Zombie Life Begins in Hongxi Village

"You want me to do things for you?"

Ren Tingting's voice was very soft, but there was not a trace of hesitation in her tone.

She tilted her head slightly, her swollen eyes still bearing traces of tears, but her eyes were as clear as two pools of water just drawn from a well, their depths visible at a glance.

She wasn't blinded by the promise of "giving you more," but instead, she instantly grasped the most crucial word in Lin Yi's words—value.

Lin Yi leaned back in the armchair, looking at Ren Tingting, the smile on her lips slowly turning from initial amusement into genuine appreciation.

This reaction speed and composure are far superior to those of someone who has been a corporate slave for two and a half years.

He had initially thought he would need to explain further, but now it seemed unnecessary.

He put down his teacup and nodded: "That's right. Although I'm not very interested in worldly wealth, money can sometimes solve most problems."

Having fists alone is not enough; you also need industry, connections, and a solid foundation.

He paused, sat up slightly, and his tone changed from casual conversation to a more serious discussion.

"I will give you a fair platform so that you will not be bullied or oppressed."

As for how far you can go from this platform, that depends on your own abilities.

He unconsciously used a bit of force when he spoke.

The air in the main hall seemed to freeze for a moment, and a tiny ripple appeared on the surface of the cold tea in the teacup on the table.

Ren Tingting sat in the armchair, feeling her breathing become heavy, as if something was gently pressing on her chest.

But she wasn't afraid. On the contrary, her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

She wasn't afraid of Lin Yiqiang; she was afraid that Lin Yiqiang wasn't strong enough.

The weight of a powerful person saying they'll be her protector is completely different from the weight of the same words spoken by an ordinary person.

The former is based on real confidence, while the latter is just empty talk.

The heavy pressure pressing down on her chest now felt to her like the weight of this powerful backer.

The heavier it is, the more stable it is.

Rather than being randomly assigned by the clan elders to some landlord's foolish son and spending his whole life in the backyard watching other people's faces, he'd rather follow Lin Yi and take a chance.

Her aunts were sold by her father for three taels of silver because they couldn't give birth to sons.

In the inner quarters of a large family, unless one has an equal family background, one will have no status, and she doesn't want to become like that.

Besides, Lin Yi is good-looking.

Ren Tingting's cheeks flushed slightly.

She knew that her decision might put her under Lin Yi's control, but nothing in life is perfect.

Being forced to marry someone you don't like is also being controlled, and following Lin Yi is also being controlled, but at least the latter was her own choice.

She took a deep breath, raised her head, and her eyes were completely calm.

"I'm willing to do anything for you." Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "I hope you'll treat me well in the future."

Lin Yi looked at her and saw determination in her eyes, as well as a hint of rational calculation behind that determination.

This is good.

He wouldn't choose a fool, even if he were looking for a woman. A smart woman who knows what she wants is more useful than a hundred nodding vases.

"Very good." Lin Yi tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

"From now on, you'll be working with me. Trust me, you won't regret it."

He said this with a very confident tone, as if he were stating a fact that had already happened.

Ren Tingting nodded, finally feeling a weight lifted from her heart that had been hanging over her ever since she discovered her father's death that morning.

Then she heard Lin Yi say something else.

"By the way, if your relatives were to die unexpectedly, would you be sad?"

Ren Tingting was taken aback. She looked up and gave Lin Yi a deep look.

She understood what he meant.

She grew up in a wealthy family and was used to seeing people smile in public and stab in the back. No matter how tactfully someone puts something down, she can instantly sense the hidden dagger.

Lin Yi wasn't asking her if she would be sad—he was asking her if these people could be touched.

Ren Tingting remained silent for a while.

She remembered the smiling faces of the clan elders who would come to her door to curry favor every year during the Lunar New Year, and how they hadn't shown their faces all day today. She also remembered what they were planning to do to her.

"If something happens to them," she said, her voice surprisingly calm, "it's just fate playing tricks on us."

"Apart from my uncle Ren Tiantang from Guangxi, who recently passed away, I still have some affection for the entire Ren family. The rest of the clan members are beyond the fifth degree of kinship, so there's not much affection between us."

That's the truth.

Although all the members of the Ren family in Renjia Town share the surname Ren, her branch is already beyond the fifth degree of kinship. Their visits during festivals are merely for appearances.

The only family closely related to her by blood is her great-uncle's branch of the family, which includes Nintendo.

Unfortunately, Nintendo passed away recently. He himself did not have many children, and the third generation only had one granddaughter, Ren Zhuzhu.

As Ren Tingting thought of this, her heart suddenly clenched—how were Nintendo's funeral arrangements going?

I heard he died of illness in southern Hunan. Has his body been returned?

My uncle's health has always been poor. Will Zhuzhu be watched closely by some relatives when she's all alone in Guangxi?

These were things her father used to worry about. Now that her father is gone, all these burdens have fallen on her own shoulders.

If Lin Yi is truly reliable, she will definitely beg him in the future to support Zhuzhu.

As for her relatives in Renjia Town—what she just said made it clear enough.

If you're dead, you're dead.

"That's good." Lin Yi smiled slightly.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he raised an eyebrow slightly: "Your great-uncle's name is Nintendo?"

"Yes." Ren Tingting didn't understand why he was suddenly interested in this.

Lin Yi gave her a deep look.

Nintendo—isn't it the music zombie that got injected with chemicals by a foreign doctor and turned into a machine that's immune to magic and sunlight?

That's one of the most troublesome zombies in the entire Mr. Zombie series.

Magical artifacts and talismans were all ineffective against it; even a peach wood sword felt like it was stabbing a stone. In the end, it was only by being struck dead by heavenly lightning.

The Ren family truly is a zombie family. Old Master Ren turned into a black zombie, Ren Fa into a purple zombie, and Nintendo into a scientific zombie—

The men in the whole family lined up to become zombies; the purity of their bloodline was simply astonishing.

……

"It's late, Yi, why don't you get some rest?"

Ren Tingting blushed immediately after saying that.

She stood beside the armchair, twisting the hem of her mourning clothes with her fingers, her head bowed, not daring to look Lin Yi in the eye.

After a moment of silence, she mustered her courage and raised her head, her voice barely audible, "Um... I'm a little scared, could you stay with me?"

Her ears turned bright red when she said this.

No matter how decisive and insightful a seventeen-year-old girl may be, this is ultimately the first time she's said such things to a man. But she knows that since she has decided to follow Lin Yi, she must demonstrate her full value.

And this value naturally includes herself. She didn't have any impressive gift to offer, except for herself.

Lin Yi did not feign a refusal.

He nodded and followed Ren Tingting through the corridor behind the main hall into her boudoir.

The room wasn't large, but it was very well-maintained—a mahogany dressing table, a carved wardrobe, and a pot of jasmine on the windowsill with a few small white flowers blooming and a faint fragrance.

The bed was a canopy bed, with a light purple curtain hanging over it, and the bedding was made of the finest silk.

Ren Tingting stood by the bed, her back to Lin Yi, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Lin Yi could see the fine downy hairs on the back of her neck gleaming softly in the moonlight.

"I..." She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"Leave it to me!" Lin Yi reached out and pressed down on her shoulder.

"Um……"

……

We spent a warm spring night in the boudoir, but the night was too short and the sun rose high.

……