Chapter 41: Taking a Bath
After dinner, Kevin and Chi Xiaoxian sat in the living room watching a movie, while Fang Yue took his laptop bag into the study, as he still had some work to complete.
Chi Xiaoxian found a throw pillow to wedge between his waist and the wall. Even so, the back of his neck hovered awkwardly in midair, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. The Highland climate was turning cold during this season, and the floor was as icy as a massive block of iron, continuously leeching his body heat away.
After sitting for a while, Kevin felt so freezing he went upstairs, leaving Chi Xiaoxian alone in the living room.
His eyes were fixed on the projector, but his mind was elsewhere.
Fang Yue’s line, “Think carefully about it yourself,” echoed on a loop in his head, intercut with fleeting images of that red hair, leaving his thoughts in utter chaos.
Fang Yue was currently using a spreadsheet on his laptop to organize the resources they possessed and the supplies they needed to prepare for their upcoming trip to District Ten. Suddenly, the door creaked, and turning his head, he found Chi Xiaoxian standing there.
“What’s wrong?” Fang Yue asked.
“You…” Chi Xiaoxian had the words on the tip of his tongue, but grew hesitant right as he went to speak.
Fang Yue waited for him.
“How do you think I’d look if I dyed my hair red later on?”
“?”
“I feel like red hair might look pretty good too. What do you think?” Chi Xiaoxian picked at his silver-gray locks unconsciously.
Fang Yue pictured him with red hair. Chi Xiaoxian had fair skin, so he could probably pull off red hair just fine. He said seriously, “It looks pretty good as it is now, but if you want to dye it a different color, that’s fine too. Though I doubt you’ll find an open barbershop right now.”
Seeing the topic drift further away from his intended direction, Chi Xiaoxian felt a wave of confusion—why didn’t this guy show the slightest unusual reaction when red hair was brought up?
He was forced to shift the topic: “Do you have any spare clothes? I want to take a bath.”
Although Fang Yue’s home hadn’t lost electricity, it had suffered the water shutoff alongside the rest of the area. Fortunately, he had stockpiled enough distilled water in the basement to last two months. Calling it a bath was actually just boiling a kettle of hot water, mixing in a bit of cold water, and giving his body a simple wipe-down with a towel.
All three of them had climbed out of the river. Even though their clothes had dried, a faint, lingering stench of mud and water weeds clung to them.
Fang Yue tested the water temperature, then poured it into a wide-mouthed basin. He glanced at Chi Xiaoxian: “Can you manage on your own?”
“I have to manage whether I can or not; I can’t exactly let you…” Chi Xiaoxian muttered under his breath.
Fang Yue closed the door and stepped out, yet felt somewhat uneasy leaving a certain partially disabled individual unattended. He stood outside the door waiting for Chi Xiaoxian with his arms crossed. His gaze drifted casually to the back of a dining chair, and he froze—those were the long-sleeved shirt and trousers he had grabbed for Chi Xiaoxian.
Some forgetful airhead had gone inside to bathe without even bringing his change of clothes.
Inside, Chi Xiaoxian had already worked himself into a sweat from sheer exertion.
Dragging a small stool over, he sat down with great difficulty, stripped off his top first, soaked the towel, and began wiping down his body.
After wiping his chest and stomach, he attempted to reach behind his back with the towel, only to fail. He tried several times, confirming that the Lord had truly omitted the skill of self-scrubbing one’s back when programming a zombie, so he slumped against the wall out of exhaustion.
At the thought of having cleaned less than a quarter of his body with his hair still left to wash, he felt completely worn out.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door, followed by Fang Yue’s voice: “How are you doing?”
Chi Xiaoxian hesitated for a moment, before squeezing out a few words: “…Why don’t you come in and help me scrub my back?”
Fang Yue, the bathhouse attendant: “.”
Grabbing the change of clothes, he pushed open the bathroom door.
Mist had already gathered inside the bathroom. Through the steam and glass, he caught sight of Chi Xiaoxian’s brilliantly fair, bare back.
