Chapter 67: Being Family

Under the covetous gazes of those people, Jiang Ye hummed a cheerful tune as he picked up the fuel nozzle to fill the car with gas. He tossed his lighter from hand to hand with one hand, casually exuding an air of threat.

That group whispered among themselves and left, but Bai Chen Zhu did not think they would let it go so easily.

Sure enough, less than fifty meters from the service station, four cars cut them off, trapping them in the middle.

“People can go, but the car and the women stay.” A bald man stuck his head out from one of the cars, threatening them viciously.

Jiang Ye scoffed, rolled down the window, and waggled his index finger lazily. “You refuse the road to heaven and insist on barging into hell.”

“That’s what we should be saying.” The bald man refused to back down, unable to understand how this group of three men and two women dared to say that to their eight tough guys. He immediately cursed, “Has a donkey kicked your head in? How dare you steal our line?”

Jiang Ye called out loudly, “Come down and let’s see who’s better? If I lose, the whole car is yours. If I win, I want you down to your underwear.”

“Bring it!” All eight of them quickly got out of their cars, grabbed their tools, and gathered in the small open space in the middle of the surrounded vehicles, their faces full of smug confidence in their victory.

Jiang Ye turned his head slightly. “Tang Zhao.”

“Coming, bro!” Tang Zhao excitedly hopped out of the car after him.

“I wanna go too! I wanna go!” Bai Tao shouted, only for Zhou Zhuo Hua to cover her mouth.

Zhou Zhuo Hua said helplessly, “Miss, spare your own people, will you?”

Bai Chen Zhu glanced at the sky, figuring that by the time the fight was over, it would be completely dark, and they would probably have to spend the night in the service area. He pulled out the map and studied the terrain back to Deer Cry Ancient City. Before he could memorize how many bridges and mountains the ancient city had, the results of the match were already in.

The eight tough guys lay on the ground wailing and begging for mercy. In a burst of mercy, Jiang Ye stripped them down to their underwear—at least he left them that much.

He also seized their base—the small supermarket in the service area.

The supermarket had clearly been looted; empty shelves were swept to one side, trash piled in the corners, and bedding laid out in the central open space. A strong sour stench hit them the moment they walked in.

Bai Chen Zhu looked around and suggested, “Let’s go next door. The food street passage over there is spacious and doesn’t stink as much.”

Bai Tao, pinching her nose and clutching instant noodles, was the first to cheer and dash out.

Bai Chen Zhu grabbed Jiang Ye, who was already turning to leave. “Come with me to check on those guys.”

—

Having taken their sleeping spot, these people could only huddle pitifully in their cars. The moment he and Jiang Ye approached, they all looked like they were facing a great enemy.

The bald man clutched his crotch and begged, “Bro! Dear bro! We’ve got nothing left, really! All the food and water is in the supermarket—take whatever you want. There’s really no supplies in the cars. It’s cold tonight, and we have no clothes. Can’t you at least leave us a car to sleep in?”

Without a doubt, Jiang Ye had already become the undisputed bully boss in their minds.

Jiang Ye chuckled twice and looked at Bai Chen Zhu smugly, showing off his prowess. “What do you want to ask?”

Bai Chen Zhu ignored it. “We’re close to Deer Cry Ancient City here. Do you know what’s going on inside?”

“Ah! You’re heading to Deer Cry Ancient City?” The man jumped in fright, incredulous. “That place is crawling with zombies now—what’s there to go for?”

The former Deer Cry Ancient City had been a dream destination for everyone, especially at night when bus after bus brought tourists to admire the flower lanterns and colorful lights in the ancient city. Dancing girls twirled gracefully in the center of the river, and actors on stage performed all the vicissitudes of human life.

Because of that, when the pandemic erupted swiftly, most people hadn’t escaped.

Even the manager of Deer Cry Ancient City, upon realizing almost everyone in the city was infected and there was no saving it, shirked responsibility and fled.

His flight triggered the normal people who had been on the fence to run as well, turning the entire ancient city into a “sick” city—a zombie nest now.

“We barely escaped from there ourselves! We were just a family on vacation, never thought we’d all get stuck there!” The bald man wailed.

