The protagonist who hates losers is so sweet to me.

Song Xinqi quickly recalled all his actions just now. He had felt that Tian Feiyun was strange during the interview, not like someone coming to join the squad. His gaze had been fixed on him the whole time, as if he had come for him specifically.

To understand this person’s purpose, Song Xinqi had deliberately put him last, then hypnotized him, waking up in time to counterattack swiftly. All his actions had reasons and justifications.

As he let out a sigh of relief, Song Xinqi suddenly realized what he had been thinking and felt a wave of frustration.

So what if he looked at him? What could he do about it?

The situation was too awkward. When Yu Qing stood up, his mind raced, trying to think of what to say to Song Xinqi when he saw him. However, the carefully considered words were instantly forgotten when he saw the fierce look in his eyes.

Song Xinqi was terrifying; Yu Qing wanted to go home.

“What are you doing here?” Song Xinqi asked him.

Yu Qing looked at Tian Feiyun and then at Song Xinqi: “Uh… nothing, maybe I should leave?”

Before he could turn around, he heard a cold voice: “Stay.”

His limbs stiffened, and he looked at Song Xinqi with a hint of unease.

Song Xinqi said, “Wait here, I’ll deal with you later.”

“Oh.” Yu Qing didn’t dare to resist. Following Song Xinqi’s eye gesture, he obediently opened the back door, walked in, and stood in the corner, waiting in line to be dealt with.

Tian Feiyun was in agony, the continuous pain invading his whole body. That kick had shattered all his fantasies. He had never seen such a violent and sinister person. Just feeling his presence filled him with fear.

“Speak. What are you here for?” Song Xinqi’s voice, filled with coldness, made his spine tingle.

His lips trembled as he tried to say something. Song Xinqi’s patience ran out after three seconds, and his mental force mercilessly pierced into his brain.

“Ah!” He screamed, feeling as if countless steel needles were stabbing into his brain and stirring, the unbearable pain making him lose the ability to speak.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Ah! I’ll talk!!” The glass window made a loud noise as he hit it. Amid the intense pain, he finally found his voice and screamed.

From Yu Qing’s angle, he could see Tian Feiyun’s bleeding eyes through the reflection in the glass, looking hideous and terrifying.

His pupils trembled violently, reflecting deep fear: “I-I, I saw the recruitment for the pioneering squad and wanted to come over ah ah ah ah—!”

The intense mental attack made him scream again, and Yu Qing covered his ears, leaning against the wall behind him.

Song Xinqi’s voice became an eternal nightmare in Tian Feiyun’s heart: “I asked you to state your purpose, not to tell a story. Last chance. If you can’t explain in one sentence, don’t speak again.”

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk!” This sentence exhausted all of his strength. He collapsed on the windowsill. If Song Xinqi hadn’t been holding him, he would have fallen to the ground. “I… I came to seduce you, I, I wanted to get the same treatment as Yu Qing, but I was wrong, I won’t dare again, help me, Yu Qing, help me, Yu Qing…”

Hearing his name, Yu Qing was startled by Song Xinqi’s gaze and quickly said, “I have nothing to do with him!”

Seeing that Song Xinqi only glanced at him and then turned back, he let out a sigh of relief.

Surely, only a vicious cannon fodder would fancy the big villain Song Xinqi, right? He often couldn’t understand the mindset of these malicious side characters. He had a bad temper, often scaring and threatening others, and liked to torment people. Why did so many people still go after him?

Through the glass, Tian Feiyun saw Song Xinqi look him up and down, the contempt in his eyes growing stronger until it condensed into a chuckle full of deep meaning: “Seduce me?”

He slammed his head against the glass window again. The immense force caused the glass to shatter instantly, the shards deeply cutting into his face.

“You should look in the mirror and see what you look like.” Song Xinqi’s breath was like a cold venomous snake, making Tian Feiyun gradually suffocate, “You think you’re worthy?”

