Chapter 33 Tenderness
The two ascended the stairs, one behind the other. Everything seemed unchanged—a silent, lifeless space, although the lingering smell of blood was strong.
Su Mo’s eyes scanned the area, her brows furrowed. She couldn’t understand why the zombies had vanished. She had distinctly felt their presence on the first floor. She began to examine the area carefully.
Toppled shelves, covered in dried, dark bloodstains, littered the area. Broken machinery lay scattered, accompanied by the stench of decaying corpses. The silence was unnerving.
Squinting, she spotted a hammer lying on the floor. An idea struck her.
Approaching, she skillfully picked up the hammer. She retreated to the stair railing, glanced upwards, smirked, and struck the railing with the hammer.
“Dong…” The hammer’s impact resonated like a bell, not deafeningly loud, but strong and clear, with a faint ringing echo.
Su Mo stared intently at the hallway, which remained eerily quiet. Frowning, she raised the hammer to strike again.
A white, slender hand stopped her.
Following the hand to its owner, Su Mo narrowed her eyes, glaring at Shen Shao Jie. “What are you doing?”
Seeing her discontent, Shen Shao Jie gently took the hammer, opening her palm.
The hammer’s wooden handle was covered in splinters, and her thumb was slightly scraped from her forceful grip. He sighed helplessly.
He gently massaged her hand, a warm feeling spreading through the air, until her palm regained its color.
Seeing her staring at him, Shen Shao Jie shook his head, “You already have low intelligence, and now you’re injuring yourself. And you keep zoning out at crucial moments. What am I supposed to do with you?”
His helpless tone was laced with tenderness. Shen Shao Jie looked at Su Mo with affection.
Initially, Su Mo was stunned by his gentle demeanor; however, his words instantly brought a blush to her cheeks. She snatched her hand away, bristling, “You have low intelligence! Your whole family has low intelligence!”
Clenching her fists, anger filled her delicate face. Only the voice in her head urging her to stay calm and the knowledge that she couldn’t beat him stopped her from punching him.
As the warmth of his touch faded, a ripple of something unfulfilled stirred in Shen Shao Jie’s eyes. He looked at her; she resembled an enraged kitten, her eyes wide, almost pleading.
He sighed helplessly, stroking her head, his voice soothing, “You’re right, my whole family has low intelligence.”
Seeing his sincere apology, her anger subsided. Su Mo, still proud, snorted, “Good.”
“Good,” he agreed, smiling, his eyes filled with affection as he stroked her hair.
Seeing her anger dissipate, as if a ruffled kitten had been soothed, he chuckled.
Feeling his touch, Su Mo frowned and pushed his hand away. Something felt off, but she couldn’t place it. Her face turned cold and displeased, “Stop laughing, don’t touch my head.”
Seeing her disgruntled expression, Shen Shao Jie smiled helplessly, shaking his head. She was such a spoiled little thing.
He couldn’t bring himself to be harsh with her. He sighed; he’d indulge her.
With that, Shen Shao Jie said helplessly, “Okay, I won’t laugh.”
He said he wouldn’t laugh, but he didn’t stop looking at her with amusement.
Su Mo nodded, still feeling something was amiss.
Suddenly, a scream echoed from upstairs.
—– Author’s Note —–
This is my first time writing, so it’s slow. I want to ensure quality and avoid writing meaningless, bland text that wastes everyone’s time. Therefore, I carefully write each chapter, often revising many times. Lately, my house has been noisy with guests. To maintain quality, updates have been infrequent. I don’t know if anyone’s reading, but I hope you’ll understand. The guests leave tomorrow, and I’ll aim for around 3000 words per day.
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