The night was dim in the small villa.
Due to concerns about the mutated plant, Shen Yi had shut down the basement generator to reduce noise.
To cut down on energy consumption, the usual bright lighting would no longer be seen.
Now they only had a camping lantern hanging overhead.
Dinner was prepared by Cheng Jun - her first time cooking here.
When Shen Yi offered to help, she shooed him away.
Now as she brought the plates to the table, he quickly took them from her, teasing,
"I must try this secret recipe of yours that you've been hiding from me."
Cheng Jun blushed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear,
"Don't be silly. I can't cook Chinese food, I only made Western dishes at home. Just try it."
She hadn't let Shen Yi help because she was nervous - cooking was unfamiliar enough, and having him watch would only add to the pressure.
Dinner consisted of a steak and some pasta for each person, garnished with tomatoes and spinach.
Given their limited conditions and scarce ingredients, they had to make do with whatever could fill their stomachs.
The beef came from a cold storage facility Shen Yi had broken into earlier - they had stockpiled some meat.
Once the storage door was opened, the cold air kept escaping, and the meat would spoil if not eaten.
Under Cheng Jun's expectant gaze, Shen Yi cut off a small piece and chewed it.
It was a bit tough, and the piece Shen Yi cut had some burnt edges, probably due to the lack of proper pan and temperature control.
Shen Yi maintained a straight face as he swallowed and said:
"Not bad, there's room for improvement."
Cheng Jun didn't catch the underlying meaning and smiled, standing up,
"Really? This should be paired with red wine. I decanted some earlier - I'll go get it."
Shen Yi smiled watching her leave, quietly flipping the steak to hide the burnt side.
When he looked up, Cheng Jun was already returning with a large bowl.
"Couldn't find a decanter, so this will have to do."
"That's fine, it's all the same."
Cheng Jun busied herself getting wine glasses and pouring for both of them.
Shen Yi rarely drank and wasn't particular about such things - the wine didn't need decanting as far as he was concerned.
Though he didn't enjoy drinking, he had stockpiled some alcohol as it had other uses besides consumption.
"Cheers."
They clinked glasses.
Cheng Jun sniffed the wine before drinking.
Shen Yi was a simple man - honestly, he just found the taste smooth and drinkable.
As soon as she drank, Cheng Jun's face turned rosy.
She quickly cut a piece of meat to chase the wine.
The moment it entered her mouth, her face scrunched up like a dumpling,
"Ugh, it's bitter!"
After spitting out the meat, she suddenly realized and looked at Shen Yi, embarrassed:
"I'm sorry, I didn't control the heat well. Just throw it away - I'll make you some noodles instead."
Shen Yi waved his hand, showing no blame,
"It's fine, mine is good. Just cut away the burnt parts - throwing it all away would be too wasteful. No need for noodles, we have pasta here."
Cheng Jun hadn't expected to mess up her first time cooking, especially after planning it secretly for so long. At home, her cooking had always turned out well.
Shen Yi wasn't just being nice - he was used to eating whatever was edible, and as long as it was cooked through, it was fine by him.
After calming Cheng Jun down, they continued their earlier conversation over wine.
"Looking back, we're really lucky nothing happened during all that commotion we caused."
"Yes, though it's rooted in the city center, quite far from us."
The commotion referred to their previous search plan, driving around with loudspeakers - they'd been everywhere except near the city center.
"Shen Yi, do you think there are any other survivors besides us?"
With most of the wine gone, Cheng Jun twisted the stem of her wine glass, her voice low.
Previously they only had internal worries, but now external threats had appeared - she couldn't stay optimistic.
"There must be. Humanity isn't that easy to wipe out."
According to the system's introduction, it was nearly overrun but not completely - reinforcements could be hiding somewhere.
That was all Shen Yi could say.
Cheng Jun was noncommittal about this answer - what difference would finding others make?
She was an outsider, with no family or friends, waking up to only this ruined city.
She took another big drink as emotions welled up, slowly laying her head on the table, her eyes lost like a frightened deer, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Why?"
"Why me?"
"Why am I here?"
Cheng Jun had gritted her teeth through many hardships, but the doubts weighing on her heart remained unresolved.
In the third month after arriving in this apocalypse, she finally broke down crying.
Shen Yi put down his glass, walked to her side, and gently patted her shoulder, consoling her softly.
Cheng Jun suddenly raised her head and hugged his waist, tears in her eyes as she leaned against him,
"Shen Yi, I miss home..."
That confused, heartbroken look struck Shen Yi's heart hard, filling him with guilt, almost compelling him to tell her the truth.
This was essentially just a dream, a game, yet it had entangled an innocent soul like Cheng Jun.
Shen Yi knew it was a game, but Cheng Jun was an unwitting victim, not just a programmed NPC - the copied version of her was a living, breathing person.
