Chapter 61: Make Them Regret It

Cheng Jing stood there dumbfounded—she hadn’t expected Jiang Si to actually tell her to go die.

She couldn’t understand it. They were both women—why was Jiang Si so heartless? So vicious?

Clenching her teeth in frustration, Cheng Jing refused to give up so easily.

The men on the boat weren’t interested in her, but she was sure it was because they were “decent” people. Once she got on the boat, they wouldn’t dare mistreat her.

She convinced herself Jiang Si only told her to die because she was jealous—afraid she’d steal the spotlight once she came aboard.

Well, if she had the courage to die, she’d make them see her differently!

Cheng Jing clenched her fists and glared at Jiang Si. “Fine! Then I’ll die right in front of you!”

Jiang Linhai frowned, worried that if Cheng Jing really died, Jiang Si would feel guilty. He whispered, “Sisi, should we just drive her away and be done with it?”

But Jiang Si had seen too many clingy, manipulative women like Cheng Jing in the apocalypse. She shook her head. “She won’t die.”

She sounded so sure that Jiang Linhai stopped interfering.

Cheng Jing walked slowly toward the water. When she met Jiang Si’s mocking gaze, she felt humiliated and pushed herself to walk several meters farther.

She wasn’t very tall, and there was mud underfoot. The water quickly reached her waist, and the feeling of weightlessness triggered visible fear.

It was over 20°C earlier, but as night fell, the temperature dropped to the low teens. The water was even colder. After soaking for a bit, Cheng Jing began to shiver uncontrollably.

She hugged herself tightly, casting pitiful, pleading glances at the handsome Qin Shen.

Qin Shen just found her annoying. He’d rather go chop up feed for the animals.

He glanced at Jiang Si, saw she didn’t need him, and turned away without a word. Cheng Jing’s heart shattered like broken glass.

Still, she had a strong will. Determined to make a point, she threw herself into the water, submerging her head.

She didn’t believe for a second that these people would just stand by and do nothing.

To make her “suicide” look convincing, she thrashed and flailed, hoping to stir sympathy.

The splashing and rising bubbles did look concerning.

But Jiang Si remained unmoved. So did everyone else.

Cheng Jing held her breath until her lungs burned. The pressure on her chest became unbearable, and finally, with a furious splash, she burst out of the water, pointing at Jiang Si and sobbing:
“You’re so heartless!”

Jiang Si let out a cold laugh, raised her gun, and warned,
“You don’t even know what true heartlessness looks like.”

The killing intent in her eyes was far too real.

Cheng Jing suddenly lost her nerve.

Even if she was just living in a thatched hut now, ever since getting with Qiu Lei, he’d done everything he could to protect and pamper her—feeding her, clothing her, making sure no one bullied her. She even had maid-like treatment, just like a tribal leader’s wife.

She didn’t want to die anymore.

Frightened out of her wits, she tried to scramble back up the bank, screaming:
“Help! Somebody help—Qiu Lei, save me!”

But her feet were stuck in the muddy bottom, and the more she struggled, the deeper she sank.

Suddenly, Da Hei (the dog) bared its teeth and let out a menacing growl—like it was ready to rip apart its prey.

Cheng Jing burst into tears for real. She looked up at Jiang Si and pleaded,
“Sister, I was wrong! I won’t get on the boat, just let me go—please!”

She truly feared Jiang Si would kill her before she could even get up.

Jiang Si narrowed her eyes and cocked her gun with a click.

Cheng Jing’s heart stopped. Just as all hope seemed lost, Qiu Lei burst out of the reeds and jumped into the water, scooping her into his arms and whispering softly,
“Don’t be scared, Jingjing, I’m here. I’m here…”

The two of them, huddled together in the water, looked like tragic lovers from a sad story.

Jiang Si watched Cheng Jing curl up in Qiu Lei’s arms and found it utterly pathetic.

Lu Zhifeng seemed to think Qiu Lei was a complete fool. He shouted angrily:
“Control your woman—she’s not going to seduce just anyone!”

Cheng Jing’s face flushed bright red, as if she’d been slapped. It burned with shame.

She was too afraid Jiang Si might confront her again with that gun and didn’t dare say a word in protest.

Qiu Lei, meanwhile, didn’t believe Cheng Jing was that kind of person. Or maybe he didn’t care anymore. He just carried her back.

The sharp reeds scraped against her skin painfully, but fearing Qiu Lei might scold her later, she gritted her teeth and didn’t make a sound.

Back at their makeshift reed shelter, Qiu Lei was panting hard as he checked her body in the dark.
“Are you hurt? Why were you over there?”

His rough hands scraped against her soft skin, making her tremble with a strange mix of fear and excitement.

She hugged him tightly and whimpered, “I’m cold…”

Qiu Lei immediately stripped off her reed-covered clothes and wrapped her icy hands in his own. His strong body warmed hers.

His tenderness gave her some peace. She curled up against his chest and sobbed like a kitten:
“That woman on the boat kidnapped me, bullied me for fun. All the men stared at me like I was a joke and accused me of seducing people. I didn’t! I swear I didn’t… Qiu Lei, please believe me… don’t leave me…”

Qiu Lei’s heart broke. He clutched her tightly, like a treasure he’d almost lost.

She could barely breathe and pounded on his chest with her fists. “Why did you come so late? I almost died!”

Qiu Lei kissed her gently. “It’s okay now… it’s okay…”

“Not okay! That woman is vicious! This time she let us go like we were mice in her little game—but what about next time? What if you’re too late again? I’m scared, brother… I’m really scared…”

Qiu Lei wanted to get revenge for Cheng Jing too—but those people had guns. They weren’t people you could mess with. All he could do was talk tough.
“One day, I’ll make them regret what they did today!”

Cheng Jing’s eyes flashed coldly. She said sweetly,
“Brother, I think there aren’t many of them on that boat. If we want to make them regret it, there’s a way—even now.”

Qiu Lei paused. “What way?”

“At night, they can’t see. We burn their boats, force them out, and lure them into the pits we’ve already dug. That’s the only way we can stop being at their mercy.”

“As long as they fall into the traps, we’ll get guns. Then nobody will dare mess with us again!”

Qiu Lei hesitated. He wasn’t sure if it would be that easy to burn the boats. And honestly, it felt like a waste—what if there were valuable supplies onboard?

Cheng Jing murmured, “If we burn them, we might still salvage some stuff. But if we don’t, we’ll have nothing. Worse—we’ll always be under their control.”

“You really want to see me get hurt again? Do you love me or not?”

Qiu Lei wanted nothing more than to rip his heart out and show her. He clenched his jaw.
“Alright! We’ll do it your way!”

Cheng Jing smiled with satisfaction. Her fingers traced circles on his chest.
Once she captured Jiang Si, she’d pay her back tenfold for today’s humiliation.

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Meanwhile, Jiang Si’s group had decided to settle in this area, so they needed to explore the surrounding terrain.

Qin Shen scouted the reed fields and quickly got the lay of the land.

The temporary village, built under Qiu Lei’s command, had about 30 people in total. Among them were about a dozen able-bodied men, the rest were women, children, and elderly survivors from nearby towns.

Everyone had a right to survive. As long as they kept to themselves, Jiang Si was willing to live in peace.

But some people… just didn’t know how to stop looking for trouble.

Qiu Lei was already digging traps everywhere, thinking Jiang Si’s crew had no idea.