Vicious Cannon Fodder? No, He’s a Darling Wife! - Chapter 5

Half an hour later, Yuan Su was greeted by a stony-faced Qu Zhilan and a box of underwear.

Yuan Su’s hands trembled as he took the box. He was profoundly grateful. “Thank you so much. Sorry for the trouble.”

To show his appreciation, he proactively poured a cup of tea for the man. “Please, have some.”

Qu Zhilan: “Thanks.”

From Qu Zhilan’s perspective, he saw the youth’s flush-pink cheeks and earlobes that were so red they looked ready to bleed. Once Yuan Su saw him take the tea, he scurried back to the bedroom with the new box of underwear like a frightened rabbit.

His silhouette practically radiated the energy of someone making a desperate escape.

As soon as he heard the door lock, Qu Zhilan stood up and poured the tea down the drain. He stared at the water droplets in the sink, his expression unreadable.

He can’t even hide his own emotions. Could someone like this really have murdered Qin Zhao?

Qin Zhao’s death had been too sudden, catching everyone off guard.

His final mission had been to collect blood samples from a ferocious mutant beast for a research institute in desperate need. They had fought a grueling battle, and it was Qin Zhao’s final, desperate strike—plunging his blade into the monster’s skull—that had secured the victory.

As the beast’s massive carcass crashed to the ground, Qin Zhao had casually wiped the blood from his face and shouted: “Move fast! The other bats drawn away by the sonic lure will be back any minute!”

Qu Zhilan had received the signal from their comrades manning the sonic equipment. Simultaneously, he heard the whistling wind and screeching echoes rebounding through the surrounding ruins.

“Let’s go!”

Qu Zhilan finished the collection and leapt into the vehicle. He hadn’t even pulled the door shut when he heard a dull thud.

He instinctively looked back. Qin Zhao, who had been standing on the perimeter observing the situation, swayed unsteadily. The water bottle at his feet rolled away, and the man’s body collapsed as stiffly as a piece of timber.

Before anyone could react, the monsters were upon them. No one could stay.

Aside from the returning mutant bats, the commotion had attracted every predator in the district. Packs of rabid jackals and mutated hounds swarmed the area. In the chaos, everyone scrambled into the vehicles to save their own lives.

Qu Zhilan opened the window to jump out, but his men held him back.

“Don’t be reckless! Those bats are venomous—one bite and you’re dead!”

“Qin Zhao is still out there!”

“Calm down! If you go down now, you’re just committing suicide!”

The veins on the back of Qu Zhilan’s hands bulged as he stared out the window. The armored car sped away, kicking up yellow sand. Through the glass, the men could only watch with bloodshot eyes as Qin Zhao’s body vanished into the dust…

Qin Zhao, the pillar of the guild, the man who had helped survivors long before entering the base, had died such a theatrical, meaningless death in the swirling sands of the Old City.

They hadn’t even been able to bring back his body to conduct an autopsy. It was a bitter pill that remained stuck in everyone’s throat.

….

Yuan Su couldn’t tell if he was feeling shame or pure disgust.

He didn’t discriminate against gay people—mostly because he was one. But he was also “homophobic” in a sense; to avoid any uncomfortable contact, he had lived off-campus throughout high school and college. Now, he had just arrived in this world and had already asked a man he barely knew to buy him underwear. And the man had actually done it!

Ten million, ten million, ten million…

Yuan Su chanted the salary in his head like a mantra to steady his nerves. Compared to his usual discomfort, he was now mostly drowning in awkwardness.

After he finished changing, the System spoke up out of nowhere: 【He’s probably memorized how thin your waist is now.】

Yuan Su didn’t catch the drift immediately. “What?”

341 stated: 【They fit you perfectly.】

Yuan Su’s mind went straight to the gutter. He snapped back, “…You’re very inappropriate.”

The System processed this for a moment before responding with a hint of mockery: 【I was merely stating a fact. It is you who subjectively colored my words.】

【You are the inappropriate one.】

Yuan Su silently hung his head, his lips pressed together. Beneath his dark hair, the corners of his eyes were stained with a vivid, gorgeous flush.

He bit his lip and dryly changed the subject. “What should I do next?”

