WMSR – QT Chapter 104

 

WMSR – QT Chapter 104

By

siofra

Chapter 104: The Senior of the Apocalypse

While Bai Yichen busied himself with the water collection setup, Lin Jiawen stood awkwardly nearby, eager to lend a hand. Initially, he attempted to lift a water-filled bucket and carry it back to the bathroom. However, after making a genuine attempt, he awkwardly discovered that these oversized buckets, when filled to the brim, were remarkably heavy—weighing roughly the same as a fifty-pound sack of rice. Despite mustering all his strength, he could only manage to shift the bucket a tiny fraction of an inch across the floor.

"Pfft."

Lin Jiawen sharply caught a stifled chuckle drifting over from the balcony. Although the sound was instantly suppressed, the tips of his ears flushed a brilliant, burning crimson.

Just as Lin Jiawen stood there overwhelmed with embarrassment, the owner of that obnoxious, muffled laugh closed the distance, addressing him in a voice so mesmerizingly melodic it made one dizzy: "Let me."

In the next instant, a hand reached out past him, effortlessly hoisting the heavy water bucket that had just caused him to exhaust nine bulls and two tigers of effort for a meager inch of movement.

Lin Jiawen stared at the tall, athletic silhouette striding forward with the water container, feeling a sudden wave of self-deprecation wash over him. I'm truly useless, he thought, incapable of handling even the simplest tasks.

Ultimately, Lin Jiawen could only reach out to steady the umbrella anchored on the balcony to prevent the wind from skewing its angle, staring hollowly with vacant eyes as the handsome youth effortlessly hauled every single water-filled bucket back inside, trip after trip.

Because of the persistent rainfall, the two men were confined indoors. Though Bai Yichen had exerted a bit of physical energy hauling water moments earlier, he refused to abandon his daily physical conditioning regimen. With each passing day of consistent training, his stamina and endurance expanded exponentially; at present, he could effortlessly knock out over a hundred standard push-ups in a single unbroken set.

Because the living room offered the most expansive layout and ample open space, Bai Yichen habitually conducted his workouts there. Today proved no exception, and Lin Jiawen—emboldened by the days spent together and his growing familiarity with the youth—boldly remained in the room instead of retreating, quietly observing the boy's exercise routine from the sidelines.

Watching the youth effortlessly churn out dozens of push-ups without a pause, Lin Jiawen felt a fresh wave of despondency wash over him. Comparing himself to the youth, his frail, skinny-fat physique would likely collapse after a mere handful of reps.

During the initial phase of the workout, Bai Yichen maintained an easy rhythm, but as the session progressed under high-intensity stress, his movements grew less effortless. His breathing gradually turned heavy, and a fine sheen of sweat began to bead across his forehead and cascade down his back.

The youth possessed a breathtaking, sun-kissed handsomeness that was almost blinding to behold. Paired with his sleek, flawless physique, glistening sweat, and the primal vigor of strength training, he effortlessly radiated an aura of raw hormones that saturated the entire room. Entwined with a pure, youthful vitality, this atmospheric allure formed a fatal temptation that was impossible for anyone to escape.

Lin Jiawen's drifting, self-deprecating gaze somehow locked onto a single, crystal-clear bead of sweat tracing a slow path down the youth's flushed cheek before sliding past his slender neck.

A long, agonizing moment elapsed before he managed a difficult, audible swallow.

Author's Note:The update is here! I suddenly realized we've reached Chapter 50 already~Also, in this world, the early-stage weak gong relies on the protagonist for survival, while the later-stage protagonist is sustained by the gong~

Chapter 52: The Senior of the Apocalypse (09)

Upon catching himself drifting into such scandalous thoughts, Lin Jiawen suffered a violent jolt of shock. The internal reflections he had just entertained provoked a mix of intense bewilderment, profound shame, and an overwhelming dread of discovery. In the end, he forced his gaze away and bolted hastily back to his guest room.

For Lin Jiawen, that evening was destined to be a sleepless trial. Tossing and turning, he replayed and scrutinized his behavior over and over again; yet every time his thoughts conjured the image of the youth and the visceral display from earlier, he proved utterly powerless to suppress the turbulent stirring within his chest...

The following morning, Lin Jiawen emerged with a wilted, exhausted expression. Catching sight of his dilapidated condition, Bai Yichen couldn't conceal his bewilderment: He looked perfectly fine yesterday—why has his complexion plummeted so drastically overnight?

Unable to untangle the mystery, Bai Yichen ultimately resolved to hand him an extra loaf of bread as a gesture of quiet comfort.

That afternoon, while Bai Yichen maintained his routine training in the living room, Lin Jiawen—battling a fierce internal struggle—found his feet dragging him back to the youth's vicinity once again. Naturally, he maintained a heavily guarded discretion, avoiding direct eye contact with the youth and instead monitoring his reflection through the adjacent glass sliding door.

Lin Jiawen operated with extreme stealth because he remained uncertain of the youth's stance and feared incurring his revulsion.

Yet Lin Jiawen's secret, stolen moments of joy proved short-lived. Barely two days later, the rain finally ceased.

With the storm clearing, though it felt slightly unfeeling, Bai Yichen steeled his heart to execute what needed to be done. Thus, Lin Jiawen was presented with a parting bag of gifted food rations and politely escorted out the front door by the youth.

Confronted with the undeniable finality of the youth's intent, Lin Jiawen turned deathly pale. Yet no matter how deep his reluctance or sorrow, he lacked the shameless audacity to force his way in and overstay his welcome, nor did he wish to brand himself as a pathetic, clingy nuisance in the youth's eyes.

Ultimately, under Bai Yichen's clear posture of seeing a guest out, Lin Jiawen could only part his lips in a silent, aborted plea before lowering his head and turning away in heavy-hearted defeat.

Watching Lin Jiawen depart in such quiet resignation, Bai Yichen let out an internal sigh of relief. He resumed his solitary routine of solo living, rigorously executing his daily training regimen, scanning the courtyard zombies from the balcony, and seizing tactical windows to hunt down isolated targets with his weapon for real-world combat adaptation.

Time slipped away in a blur. To Bai Yichen's genuine surprise, roughly ten days later, as he prepared to step out for his routine zombie-hunting excursion, he pulled open his front door only to find an unexpected silhouette curled up asleep against the hallway wall. The slender figure had apparently lingered there for an extended duration. More eye-catching still, a massive bag of provisions rested beside the man—judging strictly by a surface glance, the hoard far outweighed the rations Bai Yichen had gifted him upon departure.

Bai Yichen experienced an intensely complex surge of emotions at this spectacle. For a fleeting second, he debated whether to pretend ignorance and slip past, or let soft-heartedness win out and wait for the man to wake.

Yet while Bai Yichen wrestled with internal hesitation, the slender man—whether sensing an approaching gaze or picking up the faint creak of the door opening—jolted instantly awake.

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