Chapter Fifty: A Dog’s Mouth Yields No Ivory

"Take them down!" At Guo Jun's command, the people surrounding Qin Sheng stepped closer, on the verge of seizing Qin Sheng and Jiang Miaomiao.

Qin Sheng took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to draw her Tang sword, and could only keep retreating.

"Captain Guo seems to have quite a temper."

A cold, deep voice came from behind Guo Jun. At its sound, Guo Jun and his men immediately halted.

"Young Master Lu, why are you out here?" Guo Jun turned and saw that distinguished figure, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Qin Sheng narrowed her eyes, her gaze falling on the man approaching from afar.

Truth be told, he was indeed handsome.

And his bearing was extraordinary.

Lu Qingyan, clad in a black suit, broad shoulders and a narrow waist like a model heading to the runway, his finely sculpted features icy and refined, as if sculpted by the hand of God. Gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose, lending him an air of ascetic restraint. Most striking was his innate coldness, his every gesture and movement exuding elegance.

Lu Qingyan's arrival drew everyone's attention, but his aloofness kept people at bay, no one daring to approach.

"Captain Guo, time is short and the mission urgent. Are you sure you want to let this incident delay the team's progress?" Lu Qingyan spoke with utter calm, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, lingering for a moment on Qin Sheng.

Only Qin Sheng met his gaze without a trace of fear, her scrutiny evident, causing Lu Qingyan to frown in discomfort.

At Lu Qingyan's words, Guo Jun hurriedly called his team to speed up the inspection of the passengers, leaving Qin Sheng and her group alone.

"Let's get on the bus..." Qin Sheng was about to speak when Chu Xingyu strode over to Lu Qingyan.

"Qingyan, it's been a while," Chu Xingyu greeted him with a smile.

Qin Sheng and Jiang Miaomiao exchanged confused glances, then looked at Chu Xingyu and Lu Qingyan.

Lu Qingyan was far calmer than Chu Xingyu, nodding without a word.

"Lin Xing was taken away because of a cold, so he's not here," Chu Xingyu explained why Lin Xing was absent.

Lu Qingyan snorted coldly, mocking, "I can't believe he actually survived."

Chu Xingyu was clearly used to Lu Qingyan's manner, merely shrugged and continued, "After you left, Lin Xing worried about you constantly."

"No need. I'm fine," Lu Qingyan replied curtly, adjusting his glasses, his gaze landing squarely on Qin Sheng.

Chu Xingyu followed his gaze and smiled, explaining, "That's Qin Sheng, and beside her is Jiang Miaomiao."

"I'm not interested, thank you," Lu Qingyan replied, then turned and left, followed by several officers, his status unmistakable.

Chu Xingyu, knowing Lu Qingyan's temperament well, finished what he wanted to say and then boarded the bus, sitting beside Qin Sheng and Jiang Miaomiao.

Jiang Miaomiao, who was helpless against handsome men, immediately asked Chu Xingyu, "Who was that gorgeous guy? You seemed to know him?"

Chu Xingyu nodded, seeing Qin Sheng's curiosity as well, and explained, "He's Lu Qingyan, Lin Xing and I were his roommates. He happened to go home just before the apocalypse hit, so he wasn't at school. Can't believe we ran into him here."

Lu Qingyan?

Qin Sheng frowned in curiosity at the name. Could there be any connection between Lu Shenchen and Lu Qingyan, despite only sharing the surname Lu?

"So that's it. He seems pretty special; everyone here appears to listen to him," Jiang Miaomiao observed.

Chu Xingyu pursed his lips, admitting, "Qingyan prefers solitude, so Lin Xing and I never really learned much about him."

Jiang Miaomiao nodded and stopped asking, leaning back to rest; she hadn't slept well last night caring for Lin Xing, and now that they'd joined the rescue convoy, she could finally relax.

Qin Sheng had no further questions, but she felt that Lu Qingyan was not the simple university student he appeared to be—not as simple as she herself seemed, at least.

On the way to the safe zone, Qin Sheng, feeling tired, closed her eyes for a moment.

She thought they would reach the safe zone smoothly, but suddenly, with a loud bang, her bus braked sharply, the screech of tires waking the resting passengers.

Qin Sheng rubbed her aching temples and stood to see what was happening, but there were too many vehicles to get a clear view.

"What happened, Sheng?" Jiang Miaomiao struggled to open her eyes, asking Qin Sheng beside her.

