Ch 140: TGCIR

Fu Yanzhou gradually regained his senses after a long period of confusion. Slowly, he looked around the room, glancing at the walls and then at the ceiling. He instinctively tried to scratch his head, but when he raised his hand, he noticed that his skin was covered in greenish-purple bruises. The bruises were evidence of blood vessel blockages during his recovery period, and a gentle press on his skin left a small indentation.

Curiously, Fu Yanzhou poked at the indentation with his finger. The seemingly fragile skin, like paper, did not bounce back for a long time. He continued poking it, fascinated by how the indentation remained. It was as if his skin had lost its elasticity.

As he was absorbed in this strange behavior, the door creaked open from the outside, and Fu Yanzhou’s gaze remained fixed on the small indentation on his arm, his eyes vacant and dazed.

A figure stood in the doorway, observing him.

Fu Yanzhou heard a familiar voice, sharp and slightly sarcastic, “Fu Yanzhou, are you really just going to sit there poking yourself?”

“…” Fu Yanzhou kept his head down, saying nothing.

Xi Bei, the person who had entered, looked at his face, and her voice took on a more mocking tone, “You know there are cameras in this room, right? Stop pretending!”

“…” Fu Yanzhou lowered his eyes, barely responding. In truth, he felt a bit lost. Although he had been administered the zombie vaccine, his body still seemed far from normal compared to others. The lingering effects of the zombie virus had left significant damage.

Xi Bei didn’t attempt to get any closer to him.

Fu Yanzhou had witnessed the severe social stigma that could follow a highly contagious disease in the post-apocalyptic world: even those fortunate enough to be cured might still face lasting discrimination, harm, and isolation. They might be met with strange looks or even mistreatment from those closest to them. These negative effects could be worse than the disease itself.

Even if one gradually recovered physically, the mental and social challenges wouldn’t simply disappear, and life wouldn’t easily return to the way it was before the illness.

Having seen such situations, Fu Yanzhou had mentally prepared himself for this possibility.

What surprised him, though, was that Xi Bei still approached him in the hospital room.

She didn’t greet him with a friendly smile. On the contrary, her young-looking face was full of sarcasm and mockery.

Realizing the undertones in her voice, Fu Yanzhou felt a small, sharp pain in his heart, as if pricked by a needle, causing a faint ache.

He instinctively looked up at Xi Bei, momentarily overcoming his usual social anxiety. Normally, he wouldn’t be this curious about others’ emotions, but now he couldn’t help but notice the mixture of emotions on her face.

However, as he raised his head, he realized that what he had initially interpreted as anger was actually concern, worry, and a hint of affection.

Her expression was so complex that Fu Yanzhou found it difficult to maintain eye contact, quickly lowering his gaze to fiddle with his hospital gown, unaware that his obsessive-compulsive behavior was showing as he tried to smooth out the wrinkles.

Noticing this, Xi Bei chuckled mockingly.

Her tone was laced with ridicule as she spoke, “You know, we found you in such a filthy state. You were covered in bugs when we brought you in. The staff who cleaned you up said the stench was worse than a sewer. The wooden basin we used to wash you—no one wanted to use it again, so we had to burn it. It’s a shame, really. But don’t worry, we’ll just deduct the cost from your accumulated credits.”

Fu Yanzhou dumbly uttered an “Oh.” He had never cared much about his wealth or the base’s credit system, so the mention of deducting credits didn’t bother him much.

His mind was still somewhat foggy, as if shrouded in a thick mist.

This made Xi Bei feel like she was bullying someone who was sick.

If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t have found any joy in bullying someone weaker. But with him, she liked his face so much that seeing his slightly confused expression on that still handsome face stirred in her a strange desire to bully him even more.

Just thinking about how this face, which never seemed to care much about anything, might show different expressions—blushing, showing silent endurance in a forced situation, revealing a sense of vulnerability under her control—made Xi Bei feel a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

She curled her lips into a malicious smile. If he were still the weak researcher from before, she might have to be careful about how she interacted with him. After all, if she bullied him too much and made him cry, she would have to take responsibility.

But he wasn’t a weak researcher anymore.

Even Professor Wei had said that while the zombie virus had damaged some of his organs, it had also brought about certain enhancements. Although the zombie vaccine had saved his brain, his physical condition remained at the level of a zombie king. At the very least, that small indentation in his skin, which had not bounced back, was now tough enough that even a knife wouldn’t easily cut through it.

Just as Xi Bei was about to continue with her taunts, there was a sudden knock on the door—three low thuds. Hearing the sound, she muttered a curse under her breath, “Fxxk.” Fu Yanzhou, who was already dazed, looked up in confusion, almost doubting his hearing. Had he heard wrong?

Did Xi Bei just curse?

That couldn’t be right, could it?

His memories of her were from when she was still a young girl, so why was she…

A strange emotion surfaced in Fu Yanzhou’s mind, and he pouted slightly, furrowing his brows. His jumbled memories and emotions needed time to be sorted out properly.

Outside the door, a voice called out, “Xiao Bei? Xiao Bei? Are you in there?”

