Chapter 156: Lost Confidence
The Green Land Community had only one building left for their team’s families, and it was mostly inhabited by external personnel, such as wood-type ability users or those responsible for cleaning the team’s villa.
“What can you do? Do you have any abilities?” Zhuang Mingxu felt that all his self-control in life had been used up at this moment.
“No,” Guan Tong answered for the two of them.
“The team doesn’t keep idle people. Starting tomorrow, you work a day to earn a day’s food,” Zhuang Mingxu said, then shouted, “Bai Miao.”
“Hey,” a voice responded from the seemingly empty second floor. Bai Miao appeared, scratching her head as he cautiously looked at Zhuang Mingxu. “Brother Mingxu.”
“This is Bai Miao, she manages all the logistics. From now on, one of you will cook for the ability users at the Green Land Community, and the other will clean the team’s dirty clothes. Split the tasks between you. If you don’t complete the daily tasks, you won’t get any food,” Zhuang Mingxu said, then asked, “Is there any problem?”
Guan Tong shook her head to indicate there were no issues.
Yun Lu cautiously looked around and, recognizing the situation, also shook her head.
“Alright,” Zhuang Mingxu said to Ning Yuan, “You take them over there and also tell them about the daily supplies, the end-of-month benefits, and penalties.”
Ning Yuan looked at Yun Lu with a clear, somewhat mocking gaze. He stood up, grabbed a set of car keys, and said, “Let’s go.”
Familiar with the situation, Zhuang Mingxu knew exactly what Ning Yuan would do, so he called out, “A Yuan.”
Ning Yuan glanced back and saw the tired expression in Zhuang Mingxu’s eyes. He looked at the few people left in the living room who were on Zhuang Mingxu’s side and suddenly felt a sense of melancholy for him.
“Got it,” Ning Yuan said resentfully and turned to lead the way.
Guan Tong turned and followed, while Yun Lu, reluctant, stared at the door to Lu Weiyi’s room for a moment, feeling disappointed as she left when she realized there was no point waiting.
With everyone gone, the living room became quiet again.
“Brother Mingxu, go ask the young master what’s going on. He’s not the kind of person he appears to be,” Lin Yimu broke the silence.
Zhuang Mingxu forced a bitter smile, then nodded, looking at the pile of wild vegetables in the living room. “Let them clean up, I’m going to find Xiao Yi.”
“Yeah, communicate well,” Lin Yimu said.
Zhuang Mingxu said he would communicate, but in truth, he had no idea how to start. Hesitating, he entered the room to find Lu Weiyi already fast asleep.
Having showered and gotten into bed, Lu Weiyi, who was still half-dazed, automatically turned over and snuggled up.
In the past, Lu Weiyi had a low body temperature, and during winter, his body would stay cold all night, which is why Zhuang Mingxu rarely went on business trips in the winter and always took him with him on the rare occasions he did.
Now, perhaps due to his abilities, Lu Weiyi’s body was as warm as a little furnace. Meanwhile, because of his disability, Zhuang Mingxu often felt cold, yet Lu Weiyi still had the habit of pressing against him when he touched someone.
Zhuang Mingxu struggled to move his legs, then turned sideways and wrapped the person in his arms, quietly gazing at the peaceful sleeping face in his embrace.
Lu Weiyi was beautiful—his looks perfectly inherited from his mother, known as the most beautiful woman in the capital.
Many people were drawn to his appearance, which wasn’t surprising. Over the years, if Zhuang Mingxu hadn’t protected him in both overt and covert ways, who knew how many people would have tried something. Back then, Zhuang Mingxu both resented this sweet burden and secretly rejoiced at having a justified reason to keep everyone else away.
But now, the person he once held carefully in his palm no longer needed his protection to make others submit. And yet… he still didn’t want to let go.
Zhuang Mingxu lowered his head and kissed the corner of the young man’s lips. When he sensed the other unconsciously part his lips, he hesitated for a moment, then leaned in for a deeper kiss.
Ever since his legs were injured, the two of them had rarely shared intimate moments even while sleeping in the same bed. On one hand, the condition of his legs limited their positions; on the other, Lu Weiyi had never been the one to initiate anything.
Zhuang Mingxu’s physical and overall inferiority had long stripped away the confidence he once had.
*
The Next Morning
Lu Weiyi was already awake when Zhuang Mingxu got up.
“You don’t have to get up so early.” Those going out had to travel far, and with delays on the road and the intense heat, their actual working hours were short, hence the early departure. But people staying at the base didn’t need to wake early. Normally, Lu Weiyi would tell them to rest until seven or eight before doing their tasks.
“It’s fine, I’m already awake,” Zhuang Mingxu sat up slowly, inching toward his wheelchair. Lu Weiyi’s voice came from the bathroom.
“I ran into someone bitten by a zombie yesterday and gave him some snow water. He turned into a zombie.”
Zhuang Mingxu nodded, remembering the other couldn’t see him, so he replied, “Alright, I understand.”
In their relationship, Zhuang Mingxu had always played the leading role, even in their daily conversations. Normally, he would have asked more about the details, but today he was waiting for Lu Weiyi to bring up the arrangement for Yun Lu and her mother. Since Lu Weiyi was busy getting ready to leave, he didn’t mention anything either.
After last night’s events, everyone at breakfast seemed to be subtly watching the two of them.
As soon as Lu Weiyi appeared, everyone could immediately see the little red marks dotting his pale neck. Zhuang Mingxu, whom he was pushing out in the wheelchair, had a calm expression, showing no sign of displeasure.
