However, Park Su shared many common interests with them and had the secret of their sexual orientation, plus he was much easier to get along with than Xu Nuo. Xu Nuo was the kind who always seemed aloof, sometimes appearing friendly yet distant, and at other times indifferent.
Park Su, on the other hand, was genuinely willing to communicate. Therefore, Lu Shang initially had a better relationship with Park Su than with Xu Nuo. Later, Park Su seemed to get along even better with the two of them, which is why Xu Nuo increasingly found them irritating. But those involved knew that in Xu Nuo's heart, there was probably no one who could replace Park Su.
Thankfully, they were finally approaching the S base after four days of continuous travel. Xu Nuo, thinking he had brought them this far, couldn't afford to lose sight of his original goals. Thus, he decided to camp outside the city that evening and proceed to the S base the next day.
Park Su was puzzled by Xu Nuo's decision. After all, it was only 4 PM, and with another five hours of travel, they could reach S City by around 9 PM, where they could rest well. Why spend another night in the wilderness?
Xu Nuo's reasoning was irrefutable. "It's already getting late here, and according to Meng Shan's message, this base should have been established 15 days ago. When a base is newly set up, many survivors will rush there. If we hadn't been delayed for so many days, we could have arrived before the base was fully established, and as ability users, we would have been among the first welcomed in.
But now, we're almost a month late from the planned time. With our speed, we could indeed reach the S base in five to six hours. However, we've been traveling day and night for these four days; we're all exhausted. Lu Shang has killed many zombies, and they are no less tired than we are.
If we arrive there around 10 PM, we'd have to wait in line with ordinary people, smelling sweat and urine. Just thinking about it makes it seem unnecessary. Instead, let's rest here, recuperate, and go tomorrow. I think queuing from noon until evening should get us in on the same day, right?"
Ge Qing and Lu Shang, seeing that Xu Nuo rarely spoke so much and that his reasoning made sense, agreed to camp there for the night with a vote of three to one.
Since they were setting up camp in the evening and Park Su had always been close to Ge Qing, Xu Nuo thought for a moment before saying, "Lu Shang, you stay here to look after Park Su, help him start the fire, and prepare the vegetables for our meal. Ge Qing, you come with me to hunt." This arrangement was unprecedented because Lu Shang and Ge Qing were a couple and rarely separated, so usually, they formed one team, while Park Su and Xu Nuo made up the other. This had been the default team setup during their journey.
Now, Xu Nuo was actually breaking up this pairing, which made Park Su's heart sink. Was Xu Nuo displeased with him? Or had he tired of him and wanted a new disciple? After all, he always thought Ge Qing seemed more sunny and more appealing to guys, judging by Lu Shang's deep affection for him, indicating that Ge Qing's charm might be greater than his own.
At least he hadn't met a good man like Lu Shang. However, Ge Qing didn't think this way about being summoned. After all, he and Lu Shang had gone from secret admiration to passionate love, overcoming various difficulties along the way to be together.
Even so, there had been other men pursuing him during this time, and he could sense if someone had feelings for him, but he had never felt even a hint of interest from Xu Nuo.
So, he thought Xu Nuo's decision was either because he had something to discuss privately with him or because there was a task to assign, and possibly one that was to be kept secret from Xu Nuo himself. Having seen Xu Nuo's capabilities, he naturally wanted to board Xu Nuo and Park Su's "big ship," as their success rate in finding resources would be much higher with such strength.
Thus, with something to ask of him, he nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Watching Xu Nuo and Ge Qing's departing figures, Park Su felt a twinge of sourness in his heart. At that moment, Lu Shang came over to him and said, "You don't need to look at them with such eyes, right? You two aren't even together yet. If anyone should look abandoned, it should be me, don't you think?"
Lu Shang had also figured out that Xu Nuo's insistence on camping here was probably related to whatever he wanted to discuss with Ge Qing. Clearly, this matter was something they didn't want Park Su to know about. He thought Park Su, who should understand Xu Nuo the best, would easily see through this, but he didn't expect Park Su to show such a look, which made him laugh. He tried to console him, but after his words, Park Su looked thoughtful and asked, "Do you also feel the taste of being abandoned, or have you already prepared yourself for it? After all, Ge Qing does seem quite popular."