His body convulsed uncontrollably, his expression collapsing: “I was wrong, I was wrong.”

He was truly blind to have approached Song Xinqi, this demon had no humanity.

“A level two hypnotist, the safe zone really lets any random cat or dog in.” Song Xinqi threw him to the ground.

The sound of the shattering glass startled others. Someone hurried over and saw the scene by the glass window: Song Xinqi full of murderous intent, Yu Qing shrinking in the corner trying to reduce his presence, and Tian Feiyun on the ground, life or death uncertain. They were stunned for a moment.

“Just in time.” Song Xinqi pointed to the trembling Tian Feiyun on the ground, “Find out who let this thing in and tell them to come see me.”

“Got it, boss.” The person disappeared in a flash.

Yu Qing thought: Please don’t drag me into this, I really want to leave.

As if hearing what he thought, he heard Song Xinqi say: “Yu Qing.”

“Here.” He raised his hand.

Song Xinqi looked at him somewhat speechlessly. He chuckled awkwardly and put his hand down.

Song Xinqi: “Do you know him?”

Yu Qing’s eyes fluttered: “A little bit.”

“How did you meet?”

He couldn’t explain: “We kept running into each other, and after a while, it was just a little bit.”
Song Xinqi had roughly understood Tian Feiyun’s purpose in approaching Yu Qing: “Don’t talk to strangers so casually.”

“Okay.” The last person to lecture him like this was his mother.

It would take some time to investigate the matter. Song Xinqi beckoned Yu Qing over with his finger.

Realizing he was temporarily spared, Tian Feiyun immediately distanced himself from Song Xinqi, trembling in the corner as if Song Xinqi were some terrifying monster.

Song Xinqi frowned, waiting for Yu Qing to slowly shuffle in front of him: “What do you need from me?”

Yu Qing remembered that he had come to see him for a reason. He thought about it and decided not to mention it, but seeing Song Xinqi’s increasingly impatient look, he braced himself and said, “It’s about the meals. Haven’t my recent meals been too good?”

Song Xinqi looked impassive: “What meals?”

“Lunch and dinner. It used to be one meat dish and one vegetable dish, but now it’s one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, and the portions are much larger. Sometimes there’s even fruit. You did this, right? I can’t eat this much.”

Song Xinqi: “I didn’t give any such orders.”

“Huh?” Yu Qing was confused. “If it wasn’t you, then who?”

Apart from Song Xinqi, who else in the safe zone had the power to provide him with so much food?

“I said it wasn’t me. Don’t you understand?” Song Xinqi’s tone was harsh.

Yu Qing: “…If you say it wasn’t you, then it wasn’t.” Why did he suddenly have to be so fierce?

But if it wasn’t Song Xinqi, he couldn’t think of anyone else. He couldn’t understand why Song Xinqi would do such a thing either.

Tian Feiyun continued to tremble in the corner, his mind tormented by the mental force wreaking havoc inside him. He could still hear the terrifying man who tortured him denying the extra meals given to another person.

For a moment, his expression was dazed.

He muttered softly, “Then who was it?”

Song Xinqi turned his gaze away, his thin lips pressed tightly together: “I don’t know. Coming to me won’t help.”

“But there’s really too much food. I’m forcing myself to eat it every day. If you don’t believe me, look.” He showed Song Xinqi his whole body. “I’ve gotten fat.”

Tian Feiyun:…

This was the first time he’d heard of someone gaining weight in the apocalypse.

Song Xinqi glanced at Yu Qing’s fair, delicate arm, then at his slightly plump face. His beautiful features now had a hint of childishness. His lips twitched for a moment before he suppressed the urge to smile: “Like I care.”

Yu Qing originally thought it must be Song Xinqi, but seeing his adamant denial and cold attitude, he became uncertain again: “Then who could it be?”

“I don’t know.”

Tian Feiyun watched as the two of them argued over such a trivial matter.