Everyone thought this was a case of “make up after the fight.” Seeing things seemingly back to normal, even those most worried about Zhuang Mingxu quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Some even assumed the intimacy proved it had all just been a misunderstanding.
As the group was about to leave after breakfast, Lu Weiyi suddenly remembered Zhuang Mingxu hadn’t told him when they would go get his leg treated.
“Zhuang Mingxu,” Lu Weiyi rolled down the car window, calling out to the man in the wheelchair seeing them off.
“Hm?” Zhuang Mingxu looked over at him.
“When are we going to Xiangning City Base for your leg treatment?” Lu Weiyi asked in his usual straightforward manner.
Zhuang Mingxu wasn’t sure if there was any deeper meaning behind the question—was it simply eagerness to get the treatment done, or was it that once he was healed, he could be cast aside?
After a moment of silence, he said, “Let’s wait until the weather stabilizes. It’s been raining every day, and the roads are bad. Be careful out there—if something feels off, hide right away.”
“Alright. The hospital over there is well-equipped, so we’ll go straight for the surgery—no need to bother sourcing surgical tools. Think about what else you might need and let us know in advance.” Lu Weiyi pressed the button to roll up the window, but he couldn’t help but add one last reminder.
“Don’t forget to have Brother Xi prepare some good food before we go.” He didn’t really enjoy eating those instant meals, but knowing how much worse off others were, he felt he had no right to complain.
“Okay.” Zhuang Mingxu smiled.
Lu Weiyi sensed something was off in his mood, but with everyone waiting to leave, he didn’t ask more.
*
Meanwhile
Yun Lu was naturally lively. Being one of only two women in a team full of men made her stand out immediately. Soon enough, word had spread among those keeping an eye on their team that Lu Weiyi had brought back a woman.
Those who knew the situation privately mocked Zhuang Mingxu, but in the post-apocalyptic world, gossip rarely crossed the line into real disrespect—no one dared provoke Zhuang Mingxu openly.
He controlled all of Only Team’s logistics. Most people kept their distance from Yun Lu and Guan Tong.
Guan Tong, with her life experience, could easily sense this subtle exclusion. But since they were under someone else’s roof, there was nothing she could do about it. Yun Lu, however, was more naïve. She still fantasized about bonding with Lu Weiyi, only to find that after several days, she hadn’t seen him at all.
Lu Weiyi was constantly leading missions, out early and back late. His life was so monotonous it hardly changed. He barely had time to visit the Greenfield Complex, making him almost impossible for Yun Lu to see.
Desperate, she sought out Bai Miao after hearing he was close to Lu Weiyi and asked if he could help her meet him.
Looking at Yun Lu’s innocent face, Bai Miao didn’t know whether to crush her hopes or not. “He doesn’t have time.”
Lu Weiyi had only asked Zhuang Mingxu to settle the two women when they first arrived—he hadn’t mentioned them since. It was clear he wasn’t particularly invested. Bai Miao, being close to Zhuang Mingxu, naturally wouldn’t go out of his way for Yun Lu.
“I won’t get in the way—just after I’m done with work, okay?” Yun Lu, freshly eighteen and full of youthful yearning, looked very appealing, especially when acting coquettish.
Unfortunately, Bai Miao felt this was a matter of principle. He shook his head. “Get to work. There’s a lot of laundry today. And the clothes you washed yesterday weren’t clean—you’ll need to redo them. Don’t make the same mistake again. Both detergent and water are precious now—we can’t afford waste. If you can’t get the clothes clean, then you’re not fit for the job, and you won’t get any food.”
Yun Lu and Guan Tong were in charge of cooking and doing laundry. Meals were simple: one big pot of stew and two white steamed buns—a standard for ordinary people. Laundry had to be done by hand. In this world, electricity was far more precious than manpower.
“Bai…”
“Lulu, go pick these vegetables,” Guan Tong called out from afar before Yun Lu could continue pleading. She glared playfully at Bai Miao before jogging over toward Guan Tong.
Just as Bai Miao let out a breath of relief, he turned his head and saw Zhuang Mingxu, not far off, sitting outside the makeshift room and looking in their direction with an unreadable expression. Bai Miao felt a headache coming but still braved the wind and walked over.
“Brother Mingxu.”
“What did she want from you?” Zhuang Mingxu asked.
“…” Bai Miao considered how likely he was to get away with a vague answer, but the moment he glanced at Zhuang Mingxu, he saw the man’s calm face watching him steadily—as if he could see right through him. Bai Miao quickly gave up and answered, “She asked me to take her to see Brother Weiyi. I refused.”
He said this righteously.
“Mm,” Zhuang Mingxu nodded and looked off into the distance. “Go on, get back to work.”
After Bai Miao left, Zhuang Mingxu fell silent again. He couldn’t figure out what Lu Weiyi was thinking. If he didn’t care, why bring her back?
But if he did care, then why hadn’t he visited or asked once in the past few days?
A couple of days ago, Zhuang Mingxu had even brought it up himself, trying to sound him out—but Lu Weiyi had just said, “Arrange it however you want,” showing no particular interest. That left Zhuang Mingxu uncertain about what to do. Not knowing your opponent’s thoughts made it hard to decide whether to attack or defend.
Zhuang Mingxu looked at Yun Lu, who was busy working in the distance. The lively silhouette of a young girl was like a lark—bright and eye-catching in these harsh times.
He gave a bitter laugh at himself, realizing he had begun to feel insecure. In the past, he would’ve acted decisively, driving any potential threat far from his territory. But now, he glanced down at his withering legs. These legs…
Had ultimately made him lose his confidence.
