After Marking the Villain Professor (ABO, GL) - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Xu Man didn’t mention Wang Wei again.

In the first-floor study, she saw Sun Xiahe tied to a chair.

She looked spirited enough. Upon seeing Xu Man, Sun Xiahe grew visibly agitated, but with something stuffed in her mouth, she couldn’t speak.

Xu Man took the knife Xu Si handed her but hesitated to act.

If this were a zombie, she’d have beheaded it without pause, but Sun Xiahe now was no different from a human.

“Feeling sorry for her, Boss? Can’t bring yourself to do it?” Xu Si asked. “Want to hear what she has to say first?”

Xu Man: “…”

She nodded.

It wasn’t pity. She and Sun Xiahe had barely spoken—strangers, really.

It was just her conscience holding her back.

She’d considered letting Xu Si handle it, but recalling Zhou Yutao’s order to do it herself, she dismissed the thought.

“Boss, you’re not falling for her looks, are you? You went for Chen Xing before, fine, but this one?” Xu Si said. “She’s not even as pretty as Professor Zhou. If you go soft on her, what about Professor Zhou?”

“Plus, this omega’s infected with the zombie virus—she’s got days left at best. Touching her could be dangerous, Boss.”

“Think twice.”

“If you really can’t hold back, go to Professor Zhou.”

Xu Si’s concern wasn’t baseless.

Xu Man’s tastes had always been fickle. She’d liked a male alpha for 23 years, then suddenly switched to a female omega. It wasn’t impossible she’d want more omegas now.

From their time together, Xu Si felt Professor Zhou wasn’t like the others Xu Man had liked. If Xu Man got distracted, her life might be at risk.

If she and Madam Boss fell out, they’d side with the boss, but Xu Si wasn’t confident he could protect her.

Back at Di Du University’s supermarket, maybe. But now, on Zhou Yutao’s turf, stirring trouble was tough.

Plus, he genuinely admired Professor Zhou.

He hoped the boss wouldn’t mess up.

Xu Si removed the gag from Sun Xiahe’s mouth while advising Xu Man.

Xu Man shot him an exasperated glance.

Just when she thought he’d done well, he started spouting nonsense again.

Was she that kind of person?

Okay, she did think about Zhou Yutao a bit, but only a bit.

She wasn’t the original owner, chasing after every good-looking person.

“Xu Si, shut up,” Xu Man said.

No sooner had she spoken than Sun Xiahe’s piercing voice hit her ears.

“Boss Xu, please save me!”

“Zhou Yutao—she’s not a good person. I got infected because she injected me!”

“You’re too kind, that’s why she’s fooled you.”

“Boss Xu, take me with you. Staying with her, you’ll all die.”

“I swear, if you take me today, I won’t drag you down. Even if I turn into a zombie, I won’t hurt you. Please let me go—I don’t want to die. My family’s waiting for me.”

Sun Xiahe wailed, her terrified, pitiful look tugging at the heartstrings.

Despite her fever, she deliberately released a flood of pheromones to sway Xu Man.

With a typical alpha, it might’ve worked.

Xu Man stayed silent, then had Xu Si gag her again.

She’d meant to say she couldn’t save her, urge her to accept reality, and ask if she had any last wishes Xu Man could fulfill to ease her conscience.

But Sun Xiahe’s accusations against Zhou Yutao changed her mind.

Especially the word “kind,” which reminded Xu Man of Zhou Yutao making her chop zombie limbs.

Not exactly a flattering term.

Xu Man never thought Zhou Yutao was a good person. She was the novel’s late-stage villain, capable of reducing people to nothing with a flick of her finger. A good person? Hardly.

Zhou Yutao never hid her nature from Xu Man. Their first meeting, she’d drugged her.

But Sun Xiahe’s infection had nothing to do with Zhou Yutao. Not because Zhou Yutao wouldn’t do it, but because the novel’s zombie virus was naturally occurring, with human factors playing a minor role.

At this stage, most people didn’t even understand the virus. Sun Xiahe claiming Zhou Yutao infected her with a shot was laughable.

Yet the accusation felt familiar.

