Chapter 312- Cultured Villain vs. Humanoid Weapon (17)
Seeing this, Mu Jin quickly turned his head and coldly said to Qian Zhenzhen, “You’d better stay away from me from now on. I don’t want him misunderstanding that there’s something going on between us. If the person I like decides not to be with me because of this, I won’t let you off easily.”
“What? You’re that into her? If she rejects you, are you seriously going to just stay loyal? Is she really that amazing?”
Qian Zhenzhen’s eyes filled with jealousy as she listened to Mu Jin. She couldn’t believe the kind of luck Wei Xuezhen seemed to have; why did every strong person seem drawn to her?
Just then, she felt a shadow looming over them. Looking up, she saw the tall Jian Minghui standing next to them, holding a bowl of soup. He smoothly handed the bowl to Mu Jin and then sat beside him, reaching over to casually ruffle Mu Jin’s hair. Smiling, he asked, “What’s going on? You seem so happy.”
Instinctively, Mu Jin leaned into Jian Minghui’s hand, then immediately declared, “I was talking about you, about how much I like you! Jian Minghui, when are you going to finally agree to be with me?”
Jian Minghui raised an eyebrow, and both of them turned to see Qian Zhenzhen’s eyes widen in disbelief. “What? The person you like is Jian Minghui?”
Mu Jin, raising an eyebrow, simply looked at her as if to say, “Well, obviously.”
Could it really not be Wei Xuezhen?
Qian Zhenzhen bit her lip, her gaze shifting back and forth between Mu Jin and Jian Minghui. She realized, at that moment, just how badly she had misread the situation. No wonder her advances hadn’t moved him; he wasn’t interested in women at all. With no hope of winning his favor, her failed efforts suddenly made perfect sense.
Glaring at Mu Jin one last time, Qian Zhenzhen accepted that she wasn’t going to get any advantage out of him. Feeling humiliated, she left, cursing her rotten luck for making a fool of herself today.
But it didn’t matter. Once they arrived at the base, there would always be more opportunities. With that thought, Qian Zhenzhen rolled her eyes at the onlookers who were smirking at her, dropped her act of being fragile, and sauntered back to her tent.
Mu Jin, of course, couldn’t care less about what Qian Zhenzhen was thinking. Taking a sip from the bowl of soup that Jian Minghui had brought him, he said cheerfully, “Delicious!”
Jian Minghui saw Mu Jin’s pleased expression and easily guessed what he was thinking, amused. Perhaps he had been teasing his darling a bit too much lately, to have him acting so eager to please.
What Jian Minghui hadn’t expected, however, was for Mu Jin to openly confess his feelings in front of everyone, declaring his affection and putting himself in a “chasing” position. He knew Mu Jin did this to raise his status, and it touched him deeply.
Although Jian Minghui was thrilled inside, he hid it and kept a straight face. Noticing the curious gazes of those around them, he quietly squeezed Mu Jin’s hand and leaned in to whisper, “I can’t let this slide that easily.”
Hearing this, Mu Jin’s back straightened, inwardly cursing Qian Zhenzhen, yet he managed to flash a winning smile at his lover. Secretly, he found this game between them rather exciting.
Since he had just publicly turned down Qian Zhenzhen, Mu Jin hoped she’d finally leave him alone. For now, his priority was to quickly soothe his beloved’s temper. Perhaps he could use his most tried-and-true method tonight—no sense of pressure about that anymore.
As for Mu Jin’s feelings for Jian Minghui, word spread through the team in no time. Although Qian Zhenzhen’s incident wasn’t exactly a huge scandal, their team was small, and Mu Jin hadn’t bothered to lower his voice, so many people overheard his words.
Seeing the closeness between Mu Jin and Jian Minghui, people speculated about whether Jian Minghui had accepted his affection or not. After all, being loved by such a strong and capable person wasn’t something most would turn down.
Most treated the incident as mere gossip, something to talk about over meals. However, for Chen Shuyun, the news put her on high alert, nerves suddenly strung tight.
She had been plagued by nightmares, which had only just begun to ease recently. But now, she noticed that the people close to Jian Minghui seemed to be advancing in their abilities.
Take Lou Bin, for example—previously an obscure figure with no particular talents. Now, when they encountered powerful mutated plants, he could keep up with Jian Mingyuan’s strategies and fight in sync with him.
Everyone in the vehicle saw it clearly: Lou Bin’s abilities had grown immensely. And alongside him was Shi Haoyu, whose fire-based abilities were particularly strong and offensive. Both of these people were loyal to Jian Minghui, which left Chen Shuyun feeling unsettled.
She couldn’t understand why these two powerful ability-users would follow Jian Minghui, who was, after all, just an ordinary person without any abilities.
As the team neared the Pingcheng Base, Chen Shuyun grew increasingly anxious. She knew how much Jian Zhengqing valued Jian Minghui, and she feared that he might pose a threat to Jian Mingyuan’s position.
Although Jian Zhengqing appeared to treat both his sons with a stern and impartial attitude, Chen Shuyun felt he was noticeably softer toward Jian Minghui. In fact, his concern for Jian Minghui had always seemed to surpass that for Jian Mingyuan.
