Chapter 55: Are We Still Friends?
Song Yuqing could easily tell that Ruan Fanfan was feeling uneasy.
“Did you guys just eat steamed buns? Why didn’t I get any?” Ruan Fanfan asked, feigning anger as she held out her empty hand. “I want some too!”
Song Yuqing playfully rapped her knuckles against Ruan Fanfan’s forehead. “We’re all out! How was I supposed to know you were coming? Seriously!”
“Hey, I did just deliver two Zombie Kings to your doorstep!”
“Don’t worry, you’re our guest! I’ll treat you to some coffee,” Song Yuqing said, linking arms with her friend as they headed toward the stairs. Before heading up, she called out to Liu Xiaona, reminding him to cook for one more person.
“You actually have two new people in your store!” Ruan Fanfan noted.
“Yeah, and you’ve already met both of them.”
“I remember Liu Xiaona.”
“The other one is the ‘ghost in white’ you saw last time,” Song Yuqing teased.
Watching how close the two women were, Liu Xiaona’s eyes darkened with mixed emotions. Song Yuqing had no idea that his disdain for Ruan Fanfan had reached an irreconcilable level. If someone’s moral compass is that twisted, what’s the point of being friends with them? he thought bitterly.
Walking into the second-floor cafe, Song Yuqing poured Ruan Fanfan a cup of Wood Cappuccino, eager to let her experience the magic of spontaneous superpowers.
Ruan Fanfan took a sip. Almost immediately, a small, vibrant branch laden with bright red berries sprouted right out of the top of her head.
“Hey! This is heavy!” Ruan Fanfan yelped. The highly intelligent parrot perched on her shoulder, Conghui, chirped happily and quickly leaned over to peck at the red fruit.
Song Yuqing was delighted by the absurd sight. She leaned in closer to inspect the berries, plucking one off to taste it. It was a perfect blend of sweet and sour. She wondered what kind of special effect it held. When Song Yuqing had drunk the Wood Cappuccino, cool bamboo leaves had grown from her fingertips, and she could somewhat control them. Ruan Fanfan, however, seemed completely incapable of controlling the fruit-bearing branch on her head.
“Hey, hey, hey, why is it getting heavier?!” Ruan Fanfan cried out. The branches were growing at an alarming rate, cascading down to cover her head like a traditional bridal phoenix crown.
Song Yuqing couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Song Yuqing, you’re awful!” Ruan Fanfan complained, her neck bowing under the weight of the fruit. She had to hold the branches up with both hands, making her look even more ridiculous. Song Yuqing laughed even harder, reaching out to pluck more berries just to lighten her friend’s load.
Soon, the temporary effect of the Wood Cappuccino faded, and the remaining red berries tumbled to the floor. Ruan Fanfan picked one up, muttering that this wasn’t the kind of superpower she wanted at all.
“What are these even good for?” she grumbled.
“I don’t know, but they taste pretty good,” Song Yuqing said, tossing a berry into her mouth.
“Truth. The truth,” Conghui the parrot suddenly squawked, happily pecking at the fallen fruit on the ground.
Ruan Fanfan and Song Yuqing looked up at the same time, exchanging a surprised glance.
“Quick, tell me, have you ever lied to me?” Ruan Fanfan asked, blinking with a sly, mischievous smile.
“Right after graduation, I lied to you about having a high salary because I didn’t want you to look down on me,” Song Yuqing blurted out instantly. The moment the words left her lips, she clamped her hands over her mouth. “No way…”
Ruan Fanfan burst into a fit of laughter. Taking advantage of the moment, Song Yuqing lunged forward, trying to shove a berry into her friend’s mouth in retaliation.
“Pfft, no way! Get away from me!” Ruan Fanfan dodged, spitting playfully.
Song Yuqing put the fruit away, her cheeks flushed. “That was so embarrassing.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Ruan Fanfan wheezed, trying to hold back her laughter as she reached out to pat Song Yuqing’s head.
After fooling around for a bit, the two sat down on the plush sofas to catch up. Song Yuqing circled back to her earlier question, asking Ruan Fanfan how on earth she had defeated two Golden-Eyed Zombie Kings.
“It was all about pure intellect,” Ruan Fanfan boasted.
“It wasn’t her, it wasn’t her,” Conghui the parrot immediately chimed in, shaking its head. “It can crush a Zombie King with one claw! Its wings flap so fast that the little zombies can’t even get close!”
