A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

Nie Beian brought them aboard the ship.

He explained that the ship was heading to another dock up ahead to gather supplies, after which they would be taken across from Jialawan and dropped off.

Bei Nuan thought, This Nie Beian and his boss, Sheng Yi, are both good people.

If it were me, I definitely wouldn't let people of unknown origin on board at a time like this.

Kindness often invites trouble for good people. I always believe in considering the worst of human nature.

It was clear that this ship had a long-lasting power source, allowing it to stay at sea, away from the zombies—a perfect ark in this apocalyptic world.

This was a treasure, and it would definitely be coveted.

Nie Beian personally escorted them to the vacant cabins.

“Mr. Sheng said these cabins are for you,” he said.

He gave them three double cabins, all very comfortable. They resembled slightly narrower hotel rooms, located above deck, each with a porthole offering a beautiful ocean view.

This was different from the book. In the book, the team slept in windowless shared cabins below deck.

Bei Nuan, having a room to herself, used the excuse of wanting a hot shower to shoo everyone out. Once alone, she locked the door and began to study her newly acquired ability.

Fancy Invisibility.

Just how “fancy” is it? The mission description wasn't clear.

Invisibility was an incredibly useful ability. With it, she could go anywhere, do anything, unseen and unknown.

Bei Nuan thought, If I really can become invisible, I could sneak into Lu Xingchi's and the others' rooms and play ghost, scaring them. That would be so much fun.

Excitedly, Bei Nuan silently chanted in her mind: Shadowless and Formless.

Then, she watched in astonishment as her hand vanished.

Only the empty sleeve of her jacket remained suspended in the air, a bizarre sight.

Bizarre, but also quite amusing.

A new fifteen-minute countdown timer appeared after the words "Shadowless and Formless," presumably the duration of this invisibility.

A small "Yi" followed the countdown.

Bei Nuan stared at it for a long time, unable to figure out what "Yi" meant.

Regardless, she had successfully turned invisible.

She touched herself, still able to feel her body, but completely unable to see it. Only her clothes maintained a human shape.

Bei Nuan removed her clothes layer by layer, taking off her accessories until, completely unclothed, she finally vanished into thin air.

Bei Nuan turned, looking herself up and down, then sighed.

She had just been thinking about all the places she could go and things she could do while invisible, but now she realized it was impossible.

Because going anywhere would require her to be naked.

Even if no one could see her, not even herself, she couldn't get past the mental hurdle.

Bei Nuan walked to the mirror.

The mirror was indeed empty, not even a shadow reflected back.

It seemed this precious invisibility ability was useless, only good for amusing herself in her room.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It was Lu Xingchi's voice.

“Bei Nuan, are you done? Du Ruo says he's about to throw up from hunger.”

It was late, and they still hadn't had dinner. They were all waiting for Bei Nuan to retrieve food from her space.

Bei Nuan thought for a moment, pulled a bag of beef jerky from her space, braced herself against the door, opened it just a crack, slipped the jerky out, and quickly closed and locked the door.

“Eat this for now.”

Lu Xingchi was silent for a moment outside the door, then asked, “Bei Nuan, why won't you open the door?”

He seemed to sense something was amiss.

Bei Nuan had no choice but to say, “Because I haven't finished showering yet. Tell Du Ruo to hold on a little longer. I'll get him something good to eat when I'm out.”

Lu Xingchi's voice came through the door, “Bei Nuan, you're lying. You're not showering. Is everything alright?”

Bei Nuan: ?

He can tell I'm lying through the door? Is Lu Xingchi becoming a god?

“I'm fine,” Bei Nuan quickly said. “Really. I'll be out in a bit.”

The next second, the lock clicked.

Bei Nuan: ??

He's opening the door??

No lock in the world could keep Lu Xingchi out.

He still believed Bei Nuan was lying. Imagining some emergency, he was actually going to open the door and come in.

If he came in, he would immediately discover that there was no one in the room, even though someone had just spoken.

Bei Nuan rushed into the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and engaged the useless lock.

Bei Nuan thought desperately, This is the bathroom. He wouldn't dare just barge in here, would he?

She heard Lu Xingchi open the door and walk in, calling out, “Bei Nuan?”

Bei Nuan enunciated each word clearly, “What are you doing? I'm! Taking! A! Shower!”

Then, realizing her mistake, she quickly turned on the shower.

The sound of rushing water filled the room. Bei Nuan heard Lu Xingchi at the bathroom door.

His calm, natural voice came through, “Bei Nuan, I finished the ring you asked me to make. Don't you want to come out and see it? I don't know what else to change.”

Ring? What ring??

