Chapter 17 – Each Other
Luo Xun switched off the overhead light and turned on the bedside lamp instead, his mood immediately lightened. No wonder people always said: “If you’re feeling down, just share it, so everyone else can be happy too.”
Watching someone else suffer truly was the best way to lift one’s own spirits. Just like that, even his frustration at not being able to throw Yan Fei back next door for now completely evaporated.
Suddenly remembering something, Luo Xun opened the drawer of Yan Fei’s nightstand and placed something on top: “Oh right, your gun.”
Yan Fei blinked, a flicker of emotion crossing his expression as he looked at Luo Xun.
Luo Xun, however, reacted as if it were nothing, turning to head for the inner side of the bed. To him, the gun in Yan Fei’s hand was no more threatening than his abilities were. Guns—he’d seen plenty of them in the apocalypse, handled them too. And besides, this one only had two bullets left. Whether he kept it or not made no real difference. If someone truly meant to kill, that gun was no more decisive than his own crossbow.
Yan Fei didn’t touch the gun. Instead, he closed his eyes, the corners of his lips faintly curving upward.
Beside him, the mattress dipped slightly. The European-style bed, more than two meters wide, had no trouble holding two men of normal build—one on each side—without them even brushing against each other.
It took Yan Fei a long time to adjust, to do his best to ignore the strange sensation from below his waist. After a pause, he asked, “How are things outside these past few days?”
Luo Xun, showing rare kindness, didn’t tease him further, “On the first, military trucks passed by, cleared zombies off the roads, and broadcast messages over loudspeakers to calm the public. Earlier today, soldiers entered the community and eliminated the zombies wandering inside. They’ll be back tomorrow—to clear the ones locked inside apartments and to count survivors.”
He had already made preparations in case anyone came to check his unit, so he wasn’t particularly worried about being exposed.
Then he added casually, “This is a new complex, hardly anyone had moved in yet. And with the army so close by, it’ll probably be cleaned up quickly. I heard the situation downtown is really bad—it may take a while before they can reclaim it. If they rescue survivors later, they’ll probably settle them in these empty units nearby. You’d better stake out one of the apartments early, or you might end up with nowhere to live.”
That was really all Luo Xun wanted to say. Forcing Yan Fei out himself would only cause resentment. If Yan Fei offered to move out on his own, that would be ideal.
But Yan Fei’s experience with people far outstripped Luo Xun’s. Even with two lifetimes behind him, Luo Xun’s scheming only ever went as far as preventing others from killing him or marking him as prey—a purely defensive instinct. Yan Fei, on the other hand, had grown up in an environment and social circle where plotting, counter-plotting, and constant vigilance were survival itself.
After all, the best defense was offense—keeping one’s opponents constantly occupied, so they had no time to target you. Yan Fei had understood that since his early teens.
“Stake out a unit? The one next door?” Yan Fei raised a brow. He understood well enough—if this were his own home, he wouldn’t want to let a stranger move in either. But… when he glanced at the window, he caught the unmistakable light of expectation in Luo Xun’s eyes. Almost without thinking, he lifted a hand, pressed to his chest, and coughed.
“What’s wrong? Does it hurt?” Luo Xun’s attention immediately shifted.
Yan Fei stopped before the fake cough became real, drawing in a deep breath—his chest did ache a little from the strain.
“…It’s fine. We’ll talk about it when you’re healed. I’ve already taken care of the unit next door anyway.”
“Taken care of?” Yan Fei asked, puzzled.
“Yeah. Put in a peephole, changed the lock.” In this complex, units only had peepholes installed once handed over to owners. Having one meant the place was claimed. The peephole was one he’d swapped from his own unit, and the lock was a spare he’d bought before the apocalypse, just in case.
Hearing Luo Xun drop the subject of forcing him out made Yan Fei feel strangely lighter. His lashes lowered, lips curving faintly. He didn’t want to freeload—he was eating the man’s food, using his supplies, now even sleeping under his roof. He wasn’t some pretty boy living off others. With powers and brains, he could carve out a way to live on his own once the apocalypse truly set in. He wouldn’t cling to a kid like this for nothing.
But for now… he didn’t want to leave. Not at all.
Chatting with Luo Xun, talking casually like this—it was easier, more comfortable than any interaction he’d ever had. In over twenty years of life, he’d never felt this way.
Yan Fei sighed softly. “On the road, I was too busy running for my life. I never managed to reach my family. I don’t even know if they… If I can find them, then I’ll decide where to live. Maybe my home’s still safe.”