Qin Sheng shook her head lightly. "I can't see."

"Could it be a zombie horde blocking the way?" Chu Xingyu asked with lingering anxiety.

"Don't jinx us! We're in a national rescue convoy," a girl sitting in front of Chu Xingyu turned and rebuked him.

Chu Xingyu was baffled—he had merely voiced his concern, yet was branded a jinx.

"What does it matter to you? Shut up," Jiang Miaomiao, her head throbbing, snapped back.

The girl hadn't expected to be confronted and, with so many people watching, couldn't back down. She stood, pointing at Jiang Miaomiao, "What business is it of yours? I was talking to him, not you. Mind your own affairs."

Jiang Miaomiao wasn't one to back down, irritably opening her eyes and retorting, "Whoever mouths off, I will shut up."

"You!" Unable to win against Jiang Miaomiao, the girl's attention shifted to Qin Sheng, who had stood to check the situation up front.

"What are you looking at? Do you think you can take on zombies? Quit pretending!" The girl hugged her arms, convinced she had the upper hand, and scoffed, sitting back down.

Qin Sheng raised her eyebrow, surprised to be considered a nuisance, and countered, "Am I obstructing your breathing by standing here?"

The girl had assumed Qin Sheng was weak and wouldn't dare talk back, but to her surprise, she'd picked another tough nut.

"So what if you are? If you say one more word, I'll have someone throw you out!"

Qin Sheng found this amusing, arching her brow and replying, "Is that so? I'd like to see how you'll manage that."

"Don't think you can do as you please just because you have a man protecting you. This isn't your turf," the girl's gaze flicked to Chu Xingyu, assuming he was the reason for their boldness.

Chu Xingyu, suddenly singled out, felt speechless. He'd been protected by Qin Sheng all this time, and even if he were protecting Sheng, it was only right.

How did the girl's words end up so filthy?

"You can't expect wisdom from the mouth of a dog. Do you realize your tiny brain seems underdeveloped?" Jiang Miaomiao had always despised those who assumed girls must be dirty-minded. Before, she might have hesitated to speak, but now nothing could stop her from expressing her contempt.

"That's not underdeveloped; it's an absence of a brain," Chu Xingyu sneered, his disgust obvious.

The girl hadn't expected Chu Xingyu would join in, and now three were against her. She became aggrieved, raising a fuss.

"You three are bullying me! You'll get your comeuppance. I'll have my uncle throw you off the bus!" She cried and clamored to get off and find her uncle.

The team members couldn't stop her and had to let her go.

"Sheng..." Jiang Miaomiao regretted confronting the girl, worrying her uncle might really be someone powerful and cause trouble for Qin Sheng and Chu Xingyu.

Qin Sheng patted Jiang Miaomiao's shoulder, reassuring her. If they were to be thrown off for this, they could make their own way to the safe zone.

Soon enough, Qin Sheng saw a familiar figure board the bus.

"Let me see who dared bully my niece..." Guo Jun stepped onto the bus, meeting Qin Sheng's cold gaze, and felt a sense of foreboding.

Guo Ting pointed at Qin Sheng, her voice sharp, "It's her! She insulted my uncle. Throw her out!"

Guo Jun frowned and walked up to Qin Sheng. "You again? Are you always looking for trouble?"

Qin Sheng arched an eyebrow, letting out a soft laugh, her eyes icy, "Captain Guo, are you not ashamed to slander me without knowing the facts? Is that worthy of the military badge you wear?"

Guo Jun, already annoyed with Qin Sheng, was now furious that she'd insulted his niece. He barked, "Never mind whether I deserve my badge. You bullied my niece, and I won't let you off easily."

Qin Sheng laughed, stepping aside as Guo Jun looked ready to leave the bus.

Jiang Miaomiao and Chu Xingyu stood up to follow her.

Guo Jun was surprised; he hadn't intended for them to actually leave, just to teach them a lesson and make them behave.

"Stop! Do you think you can survive out there?" Guo Jun knew that by saying this, Qin Sheng and her companions would surely return and apologize to Guo Ting.

That would be the response of any reasonable person.

But Qin Sheng was not what Guo Jun considered reasonable.

"I doubt I can survive here either," Qin Sheng replied, her words sinking like a stone to the bottom of the sea, leaving the whole bus in silence.

"Hmph, if you kneel and beg, I might spare your life," Guo Ting boasted, leaning back smugly.

"Keep dreaming, sister."