Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 131: The Weight We Carry

Chapter 131: The Weight We Carry

March 19th — 12:09 PM

Zone 3A-Δ – Ninth Floor – Corridor Outside the Common Room

———

The moment I opened the stairwell door, I saw her.

Shen Yifei wasn’t leaning, pacing, or even waiting in some casual, flirty posture.

She was sitting cross-legged on the hallway bench, spear across her lap, arms folded, eyes closed.

But she wasn’t asleep.

"Two minutes late," she said without opening her eyes.

I didn’t respond right away. Just stepped through the door and let it shut behind me with a soft hiss.

Yifei cracked one eye open. Her gaze flicked to my face, then lower, scanning for something.

"...You smell like Qinglan again."

"Guess I didn’t shower long enough."

She snorted and stood, uncoiling with a dancer’s grace. "Or maybe you just like the way she clings to your skin."

"You jealous?"

"Of her?" Yifei arched a brow. "Please. I just don’t want my bed smelling like another woman."

I tilted my head. "Is that a complaint?"

Shen Yifei took a step closer, tapping her spear against my shin. Not enough to hurt, but just to make a point. Then she lifted it into the air, and it vanished, locked into her inventory—unlike mine, she could only store a few weapons.

"If..."

"If I felt jealous, what would you do?"

Then she smirked — the glint back in her eyes.

"But don’t get too cocky, Leader. You haven’t earned exclusive rights yet."

"Yet?"

Yifei shrugged. "Depends how you treat me after the mall." Her voice softened a little before she looked up at me, and her eyes scanned my face intently.

"...You okay?" she asked.

I paused for a second, a little surprised by the sudden question.

But couldn’t answer her, because I felt worried.

Not because I lacked confidence, but something in my gut kept telling me something bad might happen once we leave.

Subconsciously, I might have needed someone’s comfort... as my hands wrapped around Yifei’s soft hips, pulling her close. I could feel the heat of her body, the taste of her breath and the scent of her hair flowing into me.

"W-What’s the matter, John?"

Her hands came up between us, not to push me away, but to brace herself. Fingers spread against my chest. Her touch wasn’t cold, just a little hesitant.

I didn’t speak or react.

Not right away.

Yifei tilted her head back slowly, eyes flicking up to mine. The half-smirk was gone. What remained was something more honest, her unshielded expression.

"Are you scared?"

I didn’t lie.

"A little."

Her breath stopped, and she held it for a moment. And then gently, her hands slid upwards, across the fabric of my shirt, over my shoulders. Then pulled herself off the ground until our foreheads touched.

"Don’t worry, you have me."

"Really?"

"Mm..."

I swallowed, her gentle groan comforting. My fingers gripped her lower back higher, the soft warmth of her skin spreading through my palms. I didn’t pull her tighter, because we were already pressed together.

She leaned in first.

Just slightly.

A soft press of her lips against the corner of my mouth.

It could hardly be called a kiss, yet... I could feel her touch for a moment after.

"I’ll always be here," she whispered. "So don’t break."

I kissed her.

This time with more passion, and force... our lips pressed together, the softness deforming as her mouth opened, letting our tongues brush against each other. Hot breaths and wet sighs as we became entangled, our bodies shifting back and falling onto the black sofa with a bounce.

"Nnnph... Mmmn..."

My hands slipped inside her clothes, stroking and rubbing her smooth skin, sliding into her panties, cupping her plump buttocks, squeezing the soft meat.

Yifei, not to be outdone, began to unfasten my belt and shirt, her nose snorting hot air into my face as she bit my lower lip... sucking on my flesh with a wet, pleasant pop.

With a wet pop, our kiss pulled apart, threads of saliva dripping from her breathless mouth as she peered down at me with a red face.

"John... Haa..."

I closed my eyes and breathed her in — mint from her toothpaste, the faintest trace of iron from training, and something else. Something that belonged to her and her alone.

Yifei whispered next to my ear, "You’re not alone, Leader. So stop acting like you have to be."

