The doctor's intentions were clear.
Yu Zhiwan had long been able to tell that Pie Yujang had feelings for her, which was why she moved next to Pie Yujang's house, step by step testing the waters.
Pie Yujang was strong and had a strong sense of justice. Whether from investigating the Pie family's situation in the past or from the recent fight with those people and Zhao Longshuang's threats, it was clear that the likelihood of Pie Yujang being groomed to trade with the higher-ups was very small. The most likely scenario was that she was extraordinarily talented, particularly skilled in combat.
Most importantly, she was naïve.
Their idea of "naïve" was similar to Yu Zhiwan's—meaning Pie Yujang was easy to deceive, at least in this aspect, she was almost guaranteed to be tricked.
If Yu Zhiwan revealed her true purpose to Pie Yujang, or if it accidentally slipped out, she wouldn't need to reveal too much of the plan. Just a little slip through her fingers, and Pie Yujang would likely agree to help.
They wanted Pie Yujang to take a certain drug abroad, report it to the International Federation, and simultaneously spread the "apocalypse theory." It didn't have to be done through "rumors," but rather through novels or self-media, to raise awareness among both leaders and citizens about the impending crisis.
This wasn't a particularly difficult task, but since the A organization could establish that underground lab back then, they naturally had their own trump cards.
With official protection, it's hard for ordinary people to successfully "complain to the emperor," so they could only take a roundabout approach, slowly chipping away.
When Yu Zhiwan left the organization years ago, she paid for it with her parents' remaining years, and it's very likely that after she left, her parents met a grim fate. The human experiments and various viruses they researched, if successfully developed as weapons of war between nations, would drag the entire world into hell.
Biological warfare had been strictly prohibited many years ago. Unlike hot weapons, it's difficult to control or precisely target someone or a specific region. Once unleashed, it's apocalyptic and utterly inhumane.
Historical records in educational books note a country on another planet that used biological warfare to invade others, facing strong international opposition and resistance. Under intense pressure and the fierce resistance of the targeted nation, they were forced to cease their actions, but the bloodthirsty methods were evident.
When Yu Zhiwan escaped, her parents didn't sacrifice themselves in vain—they managed to smuggle out some secrets from the base into her hands.
The A organization didn't know how many trump cards Yu Zhiwan had, so they didn't dare push her to the brink, only probing her limits step by step.
The people in her team shared the doctor's opinion—they all wanted Pie Yujang to help cover their tracks, taking this opportunity to send the newly developed drug abroad as a reserve.
If Pie Yujang agreed to help with this, regardless of whether she met international leaders, the A organization had already set their sights on her. No matter what, they would act, stopping at nothing to take her down.
Pie Yujang's status was neither too high nor too low. Too high would be dangerous, too low would be useless. She could attract just enough attention to be useful. If the organization made a move on her, they'd be forced into the open, at least allowing the apocalypse theory to spread, preventing them from wreaking havoc underground unchecked.
If they could make most people vigilant, it would lay the groundwork for their eventual exposure of the A organization.
In the past, if the person they needed was Liu Huanran, Yu Zhiwan wouldn't hesitate to push him out.
She admitted she wasn't a good person, never considering others' perspectives. Just like the doctor said, the simplest arithmetic would dictate that sacrificing one life for so much benefit—a multi-faceted win—was a deal worth making.
But Pie Yujang and Liu Huanran were different matters entirely.
She was biased.
Yu Zhiwan was fully aware of this and admitted it clearly.
So, Yu Zhiwan interrupted the doctor's long-winded speech:
"We can try a different approach, but Pie Yujang has other uses, so we can't involve her right now."
The doctor wasn't easy to fool. Since he had chosen this path, he was no fool, and he could clearly sense that Yu Zhiwan was holding something back. He directly asked:
"What use?"
"Pie Jinhuai is very protective of her children. This time, I advised Yue Rong to help her grow her business, partly to use Yue Rong as a communication hub to transmit information for us. If we abandon Pie Yujang now, we would be giving up Yue Rong too, wasting all the effort we've put in. Besides, Pie Jinhuai has some connections in Yicheng, and it would be troublesome to go against her."
Pie Jinhuai's connections mostly came from the people she met when she was starting out. It wouldn't be too difficult to deal with them, but this was the best reason Yu Zhiwan could come up with for now.
The doctor remained silent.
"Moreover, if we are as ruthless as they are, then how are we any different from them? If you were the one being sacrificed to save a train full of people, without being told the truth and having your choice taken away, how would you feel?"