Qu Zhilan was waiting outside. He didn’t particularly want to be alone with him—after all, he had poisoned Qu Zhilan’s future love interest, and Qu Zhilan already suspected him. Now, the System was telling him to seduce the man, and he was actually going through with it!

What a disaster of a starting hand!

While Yuan Su was having a mini-breakdown, the System sensed his tension. 【What are you worried about?】

Yuan Su sighed weakly. “I’m ‘homophobic.’ I don’t think I have the heart to seduce anyone.”

In his past life, people had always pursued him; he had zero experience being the aggressor. He was a complete amateur.

341 was skeptical of his claim, but since Qu Zhilan had been waiting at the door for a while, it cleared its throat and offered some comfort: 【You don’t need to be so nervous. Qu Zhilan is actually straight.】

Yuan Su was overjoyed. “Really?”

341 pulled up the original plot. 【Well, at least until he realizes his feelings for Qin Zhao, he’s as straight as an arrow!】

Yuan Su breathed a massive sigh of relief. He stopped dawdling and pushed the door open.

The moment the door closed behind him, a black tentacle snaked out from under the bed and snatched up the discarded pajamas and the remaining underwear left on the mattress…

….

Yuan Su stepped out. As he nodded politely, his necklace slipped from his collar. He offered a practiced courtesy: “Sorry to keep you waiting. Let me treat you to a meal.”

He had always been the one being chased; he wasn’t very good at small talk or initiating friendships. If Qu Zhilan ignored him or rejected him outright, Yuan Su planned to hold a grudge for a lifetime and curse him in secret.

Watching his forced attempt at being relaxed, Qu Zhilan suddenly realized that Yuan Su seemed… afraid of him.

Is it because I was too aggressive yesterday?

The man looked down, unconsciously grinding his molars. A strange heat flickered in his throat, neither rising nor falling.

He didn’t refuse. His gaze swept over Yuan Su with agonizing indifference before he stood up and walked toward the door. “Let’s go.”

That easy?

Yuan Su hurried to keep up, but he remained on high alert. He was afraid Qu Zhilan was trying to bait him into a trap, or perhaps take him somewhere secluded to interrogate him…

Lost in his thoughts, Yuan Su unconsciously frowned. His features were undeniably exquisite—a rarity even before the apocalypse. He had vivid lips and a soft, lithe grace, but his amber, cat-like eyes took the edge off his beauty, adding a touch of purity and softness.

This kind of beauty was precious in the wasteland, and equally fragile. Without protection, it would become nothing more than spoils for the wolves to fight over.

This became painfully clear the moment they stepped outside and Yuan Su felt the predatory stares of the passersby.

This chapter heightens the tension, placing Yuan Su right in the middle of a post-apocalyptic “creme de la creme” confrontation. Here is the English translation:

….

“Found a new man already? What a pity…”

“Isn’t that Qu Zhilan? He moves fast!”

“Checking out his brother’s widow, is he?”

“Well, Sister-in-law is delicious, isn’t he? Hahahaha!”

…

An inexplicable wave of displeasure surged in Qu Zhilan’s chest. He wordlessly shifted closer to Yuan Su, placing himself between the youth and the source of the crude comments.

Yuan Su noticed nothing. He was walking with his mind in a daze, relaxing only because he could see a familiar figure in his peripheral vision. When he finally realized he was walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Qu Zhilan, he instinctively snapped back to reality and looked up.

By chance, his eyes locked right onto Qu Zhilan’s.

Yuan Su: “…”

He didn’t speak, nor did he frantically look away as he had done before Chu Wenhe. He simply maintained eye contact with a forced calmness.

Qu Zhilan naturally diverted his gaze from those amber eyes, looking slightly downward. He asked, “You look like you didn’t sleep well last night.”

Yuan Su indeed hadn’t slept soundly; dreaming of Qin Zhao would do that to anyone. He reached up to touch the faint dark circles under his eyes and spoke the truth: “I dreamed of… Qin Zhao.”

An unexpected answer.

Qu Zhilan raised an eyebrow slightly. His features were cold and sharp; he usually wore such a stern expression that he appeared much older. Now that his expression had softened with a hint of life, Yuan Su realized that Qu Zhilan was likely around his own age.

Qu Zhilan: “Do you miss him that much?”

