Qi Yue walked out looking completely dejected. He didn’t bother with the other two and sat on the sofa, staring blankly for a long while. Only after quite some time did he snap back to himself. He asked Han Fei for noodles and meat, then took out flour, a rolling pin, grabbed a bowl, and began kneading dough and chopping the filling. He wanted to see what would happen when he’d upgraded to Level 2.
The sky was completely dark; nighttime was bitterly cold. Han Fei pulled out a big mattress and thick blankets. It wasn’t safe to split up, so like before Lin Yuze arrived, they all slept in one room.
Han Fei said, “I’ll take the first half of the night, you the second.”
Lin Yuze nodded and lay down on the mattress to sleep.
The windows were covered with thick dark curtains, leaving only a tiny slit to observe outside. Although zombies were no longer afraid of daylight, the night was still their stage. They relied on their eyes and keen sense of smell; humans were still the weaker side at night, at least ordinary humans. For ability-users, night vision was just as good as daytime.
They had cleared the area outside the house earlier, yet as dusk fell, zombies emerged from who-knows-where and gradually increased in number. They wandered everywhere; fortunately, there weren’t many residents in this neighborhood.
Inside, a dim kerosene lamp flickered. Qi Yue sat on a stool, focused on wrapping small buns. His fingers were long and dexterous. With a few simple movements, one bun was done: quick, neat, and pleasing to watch.
The faint light cast over his face. Messy strands of hair fell over his forehead, his long lashes casting thick shadows beneath his eyes. Qi Yue wasn’t feminine at all, his features were fine, his body lean, that androgynous beauty between male and female, strangely enticing.
He seemed intimate yet distant, warm yet always keeping space between himself and others. But to call him cold would be wrong too, he adapted quickly to new environments. He was dazzling, yet always quietly blending into the background. Sometimes he feared death, sometimes he seemed completely indifferent to it.
What did he go through to become like this?
Han Fei mocked himself, he too sometimes found himself mesmerized just by looking at him.
He went to wake Lin Yuze. Midnight had arrived.
Lin Yuze blinked awake, sleepy and muddled. He hadn’t slept that soundly since the apocalypse began. Once he relaxed, his exhaustion showed; no matter how young the body, it would feel fatigue. Luckily, now that he was Level 3, even a short rest relieved most of it.
Qi Yue was still wrapping buns. Seeing Han Fei waking Lin Yuze, he hurriedly said, “Don’t wake him, I’ll take the second half.”
“You’re sleeping with me.” Han Fei rejected it immediately. What did Qi Yue see in that little pretty-boy? Shorter than him, not strong at all, dressed like some wannabe edgy kid. Just looking at him was annoying.
Seeing Han Fei about to lose his temper, Qi Yue muttered softly, “I’m not sleepy.”
He immediately changed targets, softening his expression. “You keep sleeping. I’ll take the watch.”
Lin Yuze was fully awake now. He gave Qi Yue a small smile. “You sleep.” Then he walked to the window to check outside.
Seeing Qi Yue exchanging looks with someone else, Han Fei’s face darkened. “Get over here and sleep.”
Qi Yue whispered, “I want to train my ability.”
“I’ll bring the bag to the car tomorrow.”
Qi Yue went speechless. A homebody with poor social skills, he couldn’t find a suitable argument. He really didn’t want to sleep, he wanted to practice.
Even if he did find a reason, it was already too late…
Han Fei, seeing him dawdle, lifted his hand and swept all of Qi Yue’s tools and ingredients into his storage space. Then he pulled out a basin of water for him to wash his hands.
On the big mattress in the middle of the living room, Han Fei called to the now-cleaned-up Qi Yue. “Come here.” He tilted his head toward the spot beside him.
Qi Yue hesitated. “I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“Cut the cr*p. Get over here.”
Qi Yue dragged himself over and sat on the mattress. He was a grown man, he shouldn’t be this fussy, but with only one blanket, he couldn’t just crawl under the covers with another man in front of the kid.
He whispered, cautious, “It’s cold… could you take out another blanket?”
Han Fei didn’t bother arguing. He yanked him over and pulled him into his arms, covering them both with the blanket. He did it right in front of that pretty-boy, to show him that Qi Yue was taken and he shouldn’t get ideas.
Qi Yue lay stiffly against Han Fei. The man’s arms trapped him tightly. It was warm, too warm, but he didn’t dare complain. He hadn’t stored enough food yet; if he made Han Fei angry and got himself and Lin Yuze kicked out, where would he find another generous patron like this?
He couldn’t leave until he had his own capital.
Why was Han Fei so irritable today anyway? Maybe pent up too long? Qi Yue prayed they would reach S Base soon so Han Fei could find a woman and relieve himself.
Han Fei was pleased with how obedient Qi Yue was. You couldn’t spoil people, they’d get bold. He’d figured that out. He tightened his arms and pressed Qi Yue’s face into his chest. Holding him felt better than holding women. His waist was so slim. His hands began wandering up and down again.