There was a thought-provoking question often posed by teachers in moral philosophy classes:
"If you were the train conductor, and ahead there were two tracks—track A with a bomb, where everyone on the train would die if you went that way, and track B, which was intact but had one person on it—choosing track B would mean sacrificing that one person to save everyone on the train. What would you do?"
Most people's first instinct is to choose track B, sacrificing one to save many.
But from that person's perspective, it's an unexpected disaster, and no one cares whether they want to give their life for a group of strangers.
The doctor opened his mouth as if to respond but seemed at a loss for words.
Pie Yujang had been lying in the hospital for several days.
During these days, the people who visited her the most were Yu Zhiwan and Pie Jinhuai. Fan Zhaozhao came by twice, and Jiang Wenxiu sometimes dropped by, bringing a bowl of low-fat pork rib soup or a serving of steamed vegetables, claiming her mom made her do it.
On weekends, if Pie Jinhuai was too busy with work to visit, Fan Zhaozhao would send Jiang Wenxiu to keep Pie Yujang company, along with some homework for her to do before heading back.
Jiang Wenxiu had never done homework before, but now she was forced to do some by her mom. At first, she was rude to everyone, but after being scolded by Pie Yujang, at least she didn't dare show it on the surface.
She was always restless, especially in the hospital room. One time when Jiang Wenxiu visited, she caught Yu Zhiwan leaving. Standing at the door, she made faces at the blind Yu Zhiwan and mouthed:
"Sister-in-law."
Pie Yujang immediately noticed Jiang Wenxiu and, afraid she'd actually say it out loud, hurriedly gestured and gave her a warning look. But now that Jiang Wenxiu knew Pie Yujang's temper had "softened," she wasn't afraid of getting hit, so she confidently made a few more exaggerated faces to tease her.
Pie Yujang glared at her angrily, unable to get up from the bed. She didn't calm down until Jiang Wenxiu was done fooling around and had greeted Yu Zhiwan properly. Then, she purposely lay down, refusing to acknowledge her.
Jiang Wenxiu sat down on a small stool next to her, munching on a roast chicken leg.
Without hesitation, Pie Yujang pulled out a pillow and, catching Jiang Wenxiu off guard, smacked it onto her leg, startling Jiang Wenxiu so much that she almost dropped the chicken leg.
"Hey!"
Jiang Wenxiu squealed, her hands greasy as she lunged at Pie Yujang to mess with her. Pie Yujang wrinkled her nose in disgust, showing her disdain. Jiang Wenxiu clicked her tongue, remarking:
"How did you manage to woo your sister-in-law looking like this?"
Pie Yujang, hearing the first part of the sentence, instinctively touched her face and asked, "Do I look ugly?"
Jiang Wenxiu: "..."
Alright, even when she used to dislike Pie Yujang, she had to admit that Pie Yujang was the type of universally recognized beauty, admired by anyone with a normal sense of aesthetics.
Now, this woman had also developed a great figure—both cool and glamorous, with a perfect waist-to-hip ratio, beautifully defined shoulders, a well-proportioned back, long, slender legs, and just the right amount of muscle. Her physique was elegant and healthy.
And her face? It still looked good, even when she made silly expressions.
Jiang Wenxiu had a habit of being a bit of a jerk when she spoke, a bad habit that often got her into trouble, but she couldn't shake it. Now she was trying to rein it in because she had something to ask of Pie Yujang. She scooted closer, grinning mischievously as she poked her:
"Hey, sis, if you have any tips for wooing Omegas, can you teach me?"
Although many Alpha-Omega relationships were sparked by their matching pheromones, like a spark igniting a fire, with their bodies naturally syncing, Pei Yujang was actually a Beta, not an Alpha. If she could still woo an Omega, she must have some special tricks up her sleeve, not just relying on pheromones.
Pei Yujang was initially stunned, about to say she had no idea how to woo an Omega, but then she realized what Jiang Wenxiu meant and was shocked:
"You have a crush on someone?"
She couldn't imagine someone like Jiang Wenxiu actually having feelings for a girl.
"Hey, what's with that suspicious look?"
Jiang Wenxiu lightly patted the bed, not daring to touch Pie Yujang but lowering her voice.
"I saw her the other day outside the school, just as I was about to climb the wall to go to the internet café... I'm telling you, you can't tell my mom!"
Jiang Wenxiu didn't stay long, but Pei Yujang still managed to hear her whole story in bits and pieces.