Lu Shang felt like he'd been struck by ten thousand points of damage. He sighed, intending to tell Park Su directly, but his words took a roundabout way as he comforted him, "Don't worry! I know how important Ge Qing is to me, and my importance to him is no less than his to me. He would never run off with your Xu Nuo for petty gains. Instead of focusing on that, why don't you get ready with what needs to be prepared? We don't want them to come back from hunting to find us with nothing, that would be embarrassing!"
Although Park Su was somewhat reluctant, he knew that being unreasonable like this was pointless. Moreover, he understood what Lu Shang meant even if he didn't say it outright. Still, the thought that Xu Nuo had something he didn't want him to know but was willing to share with Ge Qing made him unhappy.
By the time they had gathered the materials for starting a fire and found usable plants around, they saw that Ge Qing and Xu Nuo had returned.
In front of them was a pheasant, not as large as the previously encountered mutated rabbit, but it complemented the vegetables Park Su had grown and the plants they had found today, making for a good dinner.
What bothered Park Su was Ge Qing's attitude. He felt there was something odd about him after going out with Xu Nuo. He had looked enthusiastic when leaving, but now he was avoiding his gaze.
Could it be that his guess was correct? Was Xu Nuo really planning to make Ge Qing his number one disciple or even his lover?
The more Park Su thought about it, the worse his mood became. What annoyed him the most was that after dinner, he finally found an opportunity to ask Ge Qing privately if Xu Nuo had discussed anything with him, like forcing him to be his lover or making him follow Xu Nuo indefinitely.
But when Ge Qing heard Park Su's probing questions, he felt somewhat speechless. Xu Nuo had previously instructed him not to reveal what they had discussed, as he would handle it in his own way. Moreover, Ge Qing felt that if he spoke, Xu Nuo would know, which might disrupt his plans for confession. It was better to just be an observer and watch the drama unfold.
As for the foolish act of revealing Park Su's feelings for Xu Nuo right after being asked, he decided to pretend that hadn't happened. After all, he thought that such things could promote the deepening of their relationship, right? So, he put on a puzzled look and said to Park Su, "Really, nothing. He was just curious why the three of us always have so much to talk about. I think we've been neglecting him a bit lately; you should spend more time chatting with him. As for being the number one disciple or lover, don't worry, that definitely didn't come up. Even if I were interested, I doubt he'd choose me, right?"
With that, he gave Park Su a meaningful look, patted his shoulder, and returned to Lu Shang.
Watching Ge Qing leave, Xu Nuo felt even more frustrated. "Hmph, rest assured, I'll talk to you less and work on increasing my favor with Xu Nuo; I don't want to fall from being the number one disciple."
Lu Shang had also quietly asked him about it, and Ge Qing just smiled, "It's not really our business, but it's important to Xu Nuo. It's his private matter, and he specifically asked me not to talk about it. But I think you'll find out soon enough. Just wait a bit longer, and I'll tell you when the time is right!"
Lu Shang raised his eyebrows, glanced at Xu Nuo, whose eyes were full of affection and warmth, and felt a chill run down his spine. Xu Nuo usually seemed gentle enough, but there was always a hint of rejection in his eyes. Now, however, "eyes like peach blossoms, tender as water" could describe him, his joy barely contained.
Combining what his lover had just said with the expression Ge Qing had when facing Park Su, Lu Shang had guessed most of what Xu Nuo and his lover had talked about, though the answer was so surprising that he was hesitant to fully believe it.
Meanwhile, Park Su, who had been sold out by his teammate to Xu Nuo, was completely unaware that his feelings for Xu Nuo were now known. After dinner, when he and Xu Nuo returned to the car, he was wrestling with his emotions and couldn't help but ask Xu Nuo, "Are you starting to dislike me? Do you find Ge Qing more to your liking now?"
Xu Nuo didn't answer; instead, he grabbed Park Su's arm and pulled him into his embrace. Startled, Park Su tried to push against Xu Nuo's chest, but unlike before, he couldn't push him away easily, and Xu Nuo tightened his grip even more.