I Conquered the Villain Boss After Transmigrating Into a Novel

Chapter 23: Don't Throw Me Down

When Si Xu saw Jiang Ran’s gloomy expression, he thought that she was still envious of Gu Yunqing. Si Xu stopped in his tracks.

“Si Xu?”

“Do you want to fly?” The young man touched the top of her head. As the girl looked at him puzzledly, he leaned over and carried her in his arms. “I'll take you to the top of the building to view this city.”

Jiang Ran, “Huh? What... What? Wait...”

Before she could understand what Si Xu meant, the sudden weightlessness of her body made the girl scream, and she clung tightly to the young man's neck.

“Whoa! Si Xu!” From her view, the ground was getting farther and farther away from her. Jiang Ran was so frightened that she closed her eyes to prevent herself from screaming non-stop.

There was the whistling wind in her ears, and in her dizziness, she heard Si Xu’s voice with a hint of smile, “Jiang Ran, open your eyes.”

“No way!” Jiang Ran yelled, disobeying the man for the first time. “I'm afraid of heights!”

“Jiang Ran.” Si Xu wasn’t angry. After leaping over the roofs of several buildings, he stopped on the highest rooftop. “If you miss the scenery along the way because of your own cowardice, you’ll definitely regret it in hindsight.”

Feeling that the young man had stopped, Jiang Ran slowly opened her eyes. She glanced down, exclaimed again and hugged Si Xu tightly. “Si-Si-Si Xu, I’ll listen to you. Don't throw me down!”

He had her hanging on the edge of the roof. If he let go, wouldn't she fall against the wind, hit the ground, and become a bloody mess?!

The young girl curled up in his arms, wishing that she could wrap her hands and feet around him. Si Xu thought it was funny and pretended that he was letting go. “Jiang Ran, if you don't open your eyes, you’ll fall.”

“Whoa! Don't!” Jiang Ran tightened her grip on his neck, trembling. “Let-let me take things slowly...”

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

The snow has stopped, and a thick layer has accumulated on the ground and the roof of the building. The bright moon hung high in the sky and the silver moonlight illuminating the snow was a bit dazzling.

It was the first winter after the disaster. On this night when the snow first fell, even the boundary between the sky and the earth was blurred under the moonlight.

There was a desolate howl of a mutant beast in the wind, and the wind blowing on Jiang Ran’s face was bitingly cold. She couldn't see the scene on the street clearly, but she didn't look away.

“This human city is now completely on the verge of decline." Si Xu seemed to be lamenting, "Before this disaster broke out, humans probably never have thought that one day, they would be driven into a corner by their own stupid behavior and greedy desires.”

His tone was sarcastic, without a hint of regret or sadness. Jiang Ran licked her lips, not knowing how to respond to this topic.

“Look at this city for the last time and remember what it looks like. We probably won't come back here in the future.”

“... We’ll never come back again?”

"Although it appeared that basic needs could be maintained in the current Xiling Base, if the antidote to the virus cannot be developed, how long can the base survive the threats of zombies, mutated plants and mutated animals?” Si Xu’s tone was calm as he talked about the possible destruction of Xiling Base. "Maybe it’s the end for everyone tomorrow –– since everyone’s dead, there’s no chance to come back, don't you agree?”

Jiang Ran looked at Si Xu quietly.

This guy even took his own life lightly, let alone other people’s lives. He talked about the end of his life in an indifferent tone.

Jiang Ran almost blurted out her words on impulse, but after thinking twice about it, she withheld what she had wanted to say.

He might have lamented on the spur of the moment. If she said too much out of her own wishful thinking... she probably would be laughed at.

When she looked up in his arms, she could see the serene moonlight and the young man's face shrouded in the shadows –– because of the interplay between light and shadow, his well-defined facial lines were sharper than usual. Only those eyes were gentle beige.

“Si Xu...” She wanted to respond to what he said just now, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, there was a terrified scream from the street below her feet.

Jiang Ran, “!!!”

The woman's scream was like a switch that was pressed. The quiet street instantly became lively.

“Is there someone down there?” Jiang Ran was shocked. “Isn’t this city...” There couldn’t have been survivors, could there?

“Let’s go down and have a look.” Si Xu hugged her tightly again. “No matter what happens later, don't leave my side.”

“Okay, I know.”

He Ru felt that since the disaster broke out, she had never been as happy as she was today.

When she watched her teammates in front of her collapse one by one and the wandering zombies get closer, she let out a long breath, feeling a sense of relief.

She originally had a happy family with loving parents and relatives, but because of the sudden disaster, her path to a better future turned into hell overnight.

She lost her parents and relatives. As an ordinary person, she was reduced to being those men's plaything...

She had to be cautious in her speech and actions, and tread carefully when pleasing the men. She also had to put up her guard against other women...

Enough was enough. She had enough.

So be it. Let’s all just die together. That would be the best.

Put an end to all these sins and her sinful life.

However, when she saw the men who had bullied her collapse one by one, the indignation deep in her heart still emerged.

Was she going to die here? Was she still going to die here after finally being free from the torture of those guys?

How could she possibly be willing? She was unwilling! She felt indignant! 

Finally, after her last teammate collapsed among the zombies, she raised the gun in her hand and aimed it at her temple.

Rather than being bitten to death by the zombies, she might as well...

Before she could pull the trigger, a glaring light rose from the ground, forming a wall around her.

The cold white ice wall reflected the dazzling light and she subconsciously raised her hand to cover her eyes.

The ice wall exploded and flying ice blades cut the zombies around her into a pile of broken limbs.

She raised her eyes blankly and looked in front. The young man and the girl landed not far away. With a flash of silver light, he swung his sword and chopped off the head of the last zombie.

