Chapter 56
TL: Moonlit
“Some people are just never satisfied,” someone spoke up, saying, “If you truly care about the friendship with your classmates, why not leave us a few automatic rifles as well?”
Wen Qingling looked at the person speaking, his gaze clear and cold, devoid of any emotion. The classmate locked eyes with him for two seconds before finally unable to withstand the pressure, looked away first.
This person was also a member of the basketball team, named Tao Yan. Wen Qingling felt a sense of familiarity but couldn’t remember his name. In fact, he only remembered the name of Mo Jing from the entire school basketball team and had no relationship with anyone else.
Wen Qingling said, “I intended to leave the three automatic rifles they had with them for you all, but now I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Tao Yan retorted, “…”
Tao Yan called out, “Stop with the pretty words. Can you really do it?”
“Can you stop talking?” Mo Jing looked at Tao Yan, the Wen Qingling before his eyes had changed so much, completely unpredictable.
Tao Yan still couldn’t accept it and said, “He’s just speaking pretty words! What does it mean by ‘intended to give but not anymore’? If he really wanted to give them to us, why say such things?!”
Xiao Hen said, “Initiative giving is about friendship, not asking him for it.”
Tao Yan remained silent.
Ji Rong sneered, “Classmate, with a single sentence of yours, you lost three automatic rifles and three boxes of ammunition. Do you regret it?”
Tao Yan remained silent.
Annoyed and embarrassed, Tao Yan couldn’t help but blurt out, “You liked Mo Jing, didn’t you? Is your affection so cheap? You can’t even part with a few guns?”
With Tao Yan’s words, the expressions of Xiao Hen, Mo Jing, and Feng Yi all changed. It was Wen Qingling, the main character involved, who had no reaction at all.
Mo Jing reprimanded in anger, “Tao Yan! Shut up!”
Tao Yan had already thrown caution to the wind. “So this is the person you’ve been longing for all along? Take a good look at him yourself! Initially, he actively pursued you, willingly chased after you. As long as there was your basketball game, he would definitely be there. And what’s the result? What does your relationship even count for? They said ‘graduation means breaking up,’ but you guys broke up in college. Now, in the apocalypse, you don’t even recognize each other?!”
Jiang Lan’s face also changed. She secretly glanced at Xiao Hen and saw her daughter-in-law’s unpleasant expression. Then she looked at Mo Jing, comparing the two of them, and still felt that Xiao Hen was more pleasing. The key point was that Xiao Hen seemed reliable, mature, and powerful, while this Mo Jing couldn’t even handle a small base and wasn’t worthy of her own son.
Jiang Lan spoke up, “Child, what’s going on?”
Wen Qingling blinked and shook his head, “I don’t know.”
He also wanted to know what was going on. Jiang Lan tugged at her son’s clothes and motioned for him to look at Xiao Hen.
Wen Qingling glanced at Xiao Hen, who had been staring at him all along, his expression particularly gloomy.
Wen Qingling: “???”
What does that mean? Showing him an unpleasant expression?
Suddenly, Sang Qin burst into laughter, “Jiang Lan, I never expected your son to actually like men! He’s actually gay! Hahaha, this is too funny!”
Feng Hui exclaimed, “Some people, they look decent, but you never know… Ugh! Disgusting!”
Wen Qingling remained unfazed, but Feng Yi’s expression completely changed.
Wen Qingling said, “I pursued him actively? I actively chased after you?”
Mo Jing desperately wanted to shut these people’s mouths, “No, there are some misunderstandings…”
“Oh, come on, what kind of misunderstanding can there be when it comes to liking men? This kind of thing is innate. Jiang Lan, your son has such a nature, how can you still have the face to be proud in front of me?!” Sang Qin took the opportunity to ridicule Jiang Lan.
Jiang Lan was not a patient person. “So what if my son likes men? I’ve been hoping all along that he could bring me a son-in-law, how about that? What’s wrong? You’re not as good-looking as me, and your son is not as excellent as mine. Now you envy my son for liking men, don’t you?”
“Disgusting!” Sang Qin had just finished speaking when Jiang Lan reached her and grabbed her hair, delivering a beating.
“Try spitting again if you dare! I, his mother, have never spit on him. Who do you think you are to dare spit on him?!” Jiang Lan grabbed the person and delivered two slaps to their face. “I always prided myself on being a knowledgeable and virtuous lady, never bothering with mistresses or troublemakers. But you, on the other hand, have the audacity. You always wanted to turn me into a troublemaker, and today I’ll fulfill your wish!”
Feng Hui reacted and rushed forward to stop Jiang Lan. “Let go of my mom!”
