"I mean, are you actually turned on by this?" Jiang Chen sensed a despicable glare directed at him. He trembled at the threatening look Sun Jiao gave him.
"You are overthinking this situation. Yao Jiayu is the IT specialist I found," Jiang Chen explained with a forced smile. Do I look like someone who is into loli?
Sun Jiao looked at Jiang Chen with suspicion, and then she turned her attention to the girl. Without any sound, she whispered to him.
"Is she trustworthy?"
"I believe she has nothing to do with the Huizhong Mercenaries." Jiang Chen shook his head."I don’t want to hear the word believe. This is for your safety." Sun Jiao sighed as she approached Yao Jiayu. With one finger, she gently raised the girl’s head and cautiously gazed into her eyes.
"Do you know Zhou Guoping?" The sudden question didn’t leave the girl with any time to prepare.
But the crystal clear eyes were only filled with emptiness and confusion. Without any emotional fluctuation, she said, "no, I don’t know."
"Excellent. I need to do a search on you. I hope you don’t mind." Sun Jiao nodded as a grin appeared out of nowhere.
"Ok…" Yao Jiayu responded in a quiet and obedient voice
To Jiang Chen’s surprise, Sun Jiao unzipped her clothes.
Yao Jiayu’s face blushed to dark red color, but she didn’t resist Sun Jiao’s action. She used her shaking hands to cover her sensitive parts. Her lips trembled slightly. It looked like she was afraid of the older girl in front of her.From Sun Jiao’s eyes, she didn’t see the same sympathy.
"Come on, what are you doing?" Jiang Chen asked while blushing, as he subconsciously tried to block his vision.
"I am doing a search on her to make sure she is trustworthy. Why are you blushing as if you are still a virgin? Are you still not used to seeing a naked girl’s body?" Sun Jiao mocked Jiang Chen as she rolled her eyes
"Do you want to test me right here right now?" Jiang Chen said defiantly.
Yao Jiayu’s face was still red. She looked at the ground and tried to hide her face. Her body still quivered.
It was not because of the weather; this luxurious room was equipped with a heater. It was because Yao Jiayu was embarrassed. Although she thought she was calm, to be stripped in front of a guy was still too exhilarating for her.
"Ok, no signaling devices or weapons." Sun Jiao caressed Yao Jiayu’s chest as she stood up. It caused a subtle scream. "Are you sure you are a girl? Why are you so flat?"
Maybe it was intentional; Sun Jiao proudly raised her chest.
Yao Jiayu remained silent. Her face was still red. She kept her head down; afraid to pick up the clothes on the floor.
"What are you even doing?" Jiang Chen interrupted Sun Jiao's mischievous actions. Blushing, he told Yao Jiayu, "you… put your clothes back on."
"Ok." The girl picked up her clothes. She had hesitated for a moment before she decided to put them on in front of them.
Jiang Chen thought he might have seen something he shouldn’t have seen. He immediately covered his nose, preventing a bloody nose from the heated excitement.
"Why are you so timid and embarrassed? She’s your slave and now part of your private assets. Even if you wanted to do something, she would not resist." Sun Jiao said mockingly.
"Oh? Are you not going to be jealous?" Jiang Chen gave Sun Jiao another hard stare. He felt it was necessary to punish the naughty girl for all her comments.
"I will suck you dry." She said this as she bit Jiang Chen’s ear which made him feel even more aroused.
[Fine, the punishment will come later.] He took a deep breath and recollected his thoughts. "Ok, enough of the jokes. This is Sun Jiao, and I am Jiang Chen. From now on, you are part of the group." Jiang Chen tried to sound as friendly as possible to the girl who was still confused.
"Yes, master." The girl said with her head lowered.
"You don’t have to call me master, you can call me Jiang Chen. That electronic bracelet looks unsafe. Since you are trustworthy to me, let me take it off for you." Although it felt pretty satisfying to be called master by a sweet-looking girl, it still felt awkward to him.
Even though Sun Jiao stared at him like he was a dumbass, Jiang Chen chose to ignore it.
"No!"
To Jiang Chen’s surprise, Yao Jiayu didn’t thank him for his intentions. Instead, she backed away with a pleading look.
"Why?" Jiang Chen was astounded by her action.
