Chapter 12, Dangerous, but Not Bad!

Sissy?

Well, I am a woman... If I'm not sissy, who is?

Isn't it natural for me to be a woman? If I try to be tough...

Never mind, I can't be tough.

In front of Tang Fei, Phoenix had no confidence at all.

Phoenix was fuming inside; she hadn't expected Tang Fei to criticize her words and demeanor for this reason.

What was more humiliating was that she actually spoke to Tang Fei in that tone...

She had only subconsciously wanted to rebut Tang Fei's words, but the phrase "Not at all," combined with a certain facial expression, resembled the posture of a girl acting coy with her boyfriend on New Star.

Many TV shows depicted it that way, and she had even sneakily experienced it through the neural interface...

Indeed, very embarrassing!

"Why would I speak to him in that tone?"

Phoenix asked herself inwardly, longing for a definite answer.

Like? Impossible.

Flirting? Hardly.

Gratitude? This was closest to the truth.

In the biting cold of the polar night, if someone lit a match for you, that was the warm glow you had been longing for.

For Phoenix, the actions of Tang Fei and Little Fatty had just that significance.

A journey full of anticipation, yet betrayed by the closest people around her; protected by Dead Pool as they desperately fled, her escape pod crashed into a perilous human settlement due to severe damage...

Fortunately, she encountered Tang Fei; thankfully, it was Tang Fei and his family.

It was hard to imagine, if not for Tang Fei taking her in, would it have been predators, the Flame Shrine, or other ill-intentioned people, and would she not have been living a fate worse than death?

She was full of gratitude for all of it!

And she was grateful to have met Tang Fei!

Through their brief interaction, she felt that Tang Fei, although "dangerous," was not bad...

His dangerousness stemmed from self-protection, but his danger was only to protect his own family.

There was no contradiction at all.

So, naturally, she began to accept Tang Fei and Little Fatty, seeing them as her support and reliance on this land.

"Yep, that's it."

Having clarified her emotional state, Phoenix felt relieved.

She glanced at Tang Fei, noticing him walking briskly with his gaze fixed straight ahead, his messy hair failing to cover his flushed ears, betraying his otherwise nonchalant and easygoing demeanor.

"He's still a shy little boy!" Phoenix chuckled to herself inwardly.

Little Fatty, with his shirt off, carried a rabbit, his exposed belly slightly whiter than the rabbit's. Full of vigor and swagger, he was completely oblivious to what had happened behind him.

Of course, even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

A woman who couldn't throw stones held no appeal for him.

"Brother Tang Fei..."

A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl rushed out from the stone courtyard next door, sweetly calling to Tang Fei.

The girl was slim, with clear eyes, wearing a plain grey hemp garment, but the unique lightness and freshness of a young girl were still exuberantly present.

The only defect was a long scar on her face, stretching from her eyebrow to the corner of her mouth, making it look somewhat ferocious.

Tang Fei had once collected some herbs, trying to help remove the scar on her face, but the young girl herself refused.

That slash had ruined her but also saved her.

"Ning Ning..."

Tang Fei beamed and waved at the girl.

An Ning was Aunt Cheng's daughter; her father, An Xin, lost a leg to a wild wolf while hunting, and due to the scarcity of medicine, he soon died from festering wounds. The widow and orphan led a tremendously hard life, so Tang Fei often gave them a hand, dropping off some game for them to make soup.

The old man often teased Tang Fei for being too good-natured but never really stopped him from doing these things and sometimes even secretly brought over a bag of cassava or other foodstuff.

Aunt Cheng also knew the three men lived roughly, and she would come over now and then to help with some mending and tidying.

Many people thought Aunt Cheng and the old man were involved, and Tang Fei was among 'many people'...

Of course, the old man would never admit it and warned Tang Fei not to tarnish his reputation.

Reputation? Tsk...

Tang Fei knew, the old man certainly had no reputation, but Aunt Cheng might end up with child.

The girl had lost her father at the age of seven or eight, and these past years relied mainly on the care and support of Tang Fei and the others, so she was very close to Tang Fei and Little Fatty, always delighted to see them.

Tang Fei looked at An Ning's smiling face and asked, "What are you doing at home?"

"I'm drawing." An Ning proudly held up the branch in her hand.

Children in the ruins had few ways to entertain themselves; and because of the extremely harsh living environment, kids couldn't go outside and could only stay confined to their own small courtyards.

Therefore, everyone had to find their own way to have fun. An Ning particularly liked drawing, and she was quite good at it.

