Seducing and Flirting with Boss O While Stockpiling in the Apocalypse (GL) - Chapter 18

The refrigerator only held a few vegetables. Luo Sheng rummaged through it for a while and finally spotted a small piece of beef at the very bottom.

As she picked up the sharp knife, a thought suddenly struck her: Could she try using her own blood? Even though the space had first consumed Nan Shuwan’s blood, what if it could be overwritten?

With this in mind, Luo Sheng used the excuse that the kitchen would get too smoky and closed the door tightly. With a light flick of the sharp knife, a tiny cut opened on the surface of her skin. The slight stinging sensation made Luo Sheng frown. She quickly dripped her blood onto the ring, but it didn’t seem to react.

Luo Sheng let out a breath and tried to trigger it with her mind. As expected, she remained exactly where she was, without the slightest change.

She sucked on her finger in discouragement and went back to chopping vegetables. It seemed only the blood from the first consumption worked. Could it be that Nan Shuwan’s blood had left some sort of shallow “mark” on the ring?

She worried whether her space had already “recognized” someone else as its master. Feeling unsettled, Luo Sheng grew increasingly irritable, nearly cutting her finger again with the kitchen knife.

Since there weren’t many ingredients, Luo Sheng didn’t plan on making anything fancy. A few simple home-style dishes would suffice. She took a few millet chilies and stir-fried them with the thinly sliced beef; instantly, the spicy aroma filled the room, making her cough slightly.

Then she boiled a side of seasonal greens, and the meal was complete.

The whole process took less than half an hour, and the rice was perfectly cooked. She brought two bowls of rice to the table and set everything before Nan Shuwan. Everything was arranged steadily—thoughtful and gentle, looking very much like a perfect lover serving her girlfriend.

Nan Shuwan hadn’t felt hungry just a moment ago, but now that the spicy scent hit her nose, her tongue immediately produced a craving for the food. Once both were seated, she picked up her chopsticks and began to taste.

The beef was incredibly tender and smooth, not overcooked at all. Although the recipe was simple, it required precise control over the heat.

But man, it was spicy.

It seemed there was some Sichuan peppercorn in there too. After eating a few pieces mixed with the red chili, Nan Shuwan’s tongue began to go numb, and her complexion flushed a bit deeper.

Although she liked spicy food, she couldn’t handle it very well—she was the type who was “bad but bold.” She couldn’t help but stick the tip of her tongue out a tiny bit; with the red tip exposed to the air, Nan Shuwan let out a “hiss-ha” sound from the heat.

Seeing this, Luo Sheng immediately poured a glass of water for her. “Here, drink some cold water to cut the spice.”

“Okay, thank you.”

One glass was gulped down immediately, but it was like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water; it was nowhere near enough to kill the burning sensation on her tongue. Nan Shuwan had to drink several more glasses before it finally eased slightly.

Spiciness is essentially a sensation of pain. Many people say only ice-cold things can provide pain relief, but Luo Sheng felt otherwise. She believed milk and sugar were the best for neutralizing spice.

When her mother used to take her for hotpot, she would always keep two White Rabbit milk candies in her pocket. Whenever Luo Sheng was so spicy her nose started running, her mother would pop a candy into her mouth. The milky sweetness would quickly melt, covering the tongue like a thin layer of frost, and the spice would fade away.

Luo Sheng instinctively reached for her pocket—it was empty.

Crystals of sweat appeared on the tip of Nan Shuwan’s nose. After wiping them with a tissue, she continued eating; a little setback wasn’t going to stop her love for spice.

Over her years of working, Nan Shuwan had mostly solved her meals through takeout. She was too lazy to cook and truly didn’t have the time; she couldn’t be called “attentive” when it came to food.

Compared to Luo Sheng, the difference was night and day.

So, this period of time was actually a rare instance where Nan Shuwan enjoyed three meals a day at home, all prepared for her by someone else.

It was healthy and delicious.

The meal went by quite quickly, as neither of them talked much. Nan Shuwan patted her stomach, feeling it had rounded out again; she was truly stuffed today.

She could only blame this person’s cooking for being too much to her taste. Nan Shuwan even thought that if Luo Sheng were 100% certain she wouldn’t return to the company, hiring her as a private chef might be a good idea.

Not only that, but Luo Sheng even insisted on washing the dishes, saying that since Nan Shuwan’s hand was injured, it shouldn’t touch water today.

Nan Shuwan felt a bit ashamed; it felt like she was a child who couldn’t take care of herself. She cleared her throat, feeling like today was a bit like a dream.

The chores were finished soon enough. Luo Sheng checked the time—it was nearly 8:00 PM. Sitting on the sofa, she felt conflicted because she really couldn’t think of any other excuse to stay.

It was indeed time to leave.

Luo Sheng rubbed the ring on her hand, spinning it constantly; her restless inner state manifested in these small fidgets.

Nan Shuwan removed the wrapped gauze. The cut on her palm had already scabbed over; it wasn’t a major injury. After applying some iodine, she didn’t plan to re-wrap it, letting the liquid air-dry.

As Nan Shuwan tilted her head, she couldn’t help but notice the emerald ring on Luo Sheng’s index finger. It was a dazzling green; she had never seen a piece of jadeite with such a clear base.

A piece of jade with such pure color usually indicated one of two things:

Either it was dyed glass and a fake, or it was true “Imperial Jade” (Glass Species), which would be worth a fortune.

“Is that ring an heirloom?” Although the item was beautiful, the style was clearly vintage. Nan Shuwan asked casually.

