Chapter 53
Pfft!
What the heck was that? It actually sounded a little like jealousy.
But wait a second. His cousin’s reply hadn’t even mentioned Jiang Qingyu inviting him to stay in the RV.
And besides, shouldn’t the important part of that conversation have been the mention of a “heavy truck”?
Not only that, there were all kinds of completely unrealistic descriptions too—luxurious, living alone, and so on. Fu Jingqiu had clearly seen all of it, so why wasn’t he asking anything?
Jiang Qingyu deliberately played dumb. “That’s all you wanted to ask me?”
Fu Jingqiu lifted his eyes and glanced at him. “Am I not allowed to ask?”
“Well, it’s not that…” Jiang Qingyu guiltily reached up to touch the ends of his hair. The thing was, if Fu Jingqiu had asked directly, he could’ve at least made up some excuse to brush it off. But now that Fu Jingqiu wasn’t bringing it up at all, Jiang Qingyu somehow felt even more uneasy.
Everyone had curiosity. After seeing something so abnormal, wasn’t there at least some urge to investigate?
Fu Jingqiu’s reaction right now meant one of two things: either he genuinely wasn’t interested, or he already knew everything.
Could that really be possible?
Jiang Qingyu scooted closer to him, narrowed his eyes, and put on a profound expression.
“Confess honestly. Exactly how much did you see?”
Fu Jingqiu didn’t dodge even when Jiang Qingyu leaned closer. Instead, he smiled cooperatively.
“Not much. Around four or five messages.”
There had only been four or five messages total, okay?!
Jiang Qingyu’s expression turned complicated. “So you saw everything.”
Fu Jingqiu calmly met his gaze. “We’re tens of thousands of miles away from your hometown. Obviously, there’s no way you’d actually drive back to pick him up. If he said that, then you were probably just bluffing him, right?”
He hadn’t directly used the word “lying.” That was already very tactful.
Jiang Qingyu raised a brow. “Yep. I was just messing with him. If he told his parents and they tried bringing the whole family over to take my stuff, then I simply wouldn’t show up. Afterward, I’d accuse him of going back on his word and ask why he brought so many people.”
Fu Jingqiu asked, “And then?”
“Then I’d give him some more bait. Let him see how rich I am now, how comfortably I’m living, stuff like that. Encourage him to abandon his parents and come find me.”
“If he can resist the temptation, then fine, I’ll just keep occasionally showing them how good my life is. But if he can’t resist, I’ll turn around and tell my uncle and aunt that he betrayed them.”
Jiang Qingyu shrugged.
“Honestly, my revenge methods are already pretty mild. I’m just messing with them a little. There’s no real harm done.”
Fu Jingqiu stared at him quietly for a moment before suddenly reaching toward his face. His fingertips brushed lightly against Jiang Qingyu’s jaw.
It was an incredibly gentle touch, completely instinctive.
“You don’t need to explain,” he said softly. “I already told you earlier today. Compared to what they did to you, your retaliation is completely justified.”
“……”
That intimate little gesture left Jiang Qingyu slightly dazed.
He wasn’t imagining things. That touch had genuinely been tender. Combined with Fu Jingqiu’s expression and gaze, calling it “gentle affection beneath a tough exterior” wouldn’t have been an exaggeration.
Fu Jingqiu…
He really seemed serious about this.
Even though saying it now felt a bit belated, Fu Jingqiu didn’t have any romantic experience before this. Back when he proposed they “give it a try,” it had sounded more like an attempt to preserve the harmony of their relationship. Deep down, Jiang Qingyu had still held back a little, always feeling that one day Fu Jingqiu might tell him they weren’t suitable for each other.
Because Fu Jingqiu was the type to say exactly what he thought. If he truly couldn’t accept something, he would definitely say it directly.
But judging from his current reactions and behavior, he was obviously treating this very seriously and genuinely trying.
Sometimes, realizing certain things only took a single moment.
As expected of someone who always wanted to do everything properly.
Seeing Jiang Qingyu frozen in silence for so long, Fu Jingqiu thought he might have misunderstood.
“Was I wrong?”
“No.” Jiang Qingyu’s gaze fell onto the hand that had just brushed against his cheek.
Given Fu Jingqiu’s height, his hands themselves didn’t look unusually large. But compared side-by-side with Jiang Qingyu’s, the difference became striking.
They weren’t pampered hands. His knuckles were broad, and there was a thin layer of calluses along his fingers. They looked powerful enough to firmly support Jiang Qingyu’s entire body, and when holding him, they felt warm.