“Alright, since you’re the boss of the safe zone, there’s no harm in telling you. I really don’t need such lavish meals. Many people in the safe zone are risking their lives doing tasks without enough food. There’s no need to give me such good food. It was fine before. I really can’t eat this much.” He thought for a moment, then smiled, his eyes sparkling. “By the way, thank you to whoever gave me so much good food. I actually enjoyed it a lot.”

“I’ll pass the message along.” Song Xinqi looked out the window, a little uncomfortable. “Anything else?”

“No, that’s it. I’ll be leaving then.”

Seeing his dark gaze, Yu Qing added in a negotiating tone: “Do you need anything?”

Song Xinqi ultimately let him leave.

Yu Qing walked away quickly, unaware of the outcome. The guard who let Tian Feiyun in had half his points deducted. As for Tian Feiyun, he would never see him again.

Returning home, he was greeted by an excited Yu Xiaoxue, who was waiting in the yard. She stood up and hugged him with her front paws, burying his head in her furry coat.

In the evening, Wang Bo brought him dinner as usual. Yu Qing opened the meal box at the door and saw it was still one meat dish, two vegetable dishes, and a fruit. He asked in confusion, “Didn’t Song Xinqi tell you I don’t need such good food?”

“The boss mentioned it.” Uncle Wang explained, “This time, it’s indeed a bit less. The total amount has been reduced by half. And look at this piece of meat. Ideally, it should be roasted for fifteen minutes. I took it out at fourteen and a half minutes. Look at the color; it’s already subpar.”

“…” Yu Qing carefully examined the supposedly poorly cooked meat. “That’s not what I meant by too good.”

Uncle Wang said, “Well, I can’t do anything about that. This is the best I can manage.”

Yu Qing thanked him and sighed, carrying the meal box inside and eating it all. The portion this time was just right.

After that, he didn’t see Song Xinqi for a while. He was indeed very busy during this period, occupied with his own affairs.

Yu Qing, on the other hand, was like a lazy fish, almost forgetting the dangerous life outside after more than a month. Only the increasingly tense atmosphere in the safe zone reminded him that it was still the apocalypse. In the past month, the advantage humans had over zombies had gradually been leveled.

One day, while he was reading the announcements, he overheard a conversation nearby: “Yesterday, a sensor said a large group of zombies is coming from the south again.”

Another person said, “It should be fine. Our boss is a level three mental ability user. A zombie wave shouldn’t be a big deal for him.”

“But aren’t there more and more mutated creatures and zombie hybrids lately? Our resources are already so tight. A zombie wave will definitely affect our ability to gather supplies outside.”

Yu Qing listened to their worried discussion. This was his only way to understand the outside situation.

“The most crucial thing is that the boss and the pioneering squad haven’t returned to the safe zone for half a month. What are they doing out there?”

“No idea. But lately, zombies are getting harder to deal with. People die outside every day. I feel like one day the safe zone won’t be able to hold off the zombies.”

It seemed the situation was not optimistic. No wonder he hadn’t seen Song Xinqi lately; he had already left.

Thinking about it, he walked back, leaving the conversation behind. Returning to the empty yard, he noticed it was deserted except for him.

Most people in the west district were busy with tasks in the afternoon. This was the quietest time on the streets of the safe zone.

Back at his house, he wondered how Song Xinqi’s work was progressing. Suddenly, he heard the sound of waves in his ears. Looking around, he heard someone shout in the distance: “Fill that side, don’t get too close to the shore.”

Then someone ran over quickly: “Boss…”

He blinked and slowly sat back down. He seemed to have accidentally activated his connection with Song Xinqi. But how to turn it off? He was afraid of being discovered by him and causing a misunderstanding, but he didn’t know how to close it.

He was forced to listen to the discussion between the people and Song Xinqi about how to establish a safe zone at sea.

Human abilities were limited. Some people were working hard while others waited for their abilities to recover. The resting ones were gossiping about the safe zone.
It took quite a while, but he seemed to have found a way to turn off the connection. Just then, he heard a loud, teasing voice in his ear: “You want to learn from the boss and keep a beauty hidden away? You’d need to have the boss’s strength for that.”

