Chapter 54: I Thought You Never Cared About Her

Shen Yichuan calmed his emotions for a moment, then lowered his voice, “Ji Mingchen, listen to me, let her go.”

“You won’t get her this way. She’s strong-willed. Forcing her will only backfire…”

“Name your price. I’m begging you, let her come back.”

Ji Mingchen’s finger still rested on his chin, supporting his head. He simply stared at him, at the man who was always calm and collected, never losing his composure, but now showing a kind of desperate madness.

Finally, he lowered his eyes and smiled, “Shen Yichuan, I’m rather surprised…”

This time, he didn’t call him Captain Shen jokingly, but addressed him by his full name. The smile on his face faded, as if he was genuinely surprised.

Shen Yichuan didn’t know what this psychopath was trying to say, and he didn’t care about the darkening sky or the gradually ceasing snowfall.

The sky in Beizhou was always gray, and the darkness was slowly descending. There was no one around, only coldness and desolation.

In the dim light, Ji Mingchen raised his eyes to meet Shen Yichuan’s, his usual playful expression replaced with a rare seriousness, “I thought you never cared about her…”

Shen Yichuan was stunned. Hearing those words, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of fear, but he didn’t know where it came from.

Ji Mingchen continued, “What kind of person is Wen Yao? Yes, you know her, and I know her. She’s smart, perceptive, resilient, and pragmatic.”

“No matter what, she always cooperates with you well. No matter what danger she encounters, what situation arises, she’s always the first to look to you. She trusts you, depends on you, and will protect you at all costs…”

“But… how did you treat her?” Ji Mingchen chuckled, as if it were a joke, “Oh, you left her on the snowfield…”

“The cold icy snowfield, the long lonely night, hundreds of terrifying zombies, you left her alone to face them. Then she was bitten all over, not a single piece of her flesh was untouched, and she almost got torn apart by the mutated zombie wolves…”

Shen Yichuan froze, his pupils constricting, “She was injured?”

He lowered his head, “No, that’s impossible. She’s so skilled, she couldn’t have been injured. She could definitely handle those zombies…”

After Ji Mingchen finished speaking, not only was Shen Yichuan stunned, but Fang Lanyin next to him couldn’t help but tear up. She didn’t bother to persuade Shen Yichuan to go back early, but instead turned to Ji Mingchen, “What happened next? How is Deputy Captain Wen now…”

The other few members of the team in the back seat also lowered their guns.

“Then, let me think…” Ji Mingchen seemed to have a lot of time, patiently answering their questions on this ice bridge where the north wind blew directly, “Then I took her away, stitched up her wounds, and later she woke up…”

“She didn’t speak much after she woke up. No matter where we drove, she just stared out the window in silence. She didn’t object, and she didn’t say she wanted to go back to Beizhou.”

Shen Yichuan didn’t speak. Fang Lanyin wiped her eyes, her voice choked, “Deputy Captain Wen must have been disappointed in us. Back then, none of us voted for her…”

Ji Mingchen continued, “Those two days, we were on the road during the day, and she was gentle and obedient, seemingly fine. But at night, she would cry.”

He turned his head and said to Mei Yasha in the passenger seat, “You took care of her at night, you tell them.”

Mei Yasha saw that the people opposite had lowered their guns, so she also put away her pistol and said, “Ms. Wen’s condition was indeed very bad those two days. She cried every night, saying she was cold, saying not to leave her. Every time she cried, I would use a hot towel to wipe her tears away.”

“But Ms. Wen is truly a very strong and independent person. If I hadn’t seen her vulnerable side, I wouldn’t have imagined she could cry so sadly.”

Ji Mingchen smiled again and looked at Shen Yichuan, “Did you hear that?”

Shen Yichuan’s face turned pale, his emotions gradually collapsing, “No, that’s impossible. Wen Yao isn’t like that. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t…”

But as he said this, he didn’t even believe himself. How could she not cry? That day in the blizzard, her eyelashes were frosted, her tears fell and instantly turned into ice…

“So, Shen Yichuan, what exactly are you thinking? And what right do you have to ask me for her…”

With a cold and indifferent sneer, Ji Mingchen seemed tired. He furrowed his brows and rubbed his temples with his fingers, “It’s late, let’s go.”

Di Dahu quickly responded with an “Aye” and started the car smoothly.

After the black off-road vehicle passed them and disappeared into the vast snowy night, Shen Yichuan and the others slowly rolled up their windows.

Fang Lanyin saw that Shen Yichuan was in a bad state, so she switched seats with him and started the car.

On the way, Shen Yichuan turned to Fang Lanyin and asked, “Do you believe what he said?”

Fang Lanyin thought back to her previous encounters with Ji Mingchen and replied, “I don’t understand Ji Mingchen very well, but he seems to be different towards Deputy Captain Wen. And to be honest, why would he have any reason to lie to us?”

However, Shen Yichuan shook his head firmly, “No, I don’t believe it. Wen Yao might be sad, she might be heartbroken, but she’s strong-willed. She’s irreconcilable with those thieves from Dongzhou. She wouldn’t side with Ji Mingchen. He must have forced her…”

“Ji Mingchen might have saved her, but she hasn’t returned to the Beizhou base for so long. He must have kept her captive…”

As he spoke, Shen Yichuan laughed with red eyes, “He, Ji Mingchen, has committed countless atrocities and killed countless people. How could he be a good person? Why is he pretending to be kind here…”

The members of the team behind had never seen Shen Yichuan like this, and for a moment, no one dared to speak. Fang Lanyin drove the car, her gaze falling on Shen Yichuan with pity, her tone respectful, “Captain Shen, if what Ji Mingchen said today is true, then he saved Deputy Captain Wen’s life…”

Shen Yichuan slowly looked at Fang Lanyin, seeing the tears in her eyes, he frowned and said, “Back then, everyone in our car wanted to survive. Deputy Captain Wen must have wanted to survive too. In this kind of world, what kind of favor is greater than saving someone’s life?”

After these words fell, the light that had not yet ignited in Shen Yichuan’s dark eyes instantly turned into ashes. But he still didn’t believe it.

How could it not be greater?

Seven years of comradeship, partnership, and… the love they had never confessed…

“…”

…

The clouds hung low, the cold rain drizzled, countless tiny raindrops poured down on this cold world intertwined with gray and blood red, splashing circles on the pockmarked ground.

Countless people crowded into supermarkets, shopping malls, and convenience stores, grabbing whatever little goods were left…

“Fuck you! I got this first!”

“Get out! If you don’t leave, I’ll kill you…”

“Please, give me some food. My child has been starving for two whole days. He’s going to die…”

The sound of footsteps splashing in puddles, the desperate cries of old and young, the angry shouts and fights of men, all kinds of noises filled the air.

Wen Yao, wearing a white nightgown, walked through this suddenly chaotic world with a dazed expression. The people who rushed out of the supermarket, grabbing food, passed right through her almost translucent body…

The world is real, but she’s just a shadow? Another dream?