Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 108: Chapter 105: A Favor

The moment she saw the hatred in Situ Yuanyuan’s eyes, Chen Xing knew she had miscalculated.

Someone as love-addled as Situ Yuanyuan couldn’t think rationally.

From Situ Yuanyuan’s perspective, Song Yiguo showing up in person had undoubtedly only deepened her suspicions about their relationship.

’That was the wrong move.’

Chen Xing hadn’t messaged Song Yiguo without thinking it through.

Although the Research Institute had influence in the Capital City, would they actually save her? ’No,’ she thought. ’The Research Institute would much rather see me fight my own way out!’

So... the Research Institute was out of the question, and besides, she was against the idea of them saving her anyway!

If she relied on Cao Guangrong, he had no backing and wasn’t nearly powerful enough to rescue her. He’d be lucky to save himself.

And if he did have a backer, it would surely be the Research Institute, which meant... she was still on her own.

After thinking it over, Song Yiguo was the only person in the Capital City who could save her.

If she didn’t have to worry about Cao Guangrong and his family, it wouldn’t be hard for her to just kill her way out.

But what could she do? She hadn’t found any leads yet. Her only choice was to expend some resources and rely on Song Yiguo.

She just hadn’t expected Situ Yuanyuan’s mind to... completely... twist the situation.

’So what if she misunderstood!’

’There was nothing she could do!’

’First, I need to get out of here. I’ll just have to avoid Situ Yuanyuan for a while.’

As she walked out of the interrogation room, she saw Cao Guangrong emerging from another room, escorted by Song Yiguo’s men.

Seeing his daughter, he immediately rushed over to check on her. ”Xuexue, they didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”

His gaze was filled with the genuine affection of a doting father.

A hint of curiosity flickered across Song Yiguo’s handsome face.

He had already heard that Chen Xing had found her family and knew who Cao Guangrong was.

Before the apocalypse, he had managed a medium-sized company and was fairly well-off.

’But... could he really afford the entrance fee for the National Capital Safety Zone? For his entire family?’

’Even owning several companies like that probably wouldn’t be enough.’

’Let alone getting into the Duole Safety Zone.’

’However... it was true that his family had lost a daughter eighteen years ago, one who was never found.’

’As for whether that lost daughter is actually Chen Xing... that warrants a thorough investigation.’

”I’m fine.” Even seeing Cao Guangrong’s genuine emotion, Chen Xing couldn’t match his warmth. Her tone remained cold.

’She had no idea what a reunion after eighteen years was supposed to feel like. In any case, she just couldn’t bring herself to be friendly.’

Cao Guangrong seemed to expect this attitude from her and didn’t appear awkward. Instead, he looked at Song Yiguo with mild surprise and asked in a fawning tone, ”Xuexue, you know Young Master Song?”

Seeing Cao Guangrong’s sycophantic behavior only made it harder for Chen Xing to feel any warmth toward him.

She didn’t speak, so Song Yiguo answered for her. ”Chen Xing saved my life.” His attitude showed Chen Xing plenty of respect.

After saying that, he turned and whispered in Chen Xing’s ear, ”Consider rescuing your father a freebie.”

Chen Xing was speechless.

’Isn’t he just making me owe him a favor?’

’People have always owed her favors, not the other way around. How could she possibly owe someone else?’

’Especially a favor to the cunning Song Yiguo?’

’A debt to him would not be easy to repay.’

”He is him, and I am me.”

Song Yiguo had hoped she would accept his goodwill, paving the way for them to become closer. Who would have thought she’d reject him so bluntly?

Although it looked like Chen Xing was disrespecting him, a moment’s thought revealed she was actually rejecting Cao Guangrong.

Song Yiguo wasn’t angry that Chen Xing was keeping him at a distance.

’A person like her lacks a sense of security,’ he thought. ’I’ll have to get close to her slowly.’

The first thing Situ Yuanyuan saw when she followed them out was Song Yiguo leaning in close to whisper in Chen Xing’s ear.

This pushed her jealousy to its absolute peak.

