Chapter 109: It Seems He Has Taken a Fancy to You

The escort team had only just left when some people could not help themselves and began to gossip.

“What danger is there for a girl coming into the zombie forest? She might as well have stayed with the others. Fighting and struggling are mostly things for us men. Girls really should not crowd in and make a fuss…”

“Don’t say it like that. What if she actually has the ability? Everyone came here for the captain; there’s no need to tear one person down just to praise another.”

Human nature really was gossip at its core.

Aside from the discussion about Qin Sheng and the woman standing beside her like a wooden post, Shen Shi, most of the crowd were offering their own opinions.

Clearly, none of them cared whether the person at the center of the discussion liked the subject.

“What can girls do? Can they outrun zombies, or beat zombies? I really don’t understand why there are women in this arena contest at all, tsk…” The speaker was someone Qin Sheng knew very well: the lecherous Zhang Dong.

With his slovenly air and his long, unkempt yellow hair, he looked every bit the delinquent. Perhaps because the apocalypse had come and there had been no chance to dye it, his hair was patchy with yellow and black, making him seem even more disreputable.

Qin Sheng gave a disdainful snort, just about to retort, when someone beat her to it.

“Man, this is the twenty-first century. The old dynasty fell ages ago. Why are you still stuck with this kind of male-supremacist thinking?”

Qin Sheng arched a brow and looked over with some curiosity. She knew this person too: the muscle-bound gentleman, Wang Qiang.

Hard to imagine, truly hard to imagine. With a body of muscle that kept people at a distance, his words and manner were unexpectedly respectful toward women.

Qin Sheng valued such people highly.

Not bad. A man with a brain.

She nodded to herself.

Perhaps the remark had been too sharp, because Zhang Dong could no longer tolerate it. He glared at Wang Qiang, and though he was unwilling, the sight of those muscles still cooled his temper by several degrees.

Seeing the situation turn sour, the plump fellow hurried forward to smooth things over, smiling as he said, “Let’s all keep the peace, keep the peace. Besides, anyone who can come here, male or female, is no ordinary person. We should all respect one another.”

Wang Qiang snorted and did not bother arguing with Zhang Dong any further. Mostly it was because they were in the zombie forest; he really did not want trouble. If this were any other time, he would have fought Zhang Dong and tested his mettle.

“Exactly. There are only so many of us in the zombie forest. If we start fighting among ourselves, we won’t even make it through the first day. Better to save our energy, find a good place to camp, and get through tonight first…”

“Yes, yes, and if we run into zombies…”

With the plump one mediating, more and more people joined in to calm the matter. Wang Qiang waved a hand to show he would let it go.

Only Zhang Dong did not seem very satisfied with that ending.

“If this weren’t here, I’d have a proper match with you!” He even threw Wang Qiang a threatening look.

Wang Qiang knew very well what sort of lowlife Zhang Dong was. He laughed in disgust and ignored him.

“What are you doing, stirring up trouble like this? Everyone knows he’s a punk. Nothing good comes from getting mixed up with him…” The plump fellow in front of Qin Sheng leaned close to Wang Qiang and murmured.

As the saying went, it was better to provoke a gentleman than a petty man.

Zhang Dong was clearly the latter.

It was not even a question of whether one could win or lose; it was that the aftermath was troublesome, sticky like chewing gum.

Qin Sheng had always had excellent hearing. Even though the plump fellow had spoken very softly, she heard every word clearly. She was rather curious how Wang Qiang would answer.

She pricked up her ears and deliberately moved a little closer to the front.

Seeing Qin Sheng take one more step forward than he did, Shen Shi paused, then followed her.

“Were you just eavesdropping on them?” Shen Shi’s voice was at a normal volume, but the question itself was far more attention-grabbing than its tone.

Sure enough, the plump fellow and Wang Qiang both turned to look at Qin Sheng.

Qin Sheng: “...”

She had been careless and forgotten there was still Shen Shi beside her.

A little speechless, she pressed her dry lips together and gave an awkward smile, suddenly not knowing how to answer such an embarrassing question.

Then she heard Wang Qiang, his healthy wheat-colored face breaking into an unusually plain and honest smile, ask, “You like oatmeal too?”

Qin Sheng blinked slightly. Only then did she remember that when she had returned to her original spot, Wang Qiang had been talking about something to do with food.

She nodded woodenly.

The plump fellow chuckled and rubbed the sparse hair on his head. “Looks like you probably like working out too.”

Qin Sheng was no longer quite so embarrassed. She smiled as well. Perhaps because of this opening, she chatted with Wang Qiang and the plump fellow for a while, and the awkwardness faded.

Among the group was someone with experience in surviving in the wild before the apocalypse, and everyone followed that person when choosing a campsite.

The place was flat, with low soil moisture, quite suitable for camping.

