Rotting Land: Survive

"Captain Xu, shall we start?"

"Is Xiao Yang not coming down?"

"Yeah, she went to bed too late last night and needs to catch up on sleep now, so we won’t wait for her." Wei Yang glanced awkwardly at Wang Qiang at the dining table. The latter kept his head down, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Meanwhile, among Liu Fugui’s group sitting opposite Wang Qiang, one person showed a hint of surprise after hearing Wei Yang’s response but quickly composed himself.

"This girl can really sleep, huh? Today is a family gathering day, at least come down for a reunion meal!" Wen Quanxin, direct in nature and with a strong emphasis on customs from his hometown, was already displeased with Yang Xue’s absence while wrapping dumplings earlier. Now, she was using a lack of sleep as an excuse to miss this gathering, further fueling his discontent.

"Haha." It was clear that not just Wen Quanxin, but everyone seemed a bit unhappy with Yang Xue’s actions. Even Old Lin thought she went a bit too far today.

In the past, her solitary lifestyle could have been tolerated, but today is different; today is New Year’s Day, a day for family reunions. Despite the tense atmosphere, the purpose of this gathering was precisely to emphasize unity and togetherness.

But now? Everyone was present, including newcomers like Liu Fugui’s crew and Luo Baocun, and not a single person was absent, except for this young girl who used the absurd and disrespectful excuse of needing sleep to leave everyone hanging like this. It was truly too much.

However, holidays are holidays, and letting this little discordant note ruin the joyful and happy atmosphere of what should have been a joyous reunion meal is really not worth it. So Old Lin timely chuckled and said, "Well then, Xiao Yang’s portion will be set aside for her; let’s all start eating. As I always say, young people should sleep early and rise early, maintain a regular lifestyle, otherwise, by the time you reach our age, regret will come too late."

"Alright, everyone raise your glasses. Happy New Year!"

After the meal, Wen Quanxin immediately brought out the playing cards and set up the card table, ready for the long-awaited battle.

Wang Qiang made an excuse of eating too much for lunch and wanted to go back to his room to rest, but Wen Quanxin and the others knew well his thoughts; his heart was clearly not in this meal.

Luckily, Luo the fat guy also liked to play cards, and with his joining, they solved the awkward situation of being one player short.

Thus, Wen Quanxin and the others didn’t insist on Wang Qiang staying, but let him return to his room to rest and calm his mood.

Lying on the bed, peering through the gaps of his fingers over his forehead, Wang Qiang stared blankly at the ceiling. It had been a whole day since returning to the villa, yet he hadn’t even seen Yang Xue. The thought of yesterday when he eagerly went to find her, only to be met with cold water, caused a pang of heartache.

A woman’s heart is as unpredictable as the depths of the sea. Just days ago, she was passionately showing concern, yet in just a few short hours, she seemed to have become a different person.

Tossing and turning, Wang Qiang carefully recalled if he had any verbal mistakes over recent times, but try as he might, he couldn’t find anything wrong.

Perhaps because of last night’s insomnia, or merely due to fatigue over several days, he unknowingly drifted into a dream amid his troubled state.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled like cannon fire across the sky, a bolt of lightning cleaved through the darkness, and in an instant, torrential rain poured down like a flood being unleashed, while fierce winds unleashed a barrage of arrows against the villa windows, creating a terrifying howl.

"Damn, this wretched weather never calms down." Wen Quanxin had some bad luck with cards today; he and Wang Zhongyu, partnered together, were completely owned by Wu Chao and Luo Baocun.

"Keep going, Wen bro." Luo the fat guy’s affable nature had long made him popular with the villa’s brothers, and unlike Wen Quanxin’s luck with cards, he was basking in fortune today.

No one likes being a loser, especially when there’s no hope of winning, and card games are no exception. Today’s afternoon game saw Wang Zhongyu and Wen Quanxin arguing over card-playing mistakes, turning what should have been a fun time of leisure into a trigger for quarrel.

So before Wang Zhongyu could reply, Wen Quanxin tossed his cards onto the table and impatiently said, "I’m done; my partner doesn’t cooperate, what’s the point? I’m not wasting time here. Going to watch ’Apocalypse Saint Armor’."

Nearly six hours of sleep had slightly improved Wang Qiang’s gloomy mood. He picked up the watch from the bedside and glanced at it in the occasional flashes of lightning outside.

Seven-thirty, Yang Xue should be waking up by now.

Wang Qiang calculated in his mind, hurried to the bathroom for a simple rinse of his greasy skin, then used an electric razor for a thorough facial cleanup, before choosing a stylish coat to wear. Once everything was set, he was satisfied and opened the door to go out.

Clothes maketh man and attire maketh the horse; dressed up, Wang Qiang’s mood brightened significantly. Adjusted in spirit, he seemed to have forgotten the embarrassment of yesterday’s shut door; his destination was Yang Xue’s boudoir.

This time he was determined, come what may, even if it meant being thick-skinned, he had to see her.

Otherwise, unless he could clarify the situation, he’d be driven mad in his confusion.

"Get down, you reek of alcohol. How much did you drink?"

"Oh, not much, just half a jin, casually with Xiao Yao and the others! You see, at New Year’s, you don’t show up, otherwise, I could’ve drunk a couple of glasses with you."

"Get lost, you know I don’t drink, don’t you? Get down, did you hear me? That alcohol stench is awful."

"Oh, oh, oh! My little Xue Xue is mad at me now, I’m telling you, I love seeing you like this, sexy! alluring! Haha!"

"Get lost, stop being crazy drunk with me." "Hey, what are you doing, where are your hands going, take... take them away!"

"Ah, no need to be shy; it’s not our first time. Come on, give me a kiss. Do you know how much I missed you after you left last time?"

"Get lost, you love Li Huiru! Go find her!"

"Don’t mention that woman to me, damn it, I love you, come on, long time since we’ve done this, I miss your taste so much."

"Hey, back off, don’t, this is annoying... if you keep this up, I’ll shout!"

"Alright, alright, shout, if you’re not embarrassed, then shout."

"Bastard, hey, slow down..."

"Bang!" With a loud noise, Wang Qiang, eyes red like a Demon God, appeared inside Yang Xue’s room.

"Wang... Wang Qiang!" (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to recommend votes or monthlies on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. For mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)