Star Abyss Walker

Chapter 61 Typhoon Ginkgo
Having expended too much energy in the Howling Insect Nest that day, he didn't wait for Lin Qingying to get off work and quickly fell asleep.

In my dream, I vaguely heard the sound of a door opening.

Lin Qingying must have returned, so he continued to sleep soundly.

……

I woke up the next morning. Outside, the wind and rain were very loud. Xicheng is a coastal city, and it was surprising that it was hit by a typhoon named "Ginkgo" in winter.

I got up and washed up, wanting to go downstairs to buy breakfast, but found that all the breakfast shops were closed; they weren't open at all due to the typhoon.

I glanced outside; the wind and rain were too strong, making it impossible to go to work with an umbrella. Luckily, there was a raincoat in my room upstairs.

I went upstairs and cooked some egg noodles.

Just then, the door to the room next door opened, and Lin Qingying came out in her pajamas, looking at me with surprise: "You still have to go to work on a typhoon day like this?"

"Ah."

I nodded: "An internet cafe can't be empty."

Actually, the main concern was that Lu Xiaobei wouldn't be able to handle such a large situation by herself. After all, it would be too difficult for a girl like her to manage in such bad weather without anyone's help.

"You don't have to go to work today, right?" I asked.

"Ah."

Lin Qingying nodded: "Let's not go to the company today, we can work from home via teleconference."

I didn't say anything more, I just put on my raincoat.

……

Along the way, a strong wind blew, and raindrops kept hitting my face, making it feel especially cold.

When I arrived at the internet cafe, I found that the signboard hanging outside had been blown apart, and the lights inside were crackling, as if they were leaking electricity.

"Ding Han".

Zhao Yihang frowned as he looked at the constantly shaking glass door: "How about we close for the day?"

"How do I rest..."

I glanced around the internet cafe and saw that there were still more than a dozen people using the computers. They were mostly seasoned internet addicts, and it wouldn't be appropriate to kick them out in this stormy weather.

"Fine, I'm leaving now. You just have to tough it out."

Zhao Yihang yawned, put on a raincoat, and staggered back to school, taking three steps forward and one step back in the strong wind.

At this moment, Lu Xiaobei came downstairs, wearing a sweater and with her hair in a bun. Looking at the scene outside, she said with some concern, "Won't our door be blown down?"

Don't jinx it.

I coughed and said, "The light box outside is broken, but it definitely can't be fixed today. I'll go and turn off the power to the light box to prevent electric leakage."

"it is good!"

In the morning, as expected, there were still some fearless warriors who came to the internet cafe. They treated the internet cafe as a haven from life. As soon as they entered, their eyes lit up and they stared at the beautiful female owner for a few more seconds.

Since there are few people online, I don't have much work to do. So I took a computer and started disassembling and assembling it repeatedly to gain a lot of experience.

Before long, it was noon. Lu Xiaobei stood up from beside the machine and asked, "What are we going to do for lunch?"

"Just eat instant noodles, you can't cook anyway."

"I……"

Her lips twitched slightly, but she ultimately didn't refute it, since she really couldn't cook.

In the afternoon, the wind picked up and grew stronger.

Around 2 PM, two police officers entered the internet cafe and notified them to immediately cease operations and for customers to go home to avoid the typhoon. As a result, the internet cafe was emptied out, leaving only Lu Xiaobei and me staring at each other in bewilderment.

"Then... I'll go back too?" I looked at her.

"Ok."

Lu Xiaobei pouted: "Then I'm going upstairs to sleep. Lock the door and be careful on the way. The wind is really strong outside. I heard that someone's dog was blown away."

"I know, don't worry."

After that, I locked the door, put on my raincoat, and returned to my residence.

There were still pedestrians on the road, some riding tricycles and some riding electric bikes. They were all people struggling to make a living. I originally planned to go to the market to buy some vegetables and cook a nice meal. Otherwise, Lin Qingying and I, two grown-ups, would be stuck at home and couldn't just live on instant noodles all the time.

Unfortunately, the market was closed and the gates were locked.

There was no other way but to go to a street supermarket and buy some ingredients such as chicken, ribs, and vegetables. Although the freshness was definitely not as good as that of the market, there was no need to be picky in this kind of weather.

……

In the old, dilapidated house, Lin Qingying sat on the sofa with a laptop in front of her, seemingly in the middle of a conference call. Just as she saw me enter, she put her index finger to her lips as if to whisper.

I nodded and then sat down opposite Lin Qingying.

A middle-aged man's voice came through the conference call, seemingly giving a work report. Lin Qingying sat demurely on the sofa, listening attentively.

It was only then that I noticed she had changed into a work outfit at home: a black jacket and a white shirt. She looked poised and capable, exuding a professional aura.

So I took out my phone and typed: "What time do you finish your meeting? I'll cook a few dishes later, let's have dinner together?"

Then, he showed his phone to Lin Qingying.

"..."

She hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to refuse.

I quickly typed another line: "I have to cook for myself too, so if you're eating, it'll just be adding another pair of chopsticks."

Then she smiled at me and nodded slightly.

It's rare to see this ice queen smile; it seems to be the first time I've ever seen her smile.

