Chapter Eighty-Eight: Spend Where Necessary, Save Where Appropriate

Word had spread that Shen Mei had been drugged, and Jiang Miaomiao and the others grew even more anxious about her condition.

“Shen Mei is awake now, there’s no need to worry,” Qin Sheng reassured everyone gently.

But Jiang Miaomiao only seemed more concerned. “Shen Mei must have suffered a lot. Even though she was drugged, she still wanted to take part in the tournament. Now she must be even more heartbroken.”

A Zhi nodded in agreement. With Shen Mei’s pride, it would be unbearable for anyone to have Yang Yao use the self-defense moves Shen Mei herself had taught her against her. All the more so since Shen Mei had been so nervous about this tournament from the very start, spending days beforehand reinforcing her skills—she would never accept such an outcome.

Qin Sheng lowered her eyes, realizing that she hadn’t brought up the tournament at all when she was with Shen Mei just now. It seemed she had been negligent.

“There’s no competition tomorrow. Let’s visit Shen Mei together,” A Zhi suggested.

Jiang Miaomiao and Chu Xingyu nodded in agreement. Shen Mei hadn’t let them come to cheer her on during the competition, but now that she was ill, it would hardly be fitting to call themselves friends if they didn’t go visit her.

“No need. Right now, Shen Mei needs time to think things through on her own. She has no chance in the tournament anymore—her future is something she needs to figure out for herself,” Qin Sheng replied, not mentioning the alliance she had already formed with Shen Mei.

“Shengsheng is right. Once she’s sorted out her thoughts, we can all go see her,” Jiang Miaomiao said, nodding.

Qin Sheng pressed her lips together, lost in thought.

The others noticed her deep in contemplation and quietly left the living room, the three of them heading to the kitchen to prepare some food.

Qin Sheng was left alone in the living room.

The tournament was still ongoing. In the next couple of days, most contestants would likely be eliminated—only then would the real competition begin.

What worried Qin Sheng most was that while she had yet to fully master her abilities, her opponents might already have control over theirs. If that happened, her chances were slim.

She dared not imagine what might come next.

Her most urgent task now was to strengthen herself, to study the books she’d taken from Lu Shenchen over and over, and to be thoroughly prepared.

With that in mind, she stood up, intending to head to the rooftop for more training.

“Shengsheng, dinner’s ready. Are you heading out?” Jiang Miaomiao called after her. She knew Qin Sheng always had her own plans and rarely stopped her, only asking because she worried Qin Sheng might skip another meal.

Qin Sheng shook her head with a smile. “I’m not hungry. Go ahead and eat. I’m going to the rooftop to practice.”

“All right, just be careful,” Jiang Miaomiao replied sweetly, pulling a compressed biscuit from her pocket and slipping it into Qin Sheng’s hand. “If you get hungry, have this to tide you over. When you come back, I’ll make something nice for you.”

Qin Sheng glanced at the crumpled biscuit packet in her hand, her nose stinging with emotion.

That biscuit had been given to Jiang Miaomiao not long ago, when their food supplies were running low.

But Jiang Miaomiao hadn’t touched it, returning it to her intact.

No matter how hungry she’d gotten, she’d saved that biscuit for Qin Sheng, just in case she needed it someday.

“Thank you, Miaomiao.”

“There’s no need for thanks between family,” Jiang Miaomiao replied, her eyes shining as she realized Qin Sheng had recognized the biscuit for what it was.

Tears welled in Qin Sheng’s eyes as she hurried out.

A Zhi, watching the two of them, found their behavior a little odd and tugged Jiang Miaomiao aside to ask, “What are you and Qin Sheng up to? And is that biscuit the one she gave you a few days ago?”

A Zhi wasn’t oblivious—the bond between Jiang Miaomiao and Qin Sheng was written into every detail.

Jiang Miaomiao just smiled softly, not answering, but her heart was full of contentment and joy.

She had her own little selfishness too. She sometimes worried that with A Zhi and Shen Mei around, Qin Sheng might overlook her, but she had never stopped Qin Sheng from making new friends or meeting better people. All she wanted was to know that Qin Sheng cared about her, just as she cared about Qin Sheng.

“By the way, Xingyu, have you heard anything about Lin Xing lately?” Jiang Miaomiao suddenly remembered how they hadn’t seen Lin Xing since arriving at the safe zone.

Chu Xingyu, who had been joking with A Zhi, shook his head helplessly.

There had been no word of Lin Xing for some time, and even Lin Xing herself didn’t seem to know where she was.

Previously, Chu Xingyu hadn’t looked for Qin Sheng because this area had been strictly controlled—it was difficult enough for him to go out, let alone to look for Qin Sheng and the others.

