Chapter 44: Chu Peipei’s Promise

Bai Wenbin slumped onto the sofa as soon as he got home, too dejected to even bother fixing the door.

What’s the point? Even a rat would turn its nose up at this place.

Beside him, Qian Ying’er kept giggling foolishly, “Hehehe,” making his headache even worse.

No, this won’t do! I have to think of something. I can’t just sit here and wait to die.

He straightened up, sighed at Qian Ying’er’s vacant face, and said, “Stop laughing like that. Come with me.”

Meanwhile, An Nan had just left Bai Wenbin’s place and headed straight for Chu Peipei’s apartment.

When she knocked, the person inside was extremely cautious.

Chu Peipei recognized An Nan’s voice, checked through the peephole to confirm it was her, and only then opened the door.

“An Nan, what brings you here? Come in, quick.”

Although An Nan had a good impression of Chu Peipei, she still stayed on guard, gripping her triangular dagger tightly, ready to fight at any moment.

She stepped inside, instinctively scanning the room. Chu Peipei’s home was warm and cozy, filled with household items, vases of flowers, a record player, and a felt board covered in photos. Though everything was now covered in dust, it was clear the owner had once loved life dearly.

The living room wall was lined with a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, packed with books—novels, classics, and a large number of medical texts.

On the wall behind the sofa hung a picture of a wide-eyed baby.

Noticing An Nan staring at the baby poster, Chu Peipei’s lips curled into a bittersweet smile.

She rubbed her stinging eyes and turned to close the door—only to spot An Nan’s chubby white puppy.

It was so small she’d almost missed it, nearly catching it in the door.

Chu Peipei quickly held the door open, waiting for the little dog to amble in, wagging its head. Only then did she close the door.

She smiled and patted Fugui’s head. “Little guy, I almost didn’t see you.”

Fugui sniffed her hand, then nuzzled it gently before trotting over to An Nan.

Animals are sensitive to people’s intentions.

An Nan noticed that among everyone who’d met Fugui, Chu Peipei was the only one who didn’t look at the dog with greedy eyes.

She was also one of the few who hadn’t been met with Fugui’s bared teeth.

“You’ve been hungry for so long, and you’re not tempted by him?” An Nan asked bluntly.

Chu Peipei was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a question.

She looked down at Fugui. “I used to have a dog too, called Niuniu, a pug. I raised her for fourteen years. She just passed away the year before last.

My husband wanted to get me another one, but since we were planning to have a baby, we were worried we wouldn’t have the energy to care for a dog properly, so we didn’t.

Dogs are the most loyal companions to humans. To me, they’re like children. How could I ever eat one?”

Seeing her sadness, An Nan didn’t pursue the topic. Instead, she handed over the food she’d taken from Bai Wenbin’s place.

“Here, this is for you. I just confiscated it.”

She hadn’t even wanted to put Qian Ying’er and Bai Wenbin’s stuff in her storage space, but throwing it away felt wasteful—especially now.

So she simply gave it to Chu Peipei.

Chu Peipei had thought An Nan was here because she needed something, not to bring her more supplies.

She quickly waved her hands. “An Nan, you’ve already helped me so much. I can’t keep taking things from you for nothing!”

An Nan replied, “It’s not for nothing. I see you have so many medical books here—you must be pretty skilled, right?

Consider this an advance payment for future treatment. If I ever need a doctor, I’ll be counting on you.”

Chu Peipei said quickly, “If you ever need my help, I’ll do it without any payment. You don’t need to give me these things.”

Seeing her refusal, An Nan simply put the supplies on the coffee table.

“After losing your husband and child, you still have a strong will to survive. That means you must have something you need to accomplish, right?”

An Nan looked straight into her eyes. “But in your current state, it’ll be hard to achieve your goal. Your health is your foundation. With enough food, you can rest and recover for a few days.”

Chu Peipei was struck by how accurately An Nan had read her. Her nose tingled, and her eyes grew moist.

That’s how people are—when they’re alone, they can be endlessly strong, but the moment someone shows them kindness, the tears come.

These days, she’d been forcing herself to keep going, but she could feel her strength slipping away, her body on the verge of collapse.

But she couldn’t rest; if she didn’t find food, she’d be waiting for death.

And if she died, how could she avenge her husband?

With the supplies An Nan had given her, she could finally catch her breath and recover.

She stopped refusing. “Thank you, An Nan. I’ll take care of myself and keep going.”

After a pause, she added, “I hope you’ll never need my medical skills. But if you ever do, even if knives are falling from the sky, I’ll come to save you.”

An Nan nodded, didn’t linger, and left with Fugui.

“Get some rest. We’re heading home.”

An Nan wasn’t a saint—she wasn’t even a particularly good person. She often turned a blind eye to others’ suffering.

But she wasn’t a heartless killer, either.

Chu Peipei wasn’t greedy, knew her limits, was brave, resilient, and grateful—and she was a doctor.

Even in games, every team needs a healer. In a world as dangerous as this, having a good doctor as an ally could only be a good thing.

After leaving Chu Peipei’s apartment, An Nan headed up to the 14th floor, only to find someone waiting by her door.

It was Zhao Ping’an.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, he turned around warily. When he saw it was An Nan, he grinned.

“Idol! So you went out. No wonder you didn’t answer when I knocked.”

An Nan noticed he was holding something in a large black plastic bag.

“Yeah, I went out. What’s up?”

Zhao Ping’an scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. “It’s nothing, really. It’s just that my empress dowager—my mom—has had enough dry rations, but she really likes those snacks you gave us. I wanted to ask if you had any more.”

His family had plenty of food, but not snacks like pickled chicken feet or shrimp chips.

He quickly added, “Of course, I wouldn’t ask for them for free. I brought something to trade.”

As he spoke, he opened the bag.

“I figure you’re not short on food, so maybe you’ll be interested in this—it’s a kind of high-tech fabric. Clothes made from it keep you at a constant temperature and are slash-resistant.”

An Nan was stunned.

Constant temperature? Slash-resistant?

She suddenly remembered the thing she’d searched for all over an entire floor of Taiyu Tower but hadn’t found…"