Daily Life of Being Turned Gay by the Male Lead After Transmigrating into an Apocalypse – CH9

Chapter 9: Crashing for the Night

Inside the third-floor apartment, Li Wen and Zhao Dayong hovered around Wang Rui, broad, flattering smiles plastered across their faces.

“Brother Rui, you were incredible today!” Li Wen said, eagerly handing over a fresh bottle of mineral water he had scavenged. “You took down four or five zombies all by yourself. That Fire Ability of yours is insane!”

Sorting through the scavenged goods scattered across the floor, Zhao Dayong chimed in with easy praise. “If you ask me, Brother Rui’s fire power has to be one of the best in the entire district! If you hadn’t stepped up today, how could we have brought back so much good stuff? Just this crate of canned beef is enough to upgrade our meals for the next few days!”

Wang Rui leaned deep into the cushions of the sofa, legs crossed, tapping his foot to a smug rhythm. He basked in their compliments, his face practically glowing with arrogance.

He had indeed made a great haul today. Not only had he found enough food to feed everyone for days, but real combat had sharpened his control over his ability. Now, he could summon a fireball twice as fast as yesterday, with greater explosive force and a wider blast radius.

“That was nothing,” Wang Rui said with an airy wave of his hand, unable to keep the pride out of his voice. “Give me a few more days of practice, and a single fireball will wipe out a whole line of them. Once I reach that level, what supplies won’t be ours for the taking?”

Outside, darkness had settled completely over the city. A light drizzle pattered against the window, leaving thin, running streaks of water on the glass.

Zhao Dayong stood up and brushed the dust from his trousers. “Brother Rui, I’ll go boil some dried noodles and crack open two cans of meat. Let’s celebrate your awakening with a proper feast tonight!”

Li Wen glanced toward the window, watching the rain pick up. He hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. “Should we wait for Brother Jiang and the other guy? After all, Brother Jiang has always been the one leading our supply runs. Eating without him feels a bit off…”

Wang Rui’s face instantly darkened. He let out a cold snort, his voice dripping with impatience. “Wait for what? I risked my life to drag this food back. If they haven’t returned yet, are we supposed to sit around starving just for them?”

As he spoke, he conveniently forgot that their survival over the past few days was entirely thanks to the rations Jiang Jue had brought home.

In his head, Wang Rui was already running the numbers. No matter how formidable Jiang Jue seemed, he was still an ordinary human. Could sharp blade skills really stand against a blast of fire?

This was the era of the Ability User now. Since he had awakened a rare combat power, why should he continue answering to an ordinary guy?

The seed of ambition had taken root the moment that first spark flickered to life in his palm. Going out today had only made it worse. Li Wen and Zhao Dayong had shifted from treating him as an equal to hanging on his every word, and being catered to like a king only fueled his arrogance, making him view Jiang Jue with open disdain.

“Right, exactly!” Zhao Dayong quickly agreed, terrified of rubbing Wang Rui the wrong way. “Brother Rui worked hard today. Let’s eat first. If Brother Jiang gets back later, we can always whip something up for them then!”

The three pulled their chairs up to the dining table, happily wolfing down piping hot noodles and savory chunks of canned meat. Wang Rui took an extra can for himself, reveling in the special treatment.

Just as they finished and sat back, rubbing their full bellies with contented burps, the front door creaked open.

Jiang Jue and Chu Yang walked inside, bringing a blast of damp chill with them. The faint, metallic stench of the infected clung to their jackets, lowering the room’s temperature by several degrees.

Chu Yang took a quick sniff, catching the lingering aroma of stewed beef in the air. He turned to Li Wen with an easy smile. “Brother Li, what did you cook tonight? Smells fantastic.”

Li Wen flinched. He glanced nervously at Jiang Jue’s impassive face, then stole a worried look at Wang Rui’s scowling expression. His hands trembled slightly as he stammered, “Uh… Brother Jiang, you guys were gone for so long, and we were starving, so we ate first…”

Scrambling to his feet, Li Wen hurried to clear the empty bowls. “Brother Jiang, I’ll boil some noodles for you and Brother Chu right away. There’s plenty left in the bag.”

Jiang Jue’s eyes swept over the empty tins sitting on the table, then rested briefly on Wang Rui’s smug posture before he gave a quiet, neutral “Mm.”

He slipped his backpack off his shoulders, pulled out a few parcels of food, and handed them to Li Wen. The portion wasn’t massive, but it was easily enough to sustain several people for a couple of days.

The trio stared hungrily at Jiang Jue’s thick pack, their eyes clouded with a mix of jealousy and greed.

Under the table, Wang Rui clenched his fists, resentment burning in his chest. How does he manage to find this much food on a casual walk? Even as an Ability User, my luck wasn’t that good!

