After Marking the Villain Professor (ABO, GL) - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“Alright, since Boss Xu is so eager to cook for me,” Zhou Yutao said, letting her off the hook.

“Can you make steamed fish and stir-fried vegetables?” Zhou Yutao asked, putting on gloves and a mask before ordering her dishes.

“I can.”

She had to know how, and if she didn’t, she’d learn on the spot.

Xu Man nodded eagerly, quickly dashing out of the basement as if it were filled with ferocious beasts.

Zhou Yutao wasn’t just fast at undressing; she was even quicker with a knife.

If Xu Man had reacted any slower, she might have actually witnessed Zhou Yutao dissecting a zombie’s head.

At the kitchen doorway, Xu Man’s racing heartbeat hadn’t yet calmed when she looked up and saw Qi Rui standing silently in front of her, studying her with a probing gaze. Her soul nearly leapt out of her body.

“Deputy Captain Qi, is something up?” she asked.

She still remembered how Qi Rui had once pointed a gun at her head.

Everyone else was on the second floor, leaving the first floor full of Qi Rui’s people. If they wanted to dispose of her without a trace, it would be all too easy.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have any intention of killing her now.

Qi Rui nodded. “I need to see Professor Zhou.”

With that, he stepped past Xu Man and headed toward the door.

Xu Man let out a sigh of relief. Remembering her promise to Zhou Yutao, she quickly called out to Qi Rui, “Deputy Captain Qi, could you ask Xu Er to come with me to the garage? I need to grab some things.”

Zhou Yutao’s kitchen had no ingredients. To cook, Xu Man would have to get supplies from the car. Before the apocalypse, she had prepared plenty of food.

Xu Er had always handled the original owner’s daily needs, with cooking skills rivaling a professional chef. Not only could he cook, but he also did the original owner’s makeup most of the time. He could probably even take care of kids without issue—a true all-around male nanny.

Xu Man had never made steamed fish before, so to be safe, she wanted Xu Er’s guidance to avoid any mistakes.

If the food turned out bad and didn’t suit Zhou Yutao’s taste, she might drag Xu Man back to the basement, and that would be disastrous.

Qi Rui paused mid-step toward the basement’s hidden door, glancing back at Xu Man for a moment before saying, “Sure, please wait a moment. I’ll go with you.”

He was quite curious about this person’s identity. After all, besides their escort team, she was the only one Zhou Yutao had brought into the basement.

Plus, the garage was relatively less secure, and he needed to ensure her safety.

Xu Man froze briefly, hesitated for a moment, then agreed. “Thank you, Deputy Captain Qi.”

Qi Rui waved it off and walked into the basement.

By now, Zhou Yutao had left the dissection table, and the zombie head was nowhere to be seen. She was intently handling a vial of liquid that was gradually turning from light red to crimson.

Qi Rui stepped forward and respectfully called out, “Professor Zhou.”

“What is it?” Zhou Yutao asked, not pausing as she added a few drops of clear liquid to the vial.

Qi Rui said, “The temperature outside has suddenly dropped, and it’s hailing—hailstones the size of pigeon eggs. It might not be suitable to head to South City for now. Plus, our food supplies are running low.”

“My suggestion is to send two team members with the people who arrived today to search for food. What do you think, Professor Zhou?”

Zhou Yutao didn’t cook. When she was busy, she usually ate at the Di Du University cafeteria, and her home had hardly any food prepared. Their team relied on one member to bring back food from outside during mealtimes.

They had managed this long because one team member liked to hoard snacks.

With so many people here now, the remaining supplies probably wouldn’t even last for a single meal.

Others could go hungry, but not Professor Zhou. They had to ensure her safety, so they couldn’t all go out to find food. This was the only way to arrange it.

Zhou Yutao frowned, set down the vial that was still changing color, and stayed silent for a long moment. “Then we’ll wait a bit longer.”

“No need to search for food yet. Go to Manman instead.”

Xu Man had brought six vehicles: one off-road car they rode in, two RVs, and the rest were cargo trucks. From the look of it, they had prepared well in advance, so supplies should be sufficient for now.

She hadn’t planned to leave so soon anyway. Zheng Rong and his team, who had gone to find her, hadn’t returned yet. The zombie head she had picked up couldn’t be preserved for long either, and her research would take some time.

Qi Rui was a bit surprised, both by the nickname “Manman” and by Zhou Yutao’s instruction to seek food from her.

But he only needed to follow Professor Zhou’s orders. He didn’t need to think too much about the rest.

With a complicated mood, Qi Rui left the basement. Seeing Xu Man waiting at the kitchen doorway, he quickly composed himself. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Boss Xu. Let’s go.”

The two headed upstairs, one behind the other.

The second floor was even larger than expected, with six bedrooms alone and a living room twice the size of an average household’s.

The students, after enduring so much fear, finally had a comfortable environment. Four to a room, they had all gone to sleep.

Lin Sha sat on the living room sofa, sulking alone with a pout.

Xu Si and Xu Liu stood by the window, whispering secretly about something. Xu Yi, Xu Er, Xu San, and Xu Wu each stood in a corner, eyes closed, resting.

When they saw Xu Man, Lin Sha’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Xu Si and Xu Liu immediately stopped talking, while Xu Yi, Xu Er, Xu San, and Xu Wu opened their eyes, looking at her as if they wanted to ask something. But upon noticing Qi Rui beside her, they said nothing.

“Xu Er, come with me to the car to grab some stuff,” Xu Man said, ignoring Lin Sha’s murderous glare and addressing Xu Er directly.

Xu Er was about to nod when Xu Si jumped in. “Boss, I’ll go with you.”

Xu Man refused flatly. “No need.”

That mouth of his was better off staying here.

Xu Si stepped forward, glancing at Qi Rui before lowering his voice. “I have something important to give you, Boss. You’ll understand once you see it.”

It was actually from Xu Liu, who said giving it to the boss would make up for his earlier mistake of saying the wrong thing. Xu Si didn’t know what it was.

Xu Si’s secretive demeanor almost piqued Xu Man’s curiosity.

But thinking of the trouble Xu Si had caused her, she still refused. “Whatever it is, we’ll talk when I get back.”

Xu Man headed downstairs with Xu Er.

Qi Rui lagged a few steps behind, stopping by Xu Si’s side. “Xu Si, right? Professor Zhou says she has an important task for you.”

Xu Si, who had been feeling dejected after Xu Man’s rejection, immediately brightened. “Whatever Madam Boss needs, I’ll get it done.”

He never expected Madam Boss to value him so highly.

His brothers all said to listen to Madam Boss and please her. Obviously, that was the priority.

If Madam Boss was happy, wouldn’t the boss be happy too?

Qi Rui coughed lightly. “Professor Zhou wants to borrow some food from Boss Xu. She wants you to pressure her into repaying Boss Xu in another way, like you did when you first met. This stays between you, me, heaven, and earth. You understand what Professor Zhou means, right?”

To be honest, when he first realized this was what Professor Zhou meant, he was stunned.

So, to make sure Xu Si understood, Qi Rui spelled it out clearly, though Zhou Yutao’s original words had been more tactful.

Xu Si’s joyful expression froze.

Like when they first met? He remembered how poorly he had treated Professor Zhou back then, even holding a knife to her throat to force her closer to his boss.

Wait, force Madam Boss to get close to his boss?

Were they trying to play some new game, and he’d been chosen as a part of their scheme?

Alright, alright, alright. This he could do. He was good at this.

“I understand. Tell Madam Boss she can count on me,” Xu Si said with a serious face.

Qi Rui nodded and headed downstairs.

He was starting to understand why Professor Zhou had picked this guy for the job.