Chapter 7: The Escape
With no phone to play on, Chi Xiaoxian went to bed early.
The rolling shutter let in draughts of wind, clattering and rustling from time to time in the night breeze, preventing Chi Xiaoxian from sleeping peacefully.
He dreamed of the time he lived in an attic with his family when he was five years old. There was a skylight in the ceiling of his bedroom—dilapidated and loose, it would flap and rattle whenever the wind blew, sending the pages of the books on his desk fluttering loudly in the draft that swept into the room.
Not long after, they moved. Then they kept moving, like birds in continuous migration. But birds would still return in the winter, whereas they never went back to a single place they had previously lived.
It wasn’t until the Southern Highlands were built that they finally secured a modest home in the Tenth District—a two-bedroom apartment where his parents slept in one room while he and his grandmother shared the other.
A year later, a household of four was reduced to just two. Chi Xiaoxian got a room of his own, moving into the space his parents had originally occupied.
The Tenth District housed numerous factories and wasn’t primarily a residential area, so the build quality of the housing was poor. Every windy night, the windows would still rattle. The sound of the wind was like hushed whispers, whimpering and sobbing in his ears, indistinct and unclear.
“Are you asleep?” The voice suddenly grew crisp and clear.
In a hazy daze, Chi Xiaoxian felt someone exhale a breath of damp air against his ear.
Immediately after, his limbs and chest felt impossibly heavy, as if crushed by a heavy hydraulic jack, radiating a scorching heat.
“Mmph—”
Chi Xiaoxian woke up struggling, only to find his mouth pinned down by someone’s hand.
Upon recognizing the person in front of him, his pupils dilated abruptly.
“Shh,” Zheng Yikai whispered in a low voice. “Don’t be scared, I mean no harm.”
Chi Xiaoxian stared at him blankly.
A moment later, Zheng Yikai released his grip. Chi Xiaoxian sat up abruptly, gasping for air violently.
“What are you… doing?”
“Having a nightmare just now?” Zheng Yikai asked him back.
“…Not really.”
“I heard footsteps outside, and you were talking in your sleep. I wanted you to quiet down, fearing you’d attract the zombies’ attention.”
Chi Xiaoxian clutched his chest, taking a moment to smooth his breathing before letting out a soft “Mm.”
“What did you dream about? You seemed really sad.”
He raised his hand intending to wipe away the sweat at Chi Xiaoxian’s temples, but Chi Xiaoxian instinctively dodged aside.
“Do you dislike me?” Zheng Yikai stared at him. “You’ve dodged me twice now.”
Chi Xiaoxian whipped his head around to look at him.
There was a look in Zheng Yikai’s eyes that felt unfamiliar to him—like a wild beast locking onto its prey, his gaze bearing an invasive edge that made him thoroughly uncomfortable.
Zheng Yikai’s gaze shifted downward inch by inch—from his long eyelashes to the delicate, straight bridge of his nose, and down to his pale pink lips… before finally coming to rest on his collarbone.
“You look like the type of guy who’d be into men,” Zheng Yikai said softly, his tone eerie.
“?” Chi Xiaoxian could hardly believe his ears.
“Did I hit the nail on the head?” Zheng Yikai pressed on relentlessly.
“That’s not a very polite way to talk,” Chi Xiaoxian said, putting distance between them as he looked at him with cool detachment. “What I look like and who I like are none of your business. Even my best friend wouldn’t make jokes like this with me.”
“Your best friend…” Zheng Yikai mused for a moment. “Is that guy named Zhang Wensheng? Your roommate?”
Chi Xiaoxian’s brows knit together instantly. Having his privacy pryed into filled him with a surge of displeasure.
“Don’t look at me like that, making me out to be a stalker… He and I are both in the School of Engineering. We take classes together all the time, so noticing it is hardly anything special.”
“Of course, I’ve paid attention to you too. You’ve never been in a relationship, and the person you’re closest to is Zhang Wensheng,” Zheng Yikai said, staring into his eyes.
“Is Zhang Wensheng the one you actually like?”
“You two aren’t dating in your dorm room, are you?”
Chi Xiaoxian’s anger finally flared right up. It was one thing for him to be blindly targeted, but now even his friend was being dragged into baseless slander.
“I’m warning you, say one more absurd thing—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Zheng Yikai lunged forward and hugged him, clamping him tightly in his arms.