Song Xinqi turned his head towards the voice: “What are you saying about me?”

These people were the elite selected from the safe zone, and after being around him for a while, they had a rough understanding of his temperament. One person, bold enough, said, “Boss, we haven’t returned to the safe zone for half a month. Haven’t you thought about the little beauty waiting for you back there?”

Yu Qing pricked up his ears, eager to hear Song Xinqi’s reaction to this misunderstanding and figure out what to do next.

“Are you all very idle?” Song Xinqi looked over, and the group of grinning people fell silent.

“I have nothing to do with him. Don’t let me hear such things again.”

Seeing the impatience on his face, they exchanged confused looks. Why would he react this way when mentioning Yu Qing? It didn’t match the rumors they had heard.

No one dared to gossip in front of him anymore, and they all lowered their voices.

The wind carried the whispers to Song Xinqi’s ears and also to Yu Qing’s ears.

To others, the relationship between him and Yu Qing was just like that.

Song Xinqi looked at the waves hitting the rocks, the salty smell of the sea carried by the wind into his nostrils. The words around him were incessant, talking about him and Yu Qing.

He thought he would feel disgusted and annoyed hearing such words, but when he actually heard them, he didn’t. Instead, an unfamiliar feeling rose from within him, tingling and subtle, something he instinctively wanted to suppress.

His face gradually turned ugly as he sternly reminded himself.

What merits did that little loser have? Besides eating and sleeping, he couldn’t even make a fire or cook meat, couldn’t endure any pain. If left alone in the apocalypse, he wouldn’t survive long.

In his mind, he criticized Yu Qing, reducing him to nothing, as if only by doing so could he suppress his increasingly strong heartbeat.

Yu Qing was just a burden he was forced to take on. He only gave him the last bit of time to adapt to the apocalypse. After two months, he wouldn’t care about him anymore.

“Yu Qing.”

Song Xinqi suddenly turned around, but there was only the endless sea behind him, not the source of the voice.

His thoughts were abruptly cut off. Yu Qing looked outside his yard where Uncle Wang was calling him and quickly got up. In his haste, he bumped into a chair, creating a loud noise in Song Xinqi’s ear.

Song Xinqi: “Yu…”

The connection was severed.

Song Xinqi’s voice stiffened, and the heart that had been beating wildly suddenly fell silent, bringing with it a sense of unexpected loneliness.

When did Yu Qing connect to the link? What did he hear? His inner voice, or just the communication? He had been too distracted to notice anything unusual.

Yu Qing hurriedly opened the yard door, his voice anxious: “Uncle Wang, what’s the matter?”

“It’s not particularly serious, don’t worry.” Seeing him was scared and sweating, he quickly reassured him, “I’m just here to remind you that food has become scarce recently. The boss hasn’t returned yet, and the safe zone is getting a bit chaotic. Be careful when you go out.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you, Uncle Wang. I understand.” Yu Qing replied, still shaken by the previous eavesdropping incident.

After sending him away, he lay sprawled on his bed, staring blankly at the white ceiling. Yu Xiaoxue occupied most of the bed, her tail swaying on his stomach.

After the initial panic, a wave of sadness welled up in his heart. He grabbed Yu Xiaoxue’s body and buried his head in her fluffy fur.

So, this was how worthless he was in Song Xinqi’s eyes. Even though he already knew, it still hurt to hear such a harsh judgment from someone he had spent so much time with.

Although he always spoke disdainfully, his attitude towards him had never been particularly bad. Yu Qing had secretly hoped that he wasn’t as bad as Song Xinqi thought.

Hearing Song Xinqi’s inner voice finally made him realize he was deluding himself.

But if he hated him so much, why hadn’t he cut ties with him and still provided him with such good food?

Unable to figure it out, he pounded the bed: “Jerk.”

Wait.

