Chapter 37: Mi Li, why aren’t you eating?

As they approached home, Mi Ling’s heart grew more restless, afraid of encountering her worst fears or finding that Rice is gone.

Mi Ling led the way, with Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu following behind.

Looking at these two, Mi Ling felt exhausted. In fights that went smoothly, such as when dealing with one or two zombies, they would hide behind her and run even faster than she did when faced with a larger number of zombies.

They were good at doing nothing and wasting resources.

Not that they were completely useless. When they encountered other survivors, they could at least contribute to the headcount, and when dealing with a small number of zombies, their presence might slightly lighten Mi Ling’s burden.

While they claimed to be helping her find her sister, Mi Ling couldn’t help but feel that they were more interested in finding someone to rely on and getting closer to her.

At least give me some support, she thought, frustrated.

Once she found Mi Li, it would be best to distance herself from Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu, Mi Ling thought to herself.

Finally, Mi Ling arrived at the entrance of the residential complex, mentally preparing herself for the upcoming battle.

How many people usually lived in this complex? Mi Ling couldn’t be sure, but there were bound to be a fair number of zombies.

“A journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step,” she reminded herself, determined not to let her guard down and make a fatal mistake at the last leg of the journey.

However, as she entered the complex, she was puzzled to find that there were only a few zombies scattered around, maybe three or four.

Why were there so few zombies?

Regardless of the reason, it was a good thing for Mi Ling.

As she passed by the supermarket, Mi Ling instinctively glanced inside, hoping to grab some supplies if possible. That would be even better.

Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu were faster than Mi Ling.

However, they were disappointed to find that the supermarkets they came across were all empty.

Throughout their journey, except for a supermarket they encountered a few days ago that still had supplies, the rest of the supermarkets they found were mostly empty.

The two supermarkets that still had supplies were infested with numerous zombies, so they didn’t dare to enter.

This was understandable. Zombies were terrifying, but hunger was even more frightening.

Encountering zombies didn’t necessarily mean death, but hunger could truly starve a person to death.

Brave individuals could make multiple trips and empty out an entire supermarket.

But Mi Ling didn’t care about that. She ran quickly to her own building without worrying about any zombies. She shouted with all her might:

“Mi Li, Mi Li, are you here?”

…

“Tonight, let’s have barbecue. Can you make it, Sister Yu?”

Chen Luo wanted to change the taste and suddenly realized that he hadn’t had barbecue for over half a month.

If it was paired with ice-cold beer, wouldn’t it be fantastic?

Chen Luo had prepared a barbecue grill specifically for this purpose, and he had all kinds of spices.

Ma Yu smiled and said, “I may not be as good as a top-notch barbecue chef, but it won’t be worse than what you eat outside.”

“In that case, I’ll start marinating now. Just let me know what kind of skewers you want.”

“Also, the smoke from barbecuing is too much. It’s not possible to do it indoors.”

Chen Luo was satisfied and said, “No problem, let’s do it on the rooftop.”

Someone noticed that Chen Luo was not worried at all. Compared to the deliciousness of barbecue, any trouble was insignificant.

Chen Luo was about to ask Su Dazhu and Mi Li what kind of skewers they wanted when suddenly, shouts came from downstairs.

Mi Li trembled all over, with an expression of extreme joy on her face, and excitedly said, “It’s my sister! My sister is back!”

Mi Li, wearing slippers, denim shorts, and a short-sleeved shirt, couldn’t wait and ran downstairs.

Chen Luo muttered to himself, “I’ve been waiting for you for so long, Mi Ling.”

He followed closely behind Mi Li.

While running, Mi Li loudly replied, “Sister, I’m here!”

Upon hearing Mi Li’s response, Mi Ling, equally excited, finally saw Mi Li coming downstairs.

Before Mi Li could fully see her, Mi Li opened her arms wide and pounced towards Mi Ling.

The two sisters happily embraced each other.

Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu were shocked as they watched Mi Ling.

Sister Mi Ling was the school belle, and her younger sister Mi Li was equally stunning.

Damn, wouldn’t it be awesome if we could win over these two sisters?

Upon closer inspection, Chen Luo realized that it wasn’t just Mi Ling, but there were two other refugees.

Well, no, there were three refugees, including Mi Ling.

Without bathing for over ten days, exposed to the elements, and not eating or drinking well, Mi Ling had been anxious and worried day and night. Even the most stunning beauty would appear haggard.

Mi Ling’s face was worn out, with dark circles under her eyes and withered hair, only vaguely reminiscent of her former stunning beauty.

Her face was also dirty.

It was partly due to the conditions, but Mi Li intentionally made herself look unattractive to avoid trouble.

Only her majestic bosom remained impressive.

Chen Luo’s appearance immediately made Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu vigilant.

Who is this person? How come he’s with Mi Li? We’ve never heard that Mi Ling has a younger or older brother.

Mi Ling caught a glimpse of Chen Luo and instantly looked at him warily.

Rice, in Chen Luo’s arms, lazily meowed at Mi Ling.

Rice had a feeling that Mi Ling would be fine, so she wasn’t worried at all.

Mi Ling smiled and said, “Sister, this is brother Chen Luo. Thanks to him, I was taken care of while you were away.”

Mi Ling’s brow eased slightly. How exactly did he take care of her? But looking at Mi Li’s healthy complexion, it seemed like he did take good care of her.

And surprisingly, Rice was obediently in his arms.

With Mi Li safe, a heavy burden was lifted off Mi Ling’s heart.

