Chapter 18 – Waning Resolve
The buzzing alarm jolted Luo Xun awake. He reached to turn it off—only to find his hand held tightly in another’s. Blinking groggily, he looked over, and met a pair of half-lidded, drowsy eyes hazy with sleep. The beauty mark at the corner of that eye caught his heart off guard with a jolt. His body’s natural morning reaction surged stronger than ever, straining the quilt upward into a sharp little tent.
Startled, Luo Xun jerked his hand free and instinctively recoiled—then thud! toppled right off the bed.
Downstairs, the little mutt barked sharply at the noise.
Yan Fei, fully awake now, watched Luo Xun’s flushed, flustered scramble for the alarm clock. Then he saw the boy, face scarlet, grab his clothes and bolt from the room without even folding his quilt.
Raising a brow, Yan Fei’s lips curved into a strange smile.
He suddenly remembered Luo Xun’s reaction last night—blushing crimson under his teasing smile. Yan Fei knew well the damage his looks could do. But that reaction… was that really normal? Would an ordinary man—thin-skinned though he might be—flush so hard just because another man looked at him?
Resting his tingling hand against his face, Yan Fei let out a low laugh. The laugh pulled at his wound, forcing him to cough before he subdued it. There was indeed a certain unexpected possibility—but this morning’s overblown embarrassment looked more like that of a pure, overly private young man, unused to others, afraid of losing face.
Yan Fei’s striking appearance had drawn plenty of admirers over the years—both men and women. Men had pursued him less often, but not never. He’d never entertained them, though—he had no interest. More importantly: with his looks, the men who came after him were always tops.
Yes, sometimes he’d been curious. In rare moments of boredom, he’d even wondered about trying something with another man. But being the one underneath? Not in the slightest. When he’d discovered that the delicate-looking man who’d trailed after him for two whole months actually wanted to top, he’d kicked him out without hesitation—and gone straight to the bar to wash his eyes with the sight of pretty girls dancing.
However, even though Luo Xun’s reaction was a little excessive, Yan Fei didn’t dare assume from that alone that he was that way… And even if he really was, the man hadn’t shown anything, so there was no reason to treat him like an enemy. Just looking at Luo Xun’s small build… Even without using his ability, Yan Fei could probably take him down. If something really happened, who knew which one of them would actually come out on the losing end?
It took quite a while before Luo Xun returned to the room. As soon as he came in, he went straight to the wardrobe to change clothes, and soon after he came back carrying freshly made millet porridge and hot water.
If it were in normal times, faced with a soft-tempered, quick-to-blush boy like Luo Xun—one who looked delicate and scholarly—Yan Fei might have teased or played around with him. But now, in the middle of the apocalypse, with his own life hanging by a thread, if he stirred things up the wrong way and caused an accident, it might end up costing the kid his life.
Besides, right now he was living under Luo Xun’s roof, eating his food, drinking his water. No matter how shameless he might be, Yan Fei wasn’t so reckless as to provoke the person who was literally his lifeline. What if the kid really lost his temper and threw him back to the apartment next door?
With that thought, Yan Fei quietly took his medicine, drank the water, ate the porridge, and didn’t say or do anything extra. His calm and restrained behavior soon helped Luo Xun return to normal too. After all, wasn’t that just a natural reaction every man had in the morning? Back when he was in school, what embarrassing things hadn’t roommates already seen? He couldn’t let years of isolation in the last life erase his basic common sense about living with other people!
Now both of them acted calm, as if last night’s fleeting warmth in the dark had been nothing more than a dream that never really happened.
Leaving the bedroom and closing the door, Luo Xun went downstairs to let the little guy out of his cage. He carried the empty bowl into the kitchen, set it down, leaned weakly against the counter, and dropped his head.
He still had to find a way to send Yan Fei back next door!
This time, Luo Xun’s resolve was firm. The reason was simple—his humiliating state this morning had been seen by Yan Fei. Worse, after seeing Yan Fei’s drowsy, misty eyes, he had actually felt a flutter in his chest. Since Yan Fei was someone useful to him—someone he couldn’t just silence—it was all the more important to get rid of this dangerous man quickly, put him back in his own apartment, and keep him far away from his boudoir—no, his bedroom! That was the wisest move.
For the past two days, Yan Fei had been unconscious, so Luo Xun hadn’t worried at all about stripping down to sleep or walking around naked in the morning. Maybe this was just another leftover quirk from spending too many years holed up alone in his past life?
He bent to pat the little guy, who had just been let out, then cleaned up the dishes and went on with his daily chores—pruning branches, organizing the vegetable boxes, checking the plants for signs of mutation. Keeping himself grounded in routine helped suppress the urge to immediately storm upstairs and throw Yan Fei out.
The little guy seemed to sense his master’s strange mood that morning. Normally, it would be bouncing around, rolling on the floor, begging for attention. But now, it just wagged its little tail obediently, trotting behind him up and down the stairs, running wherever he went.