"I… I don’t mind a master who’s so sympathetic. Yao Yao is very grateful. I hope you don’t abandon me."
"I didn’t say I was going to abandon you."
"Even though you are not doubtful of her, it doesn’t mean you can trust her. Looks like she is pretty smart after all," Sun Jiao whispered.
Jiang Chen realized why Yao Jiayu thought that way, with Sun Jiao explanation. He recognized his immature thinking as he forced a smile. He was too used to the logics back in the modern world, but it was obviously different in the apocalypse.
Betrayal, although a disdained word, was not uncommon in this world. Comrades shot each other for the loot, betraying their allegiance to each other; husbands disregarded the responsibility of family for survival. These were all too common in this post-apocalyptic world.
If he took off the electronic bracelet, even if he didn't want to think negative about her consciously, he would subconsciously remain doubtful of her. Unlike Sun Jiao, she wasn't here with him from the beginning. Doubt would sprout suspicion, and any of her future actions would be suspected.
She didn’t have any ill intentions nor any combat power. Even if she took off the bracelet, a simple bullet would be enough to end her. She was young, but she was also smart. She knew that if she kept the bracelet on, Jiang Chen would develop trust in her eventually.
That was enough.
If she were obedient, she would not be left behind. She quietly tightened her fists as she made a decision. She didn't have a lot to desire, but she wanted to continue to live. Of course, it would be better if she could be happy.
Jiang Chen somewhat understood Yao Jiayu’s intention. He smiled and didn’t insist further.
She thought too much. Even if Jiang Chen took off the bracelet, he would not change the way he looked at her.
Jiang Chen always subconsciously used the modern way of thinking to treat Sun Jiao and Yao Yao. Likewise, the two of them also always judged Jiang Chen from their perspective.
From his point of view, Yao Yao was just an immature girl. Even if she was a computer genius, she still did not pose a threat.
Yao Jiayu used the survivor’s way of thinking to guess Jiang Chen’s thought process. Sun Jiao has a slight idea of Jiang Chen’s homeland, but she still couldn’t jump out of the traditional way of thinking. Maybe they both saw his difference compared to other people, a set of value that could only be described as a "naive" sympathy. However, neither couldn’t guess what he was really thinking.
Why? It was because he was not afraid. He could leave the dangerous wasteland at any time and return to his peaceful world. With that, would anyone be afraid of the cruelty in this world?
This kind of thinking may cause him to lose his alertness, but it was not something that changed in the matter of a few days. He’s only been here for a week and has seen a glimpse of the post-apocalyptic world.
Sun Jiao brought Yao Jiayu into the bathroom. Although he was slightly disappointed to miss the opportunity to shower with Sun Jiao, it was a great opportunity for the two girls to bond. It would be unpleasant if animosity grew between Sun Jiao and Yao Yao since Sun Jiao did tease her a bit. That’s why Sun Jiao volunteered to help her shower.
However, Yao Yao still stared at him with her watery eyes, pleading before going in.
Beside the bathtub.
"Yao Yao!"
"Yes!" Startled like a terrified rabbit, she immediately straightened her back.
"Don’t be so tense." Sun Jiao smiled as she picked up Yao Jiayu. She gently rubbed her back. "Can I call you Yao Yao in the future?"
"Yes... Yes," she replied in a frightened voice.
"Don’t be afraid. I am very nice to my people," she lightly touched the bruise on her face, and said with a gentle voice, "does it still hurt?"
"A little bit."
"I’ll put some medicine on it after the shower. To be honest, your skin is quite soft after you shower." Sun Jiao was a bit jealous as she massaged Yao Yao’s neck. Yao Jiayu was like a rabbit caught by a tiger, as she timidly squeezed her body.
"Yes, it’s the third type of hibernation chamber. It can improve body functionality," Yao Yao replied softly.
"Eh? Hibernation chamber. That’s quite an expensive piece of equipment. So, you are older than me," Sun Jiao smirked.
"No, No. I entered the chamber when I was twelve. Although I spent 20 years in there, because of the inhibitor I took, my body only aged by about two years. Add the two years I spent at Sixth Street, my body’s age is only 16, and my mental age is 14."
