Steal a Kiss from Me?

33: Stealing a kiss from me?

Xie Li silently turned around, her back to the weeping Lan Ran, and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She had grown up in an orphanage, never knowing what it felt like to go home and call out for her mother, nor what it was like to be led by the hand across the street and then get an ice cream by acting cute.

So she also didn't know what losing a mother meant to Lan Ran.

But it must be terribly painful, because Lan Ran was someone who really loved to laugh, always showing a mouthful of white teeth like a little sun.

Yet now she was crouched on the ground, holding a child and crying so hard her whole body trembled, without even the courage to go look into her mother's bedroom.

Jin Zhaoye saw Xie Li's reddened eyes, said nothing, and simply handed her a tissue.

Xie Li took it and pressed the tissue over her eyes, as if that way she couldn't see Lan Ran crouched on the ground or hear her stifled sobs.

Xiaobao, acting like a little adult, patted Lan Ran's head: 'Sister Ranran, don't cry. Xiaobao will give you candy.'

She pursed her little mouth and leaned close to Lan Ran, trying to feed her the nearly finished milk candy.

Lan Ran shook her head, refusing Xiaobao's candy. She wiped the tears from her face and asked, 'Xiaobao, when did Auntie Lan bring you back?'

Xiaobao happily put the candy back into her mouth and mumbled, 'Yesterday.'

Yesterday...

Lan Ran's legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.

Yesterday, just yesterday. If only she had come back one day earlier, her mother would have survived.

Then today her mother would have seen Dr. Jin and her best friend come to their home.

Her mother would definitely have tied on that unchanging checkered apron, cooked a table full of delicious food, and said, 'There's nothing good to eat, just make do.' They could have had a joyful lunch together, then headed to the Military Base to start a new life.

But yesterday, she had still been trapped in Nancheng, nearly bitten to death by mutated rats. No matter what, she couldn't get back, couldn't save her mother.

Lan Ran stopped crying. She sat on the floor, her gaze vacant, lost in thought.

Xiaobao crouched down beside her, tilting her head to look at her, her big black jewel-like eyes full of confusion.

'Sister Ranran?' the little girl called out in a milky voice.

Lan Ran stared fixedly at the child her mother had saved with her life, then reached out and pulled her into her arms.

'Xiaobao, do you want to come with me?'

'Yes.' The child wrapped her arms around Lan Ran's neck and snuggled obediently into her embrace. 'Sister Ranran, Xiaobao's tummy is hungry.'

'Big sister will take you downstairs to eat.' Lan Ran stood up, holding Xiaobao.

She walked to the door and called out to Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye, who were standing like wooden figures: 'Sorry, I'm not a good cook, so I can't treat you to a feast.'

Xie Li couldn't hold it in anymore. She turned and gave Lan Ran a big hug. 'Don't say that. Give me the child, I'll take her downstairs to get some food. You... can pack up some things. Bring whatever you want.'

'Mm.'

Lan Ran responded, let go of Xiaobao, crouched down, tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ears, and said softly, 'Xiaobao, will you go downstairs with Sister Gift to eat first?'

'Okay, Sister Ranran.' Xiaobao obediently stretched out her chubby little arms toward Xie Li.

Xie Li took the milk-scented child, held her, and walked downstairs with Jin Zhaoye.

Xiaobao snuggled in Xie Li's arms, curiously looking at this and that, her bright black eyes full of wonder.

Xie Li touched the little girl's soft cheek and asked gently, 'Xiaobao, how old are you?'

'Three!' The little girl held out her hand, fingers spread wide, looking very confident.

Xie Li looked at the small palm spread before her and smiled, vaguely understanding why Lan Ran's mother had risked danger to bring this little girl back.

No matter how bad the world got, children were the hope for the future.

When they reached the first floor, Xie Li set Xiaobao down on a chair. 'Dr. Jin, keep an eye on this kid. Don't let her run out again.'

Jin Zhaoye's eyes were full of helplessness. Did this girl think everyone was as unreliable as her?

Xie Li grinned at her and turned to go into the kitchen.

The kitchen was spacious, the stove top wiped clean, and pots and pans for storing water filled the counter.

The electricity had been out for two days, so Xie Li didn't open the refrigerator. The food inside was definitely spoiled, and opening it would let the smell out.

She opened the cabinet and saw it was well stocked. She took out a large pack of dried noodles and a bag of cured meat.

The cured meat was blackish-red, with streaks of fat and lean, and smelled fragrant.