Fang Yue closed the door to keep the warmth from escaping, dragged another stool over to sit down, and took the towel from Chi Xiaoxian’s hand.
Chi Xiaoxian felt utterly bashful inside, but with his back turned toward Fang Yue, he gained a tiny sense of security.
As long as their eyes didn’t meet, Fang Yue wouldn’t notice his embarrassment.
Fang Yue tested the water temperature, finding it slightly chilly, and poured a bit more hot water inside.
A warm towel pressed against his back. Fang Yue’s hand supported his shoulder steadily, the rubbing pressure of the towel just right and immensely comfortable. Coupled with the rising temperature in the bathroom, Chi Xiaoxian felt a wave of drowsiness surge over him, and after a short while, he actually fell asleep sitting up in a confused daze.
Looking at Chi Xiaoxian slumping completely against his arm in a deep slumber, Fang Yue was left speechless for a moment.
“Don’t sleep in here.”
Chi Xiaoxian was woken up by him twice, yet failed to hold out for even half a minute each time before his head tilted and he fell back asleep.
Fang Yue had no choice but to strip off his own top, letting the still-dripping Chi Xiaoxian lean against him, before using the towel to wipe down his arms.
Chi Xiaoxian collapsed softly into his chest, his silver hair tickling his chin slightly, looking remarkably obedient from this angle, docile like a young deer.
Water droplets pooled in the hollows of his collarbones, reflecting a shimmering gleam.
Fang Yue wiped them gently, exercising restraint to refrain from letting his gaze slide downward, though his peripheral vision caught sight of those soft pink buds—resembling tiny blossoms swaying in the wind.
Having washed his upper body, fearing Chi Xiaoxian might catch a cold, he wiped him dry and pulled the long-sleeved pajama top onto him. He then laid his upper body gently across his lap, tilted his head backward, wet his hair bit by bit with water, and lathered it with shampoo.
Chi Xiaoxian’s hair was exceedingly soft, gliding past his fingertips with weightless ease like white silk.
As Fang Yue massaged his hair, his gaze landed on his face.
Chi Xiaoxian’s eyelashes had all turned silver—a dense, lush silver, like a vast wilderness covered in a blanket of swirling snow.
Perhaps due to the high temperature in the enclosed space, a faint flush touched his cheeks, resembling the color of sweet, ripening fruit—vivid and enticing. His thin, delicate lips bore a moist, glistening sheen, like flower petals dampened by morning dew, fragile and serene, waiting for a passerby to gently pluck them home.
Fang Yue averted his gaze, focusing his attention on the hairdryer.
Even after he finished blow-drying his hair, Chi Xiaoxian still hadn’t woken up. The superb, gentle shampooing technique had allowed him to sleep in supreme comfort.
At this point, things began to get awkward.
Chi Xiaoxian’s upper body was dressed in clean clothes, but his lower half remained clad in only his original underwear—underwear that had long been soaked through, faintly outlining the neat, rounded contour of his hips…
Unable to bring himself to touch him there, Fang Yue had no choice but to wake Chi Xiaoxian up once more.
The moment Chi Xiaoxian forced his eyes open groggily, Fang Yue murmured near his ear: “…You have a sofa now.”
Chi Xiaoxian jolted, most of his sleepiness vanishing in an instant.
Opening his eyes, he asked in a daze: “…Sofa?”
As if having anticipated this long ago, Fang Yue said neutrally, “Just teasing you,” before stuffing the trousers into his arms. “I’ve washed your hair for you; handle the rest yourself.” Having said that, he opened the door and stepped out.
Chi Xiaoxian sat holding the trousers and towel in a daze, trying to gather his thoughts.
*What had just happened? How had he fallen asleep?*
Suddenly, a wave of cold air swept past his bare legs, making Chi Xiaoxian shiver uncontrollably, whereupon he looked down at his lower body…
*Holy shit! He might as well just throw his dignity out the window!* He had forgotten he was wearing briefs today…
These were the only briefs among his five pairs of underwear, bought during a joint promotion on Rome with Zhang Wensheng.