Jiang Jue appeared entirely blind to their stares. After passing the supplies to Li Wen, he turned and headed straight for his bedroom, shutting the door behind him with a firm click that sealed out the room.

The second the latch caught, Wang Rui let out a derisive sneer, intentionally raising his voice so everyone could hear. “What’s he acting so high and mighty for? That’s all the food he could find? Does he really think he’s still running the show? This is the age of Ability Users now. Ordinary people are going to get left behind sooner or later!”

The easy smile on Chu Yang’s face vanished, his gaze turning cold. But he quickly forced another cheerful expression onto his face and turned to Li Wen. “Brother Li, give me a big portion, please! I’m completely starving. I’ve been running after Brother Jiang all day, my legs are dead, and I haven’t had a proper meal.”

Zhao Dayong had opened his mouth to join in on Wang Rui’s mocking, but the memory of the crater Chu Yang had blasted into the concrete wall flashed through his mind. The sheer memory of that raw force made his throat seize up. Swallowing his words, he forced an awkward grin. “Sure thing, coming right up! There’s plenty of the noodles Brother Rui brought back. Old Li and I will fix you a fresh pot.”

A strange, suffocating silence settled over the living room.

Chu Yang pulled out a chair and sat down, his fingers lightly drumming against his knee. His eyes drifted toward Wang Rui’s bedroom door, a cold glint flashing in their depths as he quietly made a mental note of the slight.

Inside the bedroom, Jiang Jue stood by the faint gray light of the window, slowly wiping down his blade. He had heard every word spoken outside, but his face remained completely indifferent.

“Brother Jiang, the noodles are ready,” Li Wen called out, knocking gently on the door.

The door swung open.

Jiang Jue stepped out to find Chu Yang already waiting at the dining table, idly tapping the wooden surface with his fingertips.

Seeing Jiang Jue emerge, Chu Yang’s face brightened. He pulled out the chair across from him, saying warmly, “Brother Jiang, have a seat! The noodles are still steaming hot.”

They sat down opposite each other.

Resting on the table were two bowls of plain broth noodles. Aside from a few limp, yellowed greens floating on the surface, there wasn’t a drop of seasoning or oil in sight.

Chu Yang glanced at the empty meat tins poking out of the trash can by his feet, then looked toward Wang Rui’s closed door. A knowing smirk played at the corner of his mouth.

“Keeping all the good stuff for themselves, huh?” he muttered softly.

With a subtle flick of his wrist, he produced two metal cans from his storage space. “Brother Jiang, they might be petty, but we don’t have to suffer. Look what I have—canned pork meatballs, and this savory shiitake mushroom and beef sauce. It smells incredible!”

Using a spoon, he popped the lids off both tins. He first scooped more than half the plump meatballs into Jiang Jue’s bowl, then followed up with a generous dollop of the rich, dark sauce, smiling warmly. “You worked hard today. Eat up and get your energy back.”

Chu Yang stirred the savory paste through his noodles, took a massive bite of the saucy strands alongside a tender meatball, and ate with pure gusto, his lips slick with oil.

Jiang Jue watched him eat for a moment, his gaze lingering on the young man’s expressive face.

“Brother Jiang, eat up! Why are you just staring at me?” Chu Yang asked around a mouthful of noodles, using his chopsticks to point toward the bowl. “If you wait too long, they’ll get soggy, and that would be a total waste!”

Only then did Jiang Jue pick up his chopsticks, eating at a calm, unhurried pace.

Once they finished, Chu Yang looked down at the hard, freezing living room floor and couldn’t help but shiver.

He sidled up to Jiang Jue, putting on his most pitiful, fawning smile. “Brother Jiang, can I ask you a favor?”

Jiang Jue set his chopsticks aside and looked at him coolly. “What is it?”

“Well… can I crash in your room tonight?” Chu Yang rubbed his hands together, his voice full of mock sorrow. “The living room is like an icebox, and sleeping on that hard floor leaves me aching everywhere. You’re a good guy—take me in for just one night, please?”

Technically, he could have pulled out that luxury mattress and slept in the living room, but that would mean flaunting his spatial ability in front of the others while having zero privacy. Sharing a room with Jiang Jue might not offer complete privacy either, but at least Jiang Jue already knew his secret.

“No,” Jiang Jue refused flatly, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I’m not used to sharing my space.”

“Oh, come on, Brother Jiang! We’re both guys, what’s there to be uncomfortable about?” Chu Yang leaned in closer, refusing to back down. “Are you a clean freak? I promise I’m the quietest sleeper ever! No snoring, no teeth grinding, no sleep-talking, and I never kick off the blankets. I won’t get in your way at all—I’ll be just like air!”

