Bai Chen Zhu was forcibly pushed by Jiang Ye onto the passenger seat of the off-road vehicle.
The woman had no objection to her spot being taken. She opened the car door and sat calmly in the back seat.
Jiang Ye turned the key and started the car.
There were clearly three living people in the car, but no one spoke at that moment. Bai Chen Zhu silently examined the car’s interior decorations and felt like a super-sized lightbulb.
The passenger seat should have been for his girlfriend—that much was obvious. How did someone this clueless end up with so many girlfriends? The workaholic Bai Chen Zhu, single for many years, felt a twinge of imbalance.
In the silence, just as Bai Chen Zhu was about to suggest switching to the back seat, the woman suddenly spoke up. “Jiang Ye, I want to discuss something with you.”
Jiang Ye glanced at the rearview mirror, his voice softening a bit. “Hm?”
The woman leaned forward. “Look, although zombies and some mutated plants and animals have already appeared, things are still under control for now. Who knows what it’ll be like later. So I need to head back to my hometown as soon as possible.”
She pushed up the glasses on her nose bridge. “Don’t worry, I’ll drive my own car.”
Jiang Ye said nothing.
The woman shook the headrest of his seat. “Hey, Jiang Ye? Make a sound if you’re still alive.”
“Squeak.” Jiang Ye sounded reluctant. “Sis, can we talk about it after we get back?”
“Back home to keep dragging your feet? My legs are on my own body. I’m leaving tomorrow.” The woman sneered coldly, her mind clearly made up. She crossed her arms and pretended to nap in the back seat.
The atmosphere in the car sank into silence. Even Bai Chen Zhu sensed something was off. He quietly observed the woman through the rearview mirror, his gaze drifting over Jiang Ye, who was humming a tune.
Something felt off. Bai Chen Zhu’s thoughts wandered elsewhere as his index finger unconsciously tapped his thigh.
The car drove along a sparsely populated road, heading into the mountains.
This wasn’t the way to the city—it felt more like heading to some remote wilderness to kill and dump a body. Bai Chen Zhu suddenly called out, “Jiang Ye.”
The humming nameless tune stopped. Jiang Ye glanced at him, his face full of impatience. “Spit it out if you have something to say.”
Amid the car’s silence, Bai Chen Zhu was amused into laughter by him, grinning through gritted teeth. Swallowing his pride, he asked in a low voice, “Hey, where are you planning to take me?”
Jiang Ye eyed the road ahead lazily. “Taking you back to be reserve food.”
Reserve food? Bai Chen Zhu furrowed his brows tightly. His earlier resentment had mostly faded, and he had planned to try getting along peacefully with Jiang Ye.
But upon hearing Jiang Ye’s deliberate attempt to scare him, the conciliatory words on the tip of his tongue twisted into a calm sarcasm. “Tch, has Young Master Jiang already evolved into a living zombie king? Eating and storing them up—home-raised isn’t enough, so you’re out hunting wild game.”
Jiang Ye toyed with the steering wheel like a spinner and suddenly pulled off a massive drift, deliberately slamming Bai Chen Zhu in the passenger seat against the door.
The impact made Jiang Ye’s heart bloom with joy. This little retaliation felt like evening the score.
Seeing Bai Chen Zhu’s face drain of color as he clutched his mouth, Jiang Ye smugly continued the scare. “If I mutated, you’d be the first I eat. I’d bite your flesh, tendons, and bones down one mouthful… one mouthful at a time…”
“Who eats who isn’t certain. Don’t forget how you were at the nightclub earlier.” Bai Chen Zhu caught his breath and suppressed his anger, retorting coldly, “That night’s Young Master Jiang had quite the dashing air.”
“Impressive. Want to test right now whether your mouth is tougher or my fists are harder?” Jiang Ye was eager to try.
“If you two cause any more trouble, this old lady will dump both your bodies in the wilderness! Let you two chew on each other to your heart’s content!” The woman in the back seat, jolted awake, pounded both their seatbacks viciously. Her morning rage was terrifying.
Bai Chen Zhu and Jiang Ye exchanged a glance, both harboring mutual disgust, and turned away.
The place Jiang Ye headed to was a villa in the suburbs of Jiang Province, situated midway up the mountain. Villas dotted the area at wide intervals, with a straight, broad highway leading right to the door.
The villa was three stories tall and sprawled over a large area. Outside, it featured a garden, an outdoor swimming pool, a leisure platform, and parking spaces. A ring of electric fencing surrounded the property.
The first floor was a warehouse, sealed behind a heavy iron door—who knew what it stored. A stylish white staircase spiraled up from the side of the villa. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see the exquisite furniture on the second and third floors.
