"Good. Then we'll be off — the nurse will come back tomorrow for another drip."
"Thank you, take care," Jiang Zhao Yuan and Ye Lan said, seeing them out. Whatever the circumstances, the doctor and nurse had still helped, and that deserved acknowledgment.
Chen Wan bounced the baby gently and looked around at everyone. "Find a room and get some rest, everyone. We're here now — make the best of it. There will be a way out eventually."
Ye Lan was reluctant to leave her youngest daughter's side, but glanced at Chen Wan and the others. "You all go rest — I'll sit with Wanning."
"No need, Auntie — let me stay with her. I know how to change the bags and pull the needle, too. You've had a long day. There's hot water here — go take a bath and get some proper sleep," Yi Yi said. She figured she'd be bored sitting alone in a room anyway — at least watching over Jiang Wanning would give her something to do. Being stuck in a room by herself would be suffocating.
"Oh? Well... is that appropriate?" Ye Lan wondered — Yi Yi was a beta, and her daughter was an omega.
Yi Yi immediately understood what Ye Lan was getting at. Her optical brain processed human concerns quickly. She smiled and said plainly, "Don't worry, Auntie. I'm Chen Wan's close friend. I'm just keeping watch — I won't do anything out of line."
Ye Lan, hearing Yi Yi speak so directly, looked to Chen Wan for her opinion.
Chen Wan also nodded, smiling at Ye Lan. "You and Dad go get some rest. Yi Yi is completely reliable, I promise. And she has a lot of energy — she doesn't need much sleep at night."
Reassured by Chen Wan's words and with the unwavering trust she'd developed in her, Ye Lan relented. Still, she turned to Yi Yi and said, "Young people still shouldn't stay up too late — rest when you can. And thank you for looking after Wan Ning."
"I know, Auntie. Don't mention it," Yi Yi smiled warmly back.
Yi Yi was naturally pretty, and she always wore a warm smile. Ye Lan had quite a good impression of her — in the apocalypse, finding a reliable person to have around wasn't easy. Thinking it would be good for the young people to spend more time together, Ye Lan and Jiang Zhao Yuan headed back to their room.
Qin Ke looked at Chen Wan and offered a reminder: "To be safe, we should sweep the villa."
Chen Wan thought it over and nodded. Better to do a thorough check in case the place had been wired with cameras or listening devices.
She handed the baby to Jiang Yan Xin and said gently, "Honey, take Yang Yang to the room and wait for me. Qin Ke and I are going to do a quick check."
"Who said anything about waiting for you? The baby and I are going to sleep," Jiang Yan Xin said, glancing at Chen Wan with a soft huff.
The baby, however, protested vigorously. "No! No sleeping! I want Mama to tell me a story!"
Chen Wan pinched the baby's little cheek with a soft laugh. "Okay, I'll tell you one when I get back. Be good."
Only then did the baby give a small, satisfied nod.
Chen Wan and Qin Ke were both experienced with this kind of sweep. They went through the entire villa methodically, checking every room one by one. Only when they were certain nothing had been planted did Chen Wan let out a breath of relief. She patted Qin Ke on the shoulder and said, "I don't think things are going to be simple. Who knows what they'll have waiting for us tomorrow? Once we get a clearer picture of the situation, we still need to find a way out."
Qin Ke nodded. "I know. Nothing good ever falls from the sky — they just want us to willingly work ourselves to death for them. Let's not say any of this to Auntie and the others for now. No need to make them worry."
"Right. There'll be a way. Yan Yan is still waiting for us — no matter what, we have to stay alive."
"Agreed. Keep our lives. It's getting late — go get some rest. I can see Yan Xin is still upset, so go do some proper groveling." Qin Ke grinned and winked at Chen Wan, thoroughly nosy about the situation.
"Please. That was a moment of stupidity on my part. I'm not interested in anyone else, and I don't even need to apologize — Yan Xin listens to me." Chen Wan's voice grew smaller and smaller as she spoke, her conviction clearly wavering.
"Oh, is that so? Because I really couldn't tell." Qin Ke said this and immediately trotted off back to her room.
Chen Wan privately thought that steady, composed Qin Ke had picked up some bad habits. And was her fear of her wife really that obvious? Besides, could it even be called fear when an apex alpha was the one involved? It was called respect.
Chen Wan returned to her room to find that Jiang Yan Xin had taken the baby for a hot bath. After a full day in the tent, the little one had worked up quite a sweat, and the bath had clearly put her in a wonderful mood — happy little giggles kept drifting out from the bathroom, and Chen Wan found herself smiling without even realizing it.
Over half an hour later, Jiang Yan Xin came out of the bathroom holding the baby. She found Chen Wan sitting there looking at her with the most aggrieved expression, and nearly burst out laughing on the spot. She barely managed to press her lips together and hold it in. Chen Wan hadn't properly coaxed her yet — she wasn't letting her off that easily.
Chen Wan blinked at Jiang Yan Xin, the picture of meekness. "Honey."
"What?" Jiang Yan Xin raised an eyebrow and fixed her with a look.
"Nothing. Just calling your name." Chen Wan offered an utterly harmless smile.
Jiang Yan Xin pressed her lips together, but the corners of her mouth crept up anyway. Just as the atmosphere between them was beginning to shift, the baby looked from her mama to her mommy and piped up impatiently in her small, soft voice: "Mommy, go take your bath! You still have to tell me a story!"
