Love Clouds Judgment

"..."

Jiang Nian thought carefully for a moment and said:

"After all the commotion today, the killer will probably lie low for a while. Tomorrow, mobilize everyone available to question the residents and see if we can find anything unusual..."

Cheng Jing nodded:

"That's what I was thinking too. I'll go to the command room again in a bit. You should stay home for the next few days."

Jiang Nian pouted helplessly:

"Brother Jing, things will go a lot faster if you take me along. And if the other person has a psychic ability, we'll be safer with my purification."

His concerns weren't unfounded. Someone caught off guard and unable to fight back had most likely suffered a psychic attack. Once under mental control, they wouldn't even know how they died.

Cheng Jing shook his head:

"Listen to me! Zhou Rongbin has a psychic ability. I'll take him with me."

It was too dangerous. He couldn't let Jiang Nian take that risk.

"Just see if I listen to you!"

Jiang Nian's rebellious streak flared up at once. After snapping back, he got up and returned to his room, rummaging through everything for new outdoor gear.

"Nian Nian..."

Cheng Jing followed him and pulled him back.

"..."

Jiang Nian pressed the tip of his tongue against a canine and looked at him calmly:

"Cheng Jing, I'm not old, weak, sick, or disabled, and I'm not some delicate flower. I'm a spirited, grown twenty-one-year-old man. I'm tall, with long legs, abs, and an ability, and I'm damn good in a fight! Physically, I'm much stronger than other people my age these days. You really don't need to overprotect me."

He was perfectly willing to be Cheng Jing's wife, but Cheng Jing seemed to be treating him like some helpless dodder vine, and that was ridiculous. His ability wasn't offensive, but he was still stronger than an ordinary person, wasn't he? If ordinary people could do it, he didn't see a problem with doing it himself.

"I just don't want you taking risks. I can handle these things. It's not overprotection."

Cheng Jing looked utterly helpless. He really didn't want them to fall out over something like this.

Jiang Nian shook his head:

"Let's put it this way. It's only the beginning of the apocalypse. As time goes on, incidents like this will become normal, and there'll be countless others far more vicious and malicious. What will you do then? Keep me at home forever?"

Cheng Jing's eyes lit up:

"Yes. What's wrong with that? Only when you're safe can I have peace of mind while I'm out working."

That was exactly what he was working toward.

"You!"

Jiang Nian was so angry at his matter-of-fact attitude that he laughed:

"Things are different right now. We're together all day, every day, so you think it's fine because you can keep an eye on me whenever you want. But the real trouble comes after the extreme cold: zombies covering the land and all kinds of natural and man-made disasters. If I can't keep up with you, I'll become a burden to you! I'll hold you back..."

"I don't mind. I'll handle it!"

Cheng Jing cut him off.

But Jiang Nian angrily raised his voice:

"You don't mind, but I fucking do!"

Afterward, he paced back and forth in the room, muttering warnings to himself:

I can't fight him! Domestic violence is wrong! His face is so handsome, it'd be a shame to damage it! I still want to snuggle up to him... I can't fight him!

"..."

Stunned by his sudden outburst, Cheng Jing realized he was genuinely angry and didn't dare speak for a moment.

After a while, Jiang Nian finally got his emotions under control and calmed down a little. He lowered his voice, speaking earnestly:

"Brother Jing, I've died once. I know that in the apocalypse, the weak don't even have the right to choose death! It's not that I don't trust you. I just want to make the most of this second chance and try to do better. If you really want to protect me, then I feel the same way about you."

Sometimes Cheng Jing's stubbornness really annoyed him. They were so well matched in every way, so what was wrong with fighting side by side?

"Nian Nian..."

Cheng Jing wanted to coax him, but Jiang Nian waved a hand:

"I'm not listening, not listening, not listening! If you really insist on treating me like a useless kept pet, then we... will break up."

He wouldn't allow himself to be useless! Not even if it killed him!

"Jiang Nian!"

Cheng Jing suddenly gripped his shoulder hard and pulled him over:

"What nonsense are you spouting now?! A fight is a fight. Why bring up breaking up?!"

Those two words were like a switch, instantly igniting his anger. Jiang Nian had had the same attitude when he'd unilaterally dumped him back then!

"Ow..."

Jiang Nian quietly drew a sharp breath from the pain. He looked up to meet Cheng Jing's eyes, his own reddening:

"Hey... don't you know how much stronger you've become since your ability awakened? If you cripple my arm, you won't have to take me out with you, is that it?"

He was an ability user with top-tier damage output, far above other ability users and ordinary people in every respect, yet he had no awareness of it at all!

Fuck, if he squeezes any harder, my shoulder will pop out of its socket!

If it had been anyone else, this would have called for a fight. Fuck! It hurts like hell!

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

Cheng Jing apologized, immediately loosening his grip and rubbing his shoulder.

Concern clouded his judgment. When he was thinking rationally, he knew Jiang Nian had an ability and experience from his previous life, and although he lacked training, there wasn't much need to worry. But whenever something happened, he couldn't stop himself from wanting to hide him away.

It had almost become an instinctive reflex.

And the words "break up" were his biggest trigger!

"You're so annoying..."

Jiang Nian pinched him in frustration and rested his head against his chest, but his voice softened:

"I'm not asking you to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong, and neither have I. It's just that if we keep going according to your wishes, we really will have problems... I'd die without you."

This is so annoying. Why are we fighting over something that shouldn't even be an issue?!

"You won't. Don't talk nonsense."

Cheng Jing calmed down too, a tight feeling in his chest.

Jiang Nian continued:

"I just want to stay with you. I won't say anything as sappy as living and dying together. I just hope that whatever happens, we can face it together. I have some experience from my previous life, and we can work really well together... But the way you're acting makes me feel useless."

Living off him long-term is fine, but being useless long-term isn't!

In any relationship, if the gap in strength between the two people was too great, it would eventually lose its balance from exhaustion.

Cheng Jing patted his back and nodded:

"...Mm, I understand."

"Three strikes and you're out. You have to promise me you won't sulk at me over this kind of thing again... I feel like we're idiots. Even elementary school kids don't fight like this!"

After saying that, Jiang Nian let go of him and continued looking for his things. Really, two grown men in a relationship didn't need to be so melodramatic.

"Okay, but you have to promise me that no matter how we fight, you won't say we should break up."

Cheng Jing watched from the side without stopping him anymore, sincerely acknowledging that he had been wrong.

Jiang Nian looked up:

"I'm not going to break up with you. I was just using it as an example."

His shoulder still hurt. Had what he'd said just now really been that excessive?

"Not even as an example! I'll go along with you on everything else, but on this, you have to go along with me!"

Cheng Jing wouldn't give ground on this topic.

"Okay, okay..."

Jiang Nian raised both hands helplessly:

"I was wrong, hubby~"

Coax him! Just coax him for all I'm worth!

"Mm."

The corners of Cheng Jing's mouth lifted in a restrained smile, and he stepped forward to help him look.