LABMY CH92.1

Shen Nian reached out to touch the counter of the glasses store with a face full of disappointment. Although he was highly nearsighted, he could still make out the shapes of objects and knew that there were indeed no glasses on the counter. Yet, he couldn’t help but reach out to confirm.

Then, Jian Yuanbai led him back to their temporary shelter. “Don’t be sad, baby. Xiao Ba will definitely find you the most suitable pair of glasses.”

Letting Xiao Ba find glasses for you means you’ll never see a high-definition version of the world in this lifetime.

Jian Yuanbai felt guilty, and when he felt guilty, he subconsciously called him more intimately. He didn’t think much of it, but Shen Nian felt a chill down his spine. “Don’t call me that.”

“You just lost your memory, not your soul.”

“In the past, my relationship with you was terrible. Now that my mom is gone, you don’t have to take care of me.”

Jian Yuanbai reached out and held his hand, speaking with deep sincerity, “I don’t care what you think. You are the only family your mother left in this world. I will take care of you for her sake because I loved her. Naturally, I will love and protect what she loved.”

Shen Nian expressionlessly withdrew his hand from Jian Yuanbai’s grasp. “If I remember correctly, half a day ago in the supermarket, you were the one asking who ‘Madam’ was.”

Jian Yuanbai was momentarily embarrassed, but with his strong mental composure, he lied with a straight face, “When Aunt Liu mentioned it, I vaguely recalled the feeling of love. Can you understand that?”

Shen Nian said nothing, only sneering coldly before continuing forward. Jian Yuanbai, who was left behind, watched his figure and suddenly said, “Shen Nian, you need to understand that this is the apocalypse now. Pushing me away won’t do you any good.”

The person striding ahead suddenly paused and turned to look at Jian Yuanbai. “Are you threatening me?”

Jian Yuanbai shook his head and said seriously, “I’m just trying to protect you.”

Shen Nian stared at him for half a minute. All he could see was a blurry figure. At that moment, he suddenly wanted to see clearly, to see what kind of expression was on this person’s face.

When the two returned to their spot, Wu Tian couldn’t help but glance at Shen Nian repeatedly. When he heard there were strangely no glasses in the store, his face was filled with disbelief.

He wanted to speak but remembered those few drops of water that pierced through glass and the sink. Reluctantly, he swallowed his words.

Jian Yuanbai looked at Shen Nian, who was about to lie down on the ground, then glanced at Shen Nian leaning against the wall. With his severe nearsightedness, Shen Nian’s eyes always seemed a bit unfocused, giving him an ethereal vibe. Sitting against the corner with a blank expression made him look somewhat dazed and adorable.

Before Jian Yuanbai could speak, Shen Nian, as if reading his mind, turned his head and said, “Bai Lingchen, I don’t want to sleep on the cold floor. Go find me a bed.”

Everyone was shocked by Shen Nian’s bossy tone. They couldn’t even curry favor with Jian Yuanbai fast enough, so how did Shen Nian dare to speak like that?

Aunt Liu couldn’t help but say, “Shen Nian, really? Mr. Bai has been busy running around for so long. It’s a special time now. What’s wrong with sleeping on the floor? It’s not like before the apocalypse. You should change your spoiled young master attitude.”

Shen Nian ignored her and continued to say to Jian Yuanbai, “Didn’t you say you want to protect me?”

Jian Yuanbai walked over and picked him up like a baby, letting Shen Nian lean on his shoulder. This position avoided touching the wounds on Shen Nian’s back. After doing this, Jian Yuanbai leisurely said, “You can sleep on a bed, but call me ‘Xiao Ba.'”

Jian Yuanbai didn’t want to be called by someone else’s name, but he couldn’t reveal his true identity, so he compromised with “Xiao Ba.”

Shen Nian said, “Forget it. I’m not sleeping anymore. Put me down.”

Jian Yuanbai refused to let go and simply sat down with Shen Nian in his arms. “Either sleep on me or call me ‘Xiao Ba’ and let me find you a bed.”

He slowly added, “Starting today, you’ll sleep on me from now on.”

Shen Nian was stubborn. Facing such blatant threats from Jian Yuanbai, a young master who had never suffered any hardship and always got what he wanted, would naturally never give in so easily.

He deliberately shifted his body, putting most of his weight on Jian Yuanbai and gritted his teeth as he said, “Fine, I’ll—sleep—on—you!”

Everyone around was dumbfounded, watching the two cling to each other like conjoined twins. This… this was a bit too intimate.

Jian Yuanbai leaned against the wall while Shen Nian sat sideways on his lap, resting against his shoulder. His lips pouted, and his long, crow-feather-like eyelashes trembled slightly. It was clear he was pretending to sleep while waiting for Jian Yuanbai to surrender when his legs went numb.