Xie Li cut off a small piece of the cured meat, threw it into the pot, ladled in some water, and turned on the heat to boil it.

She went out to the yard, picked some fresh vegetable leaves, and from under the hen's bottom retrieved a few still-warm eggs.

Bringing these things back to the kitchen, Xie Li fished out the boiled cured meat, washed it, cut it into cubes, and threw it back into the pot to stir-fry until fragrant. Then she added water and the noodles.

The noodles rolled in the boiling water, gradually softening. Xie Li dropped the eggs and greens into the pot, sprinkled in a little salt and soy sauce, stirred, and turned off the heat.

She picked up a chopstickful of noodles and tasted them. Her brow furrowed. They weren't very good...

Xie Li wasn't really good at cooking. She had eaten at the Canteen her whole life, and after starting work, she just ordered takeout. The price of combo meals was even cheaper than cooking for herself, so there was no need to bother.

Her limited cooking experience came from the orphanage's Canteen. Back then, during holidays when the Canteen was too busy, the older kids would help out.

At least she had learned a bit of culinary skill—she could cook food through, and the taste was passable.

Xie Li took a small bowl, filled it with noodles, and carried it over to the little girl. 'Can you eat by yourself?'

Xiaobao nodded vigorously. 'Xiaobao can eat.'

Xie Li set the bowl on the table and helped the little girl move her stool closer so she could eat easily. 'Eat slowly, it's hot.'

'Okay, thank you, Sister Gift.' Xiaobao eagerly picked up a chopstickful of noodles, pursed her little mouth to blow on them, her cheeks puffed out, and clear drool hung on the noodles.

After blowing several times, she put the noodles into her mouth.

The little girl chewed the noodles, squinting with satisfaction, and mumbled indistinctly, 'Good!'.

Xie Li was amused and laughed, patting the child's head. 'If it's good, eat more.'

Jin Zhaoye took in the scene. She hadn't expected that someone as young as Xie Li would know how to take care of a younger child, and moreover, seemed to really like kids.

If she had a child, she would probably be a good mother, wouldn't she?

Xie Li noticed her gaze and looked up. 'Are you hungry too? Shall I get you some noodles?'

Jin Zhaoye shook her head. 'Go check on Lan Ran. If she's okay, call her down to eat together.'

'Okay.' Xie Li agreed and turned to go upstairs.

On the second floor, Xie Li immediately saw Lan Ran standing in front of her mother's bedroom door.

She had her bag on her back and was staring fixedly at the closed door.

From inside the room came faint zombie growls. The mother and daughter, reunited after a long separation, were communicating in another way, through the door.

Xie Li stepped lightly closer and patted her friend on the shoulder. 'All packed?'

Lan Ran turned to look at her, pulled at the corners of her mouth, and forced a smile. 'All packed.'

'If you can't smile, don't.' Xie Li put an arm around her shoulders and led her downstairs. 'Your eyes are redder than those mutated rats' eyes.'

Lan Ran bowed her head in silence and walked down the stairs step by step.

Xie Li tightened her grip on her shoulder and comforted her, 'Ran, if you're really sad, you can call me Mom from now on. Mom Xie will cook for you. You'll get to eat Mom Xie's cooking soon.'

'Get lost.' Lan Ran laughed and cried at the same time, punching Xie Li.

Xie Li took the punch from her friend, let out an 'ouch,' and pulled her closer. 'Since you laughed, no more crying. Crying and laughing—the kid will make fun of you.'

Lan Ran wiped the tears from her face and nodded vigorously. She knew Xie Li was deliberately talking like that to cheer her up. On the way out of Nancheng, she had seen too much death.

In times like these, it was good to be alive, but dying wasn't so sad either. After all, living was also suffering.

She just couldn't accept psychologically that her mother had died the day before she got home.

Downstairs, the group sat together and finished a lunch that wasn't particularly tasty but filled their stomachs.

Xiaobao, especially, ate from start to finish. At the end, she held up her bowl, tilted her head back, and drank all the soup, then raised the bowl high to show Xie Li. 'Sister, Xiaobao ate it all!'.

'Great job.' Xie Li took the bowl and wiped her mouth with a tissue.

She gathered the used dishes and took them into the kitchen, rinsed them with clean water, and put them away in the cupboard.

After washing her hands, Xie Li poked her head out and called to the living room, 'Lan Ran, can I take the things in your cupboard?'

Lan Ran asked instinctively, 'What things?'

