C83 The Gun Was Pointing at a Man Who Was about to Kill Him.(1)

Qin Mengli, as expected, enlisted Sun Meng's help to meticulously inventory their supplies. Aside from their meal breaks, the two women were constantly busy. As darkness enveloped them, they lit candles and pressed on with their work. Lin Leyan and Liang Hui, mother and daughter, also joined in, and the efficiency of the four women working in unison was remarkable.

Tang Bing's mood was sour. Post-dinner, he secluded himself in his room, sitting in the pitch-black stillness before his bed.

He wished he lacked the perceptive abilities he possessed. Why had he slept with the Ocean Heart, only to "witness" such a heart-wrenching scene?

Initially, when Qin Mengli had expressed interest in joining the team, he had entertained the possibility of this outcome, but he had consistently dismissed his suspicions as paranoia. Yet, when the dreaded scenario unfolded, it felt as though his heart had splintered into pieces.

This confirmed Qin Mengli's earlier assertion: she truly harbored no feelings for him. Perhaps his presence had only served as a distraction over the past four years, a sentiment she couldn't voice.

Zhang Tao was likely the first man she had genuinely fallen for, and to witness her own hands end his life was devastating. Her desire for vengeance was entirely justifiable.

This harsh reality tightened its grip on Tang Bing's heart, at times making it difficult to breathe, leaving him visibly worn.

He was at a complete loss, uncertain of how to proceed.

Should he strike preemptively to eliminate potential threats?

He couldn't bring himself to do it. Qin Mengli was the woman he had deeply cherished, despite being coldly rejected by her, despite her previous intent to end his life. Tang Bing simply couldn't convince himself to act against her.

He could eliminate Zhang Tao, dispose of his cronies, and eradicate any survivor who posed a threat or stirred his disdain. He felt unrestrained, free from any moral shackles.

Yet, he was incapable of raising a hand against Qin Mengli. She was the only exception, even knowing she harbored murderous intentions towards him.

Should he let her end his life in retribution for Zhang Tao?

There was a time when Tang Bing would have willingly laid down his life for Qin Mengli.

But now, whether it was the emotional trauma from her rejection or the fresh wound from her assassination attempt that trampled on his already shattered heart, he had grown selfish. The thought of dying in such a manner was unbearable. Perhaps it was his inherent selfishness, the will to do whatever it took to survive.

He definitely didn't want to foolishly let Qin Mengli take his life!

Maybe the best solution was to let her go off on her own, out of sight, out of mind.

Yet Tang Bing couldn't shake off the cruelty of such a choice, as it was tantamount to personally dooming Qin Mengli. Given her abilities, she'd likely become zombie fodder within hours of leaving.

He had indeed become indecisive and somewhat irrational. But Qin Mengli was his Achilles' heel, the one he deeply loved, with emotions etched into his very bones.

At times, he'd secretly wonder why Qin Mengli hadn't acted against him.

Perhaps she lacked the courage, or feared failure.

Or could it be that she harbored feelings for him too, making it impossible for her to harm him?

Then he'd scoff at himself for entertaining such an absurd notion.

How could she possibly have feelings for him? Four years of his earnest pursuit paled in comparison to a few days of someone else's company. He needed to stop building castles in the air; he and Mengli were simply not meant to be.

With his thoughts in turmoil, Tang Bing's eyelids grew heavier until sleep finally claimed him.

Tang Bing and Zhao Dagang had turned in early, while the four women worked by candlelight into the night. They had managed to inventory all the supplies inside the house, with only the vehicle's contents left unchecked.

"I'm so exhausted!" Liang Hui couldn't fight off her drowsiness any longer and rubbed her tired eyes.

"Everyone's put in a long day!" Qin Mengli, equally spent, put away the ledger and yawned behind her hand, "Teacher Lin, Huihui, go get some rest! I'm sorry my stubbornness has dragged you into this."

"It's not a bother at all," Lin Leyan replied with a smile, shaking her head. "You were considering the team's best interest."

