ARBW Chapter 21

After surveying his options, Pei Yuhuai decided to equip himself with a Control-based Ability.

Currently, he possessed a Healing-based Ability for recovery, a large-scale damage Ability, and a speed Ability for escaping. Adding a Control-based Ability would significantly enhance his combat prowess.

Having chosen his desired Ability, Pei Yuhuai closed the Ability selection interface.

Since he had spent a considerable amount today, the Game System rewarded him with three large gift packs.

Instead of opening the gift packs, Pei Yuhuai turned his attention to Lin Mian, who was still contemplating.

“How about it? Have you made up your mind?”

Lin Mian still found it hard to believe and asked uncertainly, “Really? Can Mr. Pei give me any Ability I want?”

Pei Yuhuai glanced at his inventory, which contained numerous Abilities. Surely, there must be something Lin Mian desired.

If not, he could continue drawing Abilities until he found the one Lin Mian wanted.

“Yes, I will do my best to fulfill your wish.”

Lin Mian finally believed him and began to consider his options seriously. However, as he thought about it, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

Lin Mian: “Mr. Pei, which Ability do you think is better and more powerful?”

“Are you unsure of what you want?”

Hearing this, Lin Mian gave a shy smile.

Seeing this, Pei Yuhuai couldn’t help but smile as well.

He beckoned Lin Mian over and chose the “hold hands” interaction from the options.

Watching his in-game character gently take Lin Mian’s hand, he began to offer suggestions.

“I have a few rare Abilities here. First, listen to see if any of them appeal to you. First is the Lightning-based Ability, similar to the one I used before. It deals high damage and looks quite cool. Next is the Taming-based Ability, which allows you to tame Mutated Animals. The higher the Ability level, the more animals you can tame. I think this Ability is quite good. In the future, you could tame a few Mutated Animals and have them protect you. Then there’s the Ice-based, Healing-based, Metal-based, Plant-based…”

Pei Yuhuai wasn’t usually talkative when interacting with others. It was only with Lin Mian that he showed such patience, speaking so much at once. If it were someone else, he would have likely grown impatient already.

Lin Mian: “I think both Taming and Plant-based Abilities are quite good. Taming allows me to raise some Mutated Animals, and Plant-based lets me grow my own food. Both sound great, and I can’t decide which one to choose.”

With so many Abilities to choose from, it was indeed easy to feel conflicted.

Finally, Pei Yuhuai patiently analyzed the options with Lin Mian for a while. After discussing together, they decided to choose the Ability with stronger self-preservation capabilities.

Only by surviving could one have more choices in the future.

The Plant-based Ability was strong, but not as formidable as Taming.

If Lin Mian could tame Mutated Animals, he could even venture out alone in the future.

Pei Yuhuai didn’t want Lin Mian to become a caged canary, nor was he the domineering CEO from traditional novels.

Once they made their decision, Pei Yuhuai used the Ability Slot on Lin Mian.

As he placed the Taming Ability into the Slot, Lin Mian immediately felt a strange sensation in his body.

It seemed as though a crystal-like core had suddenly appeared within him.

Closing his eyes and focusing, he could vaguely sense it.

Currently, Lin Mian was still at level zero. At this level, taming Mutated Animals would be quite challenging.

To help Lin Mian level up sooner, Pei Yuhuai asked about the method for Ability leveling in their world.

Lin Mian replied, “We need crystals, which are dug out from Zombies. They’re usually found in the Zombies’ heads.”

Hearing this, Pei Yuhuai instinctively opened the map in the upper right corner.

Previously, his map only displayed their small town.

Now that his residence was completed and Lin Mian had agreed to move in, a large area around the town had been added to the map.

He tried dragging the map and found that he could now leave the town.

Seeing this, Pei Yuhuai said to Lin Mian, “Alright. First, move into my place. Tomorrow afternoon, I don’t have much to do, so I’ll accompany you to hunt Zombies.”

Hearing this, Lin Mian quickly let go of Pei Yuhuai’s hand and looked at him nervously.

“So soon? I… I’m not mentally prepared yet.”

“Don’t worry, I’m usually not in town.”

Meaning, the things he was worried about wouldn’t happen.

What was he worried about?

Of course, the things normal couples do after becoming lovers and moving in together.

Hearing that Pei Yuhuai was usually not in town, Lin Mian felt relieved but also a bit disappointed.

Strangely, he both hoped to see Mr. Pei every day and felt embarrassed about getting too close to him.

He thought Mr. Pei was good-looking and had a gentle personality.