Bei Nuan didn't understand at first, then it clicked.

He had heard her lie and sensed something was wrong. Hesitant to open the bathroom door, but worried she was in danger, he made up a story about a nonexistent ring.

If Bei Nuan was truly in danger and unable to speak freely because someone was present, she could play along with the ring story, signaling her distress. He would understand and immediately come to her rescue.

Bei Nuan was amused and touched.

Mama Rabbit has already imagined twenty thousand words of Little Rabbit being held hostage by bad guys.

It made sense. In this apocalyptic world, especially after their confrontation with Huo Ren's group, his vigilance was understandable.

“What ring are you talking about?” Bei Nuan asked. “I'm washing my hair. It's taking a while. Wait for me for fifteen minutes, and I'll be right out.”

This time, Lu Xingchi seemed relieved. His voice moved away from the bathroom door. “Okay, I'll wait for you here.”

Hiding in the bathroom, waiting for the invisibility to wear off, Bei Nuan, bored, started to play around.

Being unable to see herself felt incredibly strange.

She touched her head, tugged her ears, waved her arms, and moved her feet. Being somewhat clumsy, within moments, her arm banged against the sink.

Bei Nuan gasped. That hurt.

Lu Xingchi immediately returned, asking from outside the bathroom door, “Are you alright?”

“I'm fine,” Bei Nuan replied, trying to keep her voice steady. She quickly retreated into the shower stall, fearing he might actually barge in.

The shower stall was made of frosted glass. With the hot water running, the bathroom was filled with steam, obscuring the view inside.

If he came in, Bei Nuan could simply hide in the shower and talk to him.

The cabin's bathroom was small, the sink, toilet, and shower stall crammed together. Unable to see herself, Bei Nuan, in her haste to reach the shower, tripped over the toilet.

Thud.

This time, she really fell hard.

Hearing the commotion, Lu Xingchi didn't hesitate. He twisted the doorknob.

“Bei Nuan?”

He actually opened the locked bathroom door and walked in.

He stood at the entrance, scanning the bathroom.

Bei Nuan lay sprawled on the floor in front of him, not daring to make a sound, mortified.

Completely naked.

Even though he couldn't see her, it was terrifying. Worse than the worst nightmare.

Bei Nuan had never imagined she would be streaking in front of him like this.

But embarrassment wasn't her immediate concern.

If he felt something was amiss and took two steps forward, he would step on her. That would be truly disastrous.

Composing herself, Bei Nuan suppressed her shame and, as quietly as possible, got up from the floor and crept towards the shower.

Fortunately, the bathroom was small. Since she had turned on the shower, the sliding door was partially open. Bei Nuan squeezed inside and quickly closed the door.

“I fell. It's nothing serious. Can you please go out? I'm showering! I'm a girl taking a shower, and you just walk in like this?”

Silence followed, then the sound of the door closing. Lu Xingchi finally left.

Bei Nuan was now completely drenched by the showerhead.

The water flowing over her body made her outline visible, like a scene from a science fiction movie.

With nothing else to do, Bei Nuan used the bathroom's shampoo and body wash to actually take a shower.

By the time she stepped out of the shower, the invisibility had worn off.

Towels and bathrobes were in the bathroom cabinet. Bei Nuan dried herself, put on a bathrobe, and opened the bathroom door, ready to give Lu Xingchi a piece of her mind about his indecent behavior.

Lu Xingchi was leaning against the nightstand. On the bed beside him lay a pile of clothes, from outer garments to underwear—everything Bei Nuan had taken off.

But Bei Nuan was too distracted to be embarrassed. She saw that Lu Xingchi was holding a small object, studying it.

It was a small, delicate belly button ring, one end a ball, the other set with a tiny fake diamond.

This wasn't the original Bei Nuan's; it was Bei Nuan's own.

When she had transmigrated, Little Three had explained that, since the book didn't describe Bei Nuan's appearance, he had copied everything, from her hair length to her clothes, shoes, even ear piercings.

This included the belly button ring.

It was a memento of a particularly impulsive decision.

Bei Nuan had accompanied her best friend to get a navel piercing. Her friend had backed out at the last minute, but Bei Nuan, finding it pretty, couldn't resist the temptation and got one herself.

She hadn't expected such a strong reaction. She'd become dizzy and lightheaded, and her friend had kept asking anxiously, "Your health is so delicate, are you sure you should be doing this?"

The piercer's face had turned white with fright.

She'd worn it ever since.

She had taken it off when she turned invisible. Otherwise, she would have seen a small belly button ring floating magically in mid-air.

Bei Nuan regretted leaving it on the nightstand after taking it off. She should have hidden it.

