Chapter 9: Crispy Taro-Stuffed Eggplant Boxes

Su Su remained silent for too long, which, in the eyes of the town mayor, meant she was simply dazed by the sudden stroke of good fortune.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Do you not like canned fruit?"

"I don't want it..."

"Just take it."

Despite Su Su's refusal, the mayor dismissed her hesitation and firmly pressed the can into her hands. His features were strictly average, yet his expression was warm and gentle, carrying a maturity and composure that set him apart from others.

Before Su Su could refuse again, the mayor shifted the topic effortlessly. "There’s an empty room upstairs. For a girl like you, it’s not ideal to be sleeping on the floor with everyone else. You should go up and stay there instead."

As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Su Su. His dark pupils reflected her image, making it feel as if he were looking at her with his entire being.

Su Su’s heart hammered in her chest—so fast that she had to dig her nails into her palms to force herself to remain calm. She gave a response entirely different from the one she had given in her previous life.

"Okay."

The mayor nodded with satisfaction and handed her a key. "Go ahead; it’s the room at the very end of the second-floor hallway."

Su Su did not meet his eyes. Instead, she kept her head lowered, clutched the canned fruit, brushed past him, and hurried up the stairs.

Halfway up, she instinctively looked back. The mayor had not left; he stood in the same spot, looking up slightly. The moment their eyes met, a trace of a smile flickered in the depths of his gaze once more.

Su Su’s heart skipped another beat. Through the air, she could faintly hear the murmurs of the others in the lobby.

"What a huge can of yellow peaches!"

"Why would the mayor give that can to Su Su? Is he trying to curry favor with Lin Weiran and the others?"

"Pfft, Lin Weiran and Su Su aren't even that close; why bother? To me, it looks like the mayor has taken a fancy to Su Su’s face. He’s trying to woo her!"

"It really does look like that... If I looked like Su Su—no, if I were even half as pretty as her—I wouldn't have to go out looking for food at all!"

"I really want to eat those yellow peaches. Just one piece, give me one piece... Does the mayor like men? Actually, I’m quite fair-skinned myself..."

"..."

Those with supernatural abilities possessed heightened hearing. Su Su felt certain that the mayor must have heard these comments too, yet his gaze never once wavered from her.

Su Su hugged the can of peaches tighter and turned to run away.

It wasn't until she reached the second floor, unlocked the door, and shut everything else out that her legs gave way, and she slumped to the floor.

In her past life, she had made the opposite choice.

Fresh from the shadows of Wu Zhi, she had reacted to the mayor’s sudden kindness like a hedgehog sensing danger, bristling with spikes, wary, fearful, and resistant. She had refused the peaches he offered, firmly pushing them back; she had rejected the room key, running instead to the commoners' quarters, preferring to sleep on the floor with the others.

Yet, he had acted as if he couldn't understand her silent rejection, offering kindness and favors time and again. In the end, even the people in her own group began to look at her with increasingly strange eyes. In an environment where everyone was hungry and suffering, the number of people whispering sour remarks grew, and she... was inevitably ostracized.

*Hiss~ Hiss~*

The familiar sound of a snake’s hiss interrupted Su Su’s thoughts. The black snake, having finished digesting its prey, slithered out of her backpack, lazily surveying the room as if patrolling its new territory.

Seeing it, the panic and fear in Su Su’s heart dissipated significantly.

She sat on the floor, struggling to twist open the can of peaches. She took a pair of chopsticks out of her pack and fished out a golden, sweet-looking slice of yellow peach.

"Little Black, do you want some canned fruit?"

The black snake turned its head to look at her with aristocratic indifference, slithered over slowly, and stopped in front of the human.

Su Su held the peach to the snake’s mouth. The next second, the black snake’s head darted forward, swallowing the entire piece in one gulp.

*Gulp.*

The peach hit its stomach.

"Is it good?"

It was terrible.

The black snake barely managed to keep the peach down.

For the first time ever, Su Su caught a glimpse of something resembling human disgust in its vertical pupils, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"You’re a snake; of course you don't like fruit, especially preserved fruit."

The black snake narrowed its eyes at the human before it. It suspected she had done this on purpose—deliberately feeding it something it disliked.

"Hiss!"

Just before the crimson tongue could touch Su Su’s ankle, the familiar white light appeared, soothing the snake that had been preparing to strike. Only under these circumstances would it coil docilely on the floor, appearing like a harmless, hibernating creature.

Su Su hugged the can, nibbling on a piece of peach. The fruit was crisp on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside; in the apocalypse, the cloying, sugary syrup was an unparalleled delicacy.

Before she knew it, she had eaten most of it and drank half the syrup.

Feeling comfortably full, Su Su placed the remaining half of the can on the nightstand. She turned to see that the black snake had found a sofa and was curled up in the corner with its eyes closed.

"He gave this to me willingly, and he gave me this room willingly. I shouldn't waste his kindness." She didn't want to talk to other people, but she was willing to monologue to a cold-blooded animal. "Little Black, I’m going to live a good life with you for a while, okay?"

