Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 287

Chapter 287

Xiling You knew that Zhou Chuanning had already experienced a Dimension Jump once before. When she first approached him, she had assumed it would take a lot more effort, but unexpectedly, all it took was a curl of her finger for him to fall into a gentle trap.

After Zhou Chuanning left, Gu Huaiwei picked up the watering can and went back to watering the flowers.

Xiling You tried to find some unusual expression on Gu Huaiwei’s face.

But Gu Huaiwei only smiled and greeted her.

As if she had noticed nothing at all.

At that, Xiling You finally let out a sigh of relief.

All she wanted was to uncover the secret of the Dimension passage.

She had come to this world when she was very young, and now, she wanted to go home.

Over the years, she had already provided the Xiling Family with more than enough intelligence about the Other World.

The kindness of being adopted all those years ago had long since been repaid by everything she had done for them.

It rained again that night. Threads of rain draped over the windows like a spiderweb. Not wanting to disturb their date, Gu Huaiwei turned in fairly early.

She locked the door to the Childhood Dream Theme Room from the inside.

The night grew deep, and only the intermittent sound of rain tapping against the window lattice broke the silence.

Then suddenly, a crisp knock at the door shattered the peace.

“Who is it?”

Her sleep disturbed, Gu Huaiwei sounded far from pleased. With a slight furrow between her brows, she lifted a hand to rub at her forehead, climbed out of bed with sleepy reluctance, and slowly made her way to the door.

She assumed it was one of the shop’s customers paying a late-night visit, and there was a trace of impatience in her expression.

She threw on an outer robe at random. Her pale collarbones showed faintly beneath it, her long hair hung loose over her shoulders, and a few strands clung to the side of her face, giving her a lazy sort of beauty that looked completely effortless.

“You’d better have a very important reason for coming to find me in the middle of the night. Otherwise, I’m going to feel like twisting your head off.”

The door opened, and the night wind brushed against her face, carrying a cool, damp chill.

The person standing outside made her pause slightly.

Zhou Chuanning stood there quietly in the doorway. The dim light traced the sharp lines of his features, and his black eyes seemed especially calm in the darkness.

His collar hung slightly open, his Adam’s apple shifting faintly. “You saw it during the day, didn’t you?”

Gu Huaiwei was amused. Leisurely, she leaned against the doorframe, lifted a brow slightly, and curved her lips into a faint, ambiguous smile, playing dumb. “Saw what?”

Zhou Chuanning gazed at her in silence, his eyes deep, trying to detect even the slightest ripple on her face.

Yet Gu Huaiwei’s expression stayed calm, utterly unconcerned about the way he had attracted admirers during the day.

“I’m not interested in that human girl.” His voice was low, carrying the chill of the night rain, and in the stillness of the late hour, every word sounded especially clear. “The only one I’ve ever liked is you. The only one I want a Bonding with is you. She came to see me just now, and I turned her down. She got angry and said I wasn’t acting like that during the day.”

Gu Huaiwei stared at him, her gaze lingering over his face for a moment before she suddenly let out a soft laugh.

Well, damn.

The person in front of her wasn’t the Half-finished Product, but Zhou Chuanning’s consciousness surfacing again.

Gu Huaiwei had nothing much to say to the original Officer Zhou who had wanted to pursue her.

To her, the way his consciousness surfaced from time to time was nothing but a nuisance.

Who knew if it was because his desire was too strong, but the one the Half-finished Product had the hardest time fully absorbing was Zhou Chuanning.

Gu Huaiwei yawned. Right now, all she wanted was to send him away. “All right, I know what you wanted to say. The night air is cold, so please head back. If there’s anything else, we can talk tomorrow during the day.”

She turned to close the door, but Zhou Chuanning suddenly thrust out a hand to block the frame, moving so quickly that she had almost no time to react.

“I’ve been stuck in a haze lately, always half-asleep and half-awake. But whenever I wake up, the first thing I do is come to find you.” He bent down slightly, his voice low and oppressive. “I died once for you. Can you give me a little hope?”
Gu Huaiwei was warm on the outside and cold underneath. All her polite small talk stopped at shop business. It wasn’t that she lacked normal emotions and desires; her goals were simply too clear, and she refused to waste her feelings on things that meant nothing.

To her, the strange obsession Zhou Chuanning had developed was nothing but a burden.

“Officer Zhou, I’ve never responded to you. Your so-called feelings for me are just Alien breeding instinct, nothing more. What you like is my health and mental stability, both beyond what humans possess-not me as an individual.”

Zhou Chuanning took another step forward, a hidden anxiety showing in his black pupils. “That’s not true. I’ve systematically studied human emotions. I understand my own heart very clearly.”

“If you understand human emotions, then you should know even better that there’s no possibility between us.” Gu Huaiwei made herself even clearer.

“Then do you like him?”

“Who?”

“The murderer who devoured me.”

“He and I are partners.”

What had the Half-finished Product originally looked like? Male or female? Old or young? Gu Huaiwei had no idea.

To her, the Half-finished Product was merely a useful helper outside Paradise’s control, wearing someone else’s Skin Suit.

They were each the other’s card.

The only thing allowing them to coexist peacefully was profit.

“Help me take over this body. Whatever she promised you, I can do too.” Zhou Chuanning reached out as if to touch Gu Huaiwei, but she sidestepped away. “Every time, only when I think of you does my own consciousness grow stronger and take over this body. As long as you’re willing to undergo Bonding with me, I can gain primary control of it.”

Zhou Chuanning extended an olive branch. “Stop working with him. Let me help you instead. I may not know what this Paradise you keep talking about is, but I’m more loyal than he is.”

“Thank you for the thought, but what I need is someone more familiar with Paradise.”

“Don’t regret it.” Zhou Chuanning’s voice turned cold, but his gaze drifted unconsciously to her lips. “Someone who loves you is always more reliable than someone full of schemes.”

“Ugh…” Just hearing that made Gu Huaiwei feel uncomfortable all over.

“Officer Zhou…”

“Hm?”

Gu Huaiwei pointed behind him. “Look over there.”

Zhou Chuanning turned his head, and Gu Huaiwei slammed two hard punches into the back of his head, knocking him out on the spot. He collapsed to the floor unconscious, his awareness dissipating. Not long after, the Half-finished Product opened his eyes.

Bracing himself, he sat up.

Realizing that Zhou Chuanning’s original consciousness had taken over again, the Half-finished Product looked displeased.

“Thanks.”

“Have you considered forcing Officer Zhou’s consciousness out of the body? I’m really worried that when we’re making a move in Paradise, Officer Zhou’s consciousness is suddenly going to pop out and grab me to talk about dating.”

If that happened in the middle of serious business, Gu Huaiwei would lose her mind on the spot.

The Half-finished Product couldn’t expel someone he had already eaten. He could only dilute them.

He needed to devour more people.

Tonight had originally been his feeding night.

He assured Gu Huaiwei, “I’ll handle it.”

When someone couldn’t even control himself, Gu Huaiwei naturally found him less valuable as a partner.

“That’s what you said last time too.” Gu Huaiwei’s lips curved slightly, and her gaze drifted, intentional or not, toward the corner by the wall along the Corridor.

Noticing Gu Huaiwei’s glance, Xiling You, who had followed them all the way here, immediately hid herself again.