……

Around five o'clock.

I locked myself in the kitchen and busied myself cooking four dishes and a soup. It wasn't a lavish meal, just simple home-style dishes: a plate of chicken stew with mushrooms, a fish, braised pork ribs, stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of tomato and egg soup. As for why I cooked, it's quite simple.

My mother is a teacher, and she leaves early and returns late every day. If I didn't know how to cook, I probably would have starved to death long ago.

Lin Qingying had finished her conference call and lazily put away her laptop. Then, looking at the dishes I had laid out, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Your cooking looks pretty good."

"It's never too late to praise it after you've tasted it."

"Yes, you're absolutely right."

Seeing how seriously she was saying these words, I was speechless.

After picking up her chopsticks and tasting the first piece of chicken, Lin Qingying immediately looked up at me in surprise, seemingly not expecting that the dish I cooked would be so delicious.

By this time, I was so hungry that my stomach was practically sticking to my back, so I didn't care about anything else and started wolfing down my food.

"Ding Han".

Lin Qingying finished eating quickly, put down her chopsticks and said, "The weather has been bad lately, so you shouldn't go out to look for a house anymore. We can talk about it when the weather gets better. As for the ten-day deadline, we can extend it a little."

"it is good."

A slight joy welled up inside me.

……

After dinner, Lin Qingying turned on the TV, but instead of watching variety shows, she watched the financial channel.

I watched it with her for a while, but I really couldn't understand it, so I got up and said, "I got up too early this morning, I'm going back to my room to take a nap."

"Ah."

She didn't even turn around to look at me.

Time passed slowly, and it was around 10 p.m.

"Beep beep~~~"

Suddenly, a phone call came in. It was from Lu Xiaobei. When I answered, I heard Lu Xiaobei's heart-wrenching, tearful voice: "Ding Han, come quick! My home has been blown away..."

"what?"

I was completely confused and didn't understand what she meant at first: "What, your house was blown away?"

"It means exactly what it says, my house was blown away!"

On Lu Xiaobei's side, there was still the sound of a violent storm, and she was crying bitterly in the rain.

"Nima..."

I immediately jumped out of bed: "Hurry up and go into the internet cafe stairwell, don't stay outside, I'm coming right away!"

"Okay, I'll wait for you..."

So I quickly got dressed and went out, grabbing the raincoat hanging on the clothes rack and putting it on.

"Going out so late?"

Lin Qingying, who was looking through the documents, looked up at me.

"Yes, a friend of mine is having some trouble, I'll go check on him."

"Be careful."

She didn't say anything more and continued to look down at the documents.

……

After stepping out of the old building, a fierce wind raged, and cold, icy rain slapped haphazardly against my face.

There was no one on the street, not even a car. The trees on both sides of the road were lying haphazardly, and my raincoat had been blown into a tight-fitting garment. The windows of the residential buildings on both sides rattled constantly, and there were frequent sounds of flowerpots falling from the sky.

I frowned, tucked my raincoat in, and continued walking against the wind.

Fortunately, I'm a player with 330+ strength points, but walking in the wind isn't so easy. You have to be firmly rooted to the ground, otherwise you might end up in the comical scene of clinging to a tree while your body is blown away.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at Feiyang Internet Cafe.

The lightbox outside was gone; I didn't know where it had been blown away. It had run away from home. Just as I looked up, I saw that the aluminum panels and plywood on the second floor of the internet cafe had been blown away. Lu Xiaobei's room was exposed. The quilt had long been blown away, leaving only a bed, and the refrigerator and washing machine were howling pitifully in the strong wind.

Good heavens, that's terrible...

I hurriedly opened the roller shutter door, and when it was only a third open, I immediately bent down and rushed inside. Then I closed the roller shutter door again and dashed up the stairs. There I saw Lu Xiaobei sitting pitifully on the stairs, soaking wet, waiting for me.

"Ding Han..."

Her eyes instantly reddened, and she rushed down the stairs in a few steps, throwing herself into my arms and bursting into tears.

"Xiao Bei."

I gently patted her shoulder and said, "Don't cry, calm down. Go to the internet cafe, it's warmer there. I'll try to salvage your house a little."

"Okay, be careful..."

"Do not worry."

After settling Lu Xiaobei in the internet cafe, I first cut off the power upstairs. Then, wearing a raincoat, I ran back and forth, first bringing her several quilts back from the floor, then moving her beloved wardrobe and bedside table into the internet cafe, and laying the refrigerator down to prevent it from being blown away. As for the washing machine, I didn't care; such appliances are fine if they are blown away by the wind.

……

After a flurry of activity, I closed the door to the second floor and returned to the internet cafe.

Lu Xiaobei was trembling with fear.

I found a raincoat and put it on her, then packed some of her clothes in a plastic bag and said, "You need to take a hot shower to warm up. Should we go to a hotel or come to my place?"

"I don't like staying in hotels, let's go to your place."

"also."

So the two left the internet cafe. The wind and rain outside were getting heavier, and I could only hold Lu Xiaobei under my arm as they stumbled toward my place.

The cold, icy rain slapped mercilessly against their faces.

(End of this chapter)