’She keeps saying there’s nothing between them, but the next second she’s acting so intimate with him!’

’That woman, Chen Xing, has to die!’

Song Yiguo had already noticed Situ Yuanyuan’s furious glare, so he leaned in even more intimately and whispered to Chen Xing, ”When can you give me the items?”

’This is perfect!’

’A woman’s jealousy brings him a handsome profit?’

’If I keep this up, I might even get Chen Xing to owe me a favor.’

Chen Xing wanted to slug him.

’Does he really think I can’t see he’s using me to provoke Situ Yuanyuan?’

’If it weren’t for Cao Guangrong and his family, she really wouldn’t care what Situ Yuanyuan thought.’

’But she has to stay in the Capital City for a while, and she doesn’t want to make her life too difficult!’

”When the situation outside calms down.” It was only then that Chen Xing remembered she had no idea what was happening. ”What’s it like outside?” she asked. ’I hope the disaster is confined to the area around the Capital City. If it’s nationwide, the people living on the surface will be in danger.’

”It was still hailing a moment ago. The buildings in the safety zone are severely damaged. If it doesn’t stop, it could honestly level the entire zone.” Song Yiguo felt a headache coming on as he thought of all the people hiding underground.

’The end of this disaster will only be the beginning of the next one.’

’With people’s homes destroyed, where are they supposed to house the hundreds of thousands, maybe even over a million, displaced people?’

’And how will they solve the food shortage?’

’The Capital City is in for a period of chaos.’

”I want to go up and take a look tomorrow.” Chen Xing glanced at her watch. It was two in the morning.

”Deal,” Song Yiguo agreed readily. ”I’ll send someone to pick you up tomorrow.”

He was no longer whispering for that last sentence. He said it loud enough to warn Situ Yuanyuan not to even think about messing with Chen Xing.

Situ Yuanyuan’s composure finally broke, and she burst into tears with a loud ”WAAAH!”

’Does this mean I can’t touch that woman for now?’

’I’m going to die from anger!’

She stomped her foot and let Xie Xianyun pull her away.

Seeing it was getting late, Cao Guangrong expressed his gratitude to Song Yiguo. ”Thank you, Young Master Song! Xuexue, it’s a good thing you know him. We would have been in real danger today otherwise.”

Chen Xing gave Song Yiguo a nod and started walking in the direction of the Cao family’s home.

She had always had her reservations about Cao Guangrong. Just now, when he saw Xie Xianyun, he’d given a subtle, almost imperceptible glance in his direction. She didn’t believe for a second that the two of them didn’t know each other.

Back at the Cao residence, things were in an uproar. Old Mrs. Cao was crying nonstop, Mr. Cao was smoking in sullen silence, and Cao Nan looked worried sick—not just about the two who had been taken, but also that the stress would be too much for his grandparents’ health.

Li Hongfei, however, was the calmest one there. ”Honey, don’t worry. Dad and our little sister will be fine. Grandpa, Grandma... worrying yourselves sick won’t help. We can’t have Dad come back only to find you’ve both fallen ill! We’ve already asked for help, so there should be news soon.”

”How can we sleep when Guangrong isn’t back? Sob...” Old Mrs. Cao’s heart ached for her son.

’Her son had always been a law-abiding man. When had he ever been hauled away like this?’

’It was all because Chen Xing stirred up trouble and implicated him, wasn’t it?’

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, until she could no longer hold her tongue. ”It’s all because of that woman he brought home...”

”Grandma...” Li Hongfei shot her a cold look. ”You should go rest.”

Her words were gentle, but they carried an underlying weight that one dared not refuse.

No matter how much Old Mrs. Cao’s heart ached for her son, she didn’t dare to remain.

Just as she stood up, they heard a sound at the door.

Seeing Cao Guangrong and Chen Xing walk in, she rushed forward to check on her son. ”Guangrong, you’ve suffered!” Only then, as an afterthought, did she show any concern for Chen Xing. ”Xuexue, you’ve suffered too.”