It was easy to imagine this house had been for vacationing and pleasure before the apocalypse.
Before the car even entered the villa, Bai Chen Zhu in the passenger seat spotted two dark figures crouching in front of the ornate iron gate. From their sneaky movements, the two were trying to pry it open.
Hearing the car, the two thieves turned around. It was Wang Xin Xin and an unfamiliar black-clothed man.
Familiar faces never brought good news. Bai Chen Zhu’s eyelid twitched.
Seeing the car approach, the two were first startled, then delighted. They rushed over to block it. Jiang Ye clicked his tongue impatiently and slowed down.
The two shadows anxiously slapped at the windows. Jiang Ye slowly lowered his window halfway.
The black-clothed man said excitedly, “Brother Jiang, it’s you! Is this villa yours?! That’s great!”
Wang Xin Xin wept with joy, like she’d found her savior, full of hope. “Jiang Ye!”
Jiang Ye’s expression was cold, the window only cracked open. “What do you want?”
His attitude baffled them. They couldn’t understand why someone who’d been so friendly before now seemed to despise them.
The black-clothed man couldn’t hold back first and quickly explained how they’d joined their class activity at Hot Spring Villa, how zombies had appeared there, and how they’d escaped for their lives all the way to this villa district in the mountains seeking help.
Bai Chen Zhu propped his cheek, staying out of it and silently listening to their story. He occasionally glanced at the expressionless Jiang Ye, a trace of doubt and confusion surfacing.
That didn’t add up. Bai Chen Zhu mentally calculated the dates.
He remembered that in the book, not long after leaving the nightclub, the two had confirmed their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend. Jiang Ye had clearly started dating Wang Xin Xin, even booking out Hot Spring Villa for their lovey-dovey time. When the apocalypse hit, the pair had been trapped there together as the lone man and woman…
At this point in time, they should have been inseparable.
But now, his childhood sweetheart had shown up early, while his supposed first love had escaped alone from Hot Spring Villa due to the class activity. Bai Chen Zhu thought to himself, what a complicated relationship, what a messy plot.
Was it because he’d caused Jiang Ye to get infected early that night?
“So what do you want?” Impatience crept into Jiang Ye’s brows and eyes.
“This place is in the middle of nowhere, far from the city. No cell signal, no rideshares, no buses. Brother Jiang, just take us in.” The black-clothed man rubbed his palms, flashing a fawning smile.
They’d stumbled their way to the villa district, only to find most houses empty. Only a few showed signs of life. This villa was the best-maintained, clearly occupied, so there must be food. They’d figured they’d ‘borrow’ a stay.
And it turned out to be Jiang Ye’s! They were confident they’d get in.
“Don’t you have legs?” Jiang Ye said.
“Jiang Ye!” Hearing this, he clearly wasn’t going to help. Wang Xin Xin stared in disbelief. “Are you even human? With all these plants and animals around—any could turn into zombies—how can you make us walk back to the city? What if we run into zombies?”
Jiang Ye couldn’t care less. “Oh, what’s that got to do with me?”
The black-clothed man and Wang Xin Xin hadn’t expected this reaction from Jiang Ye. It was like a completely different person from the usual Young Master Jiang.
“Brother Jiang, how can you be so heartless!” The black-clothed man clung to the car door, wailing. “Times are tough now—we should help each other! Don’t worry, Brother Jiang, we’ll stay just two or three days at most, no trouble at all.”
“We’re friends at least,” Wang Xin Xin’s tone softened. She stood timidly to the side, sniffling, her eyes reddening. “Jiang Ye, just let us stay. We can look out for each other and get through this pandemic together.”
Jiang Ye showed no mercy to his former ambiguous interest. “Who’s friends with you? You think I’ll feed and house you for free?”
Jiang Ye wouldn’t budge, soft or hard. He was determined not to care if they lived or died, not to let them into his villa.
His face was expressionless, radiating an unapproachable aura. Bai Chen Zhu even thought he might just run them over.
The two shamelessly clung on, refusing to leave.
Jiang Ye ‘tch’ed impatiently and started the car.
The two blocked the front recklessly, betting he wouldn’t hit them!
But Jiang Ye floored the accelerator. The car shot forward. Terrified, they dodged on instinct. The vehicle grazed their clothing as they jumped aside and roared through the remotely opened iron gate.
If they hadn’t moved, it really would have hit them!
But ignoring their fear and anger, in the brief moment the gate was open, they threw themselves inside regardless, tumbling onto the lawn and crying out piteously.