I smiled, faintly.

"Then stay with me tonight."

A pause.

Then she nodded.

There was a strange moment of silence, where we just looked at each other, maybe things were going too fast, or was it slow... with Mu Qinglan, it felt different to Yifei. I couldn’t hold myself back or found myself becoming more childish and reactive with her.

"Are you sure?"

Shen Yifei’s cheeks bloomed a deeper red than before. Then she looked at the door, which I noticed was now locked. When did she do that? I couldn’t help but stare up at her pretty face, both her twintails dangling across my cheeks.

"Mm..."

The sudden reality that people might die tomorrow, could I be making a mistake... the dread of guiding people towards their deaths made me hesitate. My stomach became tight as I struggled to breathe well...

Yet Yifei didn’t let go.

She didn’t ask what was wrong. She didn’t fill the silence. She just leaned forward and let her forehead rest against mine, eyes closed, breath warm.

Her fingers traced slow circles on my chest, not trying to arouse, just to anchor.

"You’re carrying too much again," she whispered.

I swallowed.

"Someone has to."

"Do you think you need to do everything perfectly? Idiot..." She pulled back just enough to look me in the eye — her gaze firm, but soft around the edges.

"We follow you because you’re scared and still move forward. You are just like us, yet you’ve stepped up and do everything you can... It doesn’t matter if you fail, if you cry, or need help. We... No. I will always support you, no matter what happens."

The knot in my chest eased — just slightly.

"I’m not as strong as you think."

"Good," she said. "Then I won’t feel bad holding you tonight."

Her breath was hot on my neck.

The weight of her body wasn’t heavy, but it was grounding — a reminder that despite the pressure, the responsibility, and the endless ticking toward tomorrow... right now, I wasn’t carrying it alone.

Yifei straddled me on the lounge sofa, knees pressed into the cushions, her fingers slow and unsure against the hem of my shirt. Not nervous. Focused. Deliberate.

"John," she whispered again, voice barely a breath.

I opened my eyes. Her face was just inches from mine — eyes half-lidded, cheeks flushed. She didn’t smile, but her lips were parted like she was holding something back.

We weren’t rushing. There was no panic in her movements. Only a slow, rising pressure, like the warmth in a room before the storm hits.

Her fingers slid beneath the fabric at my waist, cold knuckles against my skin.

"I’ve never seen you like this before," she murmured. "The quiet. The weight."

"I’m still the same."

"No," she said. "You’re not."

She leaned forward again, forehead brushing mine.

"And maybe that’s okay."

The air between us pulsed.

Her hands pushed my shirt higher, baring my stomach, then my chest, her palms trailing over my ribs as if mapping the changes — muscle hardened by cultivation, skin still warm with someone else’s memory.

"I want to know this version of you."

Her lips brushed my jaw.

"Before you change again."

I didn’t move.

Didn’t breathe.

And then—

Yifei pulled back just far enough to grab the hem of her shirt. She tugged it upward in one slow, fluid motion and dropped it to the floor with a soft thump, revealing the smooth line of her waist and the slight tremble in her arms as she reached for my belt again.

"...You might die tomorrow," she said quietly.

"I might."

Her eyes dropped to my lips.

"Then you don’t get to leave me wondering."

She leaned in again.

And this time, there was no room for hesitation.

Our mouths met in heat, not clumsy, not rushed, but starved. Yifei’s hips shifted, grinding down as her hands roamed under my shirt, over my ribs, possessive and needy. My fingers curled into the curve of her ass again, squeezing the softness I’d memorised in the dark.

"Yifei..."

"Don’t talk," she whispered.

"Just... make me feel like I am the most important to you... at least for now"

The tremble of her pupils and her quivering voice made me realise... Shen Yifei was scared, not playful, but maybe tomorrow’s mission was too dangerous.

Yet I couldn’t stop now.

That’s why... just for now, just a little bit... I would drown in her gentle warmth.

For both herself and me...