When she couldn’t stand it any longer, she had mentioned it to Jian Zhengqing a few times. He would brush her off, saying that Jian Minghui was the son of an old friend and thus needed to be well cared for. But how could she believe that excuse?
It was clear to her that Jian Zhengqing harbored a hidden preference, showering care on this “little illegitimate child” while neglecting their own biological son. How could she swallow that bitterness?
Now, in this post-apocalyptic world, her son may technically be the leader of this team, but she knew his personality wasn’t suited to winning people over. In contrast, Jian Minghui was skillful and diplomatic.
Once they reached the Pingcheng Base, Jian Minghui might well leverage his connections to seize control. This was the base her husband had built—how could they let it fall into someone else’s hands?
In the past, she could have taken her time, but now, in this chaotic world, was she really going to let this illegitimate child climb over her and her son’s heads?
With these thoughts in mind, Chen Shuyun glanced over at Jian Minghui and Mu Jin, who weren’t far away. A flicker of malice crossed her eyes. She felt Jian Minghui was not only devious but also utterly unscrupulous. To gain favor with a powerful figure like Mu Jin, he was even willing to seduce him.
Chen Shuyun looked down on Jian Minghui and thought Mu Jin was foolish as well. Mu Jin was supposed to be the person Jian Zhengqing had sent to protect them, yet he had so quickly aligned himself with an outsider.
If anyone knew her thoughts, they’d probably find them quite unjust. After all, in the eyes of others, Jian Minghui was part of the Jian family—Jian Mingyuan’s younger brother. How could he possibly be considered an outsider?
Initially, Chen Shuyun had assumed that with Jian Minghui lacking any awakened abilities, she could relax. But it turned out he was even more formidable than she had thought, with the ability to win over powerful allies. She realized that she would need to deal with him swiftly, before they reached the Pingcheng Base.
What Chen Shuyun didn’t know, however, was that her scheming had already been noticed by Mu Jin. That overtly hostile gaze—how could Mu Jin possibly miss it?
Lowering his gaze, Mu Jin quietly calculated the timeline and realized that it was around this time when Chen Shuyun would go to Jian Mingyuan to plot against Jian Minghui. An idea began to form in his mind.
After dinner in the warehouse, the group prepared to rest. Once the warehouse doors were shut, even those standing guard could rest easier. Unfortunately, secure rest stops like this were rare along their journey.
Most people simply spread out bedding or sleeping bags in the warehouse, covering themselves before falling into a deep sleep, exhausted from the journey.
Mu Jin had intended to do the same, but to his surprise, Jian Minghui didn’t mind the hassle. He set up a double tent and pulled Mu Jin inside to sleep with him. As for Lou Bin and Shi Haoyu, it seemed Jian Minghui wasn’t concerned with them at all.
Usually, Mu Jin would be eager to rest early, but after the incident with Qian Zhenzhen, seeing Jian Minghui’s smile tonight left him feeling a bit nervous.
The man, however, had no intention of letting him off easily. Grabbing Mu Jin’s wrist, he pulled him into the tent. For some time now, Jian Minghui had wanted everyone to know that Mu Jin was his.
However, uncertain about Mu Jin’s feelings, even though he knew Mu Jin treated him well, Jian Minghui still cared deeply and couldn’t help feeling anxious, always trying to understand what was on Mu Jin’s mind.
For Jian Minghui, genuine care and affection had always been rare in his life. But now, with Mu Jin in his life, here was someone who cared deeply and uniquely for him.
Having finally experienced this feeling, Jian Minghui’s possessive instincts kicked in quickly. So, when Mu Jin publicly confessed to him today, it was an unexpected but delightful surprise.
Hearing Mu Jin’s words, Jian Minghui could barely contain his urge to do something to show his affection right then and there, though the circumstances weren’t ideal.
Once inside the tent, it didn’t completely block out others, but it did provide enough privacy for him to indulge in a little extra closeness. Thus, for most of the night, Mu Jin found himself biting the edge of his blanket, doing his best to stifle any sounds.
As Jian Minghui gazed down at his beloved, he couldn’t help but think that, even though he was furious earlier when he saw Qian Zhenzhen sitting beside Mu Jin, her gaze clinging to him, he almost wanted to storm over and dig her eyes out.
But, in the aftermath of tonight’s closeness, Jian Minghui found himself reconsidering—perhaps it wasn’t so bad to have occasional misunderstandings. At the very least, it gave him plenty of reasons to enjoy more moments like these.
The next morning, the group saw Jian Minghui emerge from the tent, looking like his usual self, calm and with a hint of a smile. But today, there was an undeniable glow to his expression, suggesting he was in a particularly good mood.
Lou Bin and Shi Haoyu, who were camped closest to the tent, didn’t miss the look of contentment and smug satisfaction on their leader’s face.
Yesterday, Lou Bin had been quietly distressed over the idea that even his boss might face a romantic rival. Today, he found himself taken aback by the wave of affection in the air.
that woman should have just asked for a paternity test and have it done with…