Self-Conquest

At that moment, Meng De was practically naked, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.

Chen Jiayi instinctively shut her eyes.

"W-Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"

Normally a capable career woman who navigated the workplace with ease, Chen Jiayi was now so nervous she looked about to cry, unable to speak for a long while.

Meng De had never expected Chen Jiayi to come over at this time.

Since yesterday, he had stayed in his room getting familiar with the Tang Sword, preparing for the trip ahead.

He had practiced so intently that he lost track of time, and he did not even know when he had fallen asleep last night.

So when the knocking woke him up, he was still groggy. Chen Jiayi's scream, however, woke him up completely.

"Fuck!"

"Wait a second!"

He hurriedly threw on some clothes before opening the door again.

"Sorry, I stayed up too late last night."

Meng De yawned.

"Jiayi, did you need something?"

After taking a while to recover, Chen Jiayi finally opened her eyes.

"Meng De, let's work together and go look for supplies."

To Meng De's surprise, Chen Jiayi had not come to borrow food. She wanted to go out and search for supplies.

"Aren't you scared?"

"Scared? What good would being scared do? I can't just watch my sister starve to death."

Chen Jiayi's face was still slightly flushed after composing herself, but determination outweighed everything else.

"Or you can help me open the door and let me go alone. I'll give you half of whatever supplies I find."

Meng De did not answer, but his eyes held a little more admiration for the girl before him.

She knew there were terrifying zombies outside, yet she still dared to go out searching for supplies.

He recalled the system's introduction. As expected of an ultimate little-sister fanatic! "Actually, you don't need to do this. You know I still have plenty of food, right?"

"Mm, I know. But it's all yours."

Chen Jiayi nodded rationally, without the slightest intention of taking Meng De's food for granted.

If it had been certain little princesses, they would probably have already made some absurd remarks.

"I can give it to you, and you won't have to pay me back."

"Then what do you want?"

Chen Jiayi knew perfectly well that there was no such thing as a free lunch. She did not believe Meng De wanted nothing in return.

Sure enough, the next second, she saw Meng De's gaze travel over her body.

Chen Jiayi was tall, standing at 1.68 meters—undeniably a goddess's height.

Her figure was nearly perfect as well. Her full breasts and slender waist outlined enchanting curves, while the long legs beneath her tiny hot pants were enough to drive anyone wild.

Perhaps because he had just woken up, he was especially fired up today. "You!"

With that single word, Chen Jiayi immediately understood what Meng De meant.

He actually wanted her. Chen Jiayi's first reaction was shame and anger. But before she could respond, Meng De stepped forward, took her small hand directly, and looked at her with utter sincerity.

"Jiayi, I've liked you for a long time."

"Will you be my woman?"

Faced with Meng De's heartfelt confession, Chen Jiayi, who had just been ashamed and angry, froze on the spot. For a moment, she even forgot to struggle.

If Meng De had directly forced her with food, she would rather die than agree.

She remembered how, before the apocalypse, a client had used business discussions as an excuse to corner her outside the restroom. She had kicked him so hard that he was half crippled.

Chen Jiayi was absolutely not the kind of woman who would sell her body for money.

But she had never expected Meng De to confess to her.

And in this apocalyptic world on the verge of collapse!

"I have some more food here. I can give it all to you and let you survive. And from now on, I'll take responsibility for looking after you and your sister."

"I can go out and find supplies too."

"I have the ability to protect you!"

Meng De's voice was firm and powerful. When Chen Jiayi heard that he could take care of her sister, her heart was instantly moved.

She could choose not to think about herself, but she could not ignore her sister.

But in her current physical condition, her chances of finding supplies outside were practically zero.

Even if she got lucky and found supplies this time, what about afterward? What would she do then?

Just wait for rescue? Honestly, nearly a week had passed, and Chen Jiayi no longer held much hope for rescue.

If rescue were coming, it would have arrived long ago.

And after borrowing food yesterday, Chen Jiayi had already become deeply grateful to Meng De. That food had been equivalent to saving both her and her sister's lives.

What puzzled her was why Meng De had never shown even the slightest affection for her before the apocalypse.

She quickly figured it out.

It had to be because of the gap between them before the apocalypse, so he had not dared say it.

Yes, that had to be it!

Having thought it through, the way Chen Jiayi looked at Meng De gradually changed.

He had hidden his feelings for so long, only bringing them up after the apocalypse because he wanted to take care of her and her sister.

An inexplicable wave of emotion surged through Chen Jiayi's heart, and Meng De's image immediately grew taller in her eyes.

Ding! Congratulations, Host. Goddess Chen Jiayi's favorability toward Host has increased by 5. Current favorability: 40!

Meng De had no idea that, in such a short time, the woman before him had spun an entire drama in her head.

She had completed her own self-conquest in no time. Otherwise, he would definitely have planted a couple of kisses on her.

Little did he know, the reason he had said those things was mainly because he understood this woman's stubborn personality.

With her looks, it was not as though no men pursued her. If she had wanted a better life, she could easily have married some rich second-generation heir.

Yet after living together for so long, he had never seen her date any boyfriend.

He had not even seen any man bring her home.

If Meng De had directly forced her with food, she would rather die than agree.

She had kicked a client so hard that he lost all happiness for the rest of his life. The incident had made quite a stir; even Meng De had heard of it.

Meng De still wanted to obtain system rewards through her. Since force would not work, then he would have to take a roundabout route! Naturally, the best method was to start with her sister.

Sincerity was always the ultimate weapon!

For an ultimate little-sister fanatic like Chen Jiayi, her sister would always be the person she cared about most.

At that moment, Chen Jiayi saw the Tang Sword Meng De had leaned against the wall after practicing last night, along with the exercise equipment. Being clever, she immediately understood.

"You're planning to go out?"

"Mm, I am. It's better to rely on yourself than others. Rather than wait for rescue, it's better to take the initiative!"

Meng De's tone was resolute. His words made Chen Jiayi's breathing quicken, and she blurted out instinctively.

"I'll go with you!"

Meng De did not doubt her work ability, but exploring outside was different from working. If anything went wrong, it would mean facing mortal danger.

"I don't have a habit of letting my woman take risks!"

"I just said it—I have the ability to take care of you!"

Although she had been refused, Chen Jiayi felt utterly cared for.

For a woman who had raised her younger sister since childhood, this was something she had never experienced before.

He likes me, so he doesn't want me to take risks! Chen Jiayi's eyes immediately reddened. "Meng De, thank you!"

"I'm willing to be your woman!"

With those two sentences, Meng De's breathing abruptly quickened, as though some kind of shackle was about to be unlocked.