Chapter 97 Shancheng: Brother Has No Scandal

“This Ye Xing, his father was the wealthiest man in Shancheng and owned a security company with numerous bodyguards.”

“He had Ye Xing late in life, at 40, and spoiled him immensely. But when Ye Xing turned 14, he fell ill with heart disease, constantly struggling for breath and confined to a sanatorium for most of his days.”

“We suspect that his healing ability actually came from being sick all the time. He should be 19 now. When the apocalypse came, his father was bitten by a zombie while trying to save him.”

With He Ze listening intently, Zhao Zhi continued with great enthusiasm.

“Then, Old Master Ye entrusted him to Chen Yu, who happened to be at the Ye residence. Chen Yu had some connection with the Ye family, so they might have known each other from before.”

“So Chen Yu agreed to Ye’s father that he would protect Ye Xing. But as it turned out, Ye Xing became infatuated with Chen Yu, and, well…”

“Hehehe, and then what?”

“Young Master Ye has quite the temper. Anyone who got too close to Chen Yu or seemed to have any relationship with him was warned by Ye Xing’s men—either beaten up or thrown out of Wunan Tower. No one met a good end.”

“Wow, impressive, that young master is something else.” He Ze rubbed his nose, listening like an enthusiastic sidekick, chiming in from time to time.

Zhao Zhi looked at Fu Jingmo. “So, Captain Fu, if you have any connection with Chen Yu, it’s most likely because of this.”

“Oh my goodness!” He Ze’s face lit up with the expression of someone uncovering a huge secret. His eyes widened as he turned around. “Brother Fu! No way, you and Chen Yu had a thing???”

“Everyone else just gets beaten up, but you’d be risking your life—must be a deep connection, bro~~!!”

Lin Mu felt a slight stir in his heart as he glanced at the man walking one step ahead. What kind of person would someone like Fu Jingmo fall for…?

“Crack!” A sharp sound rang out.

A black crystal shattered at He Ze’s feet, startling him so much that he leaped aside with a scream, jumping onto Zhao Zhi. “Brother Zhao, help me!!”

A deep pit appeared on the ground, clearly showing that the power of the black crystal was entirely different after the ability upgrade.

Zhao Zhi awkwardly pushed He Ze off of him. Ahem, better not say anything more, or he’d be the one getting hit next.

Fu Jingmo turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Lin Mu before glaring at He Ze. “Comradeship, understand?”

“Got it, brother, I understand, I understand.”

He Ze abandoned the unreliable Zhao Zhi and hid behind Shen Rangchen, gesturing a zipped lip to signal he would stay quiet.

Fu Jingmo slowed his pace to walk alongside Lin Mu, glancing down with his peripheral vision at the silent figure.

Amid their noisy banter, they reached their accommodations. It was a three-bedroom apartment of over a hundred square meters on the fifth floor of a residential building. Their vehicle was already parked below.

“Captain Fu, I won’t disturb you any longer. If you need anything during the day, just send someone to the mission hall to find me. At night, I’ll be staying right below you.”

“Alright.”

The apartment had two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a shared lounge area. Fu Jingmo and Lin Mu shared one room, while He Ze and Shen Rangchen shared the other.

Ignoring Shen Rangchen’s look of distaste and dissatisfaction, everything was perfect.

Since they weren’t heading to the riverbank until evening, there was still time. The first thing Lin Mu did was take out clean clothes from his space and hurry off for a bath.

When Lin Mu came out, Fu Jingmo was resting with his eyes closed, hands folded behind his head, leaning against the headboard.

Knowing that Fu Jingmo wasn’t asleep, Lin Mu walked closer, drying his hair, and asked impulsively, “What’s your plan?”

Fu Jingmo opened his eyes and glanced at him with a slight smirk. Instead of answering directly, he said, “Xiao Lin Mu, your Bother Fu doesn’t have any scandalous news.”

