Chapter 145: The Man Who Saves You

Song Qing'an waited for Qin Sheng for the entire night. When he opened his eyes again, Qin Sheng was already standing beside him, looking down at him with what seemed to be a faint smile on her face.

Noticing that Song Qing'an had caught her gaze, Qin Sheng quickly wiped the smile from her lips.

"Why have you come to the Safe Zone?" Qin Sheng asked, pretending to be nonchalant while glancing around at the new items that had appeared in her room.

Song Qing'an stretched, his voice still slightly raspy from just waking up. "I heard you became the captain of the Guard Team, so I came to see if I could bask in the captain's glory."

Qin Sheng let out a resigned huff. She wondered how he knew about her promotion, but then she recalled the connection between Lu Shenchen and Lu Qingyan, and it all became clear.

"I don't see any glory to be had here. Where did these come from?" Qin Sheng pointed to the white jade porcelain vase and some flowers she couldn't identify that had appeared in the room.

Seeing that Qin Sheng didn't seem displeased, Song Qing'an felt a sense of relief. He chuckled softly, "I noticed your room was quite empty and lacked a human touch, so I had Xun Feng bring these over for you."

Seeing Song Qing'an looking like a cat with its tail held high, waiting to be petted, Qin Sheng gave a light laugh. "They are nice, but if anything happens to them while they're here, I won't have anything of equal value to compensate you with."

As she spoke, she reached out to touch the flowers in the pot. Strangely, they were blooming with unusual vibrancy, completely unaffected by the harsh environment of the apocalypse—a testament to their tenacious vitality. Qin Sheng did not bother to hide her genuine fondness for them.

Seeing her reaction, Song Qing'an knew she liked them. He raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "You don't need to compensate me with anything. Surely a breakfast will suffice?"

Qin Sheng could certainly afford a breakfast, but she found it hard to believe that Song Qing'an would go to such lengths just to have a meal in the Safe Zone. However, Song Qing'an had always been a free-spirited person, so it was not entirely out of character for him.

She didn't press the matter further. After watching the flowers for a while and waiting for Song Qing'an to freshen up, they walked downstairs together.

The people here all knew Song Qing'an, so seeing him and Qin Sheng together wasn't entirely unexpected. However, it was early in the morning! Seeing the two of them come down from upstairs so brazenly made it difficult for others not to let their imaginations run wild.

Qin Sheng, completely oblivious to her team members' dropped jaws, led Song Qing'an straight to the small canteen to find something to eat.

"Uncle Yu, is breakfast ready?"

The Seventh Team had morning drills, so Qin Sheng decided they could have breakfast at the canteen. When Yu Yong volunteered to handle the cooking, she had naturally taken him up on the offer. Given that Yu Yong was the oldest among them—and the younger ones were better suited for the fighting—Yu Yong was content just to live a quiet life.

"The millet porridge is just right, Captain. You have perfect timing..." As Yu Yong turned to hand the bowl to Qin Sheng, he noticed the man standing beside her. He remembered him—the person who had carried the captain away from the Zombie Forest. A face that striking was hard to forget.

Before Qin Sheng could introduce him, Yu Yong smiled and said, "No need to introduce, Captain, I recognize him."

Song Qing'an offered a faint smile and added, "Trouble you for a bowl for me as well, Uncle Yu."

Qin Sheng, rarely seeing Song Qing'an so well-behaved and polite, gave a soft huff and sat down with her porridge.

"Careful, it's hot..."
"Thank you, Uncle Yu..."

Qin Sheng took a sip of the still-piping-hot millet porridge. When she looked up, she saw Song Qing'an already seated across from her.

"Captain, here are the steamed buns and pickled vegetables..."

Before Qin Sheng could say a word, Yu Yong returned with more food. Seeing the round, plump, and appetizing steamed buns, her eyes lit up with surprise.

Yu Yong smiled sheepishly. "I found some flour in the supplies you gave me yesterday, Captain, so I tried making some buns this morning. I'm not sure how they turned out—do give them a try..."

