Chapter 148: 148 You are very pretentious. Chapter 148: 148 You are very pretentious. Two people walked around the truck, circle after circle.
Only by the front of the truck, there was a desk lamp, and as the distance changed, their shadows continually elongated and then contracted.
“I’ve never seen such a dark sky.”
Bai Jinxuan suddenly looked up at the sky, took a long breath, and said, “Even when I was a child in town without stars or moon, it was never this dark. I can’t see anything; it’s a bit scary.”
Chen Xu turned to look at her profile, illuminated by the lamp ahead, casting a shadow that made her features look especially dinsional. He thought to himself that her face was like that of a star—as it would likely look good on cara.
He asked, “What made you think of becoming a star?”
She turned to look at him, her eyes seeming to sparkle as she said, “Every girl dreams of being a star, right? I was just lucky to make it happen.”
Chen Xu smiled and said, “To be honest, I think it’s quite unusual for soone with your personality to beco a star.”
“That’s because I’ve t many kind people along the way—Sister Liu I worked with, Aunt Shao who was willing to sign , the owner of the talent agency, my manager Fangfang, and everyone on my team. After coming here, I t you too. My mom used to tell that optimistic girls are never out of luck. That’s why I’ve encountered so many good people.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Xu couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you have a slight misunderstanding of the term ‘good people’? I’m an to you, make you do this and that; how does that make a good person?”
“You think about sending away, but it’s just a thought, not action.”
Bai Jinxuan shook her head. “You see, because you took in, I can have hot als, hot showers, and a safe sleep. If it weren’t for you, I might have already been killed by that robot.”
“Besides, now that it’s just the two of us, I have to do sothing. I don’t know much else, so I can only do odd jobs. If I did nothing, wouldn’t that just make a burden? My mom always taught to be a person of value, whether it be to society at large, a company, a team, or a family. Having value ans you aren’t easily abandoned.”
As she spoke, Chen Xu watched her, reflecting on their recent interactions, feeling sowhat moved. What had she experienced in her childhood that made her so afraid of abandonnt?
He didn’t ask but instead said, “Then you are indeed lucky, and I hope you continue to be.”
“Thank you.” She turned back with a radiant smile.
…
The next day, Chen Xu and the group continued their journey. The truck ventured farther off the beaten track, with trees growing larger beside the increasingly remote road, no longer sight of any buildings.
Every ti they passed a crossroad, Chen Xu stopped the truck, checked the map, and then proceeded.
Until past four in the afternoon, a red barrier suddenly appeared on the road, severed. Chen Xu slamd on the brakes.
“What happened?” Bai Jinxuan, who had been resting with her eyes closed, was startled and asked.
Chen Xu got out of the truck and saw that the barrier had been cleanly cut by sothing sharp.
He dragged the barrier to the side of the road, wiped his hands, got back in the truck, and said, “I think we’re close.”
Bai Jinxuan looked at the highway disappearing into the fog ahead, feeling an inexplicable panic, and said, “Could there be danger inside?”
Chen Xu looked at her seriously and said, “If you’re scared, stay here and wait for . I’ll go in alone, and if there’s no danger, I’ll co back for you.”
Without hesitation, she said, “No, I want to go with you. If necessary, I’ll hide, and I won’t hold you back.”
Chen Xu glanced at her, started the truck, and headed into the deep fog.
A few minutes later.
A gaping gateway appeared before them, with a tallic door laying collapsed on the ground.
Seeing this, Chen Xu’s heart sank. Even the gate had collapsed; had the military camp been overwheld?
Bai Jinxuan looked at him silently, waiting for him to make a decision.
Chen Xu’s expression changed several tis and said, “I’m getting out to check. Are you sure you want to follow ?”
He couldn’t bear to leave just like this; he had to go in for a look no matter what. With an alarm in hand, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about an ambush—if things went awry, they could flee beforehand.
Bai Jinxuan nodded forcefully.