"We've all worked hard," Qin Mengli said, massaging her aching shoulders. "Let's call it a night. I'll take care of the supplies on the bus tomorrow."

"Sounds good! I'm off to bed!" Sun Meng could barely keep her eyes open. "I'm too tired to even shower, which is good for conserving water, I guess!"

"Huihui, let's head downstairs," Lin Leyan said, taking her daughter's hand.

"Okay!" Liang Hui, candle in hand, followed her mother down the stairs.

Everyone retreated to their own rooms, and Qin Mengli, too, carried her candle back to her room. She stowed the ledger in a drawer, quickly changed into her pajamas, and crawled into bed. Despite her exhaustion, she couldn't understand why sleep eluded her as she lay there.

The rustling sounds of Sun Meng changing clothes in the next room left her feeling adrift. Lately, Sun Meng's behavior around Tang Bing seemed tinged with ambiguity—her casual touches and embraces appeared too natural. Mengli wondered if this was just Sun Meng's bubbly personality shining through, or if there was an ulterior motive behind her actions.

But then she reminded herself, whether Sun Meng's actions were innocent or intentional, what did it have to do with her? After all, Tang Bing's feelings were unrequited; she didn't return his affection and had made that clear when she ended their relationship.

And how could she forget? He had ruthlessly killed Zhang Tao and the others right before her eyes. She was determined to seek vengeance for the first love that had been so abruptly taken from her.

Yet, inexplicably, whenever she witnessed the closeness between Sun Meng and Tang Bing, a tumultuous emotion surged within her. She couldn't pinpoint why it was so complex, so distressing.

Could it be jealousy stemming from habit, from being the center of Tang Bing's attention for so long? No, that was impossible. She despised him, had been exasperated by his persistent attention for four years, and was desperate to escape his clutches.

Absolutely not. She could never fall for Tang Bing, not in this lifetime.

So what was this feeling? Qin Mengli was baffled and couldn't make heads or tails of it.

In the neighboring room, Sun Meng's noises ceased—she must have settled into bed as well. Mengli extinguished her candle, and in the profound silence of the night, the sound of her own heartbeat was the only thing that accompanied her insomnia.

Though her eyes were heavy, nearly impossible to keep open, sleep remained just out of reach. She lay there, eyes wide open in the darkness, holding onto that position as if waiting for clarity that wouldn't come.

No way, I need to sleep!

She sternly reminded herself to banish all the wild thoughts from her mind, shut her eyes, and willed herself to sleep.

Ironically, the more she tried, the more awake she became.

The previous scene replayed in her head, tormenting her with regret for not taking action and despising her own weakness.

She lay awake, with no concept of how much time had slipped by.

In the pitch black, she lay there, lost, unable to drift off.

As time ticked away, she had no idea how long she had been lying there in the dark.

Just when her eyelids began to feel unbearably heavy and sleep seemed within reach, a faint noise by her ear jolted her awake.

She turned her head towards the wall, disoriented.

The noise was coming from next door; it sounded like Sun Meng was up.

Was she heading to the bathroom at this ungodly hour?

Qin Mengli lay still, straining her ears to catch any sound from the adjacent room.

Sure enough, Sun Meng had gotten out of bed and deftly slipped out the door.

But to Qin Mengli's astonishment, she didn't head towards the bathroom; instead, she approached Qin Mengli's door and tapped lightly.

Puzzled, Qin Mengli wondered why Sun Meng would be knocking on her door in the dead of night.

Could it be that she was also struggling to sleep and wanted to join her?

It wasn't uncommon among girls, so she considered getting up to open the door, but something inexplicably held her back.

"Mengli?" Sun Meng's gentle knocking accompanied her soft call.

Qin Mengli's intuition told her that Sun Meng wasn't looking to share the bed. It was a woman's sixth sense.

So, she stayed silent, feigning deep sleep, not responding or making any move to open the door.

Sun Meng knocked a couple more times and whispered her name, then after a quiet minute, she moved away.