Jiang Lan retaliated with a slap, “And you, shameless thing! How dare someone like you spit on my son? You find my son disgusting? Look at yourself before judging others! Like mother, like daughter! Disgusting mother gave birth to a disgusting daughter, the whole family is disgusting!”
“Stop it! Don’t fight!” Feng Yi intervened but couldn’t pull Jiang Lan away.
Feng Yi looked at Wen Qingling, who had a blank expression on his face and showed no intention of stopping the fight. Then he looked at Mo Jing, who was also infuriated.
Feng Yi had no choice but to say, “Auntie, please stop. This is my fault, it has nothing to do with my mom.”
Jiang Lan let go of Sang Qin, who was covered in blood and crying, “I know, you must not be a good person either. Sang Qin herself is twisted, it’s a miracle if she can raise a good child!”
Mo Jing glanced at Feng Yi, who braved through it, “It’s my fault. I… I noticed that Wen Qingling has always been paying attention to Mo Jing. He often went to watch his basketball games. I suspected that Wen Qingling might like Mo Jing…”
Jiang Lan crossed her arms and said with interest, “Impressive, you can guess that he might like someone just by seeing how often he looks at boys. Either you have a wild imagination or you’re not straight yourself.”
Feng Yi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, “Yes, I’ve liked Mo Jing since the first year of high school, but I didn’t dare to say it. I didn’t know if he liked boys or girls. So, when I noticed that Wen Qingling was paying so much attention to him, I wanted to test it with Wen Qingling. If Mo Jing didn’t like boys, he would definitely find Wen Qingling disgusting and avoid him. If Mo Jing also liked boys, maybe I would have a chance. That’s why I told Mo Jing that Wen Qingling liked him.”
Sang Qin couldn’t hold back and lunged forward.
Feng Hui stood frozen in place.
Feng Yi continued, “I just didn’t expect that my actions would completely push Mo Jing towards Wen Qingling. Not only did he not dislike Wen Qingling, but he actively befriended him. Whenever he had the chance, he would invite Wen Qingling to hang out. I know that Mo Jing might like Wen Qingling, and that’s why I resented Wen Qingling so much…”
Wen Qingling said, “So, you spread the news that I like boys in college, instigated my roommates to isolate me, and forced me to move off-campus in the first year. I was subjected to gossip and judgment every day by my classmates, all because Mo Jing might like me?”
Feng Yi bent down in front of Wen Qingling, “I apologize to you for what I did back then. I was in the wrong.”
Jiang Lan, knowing for the first time that her son had experienced such things in school, felt both heartache and anger. She rushed forward and pulled his ears, “You’re capable, hiding it from us even when you were bullied at school. You even lied to me and your dad, saying you moved off-campus for better studying. Studying?!”
Wen Qingling hurriedly protected his ears, as it had become a conditioned reflex, “I can’t hide it, my ears want to stay intact.”
“What do you want your ears for? What can you do with intact ears when you don’t care about your dignity and face?!” Jiang Lan was extremely angry and chased after Wen Qingling to hit him.
Xiao Hen couldn’t bear it and quickly stepped forward to block Jiang Lan’s temper, shielding Wen Qingling behind him. “Auntie, please don’t hit him.”
Jiang Lan’s raised fist almost hit Xiao Hen.
Xiao Hen hurriedly reminded Jiang Lan that there were so many people watching, was it worth it to ruin Wen Qingling’s face?
Jiang Lan angrily gasped for breath. “I’ll give you face today, but I’ll deal with you when we get back.”
Wen Qingling: “…”
Wen Qingling silently gave Xiao Hen a thumbs-up.
He was amazed that Xiao Hen, who was usually afraid of his mom’s temper, had the courage to step forward like that. He was truly impressive.
Xiao Hen indicated that he was also scared, his legs were trembling.
Jiang Lan, with an imposing manner, pointed at Mo Jing, “Do you like our Qingling?”
Mo Jing sighed helplessly, “It’s not a matter of whether I like him or not.”
Jiang Lan asked, “Then what is it?”
Mo Jing looked at Wen Qingling and remained silent.
He liked Wen Qingling, but it would only work if Wen Qingling liked him back.
Jiang Lan was so angry that she was about to pull her son’s ear. Wen Qingling quickly hid behind Xiao Hen and said, “Ladies use their mouths, not their hands.”
Jiang Lan said angrily, “Come out here! Don’t think Xiao Hen can protect you!”
Wen Qingling was frightened and said, “I won’t come out. If you have something to say, just say it like this.”
Jiang Lan put her hands on her hips and asked, “Do you like this kid?”
