Jiang Miaomiao held the inner pot of the electric rice cooker, standing still in place, too scared to move.
Lu Qiming, who was showering in the bathroom, rushed down with foam all over his body, wearing only a casual bath towel. When he saw her, he immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”
She was also puzzled, pointing at the loudly banging door.
Lu Qiming walked barefoot over to check, leaving a long line of wet footprints on the floor.
A few seconds later, he suddenly raised his hand and turned off the lights.
The villa plunged into darkness, and the banging outside the door and windows immediately stopped.
“We better not turn on the lights at night from now on.”
The zombies’ perception has increased; now, even a slight exposure of light, sound, or scent will attract their attention. They must be even more cautious.
Without the lights and with the windows sealed, the room was so dark that they could only see faint shadows.
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t cook, so the three of them had to take out the long-forgotten biscuits for sustenance. Fortunately, they still had several large packs of sausages, which provided a bit of meaty taste in their mouths.
After eating, according to their usual habit, they would exercise for a while, watch TV, play games, and then go upstairs to sleep.
But now they couldn’t do anything and went straight back to their rooms.
Jiang Miaomiao lay in the darkness, holding the blanket and looking towards the window.
From a distance, occasional zombie howls sounded, as terrifying as evil spirits.
She wasn’t afraid of the momentary horror; she was afraid of the endless torment.
Even if she could endure the darkness, where was the way out?
Except for death, she couldn’t find it.
The weather was already hot, but she felt chills all over and clung to the blanket tightly.
“Miaomiao.”
Lu Qiming knocked on the door, “Do you want some milk tea?”
She opened the door skeptically.
“Can you see the electric kettle?”
“I have a good memory, I don’t need to see it, I use my brain.”
He handed her a cup of hot instant milk tea, and Jiang Miaomiao felt somewhat rejuvenated after taking a sip.
They sat by the bedside and talked.
“Why don’t you go find your friends? They are in the base, right? The base has the military’s protection and weapons; they should be able to deal with the zombies.”
Jiang Miaomiao said.
Lu Qiming was surprised.
“What about you?”
She shook her head, her thoughts returning to the original point after several changes.
“I’m not leaving. I used to read post-apocalyptic novels. People in the base have a tough life. They can’t even eat enough and have to work every day. If they’re unlucky, they might encounter some people who like to scheme and fight. I, a simpleton like me, would definitely have a harder time surviving.”
Seeing her self-deprecating, he became even more worried.
“You’ll stay here alone? How will you survive?”
She smiled.
“How did you survive before you came here? Just live the same way after you leave. As long as there’s food to eat, I’ll live; if there’s no food, I’ll find a more comfortable way to die. I’m much happier now than before, with electricity and a dog. What do I have to fear?”
Lu Qiming fell silent for a moment and rejected her proposal.
“No, I can’t do that.”
“Why?” Jiang Miaomiao asked, “You’re so capable, you shouldn’t die here.”
The male and female leads had similar skills to his level, and if they survived until the end, he could also become the savior. It would be such a pity if he died.
Lu Qiming said, “Even if I want to go, I can’t. There are so many zombies on the way. If I run out empty-handed, won’t I be seeking death?”
“I-I can give you the chainsaw…”
He couldn’t help but chuckle and patted her head gently.
“Don’t be silly.”
His hand still carried the warmth of the milk tea, making her feel comfortable and reluctant to leave.
As he withdrew his hand, she proactively nudged his hand with her head.
Lu Qiming smiled slightly and extended his arm to hug her.
“Stop thinking too much, go to sleep. When the time comes, there will be a way. We will surely find an opportunity.”
Jiang Miaomiao quickly finished the milk tea and lay on his sturdy chest.
His heartbeat was not noisy but rather reassuring, like a stabilizing pill, allowing her to relax a lot.
After a while, she fell asleep, her slender hands curled up against her chest, resembling a well-behaved little cat.
Lu Qiming gently put down the cup, kissed her forehead, and carefully placed her on the bed before walking outside.
He put on protective clothing, dabbed a bit of blood from the female zombie’s body, and when passing by Jiang Rou, the latter also tried to get up, but he hushed.
“Be quiet.”
Jiang Rou blinked and crawled back into her nest, watching him leave the room.
The night passed, and the sun rose, bringing light back to the villa.
Jiang Miaomiao stood by the window, motionless, nearly coveting the sunlight that shone in. It was the first time in her life that she realized how much she loved the sunlight. Even during the half-month in the basement without seeing the sun, she wasn’t this zealous.
