The protagonist who hates losers is so sweet to me.

Yu Qing knew he was restless in his sleep and feared crushing Yu Xiaoxue during the night. So, he made a makeshift nest from the employee uniforms in the wardrobe and placed it under the bed. Yu Xiaoxue circled inside, yawned, wrapped her tail around herself, and soon fell asleep.
He touched his growling stomach and said, “Song Xinqi, I’m hungry.”
After waiting a long time without a response, he thought he had spoken too softly. He walked up to Song Xinqi and repeated, “Song Xinqi, I’m hungry.”
Song Xinqi didn’t even spare him a glance. “If you’re hungry, eat something. Why are you telling me? Do you want me to feed you?”
His backpack was with Song Xinqi, so how was he supposed to eat without asking?
He didn’t say anything, instinctively feeling that Song Xinqi might be in a bad mood. But his head didn’t hurt now, so it wasn’t due to a mental power backlash. What could it be?
“Are you angry because I brought Yu Xiaoxue back without asking?”
Song Xinqi replied, “Whether it lives or dies has nothing to do with me.”
Yu Qing understood—it was indeed because of the cub.
His future depended on him, so he calmly assured him, “I’ll take responsibility for it, so you don’t have to worry. If I really can’t protect it in a dangerous situation, I’ll let it go and not trouble you.”
Song Xinqi turned to look at him. Yu Qing blinked and was about to say something more when he coldly cut him off, “Stay away from me.”
Yu Qing released his hold on him and moved a little farther away. “I’m serious. I can take care of it. Trust me.”
Hewatched Song Xinqi’s expression. “If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as you agreeing.”
Song Xinqi frowned. “I said it has nothing to do with me.”
“Then I’m hungry.”
Song Xinqi clicked his tongue and threw a pack of compressed biscuits at him. They had run out of easily edible food over the past few days, leaving only unpalatable dry rations and compressed biscuits. Yu Qing wasn’t picky; he ate whatever he was given. After finishing the biscuits, he asked, “Is there any water?”
“Last bottle. Save it.”
He nodded, took a small sip from the half bottle of water, and then capped it. He shook out the blanket and happily lay down on the bed. “Time to sleep!”
As night fell, Song Xinqi lay on his side on the bed, one hand resting on the handle of the machete placed on the bedside. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and turned to the inside; another leg was draped over his.
He shook off the leg, but soon felt a furry head nuzzle against his back, its warm breath causing a slight tickle.
Why did it feel like Yu Qing was getting clingier?
He turned over, intending to push him away. But as soon as he raised his hand, Yu Qing rolled into his arms. His raised arm hovered in midair for a long time before dropping, his brows never relaxing, as he stared down at the unwelcome little nuisance in his arms.
He hated useless people, especially someone like Yu Qing, who was useless and pampered, only causing trouble. Did this person think that just because they had a mental link, his protection was a given?
As he pondered, he placed his hand on Yu Qing’s waist.
Look at him now, getting bolder by the day.
The night passed peacefully. Yu Qing woke up to a wet, ticklish sensation on his face. As he became more alert, he opened his eyes…
He woke to find the little snow leopard licking his face. Seeing him awake, it let out a high-pitched cry.
He sat up and kissed it. “Good morning, Yu Xiaoxue.”
The snow leopard wagged its fluffy tail and continued to call out. He guessed, “Are you hungry?”
Oh no, he had forgotten that animals need to eat too. He remembered from documentaries that animal cubs also drink milk.
He pried open Yu Xiaoxue’s lips to reveal tiny teeth. The leopard cried out and licked his fingers.
“That tickles.” The barbs on its tongue felt prickly, so he withdrew his hand. Holding it, he stood up. He recalled seeing animal milk powder in the cultivation room before and had even asked Song Xinqi if humans could drink it, which he had mocked.
They were heading to catch a car soon, so they could grab some then.
Song Xinqi came in from outside, having sharpened his machete, and saw Yu Qing already prepared to go. “I’m ready. When are we leaving?”
“?” It was surprising that Yu Qing had woken up on his own.
Song Xinqi slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Let’s go now.”
As they headed to the warehouse, Song Xinqi glanced at the snow leopard in Yu Qing’s arms and posed a practical question, “Do you plan to carry it like that the whole time?”
They were escaping; how would they run with such a burden if they encountered zombies?
Yu Qing understood his implication and thought for a moment. “I’ll try to make it smaller.”
Song Xinqi watched with a look of interest. “Go ahead.”
Yu Qing tried. He wasn’t yet proficient at shrinking himself and had never tried it on others. Fearing external distractions, he closed his eyes and mentally chanted, “Shrink, shrink.” After a while, he felt his powers working, and the weight in his hands noticeably lightened.