He stopped trying to persuade her, turned the truck around, parked it, took the master key out, got out with Bai Jinxuan, holding an alarm display in one hand and an electromagnetic pulse gun in the other, and walked through the gateway.
After walking about ten ters, the ground beca uneven, the air tinged with the sll of gunpowder—a scent he found familiar, reminiscent of setting off fireworks when he went ho for the Chinese New Year.
The deeper they went, the more craters appeared on the ground.
Chen Xu felt increasingly nervous; from the craters alone, he could tell how fierce the battle had been.
Yet, as he walked, he saw not a single corpse, which sparked a glimr of hope. Had the surviving soldiers gathered their fallen comrades?
The alarm remained silent; emboldened, he continued onwards.
Before long, they saw a building that had been half-demolished, its broken concrete and exposed rebar visible.
He didn’t dare to enter, and seeing there was no reaction on the monitor, he walked around it.
Passing through this area of bombed barracks, he still found nothing. Therefore, he continued to expand the search periter.
However, he was able to confirm that the battle must have taken place several days ago. He had just seen so bloodstains, which were already dry, but their color was still very bright.
The military camp was large; by nightfall, the two had not been able to walk through the entire camp.
To be honest, Chen Xu had no idea where he was, and he was sure he couldn’t find his way back to where the truck was parked.
However, he wasn’t worried about finding the truck, since there were walls around the place. As long as he found a wall and followed it, he would definitely be able to get back to the main gate.
“Let’s take a break,” Chen Xu suggested when they reached a relatively intact building.
Bai Jinxuan was already tired, and upon hearing this, she found a place to sit and took out her water bottle, drinking a few sips.
“Here.” Chen Xu set down the flashlight he was holding and handed her a chocolate bar.
“Thanks.” She took it, tore open the wrapper, and began eating it in small bites.
After she finished, Chen Xu handed her another one.
She accepted it but didn’t open it and said, “Chen Xu, tell about yourself.”
“?”
Leaning against the wall and staring at the alarm monitor, Chen Xu replied, “I’m just an ordinary person, nothing much to talk about.”
She rested her chin on her knees and said, “I don’t think you’re ordinary at all.”
“How so?”
“In this kind of situation, you’re not scared at all, nor do you panic. You seem to know exactly what to do. I think you must be an incredible person.”
Chen Xu laughed, “You’re the incredible one, good at giving complints, and even knowing that you’re flattering, it still feels good. That’s really quite a skill.”
“I’m serious.”
“I’m serious too.”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, never mind.” she remarked, suddenly shivering.
Chen Xu asked, “Is it very cold?”
“A little.”
“There’s a draft on your side, co over here.”
Bai Jinxuan got up and sat beside him, gently leaning against him, and asked, “With the wind so strong, why doesn’t it blow the fog away?”
Chen Xu replied, “I don’t know either, hopefully, we’ll find the answer here.”
Then, they sat in silence, nestling against each other and listening to the whooshing sound of the wind outside. Darkness surrounded them, illuminated only by the beam of white light from the flashlight.
After a while, she spoke again, “Can you talk about you and your girlfriend?”
“There’s nothing to say, just a very lodramatic love story.” Chen Xu didn’t want to discuss his personal emotions.
Silence followed for a few seconds before she asked, “Are you like this with everyone?”
“Hmm?”
“I feel like you always keep your emotions locked up. Doesn’t that tire you?”
Chen Xu, looking at the beam of light thrown by the flashlight, countered, “You tirelessly prove your worth to others, does that tire you?”
Bai Jinxuan rested her face against his sleeve and murmured, “Chen Xu, what if I fell in love with you?”
“It won’t happen,” Chen Xu thought of Luo Xiyun and felt a tightness in his chest, “If one day you get that impression, it’s only because you’ve beco dependent and used to .”
“Doesn’t that count as love?”
After a pause, Chen Xu softly said, “I don’t think it does.”
The wind outside grew louder.
“Chen Xu.”
“Hmm?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you can be quite pretentious?”
PS: Can I ask for a monthly ticket?
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