LFIA -Chapter 4

“Cousin, can you show it to me when we get back?” Du Yuejiao tilted her face slightly to the side. Under the lights, her profile seemed to radiate a charm unique to a young woman.

At the same time, Du Yuejiao deliberately exposed her slender, fair neck. She had tried it many times, and she knew that this angle made her look the best.

Du Yuejiao thought to herself, I heard that Du Qing is an incredibly shut-in otaku. He’s already in his twenties, yet he doesn’t even have a girlfriend. For someone like me, who had my first boyfriend back in middle school, that’s practically bizarre.

Could there be something wrong with this cousin of mine? Like, maybe he can’t get it up for women or something? That’s why he ended up seducing the Number One King of the apocalypse, and somehow even succeeded. It must have been Du Qing, shameless bastard that he is, using some underhanded trick to seduce Xia Lixuan!

I have to take his cheat ability for myself. My mother is also a member of the Du family, so why was this ancestral treasure given only to the sons and not to my mother? A bunch of disgusting sexists. Once I get that jade pendant and the apocalypse arrives, I’ll definitely make sure to “repay” them properly!

Du Qing looked at her indifferently. To him, no matter how attractive a man or woman was, they were nothing more than a shell. Nothing was more important than food.

In the apocalypse, people could abandon anything for the sake of food.

Now that he had confirmed the existence of the space, the next step should be to sell the house. The money from selling it should be enough to buy quite a lot of food.

“Cousin?” Du Yuejiao waited for Du Qing’s answer. After a while, when he still didn’t respond, she looked to the side, only to discover that there was already no one there!

Looking ahead, she saw Du Qing muttering something to himself. He hadn’t even noticed that she had stopped walking. If she didn’t catch up now, Du Qing would disappear around the corner.

Du Yuejiao stomped her foot in place unhappily before chasing after him.

He isn’t even affected by my beauty. Du Qing really is willing to debase himself enough to lie beneath another man’s body!

Du Yuejiao suppressed the hatred in her eyes. Blinking innocently, she complained in a coquettish voice, “Cousin, how could you just leave me behind and walk off by yourself? Hmph! When we get home, I’m going to tell Uncle and Auntie!”

“I didn’t notice just now. What were you saying?” Du Qing stopped and looked at her gently.

Go ahead and bounce around while you still can. Once the apocalypse comes and the world’s order collapses, your miserable life will begin.

“Click!”

Du Qing suddenly turned his head around. Still, he didn’t see anything. But this time, he was certain that someone was secretly photographing him.

The last time he had been eating with Chen Yi at a Chinese restaurant, he had heard the same sound. Back then, he had thought he had simply misheard it.

After his previous hospitalization, the space seemed to have strengthened his body somehow. Du Qing glanced at the large stone beside him. He felt that he could probably lift it with one hand.

In his previous life, after Du Yuejiao obtained this space, she hadn’t noticed any increase in her strength. But it was true that her appearance had become more and more beautiful.

Could the benefits the space provides to the human body be different for men and women?

His eyelids lowered, concealing his warm amber eyes as Du Qing pondered.

Just who is secretly photographing me?

“Cousin, when we get home, can you show me your jade pendant? I’m really curious. Just let me have one look, okay?” Du Yuejiao tugged at his sleeve and spoke in an affected, coquettish voice.

“Sure.”

The corners of Du Qing’s lips curved upward as his thin lips parted. His gaze casually swept over a nearby street stall.

“Let’s hurry up. If we keep dragging our feet, who knows when we’ll finish buying everything.”

“Mm-hmm, I know.”

Having received the answer she wanted, Du Yuejiao was in a very good mood. As she followed Du Qing, she somewhat understood why Xia Lixuan had ultimately chosen a man like this.

The way he smiled just now…

So seductive.

“I’m going to use the restroom. You keep shopping here for now. I’ll be back soon.”

Du Qing took everything from his shopping cart and transferred it all into Du Yuejiao’s cart before hurriedly walking away.

“Hey!”

Du Yuejiao had just wanted to call him back when she realized that he had already disappeared.

There are restrooms inside too. Why does he have to go outside?

Du Qing left the shopping center and ran back to the stall they had passed earlier. He spent ten yuan on a piece of jade that looked quite similar to his own jade pendant.

Anyway, Du Yuejiao had never seen the real thing before, so he wasn’t worried in the slightest that she would see through the deception.

“Click!”

This time Du Qing didn’t turn around.

Nor did he return to the shopping center to meet up with Du Yuejiao. Instead, he chose a small alley that became increasingly secluded as he went deeper.

At a bend in the alley, he hid himself completely in the darkness.

He patiently waited for ten minutes. Just as he was about to give up, he finally heard something.

With his current hearing, he could only make out extremely faint footsteps. Instinctively, he slowed his breathing and tightly gripped the half-brick he had picked up from the ground, waiting for the footsteps to approach.

Du Qing calmly counted.

Three.

Two.

One.

He leaped out and swung the brick at the other person without mercy.

