Abnormal survival in the end times

Chapter 202 Acting
"Bai Yang, is that really you?"

Before the words had even finished, the person who spoke rushed towards him, startling Bai Yang.

He dodged back more than ten meters, holding the wooden shovel horizontally in front of him, staring warily at the woman who was still trying to pounce on him.

The other person's voice was hoarse and sounded somewhat familiar, but I couldn't quite place who it was.

"Who are you?"

"Bai Yang, it's me, He Ningzhu."

The person pulled down the tattered scarf covering their face, revealing a face with a red nose and an oval-shaped purple frostbite on their left cheek. Their right cheek wasn't unscathed either, with a black spot the size of a one-yuan coin, the cause of which was unclear.

If she hadn't mentioned her name, Bai Yang would never have recognized her as He Ningzhu, the once-famous beauty queen of their university.

However, despite being university classmates, Bai Yang didn't consider himself close to her. In fact, he had almost been tricked by her once.

His brother-in-law picked him up and helped them escape from the school. After that, they went their separate ways and never saw each other again.

Now we meet—no, it can't even be called a meeting, it's just that we've run into classmates we know.

He put away the wooden shovel he had been holding in front of him, gave the other person a slight nod, and said, "Long time no see."

Before the other person could speak, he added, "It's cold, put on your scarf and hurry back to the team to work."

As an old classmate, he felt he was considerate of her, because teams like He Ningzhu's, who had been assigned tasks, needed to complete a certain number of sections of road to earn points. If they didn't complete enough, the agreed-upon points would be reduced.

However, his thoughtfulness seemed to go unappreciated. Not only that, after a moment of stunned silence, He Ningzhu looked at him with a face full of grievance and resentment, choking back tears, "Bai Yang, it's been so long since we last met, haven't you... how... how could you..."

Her hesitation to speak, coupled with her reluctance to cry, left others with endless room for speculation.

Everyone looked at He Ningzhu, then at Bai Yang, and someone teased, "Bai Yang, is this your ex-girlfriend?"

Everyone in Yunxi Village knows that Bai Yang is now dating Dr. Xi, so everyone knows who his girlfriend is.

The reason I asked this question is not for any other reason than to joke around when I was bored.

"Shut up!"

Bai Yang glared at the villagers who were laughing and joking, then frowned slightly when he looked at He Ningzhu.

Honestly, she was inexplicably clingy to him when the apocalypse first arrived, and now she's talking incoherently. Bai Yang didn't think he had given her any false impressions before; he didn't even remember speaking to her before the apocalypse.

Perhaps because his sister has never been very talkative since she was a child, she has always kept her distance from girls who are always chattering and never stop talking.

Bai Yang wanted to turn around and leave, ignoring He Ningzhu completely. But...
He glanced at the group opposite him, which was mostly men, and asked, barely suppressing his temper, "Who is your captain?"

Even temporary teams have captains, and the captain is always the strongest member of the team.

Those of them who were assigned to live in the same area after entering the country naturally didn't have much prestige; it was simply a matter of who had the strongest fist.

This is true for most teams.

"I'm."

A lean and muscular man stepped out of the line, glanced at He Ningzhu first, and then looked at Bai Yang.

Before the two teams even collided, the man could tell that Bai Yang and his group were locals from Pengcheng. Looking at the direction they were coming from, and seeing that the person Xiao He had called out seemed to be surnamed Bai, it was truly unexpected that the unassuming Xiao He knew someone from Baiguoyuan.

"She's my college classmate. I'd like to talk to her alone for a few minutes, is that alright?"

Although she really didn't want to have any more contact with He Ningzhu, they were classmates after all, and if she just left like this, it would be unfair to her, a young woman.
Bai Yang wouldn't mind lending a helping hand if it was just a small favor, but this would be the only time.

"Okay, okay, of course."

The man gave Bai Yang a fawning smile and took the opportunity to introduce himself, "My name is Ma Yuanhang, you can just call me Xiao Ma. Our team came to Pengcheng last month and we currently live in the Pengwanhu Community up ahead. If you need any work in the future, feel free to contact us."

Two areas in Shenzhen are renowned: Yunxi Village and the greenhouse area.

Needless to say, the greenhouse area is Li Nan's base of operations, where they can recruit workers anytime. There used to be a factory there, but it has been shut down since the weather turned cold and will resume operations when the temperature rises.