Xu Man’s mind raced, recalling the novel’s plot. Someone had tried to pin the virus on Zhou Yutao, making her life hell, even losing the military’s trust.

A coincidence?

Or was Sun Xiahe connected to those people?

Probably not—Zheng Rong brought her, and she seemed genuinely terrified of dying.

Maybe just a coincidence. The novel didn’t mention Sun Xiahe.

Shaking off her jumbled thoughts, Xu Man said to Sun Xiahe, “I’m sorry.”

Then she told Xu Si, “Leave her a week’s food and water, and lock her up.”

At least while Sun Xiahe was still human, she wouldn’t starve.

If she was immune like Liu Ming, that was her luck.

Since they were leaving, this solution eased Xu Man’s conscience without endangering anyone.

She gripped the knife tighter.

She really couldn’t kill a person.

The study door closed, leaving Sun Xiahe in despair.

She’d thought a kind alpha like Xu Man could be swayed with pheromones.

She didn’t want this cruel kindness.

Outside, seeing Xu Si itching to speak, Xu Man sighed. “What is it? Spit it out.”

He wasn’t going to call her kind, was he?

This was the best she could do.

She was just an ordinary person with ordinary weaknesses.

Xu Si had been dying to talk but was silenced earlier. Now free, he blurted, “Boss, the drug Professor Zhou gave Sun Xiahe slows the virus’s progression.”

He had to clarify, lest it cause a rift between the boss and Madam Boss.

A rift would hurt the boss most.

Xu Man froze, then smiled. “I know.”

Zhou Yutao was a villain, true, but not just anyone caught her eye. If she wanted someone dead, she often didn’t need to act—others would handle it.

“Xu Si, don’t you think my way of handling Sun Xiahe was wrong?” Xu Man asked carefully.

Most ruthless people would’ve beheaded her already.

“Not at all,” Xu Si said, shaking his head. “You didn’t say you liked her or wanted to pursue her—that’s good enough.”

With the boss’s old habits, she might’ve let Sun Xiahe go.

Madam Boss didn’t specify how to handle her, just that it shouldn’t endanger anyone.

If it were him, he’d have killed her to avoid trouble and save resources.

Good thing they were leaving for South City that afternoon—Sun Xiahe couldn’t stir much.

Xu Man was speechless but relaxed a bit.

Her subordinates always indulged her, standing by her no matter what trouble she caused.

Luckily, the original owner, aside from liking a male alpha, wasn’t a bad person, or she’d have been unchecked in the apocalypse.

Unlike Zhou Yutao, who disciplined her and pushed her to grow.

Both felt good, in their own way.

Thinking of Zhou Yutao, Xu Man grew uneasy.

She wasn’t sure if her handling of Sun Xiahe would satisfy her.

With everyone busy preparing to leave, Xu Man hadn’t seen Zhou Yutao when trouble struck.

Gunshots, absent for a while, echoed around the villa. Zheng Rong returned from scouting with two team members, one injured, his face grim.

After a two-minute talk with Qi Rui, he rushed to the basement to see Zhou Yutao.

Qi Rui told Xu Man, “We’re being watched. They’re after Professor Zhou and her drugs.”

“They have heavy weapons and outnumber us. We can’t stay—we need to leave early.”

“Logically, you and the students are burdens, but I know you’re different to Professor Zhou.”

“I hope you’ll value her life above your own, Boss Xu. Understand?”

“If we all die, you must get her to South City. Please.”

Xu Man’s heart tightened, and she nodded instinctively.

In the apocalypse, someone like Zhou Yutao was a prize for all factions.

Taking her might be fine—she’d still be valuable. But some didn’t want the virus solved and might want her dead.

With their advantage, the enemy waited until now, likely having scouted the villa thoroughly.

This was real danger.

Even knowing Zhou Yutao wouldn’t die here, Xu Man was nervous and scared.

In that moment, her first thought wasn’t her own safety but Zhou Yutao’s.

When a cannon shell hit the front yard, Xu Man saw Zhou Yutao emerge from the basement. Ignoring everything, she rushed forward and grabbed her tightly.