195: Chapter 195 Salty

Then she lowered her head and buried her face in the side of his neck.

“Brother Lin,” her voice was muffled, “tonight, I want to stay here with you.”

Qin Lin gently stroked her back.

“Okay.”

The time that followed was like a silent war.

Su Yuling vented all the emotions she had suppressed for so long.

Those words she dared not say, the things she dared not do, and the emotions she dared not express were all released this night.

Her fingers swiped everywhere, leaving behind trails of red marks.

Qin Lin could feel that sharp pain, but he did not stop her.

Because he saw something in her eyes.

It was a desire bordering on madness.

A desire to possess him, to merge with him, and to leave her mark upon him.

Su Yuling stared at the blood, her gaze becoming hazy.

She reached out a finger and dabbed a bit of it.

Then she smiled.

Looking at her, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in Qin Lin's heart.

Did it hurt?

It did.

But he liked this pain.

Because this pain made him feel that he truly existed.

Days in the apocalypse were too illusory.

With the daily repetition of life, the constant disasters, and people coming and going, he would sometimes become dazed, not knowing if he was in the real world or in a long dream.

But now, the pain on his back, Su Yuling's terrifyingly focused eyes...

They were all telling him that this was real.

He was truly alive.

“Yuling,” he called her name in her ear.

“Mhm.”

“In the future, you can come find me anytime.”

Su Yuling's body stiffened slightly.

Then she raised her head and looked at him.

She smiled.

It was that eerie smile again.

But this time, Qin Lin thought that smile was beautiful.

A morbid beauty.

A frantic sweetness.

This night was long.

So long that they only finally stopped when both were exhausted.

Su Yuling lay in his arms, her fingers still tracing light circles on his chest.

“Brother Lin,” she said softly, “do you know when I started to like you?”

“When?”

“The first time you saved me,” she said. “That day you opened the car door, reached out to me, and said 'Get in'. At that moment, I felt that I had to have this man.”

Qin Lin smiled.

Su Yuling closed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.

It was a smile of satisfaction.

Then she fell into a deep sleep.

Qin Lin looked at her sleeping face, complex emotions welling up in his heart.

This girl had finally become his woman.

In a rather frantic way that he hadn't expected.

But regardless, she was his now.

He gently stroked her hair and closed his eyes.

The next afternoon, sunlight spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains.

Qin Lin opened his eyes and found that Su Yuling was already awake, lying on her side next to him, propping her head up with one hand, watching him without blinking.

“Awake?” she asked.

Qin Lin nodded.

“What time is it?”

“A bit past five in the afternoon.”

Qin Lin was stunned for a moment.

Slept for that long?

He sat up, and as the wounds on his back were pulled, a sharp pain shot through him.

He subconsciously reached out to touch them, his fingertips brushing against the scratches that had already scabbed over.

Su Yuling watched his movements, the corners of her mouth curling upward slightly.

“Does it hurt?”

Qin Lin glanced at her.

“What do you think?”

She smiled and reached out to gently stroke those scratches.

“Serves you right.”

She said, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

Qin Lin smiled helplessly.

“Yes, yes, yes, my fault.”

Su Yuling nodded with satisfaction.

Then she sat up and began to get dressed.

Her movements were natural, without any bashfulness.

Qin Lin looked at her and suddenly felt that she had changed.

It wasn't a change in appearance, but a change in temperament.

The old Su Yuling—timid, shy, and prone to blushing when she spoke—was gone.

The current her, though still having the same face, radiated a completely different aura.

More composed, more certain, and more...

Dangerous?

He didn't know what word to use.

Su Yuling finished dressing and looked back at him.

“What? Don't recognize me anymore?”

Qin Lin shook his head.

“I just feel that you've changed.”

Su Yuling smiled.

“Changed for the better or for the worse?”

Qin Lin thought about it.

“Whether good or bad, it's all good to me.”

Su Yuling was stunned for a moment, and then she laughed even more happily.

She walked over, leaned down, and gave his lip a gentle bite.

“Brother Lin, you're so good.”

Then she took his hand.

“Let's go out and eat. I'm hungry.”

Qin Lin followed her up, did a quick wash, and got dressed.

The two walked out of Bedroom No. 000 together.

In the living room, everyone was eating lunch.

When they saw Qin Lin and Su Yuling appear together, everyone's gaze shifted over.

Han Yurou was holding a bowl, her chopsticks frozen in mid-air, her eyes wide.

Li Ying leaned against the sofa, a meaningful smile on her lips.

Lin Wanwan and Xu Xue exchanged a glance and lowered their heads to continue eating, pretending they hadn't seen anything.

The two sisters, Zhou Lingling and Zhou Yueyue, sat together, looking at them curiously.

Han Qing was busy in the kitchen; hearing the commotion, she poked her head out, her gaze lingering on Su Yuling for a few seconds.

Su Yuran sat by the dining table; seeing her sister come out with Qin Lin, a flash of complex emotion crossed her eyes.

But Su Yuling didn't care about these gazes at all.

She held Qin Lin's hand and walked directly to the dining table, sitting down beside him.

Her movements were as natural as if she had done this a hundred times.

Qin Lin sat down next to her.

Han Yurou froze for a moment, then walked over with her bowl and sat down on Qin Lin's other side.

“Brother Lin, you slept for so long.”

She said, her tone carrying a bit of a spoiled whine.

Qin Lin nodded.

“Yeah, a bit tired.”

Han Yurou wanted to say something more, but she suddenly felt a gaze land on her.

She subconsciously turned her head and met Su Yuling's eyes.

Those eyes were looking at her.

Without any expression, just simply looking.

But Han Yurou inexplicably felt a chill down her spine.

That kind of look...

How should she put it?

Like looking at an... insignificant thing?

No, not insignificant.

More like looking at a... potential threat?

What happened to Yuling?

Han Yurou was stunned, and before she could react, Su Yuling had already withdrawn her gaze.

She lowered her head and began to eat.

But her left hand kept holding Qin Lin's hand.

That hand tightened slightly after Han Yurou sat down.

Her fingernails sank gently into Qin Lin's skin.

Qin Lin felt that slight sting but said nothing.

He just used his other hand to pick up his chopsticks and began to eat.

Han Yurou felt something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.