By the time Luo Xun finished, he turned around to see the little dog panting hard, tongue lolling. He squatted down with a smile and scooped it up. “See? This house is big enough for you to run around. How could I ever take you out for a walk?”
The pup whined, wagging its tail coquettishly. It had grown two or three times bigger than when it first arrived, and it was starting to feel heavy in his arms.
He kissed the pup on the forehead, only to get slobbered on in return. Just then, the sound of loudspeakers came from the direction of the balcony. Luo Xun quickly carried the dog over and looked outside.
Military vehicles had driven into the compound, and squads of fully armed soldiers were jumping down from the trucks.
The day before, the military had already visited once, clearing out the zombies wandering the community. Today, they were conducting door-to-door sweeps to eliminate any remaining zombies.
To avoid mistakes and accidents, residents were instructed early in the morning to tie ribbons to their windows to show whether the home was occupied.
Luo Xun had followed instructions and tied two ribbons to indicate two people inside. Scanning the compound with his binoculars, he was surprised to see that in some windows, people had tied up socks instead… Clearly, these were late arrivals to the complex who hadn’t had any proper cloth on hand.
The soldiers moved from building to building, apartment to apartment. Luo Xun turned back upstairs with the dog in his arms. After some thought, he resolutely pushed open the bedroom door.
“The military is in the compound doing sweeps. You’re injured—should I let them know and have them take you back for treatment?”
“Treatment with the military?” Yan Fei had heard some noise earlier, but the bedroom’s soundproofing was good, so he hadn’t caught the details.
“Mm. They definitely have medical equipment.”
“But right now, a lot of soldiers must be injured too. I’m just an ordinary person.” Yan Fei shrugged, giving a bitter smile at Luo Xun’s naïve kindness.
Luo Xun quietly looked at him, still holding the little dog. Yan Fei’s ability was powerful—exactly what he needed—but Luo Xun would never try to force gratitude into debt. If Yan Fei preferred to cooperate with the military, then it was better to part on good terms. Later, Luo Xun could still rely on their connection to buy ammunition from him. Forcing him to stay would only breed resentment. That was why he was speaking so openly.
“You’re an ability user. And your ability is special. If the military finds out, they’ll definitely value you. I’ve already seen plenty of soldiers with abilities these past few days—fire, ice, lightning, all sorts. Yours wouldn’t cause trouble.”
Yan Fei froze. He hadn’t expected Luo Xun to say that.
It was true—his ability was quite good. Just the fact that he could manipulate metal freely would earn him attention. But…
“And what about your weapons?” he asked.
Luo Xun smiled. “Once you’ve recovered, if it’s convenient, you can make some during your free time in the military and have them sent to me. Or when you’re free, come trade with me directly—I can give you food, water, daily necessities, whatever. If I hadn’t met you, I would’ve found a way myself. It’s just easier with your ability.”
Yes—Luo Xun had known from the very beginning that Yan Fei was an ability user. As an ordinary man, he had no illusion about being able to tie down someone destined to be strong.
He only wanted to seize the chance, build some goodwill, and see if they could form a lasting connection. If Yan Fei could keep making weapons and ammunition for him long-term, that would be ideal. Even if not, getting more in the beginning would still be a big help.
Since there was such an opportunity now, he might as well help him gain better living conditions and a more comfortable status in the base’s future. Let him leave in peace—maybe they’d even work together more pleasantly down the line. That was certainly better than literally throwing him next door by force, wasn’t it?
Yan Fei was stunned. He had to admit that sticking with the army right now was undoubtedly the safest choice. But… why did it feel like he was just some burden that Luo Xun couldn’t wait to send away?
When Luo Xun finished speaking, he lowered his head and stroked the pup in his arms. The little guy tilted its head, stuck out its tongue, and wagged its tail at him.
One man, one dog—immersed in their own little bubble of happiness. It was irritating to watch.
“And what about you?” Yan Fei’s voice was a little cold.
“Me?” Luo Xun paused, then chuckled as he looked down. “I’m just an ordinary person. If the army can take over this area, that’d be best. I’ll surely find a way to make a living then. Even if not, sooner or later there will be safe zones or shelters for people to live in. I’ll just go with the larger group when the time comes.”
“…Just you, alone?”
Luo Xun looked up in surprise, lifted the paw in his hand, and waved it at Yan Fei. “How could it be just me? I’ve got this little one. Right? You’ll always stay with me, won’t you?”
The pup was still too young—its brain wasn’t developed enough to really understand human words. But it knew Luo Xun was calling it. Lifting its little head, it gave a very cooperative “woof!”
Luo Xun burst into laughter, all his tenderness falling on the pup. He had chosen well with this dog—this would be his lifelong companion. Even if it never mutated, with a dog’s lifespan it could stay with him for ten years or more. By then… maybe he could even find a human partner.
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The second hand embarrassment!!! ?
Luo Xun stand up!