Once the goods were confirmed to be real, Lao Gao kept his word without hesitation. He handed ten catties of rice and five packs of instant noodles to Brother Luo, then left without another word.
Brother Luo, however, watched Lao Gao's back as he walked away, his expression thoughtful.
…
Lao Gao's errand went smoothly, but over in the dormitory lobby, the women had run into a different sort of situation.
Around noon, a team returned to the base after going out to search for supplies. They hadn't seen what happened outside, so they didn't ask, but among the people coming back, they spotted a familiar face. It was none other than Lao Shi — Officer Shi — the man Ling Jiang had been searching for.
The moment Lao Shi stepped into the lobby, Ling Jiang recognized him instantly. She had just started toward him when a young woman suddenly ran over and threw herself into his arms.
The scene could not have looked more like something straight out of a cheesy romance drama. The women, all adults, understood what it meant at a glance. No one dared say a word, and the lobby fell silent.
Lan Jin grew worried that Ling Jiang's temper might explode and she'd go charging over to throw a punch. But surprisingly, Ling Jiang didn't. She just stood there, watching Lao Shi's back until the elevator carried him out of sight.
Except…
Yes, except.
The lobby's elevator was made of glass, open on all sides. Even as it ascended, anyone inside could still look down and see the lobby. Lao Shi glanced down, and sure enough, he spotted Ling Jiang's gaze still fixed on him.
Perhaps on instinct, Lao Shi pushed the girl in his arms away. The girl looked stunned, but before she could react, he quickly got off at the next floor, switched to another elevator, and came back down to the lobby.
Then the two of them began talking alone. Huang Jinghe and Lan Jin stepped back to give them space and sat to the side.
By the time Lao Gao returned, their conversation had just ended.
They hadn't argued. No accusations, no raised voices. Just calm words. But one thing was clear — Lao Shi had come to the base without telling Ling Jiang, and the girl from earlier was indeed his current girlfriend.
No matter what reasons or history lay behind it, Lao Shi did not deny that he had cheated.
Thinking back to the insect disaster, when Ling Jiang had given up her own chance to go to the base for his sake — worrying about his safety day and night — it was hard not to feel that she deserved better. But whether she did or not, things had already come to this. And both of them were unnervingly calm, as if even after confirming his betrayal, they could part on good terms.
When they mentioned they were leaving, Lao Shi didn't simply walk away. Instead, he followed them out of the lobby toward the parking lot.
Seeing they weren't keeping up, he frowned. "The parking lot's that way."
Lao Gao shot him a glance. "We don't have a car."
"Then how did you get here?" Lao Shi asked.
Huang Jinghe lifted the set of skating gear in his hands — two pairs of rollerblades and a skate cart.
Lao Shi's brows furrowed tightly. "You came on that? How far can you even get?"
"On this," Lan Jin said easily, "and if we get tired, we rest."
By then they had reached the base gate. Lao Gao and Ling Jiang strapped on their rollerblades, fastening the skate cart's towing strap around their waists.
"You're being ridiculous," Lao Shi muttered.
Ling Jiang spoke with a dismissive calm. "It's how we came. So we'll leave the same way."
"You won't get far like that," Lao Shi said, a hint of pleading in his voice. "Why don't you stay here at the base?"
If not for what had just happened, and if things between them were still as they used to be, Ling Jiang might have considered it. Grandma Ling had always liked Lao Shi. But now? Staying would mean watching him and his new girlfriend every day. That wasn't her. And if her temper snapped and she hit someone… well.
"You don't have to worry about us," Ling Jiang said. "We can handle ourselves. Nobody's going to rob us on the road, and besides, we have powers. We'll be fine."
Hearing her mention powers, Lao Shi stiffened. "You… you ate insect powder? Then—"
Lao Gao, who had arrived late and didn't know the details but could guess, cut him off. "We are fine, Sister Ling. Let's go."
Seeing the two ahead of them ready, Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe climbed onto the skate cart. Lan Jin tugged her scarf snug and called out, "We're ready. Lao Shi, after today, we might not meet again. Back then, with Qiao Qiao, thanks for helping."
Lao Shi froze, surprised she still remembered. He nodded politely, then looked to Ling Jiang again.
Ling Jiang seemed calm, but the strain showed on her face. If someone had to play the bad guy here, it might as well be her. "Come on. It's getting late. We need to find shelter before we end up sleeping on the street and freezing to death."
She gave Lao Shi one last look. "Goodbye." Then she pushed off, gliding out the gate.
Lan Jin glanced back to see Lao Shi take a few quick steps as if to follow, but he stopped almost immediately.
They turned a corner and reached the hidden spot where they had stashed the car last time. By now, the base gate was completely out of sight.
They got off the skate cart. Lan Jin looked at Ling Jiang. "If you want to cry, go cry inside. It's cold out here. Don't freeze your face."
Ling Jiang blinked, then gave a crooked smile. "Cry? What's there to cry about? So I got cheated on. Big deal."
"Yeah," Lan Jin said evenly. "Just got cheated on. No big deal. But getting cheated on in the middle of the apocalypse? That's rough. Really rough. Ling Jiang, if you want to cry, cry. No one will laugh at you."
Ling Jiang had been close to breaking down already, but at that line — getting cheated on in the middle of the apocalypse — her grief was abruptly replaced by laughter. "You're unbelievable. I wasn't even feeling that sorry for myself, but now I do."
She laughed until tears spilled down her cheeks. Lan Jin quickly tucked Huang Jinghe, Lao Gao, and all their gear into her storage space, leaving only the two of them outside.
The cold didn't matter. Even if crying ruined her skin, the spiritual spring water could restore it.
With that reassurance, Ling Jiang cried without restraint. But she never once mentioned the details of her talk with Lao Shi.
When she had cried enough, Lan Jin brought out spring water for her to wash her face and cool her swollen eyes. Soon, there was no trace of tears left. Only then did they go inside the space together.