With emotions, fears, joys, and sorrows - her embrace, body temperature, heartbeat, tears, everything was so real - how could he remain unmoved?
Stroking Cheng Jun's hair, Shen Yi spoke with unusual seriousness:
"Maybe this is just a dream?"
"Nightmares always end, and perhaps one day you'll open your eyes and be back home."
"Family, friends, warmth, peace - everything as it should be."
At this moment, he didn't care if this was a system projection - he was treating Cheng Jun as a person, not just a character to be conquered.
Perhaps Shen Yi's comfort worked, as Cheng Jun gradually stopped crying.
She looked up with red eyes, smoothing out the wrinkles in Shen Yi's clothes where her tears had left a large wet patch.
"Sorry, I'm better now."
Seeing her sit up straight, Shen Yi returned to his seat.
Cheng Jun refilled both their glasses and raised hers again.
Seeing her take another big drink, Shen Yi frowned and advised:
"You should drink less..."
He'd figured it out - Cheng Jun was the type who couldn't handle alcohol well but drank enthusiastically anyway.
Cheng Jun ignored him, taking another sip of wine before exhaling and comforting herself:
"You're right, maybe it is a dream."
"By the way, Shen Yi, I never asked where you're from."
Shen Yi put down his glass and casually replied,
"My hometown is a poor place called Linjiang County in Gusu Province, but I work in Jingyuan City."
Cheng Jun's eyes lit up unexpectedly,
"You're in Jingyuan City too? Me too! Which district?"
"Uh, Jianyuan District."
"What a coincidence! I live in Shangyang District, but I work in Jianyuan too, at Tiancheng Group - you know it?"
Cheng Jun hadn't expected they lived so close - it must be fate.
"Jianyuan... Tiancheng... Cheng Jun?"
Though spoken softly, the words thundered in Shen Yi's ears.
Wang Ru's words suddenly came back to him.
"The Administrative Department just got a new manager named Cheng Jun, a beauty with overseas education, daughter of a high-level executive."
It was her?!
Shen Yi finally understood why the name seemed familiar, as if he'd heard it before.
Then he mentally complained,
First Fu Nanzhi, now Cheng Jun.
Why does this damn system keep targeting the same people...
ress Kneels to Admit Wrong] [Dealing with Love-Struck Fools] [Forced to the Throne] Ren Tianye transmigrated into a female-oriented novel world, only to find everyone in it was utterly insane. He risked his life to save a young girl from barbarians, but was accused of arriving too late and branded the real murderer. He held a knife to a military officer's neck, demanding the troop tally, but the officer only cared about questioning his wife: "Do you not love me anymore? All these years of affection and time together, they were all a mistake, a mistake!" After seizing Yunji City, the original defending general, to save face with the Empress, knelt on the ground: "You must give Yunji City back to me, or I'll hang myself at the city gate and let everyone know you're a villain!" The young lord of the Duke's mansion, to please a woman, directly ordered a merchant: "The menstrual pads you buy for her must be studded with diamonds. Loving her means giving her the best." Having become a great general, he was about to marry a merchant's daughter, who set a pre-nuptial rule: "I can divorce you anytime. When that happens, you must give me half of your troops and soldiers!" Even the Empress was a severe love-struck fool, who ordered the execution of 70,000 elite troops simply because they stood in the way of her romance. Ren Tianye was speechless. He was done. Let it all burn! This deranged female-oriented novel world! ...
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
mance] After transmigrating for eighteen years, Lin Qi lived as an utterly ordinary herbalist in the countryside. One day, he kindly brought home a sickly, beautiful girl covered in blood. They married in a flash and began their blissful, intimate life together. Right then, his long-delayed system finally activated. [Warning! Host detected in contact with the "Crimson Calamity," the world-ending witch!] Lin Qi looked at the adorable wife currently curled in his arms, who couldn't even open a jar lid and trembled at the sight of a mouse. Lin Qi: "System, are you insane? This is clearly just a weak and delicate sickly girl!" Thus, Lin Qi treated the system as a "Contrast System," where taking care of his wife made him stronger. Combing his wife's hair rewarded him with [Free Attribute Points]. Taking his wife out for sunshine rewarded him with [Forbidden Spell: Arcane Explosion]. Lin Qi: "This soft life tastes so good!" ... Yet, in the eyes of outsiders: The strongest Beastkin Assassin: "That man dissected a Beast King with a common skinning knife! That was a show of force towards the powerful!" The Holy Son of the Radiant Church: "I infiltrated his home as a tutor, but he had me babysit the children... He must have seen through my disguise!" The World-Ending Witch, Felucia: "I hid all the way in the countryside. How is it that the husband I married on a whim is stronger than I was at my peak?"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
