126: Chapter 126 Eat more, you worked hard last night.

From the moment she plucked up the courage to knock on this door, to him teasing her on purpose, to him holding her hand in the bathtub and saying, "I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

She thought she would probably never forget this night.

Thirty-seven years old.

She thought she was past the age of being impulsive for love.

She thought she had long since grown accustomed to being rational, restrained, and thinking three steps ahead in everything.

She thought she would never again be like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old, with her heart racing because of a single sentence from someone.

But at this moment, lying beside this man who was seventeen years younger than her, she discovered that all those "thoughts" were lies.

The matter of the heart being moved has never had anything to do with age.

"Are you asleep?"

"No."

Han Qing was silent for a few seconds.

"What I said in the bathroom just now..."

She paused: "It's true."

"Which part?"

"The part about..."

Her voice was very small.

"...wanting to have your baby."

In the darkness, Qin Lin did not answer immediately.

But his arms tightened, pulling her closer into his embrace.

"I know. Me too."

Han Qing buried her face in his chest and smiled softly.

"That's good then."

...

The next morning, when Han Qing woke up, the spot beside her was already empty.

She sat up, the quilt sliding down, the chill making her shiver.

There were still wrinkles on the sheets where another person had slept, and a familiar scent lingered on the pillow.

She dazed for a few seconds, then remembered everything from last night.

Her face instantly turned red.

"Awake?"

Qin Lin pushed the door open and entered, carrying a tray in his hands.

Hot milk, fried eggs, and two slices of toast.

There was also a small dish of strawberries freshly picked from the ecological box.

Han Qing subconsciously pulled the quilt higher to cover herself.

Qin Lin placed the tray on the bedside table.

He had even thoughtfully put a straw in the milk cup.

Probably because he was afraid it would be inconvenient for her to drink while lying down.

"...Thank you."

Qin Lin sat down by the bed: "Did you sleep well last night?"

Han Qing took the milk, her eyes lowered.

"It was okay."

"That's good then." Qin Lin smiled.

"Come by often in the future."

Han Qing almost choked on the milk.

She glared at him, the tips of her ears turning deep red.

"Who's going to come by often!"

"Aunt Qing, didn't you say last night that you wanted to come by often?"

"I was—that was..."

She sputtered "that was" for a long time but couldn't find the words to follow.

Qin Lin looked at her with a smile, not exposing her.

Han Qing admitted defeat, lowering her head to drink the milk, pretending nothing had happened.

But the corners of her mouth, hidden behind the rim of the cup, secretly curved upward.

During breakfast, Su Yuran glanced at Han Qing several times.

Han Qing was wearing a turtleneck sweater today.

It wasn't the black knitted dress from last night, but a light gray one with a tight collar that covered her neck completely.

Su Yuran didn't ask anything, but her lips carried a faint, knowing smile.

Li Ying, on the other hand, looked at Han Qing, then at Qin Lin, and nodded thoughtfully.

"Sister Han Qing, you look very radiant today."

Han Qing's chopsticks paused: "I—is that so?"

"Yes, your skin is glowing and your eyes are bright. You look much more energetic than yesterday."

Han Qing's face flushed slightly as she lowered her head to eat, not daring to respond.

Li Ying smiled and said no more.

Under the table, Han Qing's foot lightly kicked Qin Lin.

Without changing his expression, Qin Lin placed a piece of fried egg in her bowl.

"Aunt Qing, eat more. You worked hard last night."

Han Qing: "..."

Su Yuran: "Pfft."

Lin Wanwan lowered her head to suppress a laugh.

Xu Xue looked at everyone blankly, not quite understanding what was happening.

Han Yurou was arguing with Su Yuling about which strawberry was sweeter.

She didn't notice the undercurrents moving here.

Han Qing buried her face in her porridge bowl, thinking:

I'm never going to his room again tonight.

I'm really not going.

...Probably.

...

The journey south was smoother than expected.

The temperature rose to around -20°C.

The RV traveled steadily across the land.

A more obvious change was that human figures began to appear outside.

Qin Lin saw survivors in the distance through the surveillance more than once.

Some would wave frantically and chase after the RV upon seeing it, while others would warily hide deep inside buildings.

He didn't stop for a single one.

It wasn't being cold-blooded; it was the rules.

The RV was only so big. He couldn't save everyone; he could only save those who could truly integrate into the team and contribute to the RV's upgrades.

Everyone on the vehicle understood this logic.

Su Yuran understood, so she never asked him why he didn't stop.

Lin Wanwan understood, so she merely prayed silently for those distant figures.

Han Qing understood, so she focused on her work in the Medical Room and didn't ask about outside matters.

As for Xu Xue, she didn't understand anything, but she didn't ask anything either.

She gradually adapted to her new life in bedroom no. 004.

Days on the vehicle were as peaceful as if the apocalypse had never happened.

Su Yuran was still the same Su Yuran.

Planning the big picture, organizing schedules, and coordinating relationships.

She had been studying maps lately, marking out possible high-end residential areas and private clubs along the way.

"A man like my father definitely follows a pattern when choosing a place."

She analyzed it with Qin Lin.

"Near mountains and water, good privacy, and convenient transportation. I've circled all the areas that fit these conditions; we'll check them one by one."

Qin Lin looked at the dense red dots on the map and couldn't help but laugh:

"You're really planning to dig him out, aren't you?"

"Of course."

Su Yuran said matter-of-factly.

"He's hidden so many resources; it would be a waste not to use them. And..."

She paused and lowered her voice: "How is your progress with Aunt Qing lately?"

Qin Lin coughed lightly: "It's okay."

"What does 'it's okay' mean?"

Su Yuran raised an eyebrow. "Her complexion has been great these past few days, and she can't even hide the smile in her eyes. When we were eating last night, she even took the initiative to serve you food—she never used to do that before."

Qin Lin smiled and didn't speak.

Su Yuran didn't press further, only patting his shoulder.

"Hurry up. At her age, the longer it's delayed, the more anxious she gets. She'll only feel at ease once she's pregnant."

"I know."

...

Su Yuran was right.

Han Qing's complexion had indeed been very good these past few days.

Her skin was luminous, her eyes were soft, and even her gait had become a bit lighter.

In the Medical Room, she hummed a song while organizing medicines, a faint smile always hanging on her lips.

But this good mood hid a secret.

A secret that her daughter could not know.

Every night, after the lights in Bedroom No. 003 were extinguished and Han Yurou's breathing became steady.

Only then would she quietly get up.

She would step off the bed with light feet.

Change her clothes in the dark.

Hold her breath as she pulled open the door.

And then, like a thief, she would slip into Bedroom No. 000.

The first time she did this, her heart beat so fast it felt like it would jump out of her chest.

What if Yu Rou suddenly woke up?

What if she ran into Wanwan or Yuran in the hallway?

What if...

But nothing happened.

Nights on the RV were very quiet; everyone stayed in their own rooms.

The hallway was dim, and her footsteps were silent. The short walk felt like a thrilling adventure.

And the end of that adventure was Qin Lin's embrace.

"You're here?"

He asked that every time.

"Yes."

She answered that every time.