'Just some vegetable seeds and stuff.' Xie Li held up the various vegetable seeds she had just sorted. 'I want to take these. I can plant them later.'

Lan Ran stared at the seeds for a moment, her voice dropping. 'Take them. They'll just be eaten by bugs here.'

She paused and swept her gaze over the house she had grown up in. 'Take whatever else is useful from my house.'

'Okay.' Xie Li turned back to the kitchen, opened the cupboard, and put all the dried vegetables Lan Ran's mother had made into her Space.

She would keep these to slowly give to Lan Ran later.

After clearing the kitchen, Xie Li kept a few packs of vegetable seeds in her hand and came out. 'Shall we go back?'

'Let's go.' Jin Zhaoye picked up Xiaobao, who was dozing in the chair. The little girl's head nestled softly into the crook of Jin Zhaoye's neck, sleeping soundly.

Jin Zhaoye moved gently as she walked out, saying, 'While we still have time, let's gather some more supplies to take back.'

Lan Ran shouldered her bag, took one last look at her and her mother's home, and walked out the door.

Xie Li was last. Before leaving the yard, on a whim, she collected all the chickens in the yard, leaving only a few feathers behind. She locked the iron gate and quickly caught up with the others.

Back in the pickup truck, Jin Zhaoye drove again, Xie Li sat in the passenger seat, and Lan Ran and Xiaobao sat in the back.

Jin Zhaoye drove around the county town, stopping at a pharmacy to collect some medicine, and finally parked near the farmers' market.

She stopped the car and turned to Lan Ran. 'Xie Li and I will go in to gather supplies. You and Xiaobao find a place nearby to hide, okay?'

'Okay.' Lan Ran nodded.

The four of them got out of the car together. Jin Zhaoye and Xie Li led the way.

At the market entrance was a Convenience Store with its rolling shutter half pulled down, the inside pitch black.

Jin Zhaoye and Xie Li knocked on the door. When there was no sound from inside, they pushed the shutter up a bit more and ducked inside.

Most of the shelves in the store had been cleared, probably by previous survivors.

The two checked the place and found no zombies, so they brought Lan Ran and Xiaobao to the storage room at the back.

'Lock the door. Don't open it for anyone but us,' Jin Zhaoye instructed.

'I know.' Lan Ran held Xiaobao and nodded to them. 'You two be careful too.'

'Don't worry.' Xie Li smiled and waved, then turned and left the Convenience Store with Jin Zhaoye, heading into the market.

They fought their way through, leaving a trail of bodies behind.

The market was a bit run-down but large. From the main entrance, a wide, open passage stretched ahead, with various agricultural and sideline product areas divided on both sides.

Vegetable area, grain and oil area, dried goods area, aquatic products area, fruit area... each area was finely divided.

After clearing the zombies at the entrance, Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye stood still, observing left and right. Each area's passage was deep, with various stalls and shops on both sides.

Jin Zhaoye withdrew her gaze and looked at Xie Li. 'Still want to split up?'

'No need.' Xie Li gave a light laugh. 'Didn't you already guess?'

Jin Zhaoye curved her lips in a smile, her eyes softening. 'How much can you carry?'

'Theoretically, as much as I want, I can carry an infinite amount.' Xie Li walked as she spoke. 'But I haven't tried it, so I'm not sure. I can carry living things, though, and stuff for planting.'

Jin Zhaoye paused mid-step, smashing a zombie's head with her hammer. 'Is it like the Space in those cultivation novels? It can hold living things—can you go inside yourself?'

'I can't go in.' Xie Li laughed and teased, 'But our Dr. Jin actually knows about cultivation novels. How rare.'

Jin Zhaoye gave her a playful glare. 'I'm only a few years older than you, not a few thousand. We live in the same era.'

'Yes, yes, my fault.' Xie Li raised her hands in surrender. 'Dr. Jin is beautiful and kind, learned and talented. I underestimated you.'

'Smart mouth.' Jin Zhaoye stopped chatting and asked instead, 'What do you need? Let's collect what you need first.'

'Let's see as we go. We can take whatever's useful.' Xie Li took her hand and turned into the grain and oil area nearest the market entrance.

'Keep this secret, Xie Li. Don't let a third person know,' Jin Zhaoye warned uneasily.

'I know, I'm not stupid. Let's gather supplies first.' Xie Li said as she turned into the first shop near the exit.

The grain and oil area had clearly been looted by survivors. The shelves in this shop were mostly empty.

Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye bypassed the scattered items on the shelves and headed straight for the warehouse in the back.

The warehouse was locked. The lock might stop ordinary scavengers, but not Xie Li.

She opened the warehouse door easily. The beam of her flashlight swept over the piles of supplies inside.

Boxes were stacked together, filling the shelves to the brim.

Xie Li couldn't be bothered to check what was in the boxes. With a wave of her hand, the items on the shelves quickly disappeared.

She happily collected inside while Jin Zhaoye stood guard outside the door, hammer in hand.

The supplies in the grain and oil area were mostly the same: rice, flour, cooking oil. These things were piling up into a small mountain in Xie Li's Space.

After clearing the grain and oil area, Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye moved to the dried goods area.

Each shop in the dried goods area sold different things. Some were labeled 'Mountain Delicacies,' others 'Seafood Delicacies.'

The first shop near the entrance sold mushrooms. The warehouse was full of transparent plastic bags containing wood ear, shiitake, tea tree mushrooms, monkey head mushrooms, morels, and various other fungi.

Xie Li waved her hand and took them all. The second shop had various dried vegetables, and she took those too.

Next were various nuts, dried seafood, dried spices, and various grains and beans. She collected them all, taking a large portion of each.

These things were easy to store and could be brought out in front of others later. They were practically essential items for Apocalypse home travel.

After clearing these two areas, Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye bypassed the fruit and vegetable area, which had already started to stink.

With the summer heat, these items had been left out in the open, stewing under the awning for so long that the smell was indescribable.

Even from dozens of meters away, they could hear the buzzing of green bottle flies.

Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye took a detour to the seed area in the back. The goods on the stalls here had basically not been touched.

Probably no one in the Apocalypse had thought to collect seeds.

Xie Li walked along, collecting as she went: vegetable seeds, fruit seeds, staple crop seeds—she gathered a bit of every common crop seed.

Coming out of the seed area, Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye went to the live poultry area.

Before they even got close, they could smell the strong stench emanating from the live poultry area. Xie Li covered her nose, tears almost streaming from the stench.

It wasn't just ordinary stink; it was the fermented smell of various animal droppings mixed with the rotting odor of dead animals, stinging the eyes.

Xie Li covered her nose and said in a muffled voice to Jin Zhaoye, 'Wait for me outside. There's probably nothing much in there. I'll go in and check, and if there are live animals, I'll take a few.'

Jin Zhaoye nodded, also covering her nose and mouth, her voice muffled. 'Be careful. If there's nothing, forget it. There are too many bacteria in there. Try not to touch the corpses.'

'Mm.' Xie Li responded, tightly covering her nose and mouth, stepping onto the sticky ground and going inside. She collected a few still-living chickens, ducks, and geese.

Further in, there were several large pens, empty except for a few lambs. Xie Li took the remaining lambs and was about to explore deeper.

Jin Zhaoye, standing guard outside, suddenly called out in a low voice, 'Xie Li, we have to go.'

Hearing this, Xie Li immediately lightened her steps and turned back.

Above her head came a rustling sound.

She looked up at the crisscrossing steel pipes on the ceiling and saw many dark figures scurrying along the pipes.

No wonder... there were so few zombies in this market. It was because another overlord lived here. She had accidentally stumbled into the mutated rats' granary.

The exit was still some distance away. Xie Li was anxious but didn't dare run. The shed was tall and empty; footsteps would echo loudly and alert the mutated rats above.

She looked at Jin Zhaoye standing at the exit, moved her lips, and mouthed: You go first.

Jin Zhaoye saw it and gave a slight shake of her head, the few strands of hair at her temples swaying gently. She stood in the sunlight, every strand of hair seeming to glow.

Xie Li's eyes stung, and her heart pounded.

This woman always used these tactics to flirt. Who could resist?

Before Xie Li's heart could flutter, a squeak came from above.

A fat, well-fed rat leaped down, its bulky body spreading in the air, its sharp mouth wide open, aiming for Xie Li's head.

'Xie Li! Behind you!' Jin Zhaoye shouted loudly.

Xie Li instinctively turned and swung her blade.

The blade sliced into the mutated rat's head and came out through the tip of its tail, splitting the rat in two. Blood and stinking entrails splattered all over the ground.

Before dying, the mutated rat let out a sharp squeak—a sound like a flare.

The mutated rats that had been lurking in every corner all burst out, their squeaking shaking the iron sheet roof above.

