This woman was as beautiful as Xu Xuehui had described. Her long, jet-black hair was tied up, her skin was very fair. Individually, her features weren't perfect, but together they formed an indescribable attractiveness that was pleasing to the eye. The most striking part was her eyes—she had phoenix eyes that faintly revealed a cool, sharp aura.
Ding Longyun watched from a distance and said, "She looks about twenty years old. For a girl to make it here alive is no small feat. And she even managed to get a kayak—interesting."
Su Li noticed that the woman was rowing her oars quickly and maintaining that pace steadily, which required considerable arm strength. The fact that she dared to row here alone showed she had both strength and courage.
As she approached, the woman finally slowed her rowing.
She had already spotted Su Li and the other two standing on the balcony. She put away her oars and slowly stood up in the kayak.
Despite the lesson from Ni Jianrong earlier, Ding Longyun still showed excitement when he saw this beautiful woman, completely lacking the maturity expected of a man nearing forty. He waved at her and called out enthusiastically, "Hey, beautiful, hello! My name is Ding Longyun. What's yours?"
Su Li glanced at him sideways, thinking that when this guy introduced himself to Ni Jianrong earlier, he also included him and Xu Xuehui. Now, seeing a pretty woman, he only mentioned his own name, ignoring both Su Li and Xu Xuehui.
The woman didn't react with the excitement the three had expected. She didn't immediately answer Ding Longyun but instead studied the three people on the platform with a cautious expression. The kayak didn't come straight in but stopped about five or six meters away from the balcony.
Ding Longyun understood that as a single woman, she was wary of them. Seeing that she didn't respond, he didn't mind and chuckled, continuing, "Don't be nervous. We're not bad people. I've been here since the beginning. Su Li and the kid came from other places just like you, and now we all live here."
"Yes, sister," Xu Xuehui suddenly spoke up.
Su Li glanced at her in surprise, as Xu Xuehui rarely talked. He hadn't expected her to take the initiative now.
"It seems this kid, though young, is quite considerate. She's trying to ease the other woman's tension," Su Li thought to himself.
Sure enough, with Xu Xuehui's words, the woman looked at her, and her originally wary expression softened considerably. Compared to Ding Longyun and Su Li, a little girl like Xu Xuehui posed much less of a threat, making her words easier to believe.
"My name is Gong Xiao," the woman finally spoke. Her voice, like her appearance, carried a sharp edge. Su Li felt an underlying aura of aloofness emanating from her, suggesting she hadn't been an ordinary woman before.
"I'm Su Li, and this is Xu Xuehui," Su Li said, reaching out to place a hand on Xu Xuehui's shoulder. Although Gong Xiao was cautious, he could understand her feelings. A single woman arriving here and seeing two strange men would naturally be on guard.
After the incident with Ni Jianrong and his group, Su Li had become more aware of the darkness in people's hearts. Not every survivor was a good person. The woman before him seemed very different from Ni Jianrong's group. She was likely like he had been—someone who had left another place alone and arrived here. Still, he observed her carefully, not letting his guard down just because she was a woman.
"Come on up. We're not bad people," Ding Longyun said, feeling that Gong Xiao was too cautious. She was still standing in the kayak, not approaching the balcony. He shrugged helplessly and stepped back.
Su Li gently patted Xu Xuehui and said, "Xuehui, why don't you talk to her? I think she's wary of both of us." As he spoke, he also stepped back.
Seeing how alert Gong Xiao was, Su Li actually felt she meant no harm—at least she wasn't the type like Ni Jianrong.
Hearing Su Li put it so bluntly, Gong Xiao looked a bit embarrassed. Her expression softened, and she said, "You misunderstand. I'm just not good at talking to strangers."
As she spoke, she began rowing again, and the kayak, which had been stopped five or six meters away, slowly approached.
Xu Xuehui stood by the balcony and, unusually taking the initiative, said, "Sister, Uncle Ding and Big Brother are good people."
Gong Xiao nodded slightly at Xu Xuehui, a hint of a kind smile appearing on her face. Clearly, she had a good impression of Xu Xuehui and had relaxed her guard considerably.
Ding Longyun cleared his throat and said, "Kid, Su Li and I aren't that far apart in age. We're both your big brothers. Why do you call me uncle?"
Xu Xuehui let out an "oh" and looked at Ding Longyun, as if she wanted to call him "big brother," but when she opened her mouth, it felt too dishonest, and she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Su Li watched and found it secretly amusing.
The kayak stopped, and Gong Xiao tossed a rope from it up to them.
Ding Longyun eagerly caught the rope and helped steady the kayak.
Gong Xiao picked up a bag full of supplies in her left hand and, with her right, grabbed a baseball bat that had been placed in the kayak.
Su Li's eyes fell on the baseball bat in her right hand. He could faintly see dried bloodstains on it, thinking that since she had made it here alive, she must have killed quite a few monsters with that bat.
Gong Xiao vaulted over the balcony with agile movements.
Xu Xuehui stepped forward to help her with the bag in her left hand, but Gong Xiao smiled and said thank you, though she declined the help.
Su Li got into the kayak and helped bring up the remaining two bags of supplies.
Gong Xiao glanced at him and also said thank you, but she didn't smile at Su Li. Clearly, aside from Xu Xuehui, she still kept her distance from the two men, Su Li and Ding Longyun.
Su Li shook his head at her and said, "No need to thank me. We're all in the same boat. We should help each other now."
The three led Gong Xiao toward the rooftop. Ding Longyun had collected the axe and machete left behind by Fang You and Wang Kaikang after their deaths. With weapons in short supply, these were valuable resources.
"Miss Gong, can you tell us your story? How did you manage to get a kayak? We had to make do with simple rafts."
Ding Longyun looked at Gong Xiao, putting on what he thought was a charming smile. He was still very curious about this somewhat aloof young woman.