This is the place that these survivors who came in most hoped to go.

But Yunxi Village is different from the greenhouse area. I heard that it is strictly managed there, and the villagers are self-sufficient and have no worries about food and clothing. They never hire workers and do not allow outsiders to enter.

Baiguoyuan is a unique entity in Yunxi Village, and can be called its leader.

Although Ma Yuanhang knew that Yunxi Village and Baiguoyuan were not hiring, he thought, what if they were?
We were fortunate enough to encounter the Bai family; it was just a matter of exchanging a few words. Even if we didn't have any work to do, it wouldn't cause any problems. If we could leave an impression on them, they might think of us first if something really happened in the future.

Anyway, let's just try our luck and see what happens.

Bai Yang glanced at Ma Yuanhang with slight surprise, thinking that this man was really quick-witted. However, he was not disgusted by it. It was not like the man was getting something for nothing. He was just saying a few more words to survive. It was nothing.

He nodded slightly. "Ma Yuanhang, right? Okay, I'll remember you. I'll definitely let you know if I need anything."

Ma Yuanhang was immediately flattered, and his face, which was pale from the cold, flushed with excitement.

He thanked Bai Yang repeatedly and assured him, "Xiao He and his family live right next door to me. You can rest assured that their safety is in my hands. Xiao He, have a good chat with your classmate. Don't rush to get to work."

After saying that, he immediately made room for them and led people to the other side to shovel snow.

Bai Yang turned and told the people from Yunxi Village to go back first, and he immediately followed.

After making the arrangements, he turned to look at He Ningzhu, but frowned again at the tears that suddenly streamed down her face.

"He Ningzhu, as a classmate, I don't mind giving you some help within my capacity, but that's all."

He paused for a moment, looking at He Ningzhu, who had wiped away half of the dark spots on her face while wiping away tears, revealing a corner of her fair skin beneath her slightly dark skin.

He was slightly surprised, but then he understood.

It seems He Ningzhu isn't so stupid after all, being able to come up with this way to protect herself.

By making herself look ugly and working alongside a group of men, Bai Yang felt that she was more pleasing to the eye now compared to her delicate appearance when she first arrived in the apocalypse.

But no matter what, it has nothing to do with him.

After all, to him, she was just an ordinary college classmate. Personally, he didn't want to have any more contact with her.

"Bai Yang, I miss you so much."

He Ningzhu's sobbing words startled Bai Yang so much that he took two steps back and even considered turning around and running away.

"No, He Ningzhu, I just helped you out, you can't repay kindness with enmity, can you?"

Repaying kindness with hatred?

He Ningzhu froze, her tears stopping. What did this mean? When did she repay kindness with enmity?

Bai Yang followed up quickly, saying, "You know that what you said could easily cause misunderstandings? And just now, you only said half of what you meant, leaving the other half for others to think about. Have you always had this habit of speaking? If so, I advise you to change it, because this habit of yours is really bad and easily causes misunderstandings. Just like just now, my companion with me misunderstood. What if he goes back and tells my girlfriend? Then I'll be in a situation where I can't clear my name no matter what I do!"

He Ningzhu:
She didn't hear anything else clearly, but the words "girlfriend" exploded in her ears like a thunderclap, making her eardrums hurt.

After a while, He Ningzhu seemed to recover. She stood in the snow, and the warmth that had flowed through her heart after seeing Bai Yang, which had been frozen, vanished in an instant.

Her lips trembled as she murmured, "Girlfriend."

Seeing He Ningzhu's distraught appearance, Bai Yang felt something was off.

Honestly, he and she had never had any relationship, so why did she look like she had been abandoned by him?
"Okay, now that you have a new girlfriend, let's pretend we're strangers when we meet again."

poplar:.
What nonsense are you talking about?

He couldn't take it anymore and said directly, "He Ningzhu, we weren't close before, were we? I remember back in school, I never spoke more than the top student in total, so why?"

"You passed me so many notes and even wrote me a love letter, and I replied with one too. On the very first day of the apocalypse, I said I'd be your girlfriend. Bai Yang, and now you're telling me we're not close? You scumbag!"

poplar:.
He almost jumped up. "What nonsense are you talking about? When did I pass you notes? When did I write you love letters? I have no feelings for you. Only someone with water in their brain would do something like that."

"Dong Ziming slipped it into my book. The two of you are inseparable. Do you dare say he wasn't helping you?"

