Pei Ruoxue let out a very accommodating "Ah."
Her mouth fell wide open.
Her face was full of astonishment.
She couldn't help but say,
"How could it be like this?"
Then she continued with feigned innocence,
"But that Miss Chu looks so gentle and frail, I never expected her to be..."
"No wonder Xichen also treats her..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she was sharply reprimanded by Sister Wan.
"Shut up! We are running for our lives right now, and you still have the mind to play palace intrigue?"
"If you keep this up, believe it or not, I'll throw you out right now!!!"
Sister Wan always had a fiery temper.
Once she got angry, Pei Ruoxue immediately didn't dare to utter a word.
She could only cast a helpless glance at Gu Man.
Pei Ruoxue was scared.
But Gu Man was not.
She gave a soft snort, her gaze passing over Sister Wan to look at the first car.
"Don't think you're so amazing just because you have superpowers."
"Let me tell you, if it weren't for me, none of you would be able to leave this city."
Sitting in the driver's seat, Brother Zhong pushed up his glasses and tilted his head slightly, glancing at Lao Yu.
He signaled him to probe for information.
Lao Yu in the passenger seat immediately turned his head.
With an honest and simple smile.
He asked in confusion,
"Miss Gu, what do you mean?"
"Why wouldn't we be able to get out?"
Gu Man looked a bit smug.
Yet, as if to keep them in suspense, she gave another soft snort and refused to continue speaking.
It took Pei Ruoxue pleading with her several times and saying many flattering things.
Only then did she nod her head in an arrogant and ostentatious manner.
"Fine."
"Seeing as you took me in and let me in this car, it wouldn't hurt to tell you."
"Zhou Yu'an and the others don't even know."
"When the zombie virus broke out, I received a call from my uncle. He said the higher-ups have given a one-week timeframe."
"As long as you can escape within a week, you'll survive safely."
"As for those who can't make it out..."
She paused, her expression disdainful, looking at them as if they were ants, and said,
"Naturally, they will be wiped out on a massive scale along with those terrifying zombies."
Brother Zhong pushed up his glasses, frowning.
Why wasn't the first reaction to the incident to control the situation, but rather to retreat and give a one-week window to escape?
Could the situation be even worse than imagined?
"Hiss—" Pei Ruoxue gasped.
She counted on her fingers.
"Then we are already on the fourth day... Doesn't that mean we only have three days left?"
Gu Man nodded calmly.
"Don't worry, at our current speed, it won't take three days."
"We can drive out of here in a day and a half."
Sister Wan couldn't help but scoff softly.
"Even without you, we could still get out."
"We don't need you to tell us this."
Gu Man's lips twitched as if she wanted to say something else, but realizing she had only just met the people in this car, she cautiously swallowed her words.
She simply said,
"You'll see when the time comes."
...
In the front car.
Zhou Yu'an appeared to be driving intently, but out of the corner of his eye, he kept stealing glances at the woman sitting in the passenger seat.
Just as he couldn't help but look at her for the third time.
Chu Liuyue spoke up.
Her beautiful almond eyes sparkled brightly.
"An'an, what do you want to say to me?"
Her tone was as intimate as ever.
Zhou Yu'an paused.
"I'm sorry."
A scoff came from Yan Qingdu in the back seat.
Zhou Yu'an glared at him in displeasure.
But Yan Qingdu said in a cheeky tone,
"That apology is way too light."
"At the very least..." He pointed to the hole in his chest and said, "It should be like... this."
Zhou Yu'an pursed his lips.
He seemed to be considering the feasibility of this.
Just as he was about to speak.
Slender, fragrant fingers covered his warm lips.
Before he could say a word, he met Chu Liuyue's rippling almond eyes. She shook her head slightly, signaling him not to listen to Yan Qingdu's nonsense.
"An'an, you don't have to."
Zhou Yu'an froze.
His throat felt blocked by something.
He could only blink subconsciously to hide his emotions.
From the back seat, Yan Qingdu let out another scoff.
"Why?" His tone was thick with reluctance.
Chu Liuyue curled the corners of her lips.
The fingertips resting on his lips withdrew.
Leaving a tingling sensation behind.
She returned her gaze to the windshield, watching the scenery recede on both sides.
She enunciated each word,
"An'an, if I lied to you, would you be angry?" Her voice was very soft.
Zhou Yu'an was a bit confused.
He frowned slightly.
"You..."
"I drank the serum," Chu Liuyue paused, then added, "Then how will you report back to your father?"
A flash of anger crossed Zhou Yu'an's face.
He breathed out heavily.
"Chu Liuyue! Is that the kind of person you think I am?"
"You were force-fed the serum by Gu Man and almost... almost turned into a zombie."
"If I still cared about whether the serum could be brought back intact, would I even be human?"
His amber pupils flickered.
Suppressing the self-blame he had never been able to vent.
Chu Liuyue looked straight ahead.
Her tone was very calm.
Without a single ripple.
Suddenly she said,
"What if Gu Man didn't force-feed me the serum, but I drank it on purpose?" She turned her head slightly, her smile carrying a hint of probing.
Zhou Yu'an immediately retorted.
"How is that possible?"
Their eyes met.
His motion of turning the steering wheel paused slightly, and his initially certain expression gradually loosened.
With hesitation mixed with disbelief.
"It... it was you yourself..."
A trace of coldness flashed in his amber eyes.
Finally, he shook his head heavily.
"Impossible."
Chu Liuyue suddenly tilted her head slightly and leaned in closer.
She whispered in his ear,
"What if it's true?"
"An'an, would you hate me?"
Zhou Yu'an's thoughts were a bit chaotic, his fingertips gripping the leather cover of the steering wheel.
"I..."
The next second, he heard Chu Liuyue's mischievous and cheerful laughter.
"Hahahaha, I'm just teasing you!"
"I just saw you looking so bitter and deeply troubled, so I wanted to tease you. I didn't expect you to take it seriously."
"What? Do you really think I'm so smart that I could predict the future and anticipate Gu Man's actions?"
Chu Liuyue wrinkled her nose and helplessly spread her hands.
"The viral load in that serum is so massive. I'm just an ordinary person, how would I dare drink it?"
"As long as I can live well as a human, I definitely don't want to be a zombie."
Zhou Yu'an believed her immediately.
He let out a long sigh of relief.
Looking at her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Then, his tone turned firm.
"I won't hate you."
"At the very least, before we escape Jiang City, I will protect you."
In the back seat, Yan Qingdu twitched the corners of his lips.
In Zhou Yu'an's eyes, she was a pure and flawless little white rabbit.
But he had guessed it long ago.
Those words just now that seemed like a joke were the truth.
Why did she care so much about Zhou Yu'an? Could it really just be because Zhou Yu'an was Gu Man's arranged marriage partner?
A dark gleam flashed through the depths of Yan Qingdu's eyes.
