Listening to their discussion, Jian Lexian’s face turned completely dark as he stood aside.
The nearest team member asked, “Lexian, are you feeling unwell? You look pale.”
Jian Lexian quickly snapped back to reality, forcing a smile, “No, I think I just overexerted myself loading supplies; I’m a bit tired.”
“Oh, the captain has to spend some time alone with that little experimenter. You can rest in the car up front for a bit.”
Jian Lexian agreed with a stiff nod.
After he got in the car and closed the door, he could no longer hide the inner turmoil.
He took out a crystal core and absorbed it piece by piece.
That pretty boy was just an ordinary person without any powers and would only drag them down. He could never believe that someone as cold-hearted as Jiang Hua could be easily swayed!
After Jiang Hua closed the off-road vehicle door, a sealed space formed within the car.
He needed to let Tong Sui down.
However, Tong Sui clung tightly to him, saying, “Don’t go.”
Jiang Hua replied, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Hearing his promise, Tong Sui’s body slowly relaxed, and he withdrew his hands, still looking at him expectantly.
Tears that hadn’t fully dried were still marked on his face, and the corners of his eyes and nose glistened with a hint of pink.
Jiang Hua stared for two seconds, then pulled out a pack of wipes from under the seat, opened it, and tossed it to him, “Wipe your face.”
Tong Sui caught the wipes and took off his glasses, placing them aside.
His pure white face was exposed to Jiang Hua’s view, and he used the wipes to dampen his entire face.
Jiang Hua watched his actions, feeling an itch in his teeth, fleetingly entertained by the thought of leaving a mark on his cheek.
But Tong Sui quickly put his glasses back on, looking significantly calmer, and quietly thanked him.
Jiang Hua responded with a slight “mm.”
He glanced at the dirt on Tong Sui’s calves, asking, “Did it bite you?”
Tong Sui shook his head vigorously, “No!”
He kicked off one shoe, raised his leg to rest on the car mat, and rolled up his pants completely up to his thigh.
“It grabbed my ankle at that time, but I kicked it away.”
Tong Sui was trying hard to prove he hadn’t been bitten, while Jiang Hua’s gaze fell on his long, fair legs.
He seemed to be entirely pale, with no signs of wear from the apocalypse; even his knees showed a soft pink hue.
Seeing Jiang Hua staring at him without speaking, Tong Sui assumed he was still worried, and suggested, “I can let you check.”
Jiang Hua raised an eyebrow, “Check?”
“Yeah.”
Tong Sui looked at Jiang Hua’s similar yet slightly unfamiliar face. Although it was only their first day meeting in this world, he tried to convince himself to push aside the foreign feeling.
His face flushed as he said, “I can take off my clothes so you can check if I have any wounds.”
While saying this, he began to unbutton his lab coat, his fingers turning slightly white from the exertion.
Jiang Hua pressed down on his hand, “No need; I believe you haven’t been bitten.”
Tong Sui held onto his hand, rubbing against the calloused palm, looking at him with hopeful eyes, “So can I stay?”
Jiang Hua instinctively recoiled, as if electrocuted.
The smooth sensation lingered in his palm.
He awkwardly turned his head away, “What about the supplies I gave you up front? Why don’t you want them?”
Tong Sui replied, “Because they belong to you, so I can’t take them.”
Jiang Hua murmured, “…”
How had this person managed to survive in the apocalypse?
Seeing Jiang Hua fall silent again, Tong Sui pressed, “Captain Hua, can’t I really stay? I promise I’ll be good, and I won’t be a nuisance!”
Jiang Hua said, “You can stay—”
Before he could finish, Tong Sui’s eyes lit up, and he skillfully hugged his arm, “That’s great! So can I sit in the same car with you? I don’t get car sick; I definitely won’t disturb your rest.”
Jiang Hua hesitated, trying to pull his hand back.
But Tong Sui held on tightly.
After trying twice, he finally allowed Tong Sui to cling to him. “I’m only responsible for taking you to the base; how you survive there afterward is not my concern.”
Tong Sui considered this for a moment and nodded.
At least during this journey, he could stay beside Jiang Hua.
They reached an agreement.
Jiang Hua glanced at Tong Sui’s disheveled clothing and said, “Get yourself sorted out; we’re leaving soon.”
“Oh, okay.”
Tong Sui pulled up his pants and rebuttoned them.
Before long, several people climbed into the off-road vehicle.
Jiang Hua briefly introduced everyone, “The driver is Wang Tao, the copilot is Jian Lexian, both are spatial abilities users. In the middle row is our water-type ability user, Zhang Binyu.”
“Hello, I’m Tong Sui,” he introduced, “I don’t have abilities; I was a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.”
“Wow! The Chinese Academy of Sciences? We’ve really hit the jackpot!” Zhang Binyu exclaimed. “That place is quite difficult to enter.”
Wang Tao chimed in with a sound of admiration, “No wonder you act like a little young master, refusing even food that’s served to you.”
Tong Sui replied honestly, “Actually, I got in through connections.”
The others assumed he was being modest, but the truth was he was stating facts.
The original host had highly educated parents who helped him get the position as a mere side worker. Otherwise, with the original host’s skills, he would have just been greeted at the entrance.
In the warm atmosphere, Jian Lexian said, “It’s getting late; let’s get moving.”
He looked at Tong Sui, who was sitting next to Jiang Hua.
“You’re Tong Sui, right? Come and sit with Zhang Binyu; Captain Hua isn’t used to sitting with others.”
“Ah?” Tong Sui looked at Jiang Hua, gazing into his deep blue eyes that seemed darker in the shadows. He asked quietly, “You really don’t want to sit with me?”
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