In a nutshell, it could be summed up as: A delinquent falling for the top student, a disciplinarian on the student council. It was a one-sided love where Jiang Wenxiu, instead of making trouble, decided to find something serious to do.
And to be honest, she just found the person attractive—Jiang Wenxiu was infatuated.
Last semester, Jiang Wenxiu had her name recorded by that student over thirty times, to the point where she nearly wanted to confront her. But for various reasons, she eventually gave up, fearing the teacher's favorite would get involved.
She hadn't even noticed what the person looked like last semester, didn't know if they were male, female, or AO. She just knew that every time there was a hygiene check, a dormitory inspection, or an attendance check, the person would always note her absence without fail, showing no mercy.
Pei Yujang mercilessly laughed at Jiang Wenxiu.
That was enough to keep Jiang Wenxiu from visiting her for several days.
In fact, Pei Yujang felt like she could have been discharged the next day, but Pie Jinhuai wouldn't allow it, uncharacteristically asserting her maternal authority. She insisted that Pei Yujang stay until her wounds were healed, or else she'd have to return to the big house and wait until she was fully recovered before leaving.
Although life in the big house was more comfortable, it wasn't as free as living in her little apartment. Pei Yujang compared the two options and decided it was better to stay in the hospital for a few more days rather than constantly going back and forth for wound checks.
Fortunately, even though she was now a Beta, her body was still as strong as ever, with a fast recovery rate. After getting her stitches removed and being cautious for three days not to expose her wounds to water or spicy food, she was fully healed and immediately dashed out like an excited Alaskan Malamute.
A new food street had just opened in the city center. After her follow-up exam, Pei Yujang headed straight there, buying a bunch of grilled skewers, squid, octopus balls, and other "junk food." She also had a steaming bowl of rice noodles, finally satisfying her cravings.
With her stomach slightly bulging from the food, Pei Yujang decided not to go for a walk in the park, not wanting to worry Pie Jinhuai, and instead headed back home.
She hadn't checked her phone on the way, and when she finally did, she saw a message from Pie Jinhuai about what had happened that day.
The people who had lured her into the alley were connected to Zhao Longshuang, while the others were likely not local to Yicheng, at least not traceable.
Pie Jinhuai had already handled the situation by the time she learned of it. With no surveillance in that area, Pie Jinhuai reported the group for fighting, bullying, and poisoning Pie Yujang. Those people were now in custody.
Even if they were tough, they couldn't escape the police's questioning. The person who poisoned Pie Yujang was sentenced to six years, while the others received two to three years as accomplices.
It wasn't a heavy sentence, especially since some had fled and hadn't been caught yet, leaving Pie Jinhuai feeling frustrated and stifled.
Pei Yujang wasn't one to hold grudges, but since they had come to her door to cause trouble, she wasn't going to play the coward and not fight back.
She didn't care about that group for now, but she wasn't going to let Zhao Longshuang off lightly. She confessed to Pie Jinhuai about how Zhao Longshuang had instigated her and manipulated their mother-daughter relationship, leaving Pie Jinhuai fuming.
Pie Jinhuai, who had once spoiled her to the point of abandoning her principles, didn't blame her at all, even though she was an adult who should have known better. Instead, all her anger was directed at Zhao Longshuang.
Zhao Longshuang's elders had worked with Pie Jinhuai for many years, and Pie Jinhuai certainly had leverage over their family. After Pie Yujang revealed what needed to be said, she left the rest to Pie Jinhuai.
Amidst all this busy work, Yue Rong's eagerly anticipated new product series finally launched, breaking previous sales records on the first day.
Pie Jinhuai had always been generous with her subordinates, and the bonus for Yu Zhiwan was especially generous, partly because Yu Zhiwan had given Yue Rong a chance to make a comeback, and Pie Jinhuai valued talent, and partly because of Pie Yujang.
Although Pie Jinhuai misunderstood their relationship, Pei Yujang was still happy for Yu Zhiwan.
It's possible that seeing the product she had worked so hard to develop being so well-received brought her more joy than the substantial bonus.
Pei Yujang was well aware of how busy Yu Zhiwan had been lately. When she was still "Little Fish," she would often meet Yu Zhiwan for meals, finding many affordable yet delicious restaurants to maintain her cover. Yu Zhiwan was her "dining buddy."
Pei Yujang had tried to invite Yu Zhiwan out for meals several times recently, but each time she was politely declined. Finally, when she had some free time, Pei Yujang took the opportunity to invite her out for hotpot to celebrate the successful launch.
