I Pursued My Scummy Ex’s White Moonlight – Chapter 53

Appeasement

Now, aside from the mute man, everyone who had been with the bald man was dead. Just as the Adjutant was considering how to deal with the mute, the survivors from the gas station stepped forward to speak on his behalf.

It turned out the mute man hadn’t always been mute; the bald man had done it to him. The bald man and his group were originally prisoners being escorted by several soldiers. After the apocalypse broke out, he had bided his time, following the team as they fled from place to place. It was only when food became increasingly scarce, and his own share dwindled to almost nothing, that he conspired with others to seize their guns and commit murder.

After that, they had stayed at the gas station, robbing any survivors who passed by. The mute’s previous team had several members, all of whom were killed by the bald man. But the bald man valued the mute’s abilities and used his deaf-mute girlfriend to control him.

However, they never dared to tell the mute that his girlfriend had long since been tortured to death. The person who usually communicated with him was actually a man who could mimic speech like a myna bird¹; imitating a deaf-mute person was a simple matter for him.

The mute man was standing nearby, and upon hearing their conversation, he began to cry out, “Yiyi yaya!” Understanding his meaning, the others dug up his girlfriend’s body from under a tree behind the gas station.

The body had just begun to decompose, but one could still vaguely make out her delicate features. Her hands and feet were covered in bloody marks—clear evidence of abuse before her death. The mute man reached out to touch the corpse. At first, his face was expressionless, though his hands trembled. It wasn’t until he felt an old scar on her knee that he could no longer hold back, collapsing onto the body and crying his heart out in raw, soul-tearing sobs. His grief was so visceral he could barely catch his breath, and no one who heard him was left unmoved.

In the end, the Adjutant simply waved his hand, deciding not to make things difficult for him. Although the mute had aided the bald man’s evil deeds, in a situation like the apocalypse, it was difficult to judge right and wrong by peacetime laws. The only thing certain was that, for his girlfriend’s sake, the mute man’s body was not his own to command; he couldn’t be called a bad person, but he couldn’t be called a good one, either.

The survivors all wanted to join the team. With the increase in numbers, there weren’t enough vehicles. The Adjutant could only order his men to search the vicinity for a working car. Fortunately, the bald man had kept several intact vehicles from his robberies, which could be used after being refueled.

Heartbroken, the mute man chose to stay at the gas station with his girlfriend, showing no intention of leaving with the team. Everyone respected his wishes, leaving him some food and a car, but he accepted neither. Judging by the look on his face, he likely knew his sins were unforgivable and had developed a will to die, seeking to punish himself and find redemption for his soul.

The convoy set off once again, a vast and mighty procession.

Su Wenwen’s heart ached with emotion over the mute man’s plight. It reminded her of her own past life—wasn’t her fate just as lamentable as his?

【Host, stop pitying the mute. The Villain’s Blackening Value has increased by 10 points today. You must lower it back down within 24 hours, or it will be considered a mission failure, and you will be punished.】

Su Wenwen snapped back to her senses and glanced at Luo Xi beside her. Perhaps because her gaze was so distant, her entire aura seemed ethereal, like an immortal, giving her an unreal quality.

A total of ten points—not an insurmountable amount, but reducing it to zero within 24 hours would still be difficult. As she was pondering this, her focus on the road inevitably slipped. The car’s wheels swerved, and she drifted slightly from the convoy until Luo Xi called out to her twice, at which point she finally steadied the steering wheel.

“What were you just thinking about?”

“About the mute man. If I were him, I probably would have also had to hesitate to throw something at a rat for fear of breaking the vase².” Su Wenwen was genuinely moved. “No matter what, I will always protect you.”

“But I failed to protect you.”

Luo Xi’s mood had also grown heavy because of the mute’s story. She blamed her own carelessness for giving the mute an opening to drag Su Wenwen into that space. It was a place she couldn’t touch; no matter how strong her mental power was, she was helpless. Thankfully, Su Wenwen’s own strength was not weak, and she had turned danger into safety.

But when she saw Helian Yun pulling Su Wenwen out of that space, the extreme discomfort she felt instantly magnified her self-blame. It was a feeling that seeped in through every pore, leaving no opening untouched, suffocating her and making her burn with jealousy that it wasn’t her who had been by Su Wenwen’s side through the ordeal.

Luo Xi simply couldn’t bring herself to confess this kind of selfish, unreasonable mindset. If Su Wenwen hadn’t mentioned the mute, Luo Xi would have kept it buried in her heart.

Su Wenwen thought for a moment, then reached out and squeezed Luo Xi’s left hand. “Did you know,” she said slowly, “before I was reborn, I survived the apocalypse all alone. Back then, I was just an ordinary person. As long as I had food, I’d stay in one place, too afraid to go out. I was afraid of zombies, afraid of the gnawing pain of hunger, and even more afraid of other survivors. So compared to all that, being trapped in that space seems trivial. Because I know that now, I’m not alone. Even if I couldn’t get out, I knew you would find a way to save me.”

Luo Xi looked transfixed. The warmth spreading from her palm gradually calmed her chaotic emotions. She unconsciously curled her fingers, gripping Su Wenwen’s hand tightly, as if wishing they could melt into one.