This question put Yuan Su in a difficult spot.

He felt that as a young “widow” who had just lost his husband, being too eager would seem frivolous. But if he expressed too much longing, what if Qu Zhilan decided to keep his distance afterward?

So, the youth cast a fleeting, subtle glance at Qu Zhilan, hesitated while biting his lip, and squeezed out three words: “A little bit.”

As he finished, he instinctively licked his lips—like a small animal cleaning its mouth—radiating a natural cuteness that was far too innocent to be called seduction.

The mumbled words, the sweeping, lingering glance that was anything but “pure.”

It was an invitation that was easy to read.

Unrefined, clumsy.

But highly effective.

Qu Zhilan’s head felt faint, and his heart rate accelerated uncontrollably. He took a deep breath to steady his lungs, but his body refused to settle.

The phantom scent from last night—that faint, almost imaginary fragrance—seemed to drift into his nose again. Qu Zhilan’s cold eyes flashed with a hint of irritation, and his voice carried a trace of unsuppressed emotion.

“Perhaps… he isn’t dead.”

A cold sweat broke out on Yuan Su’s forehead. His amber eyes went wide, but he continued to play dumb. “W-what?”

After all, no one had approached to check the body back then; they had only guessed based on the way Qin Zhao’s body had gone rigid and collapsed. Furthermore, Qin Zhao had been drinking water just before that—water Yuan Su had prepared. The suspicion of poisoning was heavy.

But even the stupidest person wouldn’t poison a water bottle so obviously, right? A simple check would reveal the truth.

Qu Zhilan shifted his gaze away from that beautiful, shock-stricken face. “Nothing.”

The two soon arrived at the base’s communal cafeteria. In the post-apocalyptic world, supplies were scarce, especially food. Private restaurants were rare, so every community within the base had a cafeteria where food could be exchanged for points.

It was already past one in the afternoon, peak lunchtime. The cafeteria was crowded, and the lines at every window were agonizingly long.

“Let’s go upstairs,” Qu Zhilan said.

The food on the second floor was relatively expensive, so it was less crowded. Yuan Su didn’t refuse, largely because… he realized too many eyes were fixed on him.

Eyes full of scrutiny, disgust, and greed… Though he was used to being stared at, this blatant malice made him extremely uncomfortable.

Noticing the youth’s sinking mood, the man seemed to sense the cause. His eyes, dark as cold stars, swept over the crowd. Standing on the stairs, he looked down with a chilling, murderous gaze.

The malicious onlookers immediately fell silent and lowered their heads in shame.

Yuan Su didn’t notice, but 341 saw it all, and the System was starting to get a “vibe.”

Once they were at a table in the second-floor restaurant, Qu Zhilan asked, “Any dietary restrictions?”

Yuan Su: “I don’t eat cilantro, and I don’t like fish.”

Looks like a cat, yet doesn’t like fish.

Qu Zhilan’s dark eyes curved slightly, a smile flashing and vanishing in an instant. He ordered several dishes. It wasn’t until the food was almost on the table that Yuan Su realized something was off.

Wait, wasn’t I supposed to be the one treating him? Why is Qu Zhilan acting like the host?

Moreover, Yuan Su wondered if he was being too sensitive, but there was an indefinable feeling coming from Qu Zhilan. He had straight male friends; how could a straight man be this attentive? The man didn’t even seem as scary as before…

Yuan Su asked the System suspiciously, “Do straight guys really act like this?”

Despite the System’s earlier assurance, he felt something was wrong.

341: 【Can’t it just be that the man has high standards for manners?】

Yuan Su: “…” Fine.

Yuan Su hadn’t eaten breakfast and was starving. The food was quite palatable, though by current price standards, it was likely exorbitant.

As Yuan Su was asking the System about his personal finances, a familiar, smiling voice rang out.

“What a coincidence.”

Yuan Su looked toward the sound and immediately locked eyes with a pair of amorous, smiling eyes.

The man’s aggressive gaze landed on Yuan Su, the smile in his eyes not quite reaching the depths. Chu Wenhe glanced at the ice-cold Qu Zhilan, then looked at Yuan Su with an air of lingering regret, asking:

“Is it because of him that you rejected me?”

Support Vicious Cannon Fodder? No, He’s a Darling Wife!