Just because there was no paper or pen, she could only draw with branches on the ground.

"Ning Ning is really great," Tang Fei praised.

He took out a silver writing pen from his pocket and said, "Here, this is for you."

Phoenix's gaze sharpened—this was something from the escape pod that he had 'smoothly' taken at some point.

Of course, Phoenix chose to overlook this trivial matter.

Tang Fei rummaged around in his bosom for a while, then found several wrinkled sheets of paper, folded together, and said, "This is for you too... Now you can draw on these, and if it's good, you can keep it forever..."

"Thank you, Brother Tang Fei." An Ning was over the moon. On Old Land, paper and pens were scarce; even with money, you couldn't buy them, let alone the fact they had none.

Holding the just-received gift, she said, "Brother Tang Fei, wait until I finish the drawing and I will give it to you."

"Alright, I'll wait," Tang Fei said with a very happy smile.

Phoenix looked at Tang Fei's smiling face, which was different from his usual smiles—bright, pure, as if it truly came from the heart.

The weather today was good, a rare occurrence of warm sunlight. Golden beams fell upon his handsome face, making his skin seem even more pale and delicate, his eyes also sparkling with a glow akin to the Sun's.

Huh, he washed his face today!

Yes, today Tang Fei had washed his face.

The old man said there was a guest at home, and everyone should wash their face out of respect...

It was unclear why, but he had Tang Fei wash first, the old man went second, and Little Fatty still enjoyed a big basin full of 'rich broth' loaded with minerals.

"He's quite kind-hearted," Phoenix thought to herself.

She quickly banished this ludicrous thought from her mind.

Illusions, all illusions.

She must not let his act deceive her. She had seen his ruthless side.

An Ning's gaze fell on Phoenix; she had actually noticed Phoenix at first glance because her appearance was so outstanding and her clothes were different from those on the Old Land—elegant, luxurious, perfectly outlining her figure. It was hard to ignore her.

"Who is this sister?" An Ning curiously asked.

"Oh, she's called Phoenix," Tang Fei answered with a smile, "A guest from New Star."

"Wow?" An Ning said with envy, "No wonder she's so beautiful; she's a distinguished guest from New Star... Sister Phoenix, it must be very beautiful up there, right?"

"It's okay," Phoenix replied modestly.

She didn't know the relationship between this girl and Tang Fei, but her cautious nature kept her at a certain distance from every stranger.

Moreover, she could feel this young girl's probing and scrutiny, from the very first moment she saw her...

Even if she was good at hiding it, how could she escape the Eyes of Golden Flame? What kind of vanity fair had she been sharpened in?

"I really hope I have the chance to go up there and see it," An Ning looked up at the sky, her eyes filled with expectation.

"You will definitely have the chance," Phoenix nodded.

She worried inwardly, I hope she won't ask me for a "ticket" like Tang Fei would, right?

As it turned out, not everyone was shameless like Tang Fei. An Ning didn't ask Phoenix for help or even chat with her further. Instead, she looked at Tang Fei and asked, "Brother Tang Fei, what did you guys go do?"

"We went hunting," Tang Fei said, not wanting to mention the escape pod and the Flame Shrine, as that would only cause trouble for both parties.

He pointed at the rabbit slung over Little Fatty's shoulder, "Caught a Red-eyed Rabbit, see if it's fat?"

"Fat," An Ning said with a smile.

"Little Fatty," Tang Fei called out, "Leave two rabbit legs for An Ning."

"No, no need," An Ning declined, saying, "I still haven't finished the mutton you gave me last time. If I don't eat it soon, it'll go bad..."

"That little mutton, how can you have not finished it? Tell Aunt Cheng to stew more tonight, don't be stingy... Every time the meat spoils then you eat... You're growing, you need to keep up with nutrition..."

"Really, it's not necessary..." An Ning declined, but her eyes couldn't help straying towards Phoenix's chest.

Indeed, she needed to keep up with nutrition...

"Listen to me," Tang Fei insisted firmly.

Little Fatty was very efficient; he had already run into the yard with the rabbit, found a kitchen knife, and with a swift motion, two plump rabbit legs were removed.

Tang Fei waved his hand and said, "Okay, we're heading back. If there's anything, come find me at home."

"Okay, see you, Brother Tang Fei," An Ning said with a smile.

Once Tang Fei and his group had gone far, An Ning turned her gaze towards Phoenix's graceful retreating figure, softly chewing on her name, "Phoenix..."

(ps: Please cast your recommendation and monthly tickets for me, thank you!)