Jiang Qingyu lowered his eyes and grabbed a few of Fu Jingqiu’s relaxed fingers.
“Actually… my cousin wasn’t wrong about the heavy truck.”
Fu Jingqiu’s eyelid twitched.
Jiang Qingyu said, “I don’t know if you noticed, but there’s actually something wrong with this RV.”
Fu Jingqiu clasped Jiang Qingyu’s hand back and squeezed lightly.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“The things you’re about to tell me… have you thought them through?”
“……”
Jiang Qingyu’s pupils widened in shock.
Wait a minute—if you’re saying that, then obviously you already know what I’m about to say?!
He had been worried Fu Jingqiu would think he was joking, but instead it sounded like the man already knew everything??
Jiang Qingyu stared at him in disbelief for several seconds before swallowing nervously.
“What do you mean?”
Fu Jingqiu replied, “I only have some guesses. But for you, this should be a very special secret. If you want to share it with me, you should think carefully first.”
A moment ago, Jiang Qingyu had been mentally preparing himself, thinking that continuing to hide everything forever wasn’t a solution. If he revealed the RV’s secrets, they could finally make full use of all its features and respond better in dangerous situations.
Besides, they had already lived together for several months. Jiang Qingyu understood Fu Jingqiu’s character very well by now. And with their relationship progressing, there were some things he would eventually have to confess anyway.
But he had never imagined Fu Jingqiu already knew.
Jiang Qingyu asked weakly, “Are we even talking about the same thing?”
Fu Jingqiu didn’t hide it.
“If it’s about the RV’s secrets.”
Well then. So he really did know.
Then what exactly had Jiang Qingyu been cautiously hiding all this time?!
Jiang Qingyu clapped his hands together, almost laughing from sheer disbelief.
“Fine. Then you tell me first. What exactly do you know?”
Fu Jingqiu paused before answering.
“Some things were fairly obvious. Like the food in the fridge. When I opened it in the morning, certain items weren’t there yet after you got up, you naturally took them out as if they had always been inside.”
Jiang Qingyu protested, “But there’s so much stuff in the fridge! You noticed one or two extra items?”
Fu Jingqiu replied calmly, “…My memory is pretty good.”
More like photographic memory, brother. That was way too modest.
“And what else?”
“Tangyuan’s injuries, the RV’s internal space, the facilities and energy system, its performance and autopilot…”
“Stop stop stop.” Jiang Qingyu made a timeout gesture.
“You basically know everything already!”
Fu Jingqiu said, “I only had some guesses.”
“Don’t guess anymore,” Jiang Qingyu said in defeat. “You’ve practically guessed the entire thing. I thought I’d hidden it really well.”
Fu Jingqiu couldn’t exactly lie and claim he had only just discovered the RV’s abnormalities for the sake of comforting him, so he silently accepted Jiang Qingyu’s accusation.
Then he raised a hand again to touch Jiang Qingyu’s cheek.
This time, the gesture was even gentler. It didn’t brush past like a dragonfly skimming water. And before pulling away, he lightly pinched Jiang Qingyu’s cheek.
Jiang Qingyu was easy to appease. After being depressed for only a short while, he briefly explained the RV’s secrets to Fu Jingqiu and even demonstrated the RV’s full form on the spot.
Though he had already been secretly expanding the RV’s usable space little by little, fully unfolding everything now naturally increased both the area and comfort level tremendously.
Even Tangyuan was stunned. The dog barked excitedly several times before sprinting wildly around the RV with his tongue hanging out.
A completely separated kitchen.
A spacious living room.
Fu Jingqiu even went into the bedroom for a look. There was enough space to fit another bed entirely.
If Jiang Qingyu’s bedroom had originally been this large, Fu Jingqiu probably could’ve comfortably slept on a floor mattress inside.
However—
Fu Jingqiu frowned in confusion.
“According to your description, the RV shouldn’t require only heating one room at night to save electricity and heating costs, right?”
Jiang Qingyu: “………………”
Why did he have to bring up that specifically?
Jiang Qingyu stared silently at him for a while before Fu Jingqiu realized he had misspoken and hurriedly apologized.
“I just wanted a little selfish scheming, okay?!”
Fu Jingqiu rubbed the back of his head soothingly.
“I know. I didn’t mean it that way.”
Jiang Qingyu snorted heavily.
“And you noticed everything suspicious but never said anything, huh? I knew you acted weird sometimes. Like back when we were refueling—you watched me spend tens of thousands without saying a word. Pretending to be clueless, huh?”
Fu Jingqiu smiled helplessly.
“My fault. After all, it’s your RV. I shouldn’t pry too much.”
