Although he had never been in a relationship before, Yan Lidong had a plethora of experience politely rejecting love confessions. He had even more experience in speaking out of his ass, so he knew he could craft a love letter that would even make the stone-hearted Lord blush.
Well, in his experience, Chen Xie actually blushed very often, but maybe that had changed.
However, before he could get past the first few words, he recalled that he was, in fact, in a public space where anyone could see what he was doing. Plus, he already got (admittedly, very half-heartedly) admonished for slacking off and going through web forums.
Given that he wasn't actually assigned any work to do, he didn't feel guilty for slacking; he was more worried that he would get caught in the act. He didn't want to risk a run-in with an angry Chen Xie—not after he saw what happened to the previous clerk. Glancing down at the words he had already penned, though, he was suddenly at a loss.
To my dearest.
For the longest time, I have been…
Yan Lidong tilted his head, realising that he may have dug a hole for himself. He absentmindedly continued writing.
Meaning to buy bell peppers. Cucumbers, apples, and persimmons as well. Securing fresh produce during these times is very difficult; perhaps, the next time I visit you, you would be kind enough to lend me some. Eggs would also be much appreciated.
Yan Lidong sat in place for a few moments, realising far too late that he had simply written down his grocery list. He had been meaning to fill up his empty fridge—before the apocalypse hit, at least. In his daze, he had paid no mind to his handwriting, which had devolved into the cursive he always used to frantically scribble down notes.
Truly, it could not have gone worse. He spent a bit more time looking at the writing before he defeatedly folded the paper up. He would have to rewrite it later.
He mentally ran through all the compliments he had seen for Chen Xie online. It was mostly related to his combat prowess, although many people were practically salivating over his body; allegedly, he had the perfect amount of muscle, and every part of him was toned and proportionate.
Before the apocalypse, Chen Xie was still shy, easily flustered, and though he wasn't scrawny, he certainly wasn't as impressive as people said he was now. Yan Lidong silently lamented the boy he once knew. Even based on the brief encounters he had witnessed, Chen Xie was far more intimidating than he could've imagined.
"Gosh, and after all those years wasted on chasing him, he probably doesn't even remember me…" he muttered.
"Who doesn't remember you?" the Warden, who had just opened the door and heard his mumbling, asked.
Yan Lidong smoothly slid the letter to hide it from her view. "Chen Xie."
Her eyes widened as she quickly ran to shush him. "Don't say that name out loud!"
"Chen X—"
She smacked him on the back of his head.
"Ow… did that zombie blood give you guys superhuman strength too?" he whined. After those words, though, he suddenly stopped talking, rubbing the back of his head silently.
After realising he hadn't responded, she looked at him, her expression tinged with guilt. "Hey, was it really that bad? Sorry…"
"...no, that's quite alright," he said. He shot her a sidelong glance. "Say, what's your name?"
"My name? It's…" she paused, her tone somewhat dispirited. "As I said, people call me the Warden."
"I see. How long have you known Chen Xie?"
"I've been on his team for about 4 years now."
Yan Lidong nodded. "And you're an evolver?"
"I have abilities. Are you doubting me right now?" she frowned.
He smiled. "Of course not; after all, you did allegedly save my life. Then you abandoned my defenceless self in a cave, susceptible to attacks from zombies, wild animals, and bandits. And then dragged my feeble, weakened body into an abandoned maintenance room and forced me to—"
"Wait! Why are you making me seem so—so debauched?!" she cried.
"—to hide my identity," Yan Lidong finished, blinking innocently.
Her face was completely red. "Why would you phrase it like that?! Anyone would get the wrong idea! I-I'm leaving!"
"Wait. Just one last question," Yan Lidong called. "How does the surveillance work here?"
The Warden, who had already reached the door, looked back in a huff. "The cameras are imbued with Hunter's powers, and he reviews the footage when anything happens. Besides, my shield keeps out the zombies, so nothing will attack you." she glared at him. "Even if you really deserve it."
"But you attacked me just now—"
Before the words even left his mouth, though, she had left. Yan Lidong glanced at the door as it closed, his eyes narrowed. He leaned back in the seat and mulled over her words with interest. As far as he was aware, nobody knew the Lord's real name—not even the Lord himself. "Chen Xie" should have long been buried. Logically, he couldn't find an explanation for how the Warden knew it.
Regardless, he truly could not care less about whatever secrets she was hiding. He was more concerned about writing his letter and dropping it off without being detected; although Hunter was out on business, he wasn't sure how his abilities worked. If he could check the cameras remotely, then Yan Lidong would be in trouble; not to mention, with how powerful Chen Xie seemed, their cleanup likely wouldn't take very long. He Jiuyu had also mentioned that the trains could travel between all the cities within half an hour. The chances that they would return that same day were quite high, and although he had initially been confident, Yan Lidong didn't want to risk getting fired. Not this quickly, at least.
Now truly left with nothing to do, he checked the time, realising that there were only five minutes left. He immediately started packing up with the bag that Botany lent him, though he didn't actually have any belongings. More accurately, he simply took his letter, a pen, and another sheet of paper. The second the clock hit 5:00, he got up and left. Perhaps, as a pre-law major, the instincts of an office worker were already ingrained in him.
Yan Lidong ruefully thought of his wasted prospects. After all those years of studying, he had ended up with a simple front-desk job.
However, a new problem arose as he took a few steps down the street: he, incredibly belatedly, recalled that he had absolutely nothing to his name. No belongings, no house, and no paycheck yet.
Most importantly—to Yan Lidong, at least—he had to quickly write that letter.
He sat down on the first bench he saw, spewing out a bunch of flowery words and praises so exaggerated that he may as well have been describing a deity. The traits he described were all surface-level, though; Yan Lidong was pretty sure that anyone who knew about Chen Xie's personality would never fall in love with someone like him.
Given that Magonia and Piper had fallen, though, perhaps Chen Xie had changed in recent years. Or maybe his face was enough to make up for his… strange behaviours.
After examining the letter with satisfaction, Yan Lidong neatly stored it in his bag. Then, he looked at his surroundings.
Mentally, he noted that, once again, he was completely lost.
Not only did he not have shelter, but for all he knew, he could have walked into a different city. As Yan Lidong mindlessly tapped his chin, pondering his next steps, he felt the unfamiliar skin and suddenly remembered that he still had the mask on. A terrible, terrible idea crept into his head.
Based on how people always crowded around the Lord whenever he appeared, the commotion would be easy to spot, even for someone as hopeless as Yan Lidong. Also, as far as he remembered, Chen Xie completely melted into an affectionate mess whenever he saw Yan Lidong's face. Although his memories were likely erased during his evolution, maybe Chen Xie would still instinctually react after seeing it. Surely, their nearly eight years of friendship had ingrained themselves somewhere in Chen Xie's heart.
And also, Yan Lidong just really, really wanted to siphon a room from him. As the Lord, he had to be living in a lavish mansion, and Yan Lidong would be remiss to not see how luxuriously Chen Xie had been living—how well-off he had been without him.