“What is this? I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Lu Xingchi held it between two fingers, tilting his head as he examined it. “It doesn't look like an earring.”

“It’s a girl’s thing. Don’t touch it.”

Bei Nuan rushed over, snatched the belly button ring from his hand, and clutched it in her palm, finally feeling at ease.

This small belly button ring was her space.

When she had first received the space ability, Little Three had said that the space needed to be attached to a physical object.

When Bei Nuan transmigrated, she hadn't had anything on her besides clothes, so Little Three had attached the space to her belly button ring.

Bei Nuan thought it was a brilliant idea.

Concealed, safe, unlikely to be noticed or suspected, unlike bracelets or jade pendants that could be easily stolen.

With the small object taken from him, Lu Xingchi looked thoughtfully into her eyes for a long moment, making Bei Nuan uneasy.

Finally, he slowly said, “Bei Nuan, this wouldn’t happen to be your…”

Bei Nuan maintained a calm expression, but her heart was pounding. No way, no way. Does he have to be so smart?

Lu Xingchi continued, unhurried, “…navel ring, would it?”

Bei Nuan breathed a sigh of relief. “You actually know what this is?”

Lu Xingchi replied calmly, “I guessed. I haven’t seen you wear any other jewelry, so it must be worn somewhere I can’t see.”

Then he asked, “Should I make you a gold one? You can choose any design you like.”

Bei Nuan was tempted but firmly refused. “No, this one is fine. I’m used to it.”

The belly button ring attached to her space couldn't be stored inside the space itself. Keeping it anywhere else would be risky, so wearing it at all times was the safest option.

Lu Xingchi nodded, not pressing the issue. He changed the subject. “You fell in the bathroom?”

Bei Nuan now felt the pain in her knee and elbow.

But she hesitated, unsure whether to answer.

She had fallen near the bathroom door, and Lu Xingchi had immediately come in. He must have heard how close the sound was to the door.

If she admitted to falling, how could she explain being in the shower at the time?

It didn't make sense.

As Bei Nuan hesitated, Lu Xingchi said, “Let me see.”

“See what?”

Lu Xingchi glanced at her and sighed. “Your legs, your arms. Where did you fall? What did you think I wanted to see?”

He didn't waste time arguing, pulling her closer and encircling her in his arms. He rolled up her sleeve and examined her arm.

Her right elbow was bruised.

Lu Xingchi asked, “Your leg? Do you want to show me, or should I do it myself?”

He had dared to enter the bathroom while she was showering. Fearing he would actually lift her bathrobe, Bei Nuan pulled up the hem and checked herself.

One knee was also bruised.

“Anywhere else?”

Lu Xingchi held her shoulders, looking her up and down.

Bei Nuan quickly tightened her robe. “Nowhere else.”

Lu Xingchi smiled, had her move her joints to ensure no bones were broken, and then said, “Get some ice, a plastic bag, and a towel. Icing it should reduce the bruising.”

With the belly button ring in her hand, Bei Nuan had access to her space and everything she needed. She retrieved the items. “Wait a moment, let me get dressed first.”

“How can you ice it with your clothes on?”

Ignoring her protest, Lu Xingchi sat her down on the bed, put the ice in the plastic bag, wrapped it in a towel, placed one on her knee, and handed her the other for her elbow.

Then he said, “Hair dryer.”

Seeing her hesitation, he explained, “Your hair is still dripping. You hold the ice packs, and I’ll dry your hair.”

Bei Nuan thought, Lu Xingchi is so thoughtful. If he worked in customer service, with his looks and attitude, he’d get five-star reviews every day.

Bei Nuan retrieved the hairdryer from her space and handed it to him.

Lu Xingchi plugged in the hairdryer and started drying her wet hair with a towel. Suddenly, he said, “What are you so afraid of? Why so panicked? It’s you who’s hurt when you fall.”

Bei Nuan: ?

Had he noticed something else?

Lu Xingchi didn't wait for an answer and turned on the hairdryer.

The hairdryer hummed, blowing warm air. The sweet, fruity scent of shampoo filled the air. Bei Nuan snuck a glance at him.

He was very close, carefully holding the hairdryer, gently running his fingers through her wet hair, his expression calm and natural, not like he had discovered anything.

Bei Nuan suddenly remembered lying naked on the bathroom floor in front of him.

Lu Xingchi’s hand stopped.

He asked, “Why are you blushing?”

Bei Nuan, flustered, looked away.

“Your expression right now…” He leaned closer, gently kissing her forehead, “…is like I just walked in on you streaking.”

Bei Nuan: “…”

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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