Jiang Qingyu pressed his lips together.
“When we first met, of course I couldn’t tell you. Even after we got closer… this isn’t like sharing food or clothes. I still had concerns.”
Fu Jingqiu strongly praised his caution instead.
“That’s actually the correct approach. You should always keep some trump cards for yourself. Like I told you before, your guard is too low. You rarely assume the worst in people first.”
Jiang Qingyu argued back.
“But you were different! Right from the beginning, you told me your identity. I grew up being taught that if something goes wrong, you look for the police first, okay? Soldiers automatically get bonus trust points too. Even if I wanted to doubt you, within a few days you’d already handled all the paperwork properly. Your military rank was still retained and everything. All the unreliable possibilities were ruled out.”
Fu Jingqiu nodded slightly.
“So you did think about these things.”
“What else? I’m not stupid!”
The RV system and the apocalypse sounded absurd, but they were undeniably real. Even if Fu Jingqiu had once been a staunch materialist, now zombies existed. At this point, even calling the RV some kind of higher-dimensional technology wouldn’t sound impossible anymore.
Until they could figure out why it existed, the best response was simply to accept everything completely.
Truthfully, Jiang Qingyu had been holding himself back for a long time too. It was like suddenly becoming rich and wanting to show off. Living with Fu Jingqiu day and night while constantly hiding the RV’s full capabilities and deliberately concealing things had honestly been exhausting.
Now that everything was finally out in the open, he could relax around Fu Jingqiu completely. If there were upgrades or ways to maximize the RV’s functions, they could discuss them together.
If they encountered zombies or dangerous roads, there was no need to worry anymore.
They could just plow straight through.
Jiang Qingyu also explained the storage space to Fu Jingqiu, telling him the stockpiled supplies were more than enough to support the two of them indefinitely, so he didn’t need to worry about food or necessities at all.
Previously, whenever Jiang Qingyu went stockpiling, he always split up from Fu Jingqiu and never discussed the results afterward. Still, seeing Jiang Qingyu constantly buying supplies without any sign of anxiety, Fu Jingqiu had vaguely sensed something back then already.
Even so, the sheer quantity still shocked him.
All of Fu Jingqiu’s money was currently with Jiang Qingyu. Though Jiang Qingyu hadn’t touched it, technically speaking, some of those supplies belonged to Fu Jingqiu too.
After such an in-depth conversation, the outcome was naturally a happy one for both of them.
A burden had finally lifted from Jiang Qingyu’s heart. He sprawled comfortably across the sofa like a spoiled lord while Fu Jingqiu took ingredients from the fridge and prepared them for him. Later, Chef Jiang only needed to put on an apron and cook. Hardly any effort at all.
Amid this quiet and warm atmosphere, they finally arrived in Yecheng.
This was the base camp of the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway. Leaving Tibet and entering Xinjiang started from Yecheng. As the first major rest stop after leaving the plateau, it offered affordable lodging and food, attracting countless tourists.
There weren’t many vehicles driving on the roads, but near the 0-kilometer monument stood many RVs and SUVs equipped with camping compartments, probably self-driving tourists.
Being trapped here by zombies was bad enough, but the sudden extreme cold had made it impossible for them to move, forcing them to stay temporarily.
The county town was full of inns and hostels—Veterans’ Station, Thirty-Mile Barracks, Xinjiang-Tibet Backpackers’ House—everywhere offered places to stay. Signs at the entrances advertised heating in large neat handwritten characters. The down-to-earth atmosphere strangely created a sense of safety.
With so many choices, deciding where to stay became difficult instead.
Jiang Qingyu never intended to remain constantly on the road anyway. A slow pace of stopping and traveling suited him best.
Unable to choose, he simply left it to fate.
He wrote several names onto slips of paper and drew lots.
In the end, fate led them to a place called Convenience Station.
A very plain and ordinary name.
Parking and lodging were free, and heating and hot water were provided.
If you only parked, you could still pay separately for hot water access.
The environment was decent. Aside from the main roads, the snow hadn’t been fully cleared. The owner probably lacked both the manpower and motivation to deal with it. After all, once the sun came out and temperatures rose, the snow would melt eventually.
The innkeeper was extremely enthusiastic. When Fu Jingqiu and Jiang Qingyu went to pay, she invited them to eat at the station restaurant, saying the prices hadn’t risen much, the food was delicious, and fruit was included too.
Jiang Qingyu hesitated slightly.
He hadn’t planned to eat at the station. Fu Jingqiu had already prepped half the ingredients. Once they returned to the RV, they could finish cooking together without much effort.
