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

If Yan Cijin wanted to misunderstand, then fine. If Yan Cijin wanted to panic because of a packet of medicine and a few strange words, then Bai Li would let her panic a little longer. Honestly, it was kind of funny.

Very funny, actually.

After a while, Bai Li finished drying the little girl’s hair and handed her a small towel to rub the ends herself. The little girl happily copied her, wiping her hair in exaggerated little movements until her whole head looked fluffy again. Yan Cijin finally came closer and lifted the hair dryer from Bai Li’s hand. "I’ll put this away."

"Mm," Bai Li answered.

For some reason, the simple sound made Yan Cijin’s fingers twitch. She took the dryer and went to the side, but not before glancing at Bai Li once more. Bai Li noticed it. Of course she noticed it. She just pretended not to because if she smiled now, Yan Cijin might really think she was being teased on purpose.

Actually, she was being teased on purpose. Just a little.

Not enough to be cruel. Only enough to make Yan Cijin’s face get red again.

While Yan Cijin went to put the things away, Bai Li sat down on the sofa with the little girl and took her phone back out. The group chat was still going crazy. Some people were tagging her again and again, and some were even posting voice messages with weak and nervous voices. Bai Li read a few of them and realized the same pattern kept showing up. The desperate people were the loudest. The greedy people were the most polite at first. The stupid people thought if they cried hard enough, someone would let them in. And the shameless people were already starting to test her patience.

One message stood out.

It was from someone on the 11th floor, a man Bai Li had seen once before. He had always spoken in a very smooth way, always acting like he was better than the others because he had some money left and liked to show it off. Now his tone was suddenly full of hardship. He talked about his elderly mother, his sick wife, and the fact that he had already shared what little he had. It sounded so polished that Bai Li almost wanted to applaud him for writing such a sad little performance.

Then another message followed right after, from the same person, only the language had changed a little. The man said if Bai Li could not help everyone, then she should at least help those who had helped the building before. He hinted that people should remember favors. He also hinted that if she refused, then everyone would remember that too.

Bai Li’s eyes went flat.

So there it was.

The smile was still there, but the meaning underneath it was different. Bai Li did not reply. She just took a screenshot and saved it. Then she saved a few more. In the apocalypse, people always liked to act like they had no choice, but the truth was that choice showed up in the way they spoke before they acted. If they started pushing too hard now, then they would push too hard later too.

The little girl leaned against her side and asked softly, "Auntie, are you angry?"

Bai Li lowered her phone and looked at her. "A little. But not with you."

The little girl nodded seriously as if she understood everything. Then she asked, "Are bad people outside?"

"Some of them are," Bai Li said.

The little girl’s little brows furrowed. "Then can we beat them?"

Bai Li almost laughed. "We’ll try our best."

The child thought about that and then nodded with complete confidence. "Okay. Auntie is strong."

Yan Cijin, who had just come back after putting the hair dryer away, heard that and paused at the doorway. She could not help but laugh a little. "LiLi, who told you that?"

The little girl immediately pointed at Bai Li. "Auntie."

Yan Cijin looked at Bai Li, and Bai Li looked back at her. The corner of Bai Li’s mouth lifted just a little. Yan Cijin felt that tiny smile in her chest like a pinprick and suddenly had the weird urge to ask whether Bai Li was being innocent or intentionally making things hard for her. She decided not to ask. The answer might be dangerous.

Instead, she walked over and sat down on the other side of the little girl. The sofa was not very big, so the three of them ended up sitting close together. The little girl was in the middle, Bai Li on one side, Yan Cijin on the other. The scene looked simple enough, but Yan Cijin still felt weirdly aware of the space between her shoulder and Bai Li’s arm.

Too close.

Not close enough.

That was the problem.

She looked at Bai Li and wanted to say something, then thought better of it. Bai Li’s face was relaxed, her phone was in her hand, and she looked like she had already moved on to another topic. Yan Cijin secretly breathed out. She was still embarrassed from the earlier misunderstanding, and she was not sure how to bring it up again without making herself look even worse. Bai Li had probably already guessed enough. Maybe more than enough. The thought made Yan Cijin feel a little exposed, like everything she was thinking was showing clearly on her face.

She wanted to ask whether Bai Li had noticed.

She also did not want to know the answer.

Bai Li sensed the way Yan Cijin kept glancing at her, but she did not look over immediately. Instead she turned the phone screen off, set it down, and reached over to pat the little girl’s head. "Are you sleepy?"

The little girl shook her head hard. "Not sleepy."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then later don’t cry when you are."

"I won’t cry."

Yan Cijin covered her mouth and laughed softly. "That’s what you said last time too."

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TO BE CONTINUED.

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