The grip was so strong that Chi Xiaoxian couldn’t break free despite several fierce struggles.
Engulfed by an unfamiliar, salty stench of sweat, his stomach began to turn.
“I can overlook everything from before,” Zheng Yikai said, completely immersed in his own world. “Start liking me from now on. Last time you were trapped at the dorm gates, I even saved you. You owe me some proper gratitude…”
Failing to break free, Chi Xiaoxian suddenly drained all force from his body as if surrendering.
Sensing his waist soften, Zheng Yikai raised his head in delight: “You agree? I knew you had feelings for me after all…”
Itching with desire, he closed his eyes and leaned in to seek Chi Xiaoxian’s lips.
Suddenly, with a heavy thud, Zheng Yikai fell flat on his back onto the ground, landing upside down in a heap.
Clutching his lower abdomen with cold sweat pouring down his face, he glared at Chi Xiaoxian through gritted teeth: “How dare you—!”
Chi Xiaoxian turned on his heel and fled straight toward the stairs.
However, he had underestimated Zheng Yikai’s tenacity. Before he could take two steps up, his collar was yanked from behind, tightly constricting his neck.
Chi Xiaoxian tried to kick back at the person behind him, but his strike missed, and his calf was caught instead.
Zheng Yikai was practically dragging him straight down the stairs by force.
A chaotic surge of emotion filled Chi Xiaoxian’s heart in that instant. He had managed to narrowly escape zombies twice by sheer luck, only to be ruined by a human in a safe place.
BANG—
A crisp, decisive sound rang out behind him.
In an instant, all the force applied to his neck and calf vanished entirely.
He instinctively turned his head, only to see Zheng Yikai’s head cocked unnaturally to one side. His body tottered briefly before collapsing limply to the floor.
Wait—he clearly hadn’t managed to land a kick.
Before he could register what had happened, his unsupported body began sliding downward, on the verge of tumbling right off the stairs…
Someone yanked him up by his clothes.
“Stand straight,” a cool voice sounded.
Chi Xiaoxian used the steps for support and scrambled to his feet, turning around to see Fang Yue.
Fang Yue held a thick, hardcover book in his hand, its spine facing outward with a visible dent indented into the surface.
He thrust the hardcover book into Chi Xiaoxian’s hands, bending down to check on Zheng Yikai’s condition himself.
“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping upstairs?”
“I just happened to come down to use the restroom.”
Fang Yue patted Zheng Yikai’s face, pulled back his eyelids to check his eyes, and delivered a concise verdict: “…He’s out cold.”
“What should we do now?”
Fang Yue didn’t speak, but his actions gave the answer.
Using the plastic twine meant for binding books, he tied Zheng Yikai’s hands and feet together. Then, pinching his jaw to lift his head so his mouth opened naturally, he stuffed a wad of newspaper inside. The entire sequence flowed like clockwork, leaving Chi Xiaoxian utterly stunned.
“You’re so practiced at this…”
Tossing the guy against the wall, Fang Yue dusted off the wall dust clinging to his clothes. “Everyone’s seen a few crime movies.”
Right, reverse educational demonstration. Chi Xiaoxian was genuinely impressed.
“Tomorrow is the real issue,” Fang Yue noted nonchalantly. “We’ll have to explain this to them.”
Chi Xiaoxian froze for two seconds, then bit his lip.
“Did you… hear everything?”
“Heard a bit, guessed the rest.”
Fang Yue looked up at him impassively. “Of course, we don’t necessarily have to explain either, because the food will run out tomorrow anyway, and we’ll have to break out to search for supplies.”
Chi Xiaoxian’s heart skipped a beat.
After a short pause, he offered a suggestion: “Maybe we could find a way to get to the dorm buildings? My roommate told me Building A is still completely fine and nobody’s infected. I even stockpiled some food in my room earlier.”
“Feasible,” Fang Yue nodded. “I have a bit of food as well. We can hold out for a while longer.”
Once they reached a decision, the bound Zheng Yikai suddenly twitched. Following a bout of splitting headache, he managed to force his eyes open. Upon taking in the situation, he began struggling violently: “Mmph—!”
Standing with his hands at his sides, Fang Yue looked down at him and said flatly, “You have two choices. One is to stay put quietly; the other is for me to pull up the rolling shutter right now and throw you outside.”