But right now, the restaurant was in the middle of dinner service, and the smell drifting constantly through the air was making him waver.
Seeing this, Fu Jingqiu more or less guessed what he was thinking. After everything they talked about earlier, Jiang Qingyu was probably hungry already, so he suggested they just eat here tonight.
The ingredients wouldn’t spoil once stored back in the space anyway.
So Jiang Qingyu happily went along with the suggestion and accepted the innkeeper’s invitation to dine there.
The restaurant’s pilaf was authentic and reasonably priced.
As usual, Fu Jingqiu ordered lamb while Jiang Qingyu got beef. The portions were enormous. The rice was golden and fluffy with distinct grains, not overly oily, and smelled incredible.
The baked buns were layered and crispy, unlike pan-fried buns with only crunchy bottoms. The filling was juicy, with huge chunks of beef inside. Every bite was deeply satisfying.
The pomegranate juice the owner strongly recommended was refreshing and delicious. In weather this cold, there was no need for ice at all. It tasted sweet and fresh enough that Jiang Qingyu immediately wanted to carry off two whole buckets of it.
Besides them, the restaurant only had a family of three and a few scattered young tourists sitting separately in small groups. It was hard to tell whether their moods were good or bad. Nobody was tense enough to stiffen up at the sight of strangers, but no one really talked either. The TV played music and dance programs continuously in the background.
The meal passed peacefully without incident. Everyone minded their own business.
While paying, Jiang Qingyu casually asked about the other tourists and learned they had originally stayed here while traveling. Since zombie outbreaks had erupted in their hometowns, they could no longer return and ended up stranded here.
Previously they could still sleep in their vehicles, but after the sudden temperature plunge, they simply couldn’t endure it anymore and had paid to move inside.
The innkeeper’s name was Reina. Her Mandarin was fairly standard, and when she smiled, she revealed a row of bright white teeth.
Patting her chest confidently, she told Jiang Qingyu:
“I run my business with conscience. Even in times like this, I haven’t raised prices outrageously. If you don’t believe me, go ask the other stations. Their prices are definitely higher than mine!”
Fu Jingqiu glanced around the surroundings, seemingly checking for fire extinguishers or something.
“The prices are cheap, but why are there so few people?”
Reina folded her arms and raised a brow.
“What do I need so many people for? I know the other stations are chaotic. Too many people means trouble breaks out easily and can’t be controlled. Better to keep things quiet and peaceful like this. In life, there’s only so much money you’re destined to earn. I don’t want to take risks so dangerous my head gets knocked off and I can’t pick it back up.”
Jiang Qingyu couldn’t hold back his laughter.
What she said sounded very similar to some of the shop owners he’d met while stockpiling supplies before. They all strongly believed in that sort of fatalistic philosophy.
The Convenience Station only housed Reina, her husband, and their child. Just as she said, if conflict broke out—or if people like the group Jiang Qingyu and Fu Jingqiu encountered in Minfeng decided to seize the place—they would probably suffer badly.
It was both wise and rational.
In the end, Jiang Qingyu really did leave carrying two buckets of pomegranate juice. The deep purplish-red liquid sloshed beautifully inside the transparent containers.
Their RV was parked somewhere inconspicuous. Jiang Qingyu had even changed its appearance again, making it look smaller and older.
The kind of vehicle that, whether glanced at casually or inspected carefully, clearly screamed: there’s nothing valuable inside.
Even robbers probably wouldn’t bother wasting effort on it.
Watching him change the RV’s “skin,” Fu Jingqiu finally understood.
“So this is what your cousin meant by ‘heavy truck’?”
“Exactly.” Jiang Qingyu grinned proudly.
“Not just this time either. Every time we stayed at RV campsites or other places, as long as you weren’t outside watching, I changed the appearance. Gotta stay low-key.”
Fu Jingqiu pinched the back of his neck lightly.
“Good job.”
Fu Jingqiu carried the supplies. After tidying up slightly once back inside the RV, Jiang Qingyu dug out an entire indoor golf setup.
Fu Jingqiu: ?
Jiang Qingyu coughed awkwardly twice.
“When I was stockpiling before, I wanted to buy everything I saw. I’ve got tons of stuff like this.”
Expensive stuff too.
Inside the RV, he could play golf, darts, all kinds of games—both offline and online. He had even bought nearly every well-reviewed game on Steam.
A person needed hobbies, after all.
Fu Jingqiu asked uncertainly, “Can you actually play this inside the RV?”
“Of course!” Jiang Qingyu said excitedly.
“The RV supports it. I just don’t know how to play. Do you?”
Fu Jingqiu shook his head.