His voice carried a slight rasp—from days of unconsciousness and dehydration. That deep, low tone, tinged with melancholy, struck straight into the heart of anyone listening.
Even Luo Xun, who’d been so set on sending him away, couldn’t help but feel his chest tighten. His own parents had died back when he was in high school, leaving him only an apartment. Their deaths had shattered him—his exam scores plummeted, and he’d only managed to get into a third-rate, no-name university.
He barely lasted two years there, dropping out under the weight of sky-high tuition, useless classes, irresponsible professors, and his own inability to focus—until the apocalypse arrived.
“…Where do your family live?” he asked quietly.
Yan Fei’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Downtown. The western district. I was on my way to find them, but there was a crash on the road—several cars piled up. With the zombie numbers in the city, I had no choice but to team up with some others and pull back to the southwest.”
The western district was one of the most densely populated parts of A City. Along with the east side, it had become ground zero when the outbreak struck at night.
“…The army has already deployed. If your family stayed indoors and didn’t go out, maybe they’ll be rescued soon.” Luo Xun knew what dense housing meant. Even in F City, where he’d lived before—far less crowded than A City—he’d barely made it out alive.
Later, at the A City base, he’d witnessed zombie sieges more than once. Seas of corpses, packed so thick it was impossible to count. If that many had turned in the city, what were the chances Yan Fei’s family had survived?
Yan Fei only nodded. “As long as I know they’re safe, that’s enough. Even if I can’t see them again, I’ll be at ease.” Then, noticing Luo Xun no longer pressing him to move out, he asked in a lighter tone, “What about your family? Haven’t seen them around.”
Luo Xun froze, then sighed softly. “Gone. Both of them. Back in my second year of high school.”
This time, it was Yan Fei’s turn to be caught off guard. He hadn’t expected that. He’d assumed Luo Xun still lived with his parents—judging by the good condition of the apartment, the boy’s young age, his lack of any regional accent… all signs pointed to a student who hadn’t yet moved out on his own.
“…Sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s been years.” Luo Xun smiled faintly. He suddenly realized that if the lights were off, when he couldn’t see Yan Fei’s condition, chatting with him didn’t affect him at all. It felt just like talking with a normal person—a normal friend.
“Sorry,” Yan Fei said again, this time sincerely. His original intention had only been to stir up a bit of sympathy, to make Luo Xun too embarrassed to bring up the idea of him moving out. Of course, he had no plans to freeload forever—but teasing this kind of young man was amusing.
He hadn’t expected his casual words to hit such a raw nerve.
“Really, it’s fine. As for you—when there’s a chance, I’ll try to find out something about your parents.” Even if the odds of good news were slim.
Yan Fei parted his lips, wanting to say Don’t bother. With those selfish parents of his, they would have run to the safest place, or clung to the strongest person, the moment things went wrong.
After all, that so-called “home” in the western district—none of them really lived there, including himself. Each had their own lovers, their own private nests in the city center. The three of them needed no one, and yet each lived well enough on their own.
With some effort, he slowly lifted his left hand, the movement tugging at his chest wound until it throbbed with pain. He rested his hand between them on the quilt, as though wanting to pat Luo Xun, but the pain kept him from following through.
“Hm?” Luo Xun turned, puzzled. In the pitch dark he couldn’t see those narrow eyes, or the small, enticing beauty mark beneath them.
“No need to look for them. They’ll live just fine. I’m sure they will.”
Luo Xun blinked, then also reached out and laid his hand over Yan Fei’s. His skin felt deceptively soft, but it wasn’t truly weak. Over the past two days, every time Luo Xun had helped him sit up to drink water or take medicine, he’d felt it: beneath the lean frame was solid strength. What looked slim was, in fact, packed with taut, springy muscle.
Now was no different. Even sick, Yan Fei’s hand was steady and strong—making Luo Xun feel like some pampered, soft chicken by comparison.
A flicker of frustration rose in his chest, but he shoved it aside and nodded. “Mm. They’ll be fine.”
Their hands stayed joined. Neither felt it strange. Each only wanted to comfort the other, and neither withdrew first. The room was dark, after all—no one could see, not even themselves.
Outside, December winds howled. Without heating, the room should have been freezing. But because Luo Xun had converted the balcony and terrace into a greenhouse for his crops, and because his solar batteries provided ample power, the rooms were unexpectedly warm.
Even with their hands resting outside the quilt, they didn’t feel cold. And so, like that, they drifted off to sleep—without realizing that something about it wasn’t quite right.
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