Back then, he had teased Zhang Wensheng about whether briefs were a bit too provocative, to which Zhang Wensheng comforted him by saying he could just wear them inside the dorm, since both of them wore briefs anyway, so neither could out-slut the other.
*How had he actually been persuaded back then?!!*
Briefs aside, his size had been out of stock at the time, so he had settled for a half-size smaller, and Zhang Wensheng had comforted him further by saying they would loosen up after being worn…
*As it turned out, Zhang Wensheng was a genius at comforting people.*
*Whatever, we’re both men, it’s no big deal,* Chi Xiaoxian comforted himself.
After washing up, he unfolded the clean trousers Fang Yue had left for him, finding a pair of clean black underwear wrapped inside.
Chi Xiaoxian’s own underwear was all white, so this pair clearly belonged to Fang Yue, looking freshly unboxed with the crease marks from the packaging paper still visible.
Chi Xiaoxian slipped them on.
In a single instant, his composure broke again.
…*Why was this size so much larger than his???*
—
Fang Yue was keeping an ear out for the commotion outside from the study. He heard the bathroom door open and close first, followed by the sound of Chi Xiaoxian’s bedroom door, after which everything went quiet.
Walking over to Chi Xiaoxian’s bedroom door, he pushed it open gently, finding Chi Xiaoxian sprawled face down across the bed in a star shape, one slipper still dangling from his foot, while already letting out quiet, rhythmic snores.
One could easily picture the scene of him being utterly exhausted, trekking all the way to the bedroom, and passing out from sleepiness the moment he saw the bed.
A rare smile curled the corners of Fang Yue’s lips. He helped him turn over, pulled a pillow beneath his head, tucked him under the blanket, and switched off the light before stepping out.
The night was still long, and he had no intention of turning in early, walking over to the basement door instead. Pulling out his keys, he was just about to unlock the door when he heard Kevin calling out to him from upstairs.
Kevin rushed downstairs in a panic, his face pale with terror: “There are so many zombies outside the window!”
Fang Yue pressed an index finger to his lips, signaling him to keep his voice down, then returned to the second floor with Kevin. The living room curtains on the second floor were drawn; Fang Yue hooked a corner of the curtain with his finger and pulled it open slightly.
A dark shadow flickered past the window in a flash.
“Will they smash through the glass?” Kevin asked in a barely audible whisper filled with concern.
“The windows here are heat-resistant, soundproof double-paned thick glass. If they could break through, they would have done so long ago.”
Kevin let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Fang Yue drew the curtains closed again, returning to the study to fetch a strange device that resembled an astronomical telescope.
“What’s this?”
“An infrared imager.”
He pressed it to his eyes to look for a moment, then handed it to Kevin.
Kevin put it on and opened his eyes. Roughly five or six red silhouettes were wandering outside the window, appearing like blood-red phantoms through the imager.
He murmured, “No wonder this community is so quiet. Even if there are living people, they’re all cowering in their homes, afraid to come out.”
Fang Yue switched off all the lights inside the house, leaving only a tiny pendant light on in the hallway. The light was dimmed to its lowest setting, appearing ready to be swallowed by the indoor darkness at any moment.
Just as Kevin went to go upstairs to sleep, Fang Yue called out to halt him. He let out a yawn and asked Fang Yue what else he needed.
“Let me remove that electronic ankle monitor for you.”
Kevin froze slightly.
Interacting naturally with Chi Xiaoxian and Fang Yue over these past few days had made him forget he was a “patient” who had escaped from a psychiatric hospital not long ago.
He had long grown numb to wearing this electronic ankle monitor, yet Fang Yue had kept it in mind for him.
An inexplicable warmth welled up in Kevin’s chest.
Fang Yue fetched a pair of pliers and a small electric saw, handing them to Kevin.
Kevin: “I thought you were going to help me take it off.”
Fang Yue raised an eyebrow: “Do you not have hands of your own?”
