Relying on coaxing from her alter ego, Ning Xin successfully bridged the gap with the main personality. They ate and lived together peacefully every day, without any major conflicts occurring again, and she recalled the origin of Yan Ji.
Yan Ji, the mother consort mentioned by Nie Ran’s alter ego.
It is said that she was once beautiful and intelligent, summoned into the palace at a young age by the King of Xia.
Unfortunately, with fading beauty and waning love, she became one of many disgraced concubines.
These talismans capable of dispelling the undead, seemingly ordinary plants, shared the same name as his mother.
Whether it was a coincidence or there was indeed some connection remained unknown.
Though the fog still lingered before her, she had found a way to dispel it, so she woke up every day with confidence.
The next morning, Ning Xin finished cooking breakfast and squatted in the kitchen, counting the remaining supplies.
Nie Ran came downstairs, and she called out to him.
His gaze was wary, “I’m not eating.”
Ning Xin was certain this was the main personality and smiled as she pulled him over.
“You eat, I’ll wash the dishes today, no need for you to do it.”
He was half-sceptical, “You’re so kind-hearted.”
“Of course,” she said, “Am I a bad person? Would I lie to you? Eat without worries.”
Nie Ran still harboured doubts about her, but the aroma of the food on the table was enticing. The few meals he had eaten before had stirred the appetite buried deep within his decaying body, reigniting his impulse towards food.
Deception was deception; it was just about washing dishes.
He sat down, picked up the bowl, and found the white porridge with pickled vegetables and spicy shredded potatoes quite appetizing.
Ning Xin finished counting the food items, put them away, and then sat down too, but she didn’t eat. She just watched him, holding her face in her hands. After a few minutes, she asked, “Is it delicious?”
Nie Ran gave her a sarcastic look, his eyes mocking, but he grunted in acknowledgment, “Hmm.”
“Do you want to eat like this every day from now on?”
He furrowed his brows, “What are you trying to say?”
“We’ve almost finished our food here. If we don’t want to go hungry, it’s best to go out and find some more.”
“Where to?”
Ning Xin had a map in her hand, already set on the next destination. She showed it to him.
“Here. Have you been there before? Are there many undead around?”
He casually glanced at it, seeming not to see clearly, then snatched the map away, tilted his head back, and finished his porridge.
“Wait and see.”
After saying that, he took Dawn and left the house.
Ning Xin wanted to go with him and called after him from behind.
He mercilessly closed the door, and by the time she reopened the heavy new door, she couldn’t see his figure anymore.
There were many undead outside, but she had Yan Ji grass, so she wasn’t afraid.
However, with the map taken by him and the new destination being quite far, about a dozen kilometres away, getting lost on the way would be quite troublesome.
Ning Xin didn’t dare to venture out recklessly, so she could only sit in the house and wait.
Watching the time pass by second by second, the sun was about to set, and Nie Ran still hadn’t returned. Her hard-earned relaxation vanished, and her heart tightened again.
Could this guy be planning to escape with the map?
How despicable!
Ning Xin reheated the cold food and ate it all, not leaving a single bite for him.
Then she took a bath, washed her hair and clothes, busying herself. Despite her efforts, there was still no sign of him.
Night fell, there were no lights in the house, but it seemed brighter outside.
Ning Xin squatted behind the window, straining her eyes.
Finally, a familiar tall figure appeared in the distance, carrying a huge black shadow on his shoulders, seemingly carrying something.
She intentionally didn’t unlock the door, wanting him to plead with her.
But to her surprise, after Nie Ran arrived at the door, he used Dawn to pick the lock from the crack, and the door latch fell off.
He pushed the door open, unloaded what was on his shoulders, and dropped it to the ground.
Without saying a word, he turned around and left the house again.
…What is this?
Ning Xin was completely baffled. Afraid that the undead might take advantage of the situation and sneak in, she quickly went to close the door and then examined the pile of things.
The items were packed in a rough cloth bag. After opening it, she identified the contents one by one through touch.
Rice, flour, rock sugar, salt, potatoes, radishes, salted fish, preserved meat, and even a few handfuls of leafy vegetables.
There was even more than last time, almost enough for the two of them to eat for a month.
Did he go out alone for so long just to find food?
Did he have to visit several villages to find this much food?
Thinking of her own suspicions, Ning Xin suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
He was working hard outside, and she doubted him. She felt a bit guilty.
Nie Ran was probably out again looking for food. Ning Xin couldn’t sleep, so she started a fire and cooked, waiting for him to come back with a table full of dishes.
However, the next day, she noticed something wasn’t quite right.
Nie Ran kept shuttling back and forth, bringing back food that almost filled the living room, yet he showed no signs of stopping.
When he came back to unload the goods again, Ning Xin hurriedly shouted, “That’s enough, no more moving.”
Nie Ran wiped the thin sweat from his forehead. “Enough?”
“Enough, enough. With this much, we can eat for half a year. Besides, we only have this little firewood. Even with more ingredients, we can’t cook.”
Firewood…
He thought for a moment, then went out again without saying a word. Ten minutes later, a thick tree trunk was brought in.
Ning Xin: “…”
Then came the second, third, fourth trunk…
The space in the small rundown building they lived in was originally spacious enough. But in the blink of an eye, it was filled with food and wood, leaving no space to step on.
There was so much wood piled up that it even blocked the stairs. Nie Ran asked, “Is it enough now?”
Ning Xin’s mouth twitched. “What do you think?”
“Alright, let’s eat.”
He carefully put away the knife, sat down, and without minding that the food had cooled down, he picked up the bowl and started eating.
