After Marking the Villain Professor (ABO, GL) - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The people around didn’t dare breathe.

“I… I’ll sleep with whoever gives me food,” Sun Xiahe said, her voice instinctively lowering. Since the apocalypse began, she’d had little to eat, and the constant fear along the way left her starving. In this state, she couldn’t care about anything else.

Besides, the alpha in front of her was prettier than an omega. Sleeping with her might not be a loss for either of them.

When she’d entered the villa’s front yard, she’d already noticed this alpha.

Hearing Xu Man was a supermarket owner, Sun Xiahe had other ideas.

But this alpha was different from what she’d imagined. Her gaze was so pure, even after Sun Xiahe said such outrageous things.

In the apocalypse, it was rare to see such clean eyes.

Her first instinct was that this alpha was a good person, and following her might not be a bad life.

But who was this Professor Zhou to Xu Man? Her commanding presence, radiating authority without anger, overshadowed everyone.

“Is that so?” Zhou Yutao’s tone remained light. “As an omega, you have so little self-respect. Should I bring you a dog to kill? You could have dog meat.”

The hidden sharpness in her words made everyone’s hearts tremble, and they fell silent like quails.

To avoid being caught in the crossfire, Xu Man quietly picked up the severed limbs and slipped behind Zhou Yutao.

She didn’t want to sleep with this female omega, and she definitely didn’t dare offend Zhou Yutao.

She just wanted to survive in the apocalypse.

Sun Xiahe was so angry she nearly cried.

Doing something that crossed her own line was one thing; being publicly humiliated like this was another.

“Professor Zhou… I’m sorry. I brought her here. It’s my fault,” Zheng Rong said, breaking the tense silence.

His duty was to protect Professor Zhou. If his poor decision caused her trouble, he’d be to blame.

Professor Zhou’s residence wasn’t supposed to have unrelated people brought in.

Zhou Yutao’s gaze finally landed on Zheng Rong, or more precisely, on his leg, wounded by a gunshot. “Captain Zheng, you’re injured. Rest first. I’ll help you treat it later.”

Zheng Rong looked flattered. “No, no, don’t trouble yourself, Professor. It’s just a scratch. My brothers can handle it.”

It wasn’t just that the wound was near his thigh; he wouldn’t dare let Professor Zhou treat him anywhere.

“It’s only right. You got hurt fetching me,” Zhou Yutao said firmly, leaving no room for refusal.

“Then… thank you, Professor,” Zheng Rong, a burly man over six feet tall, blushed like a shy bride.

Such a lofty figure willing to treat their wounds—it was too touching.

For no reason, Xu Man found the scene jarring. On impulse, she lightly poked Zhou Yutao’s arm.

Zhou Yutao turned to her.

Slightly nervous, Xu Man held up the collected limbs. “Yutao, I’ve got what you asked for.”

“Xu Wu’s good with medicine. Why not let her treat Captain Zheng? You’re so busy.”

Zhou Yutao smiled. “Alright. Deputy Captain Qi, take Captain Zheng to Xu Wu.”

How could she refuse an alpha who offered herself up?

“Boss Xu, take these to the basement.”

Her gaze skipped over Sun Xiahe, darkening slightly. “As for this young lady…”

Xu Si stepped forward immediately. “A shameless omega like her doesn’t deserve to serve our boss. Only Professor Zhou gets to do that. Take this bag of bread and get lost. If you step into the villa, don’t blame my knife for being merciless.”

Everyone: “…”

Xu Man: “…”

When did Xu Si, the genius, show up?

Was he fixated on Zhou Yutao now, following her everywhere?

No, she needed to rein him in. If he spilled Zhou Yutao’s secret and caused her trouble, his life might be at risk.

But this time, Xu Si had done the right thing.

“Let her stay in the courtyard,” Xu Man said, unable to bear watching a living person be fed to zombies. “Xu Si, give her more food, water, and clothes.”

Sun Xiahe was morally compromised, but Xu Man still had her principles, at least for now.

Staying in the courtyard meant she wouldn’t be zombie food or trouble those in the villa.

If the apocalypse destined her to become cold and indifferent to life, Xu Man hoped that day would come later.

“Thank you,” Sun Xiahe said, crying again, this time with a touch of gratitude and sincerity.

She hadn’t misjudged. This alpha with pure eyes was different from the inhumane, morally bankrupt people of the apocalypse.