Zheng Yikai’s eyes widened, and he stopped moving instantly.
Silence settled over the room, broken only by the ticking of the clock as its hands pointed to two in the morning.
“Get some rest,” Fang Yue said to Chi Xiaoxian. “You go upstairs, I’ll sleep on the first floor.”
Chi Xiaoxian stood without moving.
“Don’t stand on ceremony with me,” Fang Yue said, seemingly seeing right through him. “I’m going to be typing on my laptop in a bit, and it’ll disturb your sleep.”
“Okay,” Chi Xiaoxian whispered softly. “Get some rest early, too.”
—
When she woke up the next morning, Feng Bing was somewhat surprised to find Chi Xiaoxian sleeping in the room instead of Fang Yue. Chi Xiaoxian had no choice but to explain that Fang Yue wanted to use his laptop on the first floor.
Feng Bing didn’t press the matter. Having slept soundly through the night, she was completely oblivious to what had transpired.
When Chi Xiaoxian went downstairs to brush his teeth, he discovered that the plastic twine on Zheng Yikai had already been untied. He was sitting at the dining table with his head hung low, playing on his phone. Hearing the footsteps coming down the stairs, he shot a quick glance upward before burying his head again.
Chi Xiaoxian cast a bewildered look toward Fang Yue. Fang Yue raised his chin slightly, signaling him not to pay it any mind.
Chi Xiaoxian guessed he had likely struck some sort of deal with Zheng Yikai—as long as he behaved himself and followed the rules, his actions wouldn’t be disclosed to the others.
Once everyone was finally seated around the dining table, Fang Yue spoke up at a measured pace: “The food will run out after today. I plan to leave this place.”
“I plan to leave too,” Chi Xiaoxian followed up.
Old Chen shook his head. “It’s so dangerous out there. What will you do if you get attacked outside? Besides, where are you two going to find food?”
“Chi Xiaoxian and I decided to return to the dorms. There’s food inside. If we head back, our rations for today can be saved for you all. If anyone doesn’t dare to go out, that’s fine—once we reach the dorms, I’ll find a way to send some food over.”
The others fell silent for a moment. Finally, the security guard uncle let out a sigh. “It’s an option.”
“What about the rest of your decisions? Are you staying or going?” Fang Yue asked again.
“I’ve been running this print shop for so many years; this place is my home base. I won’t be going with you,” Old Chen said. “Besides, I’ve got high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar—I can’t run and I can’t fight.”
“Um…” Feng Bing showed a troubled look. “My health isn’t great either, so I can’t engage in heavy physical exertion. Can I stay here with Old Chen?”
“Of course,” Fang Yue said. “That’s your own choice.”
Having said that, he turned his head toward Zheng Yikai: “What about you?”
Zheng Yikai froze for a moment. After a long pause, he kept his head buried and muttered softly, “I want to stay too.”
“Then I’ll escort these two young students back to the dorms. Having an extra person on the way makes it safer,” the security guard uncle said readily.
Old Chen hesitated slightly: “Can you manage? You look like a bundle of fragile old bones yourself…”
“Why wouldn’t I manage? I’m hale and hearty!” The security guard uncle slapped his thigh. “With my stamina, I chased a thief for three whole miles last year!”
—
With the members of the escape team finalized, Chi Xiaoxian was about to go pack his things when he suddenly felt Fang Yue’s gaze sizing him up.
“Is something wrong?” Chi Xiaoxian asked in confusion.
“I was actually quite surprised you decided to go out so decisively.”
“Don’t look down on me…” Chi Xiaoxian curled his lip, muttering, “I can steel my heart when I need to, you know.”
“I’m not looking down on you.” Fang Yue retracted his gaze. “It just feels like compared to fighting and killing, you’d much rather lie around.”
“I definitely prefer lying around, but—”
Chi Xiaoxian’s expression turned serious: “The bed here is way too uncomfortable to sleep on, and the air conditioning isn’t cold enough. I still want to go back to my dorm to sleep.”
Fang Yue: “…”
“Only when the air conditioner is cranked way down while sleeping, with your entire body wrapped up in a soft blanket leaving only your head poking out—now that’s pure bliss!” Chi Xiaoxian wore a deeply satisfied expression.
“Didn’t Abraham have a famous quote? ‘I work so that I can sleep.’ I sleep, then I eat, and then I sleep again—that’s living!”