“I’ve never tried before either.”
After all, it had only been this past year—after his mother recovered—that he had finally gained a little freedom. Before he even figured out what he wanted to do with his future, he had already been tricked into heading for the desert.
“No worries.” Jiang Qingyu was easygoing about it. “Nobody’s born knowing things. We’ve got time—we can learn slowly.”
He had already slept enough during the afternoon nap and was currently full of energy, constantly browsing tutorials and videos online. Of course, the internet being the internet, there were plenty of fake educational videos made purely for showing off too.
Which led to this situation:
While Fu Jingqiu seriously studied actual coaching tutorials online, Jiang Qingyu had already wandered off to watch videos about how to effectively trap zombies and freeze them in the shortest possible time.
Whenever there was something to learn, endless distractions would appear.
Before long, Jiang Qingyu completely forgot what he was supposed to be doing and flopped onto the sofa scrolling through his phone instead.
Since he was so absorbed, he naturally didn’t notice Fu Jingqiu beside him repeatedly practicing—watching tutorials, practicing, watching again.
From somewhat clumsy swings to surprisingly professional-looking ones, Fu Jingqiu’s body control was exceptional. He even propped up his phone to record himself and check whether his posture was standard.
Fortunately, the RV was now fully expanded, giving them plenty of indoor space to focus on separate activities without disturbing each other.
Again and again.
Fu Jingqiu didn’t find it boring in the slightest.
Once he immersed himself in something, he became like a human machine. Without orders to stop, he simply kept going.
By the time Jiang Qingyu reluctantly exited the short-video app and prepared to resume his own “studies,” the score displayed on the projection screen had already become terrifying.
Jiang Qingyu: …………
Brother, do you really have to be this competitive?!
Another swing.
The force behind it was so strong Jiang Qingyu almost imagined hearing a sonic boom. Fu Jingqiu rotated through the strike with both arms crossing smoothly, his legs straight and taut. Visually, it was almost absurdly perfect.
Even as a complete amateur, Jiang Qingyu could tell how beautiful that swing looked. It didn’t resemble a beginner at all.
Wait, what?!
Completely baffled, Jiang Qingyu hurriedly stopped Fu Jingqiu before he continued.
“You’re learning way too fast! It hasn’t even been that long, and you can already play like this?”
Fu Jingqiu exhaled heavily, relaxed his posture slightly, and rolled his wrists and shoulders.
“I’ve only just reached the beginner level. There’s still a lot I need to improve.”
Jiang Qingyu: “……”
He hadn’t even touched the golf club yet.
Seeing Jiang Qingyu puffing up like an unhappy steamed bun, Fu Jingqiu smiled faintly and pulled him over.
“Done playing on your phone? Want to learn now?”
“Yeah, I’m done.” Jiang Qingyu’s competitive spirit suddenly flared strangely.
“Since you already know how now, I can’t be bothered watching those online lessons. You teach me.”
Fu Jingqiu hesitated.
“If I teach you, it might not be completely accurate.”
After all, he was still technically a beginner himself.
Jiang Qingyu waved it off.
“It’s just the two of us playing around. Don’t take it so seriously.”
As he snatched the club from Fu Jingqiu’s hands, he hurried him along.
“Come on, come on. Show me the proper stance.”
Fu Jingqiu laughed softly and obediently began “teaching,” carefully passing on everything he had learned from the tutorials while correcting Jiang Qingyu’s posture and points of force.
If the posture was wrong, only a few swings would leave your arms and neck aching badly, requiring constant adjustment and experimentation.
After several attempts with his muscles all tensed up, Jiang Qingyu kept rotating his sore neck while complaining:
“This is kinda hard.”
Fu Jingqiu comforted him.
“No rush. Just learn a little whenever you have time. It’s only for fun anyway.”
“Fine.” Jiang Qingyu sighed.
“We’ve got plenty of time. I’ll learn slowly.”
After all, Fu Jingqiu was a good teacher. There was no need to worry about failing to learn.
Fu Jingqiu smiled slightly.
Right now, Jiang Qingyu stood in front of him with his back facing him while Fu Jingqiu corrected his posture and guided his movements from behind.
Seeing Jiang Qingyu lower his head obediently, the back of his head round and fluffy-looking, Fu Jingqiu suddenly had an impulse.
From behind, he wrapped his arms around Jiang Qingyu, covering Jiang Qingyu’s hands with his own. Then, exerting a little force, he lifted Jiang Qingyu entirely off the ground and rocked him side to side like a kiddie ride.
The suddenly airborne Jiang Qingyu: ??!!
