Zombie Life Begins in Hongxi Village

Lin Yi watched the three leave, and when he turned around, Ren Tingting was already standing in front of him.

The moonlight shone on her plain white mourning clothes, making the thin blush on her face exceptionally clear.

If you want to be pretty, be filial.

Ren Tingting looked exceptionally charming, which made Lin Yi's heart flutter slightly.

She looked up at Lin Yi, her eyes sparkling, "Yi, you can actually fight zombies, that's really amazing!"

"Just some basic martial arts skills," Lin Yi casually replied.

Ren Tingting was clearly not satisfied with this answer.

She was wide awake, pulled Lin Yi to sit down on the armchair in the main hall, and then started chattering away with questions.

The questions she was asked most often weren't about zombies, but rather about Lin Yi's own background.

Lin Yi held her teacup, sipping her tea while making up a story.

He said he was from Xichuan, and later went abroad for a period of time by chance, and only recently returned to China.

My parents are no longer in this world, and I have been traveling all these years.

Every word he said was true; he just made some minor adjustments when putting them together.

"His parents are no longer in this world"—this statement is especially accurate. His parents are indeed no longer in this world; they are still in their old home in the 21st century.

But when Ren Tingting heard this, her eyes clearly flickered.

In her understanding, "both parents are no longer in this world" is equivalent to "both parents are dead".

Unburdened, good-looking, traveled abroad, and ridiculously strong—capable of defeating zombies single-handedly—what else could a man be but a match made in heaven?

Ren Tingting attended high school in the provincial capital and came from a prominent family. She had received a modern education and was worldly-wise.

Unlike women from humble backgrounds who often act coy and hesitant, she took direct action once she realized she had feelings for Lin Yi.

She twisted her sleeves with her fingers, then suddenly took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked straight into Lin Yi's eyes.

"Ayi, what do you think of me?"

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected Ren Tingting to be so direct; the speed was much faster than he had anticipated.

He took a serious look at Ren Tingting—the face shape of a certain Hong Kong star.

The girl, around sixteen or seventeen years old, was dressed in plain white mourning clothes. Her hair was tied up with a white silk ribbon, and her face was free of makeup, revealing her naturally fair and delicate skin full of collagen.

Although her eyes were still a little red and swollen, they were clear and bright, with a stubborn determination to achieve her goal.

"Miss Ren is beautiful and comes from a good family; she's a very good girl," Lin Yi said honestly.

Ren Tingting's face turned bright red, her hands twisting the hem of her clothes on her knees. She took several deep breaths before mustering the courage to continue.

Her voice softened considerably, but every word was spoken clearly: "Will you marry me?"

Lin Yi shook her head.

Ren Tingting's face turned pale instantly.

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes welling up with tears again, her lips trembling, and after a long while she managed to squeeze out a sentence: "You don't want to? Do you think I'm a promiscuous woman?"

We've only known each other for one day, and I'm already telling you all this? You think I'm frivolous, right?

Her voice grew softer and softer, the last word almost a whisper.

"No." Lin Yi shook her head, her expression calm and her tone frank. "Marriage is not a game. We've only just met, and you're already talking to me about marriage."

"You don't even know who I am, yet you're in such a hurry to get married?"

Upon hearing this, Ren Tingting felt a little relieved and developed a stronger liking for Lin Yi.

In her view, the more stable and self-controlled a man is, and the less eager he is to covet beauty and wealth, the more reliable he is.

If the other party agrees immediately, she will start to have second thoughts.

She bit her lip and remained silent for a moment, then raised her head and looked straight at Lin Yi, as if she had made up her mind.

"I really had no other choice." Her voice was soft, but her tone was firm. "When my father was alive, those distant relatives would come to our door every few days to curry favor with us."

My father had an accident today, and all day long, apart from you and Uncle Jiu, no one has come to see me.

