Daily Life of Being Turned Gay by the Male Lead After Transmigrating into an Apocalypse – CH54

Chapter 54: Even So, He Can’t Just Ignore Me

Meanwhile, inside the bungalow where Chu Yang and his group had settled, conditions were incomparably better.

After securing the doors and windows tightly against the howling wind, Chu Yang produced a portable kerosene heater from his spatial storage, filled the reservoir with fuel, and clicked the igniter.

A steady orange flame flickered to life behind the metal casing, humming with a low, quiet drone. The room warmed up almost instantly, rapidly driving out the biting chill that had settled into the brickwork.

Without pausing, Chu Yang brought out a portable butane burner, several cooking pots, and a variety of basic ingredients.

As he busied himself setting up the gear, he muttered aloud, “I saw those survivors outside grabbing handfuls of snow and eating it straight. The snow seems clean enough, so the virus probably hasn’t tainted it. Let’s melt a bunch today and boil several big pots of hot water for a proper wash. Feeling all sticky and greasy is driving me crazy!”

Hearing those words, Su Mubai’s eyes brightened with quiet anticipation.

Before the outbreak, he had always been somewhat of a clean freak. Ever since the world collapsed—especially during the grueling days before reuniting with Chu Yang—having enough clean water simply to stave off thirst was a blessing; taking a real bath was an unimaginable luxury.

Even after joining up and relying on the clean reserves inside Chu Yang’s space, that limited supply had to be carefully rationed among four grown men for drinking and basic hygiene. Every single drop had to be counted. How could he have dared to dream of a thorough, relaxing bath?

Now that they could harvest plenty of snow from outside to melt down, Su Mubai was completely on board with the idea.

At the mention of “melting snow for baths,” Jiang Jue slowly lifted his gaze. His dark, fathomless eyes settled onto Chu Yang, though he didn’t utter a word.

A few seconds later, Jiang Jue stood up, picked up a battered iron basin from the corner of the room, pushed the door open, and stepped out into the twilight.

Outside in the courtyard, several refugees were already using various bowls and buckets to gather clean snow.

Jiang Jue found an undisturbed, pristine drift, knelt down, and packed the iron basin full to the brim before carrying it back inside.

Re-entering the warm room, he walked straight to the burner and dumped the entire load of snow into the large metal pot Chu Yang had set up.

The moment the packed snow touched the heated base, it gave off a loud sizzle, rapidly melting down into half a pot of clear, steaming water.

“Boiling it one pot at a time is going to take forever,” Chu Yang commented with a frown, eyeing the water level. Turning around, he pulled a second portable burner and another matching pot from his storage. “Here, let’s run both at once. That’ll be twice as fast.”

Seeing the setup expand, Lin Xiao eagerly picked up a basin of his own. “I’ll grab the next batch of snow!” he called out, jogging out the door with enthusiasm.

While waiting for the water to boil, Chu Yang took the opportunity to inspect their temporary shelter.

It was a traditional rural brick house with two interconnected main rooms and a small, windowless annex on the side. The two larger rooms were joined by a narrow archway, while the small side room was even more compact, sealed off by a simple wooden door that barely hung straight on its hinges. The annex was completely bare, lacking even a decent stool.

“This little room is perfect for a bath. Once the door is shut, the heat won’t escape, and there’s no need to worry about anyone peeking,” Chu Yang mused aloud, rubbing his chin. He reached into his space and hauled out the large plastic tub he had used previously.

Rolling up his sleeves, he was just about to lift the scorching pot of boiling water when a slender, calloused hand moved faster, closing firmly around the metal handle.

Jiang Jue’s movements were smooth and practiced. With a slight tilt of his strong wrist, he hoisted the heavy iron pot and poured the steaming water into the plastic tub without spilling a single drop.

Watching Jiang Jue work in total silence, the uneasy confusion in Chu Yang’s chest flared up again.

Shuffling over to Su Mubai’s side, he dropped his voice to a hushed whisper: “Little Bai, what is going on with Brother Jiang? He hasn’t said a single word to me since this afternoon, and now he’s even taking over the heavy lifting without looking at me.”