Qi Yue grew annoyed. What kind of gangster was this? This gang boss was way too lustful.
He struggled hard, lifting a foot to kick, but Han Fei had expected it. He pinned Qi Yue’s legs with his own, his arms trapping Qi Yue completely.
The two wrestled on the mattress. In the end, Qi Yue lost miserably.
He lay there panting heavily, face flushed with anger. The man’s strength was ridiculous, Qi Yue could feel the thick muscles of Han Fei’s chest pressing into him, making his whole body ache.
Han Fei looked at Qi Yue’s flushed little face, the slightly parted pink lips like they were begging to be kissed.
He lowered his head and claimed them in a long kiss. Only when Qi Yue went soft and dazed, nearly unable to breathe, did he release him. He buried his face in Qi Yue’s neck, trying to calm the stirring in his lower half. He wasn’t about to put on a live show with an outsider present.
Han Fei kissed well, fierce like a storm, but with hints of tenderness. Qi Yue’s mind went blank, his breathing even more ragged. He instinctively glanced toward Lin Yuze. The tussling earlier had been loud… he was embarrassed.
But unexpectedly, Lin Yuze was staring right at him, eyes carrying a meaning Qi Yue couldn’t understand. His lips had been closed, but when he saw Qi Yue looking, he actually smiled, a faint smile that flashed and vanished, like an illusion.
Qi Yue’s mind exploded. His face burned. He pressed his lips together, trying to steady his breath, but couldn’t help licking his lips from time to time. He suddenly felt very thirsty.
Watching the two tangle together, Lin Yuze sat coldly by. Qi Yue looked seductive: kiss-swollen lips, slightly parted, pink tongue licking. His breathing was audible. After noticing Lin Yuze watching, his blushing only deepened.
Something flickered in Lin Yuze’s eyes. Qi Yue… what should I do with you? You look almost delicious.
Qi Yue felt lost. He wasn’t a woman, he didn’t need to be shy, but being almost kissed senseless by another man right in front of someone he’d planned to treat as family was… embarrassing.
He shut his eyes, refusing to think about it. In this life, aside from repaying kindness and returning grudges, he just wanted to live happily.
Soon, he fell asleep. His kiss-reddened lips slightly parted, soft snores escaping. He looked exhausted, sleeping soundly.
Han Fei, on the other hand, suffered. He rolled onto his back, dragging Qi Yue along. Watching him sleep peacefully, occasionally wriggling to find a comfortable spot, the little ingrate had lit him on fire and then fallen asleep.
Having an outsider wasn’t the issue; the real problem was that this wasn’t a safe enough place. Han Fei didn’t dare actually touch Qi Yue, what if he hurt him?
Even with someone on watch, Han Fei stayed alert. He only dozed lightly.
Dawn barely glimmered.
From the window, he saw that compared to the previous night, zombies had increased significantly. Not quite a hundred, but at least seventy or eighty. They circled the house, growling occasionally.
He glanced at Lin Yuze: calm, steady, staring at the zombies as if watching a documentary. This repressed kid, young but surprisingly composed. No emotions showed at all. A normal person, even an ability-user, would at least be tense when surrounded like this.
Before the apocalypse he still had to maintain an image for business. But after everything collapsed, he discarded all pretense, arrogant and domineering. Toward hypocrites with dark hearts, he had zero mercy, just like with Qi Yue’s mother. He was a gangster and didn’t pretend to be a good person.
“When Qi Yue wakes up, we’ll decide what to do,” Han Fei said bluntly.
To his surprise, the big rough-looking man actually cared about people. Lin Yuze glanced over and nodded.
Han Fei was used to him, this mute-like pretty-boy. His face wasn’t that pale, but still. A favor was a favor; he’d repay the help, even if he found the guy annoying.
At first, the zombies outside wandered aimlessly. But as daylight brightened, they grew irritable, as if sensing humans inside, and began pressing toward the door, pounding at it.
Lin Yuze leaned against the wall beside the window, watching them intently, every detail, every movement as if watching an epic movie.
Han Fei sat by another window, smoking, also watching the zombies. From time to time, he looked back at Qi Yue, still sprawled out without a care, fast asleep.
The two seemed locked in a battle of patience. Neither spoke. The atmosphere was strange.
When the sun reached its peak, the zombies outside finally began slamming the door in steady bang… bang… bang sounds.
Looks like Qi Yue wasn’t going to sleep through this. The zombie brothers were getting angry.
Author’s Note: Students, the shou’s power will eventually be the strongest! But he can’t lead a base, he has no leadership talent. He’s just a pretty, ordinary civilian (forgive my indulgence—I like strong gong × weak shou, and I’m a severe face-con).
The ending will be HE! But he can’t suddenly power-up just by cooking like he does with crystal cores. His level will rise slowly… as he seduces the little gongs…
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