Bai Chen Zhu raised an eyebrow and coldly exposed him. “So you’re one of those who ran too. You abandoned your family?”

“They weren’t my wife and kids anymore! They were monsters!” The bald man’s face paled in panic at the memory.

His words startled the other men, who chimed in with their own stories, talking over each other.

Bai Chen Zhu watched coldly as they discussed it—nothing but excuses that they had no choice but to abandon those close to them, and how terrifying the monsters their loved ones had become.

“Enough. I don’t want to hear your sob stories.” Bai Chen Zhu spread out the map he carried. “Now, one by one, tell me where the fewest zombies are.”

“If you dare lie to us.” Bai Chen Zhu drew the dagger he carried and stabbed it into the tabletop.

The group fell silent as cicadas in winter.

Jiang Ye took them to a car compartment to watch them, not allowing them to whisper. He let only one out at a time to talk to Bai Chen Zhu.

Bai Chen Zhu asked several questions, like which city gate had the fewest zombies and where was suitable for a short stay.

The answers varied slightly, but he had a general picture now.

Bai Chen Zhu folded the map and looked at Jiang Ye. “Got it. Let’s go.”

They left the group’s cars and headed toward the food street.

—

The moon on the horizon was only half visible. Bai Chen Zhu had been walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Jiang Ye, but gradually he slowed, staring at Jiang Ye’s back in a daze.

Jiang Ye turned around to wait. “Let’s go.”

“Jiang Ye.” Bai Chen Zhu paused, a complex emotion he couldn’t quite name swirling in his heart, refusing to fade. It led him to ask an odd question. “If your family got infected, would you become one of those who abandons them?”

Jiang Ye’s face darkened, his brows sharpening, eyes like knives. “What kind of joke is that? Is that what you think of me?”

Bai Chen Zhu belatedly realized the analogy was off. He shook his head, stepped forward, and patted Jiang Ye’s shoulder. “That’s not what I meant. Sorry.”

Jiang Ye was silent for a moment, then said suddenly, “I’d stay with them to the end, not even know where they died.”

Bai Chen Zhu suddenly remembered—the man before him had parents who were always away on business and lost contact early in the apocalypse. In that “book” afterward, they remained missing.

Since there had been no sign for ten years, they had likely met with misfortune long ago.

“Sorry.” Bai Chen Zhu knew words were inadequate but didn’t know how to comfort someone.

Especially since he knew firsthand how painful it was to lose both parents.

Jiang Ye removed the hand from his shoulder. “We’re alike, aren’t we? You have no family here either.”

Mentioning it, Jiang Ye actually felt happy. He quirked his lips, finding joy in misery. “Look, we can be family to each other. No more being all alone.”

Bai Chen Zhu stared at him in a daze, the palm on his wrist burning hot, the warmth seeming to surge through his veins to his heart. He suddenly pulled away from Jiang Ye’s hand. “Is that how you see it? Me as family?”

“You unwilling?” Jiang Ye countered, a hint of grievance in his sword-like brows. He pouted, frowning at him, eyes bright.

Bai Chen Zhu felt like he was looking at an abandoned puppy, wagging its tail eagerly toward him, then looking all aggrieved and accusatory after being scolded.

His heart softened, and he hesitated. “It’s not that I’m unwilling.”

“Then why?”

Bai Chen Zhu rarely doubted his own judgment. “Don’t you think the way we get along… isn’t much like brothers?”

He had figured it out during their time together.

Jiang Ye wasn’t ignorant of romance; he associated it with men and women, but struggled to fit “men with men”—more precisely, to imagine himself in the frame of “Jiang Ye likes men.” It was as if that logic would shatter him entirely.

Man + woman: right.

Man + man: respect, bless.

Jiang Ye + man: absolutely impossible.

Bai Chen Zhu was a man, looping back to the prior logic—Jiang Ye’s brain short-circuited, his mental wiring dodging related terms outright.

So in moments like this, his mind knotted up, spinning endlessly, twisting into a tangled mess, unable to resolve the contradiction. In the end, he skirted it, classifying intimacy as familial love, friendship, brotherhood, and so on.

Just like now.

Jiang Ye said righteously, “No.”

Bai Chen Zhu gritted his back teeth. “You…”

But he didn’t know what to say.

