behind that woman’s ear back at the base, Song Ge understood. She didn’t say anything out loud since they were still outside; she ushered Tong Xiangyu into the car, as it was far too hot out.

Seeing that Song Ge didn’t press her, Tong Xiangyu thought she had escaped a disaster. But before she even had her seatbelt buckled in the passenger seat, she heard Song Ge ask casually—”What did I do to you after I got drunk?”

Hearing this, Tong Xiangyu was so startled her seatbelt buckle missed the slot. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to be calm, telling herself that Song Ge had no memory of it and had completely blacked out. She turned to look at Song Ge, intending to pretend she didn’t understand.

However, Tong Xiangyu didn’t get the chance to “perform.”

Song Ge looked at her, her expression calm. “Did I kiss you?”

Tong Xiangyu’s heart skipped a beat in fright! Her ears turned a deep shade of crimson!! “I… I…”

“Sorry,” Song Ge said. “I don’t remember.”

Tong Xiangyu hadn’t even recovered from her nervous stuttering before she heard the apology. She froze. Although her face was still red, she regained her composure quickly. She made a vague gesture with her hand and said, “It’s okay. It wasn’t really a ‘kiss.’ You just said you wanted to verify if it was a hickey.”

Seeing that Tong Xiangyu was a bit awkward, Song Ge turned the car around and asked, “Did I use force on you?”

Tong Xiangyu was shocked by the choice of words! Although the situation at the time was technically like that, calling it “using force” was a bit much. She said hurriedly, “No, no, you didn’t force me.”

Song Ge saw that she wasn’t lying and tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully, whispering to herself, “Oh, so it was voluntary.”

Tong Xiangyu heard her.

“!!!”

It absolutely was not voluntary!!

Her cheeks flushed once more, but this time it wasn’t out of shyness—it was from being irritated by Song Ge’s black-and-white way of speaking.

The road was empty and easy to drive. Song Ge’s fingers tapped the wheel lightly. Suddenly, she heard Tong Xiangyu saying something. She glanced over. “What?”

Tong Xiangyu’s fingers were entwined together. She was too embarrassed to look at Song Ge, but she raised the volume of her lie slightly: “I said, the whole process was very short. You just kissed me right after you finished talking. It was over before I could even react.”

Song Ge raised an eyebrow, looked back at the road, and said casually, “So it’s a pity?”

Tong Xiangyu turned to look at her in surprise. “A pity for what?”

“That the process was too short?”

Tong Xiangyu was teased into silence by this one sentence, her face turning red all the way down to her neck. Finally, she said in embarrassment, “I didn’t say that!!”

Song Ge laughed.

They drove for a while. Compared to the outskirts of Kecheng, the mountains here were higher and the weather was hotter. The air distorted violently, as if heaven and earth were a giant oven. The car was quiet; neither of them spoke.

Tong Xiangyu thought the matter had been smoothed over. Looking at the scenery retreating outside, she felt… okay. Though there was a tiny bit of emotional letdown, a feeling that the whole thing was brushed off too lightly.

But then again… it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Suddenly, Song Ge spoke again: “But it is indeed a pity.”

Tong Xiangyu was visibly stunned. She heard it but didn’t dare look back at Song Ge, because she didn’t know what Song Ge meant by saying that so suddenly. Amidst her wild thoughts, her heart rate spiraled out of control…

“Little Milk Tea.”

Tong Xiangyu gave a hasty “Ah” and looked back at her.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why it’s a pity?”

Tong Xiangyu’s mind was a chaotic mess, but she had to maintain her composure. “Pity for what?”

“A pity that I don’t remember.”

Tong Xiangyu’s fingers unconsciously clenched in her palms. “Why would you want to remember ‘that kind of thing’?”

“‘That kind of thing’ only happens once in a lifetime. Isn’t it a loss not to remember?” Song Ge asked. “How did it feel?”

Tong Xiangyu’s ears were red enough to bleed. “Song Ge, you’re crazy! How could I feel anything! It ended with just one kiss!”

Song Ge chuckled. “Alright, alright. Don’t get worked up.”

Tong Xiangyu gave a loud “Hmph” with a red face and turned away. Song Ge didn’t dare tease her anymore.

In reality, the time spent making the hickey hadn’t been short at all. Tong Xiangyu touched the back of her ear; her fingertips lightly brushed the skin, and every time she touched it, it still felt a bit tingly. What did a hickey… look like? Song Ge must have kissed someone before; she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t. Otherwise, how could she have made one in just one try?

Tong Xiangyu felt a bit depressed thinking about it. she looked out the window, intending not to think about it anymore, but discovered that at a certain angle, she could see Song Ge’s reflection in the glass. Song Ge was focused and serious while driving. Even though she was expressionless, she was very good-looking.

