Surviving the apocalypse with a wife and a system! [GL]

Yan Cijin wanted to protest, but she couldn’t even find a clean way to answer that. What could she say? That Bai Li had looked at her like she was staring at a normal person and not some kind of tempting troublemaker? That Bai Li had really just been thinking about moving boxes? That Bai Li had not even realized she had turned Yan Cijin’s whole head into a mess? Yan Cijin could only lower her head and keep packing, but the more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt.

Yan Laojin watched her daughter’s expression and softened a little. "If you really like Bai Li, why don’t you just tell her? I think she’s a good person, thoughtful, good tempered, and nice to LiLi. With things so chaotic outside, it would be good for you two to look after each other if you were together."

Yan Cijin paused for a second. Her fingers tightened around the folded blanket, and the clean edge of the fabric pressed against her palm. "Mom, since she’s not in a hurry, I’m even less in a hurry. It’s better not to force it." Even so, her voice still carried a little dejection, because the truth was she did want more. She just didn’t know if she was brave enough for it yet.

Yan Laojin gave her a long look. "You’re not going to wait forever, are you?"

Yan Cijin looked away. "I’m not waiting forever. I just don’t want to mess it up."

"Then don’t mess it up," Yan Laojin said in a softer voice. "That’s all."

Yan Cijin nodded, but her heart still felt a little messy. She had never really been the kind of person who rushed into anything. In the past, she had learned the hard way that the world could take everything away in one second. If she liked someone, she wanted to be serious about it. She wanted to make sure she could protect that person. She wanted to make sure she could protect LiLi too. The world outside was so ugly now, and love was not some pretty thing you could hold in your hand and keep safe by wishing hard enough. It needed real strength, real trust, real risk. She had feelings for Bai Li, yes, but feelings alone were not enough.

And she also had no idea whether Bai Li felt the same.

That thought alone made her chest go tight again.

Meanwhile, Bai Li was sitting in the living room on the floor with the little girl.

To be precise, the little girl was sitting in her lap, playing with a kitten doll while Bai Li watched with all the patience in the world. The little girl picked up the kitten and lifted it high, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Bai Li. "Auntie, look at the kitten!"

"Mm," Bai Li said, poking the little girl’s cheek. "It’s cute. Just as cute as our LiLi."

The little girl puffed her cheeks, then grinned so wide it nearly swallowed her face. Her soft little hand held the kitten doll even tighter. Bai Li couldn’t help but smile too. The little girl’s cheek was soft and warm, and the feeling of touching it made Bai Li’s fingertips itch a little in the best way. She lowered her voice and said, "Why are you this adorable? Are you trying to make me carry you all day?"

"I can walk by myself," the little girl said proudly.

"Really?"

"Really!"

Bai Li nodded like she believed it. "Then later don’t cling to Auntie when you get tired."

The little girl immediately hugged Bai Li’s waist. "No. I’ll cling."

Bai Li laughed, and the little girl laughed too, as if she had won some kind of great battle. Yan Laojin and Yan Cijin, who were packing in the bedroom, could hear the sounds from outside and both of them smiled a little. The air inside the apartment still felt hot and messy, but somehow it also felt alive in a way it had not for a long time.

Bai Li played with the little girl for about half an hour before Yan Laojin and Yan Cijin finished tidying up. The two of them packed two large bags and came out to the living room. Yan Cijin had changed into a cleaner shirt, but the sweat marks still clung to the fabric in a way that made Bai Li’s eyes pause for a second before she looked away.

Seeing that they were done, Bai Li quickly stood up. "Let’s go then."

She slung the backpack containing the little girl’s toys over her shoulder, then picked up the little dumpling. Yan Cijin and Yan Laojin followed behind Bai Li carrying the things. Bai Li led the way back to her place, the small group moving down the corridor in a line. The hallway was still dim, and the silence outside made every step sound too clear. The air felt a little colder than before, not from the weather, but from the kind of quiet that came when people no longer dared to make too much noise in the building.

Bai Li entered the password, the infrared sensor confirmed her identity, and finally she inserted the key into the lock and turned it once. The security door opened with a heavy click.

The little girl had never seen such a complicated door before, and her mouth dropped open in surprise. Her little hands tightened around Bai Li’s neck for a second, and she stared at the lock like she was looking at some kind of magic machine.

"Come in, LiLi, let’s go home," Bai Li said, bouncing the little girl in her arms.

Hearing that, the little girl’s eyes lit up even more. She knew she couldn’t speak loudly outside, so she waited until the door was closed before she let out a delighted "Yay!"

Bai Li put the little girl down and dumped all the toys from her backpack onto the living room floor, laughing, "Go play!"

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TO BE CONTINUED.

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