Chapter 364 - Love: Out-of-control Emotions
Wu Yijun looked at the four people in front of her for an instant. However, this instant was so brief that she even forgot the presence of her best friend after half of a blink of an eye. All her attention was automatically focused on a single person as if her eyes were attracted by a great and powerful magnet whose attraction was so great that it could not be avoided; but she also did not fight against that attraction and let herself be deeply drawn in.
As she looked at the face from five meters away, Wu Yijun noticed how her heart began to beat erratically and her emotions that had been running wild for almost half a month threatened to go out of control. This was a familiar face to her, but at the same time different, a face she had not seen for almost two weeks.
He had become even more handsome than before. Such a thought flashed in her heart and a complex light shone in her eyes.
How many handsome men had Wu Yijun met in her life? Too many to count. How many of these men had tried to woo her favor either by their family backing or by her natural beauty? Too many to count.
Yet, in the face of the man before her eyes and the one person reflected in her gaze, they were all as insignificant as a small wooden boat in the middle of a stormy sea. None of them were worthy of raising waves, let alone fighting the storm that was capable of deciding when a wave would rise.
When was it that she began to feel attracted to the young man before her? Wu Yijun knew the answer to this question.
The moment when her emotions began to change and when this young man began to attract her eyes wherever he went was precisely that fateful day.... That day when despair weighed on her weak but firm heart, when with the eyes of a wild beast he faced a large number of zombies and even battled with what was then a supreme existence at the university.
It was at that time that Bai Zemin somehow gained the attention of a proud woman like Wu Yijun, and she, who was like a swan that never gave a second glance to a man, did not notice how slowly that slight curiosity periodically turned into attraction until it became what it was today.
Was what she felt for Bai Zemin love? Wu Yijun did not know. It was impossible to know.
After all, what was love to begin with? There was no clear answer to this question just as there was no single, absolute description for the word that this emotion represented.
However, if what she felt was not love? Then what was it?
On the first day that Bai Zemin left for the north to conquer mankind in that area, Wu Yijun slept peacefully and did not think too much about it. However, when she woke up the next day, the first thing she did was to look for him unconsciously, only to later remember that he was no longer at the base.
It was from the second day that the problems began for her.
Sleeping became challenging, the taste of the mutated beast meat that was a treasure began to be tasteless and graceless, her Queen-sized bed no longer felt as comfortable as in the past, the cozy nights in the mansion she shared with her friends became cold, etc.
Chen He often visited her, after all, they were friends since childhood and could practically be considered siblings. He had told her many times that she had lost weight, that her face was beginning to lose its color and brightness.... But Wu Yijun could do nothing despite being aware of these facts; she could do nothing, she could not fight the wild longing that burned in her heart more and more anxious to see the face of that person once again and to hear his confident and firm voice.
Several days ago, Wu Yijun asked Chen He if he did not miss Bing Xue, the way they both called her. Chen He replied that of course, he missed her madly and could not wait for the days to pass faster to see her as soon as possible. At that time, Wu Yijun did not continue with the topic and simply nodded, however, her heart was filled with doubts.
If Chen He was just like her and longed so madly to see the person he loved, then why were they so different in their behavior and attitudes? Why was it that while she could not sleep or eat properly, he could still rest comfortably and enjoy delicacies even more delicious than those of the past?
Was Wu Yijun wrong? Was Chen He wrong? Was she really in love as she thought she was? Was Chen He as much in love as everyone thought he was? In the end, she could not find a precise answer to any of these questions. However, she did find an answer that in one way or another left her satisfied.
If she cared enough about a man to lie awake at night, lose her appetite because she didn't know if he was eating properly, and not be able to enjoy the warmth of her home because she was unaware if he was getting cold.... So this had to be love. There was no other option.
If what she felt wasn't love, then what was it? Obsession? Wu Yijun did not believe that the emotion called obsession was capable of taking away the sleep of a woman like her who always had everything and with such a proud personality. If she wasn't as proud as she was, maybe it could be. However, such a thing was not possible because Wu Yijun loved herself too much to become senselessly obsessed with a man.
Now that the person guilty of her difficulties appeared before her once again, she unconsciously wanted to cry and shout out her grievances. Even though the man she was looking at could not really be blamed, Wu Yijun felt as if she was a little child being bullied and it was exceedingly difficult to hold back the tears that threatened to fall at any moment.
With thousands of eyes watching, she could not afford such a thing. After all, her position was too important and showing weakness at such a time could cause some instability in the masses.