Wen Qingling quickly shook his head and said, “I don’t like him.”
Jiang Lan said, “If you don’t like him, why are you flirting with him?!”
Wen Qingling replied, “I didn’t flirt with him.”
Xiao Hen: “…”
It seems that this habit of unknowingly flirting with people has been there before.
Jiang Lan roared, “If you didn’t flirt with him, why did you go to every one of his basketball games?!”
Wen Qingling said, “He plays basketball well.”
Xiao Hen: “…”
Mo Jing: “…”
Jiang Lan: “…”
Jiang Lan weakly massaged her forehead. It’s over, her son turned out to be a fool. Even in this situation, he still says he didn’t flirt with anyone.
Ji Rong looked at his boss’s stiff expression and then at the oblivious Wen Qingling. He added, “Our boss is also very good at playing basketball. Not just basketball, but his archery skills are also top-notch. Every shooting competition, he always takes first place. He’s amazing.”
Mo Jing looked at Xiao Hen, who was dressed in military fatigues, and understood.
Mo Jing said, “Do you have someone you like?”
Xiao Hen glanced at Mo Jing and saw through his little scheme. Should he publicly execute something he couldn’t obtain himself?
Wen Qingling said, “No.”
Mo Jing looked at Xiao Hen and smiled. Wen Qingling didn’t like him, but he also didn’t like anyone else. That’s fair.
Xiao Hen’s expression grew darker.
Wen Qingling added, “But there’s someone I want to bite. But he’s dirty, so I’m not considering it for now.”
Ji Rong was choked by his own saliva and couldn’t stop coughing.
Dirty, dirty, dirty…
These two words seemed like a curse, constantly replaying in Ji Rong’s mind.
Xiao Hen was also almost choked. He didn’t expect Wen Qingling to be so straightforward and say it in front of so many people. Fortunately, no one could understand.
Mo Jing looked confused, clearly not understanding.
Wen Qingling turned around and waved at Xiong Shu, who was tall and burly, to come over. “Take care of him, he’s the father of my friend.”
Xiong Shu stood upright and awkwardly saluted. “Rest assured, Eldest Brother, we will definitely protect him.”
Everyone didn’t expect that the seemingly heartless Wen Qingling would give such instructions. The person he considered a “friend” was truly fortunate.
Old Zhou and Wen Bo had already dragged the dead mutant cow back into the car. Although the blood was wasted, there was still meat. Bringing it back would provide several hearty meals. It couldn’t be wasted.
Wen Qingling didn’t mention the matter of the automatic rifle until they left.
The people at Nan Yan Base could only watch as the three cars left, and no one dared to stop them.
Tao Yan was furious. “Are all the mutant animals here really given to Wen Qingling?”
Mo Jing was also a little frustrated and turned back. “He didn’t say we couldn’t catch them. If we can catch them, it’s ours. If they can catch them, it’s theirs. What’s wrong with that?”
Tao Yan followed him. “But these mutant animals are the property of our base!”
Mo Jing stopped and said, “That’s what you say to others. It doesn’t work with Wen Qingling. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
Tao Yan looked at Xiong Shu and the others and his gaze turned fierce. He whispered, “Why doesn’t it work? As long as we capture all of them… Ahh!”
Tao Yan’s words were not finished when suddenly vines pierced through his thigh, causing him to scream in pain.
Wen Qingling’s voice came faintly, “If not for us being classmates, you’re already a dead man now. I advise you not to have any extra thoughts. We are all classmates, so let’s live peacefully.”
Mo Jing was already sweating profusely. He was certain that Wen Qingling was already several miles away. How did he hear their conversation and control the vines to harm from such a distance?!
Mo Jing didn’t expect that when Wen Qingling said to take action, he would really take action. And he didn’t spare his former classmates any mercy.
Mo Jing: “Wen Qingling, you…”
Wen Qingling said, “I seek peace with others. If others don’t seek peace with me, why should I bother with peace?”
Mo Jing took a deep breath. “You misunderstood. Tao Yan has always had a sharp tongue, but he didn’t have any ill intentions…”
Wen Qingling interrupted, “Whether he has a sharp tongue is his own business. If he provokes me, I’ll teach him a lesson. That’s my business.”
Mo Jing had nothing more to say and could only apologize on Tao Yan’s behalf. “He was in the wrong, and I apologize to you on his behalf.”
Wen Qingling said, “Good brotherhood. I hope you can always be brothers.”
In this era, even family ties can’t be relied upon. Can the brotherhood that came halfway through be relied upon?
Wen Qingling didn’t believe it.