“This place is good. Why not set up camp here?”

“I think that works.”

“Fine.”

Once everyone agreed, they took out the simple tents from their supplies.

Wang Qiang was the sort of citizen who could not bear to stand by idly. After setting up his own tent, he began moving around to help others with theirs.

He happened to come over to Qin Sheng’s spot.

“Need a hand?” Wang Qiang asked softly from behind her.

Qin Sheng nodded and handed him the things she needed to prepare. She had no experience setting up tents; better to leave such things to an expert.

And Wang Qiang really was experienced. His hands moved with practiced ease, and in only a few minutes a small tent had been set up.

Perhaps because he knew Qin Sheng was a girl, he specially secured the tent very firmly. The four pegs supporting it were driven deep into the ground. If anyone wanted to rush in, they would at least need to waste some time.

“Thank you.” Seeing that the tent was complete, Qin Sheng smiled politely.

Wang Qiang lifted an arm to wipe the sweat from his face and smiled back. “No problem. Just doing what I can.”

Qin Sheng smiled, then seemed to think of something. She took two boxes from her supply bag and handed them to Wang Qiang.

He looked closely and saw that what she had given him was two boxes of sugar-free yogurt.

“Oatmeal and yogurt make a great combination,” Qin Sheng said with a smile, offering an explanation.

Wang Qiang had never imagined that after helping her, she would give him something so precious.

He knew he had quite a bit of oatmeal stored away, but in this apocalypse some of it had already gone stale from dampness. Once it went stale, it was no longer tasty. He could hardly imagine eating oatmeal with yogurt.

This was the apocalypse.

Qin Sheng had very thoughtfully prepared sugar-free yogurt for him.

She must have considered his fitness routine.

Wang Qiang was moved in a way he could not quite put into words. The two boxes of yogurt in his hands seemed suddenly heavy, heavier than when he had held them before.

“This is too valuable. You should keep it for yourself…”

Before Wang Qiang could try to push the yogurt back into her hands, Qin Sheng swiftly stepped back and explained, “I don’t lack it. If I finish it, I can give you more.”

Wang Qiang was a little astonished by her answer. In the apocalypse, Qin Sheng was saying she did not lack sugar-free yogurt—just how much had she prepared?

Noticing the surprise on his face, Qin Sheng added, “I don’t really have any hobbies. I’ve always liked stocking up on tasty things.”

“And then you actually get to use them?” Wang Qiang had not expected that such a slim figure would belong to a little squirrel-like hoarder.

Qin Sheng nodded and smiled, effectively admitting it.

What Wang Qiang did not know was that Qin Sheng was not only a squirrel-like hoarder. She also had a huge storage space, one that would never be revealed.

Wang Qiang was interesting to talk to, and Qin Sheng was someone who understood the humor. The two of them chatted as they built the fire frame they needed, and the conversation flowed very naturally.

Before long, another voice rose.

“I thought he respected women. Looks like it was just a way to get close to that girl. He really knows what he’s doing. I ought to learn from him.”

Zhang Dong had not been paying attention to Qin Sheng and Wang Qiang, but when he heard the person beside him say that, he glanced over in confusion.

Just then, he met Qin Sheng’s gentle smile.

Qin Sheng was already strikingly beautiful. Usually she was a cool-faced beauty, seeming difficult to approach, but the smile lifting her features made her even more charming.

Zhang Dong was instantly dazzled.

And some improper thoughts began to stir in his mind.

As he thought, he had already walked up in front of Qin Sheng and Wang Qiang.

“Need help?” Zhang Dong ignored Wang Qiang entirely and stood directly before Qin Sheng, utterly unlike his earlier rude demeanor.

The smile on Qin Sheng’s face gradually gave way to indifference. She gave Zhang Dong, whose attitude had changed so dramatically, a sidelong look and replied in a voice as cool as ice, “No, thank you.”

In both her lives, Qin Sheng had seen many people, all kinds of them. One glance was enough for her to know the filthy thoughts hidden in Zhang Dong’s mind.

So this was human nature. No matter how well one pretended, the eyes would not hide the dirt that stained them.

“Fine. If you need anything... just come find me.” Zhang Dong somehow developed a coyness, and even his tone softened considerably.

Qin Sheng only smiled faintly and nodded.

Looking at her smile, Zhang Dong had never felt his heartbeat quicken so much.

He lowered his head shyly and ran off at once.

Qin Sheng’s mouth twitched in awkward disbelief. She had done nothing at all—why was Zhang Dong suddenly acting so bashful?

It made it look as if she had been the one flirting with him.

Truly baffling.

Wang Qiang naturally noticed Zhang Dong’s sudden change in attitude and immediately understood that this boy was up to no good. He asked in a low voice, “Maybe he’s taken a fancy to you?”