She put down the teacup, clasped her hands together on her knees, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"My father only has one daughter, me. The elders of the Ren family haven't made any moves yet because my father just had an accident today, and they haven't reacted yet; they're still observing."

But in two or three days at most, they will come knocking on our door—to steal our entire fortune!

They will definitely adopt a nephew from their own clan to be my father's son, so that he can inherit the Ren family business.

Ren Tingting's voice gradually turned cold. Her tone was flat, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her, but her slightly trembling hands betrayed her emotions.

"They'll just find me a 'suitable husband.' Some landlord's foolish son, or the lord of a wealthy family in town—"

Of course, they will probably put on a very respectable act, saying that this is for my own good and for the future of the Ren family.

But no matter what, the Ren family's business would have nothing to do with me by then, and my life would be over.

Her eyes welled up with tears again as she spoke.

But she didn't cry; she forced back her tears, and her voice became even more steady than before.

"So I don't have time to take my time. If I do nothing, someone will make the decision for me within a month at most."

That's why I want to find a reliable husband as soon as possible, someone I choose myself. Even if it's just settling down, it will at least shut them up for now.

Ren Tingting raised her head, looked into Lin Yi's eyes, and blushed, but this time she did not look away.

"Ayi, you're a kind and good-hearted man, the most outstanding man I've ever met. I was attracted to you the moment I saw you. Rather than marrying someone I don't like, I'd rather seize the opportunity with the one I love. That's my honest opinion."

Lin Yi listened attentively to every word she said.

His expression gradually changed from nonchalant to focused.

This girl was much more insightful than he had imagined—she was only seventeen, yet on the very first day after her father's violent death, she had already clearly figured out what would happen next.

She knew she was a lamb to the slaughter, knew how her relatives would treat her, and knew that her only way to survive was to be with them.

This girl is extraordinary; if she lived in modern society, she might become a successful businesswoman.

He suddenly remembered a scene featuring Ren Tingting from the original drama.

Uncle Nine sent someone to suck out the corpse gas from Old Master Ren's mouth to prevent the corpse poison from spreading, but Wen Cai and A Wei, two grown men, were too cowardly to step forward.

Only Ren Tingting, this seemingly gentle and weak young lady, didn't even frown before moving closer, pressing her face against that stinky mouth with fangs.

That wasn't some kind of courage test; it was a real zombie mouth, with fangs bared and black smoke billowing from its mouth.

Most girls would have fainted from fright, but she didn't even blink.

She was never some weak little white rabbit.

Unfortunately, in the original series, her story never reappeared after the zombies were eliminated.

Perhaps, as she is saying now, she was married off by her clan and disappeared without a trace, becoming a decoration in the backyard of some wealthy landlord.

In the countryside during the Republic of China era, it was common for wealthy families without male heirs to be wiped out by exploitation.

The clan elders had a hundred ways to take the Ren family's assets away from her, and she, a seventeen-year-old girl, had no room to resist, especially since her cousin Awei was unreliable.

Lin Yi put down her teacup and decided to talk to her in a different way. She no longer used the coaxing and pampering tone she would use with ordinary young girls, but instead spoke directly and frankly.

"You're such a smart girl," he said.

Ren Tingting was stunned for a moment, wondering why he suddenly brought this up.

"You should know that I'm not an ordinary person," Lin Yi said calmly. "And I won't be trapped in this small Renjia Town because of you."

Ren Tingting was neither alarmed nor disappointed upon hearing this.

Her expression remained normal, and she even nodded slightly.

Seeing her expression, Lin's smile deepened.

"I can help you save the Ren family, and I can even give you more. But you have to tell me your worth, understand?"

Since Ren Tingting has this talent, he doesn't mind helping her out and providing her with a platform to showcase her abilities.

He doesn't know how long he'll be in this world, so he can't skimp on himself materially. Yamamoto Kazuo has the Nitto Group, and as a fellow second-generation heir, he can't fall behind!