Chapter 115: The Jealous Apocalyptic White Lotus · 12

That night, Su Wenyu still slept in the same bed with Xu Youran.

Although he had to stay vigilant each night about whether Xu Youran would get handsy, the sense of security from sleeping next to him outweighed that wariness. So Su Wenyu was still very willing to share a bed with him.

However, to prevent Xu Youran from taking advantage of him while he was asleep without his knowledge, Su Wenyu could only ask 520 to keep a close watch on him during the night.

If Xu Youran dared to make any improper moves, 520 was to wake him up immediately. He’d kick Xu Youran right in the family jewels without hesitation!

Bearing the solemn mission of safeguarding Su Wenyu’s purity, 520 accepted with the utmost seriousness.

Using the cockatiel body, 520 had the habit of sleeping at night.

But its “sleep” was actually just hanging in the background in a dormant mode.

This mode was convenient for 520 to rest, but also allowed it to quickly cut back out to handle anything that came up. It was perfect for monitoring whether Xu Youran would do anything to Su Wenyu that the Youth Protection System wouldn’t permit.

So when Su Wenyu slept in the same bed as Xu Youran, he truly felt at ease.

If zombies suddenly burst in, Xu Youran was on the outside—Su Wenyu was safe.

If Xu Youran tried to take advantage of him while he slept, 520 was there and would wake him in time—also safe.

Su Wenyu wrapped himself in the blanket, closed his eyes peacefully, and slept very soundly.

Xu Youran lay beside Su Wenyu, listening to his breathing even out into sleep within moments. All he felt was a dry heat coursing through him, hot one moment and cold the next, his heartbeat quickening.

Especially that one area—restless and stirring—it tormented Xu Youran to the point he couldn’t sleep at all!

Insomnia made him angry.

But he could only bottle up his anger because Su Wenyu was already asleep.

So no matter how furious Xu Youran was, he could only sit at the head of the bed with a sour expression, pull down the waistband of his pants, and glare at that thing as if seeing it for the first time, his face full of bitter resentment.

It also stood tall and proud, displaying its magnificence, allowing its master to stare.

“Why are you like this?” Xu Youran asked it in a lowered voice.

But how could it answer? If it could answer, if it could speak, Xu Youran would probably dare to cut it off.

So it remained silent, wordless, only persistently flaunting its presence.

Seeing that it had absolutely no remorse and no intention of calming down, Xu Youran grew even angrier.

But no matter how angry, it was his own thing, his own precious asset. What could he do?

Xu Youran roughly rubbed it once through his pants to vent his frustration, then had no choice but to lean against the wall, close his eyes, and wait for it to settle down.

However, that night, it settled down particularly slowly.

Whether it was because the scent of Su Wenyu’s body wash was too strong, or because Su Wenyu’s breathing was too noisy, Xu Youran had to endure for a long time before it finally quieted.

Xu Youran felt that with this kind of willpower, he’d definitely succeed at anything in the future.

Once his body truly calmed down, Xu Youran let out a deep breath, relaxed, lay down, and prepared to sleep.

The next second, a sudden shriek came from outside the window, followed by the heavy sound of something hitting the ground.

Xu Youran’s just-closed eyes snapped open again, clear and alert.

He didn’t need to look to know what had happened. Someone had committed suicide.

Su Wenyu was deep asleep. The sudden noise didn’t wake him, and Xu Youran didn’t intend to wake him either.

But the commotion outside probably jolted awake many of those barely surviving in the dorms. Xu Youran saw lights flickering beyond the curtains, and faint stirrings came from the neighboring dorm.

It was only then that Su Wenyu groggily opened his eyes, his eyelids sticking together several times before he managed a sliver of a gaze toward Xu Youran. “What’s going on? Seems noisy out there.”

“Nothing. Someone just jumped off the building.” Xu Youran’s tone was indifferent, mentioning the jumper as casually as if the person were simply on a drop tower ride.

Su Wenyu, still heavy with sleep, instantly widened his eyes and snapped fully awake.

“What?” Su Wenyu shot up from the bed, urgently wanting to get down and see what happened.

Xu Youran reached out to stop him. For some reason, he didn’t really want Su Wenyu to see that bloody scene.

But even if he didn’t see it now, he’d have to face these things eventually.

As long as zombies were around and they needed to find a safe place to live, scenes of death were something Su Wenyu would inevitably witness.

After a moment of hesitation, Xu Youran withdrew his hand and said to Su Wenyu, “Remember to put on shoes.”

Su Wenyu muttered an “Oh” without giving it much thought. He climbed down, slipped on his slippers, and pattered over to the balcony, pulling aside the curtain to look down below.

The moment the curtain opened, he saw various flashlight beams shining down from all around. Zombies, being somewhat sensitive to light, grew more active when the lights came on, moaning and howling aimlessly.

And in the spot where the lights converged, Su Wenyu saw a body sprawled on the ground, a pool of blood beneath it.

Just from the amount of blood alone, Su Wenyu knew the person was beyond saving.

