Chapter 311- Cultured Villain vs. Humanoid Weapon (16)
When Mu Jin returned to Jian Minghui’s side, he raised an eyebrow. Though his face didn’t show much emotion, Jian Minghui could tell from the look in his eyes that he was hoping for a bit of praise.
He wanted compliments, did he? Cute!
Seeing Mu Jin’s subtle expression made Jian Minghui’s heart itch with affection. Leaning close, he whispered in a voice only they could hear, “My baby was amazing just now. I could barely hold myself back watching you!”
His warm breath tickled Mu Jin’s ear, making it twitch slightly. Hearing the man’s suggestive words, a light blush rose to Mu Jin’s cheeks. He cleared his throat, choosing not to respond.
Ever since they’d confessed their feelings to each other, Jian Minghui had completely let go of his restraint. Outwardly serious, his mind was filled with mischievous thoughts.
As for what Jian Minghui meant by “barely holding back,” Mu Jin had experienced that firsthand last night. He cast Jian Minghui a look that was part annoyance, part amusement, catching a glimpse of his partner’s tense jawline and deepening the smile in his eyes.
Being gazed at like that made Jian Minghui clench his teeth. He slipped into the car with Mu Jin, then took his hand and gave it a light squeeze, trying to calm the heat he felt. Remembering Mu Jin’s swift, panther-like movements while fighting the mutated plant, he could barely resist the urge to hold him close.
Although everyone in the team had witnessed Mu Jin’s impressive performance, the ability users were understandably exhausted after that intense battle. Moreover, staying on the open road wasn’t safe. So, everyone quickly got back into the vehicles, eager to move on and find a secure place to rest before nightfall.
Just before dusk, the sky suddenly darkened. There was no thunder, but the thick, layered clouds warned that a heavy rain was imminent.
Luckily, the team soon arrived at a warehouse away from the city. Originally used to store machinery, it was now half-cleared, making it a suitable shelter for the night.
The warehouse doors were tightly locked, but an ability user easily broke them open, allowing everyone to enter. They quickly set up tents inside, planning to spend the night there.
Auntie Wang, who handled logistics for the team, swiftly got a pot ready to make dinner for everyone. Before dinner was even ready, thunder rumbled outside, and the rain poured down heavily.
Mu Jin listened to the pattering outside, feeling a sudden pang of loneliness. Rainy nights like this always brought back memories. He thought about when he had only been an immobile spiritual plant, and how he had once loved the rain. Rainwater made plants feel vibrant—sunshine and rain were both essential.
Now, however, it was this person by his side whom he could not do without.
Thinking this, Mu Jin looked over at Jian Minghui, his eyes filled with warmth.
Noticing Mu Jin’s gaze, Jian Minghui smiled at him. Though he didn’t know exactly what Mu Jin was thinking, he loved it when his beloved looked at him this way. It made him want to pull Mu Jin into his arms and hold him close.
But with so many people around, they couldn’t let loose. Jian Minghui suddenly found himself looking forward to reaching the base sooner, where perhaps they could finally have some time alone.
Since meeting Mu Jin, the home he had once longed for now felt empty. Moving out and building a life with Mu Jin seemed like a good idea.
Dinner was ready soon after. Out in the wild, meals were kept simple. Everyone held either a compressed biscuit or some bread, complemented by the large pot of hot soup Auntie Wang had made. Eating something warm and comforting like that was especially welcome on a rainy night, helping to ward off the chill.
Jian Minghui saw Mu Jin quickly finish a bowl of soup, then took his empty bowl to the pot a little further away to get more. Dinner portions were fixed: one bowl of soup for the ordinary folks, and two for the ability users and those who had exerted themselves. Food had to be conserved given the limited supply, but even this was a decent arrangement.
Before Jian Minghui returned, a slender figure approached Mu Jin. The person looked a bit nervous, then extended a small bowl of soup toward him.
Mu Jin looked up and raised an eyebrow, recognizing a familiar face. This was the same woman who had mocked him the first day he joined the group, though he hadn’t given it much thought at the time.
Now, however, he wondered why she suddenly came over with a shy expression, holding a bowl of soup. Mu Jin already understood that his recent display of skill had attracted attention from the others, so he didn’t care to guess her intentions.
He wasn’t one for much conversation and preferred keeping to himself, often leaving socializing to Jian Minghui, whose way with words made it easy to handle such interactions. Whenever someone tried to cozy up to him, Jian Minghui would politely and deftly deflect them, knowing that Mu Jin appreciated peace and quiet. But today, with his guard down, someone had managed to approach him directly.
Mu Jin had no interest in Qian Zhenzhen and didn’t intend to take the bowl she offered. She held it out for a while, but when he simply glanced at her, then resumed quietly eating his bread, her face flushed with embarrassment. Her expression turned pale, and her eyes started to glisten as though she had suffered a great injustice.