He pressed his palms together in a pleading gesture, widening his eyes and letting his eyelashes flutter with the most innocent, harmless expression he could muster.

Jiang Jue frowned slightly, his patience wearing thin under the barrage. Yet looking down into those clear, bright eyes—which resembled those of a stray puppy pleading for shelter—the stubborn resolve in his chest inexplicably softened.

After a brief pause, he finally relented. “Just for tonight.”

“Yes! Thank you, Brother Jiang!” Chu Yang’s face lit up with a huge grin. He practically bounced after Jiang Jue into the bedroom, as if terrified the man would change his mind.

The master bedroom measured roughly fifteen square meters with minimal furnishings: a plain wooden wardrobe, a small desk where Jiang Jue’s straight blade rested neatly, and an attached washroom.

Chu Yang surveyed the space and realized there was no room for two separate beds.

“Brother Jiang,” he said, struck by an idea. “How about I stash this old frame and take out that luxury mattress from earlier? That thing cost a small fortune—we might as well enjoy it!”

Jiang Jue glanced around the room, thought it over for a second, and gave a slight nod.

Chu Yang immediately sprang into action.

He touched the quilt currently on Jiang Jue’s bed and frowned at the thin, stiff fabric. “This blanket is way too light. How are you supposed to stay warm with this?”

With a wave of his hand, he pulled out a thick down duvet and a fresh four-piece set of gray cotton sheets from his storage space. Next, he stored the old frame away and materialized the brand-new, premium bed in its place.

As he worked, he took a moment to organize his mental dimension, stacking cans, crates of water, and weapons into tidy corners. Canned goods here, drinking water over there, extra blades in the back… Much better. Now I won’t have to scramble to find things.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jue had already begun making the bed with practiced efficiency. With a few fluid motions, he slipped the duvet into its cover, neatly tucking in the corners until everything was smooth and crisp. He pulled the fitted sheet tight without a single wrinkle and arranged the pillows with precision. Watching his effortless, methodical movements, it was obvious he was used to taking care of himself.

When Chu Yang turned around, the bed was already pristine. The plush mattress paired with the charcoal-gray sheets looked so inviting he wanted to dive right in.

“Brother Jiang, you’re amazing at this!” Chu Yang praised enthusiastically. “Fast, neat, and thorough. Whoever ends up marrying you in the future is hitting the jackpot!”

Jiang Jue ignored the flattery completely, methodically plumping the pillows to make them softer.

Chu Yang rubbed his nose sheepishly, deciding it was best to keep quiet.

He stripped down to his high-tech thermal underwear and eagerly slipped under the duvet. Sinking into the plush, cloud-like mattress, he let out a long, contented sigh. “Ah… this is heaven.”

Sprawling out across his side of the bed, he felt the perfect support cradling his tired frame, and a wave of deep exhaustion crashed over him. “I’m completely wiped out today. Every bone in my body is aching. Brother Jiang, I’m clocking out.”

He truly was exhausted. Within minutes, his breathing slowed to a steady, even rhythm as he fell fast asleep.

Jiang Jue stood beside the bed, looking down at the young man who had talked his way into his personal room and fallen asleep without the slightest shred of guard after knowing him for barely two days. He couldn’t help but wonder at his own strange tolerance.

Perhaps it was because those eyes were too clear, or because the boy carried a bright, unbothered vitality that felt nearly impossible to push away in a ruined world like this.

Jiang Jue quietly slipped onto the other side of the bed, staying close to the edge to give Chu Yang plenty of space.

He closed his eyes, but not long after, he felt a sudden weight drape over his chest.

Opening his eyes, he saw that Chu Yang had rolled over in his sleep. Like an octopus, he had thrown an arm around Jiang Jue’s waist and slung a heavy leg right over his hips.

“…”

Jiang Jue pushed the boy off expressionlessly and shifted even closer to the edge, trying to re-establish a boundary.

Moments later, the human octopus drifted right back. This time, Chu Yang buried his face directly into the crook of Jiang Jue’s neck, his warm breath tickling the skin.

Jiang Jue let out a resigned sigh and shoved him away again, this time using a bit more force.

“Mmm… quit moving…” Chu Yang mumbled groggily in his sleep, only to cling even tighter.

So this is what he calls ‘sleeping like air’?

Staring up at the dark ceiling, Jiang Jue seriously began to question the wisdom of letting this guy into his room.

Completely oblivious, the culprit remained fast asleep, even smacking his lips softly as if enjoying a pleasant dream.

Outside, the rain gradually tapered off, leaving the room filled only with the quiet, rhythmic sound of their intertwined breathing.

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