Xi Bei frowned, but she wasn’t afraid to respond. After all, she was old enough to be dating in the base, to be in a relationship, or even to get married. Small-scale battles still occasionally occurred, and while most of the zombies had been cleared, humanity’s living conditions could never fully return to what they were before the apocalypse.

This world had undergone irreversible changes, and the mutated species would never stop competing with humans for territory and resources. Those with abilities would inevitably use them more to create clean, sustainable energy, reducing humanity’s impact on the planet.

In this era, people believed in seizing the moment.

Xi Bei felt there was nothing wrong with flirting with a handsome guy. She hadn’t shirked her responsibilities or forgotten her priorities. While her choices might not align perfectly with what was expected of her, they had their advantages—like potentially having children without needing to buy certain products!

Thinking this, Xi Bei felt justified and walked confidently to open the door.

Sure enough, Xi Nan’s face looked unpleasant as he stood in the doorway. He glanced warily around the room and saw Fu Yanzhou sitting there, looking at them with a dazed expression, his eyes now clear. Xi Nan gave Xi Bei a stern look before saying, “Xiao Bei!”

His voice carried a hint of reproach.

Xi Bei rolled her eyes.

Xi Nan felt a bit intimidated.

Even now, in their family, Xiao Bei seemed to be the one in charge. She managed everything in the household—taking care of their meals, training, and advancing their abilities. Xi Nan swallowed nervously, but when he saw Fu Yanzhou, his hesitation disappeared.

If it were anyone else, even if it was just someone in the base who relied on their looks to cling to high-level ability users, he wouldn’t have said a word. He knew that with their abilities, supporting one or two people wouldn’t be a problem.

But Fu Yanzhou’s situation was different.

Xi Nan grabbed Xi Bei’s hand and said, “Xiao Bei,” hesitating before finally closing his eyes and asking a slightly embarrassing question, “Did you… did you?”

Xi Bei looked at her brother, exasperated. She understood what Xi Nan was thinking. He was worried that Fu Yanzhou’s current condition wasn’t quite “normal,” so being together might not be appropriate. There was also the fear that if the zombie virus hadn’t been completely eradicated from Fu Yanzhou, being close to him might lead to some unexpected issues.

But Xi Bei didn’t care about any of that.

She pulled Xi Nan’s hand and walked outside. “Are you afraid of losing out?”

“No, that wasn’t it.” Xi Nan knew his sister’s personality well. He wasn’t worried about losing out; he was more concerned that Fu Yanzhou might end up retreating into himself if Xi Bei teased him too much.

After all, it would be a shame if the recently rescued zombie king ended up in a state of self-imposed isolation.

Xi Nan thought for a long time before finally sighing. “I just feel like running off to be with a zombie king without giving it much thought… You’re still young, and it’s a shame to waste your youth on something so meaningless.”

Xi Bei remained silent. Those words hit close to home. But she quickly smiled at Xi Nan, saying, “Brother, live in the moment. Don’t worry about the future.”

This was the only truth they had learned from that fateful event. In this world, nothing was forever. Today someone might be by your side, but tomorrow, who knows?

After that catastrophe, when their once happy, middle-class family crumbled overnight, when their parents turned into zombies one after the other, barely sparing the sisters, it became clear: today they might be alive, but tomorrow, they might not.

With a playful smile, Xi Bei glanced back at Fu Yanzhou’s still dazed face, admiring his perfectly handsome features. She simply said to Xi Nan, “Brother, if you’re going to give advice, find someone whose looks match your taste first.”

Farewell, that was the end of this conversation.

In the post-apocalyptic world, even attractive men sometimes sell themselves to survive. With a face like Fu Yanzhou’s, there were likely men like him in every base, some even making a living off their looks. If someone wanted to find such men, they probably could. But Xi Nan understood what his sister was getting at, sighed, and realized that once Xi Bei had made up her mind, there was no changing it. He could only helplessly shake his head and say, “Xiao Bei, if you ever need money or anything else, just ask. I won’t stop you, but if things change in the future, you must think it through carefully and talk to me about it first.”

Xi Bei wrinkled her nose, her eyes briefly betraying a hint of guilt before she confidently nodded, “Don’t worry.”

Xi Bei closed the door, and Fu Yanzhou, feeling a bit uneasy, watched her with a small smile as she reached out and touched his cheek with her fair fingers, which felt slightly cool against his skin.

Then, he heard Xi Bei sigh softly, “Yanzhou, be good, okay?”

Fu Yanzhou looked at her, still a bit confused, but there was a faint, familiar scent that lingered around him, something he hadn’t smelled in a long time. It was so familiar that he subconsciously nodded in agreement.

Xi Bei playfully tapped his nose. At that moment, Fu Yanzhou suddenly felt a faint chill coming from her. He blinked as she leaned closer and tried to pry his mouth open. “Mm?”

Xi Bei placed her hand over his eyes.

Even in the darkness, Fu Yanzhou kept his eyes open. But for some reason, he slowly parted his lips.

🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

Author’s Note: The main couple’s side story isn’t finished yet, but let’s focus on this pair for now.