"Eh? I don’t know that much. 12+20, that’s 30 right?" Sun Jiao’s old tendency came back. She enjoyed teasing what she thought was cute.
"No, I… I am not that old," Yao Yao quietly rejected.
"So, you’re at the age where you can be eaten?"
"Eaten?!" Yao Yao’s face suddenly turned pale. She had heard about freaks that lived on the wasteland who enjoyed human meat.
"What are you even thinking? This kind of being eaten." Sun Jiao’s hand lightly caressed over Yao Yao’s small chest.
Yao Yao blushed again and buried her face.
"I, I will be very obedient… If the master wants to eat me, I will not resist."
"I won’t let that happen," Sun Jiao jokingly interrupted Yao Yao.
"Eh?" Yao Yao was confused.
"I will eat everything clean." She proudly raised her chest. It was fun teasing this little loli.
She felt the firm and soft chest push against her back and Yao Yao forced a smile as there was nothing she could do. No one wanted to fight you for it anyways, she said in her head. But even she didn’t realize that she was slightly disappointed.
"I need the water!""Ha!" Joy filled the bathroom.
They were happy spending time together. It’s great that they could get along nicely.
Jiang Chen heard the noise from the washroom and a smile appeared on his face. He used a can opener to put the dishes onto the plates and placed them in the microwave. Dishes of delicious meals were prepared and the rice was also ready. Once done, Jiang Chen arranged everything on the table.
Jiang Chen was impressed by his work of art. Who could say I am not a great man, although it was all canned food.
"Woah, it’s very fancy today." Still covered in a towel, Sun Jiao immediately sat down without any regard to delicacy.
"Come on, put your clothes on before eating."
Sun Jiao did not feel embarrassed at all. She even raised her almost exposed chest out at Jiang Chen and uncrossed her legs to expose more of the steamy view, as if she was saying I am not listening to you.
He felt teased by the scene, but since Yao Yao was beside him, Jiang Chen was a bit shy to just kiss Sun Jiao on the spot. He forced down a sip of cold beer and cooled down.
Sun Jiao was pleased by the way Jiang Chen looked, and she happily chugged a cooled can of coke.
Of course, this guy likes girls with big chests. If Jiang Chen knew what Sun Jiao was thinking, he would spit out the beer.
"Yao Yao, why are you not eating?" He ignored Sun Jiao’s lack of elegance as he turned his attention to the motionless Yao Yao.
She stared at the table full of food as she swallowed a little. She was completely stunned. Pork, chicken, and cabbage. It must be a dream. She foolishly raised her hand and lightly bit on it. Ouch, that hurt.
"Omg, the food tastes so good."
"Finish your food before opening your mouth. Yao Yao, if you don’t eat now, she is going to finish everything." Jiang Chen waved at Yao Yao and interrupted her daze.
"Me? I can?" She continued to swallow; her eyes wide open. With a look of disbelief, she said, "it’s also for me?"
"Of course, we always eat together. Okay, slow down, no one is competing with you. Are you not embarrassed?" There was no delicacy as to how Sun Jiao ate.
"Why, why do you care…" Sun Jiao mumbled with her mouth full.
This girl, even when she looked mature, why does she act like a kid sometimes. Jiang Chen looked at Sun Jiao as he also picked up his chopsticks.
Yao Yao carefully sat down, but she didn’t move at all.
"Are you not hungry?"
"No, no." She lowered her head, and tears began to fill her eyes, "Why, why are you so nice to me? I am just a slave after all."
Slave? Jiang Chen never thought about it that way. Compared to a slave master, he enjoyed the position of a boss more. Forced obedience was never as good as true respect.
"Don’t cry haha, it’s bad for your stomach if you cry while you eat. Try this. This is my sautéed pork." Although it was canned food, Jiang Chen was still proud.
"Ok!" Tears emerged at an even faster pace, which made Jiang Chen even more confused as to what he should do.
This fancy dinner reminded Yao Yao of the happy family she had before. At that moment, she almost felt time like she was hallucinating.
At that moment, everything was happening before the war. The man in front of her was her brother, and the woman was her sister. The rare moment of joy surrounded the table, and her eyes teared up.
By chance, at that moment, Jiang Chen also felt an illusion.
An illusion known as home.
