Surviving the apocalypse with a wife and a system! [GL]

your mind is the one that is easy to misunderstand.” Yan Cijin nearly choked. ”Mine is normal.” Bai Li’s eyes moved over her slowly, then she said, ”Is it?” Yan Cijin stared at her. Bai Li had clearly gone a little bad today. She was using that calm face to say things that made people unable to answer. Yan Cijin could only narrow her eyes and say, ”You are getting bolder.” Bai Li did not deny it. That made Yan Cijin even more confused, because Bai Li’s expression made her wonder whether there was another meaning hiding underneath all of this.

While they were talking, the door outside made a small sound. It was only the wind hitting the frame, but both women turned toward it at the same time. That tiny reaction somehow snapped the tension for a second. Bai Li exhaled and went back to work. ”Let’s finish this first.” Yan Cijin nodded, though her chest was still tight. The practical truth was simple. They did need to finish moving these things. Lin Zhongsheng’s supplies had not arrived yet, and Bai Li needed to make space before they came. There was no room for confusion when the apartment was already cramped. So the two of them fell back into their work rhythm. Bai Li used her ability in controlled bursts. Yan Cijin folded things, sorted them, and pushed them into better positions. A few times she tried to ask for instructions and Bai Li answered immediately, which made the whole thing smooth enough that the room began to look better very fast. That did not stop the earlier embarrassment from hovering in the air though. It stayed there, soft and ridiculous, like a harmless little cloud that refused to drift away.

At one point Yan Cijin carried a box of tissues and, in a fit of frustration, almost wanted to ask Bai Li directly, ”Do you really not understand what I thought you meant?” But the words stopped before they could leave her mouth. Because once she asked, there would be no way to pretend she had not thought about it. And if Bai Li really had no such intention, then she would become the one who made everything awkward. Yan Cijin was not that brave. So she swallowed the question and went on arranging things. Bai Li noticed the hesitation again and felt her heart soften in a very quiet way. The woman was clearly trying too hard to keep her calm. That made Bai Li want to reach out and reassure her, but she held herself back. Instead, she only said, ”You can put the folded clothes there.” Yan Cijin answered ”Okay” and moved obediently. That small, ordinary exchange somehow felt more intimate than all the nervous joking before it. Neither of them said anything about it, but both of them felt it.

The work continued. Sweat kept forming at the edge of Bai Li’s temples and sliding down her neck. Yan Cijin, who was standing a little closer now, saw it clearly. The sight made her hands pause for a second. Bai Li’s skin looked warm in the light, and the line of her neck was clean and smooth, with a small bead of sweat moving slowly downward before vanishing under her collar. Yan Cijin’s own throat tightened. She had to look away very quickly before her thoughts got out of hand again. Bai Li, meanwhile, noticed the sudden stillness and turned back. ”What happened?” Yan Cijin shook her head. ”Nothing.” Bai Li raised a brow. ”Again?” Yan Cijin was silent for a second, then muttered, ”Do you always notice everything?” Bai Li thought about it and then answered, ”Only what is in front of me.” Yan Cijin nearly lost the ability to speak. That answer was too easy to bend into something else. Bai Li had said it in a normal way, but Yan Cijin’s heart insisted on hearing it differently. She cursed herself silently and bent down to work harder just to keep from thinking too much.

Bai Li did not stop teasing, though she kept it light enough that Yan Cijin could still pretend it was just normal conversation. ”If you keep moving so slowly,” Bai Li said, ”we might not finish before night.” Yan Cijin shot back, ”Then work faster yourself.” Bai Li grinned. ”I am already working fast.” Yan Cijin looked at the rows of supplies and said with perfect seriousness, ”Your standard for fast is too low.” Bai Li laughed. ”Is that so?” Yan Cijin, suddenly feeling a little brave, lifted her chin. ”Yes.” Bai Li looked at her for two seconds, then said, ”Then I will work harder so Dr. Yan can be satisfied.” Yan Cijin froze. Satisfied. That word hit her too strangely, even though it was clearly meant in the most innocent way. Bai Li saw the instant change in her expression and immediately understood that she had probably stepped into another trap without even trying. She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing too hard. Yan Cijin, seeing the smile she was trying to hide, finally realized she had no hope at all if Bai Li kept talking like this. Bai Li was clearly having too much fun now.

That thought made Yan Cijin a little annoyed, but also strangely less tense. Maybe because once the embarrassment got big enough, it stopped being scary and turned into a kind of shared joke. Yan Cijin looked at Bai Li for a second and finally said, ”You should stop laughing at me.” Bai Li blinked. ”I am not laughing at you.” Yan Cijin said, ”You are clearly laughing at me.” Bai Li considered it, then admitted very calmly, ”A little.” Yan Cijin stared at her in disbelief. ”You admitted it?” Bai Li put on a more serious look. ”I am being honest.” Yan Cijin could not help it. She let out a small, helpless laugh. And once that laugh came out, the whole room seemed to loosen. Bai Li’s smile deepened, and the atmosphere between them finally stopped feeling like it was about to

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TO BE CONTINUED.