By the time Li Yingxue had finally recovered from the jolting ride and the biting cold, Lu Yun had already found a place to spend the night.
When he left the forest, his speed had been astonishingly fast. Only after entering this relatively open, abandoned district did he gradually slow down, even remembering to retrieve the backpack they had left behind along the way.
This place had likely been a small county town before the apocalypse. Compared to the bustling Rongcheng City, its infrastructure was noticeably more rudimentary. Low-rise buildings covered in dust and grime lined the streets, while abandoned vehicles and scattered debris lay everywhere.
Lu Yun quietly spread out his spiritual perception, sensing his surroundings. This small town seemed to have suffered relatively minor damage. There were not many wandering zombies, and most of them moved sluggishly. As long as one was careful, the night should be fairly safe.
He carried Li Yingxue into a three-story building that still looked structurally intact, kicked open the slightly ajar door, and let a cascade of dust fall from above.
After quickly checking several rooms, he chose a relatively clean bedroom with intact windows and finally prepared to put the person in his arms down.
The moment Li Yingxue’s feet touched the ground, he instinctively leaned back toward the only source of warmth—Lu Yun—and trembled as he said, “Darling… it’s so cold.”
The nights in the apocalypse were terrifyingly cold. Such extreme temperatures were tolerable for supernatural ability users whose bodies had been genetically enhanced, but for ordinary survivors, they were deadly. Countless people did not die in battle—they froze to death in the night.
And even more so for someone as physically weak as Li Yingxue.
Lu Yun himself only wore a thin black jacket over a sleeveless tank top, seemingly unfazed by the cold.
Meanwhile, Li Yingxue’s elegant white outfit, though well-made and thicker than Lu Yun’s clothes, was clearly insufficient against the freezing temperature.
Frowning slightly, Lu Yun removed his black jacket and draped it over Li Yingxue’s shoulders, wrapping his slender body tightly.
Underneath, he was left in only a tank top. His arms were firm and well-defined, muscles tightening subtly with movement. Broad shoulders and a narrow waist outlined a tall, imposing physique.
He was very tall. When he lowered his head and raised his arm to drape the jacket over Li Yingxue, it almost felt like he was enveloping the other entirely within his shadow—like an unfinished embrace, quietly carrying a sense of pressure and ambiguous intimacy.
In the dim light, their breathing seemed to intertwine, as if they were already in an embrace.
The livestream chat instantly exploded.
【This height difference, this sexual tension, this ambiguous atmosphere…】
【They’re way too compatible.】
【I support them doing it big.】
“You stay here for a moment. Don’t move. I’ll go find something to start a fire.”
Lu Yun led Li Yingxue to an old sofa in the room and made him sit down. Li Yingxue curled up from the cold, trembling uncontrollably, and could only nod slightly as he wrapped himself tightly in the jacket that still carried Lu Yun’s warmth and scent.
Lu Yun didn’t go far. He searched the adjacent rooms and hallway, directly breaking apart abandoned wooden furniture and quickly returned with relatively dry boards and chair legs.
A fire was soon lit in the center of the room, its flickering flames driving away darkness and some of the cold. Li Yingxue immediately moved closer, holding out his stiff, frozen hands toward the warmth.
From his backpack, Lu Yun took out two canned foods and a thermos. Li Yingxue’s own thermos had been left behind in the grassland where they were attacked by the mutated bird; when retrieving the backpack, Lu Yun had forgotten to go back for it.
So Lu Yun unscrewed his only remaining thermos. Inside was hot water filled before departure—still slightly warm. He placed it beside Li Yingxue.
Leaning quietly against Lu Yun’s strong shoulder, Li Yingxue listened to the crackling of the fire and the faint sounds of movement as Lu Yun organized supplies.
The silence around him was oppressive. His world was reduced to endless darkness and faint rustling sounds. His thoughts began to drift.
Self-loathing quietly crept in, tightening around his heart. No matter what Lu Yun’s original purpose was, one fact remained—he was indeed a burden.
He had to be carried when walking, fed when eating, and had no ability to protect himself in danger. He could only drag others down.
But… he was also very afraid. He wanted to live. Who would truly want to die when even a sliver of hope remained?
He still wanted to find his father and his brother. He wanted to know whether they were safe. In this desperate situation, he could only cling tightly to Lu Yun as his only lifeline.
Between them, it was probably an unspoken mutual deception, Li Yingxue silently thought.
【Why does the wife look unhappy?】
【Sigh, poor wife… hug hug, a kiss would fix it wuwu.】
Lu Yun had previously turned off the bullet comments and only turned them back on now. At a glance, he saw these two messages drifting past.
He subconsciously turned his head to look at Li Yingxue’s face illuminated by the firelight.
The blind, unfocused eyes stared into emptiness. Long eyelashes lowered, pale lips slightly pressed together—it did look faintly sorrowful and fragile.
At that moment, the canned food was ready.
Without changing expression, Lu Yun picked up the hot can with his bare hands and said flatly, “Time to eat.”
Li Yingxue softly responded with an “mm,” instinctively tilting his face upward and opening his mouth.
After a brief pause, Lu Yun still used a clean wooden stick to pick up a piece of hot meat and fed it to him.
While feeding him, Lu Yun recalled the map he had seen from Shen Zhuonian.
Their current location was still extremely far from the nearest safe base. Their off-road vehicle had been destroyed, and he couldn’t “create” another one anytime soon. If they traveled on foot alone, it was impossible to know how long it would take.
Moreover, Li Yingxue’s body might not survive that long. Living on canned food without enough carbohydrates and vitamins was dangerous for someone so weak.
Tomorrow, while traveling, he would need to pay closer attention—find rice, flour, or perhaps even unmutated fruits and vegetables.
After finishing his meal, Li Yingxue quietly drank water from the thermos for warmth. Lu Yun quickly tidied the sofa; they would have to make do here for the night.
When it was time to sleep, it was once again Li Yingxue who actively clung to him, curling into his arms for warmth.
Lu Yun still wore his usual cold, unwilling expression, but strangely, he fell asleep quickly.
Once his breathing steadied, the livestream viewers watched in speechless silence as the so-called “emotionally detached expert” instinctively tightened his arms, holding the person in his embrace as if he were some priceless treasure.
The next morning, Lu Yun woke first. Feeling the warm body and steady breathing in his arms, he jolted as if burned and immediately let go, sitting up.
Standing by the sofa, he rubbed his brow, irritation flashing across his face.
Why was it this position again?
Because they needed to travel, he didn’t let Li Yingxue sleep in. A few minutes later, he woke him up. Still weak and lightheaded, Li Yingxue struggled to regain his senses, his vision darkening at the edges.
Even simple tasks like brushing his teeth were completed with Lu Yun handing him water and assisting him.
After a brief preparation, the two of them left the temporary shelter, continuing their journey—with Li Yingxue still slightly unwell.