To make it easier to talk, Pei Yujang booked a private room.
Yu Zhiwan couldn't handle spicy food well. Her skin was so fair that eating spicy food made her face turn red, like she was drunk, and she would even get stopped by traffic police for a breathalyzer test while driving.
They ordered a double-sided hotpot, half wild vegetable and beef bone broth, half tomato soup. The tomato soup at this place was excellent—sour, sweet, and drinkable as a hotpot broth. Pei Yujang always had two bowls.
She prepared her dipping sauce with finely chopped meat and vegetables, mixing them evenly before pouring the broth over. She also served a bowl to Yu Zhiwan. Beside the reddish-orange tomato broth were two bowls of rose jelly with vibrant petals floating atop finely chopped hawthorn, full of color, fragrance, and flavor.
Pei Yujang first put some meat rolls into the pot. In the middle was a small, round pot of bright red spicy broth, perfect for cooking duck blood, duck intestines, and squid, which had a particularly strong flavor.
"I might be leaving soon."
Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan spoke at the same time, startling each other. Pei Yujang almost dropped her chopsticks into the jelly, quickly moving the jelly and drinks aside and raising her voice slightly:
"Where are you going?"
"I'm thinking of going to Xiangcheng to get treatment for my eyes and body."
Seeing Pei Yujang fall silent, Yu Zhiwan, as if anticipating her reaction, smiled warmly as she picked up the tea cup in front of her, took a sip of the fragrant barley tea, and savored it:
"Didn't you say Omegas should have their own careers? I've been thinking about this for a long time. Living like this is really inconvenient. Xiangcheng is known for its medical expertise, especially in treating conditions like mine. I want to take this chance while I'm still young to try, and hopefully, I can put this matter to rest."
Xiangcheng was in the central region of the nation, neither too far north nor south, close to the heart of the capital. In her previous life, it was one of the first places to fall.
Pei Yujang came from two hundred years in the future, a time when many people were studying ways to overcome the zombie virus. But gradually, they began to suspect that the zombie virus was deliberately released.
The capital, being the center of the nation, was difficult to infiltrate with drugs. In comparison, Xiangcheng, as the gateway to the capital, was less strictly managed. Xiangcheng was a large metropolis and the nation's economic center, attracting people from all over.
Experts later theorized that the virus was first released in Xiangcheng, spreading from a water plant. That plant was inconspicuous among the many factories, located next to an old, rundown orphanage for the elderly and children. So, before things got out of hand, no one paid much attention.
By the time it was taken seriously, it was too late. Experts from Pei Yujang's time reconstructed the scene, suggesting that the elderly and children were the first to turn into zombies, then started attacking the volunteers who came to visit them.
The infection spread rapidly, and Xiangcheng fell. The waterborne virus began to spread to other cities, plunging the entire nation into a hellish nightmare, never to recover its former glory.
There were blurry drone images documenting that the governor at the time betrayed the city. The mayor of Xiangcheng, who had once done him a great favor, stood on the helipad with a loudspeaker, cursing the governor as he tried to evacuate the city, vowing to stay with the city until the end. In the end, the governor, helpless, left supplies and departed with his relatives.
The mayor didn't die in the zombie siege but was instead betrayed by her subordinates. Surrounded, she didn't take her own life, but used her last bullet on the zombies attacking the perimeter.
It was said that her relatives also mostly stayed behind, with her seventy-year-old mother even offering up their home to shelter some of the disaster victims, personally treating the sick and cooking porridge to maintain order.
Pei Yujang had a good impression of Xiangcheng.
She had considered traveling to the places where the zombie outbreak started in her previous life, tracing its origins, but she was still somewhat clueless.
But she hadn't expected Yu Zhiwan to leave so soon.
Pei Yujang felt a bit reluctant, but she had no reason to keep Yu Zhiwan from leaving. Yu Zhiwan didn't care much about her job as a beauty model; it was just something she did to occupy herself. Besides, Liu Huanran was still in the company. Although Pei Yujang also disliked Liu Huanran, she couldn't just fire her without reason.
As for the bonuses, even if Yu Zhiwan left the city and Yue Rong, she would still receive them; those were her intellectual property rights.
"What about you?" Yu Zhiwan asked. "Where do you plan to go?"
Compared to Yu Zhiwan's departure plans, Pei Yujang's were insignificant.