"What do I have to be afraid to say? Just because he sends you love letters doesn't mean he likes you? Just because we're inseparable doesn't mean he has to help me pass on love letters? Are you out of your mind?"

"How could that be? He looks like that and he dares to write me love letters? Don't deny it, they're yours."

Bai Yang fell silent, staring at He Ningzhu with icy eyes.

No wonder she kept clinging to him on the day the apocalypse started; it turns out she mistook the love letter Zi Mo gave her for his. How naive of her!

Bai Yang scoffed, "Looks like that? What does Dong Ziming look like? How ugly is he that he's not worthy of liking you?"

He and Dong Ziming were not only close friends in college but also from the same hometown. However, they hadn't seen each other since returning to Shenzhen and parting ways. Later, when he and his brother-in-law went to the city to clear out zombies, they specifically went to Dong Ziming's neighborhood to look for him, but they couldn't find him.

It seems the odds are against them.

With all his friends gone, and the girl he once loved speaking ill of him, Bai Yang felt deeply sorry for Dong Ziming.

That guy doesn't talk much, but he's very talented in writing; he can write poetry, prose, and even novels.

So when Bai Yang heard He Ningzhu mention the love letter, he knew it must have been written by him. Because it seemed that no one else would use such an old-fashioned method to pursue girls anymore.

Bai Yang couldn't recall what Dong Ziming's expression was like when He Ningzhu clung to him on the day the apocalypse first arrived.

Never mind, it's not important anymore.

Now that things were clear, Bai Yang stopped arguing with He Ningzhu. He picked up his wooden shovel, turned around, and left. In the blink of an eye, he was over a hundred meters away, so fast that He Ningzhu didn't even have time to react.

By the time she realized what was happening, Bai Yang had already disappeared.

"Xiao He, so your classmate is a speed-type."

Seeing Bai Yang leave, Ma Yuanhang immediately ran to He Ningzhu's side, enviously turning his gaze away from the distance, but when he saw He Ningzhu's face washed with tears, he froze.

He Ningzhu quickly lowered her head, covered her face tightly with her scarf again, and pulled her hat down to cover half of her beautiful eyes as well.

Two years into the apocalypse, she was no longer the naive and innocent little girl she once was. To survive, she was willing to do anything except sell her body.

For example, acting!
My excitement when I first met Bai Yang was half genuine and half acted.

It's true that I miss him. It's also true that I felt heartbroken when I heard he had a girlfriend.

But so what?
Compared to living, love and romance are nothing!

Of course, it would be even better if one could live a good life while also having the love one dreams of.

But if she had to choose between the two, she would choose to live without hesitation.

He Ningzhu felt that she had at least succeeded halfway today.

Because Bai Yang told Ma Yuanhang that she was his college classmate, based on just that one sentence, she believed that their family's life would get much better from now on.

My old classmate, it's already quite good that I was able to help her this far.

Even if Ma Yuanhang saw her true face, he wouldn't do anything to her.

When they first moved to Shenzhen, they weren't originally assigned to live next to Ma Yuanhang, but she managed to use a clever trick to get them moved next door to him.

This person is both strong and has a clear and honest look in his eyes. Living next to someone like this is definitely much better than living on the outskirts.

At the very least, when they go on missions together, as a neighbor, even if she is a woman who is not very strong, Ma Yuanhang will give her priority.

Now, with the help of Bai Yang, He Ningzhu believes that her family will definitely be able to weather the cold wave and hold on until the weather warms up, then find a suitable village to cultivate the land.

As for that youthful flutter of attraction, the boy she once held dear in her heart could only be suppressed deep within, never to be seen again.

Sorry, Dong Ziming
There was no love letter at all. There never was. I just made it up because I wanted to talk to Bai Yang a little more. I was going to say that when Dong Ziming gave her the love letter, I said it was for Bai Yang, but I changed my mind at the last minute.

It's clear that Bai Yang doesn't want to have anything to do with her anymore, so let's leave it at that.

No matter what, he was a boy she once cherished and held dear in her heart, and she didn't want to make her image in his mind worse and worse.

Girlfriend
I really envy that girl. I wonder who she is and if she's very pretty.
Take one last look in the direction Bai Yang left, He Ningzhu took a deep breath, gripped the shovel in her hand, and resolutely turned to follow Ma Yuanhang toward the snow-covered area.
good night!