She stared blankly at the man.

His tall and straight figure was bathed in the moonlight. He smiled gently at the girl beside him after keeping the sword. Then, he walked toward her with his arms around the girl's waist. Stepping on the snow and with the moonlight as the background, he stopped a few steps in front of her.

“Were these people...” She heard him ask in a casual tone, “Your teammates?”

As if she had lost the ability to think, she replied stiffly, “Yes.”

“Where were you from?”

“We’ve been living in this city.”

“You’ve been living here? Since the disaster broke out?”

“Yeah.”

“...Do you have your own stronghold?”

“Not anymore.” After a few questions, she snapped out of her daze, lowered her head, and said shyly, “It was just destroyed by the zombies.”

“You’re the only one left in your team?”

“...Yeah.” The group of them escaped from the base. Now, she was the only one left.

“Are you familiar with this city?”

“I guess. I know it quite well –– I grew up here.”

“Okay.” The young man raised his chin. “Follow me.”

“What...”

“Our team will be going into the city to collect supplies tomorrow. If you can provide useful suggestions, I can ask them to take you back to Xiling Base. What do you think of this deal?”

“You mean, you can take me to a new base?” He Ru's eyes showed her eagerness. “Really?”

“The premise is that you play a useful role.”

“I can do it! I can do it!” The girl's voice began to tremble involuntarily with the hope of survival. “As long as you can take me with you...”

“The team will take you.”

After saying that, Si Xu started to lose his patience. The hand on Jiang Ran's waist tightened without a trace. He stopped looking at the woman's eager face and whispered to Jiang Ran, “Let’s go back. It's getting late.”

Jiang Ran stopped sizing up the woman and nodded.

Captain Gu and Professor Si went out and brought back a survivor from the city. The survivor was even a pretty woman. The men waiting at the base expressed a warm welcome to He Ru's arrival in line with the principles of gentlemen.

He Ru's face paled a little when she saw so many people. She looked at Gu Yunqing who was being flippant, and then at Si Xu who was indifferent and aloof. Finally, she chose to lean toward Si Xu.

“Si-Si Xu, I...” The girl said timidly, “I... these people...”

“Hmm?” Feeling disgusted at the woman's sudden approach without permission, Si Xu frowned. “Don't come closer.”

Startled by the man's cold tone, He Ru stopped in her tracks subconsciously.

Ignoring the woman's embarrassment, Si Xu glanced at Gu Yunqing. Gu Yunqing understood, and immediately came over to take He Ru to the side. “Hey, girl, you can ask me if you have any questions. I’m their captain. They listen to me in everything they do.”

He Ru could only follow Gu Yunqing to the side.

  ……

By dinnertime, He Ru had already learned about the basic situation of the team from Gu Yunqing, and known that she didn't have to exchange for anything with her body like she did in her former team.

“Of course, you can date if you want.”

Gu Yunqing added this sentence at the end.

During dinner, He Ru was arranged to sit next to Luo Rui. The girl chatted with her politely, which effectively relieved her pressure of being a newcomer.

“Did you come back with Professor Si?” Seeing that the girl was glancing at Si Xu every now and then, Luo Rui said with implied meaning, “He’s your savior...”

Feeling that the girl had seen through her thoughts, He Ru blushed and replied, “Well, it’s all thanks to Professor Si that I survived.”

“He’s your savior. Don’t people always say this? ‘Offer yourself to your savior’.”

“Ruirui, don't talk nonsense.” The girl blushed even more. “Professor Si has a girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Zhou Jian sneered when she heard the conversation between the two. “What girlfriend? She’s just a plaything.”

He Ru's heart skipped a beat. She feigned surprise. “Oh? A plaything?”

“Yeah.” Zhou Jian glanced at Si Xu who was picking food for Jiang Ran, and said mockingly, “How could Professor Si, a man who is used to being superior, possibly fall for Jiang Ran? He’s merely keeping her by his side to relieve boredom because she’s beautiful.”

Being someone who was able to deal with a group of men for a long period of time without losing favor, He Ru could easily see through Zhou Jian's thoughts at this moment.

Knowing that Zhou Jian and Jiang Ran were at odds, He Ru took the opportunity to answer: "It seems that Ranran is also an ordinary person...”

“Yeah, just like you, she didn’t awaken any superpowers.” Luo Rui said, “Ranran used to be a member of our team. But later, Professor Si took a fancy to her and asked to have her.”

“I see.” It turned out that woman relied on men to survive, just like she did before. He Ru lamented, “Si Xu seems to treat her very well. I suppose she must be well-favored.”

“After all, she’s beautiful.” Luo Rui chuckled twice, then stared at He Ru suddenly, and raised her eyebrow, "Hey, now that I take a close look at you, He Ru, you’re also very beautiful. Ranran used to be the department belle of our university. Your looks are on par with hers. You must be very popular at school, right?”

He Ru was flattered when she was praised for her looks which she was proud of. She quickly said in a humble tone, “Not really. I wasn’t so popular that I became a department belle.”

“Well, did Professor Si tell you what to do next?”

“Well, he asked me to go to the city with the team tomorrow to collect supplies.”

“Wow.” Zhou Jian whispered, “He trusts you so much?”

“No, it’s just that I'm familiar with this place.” Seeing Si Xu's status in the team, He Ru did not mention the terms of exchange that Si Xu gave her.

Zhou Jian and Luo Rui exchanged looks. The former smiled faintly and lamented, “As expected, beautiful girls always have an advantage –– Professor Si has never trusted us so much.”

“Oh, Zhouzhou, stop making fun of me.”