He opened his eyes. “Did I succeed?”
The snow leopard had indeed shrunk. Originally needing an arm to support, it now fit within his two hands, its tail wrapped around his fingers as it licked them.
He looked up and… Where was Song Xinqi?
He then felt a chill from below and looked down to find the missing Song Xinqi.
He had accidentally shrunk him too!
The now youth-sized Song Xinqi, only chest-high to him, narrowed his eyes and said, “Yu Qing.”
Thankfully, Yu Qing’s powers weren’t fully developed; otherwise, if Song Xinqi had been reduced to a five-year-old size, how would he manage with two children?
Song Xinqi exuded a cold aura. “Turn me back.”
“Turning back,” Yu Qing quickly said, concentrating again and mentally commanding him to return to normal. He felt his powers deplete once more and, upon opening his eyes, saw he had to look up at Song Xinqi again.
“Back to normal!”
Song Xinqi’s face darkened further. Yu Qing looked down and realized he had shrunk himself too.
“I’ll… I’ll try again.”
Time ticked by, and despite Yu Xiaoxue’s hungry cries, Yu Qing couldn’t succeed again. He hung his head and admitted, “I can’t turn back.”
“Before, when you were attacked by the giant tree and caught by the crooked-neck willow, you transformed skillfully.”
Yu Qing scratched his head. “Did I? I don’t remember.”
Song Xinqi was completely exasperated by him. The two teenagers faced each other, serious yet slightly ridiculous.
A vein throbbed on Song Xinqi’s forehead as he sighed and reached out his hand.
Yu Qing, nervous, extended his pale palm and turned his head away, “Go easy on me.”
Song Xinqi’s chest heaved with frustration. “Your hand.”
Finally, they were on the same wavelength. Yu Qing, clueless, took his hand, “What for?”
Song Xinqi pulled him along, “What else? Let’s go.”
They couldn’t stay there forever, waiting for him to figure out his powers.
An approximately 1.6-meter-tall boy led a 1.5-meter-tall boy through an abandoned zoo, their faces showing a premature weariness.
So this was what Song Xinqi looked like as a child. Not as intimidating as his adult self, with softer features and a rebellious look that screamed he would skip classes and get into fights.
Song Xinqi seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. “What are you staring at? Watch the road.”
“Oh.” Yu Qing, holding the miniature Yu Xiaoxue in one hand, let him lead him, looking like two lost elementary school kids seeking a policeman.
They returned to the warehouse overrun with vines. Yu Qing quickly grabbed several bags of milk powder from the cultivation room and found pre-made milk in the fridge, which was still good thanks to the backup power.
“It seems even heaven wants you to survive,” he said, packing everything into a found bag and getting into the car before Song Xinqi’s patience ran out.
He put Yu Xiaoxue on his lap and tested the milk bottle, feeding the snow leopard.
Song Xinqi, in the driver’s seat, buckled his seatbelt. As he pressed the gas pedal, he realized he couldn’t reach it. Scowling, he adjusted the seat forward until he could.
Yu Qing turned away, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. No, no, he couldn’t laugh. If Song Xinqi noticed, it would be bad!
Feeling the tense atmosphere beside him, he focused on feeding the cub.
The SUV sped out of the zoo. Song Xinqi had studied the route on the computer the day before. They were on the outskirts of City A, and it wouldn’t take long to bypass the giant tree.
He was in a foul mood, and any zombies they encountered suffered for it. Many didn’t even realize what hit them before falling, having barely glimpsed the speeding SUV.
The official website had claimed that the zombies around the outskirts of City A had been cleared and that the army patrolled regularly. But as they drove into the city, the number of zombies didn’t decrease, and there was no sign of the army, only a half-buried gun.
Song Xinqi picked up the gun, checked the magazine, and found it full of bullets.
Yu Qing looked on curiously, “Is it a real gun?”
“Yeah.” Song Xinqi reloaded the gun and tossed it in the back seat before getting back in the car.
Ordinary civilian Yu Qing still had a healthy fear of guns. He only glanced at it before sitting back down properly, “Why is there a gun here? Did some soldiers die?”
Song Xinqi replied, “Possibly.”
This was not good news. A grim suspicion formed in their minds.
Finally, they reached the safety zone. It was a fenced-off area with high barbed wire separating the outside from the inside. But now, there was a large breach in the fence, like a hole in a sheep pen, rendering all defenses useless.
Song Xinqi stopped the car. Soon, a zombie staggered out through the breach, not noticing them, its empty eyes blending into the outside world.
City A was supposed to be defended by the military and equipped with guns, yet it had still fallen.
From a team of six, reduced to two, four had died trying to reach the safety zone, only to find out there was no safety after all.