Ch 139: TGCIR

Shen Cheng held Li Weilan’s hand as they strolled around the base.

Many of the older members of the base recognized who Shen Cheng was. Even those who didn’t know her directly had heard of her. When they saw how close and inseparable she and Li Weilan were, they understood her relationship with him.

As the most powerful high-level ability user in the post-apocalyptic world, Li Weilan was undoubtedly admired by many in the base. However, it became clear to everyone quickly that he was indifferent to all other women. The way he looked at Shen Cheng, the relaxed and affectionate expression he wore when holding her hand, was enough to dissuade anyone with other thoughts from making any unnecessary moves.

Some people had asked about her identity. The older members of the base had responded, “Did you ever wonder who the real leader of this base is?”

Those who asked were shocked—most of them had only heard about her, but now, finally seeing her in person, they observed her demeanor and calmness. In a world where strength was crucial for survival and dignity, Shen Cheng’s upright posture and gentle smile left no doubt about her abilities.

Shen Cheng, however, had no idea they were thinking so much. When she woke up to find herself being watched closely, she was startled at first. But when she saw that it was Li Weilan, looking at her with an almost childlike curiosity, she relaxed and smiled sweetly at him.

Li Weilan immediately pulled her into a warm embrace. The heat and comfort of his arms made Shen Cheng gently wrap her arms around him, patting his back soothingly. The hug was tight, and Shen Cheng could sense his tension. She understood that the three months of separation had been difficult for him, someone who already lacked a sense of security and valued her deeply. He needed this moment of warmth to calm the turmoil in his heart. Though the embrace was a bit overwhelming, she didn’t pull away.

When Li Weilan finally let her go, his voice was filled with deep guilt. “I’m sorry, Chengcheng,” he murmured hesitantly, “I didn’t get your permission first…”

He lowered his gaze, unable to meet Shen Cheng’s eyes, his heart heavy with regret. In the middle of the night, he had suddenly heard a noise by his side, followed by the sight of the screen that had been flashing for an entire day disappearing. Where had that YES or NO option gone?

Could it be that when you were interacting with it, you accidentally selected something without meaning to?

Seeing Shen Cheng beside him, her eyes still closed, Li Weilan was overwhelmed with mixed emotions: joy at seeing her, but also fear and regret. If he could have seen his own expression in a mirror at that moment, it would have shown only two words: conflicted emotions.

After hesitating for a long time, he slowly reached out his hand, still doubting whether he was dreaming. By the time he fully woke up, he had managed to calm his emotions, but the guilt lingered, making him too ashamed to even meet her gaze as he apologized.

Shen Cheng, upon hearing his apology, was momentarily puzzled: What is Li Weilan apologizing for? What did he do wrong? Was it something from the past three months?

When he mentioned “without getting your consent,” she finally understood what he was apologizing for. This silly guy still thinks it’s his actions that brought her here?

A wave of affection surged within her. She reached out and playfully tapped his forehead, saying, “Lanlan, then you need to be punished.”

“???” Li Weilan looked at her in confusion, his eyes asking, “Whatever you say.”

Shen Cheng’s heart softened even more. Despite his Q-version chibi appearance, his innocent and obedient expression melted her resolve. Any thoughts of teasing him vanished, replaced by layers of tenderness. She took his hand, leaned in, and whispered a few words.

Li Weilan’s expression shifted from “???” to “!!!” He glanced at Shen Cheng with questioning eyes, but she simply smiled at him, her usual gentle expression now tinged with a bit more mischief.

xxx

It wasn’t until the next day that they went out for a walk together.

Shen Cheng had to admit that the physical fitness provided by the game was far superior to what she was used to in her modern life. Considering that she had spent her childhood with decent nutrition and had often worked overtime as an adult, it was surprising she could even get out of bed, let alone feel as good as she did. But somehow, she did.

Thanks to her enhanced fitness, Shen Cheng not only felt no lingering discomfort but also woke up feeling completely refreshed. To be honest, she even felt a bit energized.