However, Jian Yuanbai was genuinely prepared to sleep. Although Shen Nian was a seventeen-year-old teenager, his weight was nothing to Jian Yuanbai. Even if it were for a few days and nights, his legs wouldn’t go numb, so he held him steadily.

At that moment, the system spoke in Jian Yuanbai’s mind, “You’re not really his Xiao Ba. You don’t need to be so obsessed with that title.”

“Even if Shen Nian finds out you’re not really Bai Lingchen, you can still stay by his side as a friend.”

Jian Yuanbai responded with a perfectly logical analysis, “Think about it. ‘Xiao Ba’ is such a natural reason. I’ve only known Shen Nian for less than a day. It would be strange to stay by his side as a friend, but as his Xiao Ba, it wouldn’t be.”

“Taking care of my cheap son is exactly a father’s duty. Even though I wasn’t his Xiao Ba before, I am now. From today on, I am his Xiao Ba.”

The system tried to persuade him a few times, but unable to outargue Jian Yuanbai, it shut its mouth and stopped talking. In its mind, it thought: I’ve done my part in trying to dissuade him. If Jian Yuanbai insists on putting on this morally questionable act, there’s nothing I can do.

The system then happily prepared to watch the drama unfold. After traveling through several worlds, it had come to understand that all the obstacles in Jian Yuanbai’s love life were ones he personally placed in front of himself, without any external help.

Seeing that the system was silent, Jian Yuanbai assumed he had convinced it and stopped speaking. He cleared his mind of chaotic thoughts and prepared to sleep.

He was completely unaware that the boy in his arms, with his eyes closed, was still holding onto his anger, waiting for him to admit defeat.

Shen Nian felt himself surrounded by an unfamiliar breath, unused to such close physical contact. A light, unknown fragrance wrapped around him, as if he were being enveloped by the man holding him.

His eyelashes trembled violently. He wanted to speak but refused to admit defeat. As time slowly passed and the surroundings grew quieter, Shen Nian could hear the steady, shallow breathing of the man holding him.

Shen Nian opened his eyes in surprise, only to find that the man seemed to have fallen asleep.

The proud young master couldn’t bear it. He deliberately turned over with a big movement, pretending to be asleep. When he felt the man carefully avoiding his injured back and adjusting his position to make him sleep more comfortably, Shen Nian felt inexplicably embarrassed.

It was as if he was really being treated like a child.

He snorted silently in his heart but didn’t do anything more.

The next morning, Jian Yuanbai was awakened by the movements of the person in his arms. Perhaps due to the cold air, the delicate boy in his embrace burrowed deeper into him, almost as if he wanted to bury himself completely in Jian Yuanbai’s body.

Jian Yuanbai didn’t move but tightened his hold on him, furrowing his brows slightly. Shen Nian, still asleep, let out a soft hum and rubbed against Jian Yuanbai’s neck. When his face touched the warm skin, he let out a satisfied sigh.

So warm.

With the close proximity, Jian Yuanbai caught a faint scent of roses from Shen Nian. It was light but pleasant, like a freshly bloomed rose carrying the morning dew.

“Ugh,” Wang Li rubbed his arms as he woke up. “Why does it feel like it’s getting colder and colder?”

“Every morning feels colder than the day before.”

It was now the end of June, the height of summer, but the weather was becoming colder each day. Wang Li’s words made Aunt Liu and the others’ expressions turn grim.

The worsening temperature would only make survival harder for ordinary people. Aside from Jian Yuanbai, everyone here was an ordinary person.

They could only hope that the temperature would stop dropping at a certain point. Otherwise…

Aunt Liu glanced at Shen Nian, who was curled up in Jian Yuanbai’s arms. In such extreme conditions, this man would surely stop caring for them. He only looked after Shen Nian because he mistakenly believed he was Shen Nian’s Xiao Ba. Judging by his actions, this man was of good character. Once he took on a responsibility, he wouldn’t abandon it easily.

So, she had to find a way to make this man grow tired of Shen Nian and turn his attention to her and her son.

Cooking and doing chores wouldn’t be enough to win his favor, especially in the face of an apocalyptic survival crisis. Aunt Liu would do these things, but she wouldn’t rely on them to succeed.

In most situations, there wouldn’t be an easy solution. She needed to carefully consider her next move.

The group began cooking with an electric stove, surrounding it with anxious expressions. Luckily, the world still hadn’t lost power yet. Otherwise, survival would be even harder.

Wang Li looked at Jian Yuanbai holding Shen Nian and couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Bai, shouldn’t we head to S City today?”

Jian Yuanbai was puzzled, “Why are we going to S City?”

Wang Li quickly explained, “I heard that S City has established a human defense fortress. Most people are heading there. It’s hard for ordinary people like us to survive on our own. The fortress in S City would be a good choice for us.”