After absorbing enough sunlight, she belatedly looked towards the bed and found that Lu Qiming wasn’t there. She went downstairs after opening the door.
The air was filled with the aroma of fish soup, and she took a deep breath, unable to help but quicken her pace into the kitchen.
Lu Qiming, tall and sturdy, was standing by the stove, sprinkling garlic leaves into the soup.
“Awake? Go brush your teeth; we can eat soon.”
Jiang Miaomiao asked in confusion, “Why did you wake up so early?”
“At night, we can’t move, so we must cherish the daytime even more. Did you not eat enough last night? We have some good dishes today; I cooked all the remaining fish.”
Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t express whether she was happy or touched; she walked over and hugged him from behind.
Lu Qiming stiffened for a moment and teased, “Looks like you’ve fallen in love with me. My charm is irresistible.”
“Forget it, narcissist.”
She pinched his waist and went upstairs to freshen up.
Lu Qiming cooked, and Jiang Miaomiao didn’t want to be idle. She washed the unwashed dishes from yesterday, tidied up the dining table, and also cleaned the living room.
The meal was ready, and she stood by the table, looking around.
All the appliances and furniture were complete. They had fish and meat to eat, and the vegetables on the cultivation rack were growing strong every day.
Her dog was cute and obedient, and her roommate was capable and handsome.
As long as the zombies didn’t attack, this life was indeed very happy!
Feeling like she had taken some kind of energy boost, Jiang Miaomiao’s mood was great. She tossed two chopsticks toward Lu Qiming.
Perplexed, he asked, “What’s this for?”
She replied, “Clip your bangs up.”
She wanted to see his handsome face while having a meal.
Lu Qiming helplessly rolled his eyes and said while pushing his bangs up, “How about I cut my hair later and let you admire it every day?”
“You cut it yourself? Are you skilled enough? Otherwise, I can help you.”
She casually made the suggestion without thinking much.
However, Lu Qiming waved his hands repeatedly as if he had seen a plague god.
“No, no, no. Spare my hair, I can use the electric shaver myself.”
If she wasn’t going to help, then he didn’t want anyone to touch his hair. It would be more convenient this way.
Jiang Miaomiao rolled her eyes at him and quickly drank half a bowl of fish soup.
Satiated and satisfied, the two of them slumped on the sofa, not wanting to move.
Jiang Miaomiao kicked Lu Qiming’s toe, and before she could speak, he said:
“I’m not washing dishes.”
“Who asked you to wash dishes? I wanted to ask you, why did I smell a foul odor in the bathroom this morning while brushing my teeth?”
“Why do you think? It’s your bad breath; you nearly suffocated me last night.”
“Get lost! You’re the one with bad breath!” Jiang Miaomiao kicked him hard and said seriously, “It’s obviously the stench of zombie blood. I used to smell it only when I came back from outside and took a shower. Could another zombie have sneaked in?”
Lu Qiming shook his head, “Impossible. I checked every room in the morning, and there was nothing unusual.”
“Then what’s the reason for this smell?”
He pinched her thin calf.
“Most likely you’re just paranoid, seeing illusions everywhere. Don’t worry about it. Today, we won’t go out. What do you plan to do?”
Jiang Miaomiao replied, “Eat, watch TV, and play with my phone.”
As long as the sound was muted, it should be fine.
“Simple pleasures for simple minds.”
Lu Qiming yawned and stood up, saying, “You enjoy yourself, I’m going to catch up on some sleep.”
“Didn’t you sleep well?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Your bad breath kept me up all night.”
Really?
Jiang Miaomiao covered her mouth with both hands and breathed into her palms, sniffing carefully.
Other than the scent of garlic in the fish soup, there was no other smell.
He was trying to frame her, shameless.
Lu Qiming went upstairs, and she lay on the sofa, idle for a while. When she saw Jiang Rou running by, she quickly caught it.
“Why is your fur so dirty? You’re not obedient, running around everywhere, right? Let me give you a bath.”
Jiang Rou struggled desperately but couldn’t escape her clutches. It was washed in a basin until its fur regained its snowy white color.
After giving Jiang Rou a bath, Jiang Miaomiao watered the vegetables, one thing after another, to keep herself busy.
As long as she stopped doing things, she would think of the zombies outside and the scenes of zombies tearing her apart.
If she didn’t think about it, she could at least spend her time happily in this house until her death, like hermit crab hiding in its shell.
Lu Qiming slept until evening. The first thing he did after waking up was to check if Jiang Miaomiao was still there.