“.”
Fang Yue knit his brows slightly: “You didn’t think I was going to cradle your smelly foot to disassemble it for you, did you?”
“…” The trace of warmth in Kevin’s chest vanished into thin air. “My feet don’t smell; you’re slandering me!”
Before long, he easily severed the ankle monitor using the electric saw.
The slender electronic shackle dropped onto the marble floor with a soft *clatter*, and Kevin let out a long sigh of relief.
It was over. Those days devoid of freedom had finally reached a complete conclusion in his heart.
—
Silence returned to the three-story house once more, the air inside resembling icy, still water without a single ripple. All three had returned to their bedrooms, the fatigue of nearly a week’s travel causing them to sink into deep sleep. Facing comfortable, large beds, their constantly taut nerves relaxed as well.
Within the underground laboratory, however, the breathing of a fourth person appeared.
Checking his glow-in-the-dark watch, it was already four in the morning. There had been no movement in the house for nearly two hours, which he understood to be his best opportunity to escape.
Slinging a black bag over his back, he pushed the laboratory door open gently. The door lock flashed with a red light—an electronic lock he had already destroyed.
He tiptoed up the stairs to the second floor. He wore extremely soft sneakers on his feet, walking like a nimble cat, producing virtually zero sound.
The curtains were drawn, blocking out even the moonlight, rendering the room excessively dark.
He tapped a button on the side of his glasses gently, and the lenses instantly activated night vision capabilities, rendering the outline of every table and chair in the dining room crystal clear.
Although he had surveyed this floor three days ago, the owner’s return had brought quite a few changes to the house—such as a few extra pillows in the living room, two extra chairs at the dining table, and a black… on the dining table.
Upon making out what it was, his heart pounded at rapid speed.
That was a handgun!
He knew clearly what a dire situation lay outside; this item was undoubtedly something he desperately needed!
If he took it away, however, the owner of the house would definitely notice, making his intrusion self-evident. If the other party were smart enough, they might even guess what he had done here.
He hesitated for a moment, ultimately unable to control himself as he stepped forward, reaching out to grip the gun—he needed it.
Because he was overly nervous, a layer of sweat gathered on his palms.
Suddenly, a loud *BANG* startled him into jumping on the spot like a cat.
Assuming the gun had misfired, he went to check the situation, only for someone to grab him firmly around the waist from behind and slam him heavily onto the floor.
With a sharp *click*, a blinding white light instantly lit up the living room.
The intruder had no time to wait for her eyes to adapt to the brightness, kicking backward with fierce force. As the person holding her dodged, she rolled across the floor with the momentum, scrambled swiftly to her feet, and raised the gun in her hand at the other party.
Only then did she make out the person who had grabbed her waist—a middle-aged man with messy yellow hair. Meanwhile, another younger man stood across the dining table from her, staring at her coldly.
“Don’t move.” Her hand holding the gun trembled slightly as she spoke.
When the words left her mouth, however, it was a female voice.
Kevin froze for a second, then offered a smile: “Miss, breaking into a private residence and telling the owner not to move—what kind of logic is that?”
Clad in a black night-suit, holding a gun in one hand, the woman used her other hand to remove her night-vision glasses, revealing extraordinarily delicate facial features, her nervous gaze scanning back and forth between Kevin and Fang Yue.
“I will shoot,” she forced the trembling out of her voice with effort.
Kevin raised an eyebrow: “Go ahead and shoot then.”
With a *click*, a safety catch was disengaged, yet the sound originated from the hands of the young man opposite her.
Raising his arm, he aimed a gun of nearly identical appearance straight at her. Catching sight of the dark gun barrel, she couldn’t help pressing down on the gun in her own hand.
Immediately after, she discovered to her horror that the safety catch on the gun in her hand could not be disengaged at all.
*She had fallen into a trap…*
The gun was fake—a trap.
Cold sweat trickled quietly down her back, soaking through her athletic wear.
“What do you want?” she gritted her teeth and said.
