Chapter 129: Fresh taste
Lin Nianbei searched for a whole week before Ah Xiang was “accidentally” spotted by him.
Lin Nianbei had been looking for her so long, he was about to give up hope when on his way to work, he saw Ah Xiang peeking at him.
When he saw Ah Xiang, his mind hadn’t even caught up, but his feet were already chasing after her.
Ah Xiang’s face turned pale with fear, and without a moment’s hesitation, she bolted.
But how could she outrun Lin Nianbei? Besides, as she ran, she kept falling down now and then.
By the time Lin Nianbei caught up to her, she was covered in bruises.
“Ah Xiang, why are you running?” Lin Nianbei wasn’t young anymore; after running so far, he was gasping for air.
With tears in her eyes, Ah Xiang glanced at him, then turned her head away.
“Brother Lin, why did you chase me? I don’t want to destroy your family. Let’s not meet again. I will stay far away,” Ah Xiang said, her tears falling in large drops, landing precisely on the back of Lin Nianbei’s hand.
Lin Nianbei’s heart trembled, experiencing for the first time the pain of unrequited love.
“Ah Xiang, what nonsense are you talking about? I don’t have a wife; how could you possibly destroy my family? It was a misunderstanding, you’re a woman on your own, how can you live without that job? Come back with me,” Lin Nianbei’s heart clenched with pain.
Ah Xiang turned her head and looked at him deeply.
“Brother Lin, your niece doesn’t like me. I can’t come back; how can I bear to upset you?”
Ah Xiang bit her lips tightly, seemingly determined to bury her feelings for Lin Nianbei deep within her heart.
“Ah Xiang…” Lin Nianbei became desperate, “Xiao Xue, that child, has been spoiled by me, but she means no harm. I will explain everything to her.”
Ah Xiang gently pushed him away, using the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her face, looking at him with red, tearful eyes.
“Brother Lin, stop talking. Your niece just accused me of seducing you. If I return with you now, wouldn’t that confirm the accusation? I won’t go back anymore. I can’t stand to hear others talk about us having an affair. In my heart, you’ll always be the dedicated Lin Nianbei, you should remain revered and admired by everyone, not be the subject of gossip because of me. Can’t you see that?”
Ah Xiang painfully held back her surge of tears, speaking in a choked voice.
“Brother Lin, don’t come looking for me again…” After saying this, Ah Xiang pushed him again and, taking advantage of his moment of shock, ran away.
When Lin Nianbei returned, his face was grim, and his subordinates, upon seeing this, didn’t dare to breathe too loudly.
Now that Ah Xiang had appeared again, Lin Nianbei wasn’t going to let her escape again. He assigned some subordinates to investigate Ah Xiang’s affairs.
Soon, they found out where Ah Xiang was living now.
When he saw the address, Lin Nianbei’s hands trembled slightly.
Ah Xiang was… actually living not far from his home.
Lin Nianbei, being a base leader, naturally lived in a well-to-do area, which was home to leaders and a few key scientific researchers – nobody else. The area also had heavy security, and outsiders couldn’t easily get in.
And Ah Xiang was residing in a small, shabby house on the outer perimeter.
“People say, Ah Xiang moved there a week ago, and when she did, she didn’t bring anything with her.”
“The neighbors say, ever since Ah Xiang moved in, she goes out at the same time every day, and always looks dispirited when she comes back,” reported one of Lin Nianbei’s subordinates who had been gathering information.
The rest were keeping watch, ready to report back once they had gleaned anything.
After hearing what had been reported, Lin Nianbei’s face showed a trace of pity and self-reproach.
Ah Xiang had been secretly watching him go to work every day, and he hadn’t noticed at all.
She moved to such a chaotic place all alone, without taking anything – wasn’t she afraid of danger?
Lin Nianbei clenched his fists.
“Keep an eye on her, don’t let her run away again.”
Lin Nianbei decided to find Ah Xiang as soon as he was finished with his work.
Ah Xiang lay idle at home, watched by several Superpower Users.
She rolled over with a sigh.
“When will that damn Lin Nianbei come?”
“Why can’t he come earlier?”
“Always work, work, work…”
If he had come earlier, she could have finished tricking him and moved on to making her ointment.
Ah Xiang used to be quite willing to entice Lin Nianbei.
Lin Nianbei was a bachelor without a wife or children, a lone wolf, except for a niece. If Ah Xiang could hook up with him, she would have a comfortable life ahead of her.
But after she started making herbal ointment with her sister, her enthusiasm for Lin Nianbei waned.
Although she was adept at attracting men, and had relied on them to survive in the past, she had no choice.
If she could depend on herself, she would much prefer that. Men were unreliable; she would rather count on herself.
In the past, when she couldn’t rely on herself, she had to depend on men. Now that she could, she was reluctant to spend time dealing with them.
But this was the task that her sister and Fatty had given her; they wanted to teach Lin Nianbei’s niece a lesson.
They had saved her before because of this, and she couldn’t give up halfway.
Such a waste of time.
With that time, she could have made so much ointment.
Ah Xiang thought about her ointment and tossed and turned.
She really wanted to sneak out and make her ointment, but she also knew that with several of Lin Nianbei’s Superpower Users outside, it would be impossible for an ordinary woman like her to leave unnoticed.
She could leave before because Lin Nianbei hadn’t found her yet.
The house where Ah Xiang now lived was found by her sister.
She had only moved in a couple of days ago.
Before that, she had been working on ointments in the factory.
The woman who had moved in a week before wasn’t actually her but an “actor” they had hired for this purpose—an actor indeed, before the apocalypse.
Her sister had even used expired cosmetics on the actor, even though such items were a rarity at the time.
She had kept them for so long but never had the heart to use them.
This was really going all out.
The actor was of similar height and build to Ah Xiang, though a little skinnier, and wore a piece of torn cloth over her face, pretending to sneak peeks at Lin Nianbei on his way to work every day.
In reality, she wasn’t looking at Lin Nianbei but just at the air.
However, if Lin Nianbei sent someone to ask around, they would definitely report that “Ah Xiang” was peeping at him on his route to work every day, too scared to disturb him, not daring to show her face.
After the fake peeping sessions, the actor would eat something outside, wrap up in the torn cloth, and then go back at the right time, leaving a lonely silhouette for the people around.
Once Ah Xiang had decided to meet Lin Nianbei in the next few days, they had switched places.
The actor finished her performance and went to make ointments.
Hearing it included food and accommodation, she almost went crazy with joy. She had thought it was a short-term gig, never expecting that after the temp job was over, she could stay on for a longer one.
She was happy, which made Ah Xiang a bit unhappy.
Just thinking about spending a few more days in this dilapidated house made her quite distressed.
Not that she scorned the broken house, she just longed for the fresh scent of that ointment.