The afterglow of the setting sun cast upon the teenager in camouflage, making him appear tall and imposing, with a stern and majestic demeanor.
Upon seeing the girl on the lounge chair, the teenager's indifferent expression instantly softened, his eyes shimmering with a starlight brilliance, as if he were gazing upon a deity.
The corners of his lips curved upwards, revealing a dazzling smile, his teeth pearly white and breathtakingly beautiful.
Qiao Ci, captivated by Su Ye's magnificence at that moment, sat dazed on the lounge chair, waiting for him to approach.
Su Ye walked up to Qiao Ci, his tall frame completely blocking the last rays of the setting sun. He lowered his head and gently kissed Qiao Ci's forehead, "Why the silly, stunned expression? Did the sun bake your brain?"
As he spoke, he extended his long, strong arms to lift Qiao Ci into his embrace. His lighthearted laughter, transmitted through his chest, reached Qiao Ci's ears, "Come, let's go home and I'll cook you something delicious."
Qiao Ci habitually wrapped her arms around his neck, infected by his joy. Her smile was sweet and her eyes crinkled, and she truthfully replied, "The cub is too handsome, it dazed me."
Upon hearing this, Su Ye's gaze deepened. He leaned closer to Qiao Ci's ear and whispered, "Ah Ci, is it appropriate for you to call me 'cub' when I'm this old? If you were to grow up quickly, we could have a little cub of our own."
In fact, from the first time he heard Qiao Ci call him cub, he couldn't help but start anticipating their future little baby.
"You are the cub."
"Okay, I am the cub."
Xu Wei, who had returned with Su Ye, watched this with a darkened expression.
After the apocalypse, his journey had been smooth sailing. However, ever since he met Qiao Ci, he had been frequently frustrated. Every time he tried to exude his male charm towards her, she simply ignored him.
Xu Wei couldn't help but doubt if he was truly pathetic.
And then there was Su Ye. The signs from their outing today all indicated that he had been concealing his strength. He could no longer allow him to grow unchecked.
An Ran, having calculated the time, had left early to wait for Xu Wei. Of course, she also saw Su Ye's doting affection for Qiao Ci, how he was so reluctant for Qiao Ci to walk that he carried her directly into the house. Her heart was filled with envy and jealousy; Qiao Ci was truly fortunate!
She was so engrossed in watching the two of them that she didn't even notice Xu Wei standing by for quite some time.
"Brother, you're back. Are you tired?" By the time An Ran noticed him, he was already looking at her with a deep gaze. She immediately greeted him.
"Let's go inside."
Xu Wei led the way into the house, and An Ran quickly followed.
"What's wrong? You don't look well," An Ran said, noticing his displeased expression.
"Did you say those things to Qiao Ci?" Xu Wei still held a sliver of hope.
"Yes, I did. But she's putting on airs, saying she only likes Su Ye and is unwilling to accept you. The wedding plans are out the window," An Ran carefully chose her words to avoid hurting Xu Wei's masculine pride.
"Since that's the case, let's activate the zombie plan," Xu Wei rubbed An Ran's arm. "The Lone Wolf Base's geographical location is too vulnerable to withstand the continuous attacks of mutated zombies. It's almost at its limit. You first lure a large number of zombies to surround the Construction Base. We will resist and fight. If they surrender, we can spare some and let our Lone Wolf people take over the entire prison."
"When do we start?" An Ran was filled with anticipation, unlike previous attacks on smaller bases where she felt pity and reluctance. She just wanted Qiao Ci to fall into the dust and be trampled upon.
"It depends on the situation. It should be within these few days. You will obey my command. For now, rest well and conserve your mental strength." Xu Wei looked at An Ran tenderly. She was not only his girlfriend but also his armor, far stronger than Qiao Ci by more than ten times.
"Okay. You must be hungry. Let's go to the mess hall to eat." An Ran felt sympathetic towards Xu Wei for working so hard for the Construction Base. However, thinking that these things would eventually return to them, her heart felt a little more balanced.
Let the Construction Base keep them for a while longer. She would reclaim everything with interest in the end.
The two went to the mess hall. An Ran's mouth watered at the sight of the simple food, but the feeling of only being able to smell it and not taste it was unbearable.
However, she still got a portion of food. Regardless of the taste, the important ritual of eating had to be maintained.
Seeing her pitiable yet adorable appearance, Xu Wei couldn't help but stroke her hair. Others praised their good sibling relationship upon seeing this.
She received a portion of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and a small portion of rice. An Ran took a bite of the tomato first, and her brows furrowed from the sourness. Xu Wei asked nervously, "What's wrong?"
An Ran looked at the tomato and egg in front of her incredulously. She picked up a piece of egg and put it into her mouth. The fragrant egg had a hint of sweet and sour taste. Had she really regained her sense of taste?
Still in disbelief, An Ran finished all the food little by little. Then, tears of joy streaming down her face, she looked at Xu Wei and said, "I, I think..."
Fearing that it would attract the attention of people nearby, An Ran leaned closer to Xu Wei's ear and whispered, "I, I think I've regained my sense of taste!"
"Really?" Xu Wei found it too sudden.
"Of course, it's true! The tomatoes are sweet and sour, the eggs are fresh and delicious, and the rice is light and soft! Hehe, I'm so happy!" An Ran was very excited, constantly savoring the wonderful taste of the food she had just eaten.
Xu Wei was also happy for her, but a strange sense of unease inexplicably grew in his heart.
The two returned to their accommodation. An Ran was still buzzing with excitement and embraced Xu Wei affectionately.
Upon seeing her rabbit-like red eyes that appeared whenever she was aroused, Xu Wei finally put his heart at ease.
"Why did your sense of taste suddenly recover? Did anything special happen today?" Seeing how happy she was, even tasting the sweat stains on herself, Xu Wei couldn't help but laugh.
An Ran recalled the pill Qiao Ci had given her but did not tell Xu Wei. She didn't want Xu Wei to think that Qiao Ci had helped her regain her sense of taste.
Moreover, it might just be a coincidence?
Not to mention, even if it was due to the pill, it was something Qiao Ci owed her. If her father had protected her better, she wouldn't have become a zombie and lost her sense of taste!
"I don't know. Perhaps my foodie nature moved the heavens, and they returned my sense of taste~" An Ran said with a grin, hugging and kissing Xu Wei enthusiastically.
Xu Wei tickled her nose, offering no comment.
Little Spoon, who had been observing their movements, immediately reported to Qiao Ci, "Host dear, An Ran has regained her sense of taste. Is it because of that pill you gave her today?"
"What else?" Qiao Ci replied to Little Spoon while enjoying Su Ye feeding her.
"Would you be so kind?" After saying this, Little Spoon slapped itself.
What a disaster, this loose tongue! When would it ever learn to be sensible?!
Qiao Ci chuckled, "Doing good deeds every day, helping others is a joy."
Little Spoon always felt that the host had a very petty mind and was not a magnanimous person.
An Ran constantly disturbed her peace. The host was merciful for not pulling her hair out and beating her, and she even helped her cure her illness?
Go to hell!
However, it didn't ask any further. It would know the outcome when it was supposed to. It was content to watch the show unfold.