Now, after the recent zombie incursion, most of those in charge of the safe zone had been sent to help rebuild, which gave Chu Xingyu the chance to seek out Qin Sheng.

“Where do you think Lin Xing was taken? It’s been almost half a month and not a word,” Jiang Miaomiao said, her anxiety growing. After what happened to Shen Mei, it was clear how dangerous the safe zone could be. They were as powerless as ants here, and with Lin Xing’s temper, Jiang Miaomiao was truly worried for her.

A Zhi, though she’d never met Lin Xing, had heard her name often enough. She thought for a moment and said, “Maybe Lin Xing will compete in the tournament. If she does, why don’t we go and see tomorrow? We might spot her.”

Chu Xingyu’s eyes lit up at this. “I’m sure she’ll compete!”

Jiang Miaomiao nodded. “Then let’s go tomorrow afternoon. If we don’t find her, let’s hope she’s already passed the first round.”

“I believe in her—even if we don’t see her tomorrow, we’ll meet her in the second round,” Chu Xingyu said, grinning with excitement.

Jiang Miaomiao nodded, silent on the subject of Lin Xing. There had been so many people on the first day and they hadn’t seen her; if things turned out as Chu Xingyu hoped, it would be best. But she worried Lin Xing might not have joined at all.

Forget it—she’d wait for Qin Sheng to return and discuss it with her.

“Can we eat now? I’m starving,” A Zhi said, rubbing her flat stomach and giving Jiang Miaomiao a pitiful look.

Jiang Miaomiao smiled helplessly and brought out the food they’d prepared together. The three of them, exhausted from the day’s efforts, ate heartily.

Even as it was nearly time to rest, Qin Sheng still hadn’t returned.

Jiang Miaomiao, worried about Lin Xing, kept waiting up for Qin Sheng, sitting there for a long time.

A Zhi noticed Jiang Miaomiao’s preoccupation and guessed that Qin Sheng wouldn’t be back anytime soon. She patted Jiang Miaomiao’s shoulder. “Qin Sheng probably won’t be back for a while. If you have something to ask her, wait until tomorrow. We have to go to the tournament too, so you should get some rest.”

Jiang Miaomiao nodded. “You go ahead. I’m not too tired yet—I’ll rest when I’m sleepy.”

Knowing Jiang Miaomiao’s stubbornness, A Zhi said no more and soon fell asleep.

Jiang Miaomiao sat by the bed, gazing out at the unusually bright moon. The moonlight fell over her, illuminating her shining eyes.

Several months had already passed.

Jiang Miaomiao still found herself thinking back on the past. No matter how many times she told herself she was living in the apocalypse, on sleepless nights she would recall everything that had happened with Jiang Ming—whether happy or quarrelsome, every memory now fueled her determination to survive.

Her parents had died in a car accident when she was in high school, but fortunately, the Jiang Ming family—her neighbors for years—had always looked after her. Jiang Ming was both her childhood friend and family.

“Brother Jiang Ming, I have so many loved ones now. Can you see me? I’ll live well, just like you and Shengsheng told me to…” Jiang Miaomiao murmured as she gazed at the moon, now tinged with red.

Unbeknownst to her, A Zhi, who had been sleeping, turned over in bed, her back to Jiang Miaomiao, eyes open—she’d heard every word.

A Zhi pressed her lips together and, hearing Jiang Miaomiao lie down, quickly shut her eyes again, pretending to be fast asleep.

Jiang Miaomiao glanced at A Zhi, now lying with her back to her, then quietly got up to tuck her in.

Lowering her voice, she pulled up the blanket and closed her eyes to sleep.

At some point, tears welled beneath A Zhi’s tightly shut eyelids, leaving a damp trail on her face.

As the moon outside grew even redder, Qin Sheng had already been training for a long time. Consumed by anxiety, she forced herself to seize every moment, launching into training the moment she reached the rooftop, never daring to pause.

Not until she was utterly spent, unable even to lift her tangdao, did she finally stop, slumping to the ground and setting the blade beside her.

Soon her stomach grumbled in protest. Qin Sheng rubbed it, intending to take some food from her stash, but her hand found instead the biscuit Jiang Miaomiao had given her earlier.

Without hesitation, she abandoned the idea of pulling out food from her space and took out the worn, slightly crushed biscuit pack from her pocket.

With a small sigh, she tore it open. Crumbs fell onto her clothes; she picked up the larger pieces and put them into her mouth, letting the rest fall as they would.

Save when you must, spend when you can—Qin Sheng understood these rules well.

Just as she was about to take another bite, she sensed a gust of wind behind her ear. She tensed instantly, cautiously reaching for the tangdao’s hilt.

“Three… two…” she counted silently in her mind, and before she reached “one,” she felt a pair of hands closing in on her…