"Is the acid rain still falling?" Suzy asked.

Leonard nodded. "Yeah. It hasn’t stopped."

Just standing by the window, he could hear the faint sizzling of corrosion outside.

Suzy walked over to her backpack. "Let’s eat something first."

"Sounds good. I’m starving," Leonard said, coming over.

Suzy still hadn’t found the right moment to tell Thomas about her space. And Leonard, for his part, didn’t know the full extent of their relationship either.

So the three of them ate as usual, making do with the simple food from their packs.

With Wendy and Liam still nearby, both Suzy and Leonard had no intention of taking out anything from her space.

After a quick, quiet dinner, there was nothing else to do.

No one knew when the acid rain would stop. The best they could do was rest early and conserve their strength.

Just as Suzy was about to head into the bedroom, a knock sounded at the door. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

All three of them tensed instantly.

"Suzy, it’s me." Wendy’s voice came through the door, soft and almost syrupy.

Suzy frowned, signaling for Thomas and Leonard to stay where they were. She walked over and cracked the door open slightly.

Wendy stood outside, wearing a perfectly composed smile. There was no one behind her.

"What is it?" Suzy asked coolly.

As if she couldn’t sense the distance, Wendy’s voice remained gentle. "Suzy, can we talk?"

"Now?"

"Just for a moment." Wendy glanced through the gap, her eyes briefly sweeping over Thomas and Leonard. "It’s cold out here..."

Suzy cut her off. "Just say what you need to say."

Wendy’s brows twitched faintly in irritation, but she quickly suppressed it. She still needed to win her over.

"Alright... I’ll just say it," she said, biting her lip, putting on a troubled expression. "It’s like this... Liam isn’t comfortable staying with others, so he found somewhere else to rest. I’m alone over there, and it’s a little scary."

She looked at Suzy expectantly. "Can I stay with you? Or... I could share a room with you. We haven’t seen each other in so long—we could talk. I remember when we were kids, you used to sleep with me all the time."

She was playing the emotional card.

In the original host’s memories, Suzy had always valued family deeply. With a little coaxing, things might go back to how they were.

At least, that was what Wendy believed.

Suzy almost laughed at how clumsy the attempt was.

Talk?

What was there to talk about between them?

"Why doesn’t Liam want to stay with you?" Suzy asked instead.

Wendy’s smile stiffened for a split second, then recovered. "He’s just... a bit introverted. He’s not close to anyone. You know how some people are."

Truthfully, if not for the fact that she had a boat and Liam needed to go out to gather supplies, the two of them would never have crossed paths at all.

Getting close to him had been anything but easy.

Suzy gave a small "oh," offering nothing more.

Seeing she wasn’t engaging, Wendy pressed on. "Suzy, you wouldn’t leave me alone, would you? It’s so dangerous out there. What if something happens..."

Her eyes reddened slightly, her expression turning fragile and pitiful.

Noticing Leonard moving a little closer, she even raised her voice just a bit.

The man frowned silently.

Thomas remained seated on the sofa, not even bothering to look up.

"That wouldn’t be appropriate," Suzy said.

Wendy immediately grew anxious. "Why not? If anything, it’s you staying with two men that’s inappropriate. I’m worried about you. It’d be better if I stayed with you."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Leonard finally snapped. In a few quick strides, he moved to Suzy’s side, his expression cold as he stared at Wendy.

"I’m Suzy’s uncle. Is there a problem with her staying with me?"

The way she said it made it sound like they might do something inappropriate.

He was her uncle. And besides, if Suzy wasn’t staying with them, who was she supposed to stay with—Wendy?

What a joke.

Leonard’s expression was so icy that Wendy immediately realized she had misspoken.

"No... Uncle Leonard, that’s not what I meant..." she said quickly, waving her hands, forcing a pitiful look onto her face. "I’m just worried about Suzy. After all, she’s a girl..."

Leonard cut her off sharply, his tone freezing over. "Are you implying I would harm her?"

Wendy choked, unable to respond.

He stepped forward, towering over her. "If you think it’s inappropriate for her to stay with two men, then you can leave."

"I—I didn’t mean that..." she stammered.

That wasn’t what she meant at all!

She had only wanted to use it as an excuse to get Suzy to take her in. She never expected to provoke Leonard like this.

Regret flooded her heart at once.

But Leonard had no intention of listening further. With a loud bang, he shut the door in her face.

Wendy stood there, stunned.

Still unwilling to give up, she took a breath and knocked again.

"Uncle Leonard, please listen! I didn’t mean it that way. I just expressed myself poorly. I’m sorry. I’ve always been bad with words, please don’t hold it against me."

She knocked harder, the sound echoing through the corridor.

The next second, the door opened again.

Her eyes lit up, but before she could speak, Leonard said coldly, "Please leave. And if you know you’re bad with words, then you should speak less. Otherwise, you just come across as both foolish and incompetent."

Bang!

The door slammed shut again.

Wendy’s face burned. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her teeth grinding together.

He actually called her foolish and incompetent?!

Leonard, you..!!

Still, she had her pride. She didn’t knock again, turning sharply and walking away.

Inside, resentment churned violently.

She hated her own slip of the tongue—but even more, she hated Leonard’s merciless attitude.

They had been so close earlier. His heartbeat had quickened. It wasn’t like he felt nothing.

And now he treated her like this—how was that any different from a scumbag?

Damn it.

Wendy returned to her room, seething.