And the Jiang Ye in front of him was still waiting for his response.

What to say?

They both had feelings for each other. But Bai Chen Zhu himself was muddled, going by instinct, and couldn’t just confess first so easily.

Worse, the other was still straight and oblivious, talking brotherhood while his actions said otherwise.

Getting Jiang Ye to suddenly realize and admit he liked men was next to impossible.

Bai Chen Zhu rarely felt stumped. He took a deep breath, avoiding Jiang Ye’s face by looking elsewhere.

Saying “Don’t you like me?” would seem too narcissistic. Saying “Don’t you think we’re more like lovers?” too presumptuous.

His thoughts in a tangle, Bai Chen Zhu sighed helplessly. “Do whatever you want.”

Whatever happens, happens.

Jiang Ye smiled. Before Bai Chen Zhu could react, he suddenly pulled him into a hug.

The arms around his waist were firm and strong. The taller body pressed warm against his chest, hot breath at his ear, Jiang Ye’s scent enveloping him completely.

“Ah Zhu, don’t be scared. Even if you get infected, I won’t abandon you.”

Again with that.

Bai Chen Zhu should have found it annoying—a lone wolf now growing accustomed to Jiang Ye’s closeness.

“I’m not scared.” Bai Chen Zhu was momentarily stunned; his initial stiffness eased. He tentatively patted Jiang Ye’s back. “Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you either.”

As he said it, his heart raced, everything feeling different—concerning him, and the bond between him and Jiang Ye.

He admitted he was only human, selfish, distrustful of others’ promises because people were selfish by nature.

Yet one day, a day he never imagined, he said it to someone: even if they got sick, he wouldn’t give up on them.

How ridiculous. He had seen himself as no different from those men, which was why he tested and asked Jiang Ye.

Yet he said it anyway.

It was like being possessed, but Bai Chen Zhu felt perhaps… he really could do it.

Jiang Ye let go, grinning as he held up two fingers to mime a little person. “You’re already an ability user. No matter how they bite, you won’t turn into a zombie. But what worries me is still your superpower.”

“Too popular with zombies.” Jiang Ye twirled his hair end, helpless. “I really want to hide you away. What if all those zombies swarm you then?”

“Ah Zhu, Deer Cry Ancient City—why don’t you skip it? Stay in the service area and wait for us. I’ll definitely come back for you.” Worry creased Jiang Ye’s brows.

What image did he cut in Jiang Ye’s mind?

Bai Chen Zhu frowned and shook his head. “I’m not so helpless I need protecting everywhere. Don’t worry—I’ve gotten good at reining in my mental power. In Golden Autumn Village, even though we saw illusions, the zombies under them didn’t swarm me. Doesn’t that prove I’ve controlled my mental power well?”

“Besides,” Bai Chen Zhu waved the map, “this is the fruit of my labor. You gonna freeload?”

“Fine.” Jiang Ye chuckled ruefully.

“And, Jiang Ye.” Bai Chen Zhu warned him solemnly, “We can be family, but not brothers. Figure out exactly what, yourself.”

He had time and patience—for his own hesitation, and for Jiang Ye who hadn’t caught on yet.

“But my patience is limited. Maybe one day I’ll change my mind, and then…” Bai Chen Zhu paused, smiling, eyes curving with a hint of cool detachment.

What then? On matters of the heart, he hadn’t made any declarations or promises.

Jiang Ye looked at him puzzled, wanting to ask more, but Bai Chen Zhu had already turned and walked ahead, leaving him with a serene, ink-painting-like silhouette.

Not brothers… Jiang Ye pondered it carefully. The scope of “family” was too broad. No matter how he racked his brain, a fog seemed to obstruct him from deeper thought, to the point that he couldn’t comprehend Bai Chen Zhu’s words.

A key piece of information flashed through his mind, but it contradicted itself and was swiftly rejected by his cognition. As a result, Jiang Ye felt like he had overlooked something, yet he couldn’t pinpoint the crucial detail.

What had he missed? Jiang Ye’s head throbbed, and he felt utterly frustrated.

If not brothers, then what? He irritably scratched his head.

Relatives were nothing more than parents, sisters, brothers, or mother and child…

Could it be… father and son?