You Rong's expression was unreadable, mostly because his face was stiff and he couldn't emote much. However, he was furious, and his eyes made that clear.
After struggling for a while, You Rong finally managed to squeeze out a single word: "...Scram!"
Lin Qinghe: "..."
He seemed a bit slow-witted. Had he regained a little consciousness? Or not fully?
Lin Qinghe pondered for a moment, waved at You Rong, and held up three fingers. "You Rong, look... do you know how many this is?"
You Rong's gaze intensified with anger, as if he could spit fire.
As Lin Qinghe heard him speaking with difficulty, accompanied by the sound of his teeth clacking, "You... scram..."
Lin Qinghe finally understood. You Rong had regained consciousness, but his body was transforming into a zombie due to the drug, causing his limbs to stiffen and his speech to become slurred.
Lin Qinghe couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. According to the information from the system, You Rong's body would gradually change, from the lowest-level zombie to a top-level zombie, and eventually become a zombie king. His body would recover to be almost human, but his physical strength, vitality, and combat power would far surpass that of normal humans by leaps and bounds.
Lin Qinghe's eyes flickered.
Since You Rong had regained consciousness, she could start working on her progress bar!
Lin Qinghe's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, revealing an expression of immense joy. She pounced and hugged You Rong. "That's great! You've finally regained consciousness. You couldn't speak before, and you wouldn't even move when I pulled you. You have no idea how scared I was..."
You Rong felt his body stiffen. In reality, it was his misperception; his body had already become as rigid as a zombie's.
After a long pause, You Rong clumsily pushed Lin Qinghe away, glaring at her. "...Scram!"
He would never forget what he heard after being injected with anesthetic in the laboratory. He would never believe someone as hypocritical and selfish as Lin Qinghe!
Lin Qinghe saw through You Rong's thoughts at a glance and feigned a look of shock and disbelief. "You Rong, you... have you misunderstood something? You heard what I said to Gu Hesheng in the laboratory that day, didn't you?"
You Rong's gaze darkened, his anger intensifying. His teeth gnashed together. "You... scram!"
If it weren't for Lin Qinghe and her group, he wouldn't be in this half-human, half-zombie state!
Lin Qinghe put on a hurt expression. "You Rong, you've misunderstood me. Gu Hesheng suddenly returned that day and brought new serum he wanted to experiment on you with. I was anxious, and I had no other choice. I deliberately went along with him and tricked him into agreeing to start the new serum experiment the next day."
Lin Qinghe paused. "After I tricked Gu Hesheng away, I brought Jiang Li back to the laboratory, intending to knock Jiang Li out, steal his identity magnetic card, and then have you switch clothes with him, pretend to be him, and escape the laboratory. Who knew you..."
Lin Qinghe looked at You Rong with a mixture of heartache and blame. "Who knew you wouldn't believe me? When I returned, I saw you injecting all sorts of chaotic serums into yourself. Why did you do something so foolish? Why didn't you trust me? I was actually preparing to take you away all along, but Gu Hesheng returned too suddenly. Otherwise, I could have safely taken you out of the laboratory..."
You Rong's red eyes darted around. His stiff face showed no discernible expression.
Lin Qinghe subtly observed him, pretending to sob. "Actually, it's not your fault. It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been tied up in the laboratory and suffered so much. If I could have taken you away from the laboratory sooner, if..."
You Rong clenched his jaw tighter.
During this period, he had been in a state of almost complete unconsciousness, but occasionally he could still sense what was happening around him.
He knew that Lin Qinghe often held his hand and fed him water mouth-to-mouth, and slept embracing him at night...
Lin Qinghe studied You Rong's expression. Seeing that he seemed to be softening a little, she slowly knelt in front of him, took his hand, and looked at him with clear eyes. She said earnestly, "You Rong, there's something I've never told you..."
You Rong lowered his gaze to Lin Qinghe, waiting for her to continue.
Lin Qinghe bit her lip, her small face showing a shy expression. She stammered, "I actually, actually... I actually like you!"
Even though You Rong's face couldn't express much, at this moment, his face clearly showed a look of shock.
Lin Qinghe continued, "I know you must think I'm talking nonsense. I... I was foolish before and didn't understand my feelings for you. I thought I wanted to possess you, to keep you by my side, because of the uniqueness of your blood. So, I broke my promise and reported your uniqueness to the organization, requesting to participate in all your experimental research... But when I saw your weakened state, your vacant eyes, and felt you slowly disappearing, I panicked. I was terrified, and only then did I truly realize..."
Lin Qinghe pulled out a bitter smile. "I do like you! I just didn't know it before... I regret hurting you, and I've been trying everything to make it up to you, to take you away from the laboratory, to let you regain your freedom. I... I know I've done many things wrong, and I dare not ask for your forgiveness, but I truly like you!"
Lin Qinghe suppressed her tears, her expression one of regret and caution. Those fabricated words almost convinced herself.
The idea that she had hurt him because she loved him without knowing it, even though she knew it was utter nonsense, Lin Qinghe had to shamelessly say it for the sake of her progress bar.
You Rong stared at Lin Qinghe, too shocked to recover.
Lin Qinghe didn't hear the expected system prompt, so she took a step further. She held You Rong's cold hand and placed it on her cheek. "You Rong, I will definitely find a way to restore you to your former self. Let me stay by your side, protect you, and take care of you, okay?"
You Rong's gaze was complex. Suddenly, his eyes fell on Lin Qinghe's fair neck. His Adam's apple involuntarily bobbed.
You Rong's pupils contracted sharply, and he swiftly pushed Lin Qinghe away.
It was too sudden, and Lin Qinghe was thrown to the ground.
Lin Qinghe found You Rong a bit strange and asked blankly, "You Rong, what's wrong?"
You Rong froze for a few seconds, his eyes bloodshot. He suddenly roared at Lin Qinghe, "Scram... Scram! Get out of here... I... I don't need you..."
Lin Qinghe's brows furrowed even tighter. She stood up, intending to approach You Rong. You Rong reacted even more violently, his eyes wide, as if they were about to pop out. His voice was hoarse. "Scram... hurry up and scram!"
Lin Qinghe's heart sank.
You Rong didn't believe her explanation at all?
"You Rong, listen to me, I just..."
As Lin Qinghe took a step forward, You Rong reacted even more intensely, roaring, "Scram! Don't... come here!"
Lin Qinghe stopped in her tracks, thinking that You Rong's resistance to her was too sudden. Although he disliked her at first, it hadn't reached the point of outright rejection.
What could have caused You Rong's sudden change?
Lin Qinghe racked her brain but couldn't come up with a logical reason. She could only take two steps back, temporarily appeasing You Rong. "Okay... don't be angry. I won't come over, I won't come over..."
Once You Rong had visibly calmed down a bit, Lin Qinghe changed the subject. "But I absolutely won't leave! I will stay by your side to take care of you, and I will find a way to restore you to your former self!"