Hearing that the supplies came from Qin Sheng, Song Qing'an knew immediately that the young girl had pulled off another one of her "Doraemon" tricks, conjuring things others couldn't even imagine. He was used to it by now. He picked up a bun, took a bite, and nodded. "Uncle Yu, your skill is impressive. These buns are delicious."

Yu Yong beamed, waving his hands. "You're too kind, as long as you enjoy them."

Qin Sheng took a bite. They were indeed excellent, far superior to the compressed biscuits and self-heating rice they usually ate.

"Thank you, Uncle Yu. I'll bring back more supplies after I return from the Core Base today. We'll be troubling you to feed all of us," Qin Sheng said to Yu Yong, who had already gone back to work.

Yu Yong nodded, smiling. "Don't worry, Captain. Cooking won't interfere with my training."

Qin Sheng nodded and returned to her meal in silence. The pickled vegetables were also from her storage space; she had chosen them because she didn't know what else she could produce without shocking everyone, hoping they would assume she had brought them from the Core Base or from Song Qing'an's side. The flour was just a convenient inclusion. She hadn't expected Yu Yong to turn it into a full pot of buns.

As she ate, she pondered how to bring out more good food from her space next time. Food prepared by Yu Yong tasted much better than what she could manage herself, so she might as well find excuses to provide more, sparing herself from eating those compressed biscuits.

"The porridge is finished, why are you still putting the spoon to your mouth?" Song Qing'an had been watching Qin Sheng. Seeing she was lost in thought, he hadn't wanted to interrupt, but when he looked over again, the bowl was empty, yet she kept moving the spoon to her lips. Seeing her dazed expression, he couldn't help but smile and remind her.

Qin Sheng realized she had been eating from an empty bowl for a while. After an awkward moment, she went to fetch another serving. When she returned, she caught Song Qing'an's gaze—his peach-blossom eyes filled with amusement and doting warmth. She quickly looked away, focusing intently on her porridge, not daring to let her mind wander again for fear of giving him another chance to tease her.

Song Qing'an, acting well-behaved for once, didn't tease her further.

As they finished, the team members, famished from their morning drills, came rushing into the canteen.

"Uncle Yu, I'm starving! Anything to eat?" Xiaoxiao, feeling like he’d lost half his life during the drill, came over to ask.

"Sit down, there's plenty for everyone today," Uncle Yu said, smiling as he served Xiaoxiao a bowl of porridge.

Xiaoxiao froze as he passed Qin Sheng. He looked at the man drinking his porridge with such poise and his captain, who seemed to be trying to bury her head in her bowl. He blinked. "Captain? Are you alright?"

Qin Sheng jerked her head up, her bewildered gaze meeting his. She cursed inwardly—she had been lost in thought again!

"I'm fine," she replied, quickly reverting to her usual cold demeanor.

Xiaoxiao nodded and looked at the man sitting across from her. When he met those striking eyes, he finally realized who it was.

"No way, you're the guy who saved our captain?" Xiaoxiao looked at Song Qing'an in shock, forgetting his hunger entirely.

Song Qing'an didn't expect such an impression, raised an eyebrow at Qin Sheng, and smiled. "Oh?"

Qin Sheng immediately looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. What did he mean, "the man who saved the captain"?

"You're really handsome..." Xiaoxiao remarked, admiring his features up close.

Song Qing'an chuckled. "Thank you."

Xiaoxiao's rumbling stomach interrupted any further conversation. He rubbed his belly and laughed. "Anyway, I'm going to eat."

Song Qing'an looked at the still-silent Qin Sheng, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The man who saved you?"

Feeling her face flush, Qin Sheng quickly replied, "It has nothing to do with me. That's just what they say."

She was desperate to distance herself, but Song Qing'an only smiled wider, clearly not believing her.

"I had already fought them off, so you don't count as having 'saved' me," Qin Sheng insisted, recalling the scene.

"But I was the one who took you away..." Song Qing'an said softly.

Which meant, he was the one who saved her.

That was what Song Qing'an thought. Although it sounded like something out of a cheesy romance novel, he found he quite liked it.

"Brother Xiaoxiao, why are you running so fast?"