He walked downstairs and looked around until he found her squatting in the room where miscellaneous items were stored. He breathed a sigh of relief, lazily yawning as he asked:
“What are you doing here?”
“Taking inventory.”
Since everything was done, she had to find things to do on her own.
Lu Qiming became interested and walked over to squat down.
“How much do we have left? How long can it last?”
“It depends on the situation.”
“Hmm?”
“If we are willing to half-starve ourselves, we can eat for a month. But if we want to live comfortably and eat well, it’ll last at most a week. I prefer the latter.”
Humans are actually a very tenacious species. They can survive two weeks without food and one week without water. Before the apocalypse, there were news reports about people getting lost in the forest, eating leaves and drinking from streams to survive for several months.
They could survive like that too, only eating when they couldn’t bear the hunger, and it would surely last a long time.
However, the problem was that they couldn’t go out at any time due to the dangers outside during the apocalypse. Being constantly hungry and not having enough to drink, what’s the point of living?
Jiang Miaomiao looked at him, and Lu Qiming said:
“Of course, we should eat well and drink well. Otherwise, when we encounter zombies, we won’t have the strength to resist.”
They reached a consensus, and Jiang Miaomiao nodded, placing the cardboard box back in its original position.
“Dinner is ready, let’s eat.”
They walked towards the dining room, but when they passed by the window, Jiang Miaomiao deliberately avoided looking outside.
The sound of zombies was very close; there were probably some in the yard.
She couldn’t fight or run faster than them, so she could only ignore, not look, not listen.
Self-deception.
Dinner was fried noodles with ham sausages. All the bacon, salted fish, and canned food had been eaten, leaving only instant noodles.
There was still plenty of rice, flour, and noodles, but without any vegetables to pair with, eating only the main course was difficult to swallow.
Jiang Miaomiao regretted again that she hadn’t raised a few chickens earlier. As long as she fed them rice, the eggs would be a sustainable resource, and she could use them to make various dishes.
Without rice to feed them, she could still kill the chickens for meat, and even the chicken broth could be enjoyed for two meals.
Thinking of the delicious taste of chicken soup, she suddenly felt that the fried noodles in her plate were unappetizing. She sighed deeply with a touch of disappointment.
Lu Qiming looked at her for a while and snapped his fingers in front of her.
She asked listlessly, “What’s the matter?”
He performed a little magic trick, flipping his wrist, and suddenly a package of pork jerky appeared in his palm.
Jiang Miaomiao’s eyes lit up, “Ah, it’s meat! Where did you get it?”
“I had some left in the bedside table, forgot to take it out. Do you want to eat some meat? Take it.”
“Hehehe, how could I accept that?”
She took it politely while saying, “This is too much.”
While taking it, she tore it in half, thinking that since it was something he gave her, it wouldn’t be appropriate to eat it alone. She gave him the other half.
“You should eat too.”
“No need, I don’t like it.”
“Open your mouth.”
Without waiting for his response, she stuffed it into his mouth. Lowering her head, she saw Jiang Rou wagging its tail with a broken line. So she divided the remaining half in her hand into two and gave the other half to the dog.
The three of them shared a small piece of pork jerky. Jiang Miaomiao still felt that Lu Qiming had hidden some more meat, so she went to his room to check after finishing their meal.
Lu Qiming deeply regretted his decision.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have taken it out, letting you suffer from cravings.”
She was quite serious.
“At times like this, we should share food and juice together.”
“You say it so nicely, but who knows if you have any hidden away.”
“I didn’t hide anything. If you don’t believe me, go and find out.”
“This is your word; if I find something, I won’t let you off the hook.”
Lu Qiming pointed at her and went to her room.
Jiang Miaomiao had been in the villa for so long and had never hidden anything. She was quite confident in herself and opened his bedside table drawer.
Inside, there were three packs of cigarettes, four lighters, a box of fat dahai, and a box of tieguanyin tea.
She then opened the wardrobe and found three or four sets of clothes, a dozen or so underpants, a dozen or so pairs of socks, several large cans of protein powder-like supplements, a stack of game CDs, several spare keyboards and mice, and a bundle of ropes. Other than that, there was nothing else.
She didn’t believe in evil and stood in the middle of the room, scanning every corner like a scanner, finally resting her eyes on the mattress.
Jiang Miaomiao walked over to the bed, about to lift the mattress, and Lu Qiming arrived outside the door, holding a book in his hand.
“Wow, hiding erotica in the wardrobe, and I caught you.”
Her face turned red, and she rushed over to snatch it away, hiding it in her arms as she said, “As an adult woman, what’s wrong with reading erotica? Is it any of your business?”