Ning Xin squatted next to him, organizing the pile of things, feeling a strange sense of wonder.
Could it be… that he wanted to live like this?
Her prediction came true. Nie Ran never left the asylum again. Every night, he slept next door to her. In the morning, he would get up, wipe his knife, or practice martial arts until she prepared breakfast. Then, he would come downstairs to eat.
If she asked, Nie Ran would wash the dishes after the meal.
If she didn’t ask, he would sit by the window and stare at the undead outside all day long.
In this world overrun by the undead, he surprisingly lived a leisurely life like a retired old man.
Ning Xin was restless, unable to tolerate such a life. Coupled with her desire to go back, she couldn’t hold back any longer on the third day and always wanted to indirectly ask him something.
In the afternoon, she pretended to sweep the floor and circled around him several times.
Nie Ran said, “If you have something to say, just say it. You’re making me dizzy with all this circling.”
She chuckled and leaned on the broomstick, asking, “What do you think our relationship is?”
“What kind of relationship?”
“Can we be considered friends? But I don’t even know where you came from or what you want to do. This kind of friendship seems too strange, doesn’t it?”
Nie Ran raised an eyebrow.
“What do you want to ask?”
She smiled, put down the broom, and approached him, trying to make her eyes look sincere.
“Let’s chat. I’ll answer whatever you want to ask, and you have to answer whatever I want to ask. How about that?”
“Not interested.”
“Don’t be so cold. Come on, we’ve known each other for so long. Do you still want to act like strangers?”
Under her persistent persuasion, Nie Ran reluctantly agreed.
To demonstrate her sincerity, she brought a chair and sat in front of him, taking the initiative, “You ask.”
He glanced at her indifferently, lifting his chin. “Are you betrothed to someone?”
“Huh?”
“You said you’d answer whatever I asked.”
Ning Xin shrugged.
“Well, I’m not married, but why do you ask? Is it…”
Nie Ran turned his face away, a barely visible blush tinting his cheeks.
“Stop jumping to conclusions. I just don’t want to cause trouble.”
“Hmph, suit yourself. Now it’s my turn.”
She bit her lower lip, her eyes spinning, trying to come up with a question.
“Did you… get sent to be a tribute later?”
She hadn’t read many books, but she knew from watching TV that a tribute was a hostage.
If he was sent as a hostage to an enemy country at a young age by his own father, it’s imaginable how many hardships he might have faced, leaving some psychological scars would be normal.
Nie Ran frowned, saying coldly, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“Hey, honesty is important. If there is, there is. If there isn’t, there isn’t. Why pretend to be ignorant?”
He suddenly leaned forward, staring at her eyes seriously.
“I’ve been wanting to ask for a long time. Where did you hear all these things from?”
Sugar people, shuttlecock, prince, and now even hostage.
It couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.
Ning Xin scratched her chin, not wanting to tell him.
After finally stabilizing their relationship, once she said it, it might bring trouble.
“I guessed.”
She replied.
Nie Ran stood up.
“I don’t want to talk anymore, you’re not being honest.”
She hurriedly followed him, grabbing his sleeve.
“I really just guessed. Don’t you have any other interesting questions? You can ask something else.”
Nie Ran looked down at her. She was small in stature and had a small face, her appearance could be considered refined, but her behaviour was anything but.
If she were a man, she could probably be a cunning merchant.
He pulled his sleeve away and said lightly, “I’m not interested in you.”
Ning Xin watched him go upstairs with frustration. After all this time, even a piece of iron should have melted, but he was still so indifferent.
Could it be that she wasn’t good enough for him? What does he actually like?
Nie Ran stayed in his room all afternoon, and even when dinner was ready, he didn’t come out.
Ning Xin was afraid that he might be angry because of what happened in the afternoon, so she specially brought the food over and knocked on the door.
“Are you awake? I brought dinner for you.”
There was no sound from inside. She gently pushed the door, and it opened.
Nie Ran was lying on the bed, the room dimly lit, making it hard to see his face.
Ning Xin placed the food on the bedside table, planning to leave. But as she turned around, she noticed that he had his eyes open, which startled her.
“Oh my god, you could at least say something. Come on, get up and eat.”
He didn’t move at all, his eyes not even blinking, following her movements.
Was this the primary personality or the secondary personality?
She wasn’t sure, so she cautiously reached out and pinched his nose.
Nie Ran didn’t speak or move, just continued to watch her.
She sighed in relief and vigorously rubbed his handsome face.
“Don’t be lazy, get up and eat.”
This must be the secondary personality, otherwise he would have pushed her away with a slap by now.
Nie Ran sat up, not even touching the food, and looked at her for a while before suddenly blurting out “sister.”
Seeing that he didn’t seem quite right, she sat next to him and touched his hair, asking, “What’s wrong? Are you upset?”
“Do you remember our first meeting?”
“Of course, it was just recently, wasn’t it? You woke up on this bed, chasing me around the room calling me auntie. Just thinking about it makes me furious.”
She huffed and turned her head to ask, “Why are you asking about this?”
” What do you think of me?”
“Well, let me think… You’re very obedient, very well-behaved, and you have a sweet mouth. But sometimes you’re too clingy, you need to change that.”
“What’s my name?”
“Nie Ran. What’s wrong with you today? You’re acting so strangely.”
Ning Xin reached out again, wanting to check his temperature to see if he had a fever.
Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist, tilted his head, and his eyes turned into a familiar cold indifference.
“The one who told you those things, was it him?”
Ning Xin: “???”
“How long has he been inside my body?”
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