He glanced at Shen Nian and added, “For Young Master Shen, the fortress would be a safer environment too.”

As they spoke, Shen Nian was disturbed by the voices and slowly woke up. As his mind cleared, he became aware of his current position.

Both of his hands were wrapped tightly around Jian Yuanbai’s neck, his face pressed against the side of Jian Yuanbai’s neck, and his body curled up with his legs tucked under Jian Yuanbai’s arms.

Before he could feel the soreness from sleeping in such a twisted, octopus-like position, his ears flushed red from the overly intimate posture.

Shen Nian quickly got up from Jian Yuanbai’s arms, tidied his clothes, and cleared his throat to cover his awkwardness. “What were you talking about just now?”

Jian Yuanbai stretched his hand and loosened his muscles. “We were talking about going to the human defense fortress in S City.”

Shen Nian’s face turned even redder from Jian Yuanbai’s actions. He had long forgotten that he ended up sleeping in Jian Yuanbai’s arms out of sheer stubbornness. Now, his mind was filled with guilt about making the other’s body go numb. He didn’t dare look at Jian Yuanbai and shifted his gaze awkwardly, mumbling, “Mm…”

After leaving Jian Yuanbai’s embrace, Shen Nian belatedly realized that the weather seemed even colder. He rubbed his hands, which had turned ice-cold within just a few minutes, feeling a bit anxious. It was only the fifth day since the apocalypse began, and at the end of June, when summer should be in full swing, the temperature had already dropped to this level.

The good news was that he didn’t show any signs of turning into a monster due to his wound infection. The bad news was that, as an ordinary human, he saw little hope of survival.

While eating heated canned eight-treasure porridge, Shen Nian secretly glanced at Jian Yuanbai. Right now, his best option was to curry favor with Jian Yuanbai and ensure that Jian Yuanbai would take him along and protect him.

However, no matter how composed he looked on the surface, Shen Nian was proud in his heart. He didn’t want to rely on others like a parasitic vine for the rest of his life. Besides, even parents and lovers could be unreliable at times. How could he trust a so-called “Xiao Ba” with no blood relation to protect him forever?

Shen Nian sighed silently while eating and thought, Let’s take it one step at a time.

After finishing their meal, the group found some clothes in the mall, put them on, and packed up to leave.

Wang Li looked at Jian Yuanbai, who was carrying a large bag on his back, and eagerly offered, “Mr. Bai, let me carry the bag. I’m strong.”

Jian Yuanbai shook his head, avoiding Wang Li’s hand, and said indifferently, “I’ll do it.”

Wang Li’s attempt to please him fell flat, but he wasn’t embarrassed. He chuckled awkwardly and dropped the topic. Aunt Liu, observing this from the side, confirmed that her assumption was correct—such small, replaceable acts of flattery wouldn’t catch this man’s attention.

Her gaze shifted to Shen Nian, and a plan silently began to form in her mind.

In the height of summer, the group walked down the street. Except for Jian Yuanbai, who wore a black, low-neck shirt, everyone else was wrapped up tightly, as if they were in a different season.

Shen Nian blew warm air onto his hands as he walked. It was freezing. Even after putting on a fleece-lined hoodie, he still felt cold. This chill wasn’t something clothing could block; it felt like it came from within, making him shiver uncontrollably.

The gray fog-like substance in the air had thickened, and the visibility was even worse than the day before. Ahead, everything was shrouded in a hazy gray. Shen Nian, whose eyesight was already poor, could barely see anything now. His need to find a suitable pair of glasses grew more urgent.

Without a second thought, Jian Yuanbai reached out and grabbed Shen Nian’s hand, wrapping the ice-cold hand in his palm.

Shen Nian froze, stubbornly saying, “I’m not cold.”

Jian Yuanbai had already witnessed how stubborn Shen Nian was yesterday. Even when he was in pain, with tears welling up in his eyes, he refused to admit it. He would rather sleep the whole night in an awkward, back-straining position than call Jian Yuanbai “Xiao Ba.” And now, even with his hands freezing like ice, he still insisted he wasn’t cold.

If the sky were to collapse, Shen Nian could probably hold it up with just his mouth.

Jian Yuanbai didn’t argue and calmly replied, “I didn’t say you were cold. The visibility is so low. I’m holding your hand to prevent you from bumping into a pole.”

With an excuse to save face, Shen Nian snorted softly and said nothing more.

In his mind, Jian Yuanbai told the system, “I’ve figured out how to handle kids now.”

The system let out a puzzled sound, “En?”

Jian Yuanbai continued, “He’s seventeen, at the rebellious age. You have to go along with him.”

Then he added proudly, “When I have kids with my wife in the future, I’ll definitely be a great dad.”

The system: ……