Su Mubai didn’t even look up from what he was doing, answering in a calm, even tone: “That’s because the Boss is worried you’ll be clumsy and scald your hands.”

“Even so, he can’t just completely ignore me!” Chu Yang pressed, his brow furrowing deeper. “I didn’t do anything wrong this afternoon, did I?”

Su Mubai finally raised his head, casting a cool, knowing glance at Chu Yang.

His clear eyes practically screamed, Are you really that clueless? Yet he chose not to state it plainly, replying in a neutral voice, “For that… you’ll have to ask him yourself.”

Having hit a polite brick wall, Chu Yang rubbed his nose in sheepish embarrassment and stole another peek at Jiang Jue.

Jiang Jue had his back turned, steadily pouring another basin of water into the tub. His sharp profile was rigid and cold, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts.

Chu Yang felt increasingly restless. He was certain Brother Jiang was upset, but he had no idea what had actually triggered it.

By the time the third pot of boiling water was emptied into the plastic tub, it was nearly half full. Billowing clouds of warm steam drifted upward from the surface. Chu Yang judged that the temperature was just right for a thorough wash.

Stepping quickly to Jiang Jue’s side, he retrieved Jiang Jue’s clean loungewear and a soft towel from his space, shoving them directly into the man’s arms with a slightly eager, placating smile. “Brother Jiang, the water’s ready! Why don’t you go in and wash up first? You can get some proper rest once you’re done.”

Jiang Jue looked down at the neatly folded clothes and towel in his hands, then lifted his dark eyes to meet Chu Yang’s gaze.

His eyes lingered on Chu Yang’s face for a heartbeat. Something subtle stirred beneath the calm surface of his gaze, only to vanish just as quickly, his voice returning to its flat, emotionless tone: “No need. You go first.”

Assuming Jiang Jue was still holding onto lingering anger, Chu Yang insisted stubbornly, “Come on, Brother Jiang, you should definitely wash first! You spent the whole day leading the way in the freezing cold—you must be exhausted!”

As he spoke, he half-nudged and half-guided Jiang Jue toward the small side room, pressing the towel firmly against the man’s chest. “Go on in! Don’t let the water get cold!”

With a decisive motion, he pulled the crude wooden door shut, locking Jiang Jue inside the warm annex.

Lin Xiao stepped back inside carrying another basin of fresh snow. Catching the end of the exchange, he wandered over to Chu Yang with a grin. “Hey, Third Brother, do you have any extra wash gear in that pocket dimension of yours? Little Bai and I want to get clean too. After running around all day, I’m covered in sweat, melted snow, and dried zombie blood—it’s uncomfortably sticky.”

Chu Yang nodded. “I have more supplies, but not another full-sized tub. Just two large plastic washbasins. Will that work?”

“That’s plenty! As long as we have basins to rinse off with, we’re golden! A tub isn’t necessary!” Lin Xiao agreed immediately.

Chu Yang pulled two wide plastic basins—each nearly a meter across—from his storage and set them down on the floor in front of Lin Xiao and Su Mubai.

Even so, his eyes kept drifting toward the firmly closed wooden door of the annex.

I wonder how Brother Jiang is doing in there?

Is he still mad at me?

He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering.

Right, I should get the bed ready so Brother Jiang can get some proper rest as soon as he steps out of the bath.

Snapping back to the present, Chu Yang turned to Lin Xiao and Su Mubai. “Brother Jiang and I will take the inner room, and you two can sleep in the outer room. Sound good?”

“Works for me!” Lin Xiao agreed readily. “The only thing is this room is completely empty. Third Brother, could you pull out a spare set of bedding for Little Bai and me? We can just share one thick blanket—no need to be fancy.”

Chu Yang nodded easily. “No problem. Next time we come across suitable supplies, I’ll definitely grab a proper mattress for you two so you don’t have to squeeze together.”

Lin Xiao beamed, clapping him on the shoulder. “That would be awesome! You’re the best, Third Brother!”

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