“If you want it, just say so. I might be willing to sacrifice myself to satisfy you. Why rely on imagination?”
Lu Qiming raised his eyebrows and teased.
Jiang Miaomiao blushed even more and scolded him before continuing to lift the mattress.
Lu Qiming sat down on the bed and fluently recited a passage from the book.
“His gaze was like that of an eagle, able to pierce into people’s hearts. His abdomen displayed eight well-arranged abs, with two alluring lines winding downward. The massive object below made her blush and her heart race.
“Don’t come closer!” she cried out. He chuckled and blocked her path, uttering thrilling words with his thin lips.
“Woman, you are playing with fire…”
Jiang Miaomiao felt utterly embarrassed listening to this and pushed him away.
“Move aside.”
Lu Qiming said, “Why were you checking under my mattress? There’s nothing down there, don’t waste your effort.”
“I won’t know until I check. Step aside; if you don’t leave, it shows you’re guilty.”
He snorted, took a few steps, then suddenly turned and asked, “How about I show you what real abs look like?”
Jiang Miaomiao became even more convinced that he was hiding something. She sneered and, with all her strength, lifted a corner of the mattress.
Beneath it, several packages of snacks were exposed. Lu Qiming looked panicked and grabbed her arm to explain.
“The gap between the mattress and the headboard is too big, and things easily fall down. I didn’t even know…”
She shouted loudly, exerting force as if her life depended on it, completely lifting the mattress.
Below, there were dozens of packages of snacks – preserved fruits, chocolates, pork jerky, beef jerky, and more – enough to open a small shop.
Jiang Miaomiao held her arm and asked, “Do you have anything else to say?”
“I’m still growing, and I need midnight snacks.”
“With your height, you’ll soon be touching the ceiling.”
Jiang Miaomiao grabbed a plastic bag, shook it, and started packing the snacks. She said coldly, “I’m confiscating all of these.”
Lu Qiming blocked the door and didn’t let her out.
“Give me a few packs at least.”
“No way.”
“Please, three packs? Two packs? At least one pack, right?”
Jiang Miaomiao wanted to make him give up, but unexpectedly, he suddenly leaned in, and his warm lips and tongue captured her lower lip. While she was caught off guard, he snatched a pack of snacks and ran, pushing her out of the room and closing the door.
“Thank you.”
“…” Jiang Miaomiao said angrily, “From tomorrow, I won’t brush my teeth!”
That shameless rogue!
Lu Qiming didn’t say anything, and she carried the remaining snacks to the storeroom. When she came out, she found that it was already dark outside.
Zombies were gathering outside the villa. She quickly checked whether all doors and windows were secured and turned off all the appliances until the villa was quiet, as if it were uninhabited.
After completing these tasks, she carried Jiang Rou upstairs. When passing a window, she was a bit curious about what the outside looked like now.
Just take a quick glance.
She opened the window slightly, less than the width of a finger, and raised her eyes to look outside. Something black blocked her view, and there was a security window in between.
At first, she didn’t understand what it was. After a couple of seconds, she suddenly realized—it was a zombie’s eye!
The other party also noticed her and started snarling fiercely, trying to break through the window and get inside.
Jiang Miaomiao was frightened. She didn’t even have time to call for help. She desperately closed the window, locked it, and pinched her finger in the process, tears streaming down her face from the pain.
Lu Qiming heard the commotion and walked to the stairs, asking, “What happened?”
Embarrassed to say that she did something foolish, she shook her head with the back of her hand behind her back.
“Nothing.”
“You’re crying like this. Either you saw your parents, or you got hurt.”
Lu Qiming came over and reached out his hand.
“Let me see.”
Still trembling with fear, she glanced at the dark shadows outside the window and whispered, “Let’s go back to the room first.”
Once in the room, Lu Qiming helped treat her injured fingers. They had turned purplish-blue like tender onions, and even her nail beds were broken.
After hearing the whole story, he applied a band-aid to her finger and lightly tapped her forehead.
“Will you stop retaliating in the future?”
She felt too disheartened to speak, so she crawled into the bed, where she could even hear the sound of zombies climbing the walls.
The daytime happiness was ultimately short-lived. Danger arrived with the night. The zombies hadn’t found a way in yet, or else they would be inside within minutes.
Lu Qiming tossed the medicine into the drawer and sat in the darkness, looking at her.
“Do you have anything you wanted to do but didn’t have the chance to?”
Things she wanted to do but didn’t have the chance? There were so many.
She hadn’t become rich, hadn’t gotten double eyelid surgery, hadn’t done a full-body hair removal.
