The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 512: A New Look!

Chapter 512: A New Look!

Xu Feng’s eyes scanned the titles as he passed, not really looking for anything in particular, just taking in the atmosphere. But as comforting as the bookstore was, it wasn’t what he needed. He couldn’t stay here.

He needed to keep moving, keep looking for something useful.

At the back of the store, Xu Feng found a door leading to what looked like a small storage room. It was locked, but after a few moments of jiggling the handle and applying a bit of force, he managed to get it open.

Inside, he found boxes stacked high, filled with unsold books, but no clothes, no shoes—nothing that could help him.

Disappointed, Xu Feng left the storage room and continued his search, moving toward the front of the store. The street outside was quiet, eerily so, and he hesitated for a moment, debating whether to venture out into the open or stay hidden in the relative safety of the bookstore.

It was the small noises from the direction of the grocery store that made him think twice. That group was still there. He hadn’t searched the store for anything useful, but going back wasn’t a good idea. He could only do so much damage with his pipe.

He decided to stay hidden a little longer, moving back toward the rear of the store, where he found a small staircase leading up to what he guessed was a secondary storage room. It was worth checking out, if only to get a better view of the street outside.

Xu Feng climbed the stairs quietly and cautiously, his makeshift weapon ready in case of any surprises.

At the top, he found a small window overlooking the alley and a door leading into an enclosed space. He approached the window cautiously, peeking out to see if the men had followed him.

The alley was still empty. He needed to make a plan, and figure out where to go next. But first, he needed to find some proper clothes. As he looked out the window, his eyes caught sight of something across the alley—a clothing store and a small florist. They were just a few doors down, their signs barely visible in the dim light.

The florist looked just as untouched as the bookstore—no one seemed to have rummaged through it since the start of the apocalypse. The clothing store, however, looked like it had been manhandled by an elephant.

Xu Feng didn’t want to check either place. The florist likely didn’t have anything he needed, and seeing all the dead plants would only make him sad... and the clothing store... well, it might have some leftover clothing that would fit him. Maybe he could even find some non-lacy underwear?

A smile tugged at Xu Feng’s lips. Maybe this was a bit of luck. He was still going to check what was behind the mystery door. Even if it was just a pile of books, he was already here; he might as well.

Finding himself in the bookstore was a good thing on many levels. From the racket he could now hear from the Piggy grocery store next door, it sounded like a zombie cat was trying to make dinner—or maybe it was lunch—of the two men who were previously inside the store, as well as the man and woman outside the store.

The small smile continued to grow on Xu Feng’s face as the noises from outside flitted into the small, contained apartment hidden at the top of the bookstore.

"Damned cat!" one of the men grunted.

"Ahhh!" the woman screamed foolishly as if she hadn’t been living in this apocalyptic world for almost a year now. Even Xu Feng knew that making loud noises when zombies were about was a dumb idea.

Even if they had cleaned up the scene of roaming zombies before coming to look for Xu Zeng, zombies could move; they would come if you were hollering!

"Shut up, Ling Ling!"

Whatever was going on with Ling Ling had nothing to do with Xu Feng. He was just happy there seemed to be a small apartment above the bookstore.

Like a true Goldilocks, he had to try on an assortment of clothing to find his just-right fit.

Like the women’s underwear, he started with the obviously floral women’s jeans as they were a smaller fit than the men’s clothing. But the woman was clearly very tall, as her pants seemed to be the right length for him.

He was a manly ger in Donghua, but judging by the pictures, the woman was quite tall—not as tall as the man but taller than her friends in the other pictures. Yet, the pants were still not quite right.

The man didn’t seem to live in this space full-time, but there was some of his clothing in its own dedicated space in her closet. Just to humor himself, Xu Feng tried on one of his jeans... it fit!

Without a second thought, Xu Feng changed into a full outfit and placed a backup set of clothes into a larger backpack that was in the woman’s things, beside her hiking gear. There was so much gold here!

Xu Feng found the fit of the clothing odd, but it wasn’t until he stepped into the bathroom to clean up further that he discovered why. As he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror, he froze. The person staring back at him didn’t look like Xu Zeng. But neither did he look entirely like the Xu Feng he remembered.

He examined his reflection more closely, his fingers lightly touching his face as if to confirm what he was seeing.

He looked like a combination of himself in Donghua—the more delicate but still masculine ger—and the version of himself who had just started college, but more mature and taller, as if he had grown into a version of himself that he didn’t fully recognize, yet somehow did.

The markings of the ger were gone, leaving his skin smooth and unblemished, but his wedding earrings from Xuan Jian and Xuan Yang were both still there. A detail that drew his eye for some reason... he was missing home.

He was still Xu Feng, but not quite of this world, or even the world Donghua was set in. This version of him felt more "right," though. It was as if all the pieces of his identity had come together to form a new whole, a version of himself that was complete in a way he hadn’t been before.

Now it made sense why the women’s jeans hadn’t fit him—he had grown much taller. His shoulders were broader, his frame more solid, yet there was a refinement to his features that reminded him of his past life in Donghua.

Suddenly, Xu Zeng’s words about unlocking their heritage floated through Xu Feng’s mind. Maybe that was what had happened. Maybe he had unlocked some hidden part of himself, a connection to his true lineage with all those memories, and that had altered him.

Or maybe it was something else entirely. There was no way for him to truly know, but Xu Feng was certain that this was who he was meant to be. He felt too right for that thought to be wrong.

"At least I look good," he whispered to himself with a smug smile, rolling his eyes at his own vanity. Even though he knew he was being a bit of a troll, the humor was a welcome relief at this moment.

After a quick clean-up in the bathroom, Xu Feng began packing as many hygiene products and extra clothing as he could. The woman’s hiking items were surprisingly useful, so he added those to his pile as well.

None of the man’s clothing was spared; he took everything that fit, not wanting to leave anything behind that might be useful later. He even stripped their small kitchen bare, taking whatever non-perishable food and supplies he could find.

Looking at the pile of goods he had amassed, including the child’s backpack he had taken from next door—which he found was full of children’s toys, snacks, books, and even a dead tablet—Xu Feng felt a pang of regret that he couldn’t take it all.

He wished he could carry every last item, even the books from the bookstore. They had always been a source of comfort to him, a way to escape and learn, and he couldn’t help but feel a strange attachment to them.

But then, a realization struck him. His eyes lit up as the thought solidified in his mind. He really could take them all!

Xu Feng’s heart raced with excitement as he thought through the possibilities. He had unlocked something within himself, hadn’t he? Maybe that included his ability to tap into the powers he had in Donghua. If he could access his space—the pocket dimension he used to have back in Donghua—then he could store everything he wanted and carry it with him without any physical burden.

He was planning to use his wood abilities here, why couldn’t he also store things in his space?