WMSR – QT Chapter 128

 

WMSR – QT Chapter 128

By

siofra

Chapter 128: The Senior of the Apocalypse

Because Xiao Yi had an all-day executive assembly scheduled today, Qi Yuanyuan found herself enjoying a rare spell of total free time. Though her daily responsibilities were already exceptionally light to begin with, Xiao Yi being in meetings all day meant she didn't even need to prepare meals, leaving her so unburdened that it bordered on downright boring.

When bored, people naturally crave a stroll outside—especially Qi Yuanyuan, who had ample spending allowance from staying at Xiao Yi's side. Although there wasn't much worth purchasing inside the survivor safe zone, taking a walk outdoors was undeniably a great way to unwind.

However, as fate would have it, Xiao Yi's villa was situated remarkably close to Lin Jiawen's residence. As Qi Yuanyuan stepped outside and walked past Lin Jiawen's villa, she happened to come face-to-face with Bai Yichen, who had rarely stepped out into the courtyard for a breath of fresh air.

"You..." The moment Bai Yichen raised his head, he caught sight of that remarkably familiar, breathtaking face. Possessing an exceptional memory—and given that Qi Yuanyuan had quite a distinct, striking look—he was startled for merely a second before swiftly pulling the familiar beauty out from his deep memory bank.

Yet for Qi Yuanyuan, running into an old acquaintance like Ling Mengchen was an entirely unpleasant experience. Seeing his obvious look of recognition, she felt so thoroughly unlucky that her immediate instinct was to pivot on her heel and march right back. However, after taking two steps, she paused as a realization struck her. Before this, it was fine if Ling Mengchen was unaware of her presence in the base; but now that he had seen her face-to-face, fleeing right now was completely useless. After all, the two villas were situated so close together that future encounters were virtually inevitable. Since that was the case, it was far better to use this opportunity to lay everything out on the table, lest Ling Mengchen continue daydreaming about their romantic reunion and end up clinging to her down the road.

Driven by that logic, Qi Yuanyuan halted her retreat, turned back toward Ling Mengchen, and strode directly over to where he stood.

Watching Qi Yuanyuan march straight in his direction, Bai Yichen confirmed that he hadn't misidentified her. Beneath the surface, a complex blend of genuine relief and delicate awkwardness churned inside him. He hadn't anticipated that after five long years, Qi Yuanyuan was actually still alive. Then, considering her canonical dynamic with this host body, Bai Yichen found himself temporarily at a loss for how to open the conversation. Hesitating for a moment, he finally uttered the form of address he was supposed to use: "Yuanyuan."

Yet the second that "Yuanyuan" left Bai Yichen's lips, Qi Yuanyuan's delicate brows knit together in instant distaste. She fixed him with a look of unmitigated disgust and snapped: "Don't call me that!"

No matter how slow on the uptake someone might be, the hostile expression plastered across Qi Yuanyuan's face was impossible for Bai Yichen to miss. It seemed she was far from overjoyed to see her supposed boyfriend—in fact, she lacked even the basic warmth of an old friend crossing paths in a strange world.

Bai Yichen had possessed minimal contact with Qi Yuanyuan to begin with; his sole interaction had occurred when he first arrived in this world to nervously brace for the apocalyptic outbreak. All his baseline knowledge of Qi Yuanyuan was rooted strictly in her identity as this body's pre-apocalyptic girlfriend. Now, her completely unexpected hostility left him temporarily uncertain of how to navigate the interaction.

Observing how a single sharp phrase had thoroughly stunned the young man, Qi Yuanyuan felt her internal arrogance swell even further: As expected, an unpowered ordinary human is just an unpowered ordinary human—scared to utter a single peep in this apocalypse, cowering like a timid weakling destined to remain at the absolute bottom for life.

That train of thought reinforced her conviction that her choice was absolute. Unwilling to waste further bandwidth on an unpowered ex-boyfriend, she cut straight to the chase: "Ling Mengchen, I never expected you to still be alive, and seeing that you survived makes me happy enough. But as you know, it's the apocalypse now. We haven't seen each other for five years—and even before the apocalypse, a couple that goes completely out of contact for five years is tacitly considered broken up. So I didn't come over today for anything complex; I just want to make one point crystal clear: we are broken up. We are nothing more than exes, and as of now, there is zero connection between us."

Qi Yuanyuan's rapid-fire monologue left Bai Yichen momentarily dazed, though he fully grasped her core intent—she wanted to sever all ties with him. Although he hadn't anticipated that his long-lost girlfriend's inaugural speech upon meeting after five years would be a formal breakup declaration, he harbored zero objections to severing the relationship. In fact, had Qi Yuanyuan rekindled her old flames and insisted on staying together, he would have found the situation infinitely more difficult to resolve.

Thus, Bai Yichen abstained from asking probing questions, simply giving a serene nod to signal his acknowledgment.

However, Qi Yuanyuan—who had delivered her ultimatum and spent the prior moments mentally rehearsing various defensive counters in case he tried to cling to her—was caught completely off guard by his absolute indifference, freezing right in her tracks.

He... he just agreed, just like that?!

Although this outcome represented the absolute ideal resolution for Qi Yuanyuan, Bai Yichen's remarkably decisive acceptance triggered a bizarre surge of indignation within her chest, causing her expression to darken slightly.

He actually agreed without a second thought! Without even the slightest attempt to hold her back, he just gave up so effortlessly!

Gazing at Bai Yichen's face—which remained every bit as handsome as it had been in the past—a bizarre flicker of resentment ignited within Qi Yuanyuan's heart: Ling Mengchen, do you honestly believe you're still the golden campus prince of the past?! Do you think this is still a world where everyone worships the ground you walk on? Right now, you're nothing more than a worthless, unpowered civilian! What on earth do you have left to be so proud of?!

In an instant, an uncontrollable urge to crush his composure flared inside Qi Yuanyuan. Originally, she had intended only to clarify that their romantic relationship was officially over, planning to depart right after. But now, she raised a hand to lightly stroke her silky hair, suddenly flashing a patronizing smile at Bai Yichen: "Speaking of which, you must have just moved into the base, and you definitely suffered immensely out in the wasteland before this. But rest assured, now that you've entered the base—considering our past history together—I won't turn a blind eye if you ever run into major trouble. After all, as the only woman by Chief Xiao Yi's side over these past five years, my words still carry significant weight. You ought to know who Chief Xiao Yi is—someone at the entry gates must have briefed you. He is the founder of our Lingxiao Base and the single strongest supernatural ability wielder in the entire sanctuary."

After delivering those words, Qi Yuanyuan locked her eyes onto Bai Yichen, and was rewarded with the gratifying sight of a flicker of genuine astonishment crossing his features.

In that instant, feeling as though she had decisively reclaimed the upper hand, the bitter resentment that had festered inside Qi Yuanyuan was thoroughly smoothed away: See that? I am currently Xiao Yi's woman. Xiao Yi—the base founder and ultimate power-wielder—compared to a mundane civilian like you, is like heaven compared to the dirt. You should finally understand what it means to feel thoroughly ashamed of yourself.

--