Chapter 22: Warmheartedness

“I can tell you still like her deeply—not just as a sister. And she has feelings for you too; otherwise, she wouldn’t cling to you so much. Maybe she feels your current situation doesn’t meet her standards yet? Young girls never learn to treasure what’s in front of them until life teaches them harsh lessons. But if she ever leaves you… she’ll regret it someday…” Sister Mei withdrew her restless gaze, offering Lü Yang advice from one woman to another with genuine warmth.

Lü Yang simply smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Yi Yi’s mysterious disappearance had entangled everything into a knot of confusion, especially his relationship with Yi Ya.

Truthfully, even he didn’t understand how things stood. Besides, if Yi Yi ever returned, he’d unquestionably choose her over Yi Ya.

“There’s just one thin wall between you two,” Sister Mei pressed on, visibly intrigued. “You need to be the one to tear it down. As a young man, if you like someone… you must be bold. I could even teach you a way to make her devoted to you forever.”

“Uh…” Lü Yang stumbled for words.

“You haven’t even held her hand, have you? Or kissed her?” Sister Mei’s words grew bolder in the darkness.

“Um… well…” Lü Yang wished she’d stop.

“Since you’re so shy, you must lack courage and experience…” Sister Mei lowered her voice. “Just find a moment alone with her—force a kiss, or… even take things further… She’ll belong to you entirely after that. A girl never forgets her first. Besides, I see how much she cares for you. Whatever you did, she wouldn’t hold it against you. A few tears, some comforting… that’s all it takes.”

“Sister Mei, you—” Lü Yang stared at her in disbelief. Was she urging him to commit a crime? Wouldn’t that make him no different from the vile Porters beneath their building?

Though he liked Yi Ya fiercely, he’d never mistreat her. Force a kiss? Never. All he truly wanted was to find Yi Yi and watch Yi Ya find happiness with someone worthy.

“Ah… d-don’t look at me like that,” Sister Mei stammered, a blush creeping along her cheeks. “My husband won me over the exact same way… ten years ago. He lured me to his home to sing… then forced a kiss… It wasn’t just one either, he kept… and… I knew nothing about men back then… I just… surrendered to him…”

“He forced himself on you?” Lü Yang grinned despite himself, the scandalous image flashing through his mind.

“H-he didn’t…” Sister Mei avoided his gaze, flustered. Had she shared too much? Yet she couldn’t stop talking to him, even leading him into this forbidden territory.

“Then your husband wasn’t too wicked after all,” Lü Yang remarked casually, his eyes fixed elsewhere.

“Hmph… Not wicked?” Sister Mei looked down. Memories flooded back: that man not only stealing her first kiss but tearing at her skirt, kissing her… there…

It was the first time she’d experienced it—how fingertips brushing that sacred spot ignited fire across her skin. Pleasure beyond words. Beyond imagining.

She’d surrendered seven, maybe eight times that day. Until she lay motionless on the bed, utterly spent.

Afterwards… everything spiraled beyond restraint.

Nowadays, only fleeting dreams and faint memories granted her those sensations—ending only with two tear-soaked pillows.

Remembering it now, warmth stirred low in Sister Mei’s belly. Two long, parched years had intensified that craving until it screamed inside her.

A deep sorrow always followed the desire, drenching her body and spirit. The man who’d taught life’s sweetest lesson… who’d opened a door to blinding brightness… was gone. Forever.

Sister Mei wasn’t easy with her heart. Once committed to her husband, she vowed forever. After his death, grief nearly drove her to suicide. Instead, she devoted herself to guarding his memory—never loving another.

Her fondness for Lü Yang grew quietly. He helped her selflessly time and again… then became her anchor amid life’s chaos. A rock she leaned on, shared secrets with… With him near, fear dissolved.

Tonight, he’d shielded her with his body. In this terrifying world, he was her only refuge.

Sitting beside him earlier, she finally understood: two years of mourning had gently shifted into something new.

Time truly washed away everything—even bone-deep loyalty eventually crumbled beneath its erosion.

Guilt surged through her. But once this quiet yearning for Lü Yang awakened, she simply couldn’t stop herself. Sharing secrets… tempting him closer…

To be blunt: she was drawing him in. Seduction was something she’d once scorned. Especially since he was five years younger than her.

But the Apocalypse had come. Everyone in their Residential Area might already be dead—why cling to trivial rules?

Only… a whisper of betrayal haunted her whenever her husband crept into her thoughts.

Then she recalled Lü Yang’s gentle words: He’d want to see you happy, wouldn’t he?

So conflicted…

……

Though Lü Yang sensed Sister Mei’s gaze lingering strangely, he brushed it aside. Protecting her required focus. To end the Mysterious Domain’s nightmare, he had to act. Safety couldn’t last. Whether hunting down that Black Cat or finishing those two Porters… he needed to leave this room. Surviving meant moving towards danger.

The Mysterious Domain often worked within cycles. Midnight—Zero Hour—seemed pivotal. If he hadn’t solved this trial by tonight’s deadline, the domain might erase him from reality itself. Forever.