He lifted his head from Yu Xiaoxue’s fur. There was a simple explanation for this.

Song Xinqi hated him but hadn’t cut ties yet and wasn’t bad to him.

These clues pointed to the original ending in the story.

Song Xinqi was deceiving him, making him think they had reconciled, giving him false hope, and then crushing it at the last moment, pushing him into despair.

Song Xinqi, what a bad guy.

His mood sank lower. Was he really that bad?

After a while, he raised his head, his eyes clear, already adjusting his mindset.

Forget it. Who cares what he thinks? He should just prepare for the worst.

According to the original story, the new safe zone would take at least half a year to establish. He still had more than two hundred days to live.

More than two hundred days!

Thinking this, he suddenly felt lighter, even finding the apocalyptic world more bearable.

After all, this world had given him a second life. He was used to counting the days until death. This was just returning to his previous life.

No, this life was much better. He had a healthy body, Yu Xiaoxue, and many friends. Although Song Xinqi would eventually kill him, he had saved him more times than he would kill him. Overall, it was good.

Yu Xiaoxue was grooming herself when Yu Qing grabbed her head and pressed his forehead against hers, smiling: “Yu Xiaoxue, meeting you all was really great.”

“Meow.”

Tasks to exterminate zombies outside the safe zone had increased. Many non-combat personnel went out for points, but fewer and fewer people returned.

While reading the bulletin, Yu Qing overheard people saying: “Have you heard? The boss and his team might have died out there.”

“Uh!” Yu Qing choked, earning a suspicious look from the speaker.

Where did this rumor come from?

He kept listening.

“I heard it too. But seriously, it’s been over half a month with no news. What are they doing out there for so long?”

Yu Qing: “There’s no solid evidence yet. Isn’t spreading rumors like this a bit much?”

The person looked at him suspiciously: “Why do you care so much?”

True, it wasn’t his concern.

He didn’t remember this plot in the original story, but he didn’t care much about it. The important parts were those related to him. Things would eventually resolve themselves. Yu Qing, unconcerned, moved on after listening.

However, things didn’t seem as simple as he thought.

More and more people went hungry, and the rumor of Song Xinqi’s death spread throughout the safe zone. Despite official denials, the rumors persisted.

Yu Qing knew Song Xinqi wasn’t dead. He was perfectly fine. This situation felt wrong. He tried to contact him through their mental link but couldn’t. He had previously severed their communication and didn’t know how to restore it.

The safe zone grew increasingly chaotic, and he didn’t dare leave his home. He spent his days trying to contact Song Xinqi.

He worked at it for a long time, even becoming hungry, but made no progress.

He looked out at the chaotic scene: “Why hasn’t Uncle Wang come yet?”

Half an hour later, Uncle Wang finally knocked on his door, empty-handed, with bruises on his face, apologizing: “Sorry, your lunch was stolen. I couldn’t get it back.”

Yu Qing was shocked and quickly invited him in: “It’s okay, Uncle Wang. As long as you’re safe.”

From Uncle Wang, Yu Qing learned about the chaotic situation outside. People, believing Song Xinqi was dead, were vying for leadership. The chaos led to public resource theft, including his lunch.

He didn’t mind, understanding the circumstances. He insisted Uncle Wang stay, but he was worried about his daughter doing tasks outside and wanted to find her.

Reluctantly, he let him go.

He felt even more strongly that he needed to bring Song Xinqi back. Finally, half an hour later, he figured out how to reconnect.

The sound of waves greeted him, and he called: “Song Xinqi, Song Xinqi, can you hear me?”

Hearing Yu Qing again, Song Xinqi couldn’t help but recall the moment the link was severed. He suppressed an unfamiliar emotion and asked calmly, “What’s wrong?”

Yu Qing thought, even if Song Xinqi hated him, he’d still put on a facade.

So, he confidently complained: “Song Xinqi, when are you coming back? My lunch was stolen!”
——————–
https://ko-fi.com/quarinnah