She was like a ray of sunlight in this gloomy world, dazzling and searing.

Xu Si sneaked a glance at Zhou Yutao.

Zhou Yutao left without a word.

Xu Man, embarrassed by Sun Xiahe’s gaze and wary of causing misunderstandings, quickly followed Zhou Yutao with the limbs.

Though nothing was said, everyone understood Zhou Yutao’s silence as approval of Xu Man’s decision. Sun Xiahe could stay in the courtyard.

“Behave,” Xu Si growled threateningly before heading back to the villa, sensing Madam Boss’s dislike for the omega.

Unknowingly, this only highlighted how differently Xu Man treated her.

But it was just the basic decency of a kind person, something most had lost in the apocalypse.

Sun Xiahe clutched the bread, curled up in the courtyard pavilion, staring at Xu Man’s back until the villa door closed.

This time, Xu Man went to the basement willingly, unaware of how cheerful she felt.

That cheer lasted until she entered the basement.

Zhou Yutao didn’t let her put down the limbs. Instead, she said, “Boss Xu, you’re so kind. I’d feel bad making you watch me dissect zombies.”

“How about this: take that knife over there and chop the limbs you collected into smaller pieces.”

Xu Man: “…”

Was Zhou Yutao calling her kind sarcastically?

How should she respond? Saying she was or wasn’t kind felt wrong.

Glancing at the scattered limbs on the floor, Xu Man’s limbs trembled. “Yutao, I… I’d rather watch you dissect.”

Picking them up was one thing; chopping them herself was another.

Suddenly, watching Zhou Yutao dissect zombies didn’t seem so bad.

She thought Zhou Yutao would agree, but this time, she shook her head. “Dissection’s too cruel for a kind person like Boss Xu.”

“If you really want to watch, wait for next time when Deputy Captain Qi catches me a live zombie.”

With that, she shoved a cleaver into Xu Man’s hands, whispering in her ear like a lover’s murmur.

“I only asked you to pick up one hand, but you got so many. You must like it.”

Her words made Xu Man’s face pale.

She finally understood: Zhou Yutao planned to dissect a live zombie next, and making her pick up limbs was just to get her to chop them.

Zhou Yutao had indeed only asked for one hand. Xu Man had thought collecting more would spare her the task for a while. She hadn’t expected to dig her own grave.

Despite her fear, the peach fragrance from Zhou Yutao made it impossible to refuse.

“I let her stay in the courtyard because I didn’t want to see a living person die in front of me. I’m not trying to be a saint in the apocalypse—just easing my conscience.”

Thinking of Zhou Yutao’s repeated mentions of kindness, Xu Man explained her reasoning.

Zhou Yutao didn’t comment, but the coldness in her eyes softened slightly.

“Chop, Manman. You can do it,” she said.

That gentle “Manman” left Xu Man entranced. She didn’t even know when she raised the knife, striking the nearest limb.

Her first time chopping something like this, with no experience, the knife got stuck.

When she came to her senses, the nausea from seeing a zombie head returned. Unable to hold it in, she vomited.

Zhou Yutao handed her a bottle of water at just the right moment.

As Xu Man started to feel better, Zhou Yutao said expressionlessly, “Keep going. Boss Xu’s so kind, you wouldn’t be reluctant to chop, would you?”

Kindness was a hurdle she couldn’t get past.

In the apocalypse, kindness wasn’t a compliment.

Xu Man finally realized she’d angered Zhou Yutao more than ever before.

That day, she chopped all the collected limbs in half. By the end, she was numb, no longer nauseated by the sight of them.

She just had no appetite for meat anymore.

Zhou Yutao’s aggressive methods forced Xu Man to grow quickly.

Even Xu Yi was shocked. “Boss, I never thought I’d see you like this in my lifetime. At this rate, you’ll be fighting zombies with us in no time.”

Xu Man, pale-faced, gave a weak smile. “I didn’t expect it either.”

She was just an ordinary college girl, once preoccupied with what to eat, what novel to read tomorrow, and when she’d have a sweet romance.

Now, forget sweet romance—she felt half her life was gone.

But on the bright side, she was no longer afraid of zombies and had the courage to fight back. That night, after leaving the basement, Zhou Yutao didn’t trouble her further.

She seemed to have forgotten the humiliation from the previous night and the debt Xu Man owed her.