Chapter 227: Abducted

Jiang Xia quietly finished the lunch that Rixia Bu Xi had given her.

Rixia Bu Xi still wore that plain but clean white outfit.

Over it she wore a red apron with slight oil stains; some sunlight fell on her, bathing her in a faint warm hue.

At that moment, the curious-looking boss lady sat mysteriously beside Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia immediately saw that very gossipy look, and could even tell what question she was about to ask.

Here, Zhugong Gongzi also took care of Rixia Bu Xi; in this apocalyptic world, the two clinging together for warmth had become the norm.

There were several things that made Zhugong Gongzi curious; she had never seen Jiang Xia before, and Xiao Xi had grown up under her watch—just who is this person?

Before, she had worked so hard to find a suitable partner for Xiao Xi, but Xiao Xi always showed reluctance, as if she already had someone hidden in her heart.

Even Kagami, who had worked here for years, couldn't sway her; those dating tactics had never worked.

Doubts popped up one after another in her mind: to be with Xiao Xi, she first had to get past this hurdle.

If she didn't find out clearly, how could she possibly entrust Xiao Xi to a strange man?

"When did you get to know Xiao Xi?" Zhugong Gongzi asked.

"It's been a long time, but the current Xiao Xi might have forgotten me." Jiang Xia said, "Thank you for always caring so much for Xiao Xi."

Zhugong Gongzi blinked, surprised—this felt like a role reversal; shouldn't she be the one saying this to others?

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of her." Jiang Xia looked at the pondering Zhugong Gongzi, seized the moment to stand up, and walked into the back kitchen.

He wasn't good at facing such scenes, and besides, he had something more important to do right now.

Jiang Xia grabbed Rixia Bu Xi, who was washing dishes, and gently took off her gloves, which had already turned slightly yellow.

"You?" Rixia Bu Xi was about to speak, but Jiang Xia instantly blocked her mouth with a finger.

"Do you believe me?" Jiang Xia looked into Rixia Bu Xi's eyes and said.

"Mm, I believe you. Although I've never met you, your appearance makes me happy."

Rixia Bu Xi nodded, then looked at Jiang Xia and whispered.

"That's enough."

Jiang Xia chuckled, reached out and wrapped his hand around her back, then gently pulled—the red apron slipped off her in an instant, revealing what she ought to look like.

"Today isn't suitable for work, so would you be willing to come with me, Miss Rixia Bu Xi?"

Watching Jiang Xia's movements before her, Rixia Bu Xi felt as if a series of images suddenly flashed in her mind—memories of being together with him, smiling happily.

On the table were various familiar dishes, including herself, as if she had drunk a little alcohol, with white mist drifting in the air.

But she seemed never to have seen those two other people before; they gave her a strong yet unreal feeling.

"Mm, I'm willing." Rixia Bu Xi grasped his outstretched hand without hesitation.

Not knowing where to go, not knowing the endpoint, not knowing who this person before her was—none of that mattered.

She felt as if, at the moment her life was about to end, she had finally met the person she had been waiting for.

No matter how much time remained, it no longer mattered.

Jiang Xia took her hand and led her out of Sal Restaurant.

"Boss lady, I'm borrowing Xiao Xi for a day." Jiang Xia said to Zhugong Gongzi.

"Xiao Xi, is it really okay?" Zhugong Gongzi ignored Jiang Xia, turned her head, and worriedly looked at Rixia Bu Xi as she asked.

"Mm, he'll take good care of me." Rixia Bu Xi nodded firmly.

"Not a whole day—only half a day, and you must come back by night."

After receiving the affirmative answer, Zhugong Gongzi gave Jiang Xia a wary glance.

"Okay." Jiang Xia nodded.

Half a day was plenty of time to do many things; he hadn't intended to waste too much of it, but the meteorite's fall was imminent, and still some things had to be done.

And just as Jiang Xia was leading Rixia Bu Xi away, a person wearing sunglasses, a white coat, and carrying a long bamboo pole with a fish on his shoulder brushed past them.

In this water-scarce world, fish were worth their weight in gold; to catch a fish with a fishing rod was practically a miracle.

The moment that person saw Rixia Bu Xi's profile, he quickly took off his sunglasses, a flicker of joy crossing his eyes,

but the instant he saw Rixia Bu Xi holding another man's hand, his gaze instantly sank.

He immediately threw his fishing rod and fish at the watching Zhugong Gongzi, who was looking at Rixia Bu Xi as she left, and urgently said:

"Please look after this for me—I'll be right back."

"What's your name?" Zhugong Gongzi asked doubtfully, strange people keep showing up more and more.

"Heavenly Dao Chief."

As before, he would surely have repeated his grandmother's words as a self-introduction over and over to reinforce memory, but now he no longer had the mood for that.

He wanted to see just who this guy who had taken his sister away was, and moreover appeared so intimate; being able to restrain himself from striking out was already a great show of self-control.

"I still don't know your name?" Rixia Bu Xi looked up at the man beside her and whispered.

"Jiang Xia, you must remember it well—don't forget."

"Jiang Xia, I've remembered it—I won't forget." Rixia Bu Xi nodded her head.

"Even if you forget, it's fine—someday you'll remember." Jiang Xia said with a smile.

"We've walked this far; let's rest a bit."

Jiang Xia gently helped her sit down; although they hadn't walked very far, for Rixia Bu Xi's body it was indeed a burden—even an Original Insect would feel the same.

That's right; at this point Rixia Bu Xi is still an Original Insect, or rather, aside from the meteorite growing larger and the Alien Insects turning into Original Insects, nothing else has changed.

And the Rixia Bu Xi who had originally been caught in the meteorite's impact and buried under the rubble had here almost suffered a fatal injury; it can be said that precisely because she is an Original Insect she survived the meteorite's fall.

If she were human, she would have died the instant the meteorite fell.

As an extraterrestrial organism, the Original Insect possesses vitality and lifespan far beyond humans; although Rixia Bu Xi survived thanks to being an Original Insect, her inner vitality has nearly been exhausted.

"I've prepared a little gift for you." Jiang Xia crouched down and said softly,

"When you open your eyes again, your future will be rewritten, you will become healthy, happy, and also have the most important life."

Rixia Bu Xi didn't understand what a gift was, but she still listened to Jiang Xia's words, gently closed her eyes, covered her eyeballs, as if falling asleep.

Jiang Xia's hand gently covered her body.

Rixia Bu Xi slowly opened her eyes, as if nothing had happened.

The world hadn't changed; it was still that world where yellow sand obscured the sky, the surroundings were quiet and still, even quiet to the point of being a little frightening.

It seemed to have sunk into a dead silence, even the faint sound of wind disappeared.

At this moment she looked up, a sparrow struggling to fly in the air was floating midair, as if it had turned into a lifelike sculpture, suspended by invisible strings in the air.

She couldn't help thinking, it would be nice if the sparrow could move.

Suddenly, the world seemed to become just as she had thought; that sparrow suddenly let out a chirp, and the world once again began to become lively.

(End of chapter)