Jiang YunHan jabbed Chen Xiao twice in the ribs. No effect. Chen Xiao simply shoved him away and swaggered straight up to Sister Liu, one hand braced against the wall, the other threading through her hair.
"Miss Liu, we've met before, haven't we?" he drawled.
Sister Liu's eyes curved like laughing moons; she covered her red lips with a slender, snow-white hand. Chen Xiao's grin widened.
Before he could charm further, Feng Jiafan pulled him aside. "Sister Liu, we have to meet Young Master Xu—won't keep you." He hustled them along.
"Brother Dadao," someone hissed under their breath, "this is apocalypse life—don't fall for free lunches. Sister Liu practices yin arts; watch your life force."
"Have you tried?" Chen Xiao shot back.
"Er… no."
"Then who has?" The whisper chain died off in embarrassment.
They followed Feng Jiafan deeper into the warehouse settlement. Compared to Nancheng, this was a full-on city — reinforced streets, orderly housing, solid stone avenues and drought-hardy plantings lining the lanes. In half a month they'd turned a grain depot into a fortress-city. Whoever ran this had real power.
"Two of you wait here," Feng instructed. "I'll take Brother Dadao to see Young Master Xu." He'd seen Chen Xiao's skill and wanted the credit for the recruit. He didn't know about Jiang YunHan or the Little Monk; he assumed they were family.
Upstairs, Feng led Chen Xiao along steel stairwells to the seventh or eighth floor. He knocked; no answer. He leaned in, listening. "Uh… not a good time today," he murmured.
Chen Xiao closed his eyes and used Dragon Breath — a familiar energy signature pulsed inside. Jiang Chu Xue.
Five minutes earlier, inside a cramped bedroom.
"Chu Xue, I fell in love the moment I saw you. Don't be ungrateful — it's the apocalypse!" Xu Baichuan paced, drunk on entitlement.
"If I loved you, I'd have tossed you on the bed already," Jiang Chu Xue replied coldly. She sat—elegant and distant—in a smoky purple silk robe. Her hair spilled over her shoulders. A jade pendant at her throat caught the light like an emerald heartbeat.
Xu Baichuan's fury flared. The Xu family had hoarded supplies by the bridge and had the confidence of power. If he desired someone, he could take them — the apocalypse had only amplified his appetite.
"You've never been with anyone — your 'heart' belongs to whom? Where is he? Can he protect you?" he taunted, advancing.
Panic quickened in Jiang Chu Xue. She rose to flee. But Xu Baichuan grinned. He had the S-rank speed talent — Gallop. She couldn't outrun him.
"Kneel," he barked. "Let me have some fun."
Tears trembled in her eyes. She fought the humiliation, barely holding on. He counted down like a judge delighting in a sentence: "Three… Two… One—"
The bedroom door exploded inward.
A young man in black stood framed in the doorway — delicate features, eyes cold as the river. Jiang Chu Xue breathed his name.
"Chen Xiao!"
Relief and dread warred across her face. This man here could be crazier than helpful — the Xu family's behind-the-scenes power could crush him. What could he really do?
Outside the room, Feng Jiafan froze. He had warned not to anger Young Master Xu. Now the fool had done exactly that — and dragged his recruitment credit into the mess. A hundred lives wouldn't cover this trouble.
Xu Baichuan's face twisted; his eyes flared like flint. "Who are you?"
Chen Xiao stepped forward, voice steady, almost casual.
"She's my beloved."
The room went electric. Jiang Chu Xue's tears finally fell. Her plea was a whisper: "Run."
But Chen Xiao didn't step back. The settlement seemed to hold its breath — and for the first time since she'd been trapped by Xu Baichuan's greed, Jiang Chu Xue found a sliver of hope in a man who called himself hers.