The other party reacted very quickly. He was caught off guard and didn’t have enough time to retreat, so he simply raised his hand to block the blow.

And that was enough.

A crisp crack rang out in the darkness, exceptionally clear.

Du Qing couldn’t help being startled by his own strength.

By the time he recovered, the other man had given him a look as though he were staring at a monster. Then he ran away as fast as his legs could carry him.

His figure disappeared into the darkness in no time.

Du Qing stared at the brick in his hand, which had broken into two pieces.

Did I hit him a little too hard just now?

His hand bones were broken. The apocalypse was about to arrive, and even a broken bone would take several months to heal, right?

By then, whether the man could even survive in the apocalypse would be another matter.

Still, since he’d dared to follow and secretly photograph someone, he must have been prepared to get injured, right?

Next time I see him, I’ll just make him half-paralyzed.

Du Qing thought about it some more, but ultimately abandoned the idea of finding a private detective to investigate who was following and photographing him.

Right now, he was desperately short of money.

Extremely short.

If someone was secretly watching him, then he couldn’t sell the house.

No.

He could mortgage it instead.

He mentally went through his friends. He remembered that one of his college classmates, whom he had a fairly good relationship with, worked in real estate. He could ask this old classmate for help.

There were still more than ten days before the apocalypse.

That was enough time for him to prepare supplies.

When Du Qing returned to the shopping center, he discovered that Du Yuejiao was already waiting at the entrance. She was impatiently holding two bags of things, while people occasionally came over to strike up conversations with her.

Seeing this, Du Qing decided there was no need to hurry.

He bought a roasted sweet potato from a roadside stall nearby and slowly finished eating it. After wiping his hands clean, he checked himself over to make sure there was nothing inappropriate about his appearance before jogging toward her.

“Yuejiao, let me help you carry one of those. I had an upset stomach just now, so I was gone a little longer than expected. You don’t mind, do you?”

Du Qing reached out and took the bag that looked lighter, leaving no room for refusal.

Du Yuejiao glanced at the time.

He had been gone for more than half an hour!

If she hadn’t still been unable to remember the way home, she would have left long ago. Why should she have to stand here waiting like an idiot?

Looking at Du Qing’s apologetic face, Du Yuejiao warned herself inwardly: I can’t get angry.

Absolutely cannot get angry.

I haven’t gotten the jade pendant yet. I can’t lose my temper with him. I have to leave him with a good impression. Only then will it be easier to get that jade pendant!

Damn it!

If only she knew what that jade pendant looked like, she wouldn’t have to flatter this man who seemed incompatible with her in every possible way.

Du Yuejiao even began blaming her mother inwardly.

If I had been born a son, the jade pendant would have been mine. I wouldn’t need to resort to tricks just to get something like this.

Du Yuejiao was carrying a large bag filled with heavy things such as shampoo and body wash. She had never carried anything this heavy before.

She looked resentfully at Du Qing’s back, wondering when he would finally develop a conscience and help carry the bag she was holding as well.

Du Qing, meanwhile, was practically eager to see her struggling.

When he noticed how laboriously she was carrying the bags, he discreetly increased his pace instead.

“Cousin, wait for me! I can’t walk anymore. Can you help me carry this?” Du Yuejiao hurried after him.

She caught up and put the things down beside her feet, panting as she rested.

Du Qing looked at her disapprovingly, his tone carrying the air of someone who was disappointed that another person had failed to live up to expectations.

“You haven’t exercised enough normally, which is why your physical fitness is so poor. This is a great opportunity to get some exercise.”

After saying that, Du Qing put the bag in his own hand down beside her as well.

“I’m going ahead to buy something. Hurry up and catch up!”

Du Yuejiao stared dumbfoundedly at his retreating figure.

Then she looked at the two bags beside her feet.

Did I just bring this misery upon myself?

If she’d known this would happen, she wouldn’t have said anything!

Now she had to carry an extra bag.

She gritted her teeth and repeatedly comforted herself inwardly.

Once I get the jade pendant, I’ll find someone to teach him a good lesson!

Du Qing looked at the person ahead and chased after him.

This man was part of the same group as the man he had cornered in the alley just now. They both gave him a similar feeling.

After Du Qing caught up, the other person also noticed him. Their eyes met.

The man quickened his pace and disappeared into the crowd.

Both of these men had extremely ordinary faces—the kind that could be thrown into a crowd and leave no distinguishing impression whatsoever.

Even now, when Du Qing tried to recall them, he couldn’t clearly remember the appearance of either man he had only seen once.

Watching the man’s figure disappear into the sea of people, Du Qing restrained the urge to continue chasing him.

Now isn’t the time to investigate their identities.

Du Qing suddenly thought of his ex-boyfriend.

If we hadn’t broken up, he could help me investigate what the hell these people are about!

But they had already broken up, and he was too embarrassed to shamelessly go to him and ask for help.

Still, as for how to persuade his parents to move back to the countryside, he already had a rough idea.

Perhaps I can make use of my ex-boyfriend?