“I bought meat and pork ribs, and also an old hen, but they’re frozen—I’m not sure about the quality… I once ordered fake beef from a grocery app. I only realized it was spoiled after I cooked it. I was so furious.”
“I also bought vegetables—stuff that keeps well, like cabbage, radish, onions… and some fruit too…”
She took everything out of the bags one by one, quickly filling the empty coffee table.
“Oh! I also bought you some clothes.”
Jiang Sui pulled out a black cotton coat. It didn’t have any fancy design—just a plain, mid-length jacket, the kind an engineering student might casually wear.
“I saw the weather forecast. It’s going to get really cold soon… You should be able to wear this.”
She held it up and sized it against him.
Xie Yanhan had broad shoulders, a slim waist, tall frame, and long legs. His proportions were excellent—he looked good in anything. Even the plainest coat somehow looked like it belonged on a model when he wore it.
Jiang Sui nodded in satisfaction. “Not bad.”
Xie Yanhan listened quietly, barely responding, but he looked at every item she took out, and every time she spoke, he watched her attentively.
At first, Jiang Sui felt a little awkward. But gradually, she started talking more and more freely.
In truth, it had been a long time since she had spoken so casually with anyone.
Her parents had died young, and her grandmother passed away a few years ago. She had friends, and her relationship with roommates was decent, but most of the time, she was alone.
She had a lot of meaningless little things to say, but no one to listen.
Even though she could take care of herself well enough, having someone listen to her nonsense… felt good.
Breakfast was noodles.
After the stress and exhaustion of the past two days, and with proper ingredients finally available, Jiang Sui couldn’t hold back.
She added a poached egg underneath, stir-fried chili chicken as a topping, and even made seaweed soup.
It was a proper meal—meat, vegetables, and soup.
Maybe because she had been too exhausted and stressed, such a simple meal almost made her tear up from how good it smelled.
She ate quickly, cheeks puffed out like a squirrel, her chestnut hair clipped up messily, stray strands falling softly around her face.
Xie Yanhan watched her and slowly ate his own meal.
Even with his broken right arm, his left hand was just as dexterous as his right. She had already noticed this yesterday when he ate fried rice.
Watching him eat noodles with his left hand again, she couldn’t help but think—geniuses really were different.
The world truly wasn’t fair.
After eating, Jiang Sui finally had time to shower.
The past day had been chaotic, and she didn’t even remember falling asleep—she hadn’t even bathed.
Now that she realized it, she immediately felt uncomfortable all over.
After a refreshing hot shower, she stepped out with wet hair—but couldn’t find a hairdryer.
She poked her head out of the bathroom door.
“Where’s the hairdryer?”
Xie Yanhan looked at her.
Fresh out of the shower, her lips were red, her skin pale and clean, chestnut hair dripping wet, giving her an almost moist, soft appearance.
“There isn’t one,” he said.
“…Alright.”
She withdrew and dried her hair with a towel.
Only then did she realize again—Xie Yanhan lived extremely minimally.
Almost nothing unnecessary existed in his life. Only essentials for survival.
Maybe he was poor.
Or maybe the Xie family tightly controlled every aspect of his life, never allowing him any freedom to rise.
In the original story, if the car accident hadn’t happened, the apocalypse might have actually been the best time for him.
Without the Xie family suppressing him, he could have relied on his intelligence to get anything he wanted.
But now, before the apocalypse even fully began, his legs were broken—rendering him half-crippled, and making his life even worse.
In such a hellish situation, how could he not become twisted?
After drying her hair, Jiang Sui gathered her courage and walked out casually.
“Do you want to shower too? I can help you wash… your upper body.”
Unexpectedly, Xie Yanhan answered calmly without hesitation.
“Yes. Thank you.”
The bathroom lighting was a warm yellow, casting a soft filter over everything and tinting his pale skin slightly golden.
He showed no embarrassment at all, calmly removing his shirt.
His thin, lean body was exposed—defined but not bulky, with clear muscle lines and a sense of restrained strength.
But it was covered in scars.
Old whip marks had healed into raised lines. Some areas still had faint bruises, likely from Xie Mingli. There were also fresh injuries from the car accident.
He sat on the toilet facing away from her, back slightly bent. His spine formed a beautiful curve, ribs faintly visible beneath taut muscle.
Too thin.
He needed to eat more.
Jiang Sui turned on the shower and wet his back.
She had wrapped his casts in layers of cling film and towels to keep them dry.
After helping him wash his back, she left the rest to him and waited outside.
Fortunately, everything went more smoothly—and more calmly—than expected.
Xie Yanhan was too composed. Too cold. Not a trace of embarrassment.
It made her own distractions disappear.
The weather changed quickly.
Yesterday had been sunny. Today, the sky turned overcast, and the temperature dropped sharply.
Gunshots and shouting could be heard from outside at intervals. Vehicles on the road were rare—mostly supply trucks, police cars, and military vehicles. Occasionally, helicopters roared overhead.
As evening approached, Jiang Sui thought she saw a blurred figure running outside—too fast to be sure.
Before she could confirm it, a sudden burst of dense gunfire erupted from the balcony area.
She immediately dropped what she was doing and rushed out.
Xie Yanhan was already on the balcony reading, though his attention wasn’t on the book.
The moment she arrived, his gaze shifted to her.
But she didn’t notice, focused entirely on the sound outside.
“What’s happening?” she asked urgently.
He looked outward.
Downstairs, military vehicles were parked by the road. Seven or eight fully armed soldiers were firing continuously at a mutated infected creature.
Its appearance varied slightly from others.
This one was crimson all over, its body covered in mushroom-like lumps. Each bullet impact released a burst of red mist.
It moved with terrifying agility—vaulting over walls and climbing the exterior of a residential building.
Screams erupted.
The soldiers immediately pursued, entering the complex.
But the creature was too fast. It crawled along the wall, then squeezed through a window into the building.
More screams followed.
The quiet of the city was completely shattered.