Little Black opened its eyes, glanced at her coldly, and gave no response.

Thanks to the supernatural users like Lin Weiran, the mayor had provided electricity and water to the second and third floors of the guesthouse. Su Su went to the bathroom, washed herself thoroughly, and before getting into bed, she leaned over to look at Little Black on the sofa.

"Goodnight."

"Hiss~"

Su Su took it as a response. After turning off the lights and lying down, her thoughts were not as calm as she appeared.

Having lived through a previous life, she could now see exactly what the mayor’s intentions were. It wasn't the reason the masses suspected—love at first sight or a romantic pursuit—but rather... a hunt fueled by a desire to toy with his prey.

He had designs on this group of incoming supernatural users, and since she was Lin Weiran’s cousin, she was a natural excuse to bridge the relationship. The more obsessed and enamored he appeared to be with her, the lower their guard would be.

As for what trouble this might bring her, or whether she accepted it or not, he didn't care.

After all... Su Su was just an ordinary person without powers. At most, she was a bit prettier, but in the apocalypse, beauty was merely a consumable resource.

She had no dreams that night.

After washing up, Su Su finished the rest of the can and sat in silence, waiting.

Sure enough, a moment later, there was a knock at the door.

The mayor stood outside, carrying a bag. When he saw that Su Su was still wearing the same clothes, a flash of understanding passed through his eyes.

"You probably didn't have time to change clothes on the highway, did you? I brought everyone some changes of clothes. Why don't you try them on?"

"...Thank you."

Su Su did not reject his kindness and reached out to take the bag.

"Go inside and change, then. I’ll wait for you out here."

The mayor’s words were polite and thoughtful. Su Su nodded expressionlessly and shut the door.

The bag contained three outfits: a set of casual clothes, a stylish short skirt, and a white dress.

He had considered everything.

Living a second life, some unnecessary stubbornness had quietly faded away. Su Su put on the white dress and stood in front of the bathroom mirror, pinning her hair into a half-up, half-down style.

She patted her face lightly, and a natural flush bloomed on her cheeks.

Looking into the mirror again, the girl was ethereal and refined. Her eyes seemed to hide a pool of clear, limpid water; her features were pretty and pleasing, her face smooth and fair, devoid of the two scars that had once marred her brow.

Su Su curled the corners of her mouth.

Since the mayor was willing to hunt and was even willing to place bait in the cage, why should she suffer the losses?

The moment she opened the door, the mayor, who had been waiting outside, looked up and froze for a few seconds, his eyes flashing with genuine awe.

He had known the girl was pretty, of course, but yesterday she had been wearing rags, her hair and face dusty, which had dampened her beauty.

The mayor looked her up and down and praised her sincerely, "This dress suits you very well."

"Thank you."

"Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet."

The mayor naturally pulled a bag of bread from his pocket. "Eat this to tide you over."

Su Su didn't hesitate; she took it and shoved it into her backpack.

But the moment she did, she shivered and jerked her hand back.

The reason was simple: her fingertips had been licked by a cold snake tongue. The black snake, hidden deep in the bag, had sensed the bread—which carried the scent of a strange human—in the dim light. Its flames were stirring, ready to turn the bread to ash in an instant.

Fortunately, the white light arrived just in time, narrowly preventing Little Black from burning a hole through the bag.

The mayor keenly noticed Su Su’s tremor and asked thoughtfully, "What’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing." Su Su shook her head. Just as she was about to say something else, the sound of a door opening interrupted her.

"Oh! Have you hooked onto a new benefactor already?"

Zhao Zhenyu leaned against his doorway, mocking their interaction. His gaze moved back and forth over Su Su’s white dress, the sarcasm in his eyes growing more pronounced.

He walked over and stood in front of Su Su. "Do you remember Wu Zhi’s death? How can you abandon your conscience so quickly and cling to a new supernatural user?"

Without waiting for Su Su’s response, he turned to the mayor.

"Mayor, I advise you to stay away from this woman. The last supernatural user she caused to die was a Second-Tier user, and he died under mysterious circumstances. And what happened? This woman didn't shed a single tear; she immediately turned around and started looking for a new golden thigh to cling to!"

The mayor didn't seem intimidated by Zhao Zhenyu’s words at all. Instead, he gently advised, "Supernatural user Zhao, Su Su is a frail, ordinary person; I think you’ve misunderstood her. Besides, things between her and me aren't as bad as you say. She is the cousin of the supernatural user Lin; I’m simply thinking of looking after her a bit more."

Zhao Zhenyu didn't buy the man’s empty words, and just as he was about to make another sarcastic remark, several more doors opened.

"Mayor?" Lin Weiran looked over in surprise. "You’re here so early. Is something the matter?"

After asking, she noticed Su Su. That white dress made her the most eye-catching person in the crowd.

Several of the other supernatural users flashed looks of stunned admiration.