“…” Lin Mu felt a warmth spread in his chest under Fu Jingmo’s gaze. He blinked slowly, not quite catching on, and asked blankly, “Why are you saying that?”

“…” Fu Jingmo himself wasn’t sure why he brought it up; it had just been on his mind while resting with his eyes closed.

“Ahem… I’m just worried it might affect my image as mature, steady, and devoted. After all, I still plan to marry someday.”

…It seems you have some misunderstanding about your own image.

“Go take a bath first, and we’ll talk after.”

Lin Mu said awkwardly, tossing a set of clothes to him before heading out to the living room.

Once everyone was cleaned up and gathered, Fu Jingmo spoke, “Tonight, we’re making a trip to the riverbank.”

He Ze scratched his head, still feeling a lingering fear from their last encounter with the mutated zombies in Wushi. “Just us? Isn’t that too dangerous? What kind of monster is it, anyway?”

“Mm, we’re just going to take a look for now.”

From what Shao Yingjie had said, the monster only appeared at night.

“By the way, how are your abilities after the upgrade? What about yours, Xiao Shen?”

Shen Rangchen was busy working on his talismans at the coffee table.

They hadn’t had a chance to discuss their abilities since last night’s upgrade.

Hearing this, Shen Rangchen looked up. His cleaned-up face and hair had returned to their usual pristine, almost otherworldly appearance. With a wave of his hand, six talismans on the table floated into the air. They looked the same as before, but the golden glow around them was now more intense.

“I can control more talismans at once and with greater ease. And just now, when I drew a few, the energy within them was more concentrated. In battle, their power should be significantly enhanced.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Shen Rangchen’s face. Anyone would feel excited to have their abilities strengthened in this kind of apocalypse.

Lin Mu didn’t hold back his praise, “That’s amazing.”

Fu Jingmo sat on the armrest of the sofa and spoke, “My energy has also increased significantly, but I won’t demonstrate it here—I wouldn’t want to leave you all without a place to stay tonight.”

“You’re already the strongest among us,” Lin Mu said with a smile as he turned his head.

They ate a little, enjoying strawberries and tomatoes that had already ripened in Lin Mu’s spatial storage.

Although the fruits were still not fully ripe, Lin Mu couldn’t resist his cravings. He picked more than ten and placed the tomatoes and strawberries on the table. He Ze’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Wow, Mumu, you’re like my own Doraemon.”

“Mm, go ahead and eat, but they’re not fully ripe yet.”

After the apocalypse, they were relatively well-off in terms of food and clothing, but fruit was a luxury. If they didn’t eat some soon, they would likely start suffering from a vitamin C deficiency.

Without hesitation, everyone reached out to grab some. Fu Jingmo placed a riper tomato in Lin Mu’s hand.

Lin Mu frowned at the tomato, and He Ze reached over, snatching it from his hand and stuffing it into his own mouth. He then handed Lin Mu a strawberry instead.

“Brother Fu, our Mumu doesn’t eat raw tomatoes; he loves strawberries the most.”

“…” Fu Jingmo looked at Lin Mu with amusement. “Picky, huh?”

With that, he handed the strawberry in his hand to Lin Mu as well.

He Ze happily munched away, chattering on, “Mm, next time you find anything like strawberry milk, strawberry cookies, or strawberry candies, give them all to Mumu. He only likes those overly sweet things, just like a little girl.”

Fu Jingmo glanced at Lin Mu’s slightly reddened ears, feeling a curious warmth. Yesterday, he was afraid of pain, and today, he was picky about food. How many more things about Lin Mu did he not know? It was… kind of cute.

“You can shut up now,” Lin Mu pinched He Ze, annoyed. Even eating doesn’t stop your mouth.

The person behind him leaned closer to his ear and whispered so only the two of them could hear, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Kids like strawberries. Next time, I’ll get some for you.”

Lin Mu turned back and glared at him, took the tomato from his hand, and shoved it into Shen Rangchen’s. “Rangchen, here, you eat this.”

Honestly, he shouldn’t have shared good things with them!