“Heh.” Lou Bin and Shi Haoyu, sitting nearby, saw Qian Zhenzhen’s expression and understood what she was trying to do. When they saw her making advances, Lou Bin felt a twinge of anxiety. After all, Mu Jin had saved them and clearly had skill, so Lou Bin didn’t want to interfere or say anything critical. All he could do was look on and hope Mu Jin wouldn’t be taken in by such a poor excuse for a partner.
Thankfully, their “sister-in-law” had good judgment. His boss was far superior to this plain woman, anyway. Since Mu Jin was ignoring her, Lou Bin felt no need to hold back and chuckled aloud.
In his mind, Qian Zhenzhen was like a toad trying to eat swan meat, assuming that just because she had some looks, any man would fall for her. It was simply laughable.
Qian Zhenzhen’s face flushed with embarrassment when she heard Lou Bin’s laughter. But she thought Mu Jin was just playing hard to get. Given how strong he was, she didn’t mind if he kept her waiting.
She took a deep breath, trying to soften her tone, and said to Mu Jin, “Drink some soup, I specially made it for you.”
After speaking, Qian Zhenzhen even took a spoon and stirred the soup, subtly showing the ham she had secretly placed in the bowl.
Mu Jin lifted his eyelids and glanced at Qian Zhenzhen, replying coldly, “I don’t need it.”
Hearing Mu Jin’s words, Qian Zhenzhen felt even more wronged, thinking to herself that she had already lowered her posture so much, so why was he still refusing her like this?
But she didn’t give up. Instead, she boldly sat down next to Mu Jin. She deliberately lowered her body and, while handing him the soup, turned her head to expose her beautiful neck.
She had gone back to the tent before dinner to change into a pure yet alluring white dress, with a low-cut neckline to make sure Mu Jin could see her charms from this angle.
Qian Zhenzhen was convinced that Mu Jin would be moved by this, but little did she know, her actions only made him more repulsed.
When she reached out her hand, attempting to link arms with him, Mu Jin furrowed his brow and lifted his head, sharply telling her, “Get lost.”
Qian Zhenzhen’s hand never touched him; instead, her heart froze from the coldness in his eyes. She trembled and accidentally knocked the bowl over. Realizing what had happened, she immediately felt distressed—after all, she had purposely put ham in that bowl.
When the others around them turned to look at the sound of the bowl hitting the ground, Qian Zhenzhen’s face grew even more delicate and fragile. She decided to take the plunge and boldly confessed, “Mu Jin, I like you. Will you be with me?”
She knew that the people in the team were not very impressive, and this time she was fully putting herself out there. Moreover, she was aware that men often had vanity. With her beauty, she didn’t believe Mu Jin would remain unmoved by such a direct confession.
Lou Bin, who had been watching, was clearly stunned by Qian Zhenzhen’s bold move. However, after seeing Mu Jin’s response to her, he was no longer worried at all.
After all, their leader and sister-in-law had such a strong bond, and his sister-in-law must truly care for their leader. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have specifically found the mutated plants that could enhance his abilities. Such a treasure was rare!
Given this, how could Lou Bin possibly agree to someone like this woman?
As expected, Mu Jin didn’t even raise an eyelid. He answered indifferently, “No.”
There was no hesitation at all, and he didn’t even bother to glance at Qian Zhenzhen.
Qian Zhenzhen bit her lower lip, feeling that Mu Jin’s response was completely unexpected. Unwilling to give up, she pressed, “Why? What’s wrong with me?”
Then, she suddenly thought of Wei Xuezhen, who occasionally appeared in front of Mu Jin these days. She immediately felt she had found the root cause.
She hadn’t expected that Wei Xuezhen, that shameless woman, could be so ambitious. It wasn’t enough for her to flirt with Jian Mingyuan; now she was clinging to Mu Jin as well. Was she trying to gather all the excellent men into her own harem?
Clenching her teeth, Qian Zhenzhen thought, ‘How am I not as good as her?’
Mu Jin heard her words and raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to Jian Minghui, who was not far away, serving him soup. Watching his lover’s tall frame and broad shoulders, Mu Jin thought of his lover’s sharp, handsome features, his deep voice, and his exceptional abilities in certain aspects.
He then glanced back at the calculating look in Qian Zhenzhen’s eyes and disdainfully said, “You don’t compare in any way.”
As soon as Mu Jin finished speaking, he saw Jian Minghui turn his head, holding a bowl of soup as he approached. Jian Minghui had been smiling, but upon seeing Qian Zhenzhen standing beside Mu Jin, his smile remained, but the light in his eyes immediately turned cold and dark.
Mu Jin’s heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but think, ‘This is bad.’ His man was far from someone easy to handle. This woman might be clueless, but now she had caused a big problem for him.