Tong Xiangyu watched and watched. By the time she snapped out of it, the car had returned to the suburbs of Taiyun.

Song Ge knew that the supermarkets in the city center had mostly been looted, either by Zeus or other survivors. When she was on her bike yesterday, she noticed the windows were shattered and the shelves were empty. It was impossible for food or water to be left. So, she didn’t drive into the city center but stopped in the outskirts.

“Why stop here?” Tong Xiangyu asked.

“Villages usually have those small convenience stores,” Song Ge said. “We won’t be delayed for long. We have a car, so even if we’re unfamiliar with the roads or encounter an accident, we can reach the next city in a day and a night at most.”

They got out of the car together, but Tong Xiangyu said, “But in a place like this, if there are survivors, wouldn’t the convenience stores be the first things they’d loot?”

“Mhm. Let’s check first.”

Tong Xiangyu was right. They checked two stores, and both were stripped bare. Not just food—nothing was left. Song Ge drove further into the outskirts. They saw no monsters or mutated animals.

“See, Song Ge? I told you. The monsters must have died naturally.”

Song Ge replied, “Then where are the bodies?”

“They rotted,” Tong Xiangyu used her own logic. “Just like that underground parking lot—rivers of blood and bones everywhere. The monsters must have tried to hide in cool places, but just as the virus broke out suddenly, the virus suddenly died.”

Song Ge couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Tong Xiangyu looked at her immediately, a bit angry. “I know you don’t think so because you always think of the worst.”

“I certainly hope it’s as you say,” Song Ge said.

Tong Xiangyu was easily coaxed. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Hmph~” Tong Xiangyu said proudly. “Just trust me. My sixth sense is very sharp.”

Song Ge replied casually, “Mhm. I trust you.”

Seeing another convenience store, Song Ge stopped the car. The AC inside was comfortable, but outside was like a 180-degree oven. Tong Xiangyu zipped her sun-protection jacket to the top and pulled her fisherman hat down, trying to cover herself completely.

“It’s just too hot!!” She looked down at the asphalt, which was almost melting. “I wonder how many degrees it is.”

“I told you to wait in the car,” Song Ge said. “I’ll call you if I find anything.”

“No need. I’m not an ice cube; I won’t melt in the sun.” Tong Xiangyu ran toward the store, wanting to get into the shade quickly.

This store was also empty. Tong Xiangyu stood at the entrance, fanning her face as she watched the air shimmer from the heat. “Song Ge, will we die of thirst?”

“No.” Song Ge was checking carefully, trying to find a hidden storage room. “There’s still water in the car. Go back.”

“I’m fine now.” Tong Xiangyu glanced at Song Ge. “I’m just worried. Look, during that heavy rain in Kecheng, the streams flooded, but the water receded after only two days of sun. By the time we crossed, it was dry. If it keeps being this sunny, how can we cope?”

“After a great drought comes great rain,” Song Ge said.

Tong Xiangyu sighed. “But heavy rain isn’t a good thing either…”

Song Ge walked out of the shop. “Rest here a bit. I’ll check elsewhere.”

But Tong Xiangyu followed her immediately, complaining, “You’re actually leaving me here alone? You’re so heartless!”

“Didn’t you say the monsters are all dead?”

“But what about the mutant dogs?”

“Sorry. Keep up.”

It had been over three months since the initial outbreak. Anything in supermarkets that was edible or could fill a stomach had naturally been looted. The doors of convenience stores almost all showed signs of being forced open, and some stores even had dried corpses lying around—survivors who had tried to hide and wait for rescue that never came.

Song Ge looked around and noticed the village was getting more remote. She was about to turn back when Tong Xiangyu shouted joyfully: “Song Ge, here! Over here!!”

Tong Xiangyu had found a room stockpiled with supplies. Song Ge checked; things were messy, likely a warehouse where the supermarket owner kept incoming stock. She checked the surroundings to ensure it was safe before prying the door open.

The room was filled with dust. Items were stacked in boxes covered in thick gray grime. Instant noodles, snacks, and most importantly, mineral water. Tong Xiangyu was squatting on the floor, struggling to hold a 5L bottle of orange juice to check the expiration date.

Song Ge told her not to bother; they would drive the car in to load up. The road was narrow, and since she was still a novice, she’d let Tong Xiangyu drive the car in.

“Didn’t you say we could reach Zihu City in a day and didn’t need much food?” Tong Xiangyu asked.

“I was just preparing you mentally,” Song Ge said, “so you wouldn’t worry too much if we couldn’t find food.”

Tong Xiangyu hummed, put down the drink, and walked out with Song Ge.

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