NOVEL NEXT Chapter 275: The Morning After
I lay on the bed, enjoying the morning sun peeking through the blinds. Jiang Siwan stood in the doorway of a miniature kitchen attached to the side room. She wore an apron with nothing underneath while cooking breakfast.
Swan stood with her back facing me—bruises and marks covered her hips and body from the evening before. I couldn't help but smile, proud of my handiwork as she flicked the pan. She turned and smiled at me. Her face filled with life, almost beaming.
"John?"
"Morning."
When I replied, she turned off the heat and grinned with delight and scurried over and sat beside me, the scent of bacon and maple syrup oozing from her body.
"How do you feel?"
"I'm great, maybe a little hungry."
I reached out, stroking her stomach and hips under the apron, causing the sensual milf to snort, before slapping my hand away.
"Behave, eat first!"
Before I could react, she leaned closer and kissed my cheek. Her warm breath blew down my cheek, with the faint hint of toothpaste as she stroked my face.
"Mm...." Siwan slipped off the bed before I could grab her breasts, which spilt through the apron's neckline. "I said behave... we can do that after eating."
"Yeah, yeah."
Regretful that I failed, I rolled out of bed and stepped into the small en suite bathroom. This room was Jiang Siwan's room before the world ended. She would sometimes spend days working overnight, so her father remodelled the room to have all the needed amenities.
The taste of toothpaste made it feel like I was kissing her.
Despite being a military woman, it surprised me that on her shelves were fancy perfumes, skincare products and of course, she placed a clean pair of men's boxers and a robe near the door for me to use.
Tssss!
Of course, I took a quick shower!
I slept with Jiang Siwan, Mu Qinglan, Roulan, Yifei, and Wei Wei. I smelled of sweat, sex and a thick musk. That kind of scent might be pleasant, but not when you're about to eat.
Today would be the last chance for me to relax, because the horde vanished. I planned to ask Siwan's father about borrowing a jeep and driving to the old base. In reality, I might need several jeeps to bring the people from that building to this massive compound.
"Will he accept? I have no idea...." Muttering to myself, I slipped out of the shower, put on the soft robe and strode into the bedroom, where the scent of breakfast started to fill the room. "Oh?"
It appeared Jiang Siwan was a skilled cook.
"What's the matter?"
She glanced at me with a sharp glare before unfastening the apron to reveal a fresh pair of clothes, a black pair of denim shorts, and a simple, oversized t-shirt.
"Nothing, the food just smells great."
"Hmm..... then you better enjoy it, and behave. Then i might cook for you again."
***
The meal was delicious; crispy fried bacon, with a sweet maple coating, went well with the rice and steamed fish, and she even prepared a tasty but light soup that was easy to drink.
Siwan sat across from me, eating with the slow, refined grace of someone who hadn't let the end of the world strip away her upbringing. Her hair was still a little damp from steam, her skin glowing faintly in the morning light.
She caught me staring and smirked. "What? Do I have rice on my face?"
I shook my head, chewing the last of the bacon. "No. Just wondering how someone can look this good after being ruined by me all night."
Her chopsticks froze midair, and a faint blush touched her cheeks before she covered it with a sharp glare. "Ruined? Hmph. I'll remember those words when you come crawling to my room again."
I leaned back, sipping the soup. "So, you're saying I can crawl into your bed again?"
Her eyes narrowed, but her lips curved. "Eat your soup before it gets cold."
Even though she tried to deflect, I could see her shoulders relax, her expression softening. There was something about this morning that didn't feel like survival. It felt like living in the past before things went to hell.
A dangerous thing to get used to.
I set the bowl down and stretched. The robe fell open across my chest. "I've been thinking," I muttered, shifting the subject before I started another round of teasing. "The horde's gone, for now. That gives us a window. I want to head to my old base. There are survivors there—good people. If we can bring them back here, it'll make us stronger."
