All the way, Jiang Sui rode the electric scooter at full speed and finally arrived at the residential complex with Xie Yanhán.
On the way, they encountered infected individuals twice, but both were at a distance. Jiang Sui simply detoured to avoid them. Gunshots echoed throughout the city, and heavily armed special police were rushing around everywhere. They were even questioned several times.
Along the way, Jiang Sui unexpectedly spotted a long convoy of military trucks moving in formation across an overpass into the city center.
It seemed that Nancheng was about to be taken over by the military. The lockdown would become even stricter, but the number of infected cases would also increase rapidly. Those running wild in the streets were actually the easier ones to deal with.
The most troublesome cases were the ones who suddenly mutated inside their own homes.
Jiang Sui quickened her pace and brought Xie Yanhán out of the elevator.
The lock had been changed to a smart lock. Xie Yanhán entered the password, unlocked it, and pushed the door open.
A cold, damp, somewhat dark scent immediately rushed out, giving Jiang Sui the feeling she had stepped into a snake’s den.
The room was unlit and the curtains weren’t drawn. It was pitch dark.
She turned on the light. The apartment looked exactly like the last time she had been here—an empty, clean living room, closed doors on both sides, and an oppressive stillness that felt like no one had ever lived there.
Jiang Sui couldn’t help but wonder—had Xie Yanhán never actually lived here?
The room was filled with awkward silence.
This place was supposed to be Xie Yanhán’s home, while Jiang Sui was an outsider guest. Normally, he should have said something to greet her, but instead he just sat quietly in his wheelchair, saying nothing and doing nothing.
It made Jiang Sui extremely uncomfortable. She had no choice but to break the silence herself.
“…Then from now on, we’re roommates, Xie Yanhán.”
After all, she was paying rent here. She had every right to stay.
Feeling a bit more confident, she looked around. There were two bedrooms on either side of the living room—the master bedroom and the second bedroom.
“I’ll take the second bedroom.”
She walked toward it.
Xie Yanhán still said nothing, only his gaze followed her.
Jiang Sui felt a prickly sensation on her back. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but the feeling of being watched made her increasingly uneasy. She gripped the doorknob and turned back.
It wasn’t her imagination—Xie Yanhán was indeed staring at her the entire time. His gaze lingered briefly on the door, then returned to her face, fixed and unmoving.
Her scalp instantly went numb.
Don’t stare at people like that without saying anything—it’s terrifying!
She tightened her grip on the doorknob and suddenly thought: what if something abnormal was inside the second bedroom? Was that why Xie Yanhán was acting so strange?
Maybe he was waiting for her reaction.
Her throat tightened as she looked at the door again.
What could it be?
A corpse? Organs soaked in formalin? Or… torture tools for skinning and dismemberment?
In the later stages of the apocalypse novel, the villain was indeed ruthless enough to skin and kill people with ease. Maybe he had long been “practicing”?
No way…
Cold sweat covered her palms. She couldn’t bring herself to open the door.
For once in her life, Jiang Sui felt regret.
She shouldn’t have come back with Xie Yanhán at all. This was basically walking straight into a villain’s nest.
“You’re not going in?”
Xie Yanhán’s voice came from behind her. It was clear and pleasant, slightly hoarse with a faint breathy texture—almost sexy in a cold, indifferent way.
But now, it sounded like a devil whispering.
“Need me to open it for you?”
“N-no need.” Jiang Sui took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
The second bedroom was also dark. A cold air drifted out, mixed with a strange smell.
She held her breath and looked inside.
Then she froze.
There were no corpses, no horrific scenes.
Instead, the room was filled with glass bottles, test tubes, chemical containers, and small instruments.
The entire second bedroom had been turned into a small chemical laboratory.
Jiang Sui was stunned.
The original story only said Xie Yanhán was extremely intelligent with an exceptional memory—but it never said he was a chemistry enthusiast!
Everything she had just imagined was completely wrong.
“…This is?”
“A chemical laboratory,” Xie Yanhán said calmly, pushing his wheelchair closer.
Feeling a bit embarrassed for misunderstanding him, Jiang Sui forced a laugh.
“I didn’t expect you to like chemistry…”
Xie Yanhán stopped beside her, his eyes dark as he looked at her.
“Want to take a look inside?”
“No, no,” she quickly shook her head. “I’m clumsy. If I break something, it’ll be bad.”
Then she looked toward the living room.
“If the second bedroom can’t be used, I’ll just sleep in the living room.”
After all, Xie Yanhán was disabled. She couldn’t make him sleep on the sofa.
She turned on the TV and began cleaning the place while listening to the news. Since they would be staying here for a while, she needed to know what supplies they had.
Xie Yanhán clearly didn’t cook. The fridge only had bottled water.
The storage cabinet still had some supplies from when they moved out of the Jiang family home.
They had rice, instant noodles, canned food, and sugar—enough for now, but no vegetables or fruits. Nutrition would be unbalanced, especially since Xie Yanhán had just suffered fractures.
Jiang Sui walked out of the kitchen.
He was on the balcony, looking at his phone. Dressed in black shirt and black pants, even his hair was dark. Only his skin was pale, making him look like he existed entirely in black and white tones.
But his face was too striking—deep brows, sharp nose, perfectly defined jawline. Even his eyelashes seemed precisely shaped.
For a moment, Jiang Sui thought he looked like a character from a manga.
Perfect appearance, perfect proportions—like a black-and-white illustration.
A wet, dangerous male ghost type.
“Do you have the property management contact?” she asked.
He looked up, eyes still deep and dark.
“No. Why?”
“They’re distributing supplies. I need to join a group chat to buy them.”
“I’ll go downstairs to ask,” Jiang Sui said. “They must have a group.”
With that, she left.
The door closed behind her.
Xie Yanhán looked at the tightly shut door, then at the items in the living room—her bag, luggage, coat, snacks, canned food, and the composite bow she had proudly shown earlier.
These personal belongings silently confirmed that she was moving in.
His gaze slowly swept over them.
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.