As she stared at that pair of black eyes looking forward with calm and even a touch of indifference, Wu Yijun did not notice at what moment but before she knew it her small steps had brought her to be at a distance close enough to be able to smell the scent that belonged only to him.
The scene of him was peculiar, but if Wu Yijun had to describe it, it would be in two words: Lycoris Radiata.
This was a very peculiar blood-red flower native from Asia, also known as 'Flower of Hell' or 'Flower of the Underworld'. Such a unique type of scent and fragrance, the representation of danger... A kind of danger from which there was no escape.
It somehow suited the type of person the man before her was.
Bai Zemin looked at the beautiful woman in front of him, dumbfounded.
What was she approaching him for? Somehow, he believed Wu Yijun would run to Shangguan Bing Xue like in many movies when friends close enough to be sisters met again. Even more so considering how dangerous the current Earth was.
However, before he could inquire about it, Wu Yijun reached one of her small hands forward and clutched at his shirt. Then, under the surprised gaze of the other seven people nearby, she brought her face close to his firm chest and took a deep breath.
Then another.... And then another... And another...
Wu Yijun, who felt lost, seemed to have finally found her place in the world.
While delicately holding the border of his shirt, she began to take deep breaths completely ignoring people's gaze and forgetting for a moment any feelings of embarrassment.
Ah... This kind of scent is really intoxicating. She thought as she unconsciously took a step forward, wanting to feel more of the warmth emanating from his body and wanting to be embraced by the male hormones that surrounded him.
Bai Zemin was at a loss for words and for an instant didn't know how to react.
As if he was looking for answers, he looked at Shangguan Bing Xue waiting for some kind of explanation.
Shangguan Bing Xue completely ignored Bai Zemin's gaze and instead looked at her best friend who seemed to have completely lost herself in her own world. Her beautiful sky-colored eyes flashed with a complicated light at the same time as her heart realized that the woman she considered as close as a sister might have fallen too deep into the river of love to emerge to the surface again.
Seeing Shangguan Bing Xue say nothing but noticing the complicated light in her eyes, Bai Zemin finally realized one thing he had been ignoring.
Even if he was inexperienced with the opposite sex, he was not an idiot. He wasn't a dense guy incapable of noticing something so obvious.
Apparently, Wu Yijun had really started to truly love him. This truth hit Bai Zemin very hard and for an instant he could only stand there, not knowing what to do.
He would be lying if he said that he did not feel flattered that a beautiful woman of the highest level like Wu Yijun was attracted to him. However, nothing was simple.
Leaving aside the fact that the current Bai Zemin had first to find his family before he entertained the idea of any kind of romance, the matter of love was one he preferred to avoid even though he was fully aware that he could not avoid it forever.
After being bitten by a snake, you will be afraid of ropes for ten years....
In the past, Bai Zemin suffered and it was only by good fortune that he managed to get back on his feet. Even though he had already overcome what happened at that time, the fear of the memories he had experienced was not something that could be erased just like that.
Therefore, he could only stand there, frozen, letting the beautiful woman do whatever she wanted while he tried to find answers to his questions.
Zhong De, Cai Jingyi, Kang Lan, and Fu Xuefeng looked at each other with complicated smiles as they watched the scene unfold before their eyes. The four of them were fully aware that Wu Yijun was hugely interested in their Leader, it was just that they did not expect her to do something so daring in front of so many eyes.
On the other hand, Chen He sighed in his heart at the sight of this. However, his attention refocused on the beautiful silver-haired woman a short distance away and his heart that had been quiet during this time jumped back like a crazy horse.
Shangguan Bing Xue was looking at Bai Zemin and Wu Yijun when she suddenly sensed a person approaching and even without looking, just based on the other party's aura, she immediately recognized who it was. After all, she and this person had known each other for a long time.
"I'm glad you're okay."
Although he had so many things to say to her before, Chen He felt stuck when he was in front of her. In the end, he could only say the first thing that came to his mind and the first thing he thought of when he saw her.
"Mm." Shangguan Bing Xue smiled slightly and nodded as she calmly said, "I'm also glad you're well."
Chen He looked at Wu Yijun and Bai Zemin out of the corner of his eye before saying in a low voice, "Looks like Yijun finally couldn't hold it in anymore."
Shangguan Bing Xue looked to her side and nodded without saying a word. She didn't want to talk too much now as she still had to think carefully about what to do with Chen He.
After what seemed like an eternity, Bai Zemin finally regained control over himself.
Slowly, he put his hands on the small shoulders of the woman who clung to him tenderly... and gently pushed her back.
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