“Do you want to take a bath?” Gadelia looked at Jiang Jialielie, her tone calm. “Just a quick rinse.”
Hesitating, Jiang Jialielie hadn’t brought a change of clothes. She shook her head, about to refuse.
“I have some clean clothes that haven’t been worn. And I think we should talk.” Approaching Jiang Jialielie, Gadelia said quietly, not wanting Zhou Ming to know.
“…Okay.”
Gadelia pulled Jiang Jialielie into her private room, picked out a few clean, unworn clothes from the wardrobe, and handed them to her. Then she glanced toward the kitchen to confirm Zhou Ming wasn’t looking out.
“There are slippers to change into in the bathroom, and frosted glass—no need to worry about being seen.”
Entering the bathroom first, Gadelia waved at Jiang Jialielie, lowering her voice to explain the situation and reassure her.
“Who… who’s worried about that kind of thing!”
Rushing quickly into the bathroom, Jiang Jialielie immediately closed the door and turned the lock.
“Thanks.”
Her voice was extremely soft. Her cheeks slightly red, she felt a bit embarrassed.
“Can Zhou Ming hear us talking?”
“Don’t worry, he can’t.”
Gadelia’s residence had excellent soundproofing, and the kitchen was far away—they couldn’t overhear each other’s conversation.
Jiang Jialielie took off her clothes, entered the shower stall, and quickly closed the door.
“There’s nothing to talk about between us.”
Finding shampoo and conditioner, Jiang Jialielie adjusted the water temperature while speaking with Gadelia.
“Is that so? I think we have a lot to discuss: Zhou Ming, you, and the future…”
“Zhou Ming is mine! We’re childhood friends engaged to be married—none of your business!”
Hearing Gadelia mention Zhou Ming, Jiang Jialielie immediately bristled, flailing to argue.
“What do you think of Zhou Ming as a person?” Regardless of Jiang Jialielie’s agitation, Gadelia asked calmly.
“Kind, brave, strong, optimistic, and handsome too. Of course he has plenty of flaws.”
Steam filled the air as she rubbed her hair. Her voice gradually calmed, tinged with some impatience.
“No matter what you say, I won’t give Zhou Ming up to you.”
“I can let you have him now, but what about later?” Gadelia let out a cold laugh, her tone sarcastic. “When he reaches the Windstream level, there will always be people approaching him. What then? Are you going to make them all leave Zhou Ming too?”
“Anyone capable of triggering a beast tide is at least Windstream level. If Zhou Ming wants to become strong, then he’ll have to reach at least Windstream level in the future. When that happens—”
Gadelia pressed on relentlessly: “Will your ordinary figure attract him? Or is Zhou Ming just your emotional crutch?”
“So what? I believe Zhou Ming will refuse!”
Jiang Jialielie wavered. Originally, she had been quite confident, but after being struck by Gadelia’s words, she looked down at her not-so-impressive figure.
A pair of soft curves, hazy in the steam.
“If you have something to say, just say it directly.”
While rinsing off, Jiang Jialielie’s voice was low.
“I think we both need to accept this.”
“I refuse! Who can say what the future holds!”
Jiang Jialielie’s attitude remained strong.
Gadelia wanted Jiang Jialielie to lower her guard against her. After all, Zhou Ming would grow stronger later; even if Jiang Jialielie didn’t accept it now, she would have to eventually.
Rather than that, it was better to make her accept it now, and also make it easier for herself to get closer to Zhou Ming.
Zhou Ming had personally said that he and Gadelia were just ordinary friends. Therefore, she still needed to go further, gradually influencing Zhou Ming.
“We’ll see.”
Gadelia forced herself to remain calm.
Was she really unable to convince others just because she didn’t have her ability anymore?
When Jiang Jialielie finished washing and came out, Gadelia also prepared to take a quick shower.
“Is the towel enough?”
Wrapped in a towel, Jiang Jialielie didn’t wear the clothes Gadelia had given her—they were too big.
How much had Gadelia eaten for her to be so big?
Without directly answering her, Gadelia took off her slippers, undressed, and stepped into the shower.
After rinsing, she wrapped herself in a towel and walked out of the bathroom to the living room.
Jiang Jialielie was still wrapped in a towel, sitting neatly on the sofa, her head turned toward the kitchen, watching Zhou Ming, who was busy cooking.
Seeing Gadelia also come out wrapped in a towel, Jiang Jialielie let out a light snort.
Passing by Jiang Jialielie, Gadelia walked straight to the kitchen. She wanted to see how Zhou Ming’s cooking skills were.
In the kitchen, Zhou Ming was cutting freshly thawed pork, mentally calculating whether his home-style stir-fry would suit Gadelia’s taste.
From the fridge, he found mostly: green peppers, red peppers, big peppers, small peppers—all kinds of chili peppers. Other vegetables and meat came second.
“Can’t you treat yourself better?”
Without mercy, Zhou Ming chased Gadelia out of the kitchen.
Back in her room, Gadelia changed into a casual home outfit, then silently walked to the living room, turned on the TV, tuned to a soap opera, and watched with a blank expression.
“Need any help?”
“Mm.”
“Gadelia.”
Jiang Jialielie called out softly.
Gadelia leaned closer to her, watching the man and woman on TV about to kiss. Her tone was gentle.
“Thought it through?”
She was referring to the earlier topic.
“Yeah. I don’t want more women getting close to Zhou Ming.”
Back in middle and high school, Jiang Jialielie had already chased away plenty of girls who approached Zhou Ming, so she had no doubt he would attract even more people in the future.
She was just an ordinary girl, without the ability to monopolize Zhou Ming on her own.
A united front, turning enemies into friends—it was necessary.
“We two should join forces to keep those scheming women away from Zhou Ming!”
She clenched her fist, eyes burning.
Once the others were driven off, Zhou Ming would be hers alone!
Jiang Jialielie was even fantasizing about the scene of the two of them walking down the aisle.
Gadelia glanced at her but didn’t refuse.
“I can promise we cooperate, but that doesn’t mean I’ll help you.”
She saw it clearly; she had understood Jiang Jialielie’s little scheme from the start.
The aroma of food came from the kitchen. Zhou Ming glanced at the two in the living room, then silently returned to his work.
After dinner, Zhou Ming and Jiang Jialielie prepared to leave—she still had training.
To avoid any wardrobe malfunctions, Jiang Jialielie ultimately wore Gadelia’s clothes.
Things seemed to have become even more complicated.
Gadelia didn’t see them off; she just stood at the door, watching them leave.
Can’t… can’t give up Zhou Ming just because of fear.
Back at his residence, Zhou Ming felt his head heavy and soon fell asleep.
A blood-red curtain covered the sky. A cold wind howled, and the air was filled with a metallic, rusty smell.
He felt as if he had returned to the time of his hometown’s disaster—
Under the setting sun, at dusk, clouds churned on the horizon. The small village in the mountain wilderness was coated in a layer of golden yellow.
Dark red bloodstains had coagulated everywhere—on the mottled stone walls, the uneven stone road, the weeds by the roadside… all cast in a gloomy, oppressive light in the dim yellow glow.
Shattered clothes and broken limbs were scattered everywhere, dragged and crushed under the trampling of monsters, turned into unutterable fragments.
Zhou Ming stood on the hilltop outside the village. Before him lay the quiet, familiar village. Several kilometers behind him was another town that had also met the same fate.