Xie Li sprinted toward the exit, blood dripping from her mountain-cleaving blade all the way.

'Jin Zhaoye, don't come in, run!'.

Jin Zhaoye didn't listen. She ran a dozen meters inside, grabbed Xie Li's arm, and turned to rush out.

They ran side by side, with a horde of mutated rats behind them.

Fortunately, this time they were in the open market, with roads in all directions, so they weren't surrounded.

'We can't go out. They're chasing too closely. We don't have time to drive Lan Ran and Xiaobao away,' Jin Zhaoye said, pulling Xie Li by the hand as they zigzagged through the vast market.

The rat swarm behind them was shaken off for a bit, but other rats caught up, sticking to them like a plaster.

Seeing this, Jin Zhaoye pulled Xie Li toward an open area. The mutated rats behind couldn't catch up for a while, gradually falling behind.

Seizing the opportunity, Jin Zhaoye pulled Xie Li into a seed shop. They squeezed through the door, and Xie Li immediately turned back to close it.

They didn't stop but continued deeper into the shop, finding a small storage room with no ventilation and hiding inside.

The storage room was piled high with cardboard boxes and fertilizer, which could mask their scent well. But it was too full; Jin Zhaoye and Xie Li were squeezed in, unable even to turn around.

Xie Li's back pressed against the door, and Jin Zhaoye leaned against her, the two of them tightly pressed together.

Their breaths were quick, then forced to slow, making each exhale especially hot, hitting each other's necks, scalding and numbing.

Soft curves pressed together, gently squeezing and rebounding with each breath, transmitting an embarrassing warmth and sensation through the fabric.

The atmosphere was awkward. Xie Li, feeling the softness in front of her, tried to make conversation: 'A bit hot...'

Before she could finish, her mouth was covered.

Jin Zhaoye's palm pressed against Xie Li's lips. She turned her head, listening to the sounds outside.

Outside, the rustling grew closer. The pursuing rat swarm had reached the seed shop. They lingered outside, seemingly searching for the two.

Xie Li held her breath, not daring to make a sound.

Jin Zhaoye didn't remove her hand from Xie Li's mouth. They maintained this position, motionless.

Xie Li's thoughts began to drift. Jin Zhaoye's hand covered her mouth, palm against her lips, fingers against her nose. All she could smell was Jin Zhaoye's scent.

Crisp, faint, like wind through a mountain forest after rain, now thickened by body heat, carrying a hint of sweetness that made her head spin.

Xie Li's eyes moved, looking at the focused woman.

Jin Zhaoye's jaw was tight, a thin layer of sweat on her neck, glistening faintly in the dim storage room, like fine porcelain covered in a mist of water.

Her tied-up hair had come loose in places, a few strands falling down, making her neck look even paler and longer.

Looking at the sweat on her neck, Xie Li felt an itch in her heart. If she kissed it, she would surely taste the flavor of Jin Zhaoye's pheromones.

She couldn't help but raise her hand, her fingertips picking up a strand of hair and tucking it behind Jin Zhaoye's ear.

Jin Zhaoye's body stiffened. She turned her head and looked at Xie Li.

A sliver of faint light came through the crack in the door, falling on their faces, illuminating each other's eyes.

Their eyes met, and ambiguous feelings grew in the darkness.

Xie Li's gaze slowly moved away from her eyes, over the bridge of her nose, and landed on her soft, red lips.

Her head went hot. She leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

When her lips touched the skin, Xie Li finally tasted the flavor of Jin Zhaoye's pheromones.

It wasn't the usual faint, elusive white tea scent, but more like a glass of iced herbal tea on a summer day.

A shiver ran through her entire body, every pore opening, from head to toe, as if she had been washed clean.

Jin Zhaoye stared at Xie Li, slowly raising her hand, her fingertip brushing over Xie Li's lips.

Xie Li felt a tickle and couldn't help shrinking her neck.

'Stealing a kiss from me?' Jin Zhaoye said in a breathy voice.

Xie Li shook her head and mouthed back: Kissed you right in front of you.

Jin Zhaoye looked at her flushed cheeks, slowly leaned in, her lips close to Xie Li's ear, and whispered, 'Little pervert, there are mutated rats chasing us outside, and you're still thinking about kissing an Omega while running for your life?'

The warm breath fell on her ear, and half of Xie Li's body went numb.

Before she could recover from the tingling sensation, Jin Zhaoye straightened up, turned her head, and dropped a kiss on the corner of her lips.