She had been considering leaving Yue Rong to start her own business, but first, she would need to borrow money from Pie Jinhuai, which would be troublesome and embarrassing. Second, if she lost money, it would be even harder to explain, ending up with nothing to show for her efforts.
Pei Yujang planned to first propose some low-cost adjustments to the marketing department to Pie Jinhuai.
In recent years, Yue Rong had been falling behind partly because of its marketing, planning, and product departments, which were filled with Pie Jinhuai's old friends. To put it bluntly, they were eating but not working, drawing high salaries without keeping up with the times, relying on old methods to get by.
Relying on old methods was no good in any industry, especially in such rapidly changing times, and it was as if they were voluntarily withdrawing from the market competition.
Pie Jinhuai was a bit soft-hearted towards the old staff, but in Pei Yujang's view, few people in the marketing department were useful. While a product couldn't rely entirely on marketing, it also couldn't just sit there without any promotion.
She was eager to go to the marketing department and make some big changes, starting by developing her own account to promote Yue Rong's products.
Pei Yujang originally wanted to collaborate with Yu Zhiwan, who was photogenic and could attract attention just by sitting there without saying a word. But…
Just thinking about Yu Zhiwan leaving dampened her spirits, even the lamb rolls in the pot didn't seem as appetizing.
That night, after the meal, Pei Yujang and Yu Zhiwan headed home together. Yu Zhiwan sat in the passenger seat while Pei Yujang adjusted the settings. She didn't like listening to music on short trips, so she was just adjusting the air conditioning when a message notification sounded.
Pei Yujang glanced down and saw it was a voice message from Chen Lulu.
"Big sister Pie, I'm done filming and back in Yicheng. I'm on vacation now, nothing much to do. Are you working tomorrow? Can I come to see you?"
"I brought you some little fish snacks from Ningxiang. You can eat them or feed them to your cat. Oh, by the way, I have a super cute Chinchilla at home. Do you want to come to see it?"
Although Yu Zhiwan couldn't see, the voice message from Chen Lulu was played out loud, her sweet voice filling the car.
Pei Yujang didn't listen to the rest. It was just Chen Lulu inviting her to pet her cat and hang out. Pei Yujang glanced over at Yu Zhiwan, seeing that she had already quietly fastened her seatbelt by herself.
In the past, Yu Zhiwan always asked her to help with the seatbelt, a small favor that Pei Yujang was always happy to do. But now, they hadn't even parted ways yet, and the feeling of distance was already creeping in, making them feel less like close friends who had just left a hotpot restaurant and more like acquaintances reconnecting after years apart.
Pei Yujang felt a dull, uncomfortable ache in her chest.
That day, Yu Zhiwan didn't stay to chat for long. She thanked Pei Yujang and left the car, while Pei Yujang, following her usual routine, escorted her to her door before heading back home.
In the following days at the company, they still chatted occasionally, maintaining a level of closeness that Pei Yujang didn't share with other employees. But Pei Yujang quickly realized that once Yu Zhiwan was no longer her subordinate, would their relationship fade as they went their separate ways?
Pei Yujang once had a good friend, someone she even swore sisterhood with. They were very close when they were together, but after three years apart, when they met again, they weren't as close as before, despite still being friendly. The distance between them was palpable.
The day Yu Zhiwan left was in the morning.
The night before, she had sent Pei Yujang a message saying she was leaving the next day on an 8 AM flight, a direct flight with China Southern Airlines.
Before that, they had shared a meal at a small noodle shop, laughing and joking as they used to.
Pei Yujang tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. The next morning, in a moment of impulse, she decided to skip work without telling Pie Jinhuai. She bought a ticket for the same flight as Yu Zhiwan, not even knowing if they would be seated together.
She had memorized Yu Zhiwan's airline website password when helping her book tickets before, but she hadn't snooped into her privacy. Whether or not they would sit together was up to luck, but knowing Yu Zhiwan, she probably booked a VIP seat.
Last night, when she closed her eyes, she couldn't help but think: What if Yu Zhiwan went to Xiangcheng, slowly forgetting about her and making new friends? Someone who would be by her side, eating together, going to work together, and even sleeping beside her during her heat periods? The thought left Pei Yujang feeling unsettled.
And unwilling.
She couldn't take it.
The next day, Pei Yujang hurried to the airport with two suitcases she had hastily packed in the early morning. As soon as she looked up, she saw Yu Zhiwan in the VIP lounge, smiling at her from her wheelchair.
"Are you on this flight too? What a coincidence."