【Beep: Blackening Value -5】

Su Wenwen smiled, thinking that Luo Xi was still quite easy to coax. The remaining five points should be easy enough to erase. But she celebrated too soon. For the rest of the afternoon, she kept talking to soothe Luo Xi, but the Blackening Value didn’t budge.

They would reach J City tomorrow. The convoy stopped for the night on a desolate roadside in the suburbs. Watching the time tick away, Su Wenwen still couldn’t think of a way to lower the Blackening Value.

The enchanting night sky carried a hint of intimacy, and everything within her line of sight was a hazy blur. Having driven all day, Su Wenwen was exhausted, but she couldn’t sleep now. She forced herself to rub her eyes and looked at Luo Xi. She wanted to say something more, but after talking all afternoon, her throat was dry. She picked up her water and drank it down with a glug, glug, glug.

The cool water helped, but in the quiet of the night, she was still so drowsy she could barely keep her eyes open, relying on widening them to maintain a sliver of clarity.

Luo Xi noticed her strange behavior. Assuming Su Wenwen had forced herself to stay up because she herself had been so down, she said, “I’m feeling much better. You look tired, and we have to enter the city center tomorrow. It’ll be dangerous. You should get some rest tonight. I’ll keep watch.”

“I’m not sleepy yet,” Su Wenwen blurted out. “I just want to stay with you a little longer and talk.”

“Alright,” Luo Xi said, a touch of helplessness in her voice.

Drowsiness had made Su Wenwen’s mind sluggish. She rambled on about this and that, unable to think of a good plan, yet not daring to fall asleep for fear of waking up to a mission failure notification.

【Based on previous experience, the Blackening Value decreases every time the Host initiates intimate contact with the Villain. Host, you might as well try it.】

In the past, Su Wenwen would have resisted, but their relationship was now basically that of a couple, so something intimate was acceptable. She just couldn’t be so abrupt about it.

For once, her mind spun into action. She let out a huge yawn in front of Luo Xi, who saw it and said, “Alright, we can talk tomorrow. Hurry up and lie down.”

“Okay. But I want a goodnight kiss.”

Luo Xi glanced at her in surprise. In her impression, Su Wenwen was quite thin-skinned; overly intimate acts were always initiated by Luo Xi. Her behavior tonight—from the idle chatter to demanding a kiss—was all too abnormal.

Su Wenwen had been sleepy, but with Luo Xi just sitting there silently, she came to her senses and realized what she’d just said. Her cheeks grew scalding hot, and she was too embarrassed to look at Luo Xi. But for the mission, she could only bite the bullet. “If you don’t kiss me, I’m not sleeping.”

Luo Xi smiled and leaned over. She had intended to kiss her cheek, but Su Wenwen hooked an arm around her neck and met her on the lips. The move made Luo Xi’s eyes flicker, suddenly as bright and dazzling as stars.

The tips of their tongues met, a sweet fragrance filling their senses.

Luo Xi’s beautiful neck moved as she took in everything from those lips, tangling with them domineeringly yet licking them gently. But all this feeling was shattered by the cool clarity in Su Wenwen’s eyes, as if only Luo Xi was sinking into a state from which she couldn’t extricate herself.

Sometimes, Luo Xi found Su Wenwen impossible to grasp. A kiss required one’s full devotion, yet her gaze was detached, as if she were watching something else, thinking of things other than her.

All her life, she had been able to get anything she wanted through her own means. But now, Luo Xi felt as if she had caught Su Wenwen, yet hadn’t caught her at all. It was as if this was all an illusion, a dream of her own making. Once she woke up, everything would be gone.

For the first time, she was this afraid of losing someone.

Even knowing this kiss had a strong purpose behind it, Luo Xi didn’t dare call it out. She could only pour all her tumultuous thoughts into it, releasing them. She closed her eyes, fooling herself like someone covering her ears to steal a bell³, and lost herself in the kiss, her lips and tongue intertwining as she breathed softly.

【Beep: Blackening Value -5】

Hearing the system’s reply, Su Wenwen finally let out a silent sigh of relief. By now, her lips were numb from kissing. She had just pushed away slightly to catch her breath, but before she could, Luo Xi’s hand pressed against the back of her head, forcing her into another urgent kiss.

Luo Xi’s lips and tongue trembled, betraying a hint of unease. Su Wenwen sensed her emotion and, after a moment of surprise, wrapped her arms around Luo Xi’s slender waist, soothing and yielding to her.

Passion was slowly ignited, burning its way to her heart and causing Su Wenwen to break out in a hot sweat. At the same time, a faint, sour smell began to emanate from her body. When Su Wenwen caught a whiff of it, she forgot everything else and quickly placed a hand on Luo Xi’s shoulder, pushing them apart.

Her clothes were torn, and she hadn’t showered in days. If she could smell herself, Luo Xi definitely could. Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. “I’m… I’m sleepy,” she stammered.

Luo Xi licked her own reddened lips. “Mm. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Before falling asleep, Su Wenwen touched her lips, which ached from the kiss. Before I can shower, she thought, I’d better keep my distance from Luo Xi. I’m just too smelly right now. How mortifying.

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