Chen Wan pulled her attention away and looked at the baby sitting on the bed with her little bare legs dangling, then reached over to squeeze the adorable rolls of chub on those legs before resigning herself to the bathroom. This little debt-collector — she'd been so close to winning her wife back.
The moment Chen Wan disappeared into the bathroom, Jiang Yan Xin lay back on the bed with the baby and laughed to her heart's content, not forgetting to praise her: "Baby, you did wonderfully."
"Hehe~" The baby had no idea what she'd done so well, but if Mama was praising her, she was happy. Her little chubby legs kicked with glee.
Chen Wan showered, changed into the villa's provided sleepwear, and discovered the room was quite well-stocked — even a hair dryer. She dried her hair and came out to find the little one already sound asleep, nestled in Jiang Yan Xin's arms.
Chen Wan pressed her lips together, fetched a few throw pillows from the sofa to line the right side of the bed, then leaned over to pick up the baby.
Jiang Yan Xin didn't hand her over and asked quietly, "What are you doing?"
"Moving the baby over there so she can sleep comfortably." Chen Wan said it as a matter of course — that was how they'd always slept in the RV.
Jiang Yan Xin gave a soft huff. "No. I'm holding Yang Yang tonight. You can sleep over there by yourself."
"Aw, come on, honey — I missed you. Let Yang Yang sleep on that side." Chen Wan smiled and leaned in close, pitching her voice low.
"Missed me? Then how did you so conveniently run into Wu Qianran? Didn't Miss Wu say she doesn't mind how many omegas you have around you — that she could handle it?" Jiang Yan Xin rolled her eyes. She knew perfectly well that Chen Wan wasn't the same person she used to be, but she couldn't help the jealousy. Chen Wan was hers. And that Wu Qianran had a lot of nerve to actually come out and say something like that.
"It really was a coincidence. I'm not interested in her at all — I already have a wife." Chen Wan leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the corner of Jiang Yan Xin's lips. When Jiang Yan Xin didn't pull away, she gathered her courage and kissed her lips properly, then murmured coaxingly: "Honey, can we move Yang Yang over there? Otherwise it'll be... inconvenient."
That last word made Jiang Yan Xin laugh. She genuinely didn't see what would be inconvenient — her alpha was completely wholesome, only ever up for hugs and little kisses. When she teased the woman into a frustrated mess, Chen Wan would go take a cold shower to sort herself out and nothing more. What exactly was going to be inconvenient?
Chen Wan watched Jiang Yan Xin bury her face in the pillow, laughing, and looked at her with a vaguely wounded expression. "Honey?"
Jiang Yan Xin passed her the baby. She would rather see what sort of inconvenience Chen Wan was planning.
Chen Wan had no idea what Jiang Yan Xin was laughing about. She just assumed she wasn't angry anymore and quickly moved the baby to the right side of the bed, then lay down obediently beside Jiang Yan Xin.
Jiang Yan Xin didn't stop her. She simply turned her back to Chen Wan and closed her eyes, waiting to see what she would do next.
Chen Wan propped herself up on one arm, saw that Jiang Yan Xin's eyes were closed, and reached over to take her hand, giving her fingers a little shake. "Honey? Aren't you going to sleep on my side?"
Jiang Yan Xin lay pressed into the pillow, muffling her laughter for a long moment before she finally composed herself. She turned and nestled into Chen Wan's arms, looking up at her quietly. Her alpha was so well-behaved — completely incapable of doing anything truly wicked. Just thinking about it made something in Jiang Yan Xin go soft. She tilted her head up and kissed the corner of Chen Wan's mouth, eyes bright. "I'm not angry. And I know you wouldn't do anything like that. I was just jealous — she was trying to cling to you, and you're mine. Only mine."
Chen Wan's ears went red on the spot at those words. She tightened her arms around the person in her embrace and murmured obediently: "Mm. I'm yours."
"That said, I'm still a little uneasy about being here. Can we actually get out?" Jiang Yan Xin had been teasing Chen Wan, but when she thought about their current situation, the worry crept back.
"The base's defenses are solid — three layers. Other than leaving through the main gate, nothing else is viable. Don't worry, I'll figure something out. The world out there is chaos — the base is fine today, but who knows about tomorrow? Focus on keeping Mom and Dad calm. Make sure everyone eats well and rests well. Leave the rest to me." Chen Wan's voice was soft.
"Okay. I just worry they'll keep coming for you and Qin Ke." The more comfortable their surroundings, the more uneasy Jiang Yan Xin felt.
"They definitely have plans for us — there's no avoiding that. But you know me. We'll handle whatever comes. We cleared out all of Xiang Jiawei's people in one go, didn't we? Stay alert, but don't let yourself spiral with anxiety."
"Right. Let's get some sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?" Just thinking about their situation killed any other thoughts Jiang Yan Xin might have had. That sort of thing was better suited for the safety of the RV.
"Goodnight, honey." Chen Wan said goodnight and let her eyes fall closed. The base needed them to work — they weren't going to do anything drastic for a while.
Meanwhile, in the other room, Yi Yi had just finished swapping in the second IV bag for Jiang Wanning and looked down to find Jiang Wanning staring up at her blankly.