He could accept holding hands with Mr. Pei. Mr. Pei’s hand was just a size larger than his, with a dry and warm palm that gave him a sense of security.

But the thought of becoming Mr. Pei’s lover and doing more intimate things made him feel extremely shy.

He realized he was a bit scared and couldn’t quite accept it.

Afterward, Pei Yuhuai helped him pack. Lin Mian didn’t have much here—only the clothes and shoes Pei Yuhuai had given him. The rest belonged to the town.

He packed the things Pei Yuhuai had given him and followed Pei Yuhuai out.

They walked quite a distance before Lin Mian remembered he hadn’t told Cheng Xiaowan yet.

But then he thought, he wasn’t leaving, just moving to a different place.

He could wait until he had settled in and then come back to tell Cheng Xiaowan.

The two arrived at Pei Yuhuai’s newly built villa, a two-story house with small yards in the front and back.

From the start of construction until now, this was Pei Yuhuai’s first time visiting.

He led Lin Mian inside, and with the help of the Game System, they registered their fingerprints.

The front yard was a small garden, less than fifty square meters. There were a few empty spaces left for planting flowers and trees.

The backyard was relatively larger, with two parking spaces and a sizable open area. One could park cars here or set up exercise equipment.

After touring both yards and registering their fingerprints, Pei Yuhuai logged off due to other commitments.

After Pei Yuhuai logged off, Lin Mian stood alone in the vast new home, feeling momentarily at a loss.

Feeling a bit uneasy, he wandered around the two yards alone.

Then, obediently, he locked both the front and back gates and began exploring the villa.

First, the first floor, which had nine rooms.

A large living room, a kitchen, and a public bathroom.

Then the master bedroom, which came with a walk-in closet and an ensuite bathroom.

When Lin Mian entered, he felt that this would be where he and Mr. Pei would live in the future.

The thought of the walk-in closet possibly being filled with both his and Mr. Pei’s clothes made him secretly touch his face.

He wanted to let out a small scream like Cheng Xiaowan to express his nervous, complex, and shy feelings.

But he was himself, not really Cheng Xiaowan. So, after several attempts, he couldn’t bring himself to scream.

Finally, Lin Mian thought it would be better to have someone accompany him at such a time.

So he decisively put down his luggage and went back to fetch Cheng Xiaowan.

When Cheng Xiaowan followed him out, she was still in a daze.

“What? What? You and Mr. Pei are already living together?”

“What? What? You’re taking me to see your shared home?”

Although she had known yesterday that Mr. Pei had invited Lin Mian to live together, when it actually happened, she couldn’t help but be shocked.

Especially when she saw the place Lin Mian would be living in, her emotions were a mix of excitement and complexity.

“Ahhh, it’s true, it’s true! So Mr. Pei’s construction team was building your love nest? Oh my, oh my! If a man built such a beautiful house for me, I would absolutely, absolutely want to marry him immediately.”

Lin Mian didn’t know how to respond to her. He thought Cheng Xiaowan was a great girl and believed she would meet a good person in the future.

Thinking this, he said so.

“Don’t worry, with your personality, you’ll definitely meet a good person in the future.”

Cheng Xiaowan didn’t expect Lin Mian to say such a thing at this moment.

She pinched Lin Mian’s cheek helplessly, thinking he was a bit silly but also quite adorable.

No wonder Mr. Pei liked him.

Sometimes, seeing the naive and innocent Lin Mian, she couldn’t help but want to like and care for him.

His personality wasn’t suited for survival in this apocalyptic world.

But now, after enduring hardships, with Mr. Pei taking care of him, he shouldn’t have to suffer too much.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this. Let’s go see your new home!”

Lin Mian thought his new home was quite large. If Mr. Pei didn’t visit often, he would feel quite lonely living here alone.

But fortunately, he wasn’t alone now; he had a good friend.

So even if Mr. Pei couldn’t come to town often, his days wouldn’t be too boring.

The two explored the villa together, and Cheng Xiaowan was amazed to find that not only was the villa furnished with basic furniture, but the appliances were also powered.

She opened and closed the refrigerator door several times, confirming that there was indeed electricity. Then she went to the kitchen and turned on the faucet.

She exclaimed in surprise, “Ahhh, Lin Mian, your house has electricity and water?”

“Seems like it. I… I just moved in today.”

Lin Mian said shyly, then followed Cheng Xiaowan to confirm, also marveling inwardly.

Mr. Pei is amazing, building a villa in just a few days, complete with electricity, water, and furniture.

He was becoming more and more puzzled about Mr. Pei’s identity. What kind of family background could make Mr. Pei so capable?