As she brushed her teeth, she looked up at herself in the mirror and noticed the subtle upward curve of her lips and the hint of affection in her eyes and expression.

Just as she was brushing, Li Weilan came in from outside, leaned against her with a sweet, clingy expression, resting his head on her shoulder. When he lifted his head and saw their reflections in the mirror, their eyes met, and they both smiled knowingly. The sweetness between them was almost palpable, requiring no words to express.

Li Weilan patiently waited for her to finish brushing her teeth.

Shen Cheng noticed that while the base now had more resources available, water usage was still somewhat limited. Although she could get water by turning on the tap, the supply was nowhere near as abundant as in the modern world.

“Shall we take a walk around the base?” Shen Cheng suggested. Last night, she had noticed that most of the people in the base had already moved to the surface.

Compared to living underground with artificial light sources, living on the surface was clearly more comfortable. But this also meant that the threat posed by zombies to humans had largely been eliminated.

Shen Cheng felt a subtle happiness blooming in her heart, and when she looked back at Li Weilan, there was a twinkle of joy in her eyes.

Nodding, she responded with a soft “Mm,” feeling even closer to him after the events of the previous night. Their bond had deepened, and her attachment to him had grown stronger.

Breakfast at the base was relatively simple. There were eggs, slices of bread, and some oranges. Shen Cheng ate with a sweet smile but couldn’t help but remark, “Lanlan, you know, I actually stocked up a lot of food at home. It’s a pity I couldn’t bring it all here.”

She finally revealed the topic from yesterday, smiling warmly at Li Weilan. “I chose this world myself. I’m happy to be here with you.”

Li Weilan couldn’t suppress the warmth spreading through his heart as he gazed at her face, bathed in sunlight and smiling so sweetly. He knew clearly that what filled his heart was contentment.

As Shen Cheng slowly recounted the events of her “dream” from the previous day over breakfast, Li Weilan listened attentively. When she mentioned the part about “saving three worlds,” his brows furrowed slightly. And when she spoke of the “three opportunities to travel between worlds,” his brows furrowed again, as if a thought had occurred to him.

He didn’t interrupt her as she spoke. When she finished, Li Weilan relaxed his expression and smiled at her. “I have a theory.”

“Really?” Shen Cheng, seeing the look on his face, guessed he might have figured something out. She eagerly shook his arm. “What did you think of?”

“This ‘travel’ was provided by the other party, right?” After getting her confirmation, Li Weilan continued, “That means it was just a thread of consciousness, which indicates that time in both worlds doesn’t necessarily need to sync. Moving consciousness between two worlds should consume far less energy than transporting something physical. If what they refer to as ‘travel’ is a mix of consciousness and the physical, it makes sense. And remember when we were told we could bring items from your world into the game, like that Hermès bag? That suggests that when you go back to your world and bring something here, it shouldn’t count as using one of the travel opportunities.”

Shen Cheng was a bit confused by the explanation but grasped one key point: “So you’re saying we can go back and forth, and it only counts as one trip?”

“If you bring your phone with you when you return, theoretically, the process could be repeated…”

Before he could finish, Shen Cheng placed her hand on his, stopping him gently.

Her eyes were filled with a soft smile, but her expression remained calm, without the gleeful excitement of discovering a loophole. “Lanlan, I’ve already decided to live with you in this world. We can visit my home together when we have the chance, but as for taking advantage of the system, we shouldn’t ‘shave the sheep bald.’ Let’s take it slow.”

If it turned out that the two worlds could indeed exchange resources, the benefits to both the post-apocalyptic world and the real world would be immeasurable. Just thinking about it made Shen Cheng feel excited. In this world, even breakfast was so simple. Although the zombies were gone, the land was polluted, and most of the seeds were affected. If they could bring large quantities of goods from the real world, Li Weilan’s influence would reach a whole new level.

As she pondered this, Li Weilan gazed at her with eyes full of warmth.

Amidst this, Shen Cheng couldn’t help but ask, “How is Fu Yanzhou doing?”

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