Chapter 36
Ye Xuan looked toward Chen Cheng in the corner. His eyes were extremely empty, simply staring blankly at one spot.
Sensing Ye Xuan’s gaze, Chen Cheng turned his head and met his eyes.
For no reason, Ye Xuan felt a pang of bitterness. The boy called Little Cheng had no emotion in his eyes at all. Even grief was gone. His whole person was like a walking corpse.
Ye Xuan thought that he was undoubtedly lucky.
“Little Cheng is about the same age as you. He was also a university student before. Consider it this team leader’s selfishness, but if possible, I hope you can try to talk to him.”
Chen Cheng had already withdrawn his gaze and continued staring blankly at that spot.
Ye Xuan agreed.
“Mm. I will.”
After the welcoming ceremony ended, Luo Feng gathered everyone and began training.
Ye Xuan consciously lined up at the back of the team, standing beside that gloomy boy, Chen Cheng.
The boy looked detached, with no intention of talking to Ye Xuan.
Taking the initiative to strike up a conversation rashly might be rude to the boy, so Ye Xuan did not speak first either.
Luo Feng told everyone the training schedule for today. It seemed like he was telling everyone, but in fact, he was telling Ye Xuan, because daily training was mostly the same.
Morning was group training time: strength training, combat technique training, and endurance training.
Afternoon was individual training time. Team members could go to the central venue to train according to the characteristics of their own abilities, or stay in the team venue to train.
The morning training intensity was not much for Ye Xuan. It was about the same as what he had experienced in the reserve team.
The difference was that Luo Feng taught them many combat techniques, all practical skills that were very useful on the battlefield. Ye Xuan felt he gained a lot from it.
When morning training ended, Ye Xuan went to the cafeteria with the team members.
He glanced at the door leading to the central venue. No one had come out. Was Xia Chenxi planning to train inside until the afternoon?
Ye Xuan sent Xia Chenxi a message.
I’m going to eat with the team members first.
There was no immediate reply from the other side.
“What, waiting for your family member?”
Luo Feng placed a hand on Ye Xuan’s shoulder.
Ye Xuan’s face heated up. “He didn’t reply. No need to wait.”
“Alright. Then may I have the honor of adding you as a friend, so your team leader can contact you in the future?”
Luo Feng extended his wrist toward Ye Xuan, revealing his wristband.
“Does Team Leader always love joking this much?”
Ye Xuan touched his wristband against Luo Feng’s and sent him a friend request. Who exactly was giving whose face here? He was really bold enough to reverse heaven and earth.
Luo Feng smiled and tapped the screen, accepting Ye Xuan’s friend request. “You kids are always more restrained when you first join. It’s fun to tease you.”
Ye Xuan did not comment. This probably counted as the unique wicked humor of an older person.
Seeing that the team leader and Ye Xuan had added each other as friends, the other team members also started making a fuss, asking to add Ye Xuan as a friend too.
Ye Xuan felt like his team members were a pack of Samoyeds. At the slightest movement, they all came crowding over. But this atmosphere was very good. He was lucky to have entered this team.
He patiently added each team member one by one.
Except for one person.
Chen Cheng.
He walked alone at the edge of the crowd, as if everything that happened had nothing to do with him.
Luo Feng followed Ye Xuan’s gaze and looked over, feeling a bit of a headache.
“That kid has always been like this. But he’s especially obedient. That’s exactly what makes people worry even more.”
“Brother Feng, I’ll go over for a bit.”
Luo Feng nodded and patted Ye Xuan’s back. “If that kid says anything unpleasant to you, don’t take it to heart.”
Ye Xuan indicated that he understood.
He walked to Chen Cheng’s side and showed him his wristband.
“Hello. Since we’ll be working together as teammates, shouldn’t we add each other as friends?”
The boy seemed not to hear him and kept walking forward by himself.
Ye Xuan asked again, “Hello, can we add each other as friends?”
Only then did the boy slowly turn toward him. His gaze lingered on Ye Xuan’s face for a while before he lowered his head to look at Ye Xuan’s wrist. Then he slowly revealed his own wristband and touched it against Ye Xuan’s.
The wristband prompted: Chen Cheng has requested to add you as a friend.
Ye Xuan lowered his head and tapped to accept Chen Cheng’s friend request. When he looked up again, he found that the boy had already walked half a meter ahead alone.
What a strange person.
The other teammates crowded over and hooked their arms around Ye Xuan’s shoulders, asking him, “Ye Xuan, what are you planning to eat later? I’ll treat you.”
“Lu Shao, since when is it your turn to treat? I’ll treat, okay?”
“Tong Wei, you only have two hundred yuan in your pocket and you’re already treating people? Anyone can treat before it’s your turn.”
Laughter broke out.
The teammate called Tong Wei was not angry. Instead, he opened his wristband and showed his virtual funds interface.
“Who are you looking down on? I took a personal mission over the weekend. I have a whole five hundred yuan now, okay?”
Another burst of laughter sounded.
Although everyone was laughing, Ye Xuan could still tell the difference between mockery and laughter without malice. This team was completely different from the reserve team he had stayed in before.
Everyone here was very nice.
At least, that was how it seemed for now.
“Alright, alright. Stop fighting over it.” Luo Feng raised his hand from within the crowd. “I’ll pay at noon today. Eat whatever you want.”
“Oh yeah! That’s exactly what we were waiting for, Brother Feng!”
“As expected of Brother Feng. Truly authoritative.”
“I will follow Brother Feng for life.”
Luo Feng gave each of the troublemakers a slap. “One after another, all you know how to do is scam your team leader.”
The few of them immediately hug their heads and ran off.
With the base’s prices, lunch for more than a dozen people was not cheap. As a newcomer who had not yet contributed anything to the team, Ye Xuan felt he should not accept the team leader’s treat so comfortably.
He walked to Luo Feng’s side, but before he could speak, Luo Feng stopped him.
“Don’t look at those brats being so impolite with me now. When they first met me, they were even more impolite. Each of them scammed me out of a few hundred yuan as a meeting gift. Compared with them, Ye Xuan, you already have a very good conscience.”
Was… was that so? Ye Xuan laughed awkwardly. He had actually preserved his conscience without even realizing it.
Luo Feng said earnestly, “Don’t always feel embarrassed, thinking that if someone shows you a little kindness, you must repay it. Society now is no longer a society built on favors.”
“Then Team Leader, why are you so good to us?” Ye Xuan asked.
“If there are people who accept kindness, then there must be someone who gives kindness. I hope that person can be me.” Luo Feng clasped his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky. Ever since the zombie outbreak, Baihe’s sky had become a dim, gray color. “While money can still be used, use it. I’m afraid one day it won’t be usable anymore, and I won’t be able to take it into the coffin either.”
“Team Leader, you’re a pessimist.”
Luo Feng stopped looking at the sky and lowered his hands.
“Not a pessimist. A realist.”
Luo Feng patted Ye Xuan. “We’re at the cafeteria. After eating, look forward to the afternoon.”
After saying that, he strode into the cafeteria.
“Kids, enjoy yourselves to your hearts’ content.”
“Ooooh, yeah! Awesome! I’m going to eat a few extra Orleans chicken drumsticks.”
“Stir-fried beef, here I come!”
“Honey-glazed braised pork, why does it look so appetizing today?”
The corners of Ye Xuan’s mouth curved up, and he ran toward the cafeteria.