“Ah…?” Luo Sheng was clearly distracted. Once she reacted, she instinctively hid her hand under her clothes. “Um, sort of. My mom tucked it into my bag before I came here for work.”

She didn’t want to draw attention to her space, so she threw out a random topic: “Director Nan… Shuwan, are you single?”

Wait, why did I ask that…

Luo Sheng, accustomed to calling her “Director Nan,” had corrected herself to use her name, but the next second she wanted to bite her tongue off. When the mind is in a jumble, the words really come out unbidden.

She didn’t dare look at Nan Shuwan, wanting to pretend nothing had happened. It would be best if the other hadn’t heard.

Unfortunately, Nan Shuwan heard every word clearly. She turned her head in surprise. “I didn’t expect you to be so gossipy.”

“I’m sorry,” Luo Sheng apologized immediately. “I was out of line.”

Nan Shuwan smiled. “It’s not that serious. It’s just that I haven’t met anyone suitable over the years, and I don’t want to settle. One doesn’t have to be in a relationship, right?”

True enough; Luo Sheng felt the same way.

However, it wasn’t that she couldn’t find anyone suitable; she had simply never dated. If she had to choose to enter an intimate relationship with a real person, she would feel a lot of pressure.

Becoming lovers meant two people had to share everything without secrets. Every part of life would be stained by the other person’s presence. Luo Sheng found it hard to imagine being that intimate with anyone one day.

“You’re right. Being alone is fine.” Luo Sheng adjusted her sitting position, moving a bit closer.

The used cotton swabs needed to be thrown in the trash. As Nan Shuwan took the stick and prepared to stand up, she accidentally knocked over the iodine bottle. The brownish-red liquid spilled everywhere, soaking the sofa.

Tsk, why am I so clumsy.

Nan Shuwan cursed herself in her head, then pulled out a tissue and bent down to wipe the dirty tile floor at her feet. Luo Sheng wanted to help, so she reached out and patted her back to get her to move so she could go to the kitchen for a mop—it would be faster.

But the moment she touched Nan Shuwan, the ring in her hand underwent a strange change. A circle of faint green light floated around it, flickering like the glowing tail of a firefly.

Luo Sheng was startled, and her intent immediately began to waver.

Her entire body felt like an old black-and-white TV with a bad signal—like a set of pixelated data flickering wildly. Luo Sheng felt her body being constantly pulled, leaping back and forth between two spaces, unable to find a place to land.

She immediately let go, and everything returned to normal.

Nan Shuwan stood up, holding the soaked tissue. Seeing Luo Sheng looking dazed, she couldn’t help but wonder, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” Luo Sheng, snapping out of it, rushed to the kitchen to get a cloth.

But the excitement in her heart could not be suppressed. She hadn’t expected that the medium to trigger the space’s activation wasn’t Nan Shuwan’s blood, but simply physical contact with her.

This was much simpler than Luo Sheng had imagined, but the only trouble was that once she entered the space, she would disappear in front of Nan Shuwan. This meant her secret of owning the space would be completely exposed.

But for now, Luo Sheng didn’t want anyone to know about this thing’s existence.

After finishing the cleanup, the two sat back on the sofa, and the atmosphere grew increasingly strange because Nan Shuwan noticed Luo Sheng was stealing glances at her every now and then.

Although Director Nan had always been confident in her charms, she didn’t think Luo Sheng was looking at her out of romantic interest; rather, that gaze was like looking at a piece of meat on a cutting board, which made her feel uneasy.

Luo Sheng checked the time again—past 9:00 PM. There was still time.

So, under Nan Shuwan’s somewhat bewildered gaze, she sat even closer. Right now, Luo Sheng truly didn’t know what other method she could use to successfully sign in without being discovered.

But she had heard a saying: the most complex problems often require the simplest solutions.

So she didn’t need to think so hard. Luo Sheng stared intently at Nan Shuwan, then made a “shh” gesture. “Director Nan, could you please do me a favor?”

She had switched back to the title “Director Nan” and even used the formal “you” (您), leaving Nan Shuwan utterly confused. But this person’s gaze was so sincere—her eyes like jewels soaked in water—and her voice was several shades softer than usual.

She was even… begging her.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Just close your eyes.”

Nan Shuwan felt she must have been bewitched; otherwise, why would she actually follow along, obediently closing her eyes defenselessly in front of Luo Sheng?

Afterward, she felt the other person’s breath coming closer and closer, just a finger’s width away. Nan Shuwan gripped the edge of her clothes in nervousness, her heart suddenly in a mess.

What is she doing? What exactly does she want to do?

The thought cycled through her head. In the next moment, she clearly felt Luo Sheng place her hand on the back of hers. For a moment, their breaths intertwined and their skin met.

Nan Shuwan felt she was truly crazy to sit here so submissively allowing Luo Sheng to act.

But before she had time to feel ashamed, she suddenly felt that everything in front of her had vanished. Not the kind of vanishing where the distance increases, but the sense that the other person had truly, physically disappeared from this space.

Luo Sheng’s breathing and the hand resting on her own seemed to evaporate into thin air in an instant. This realization made Nan Shuwan feel panicked, but she wasn’t sure if her perception was correct—what if the other person was still sitting right in front of her?

The surroundings were silent, eerily quiet.

“Luo Sheng? Are you there?”

Nan Shuwan, her eyes tightly closed, was unable to contain herself. As expected, she received no reply. Her heart began to race; she felt as if the moment she opened her eyes, she would face something terrifying.

But she really couldn’t bear it anymore. Just as she was about to open her eyes, Luo Sheng’s voice suddenly appeared:

“Director Nan, please open your eyes.”