She hadn’t bought the high heels she liked, hadn’t eaten the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall she had been craving, and hadn’t pursued the job she liked.
She hadn’t been in a relationship, hadn’t married, hadn’t taken beautiful wedding photos.
She hadn’t given birth to a child, hadn’t strolled through a shopping mall with her child, hadn’t watched him grow up.
Jiang Miaomiao covered her face, afraid to think any further.
She wanted to die without regrets. Thinking about all these things would only make her yearn for the future.
In the darkness, her slender shoulders trembled slightly.
Lu Qiming pursed his lips and touched her back.
“There have been many times before when I thought I was doomed, but I’m still alive now. I’m not you, so maybe I can’t understand your feelings, but no matter what, you can only do what you want to do if you stay alive. If you die, everything will be lost. Look at those people outside; if they had the chance, they would definitely do everything to escape.”
Jiang Miaomiao remained silent for a long time. He thought she had fallen asleep, so he prepared to sleep as well.
Suddenly, she sat up, didn’t say a word, and began to undress.
Lu Qiming frowned. “Are you feeling hot?”
“Lu Qiming, do you like me or not?”
“Huh?”
“Answer me!”
“Uhh… Well, this…”
“Whether you like someone or not should be straightforward. Is there a need to think about it for so long?”
He quickly replied, “I like you.”
Although he found her annoying sometimes, most of the time, he did like her, which was why he was willing to tolerate her quirks.
Jiang Miaomiao took off the last piece of her underwear and pounced on him.
“Don’t waste time talking; come on.”
“Umm… Cough, come, come on for what?”
“Who knows, maybe we’ll die tomorrow, and I don’t want to die without experiencing it once.”
Jiang Miaomiao grabbed his T-shirt, intending to help him take it off.
Terrified, he kept retreating and used his long arms to block her.
“Calm down a bit and don’t be in such a hurry.”
“You were the one who told me to think about things I haven’t done yet. I’ve thought of one, and it’s the only thing we can do immediately.”
He had a good physique, long legs, a handsome face, and an acceptable character.
As for being mouthy… well, there’s no need to talk during such times anyway.
Determinedly, Jiang Miaomiao took off his pants. Lu Qiming covered his precious belongings and rolled off the bed, standing on the floor as he said, “We can’t do this because… we don’t have protection! Yes, that’s it, no protection.”
We’re at the brink of death, why bother with protection?
She rolled her eyes and also climbed off the bed.
Lu Qiming was nearly in tears. He couldn’t push her away, nor could he force her down. Could he really only accept his fate?
That thought flashed through his mind when suddenly, he heard the sound of glass breaking.
It was very close, seemingly just in the next room.
Jiang Miaomiao paused, speaking in a hushed tone, “Something’s coming in?”
Just wait for three more minutes!
“I’ll go and check.”
Lu Qiming quickly moved towards the door.
Jiang Miaomiao dragged a small chainsaw from under the bed and followed closely behind him.
Both of them were naked, sneaking through the darkness and arriving at the door of the neighboring room.
As a safety precaution, they had locked all unused room doors. Lu Qiming cautiously leaned against the door to listen for a moment, then turned back and whispered, “A zombie has come in.”
What should they do now? Rush in and fight it to the death?
The window was already broken. If other zombies heard the noise and rushed in, wouldn’t they be seeking death?
But doing nothing was also not an option. Who knew how long this wooden door would hold up against the zombie?
As Jiang Miaomiao was still trying to come up with a plan, Lu Qiming suddenly took her chainsaw and looked at the door, saying, “I’ll stay here. You go back to sleep.”
…Even if her nerves were as thick as electric cables, she couldn’t possibly sleep in this situation.
“What are you joking about?”
“I’m not joking.”
His voice was barely above a whisper. “I’ll stay here. If the zombie comes out, I’ll give you a signal, and you run out immediately. Get on the bike and pedal fast, don’t look back.”
“Outside is filled with zombies. Where can I run?”
“Wait until there’s a commotion here, then I’ll turn on the lights. By then, the zombies will definitely gather here, and that’s your chance to escape.”
Jiang Miaomiao looked at him, her nose tingling, eyes getting moist.
“Lu Qiming…”
“Go.”
He smiled at her, but it was too dark for her to see if he noticed.
“If I survive, I’m willing to sleep with you. I like you, that’s the truth.”
Tears welled up in Jiang Miaomiao’s eyes. She regretted not being a female superhero, flying up in her underwear, and smashing all the zombies in the world to let this man live.
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