Before Ruan Fanfan could shush the bird, Conghui added calmly, “A man took action. He killed the Zombie Kings.”
Song Yuqing’s eyes flickered with suspicion before lighting up with gossip. “What man? A new lover?”
“Hey, it’s not what you think!” Ruan Fanfan flushed red.
Song Yuqing cupped a hand to her ear, listening intently.
“Okay, fine! He was just a passerby. I just wanted to show off in front of you,” Ruan Fanfan admitted, nervously pressing her index fingers together.
Song Yuqing didn’t press the issue further. Ruan Fanfan’s defensive reaction made her feel a twinge of unease; she vaguely sensed this mysterious man might be connected to whatever shady business her friend had been up to in the wasteland.
“How about you eat a red berry too?” Song Yuqing offered, trying to lighten the mood.
“No way.” Ruan Fanfan pouted, standing up to wander around the cafe, taking in the cozy environment. “You know, you’ve actually fulfilled my childhood dream of opening a coffee shop.”
Song Yuqing remembered that Ruan Fanfan used to have a million dreams. She wanted to open a world-class cafe, then she wanted to be a professional dancer, and then a powerful corporate boss. Ultimately, she just wanted fame and fortune. So, when she moved to a remote farm to raise birds right after graduation, Song Yuqing had been deeply surprised. But the gap between ideals and reality was always unpredictable.
“Ruan Fanfan, honestly… have you ever thought about settling down in a survival base?” Song Yuqing asked.
“Why bring that up?”
“I’m curious. And I heard that you did a lot of terrible things out there,” Song Yuqing said, smacking her lips. The effect of the truth fruit was clearly still lingering.
Ruan Fanfan froze, standing completely still.
“I didn’t mean to ask it like that,” Song Yuqing quickly tried to explain. “I just really want to know why you lied to Liu Xiaona and Sister Qin about there being only one base nearby. And why did you intentionally stir up that power struggle at Base 27?”
Ruan Fanfan turned her back to her, taking a long, deep breath.
“Look, you know me. I don’t have any special elemental abilities. If I wasn’t cunning, I would have died out there a long time ago. I want to be strong.” Ruan Fanfan paused, her voice hardening. “Before the apocalypse, I never had a chance. Now, after the apocalypse, I still don’t have a chance. I refuse to accept that.”
Song Yuqing sat in silence for a long time. Finally, she stood up. “Dinner should be ready by now. Let’s go eat.”
She had no intention of lecturing Ruan Fanfan on morality. What right did she have to dictate how her friend chose to survive?
“You know everything I’ve done,” Ruan Fanfan said quietly. “Are we still friends?”
Song Yuqing offered a slow, genuine smile and nodded.
“Well, to be fair, I do have my own bottom lines,” Ruan Fanfan added, her usual energetic demeanor returning now that she had Song Yuqing’s acceptance. She wasn’t one to wallow in guilt; exposing her flaws and vulnerabilities to her friend was the last thing she wanted to dwell on.
As the two women headed downstairs, Liu Xiaona was just walking out of the kitchen carrying plates of food.
“Time to eat,” he announced, shooting Ruan Fanfan a deeply displeased glare.
“Brother Liu, I’m really sorry about what happened before,” Ruan Fanfan offered apologetically.
“What’s the use of being sorry?” Liu Xiaona retorted coldly.
Ruan Fanfan shut her mouth. It was clear that Liu Xiaona wasn’t going to accept her presence in God’s Supermarket easily.
Meanwhile, back in the abandoned vegetable market, Chen Ke had grown tired of waiting for the Zombie Kings to return. She decided to satisfy her own hunger first. Baring her decaying fangs, she prepared to drain Lin Han’s blood, eager to subject him to the exact same torment the Zombie Kings had inflicted on her.
“No! Stay back!” Lin Han shrieked, his face pale with terror. He kept trying to shrink away, but chained to the stone pillar, he had nowhere to run. Chen Ke’s thick, necrotic saliva dripped onto his collar.
Seeing his pathetic, humiliated state, a twisted smile cracked across Chen Ke’s face. “You never expected you’d end up like this, did you?”
She deliberately slowed her approach, drawing out the moment. She just wanted to savor the sight of Lin Han looking utterly pitiful and helpless.