Upon their first meeting with Mi Li, Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu made up their minds to establish a good relationship with her.

Mi Ling had always been indifferent and difficult to approach, but perhaps they could make a move through Mi Li? Or directly win over Mi Li?

Mi Li was clean all over, and they assumed it was because she hadn’t been outside.

Her complexion was rosy, probably because she was happy to see her sister Mi Ling.

They didn’t think too much about it and relied on their own imagination to assess Mi Li’s condition.

Her stomach must be very hungry, right?

As they journeyed together, they had come to understand the importance of food.

They decided to be generous and bring some gifts for their first meeting.

While Zhang Zhen was preparing to please Mi Li, Wang Xinwu took the initiative.

He carefully took out a wrinkled bag of bread with three slices from his pocket.

Wang Xinwu handed the bread to Mi Li with both hands, saying, “Mi Li, are you hungry? I have bread here, take it and eat.”

Mi Li looked at the wrinkled bread and was speechless.

She awkwardly smiled and said, “No, thank you.”

Thinking that Mi Li was just being polite, Wang Xinwu clenched his teeth and took out the only one-dollar bag of corn sausage.

“Mi Li, don’t be polite. Bread goes perfectly with sausage,” he said.

Zhang Zhen looked at Wang Xinwu in shock. ‘What the heck, are you going all out? It’s difficult to find supplies outside unless you take risks and go to supermarkets with more zombies. Are you out of your mind?’

Zhang Zhen had intended to take out his own bag of instant noodles for Mi Li, but seeing Wang Xinwu splurging, he felt it was unnecessary to compete.

‘You’re impressive, I won’t join in. I’ll focus on pleasing Mi Ling.’

Seeing that Mi Li showed no interest in accepting the food, Wang Xinwu was stunned.

“Mi Li, why aren’t you eating?”

Suddenly, two people appeared and asked if you wanted to eat.

Mi Li didn’t know these two people at all. If it weren’t for her older sister bringing them back, she would have just left.

Even if Chen Luo wasn’t there, Mi Li wouldn’t accept anything from strangers.

In addition, Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu hadn’t taken a shower for more than ten days and were running around.

The sweat smell was so strong that Mi Li almost passed out.

They kept getting closer and Mi Li was on the verge of tears, pleading for them to stay away.

“I’m really not hungry,” she said.

Mi Ling was about to take out the chocolate that she had saved specifically for this occasion. But unfortunately, there had been a shortage of food throughout their journey and they had to take a detour around the city.

There were no shops along the way.

But looking at Mi Li’s healthy complexion, rosy and tender, it was clear that she lived a comfortable life.

Comparing herself, she was completely a gloomy-faced woman now.

Mi Ling looked at Chen Luo again, his appearance and complexion. If it weren’t for the contrast with her own appearance, Mi Ling would really have thought that he was just a handsome guy going downstairs for a walk during normal times.

Is he really taking good care of my sister?

Mi Li didn’t take it, and Wang Xinwu’s outstretched hand looked awkward.

Isn’t she hungry for real? She’s given the opportunity but she doesn’t seize it. When she’s hungry and wants it, it might be gone.

Mi Li awkwardly said, “Sis, let’s go inside.”

Chen Luo watched and smirked on the side, thinking, “So even the Flame Princess can have such a miserable appearance? I almost didn’t recognize you without considering your temperament.”

Mi Ling thanked Chen Luo, saying, “Hello, I’m Mi Ling. Thank you for taking care of my sister.”

Mi Ling still had her guard up against Chen Luo, but regardless, Mi Li was indeed well taken care of and hadn’t suffered any harm.

Chen Luo smiled faintly and said, “I’m Chen Luo.”

Mi Ling reached out to take Rice from Chen Luo’s arms. It had been so many days since she last saw Rice, and she missed her dearly.

She was also relieved that Rice was still alive.

However, Rice turned her head and refused then communicated with Mi Ling through telepathy.

“Oh, go away! You haven’t taken a bath in days? You’re so dirty. What if you make me dirty?”

“It’s okay if you make me dirty, but if I make Chen Luo dirty by being in his arms, that wouldn’t be good.” She added

Upon hearing Rice’s words, Mi Ling initially showed an incredulous expression. Rice could talk?

But then, Mi Ling’s face turned completely dark.

Is this how you talk to a person?

It’s not because you think I’m dirty, but because you’re worried about dirtying Chen Luo that you won’t let me hold you?

I am your owner, aren’t I?

Mi Ling couldn’t understand why, after not seeing each other for half a month, Rice had completely betrayed her.

Although shocked by Rice’s abilities, Mi Ling didn’t make a big fuss about it.

She glanced at Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu behind her and thought, “Let’s have a farewell dinner and part ways. It’s not that I’m burning bridges or being ungrateful, but you two have been more trouble than help on this journey.”

Just thinking about it made her angry.

In front of them, I acted as their muscle, helping them overcome obstacles and dangers, while they only stayed timidly behind me.

I must have been out of my mind to have picked up these burdens. I’ve had enough. I can’t let them continue to drag me and my sister down, and it’s not safe either.

Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu followed with joy in their hearts. In their hearts they were thinking  “The cohabitation life between me and the campus belle is about to begin” and “Living together and growing together, isn’t this how love comes about?”

Mi Ling cautiously asked, “Is there any food at home?”

She was hungry too. She had planned to find some supplies after meeting her sister. The supermarkets had run out, but there must be supplies in the entire neighborhood.