Jiang Siwan looked a little shocked before she moved her eyes away from all the bite marks and love bites she left on my chest and neck. "Ahem." She tapped her chopsticks against the rim of her bowl. "That's no small journey. I don't think moving civilians through infested zones will slow you down too much, but.... You'll need help, right? You'll need protection, vehicles, supplies…"
"Which is why I'll need to ask your father about the jeeps."
Her gaze lingered on me, almost as if appraising, as she stood up and started to remove her clothes, which confused me a little as I watched her breasts bounce with a jiggle as she looked at me. "You really can't help yourself, can you?"
"If I stop, people die."
"Fool." She smiled faintly and unfastened her shorts, slowly sliding them off before lifting her eyes to meet mine. "What are you waiting for, if you want a favour.... then you better blow my mind before you leave me."
It was at this moment that I learned that Jiang Siwan was a woman who loved great sex.
***
Two hours later, we finally cleared the plates away together, though she tried to shoo me away; I insisted on helping, stacking the dishes and setting them by the sink. For a moment, it felt like a husband and wife cleaning up together.
By the time we left the room, the mansion was alive again. Servants and aides moved quickly through the halls, carrying trays of food and medicine for the wounded, water buckets and other items. The battle had left its mark on everyone.
Jiang Siwan clung to my arm, her face a little awkward as we turned the corner.
A familiar voice froze me in place.
"Mother? John?"
Roulan stood at the far end of the corridor, her hair loose over her shoulders, her uniform replaced by casual sweats. Her eyes flicked to her mother, then to me and back to her mother's hand, which wrapped around my waist, and how she leaned against me.
A blush dyed her cheeks, but she quickly adjusted and looked at me with an awkward smile. "I was just coming to find you, the others wanted to hold a meeting about when we're gonna leave for the old base and what your plans were...."
Siwan arched a brow, her tone deceptively casual. "You don't seem too surprised, Lan'er. Is everything okay?"
"Well... John already asked me if I could accept him sleeping with you." Roulan's hands fidgeted behind her back as she tried to act normally.
I stepped in before sparks started flying. "I was just about to ask your grandfather about borrowing jeeps for the journey. Shall we meet the others now?"
Roulan and Siwan looked at each other; there wasn't any anger or aggression, but their smiles looked a little awkward and forced. The only solution that came to mind was sleeping with both of them... to build resistance to this kind of thing.
Well, it worked with Qinglan, Yifei and Roulan.
"Let's go then." Roulan turned on her heel and led the way, but she walked a little too fast.
"Ngh... wait John, it hurts... help me." Siwan struggled to follow without my help. It seemed she'd strained her hips, and her entire body felt sore.
We walked together through the halls, Roulan walking a pace ahead with her arms folded tight, her mother gliding silently beside me. The tension gradually gave way to the low hum of voices from the great hall.
Roulan swiped a card over the double doors, and they started shifting.
When the doors opened, the Jiang patriarch sat waiting. Jiang Luo, Siwan's father, leaned back in a carved wooden chair, his expression unreadable. The scars of age and leadership weighed on his face, but his eyes were sharp, calculating.
"John, Siwan.... Roulan?" he greeted us with a light tone. "You've done well to return safely."
I bowed slightly, then took the offered seat. Siwan and Roulan sat behind me, one on either side, like a pair of watchful shadows.
Jiang Luo's face looked awkward as he snorted, scrunching his face.
"I am shocked you managed to hold the wall so well." Jiang Luo continued. "And that you cut down such a great number of mutants with minimal losses. Impressive. But victory breeds complacency, we cannot afford to grow loose now."
"I agree," I said firmly. "Which is why I came to ask for jeeps. Survivors remain at the old base. If we can bring them here, we'll have more manpower, more skills. Every life we save strengthens us."
The old man then asked a question that shocked me for a moment.
"If I help you, what can you bring me in return?"
And out of my mouth.... I blurted. "A great grandchild."
To which Jiang Roulan's jaw dropped.