Especially since the zombies passing by showed no reaction—that also indicated the body no longer had any signs of life.

Their observations of the zombies over this period had led to the conclusion that they were sensitive to sound and light.

Now, another finding was added: zombies were not interested in the dead.

Su Wenyu heard a lot of fragmented muttering around him but couldn’t make out what they were discussing. Anxiously, he gnawed on his finger.

He feared that others, to avoid being bitten by zombies, might imitate this method of death.

Some people didn’t like taking risks and were content with the status quo. When they couldn’t survive any longer, they’d rather commit suicide than face the terrifying zombies. Being bitten by a zombie meant turning into one.

Su Wenyu desperately wanted to shout out, urging everyone to hold on a little longer—that when daylight came tomorrow, they could all charge out together and figure something out.

But he was also experiencing this for the first time. He didn’t know what to say to rally everyone to keep clinging to life.

Because even if they charged out, where would they find food? Which direction was safe? No one knew.

Without a clear destination, a goal, people had no hope.

Li Fei and Liu Yuan next door also came out. Seeing the body below, both sucked in cold breaths, then wore expressions of unbearable distress.

They might have once threatened Xu Youran, demanding he share some food, but truly witnessing a life extinguished before their eyes—these two simple college students still struggled to stomach such a scene.

The window below Su Wenyu’s also opened, and a messy head of hair poked out.

The hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in ages—greasy and lifeless.

The person’s voice sounded very weak too, and looking at the corpse below, he suddenly let out a “Haha” laugh.

“Dead. Just like that, dead.”

The person kept staring at the corpse. After a long while, Su Wenyu saw his hands grip the windowsill as if preparing to climb over. His face paled in horror.

“What are you doing?!” Su Wenyu’s loud shout made the person’s movements falter.

Liu Yuan and Li Fei only then noticed Su Wenyu beside them. They flinched at first but relaxed a bit when they saw Xu Youran wasn’t there, then followed Su Wenyu’s gaze downward.

Su Wenyu’s shout instantly drew the attention of the surrounding dormitory buildings. Various flashlight beams followed the sound and fell upon Su Wenyu and the person below him.

The person was still in the motion of climbing out the window. Others from different dorms saw this and immediately shouted to stop him: “Don’t jump! Jumping is certain death—charging out might give you a chance to live!”

“Yeah, yeah! Once you’re dead, there’s no hope left!”

“People who commit suicide go to hell! Hell is even scarier than getting bitten by zombies, really!”

Some, terrified of zombies and seeing no hope, wanted to die. But such people were the minority.

Most wanted to live. They were also afraid of zombies and also saw no hope, but they wanted to live.

Maybe they wanted to live for themselves. Maybe they wanted to see their families again.

Maybe they had no attachments, but they simply wanted to live.

Better a miserable life than a good death. Living was more important than anything.

More and more people urged the person not to jump, to stay alive. This made those who had been watching him about to jump, also on the verge of giving up and following suit, start to waver.

But the person still stepped onto the windowsill, staring blankly at the zombies below.

He said, “I haven’t eaten in two days. No food left. No strength in my body. And I have a fever.”

“If I jump now, I die. If I lie in the dorm, I still die. If I walk out of the dorm, I also die. Why can’t I choose a death that’s quicker for me?”

“Go to hell? Fine. It’s something that happens after death anyway. No matter how painful, it won’t be more painful than this present with no future in sight.”

Zombies had only existed in movies, TV shows, and imagination before.

They were still students, too well-protected by their families. They’d never experienced despair, oppression, or the struggle of seeing no future. So when this moment arrived, their hearts couldn’t bear the pressure at all, and all that was exposed was fragility.

This person truly didn’t want to live anymore. After mulling it over, all he wanted was a quick death.

He wasn’t afraid of his body being unrecognizable. He was only afraid of not dying quickly enough.

So before anyone could plead with him further, the person on the lower floor let go of the windowsill.

Su Wenyu’s pupils constricted sharply. His scream was strangled by his suddenly tight throat, and no sound came out.

The young body leaped, headfirst, giving himself absolutely no chance of survival.

In the end, only a crimson flower bloomed in everyone’s sight.

The zombies, drawn by the noise, howled and charged over. They wandered around the area blankly, then stiffly shuffled away again.

Su Wenyu stared at the corpse below and suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe. His fingers gripping the windowsill were so tense they turned white. A chill rose from the depths of his heart, making his entire body tremble.

“Y-you… you…”

Su Wenyu’s lips were trembling too. His tongue refused to cooperate, and he couldn’t get a full sentence out for the longest time.

He just felt bone-chilling cold, trembling as he looked at the body below.

He had watched helplessly as someone died right in front of him—utterly powerless, unable to stop it.

Just as Su Wenyu stared below, dazed and feeling as if he himself might jump, a hand abruptly covered his eyes. Another arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him back from the balcony into the room.

Xu Youran’s voice came across as somewhat cool, but the gentleness was deliberately softened as it landed by Su Wenyu’s ear in a low, coaxing murmur: “Su Wenyu, don’t look.”

“I’m here.”