“You stay put. Who knows what’s happening outside? What if something happens—what would Dabao and I do?” Feng Qingyue rubbed her temple. “I have a bit of a headache.”
Shu Hanguang panicked. “Honey, you can’t get sick. What would I do if something happened to you? We—we have to take turns.”
After so many years together, Feng Qingyue wasn’t angry at his heartfelt words. Instead, she found them reasonable. Gritting her teeth, she nodded firmly. “I won’t get sick.”
This was an order to her own body, using subconscious willpower to resist.
Her parents called again, asking if Shu Dabao’s fever had gone down. Feng Qingyue, plagued by a bad feeling, hadn’t even taken his temperature. Under the watchful eyes of the two elders, she finally measured it: 37.1°C.
“That’s not too high, right?” she clung to hope.
Mother Feng and Father Feng also clung to hope. “It’s just an ordinary fever.”
Mother Feng began sharing folk remedies for reducing fever. In the past, Feng Qingyue would have been impatient, but this time she listened carefully and asked detailed questions. As soon as the video call ended, she sprang into action.
Shu Hanguang made a video call to his parents, loudly declaring it was just a common cold. Father Shu and Mother Shu also breathed a sigh of relief.
Shu Hanguang asked Shu Xin how widespread the infections were back home.
Shu Xin said it wasn’t too bad. People were still willing to go out on the streets, so the virus probably hadn’t reached their hometown yet.
Shu Hanguang repeatedly urged her to secure the house and absolutely not let outsiders in.
He didn’t trust his brother-in-law, Gao Suian, just as Feng Qingyang didn’t trust him, his brother-in-law.
The couple busied themselves around Shu Dabao until the afternoon. They measured his temperature again: 37.2°C.
“It should be stabilizing, right?”
Shu Hanguang urged Feng Qingyue to take a shower. When she came out, she found him checking the doors and windows, especially reinforcing the main entrance. Both of them knew all too well—in these extraordinary times, who knew how the authorities’ stance might change? Today they said to stay home, but who knew about tomorrow? And who knew if the families of those taken-away Infected would even be allowed to see them.
“Honey, come here. Let me show you how to open all these safety latches.”
Shu Hanguang was afraid that if he got infected too, Feng Qingyue wouldn’t even know how to open the door.
At the same time, Feng Qingyue feared that if she got infected, Shu Hanguang wouldn’t be able to take care of himself and Shu Dabao. She instructed him on how to use everything in the house. In truth, Shu Hanguang knew how, but he wasn’t attentive. Feng Qingyue was terrified he’d turn the house into a pigsty if left to his own devices.
The couple learned from each other. After Shu Hanguang showered, Feng Qingyue washed all the clothes they’d changed out of. Then, Shu Dabao woke up.
He was listless, didn’t speak, and wasn’t hungry. Only after much coaxing and persuasion did he drink a few spoonfuls of porridge.
He wanted Feng Qingyue to hold him. Shu Hanguang hesitated, opening his mouth to speak, but Feng Qingyue leaned against the headboard and cradled Shu Dabao.
“Go to sleep. I’ll call you later, and you can take over.”
Shu Hanguang nodded. The latter half of the night would be harder to endure, so he’d sleep for two hours first.
Feng Qingyue softly coaxed Shu Dabao until he fell asleep. Then she started scrolling through her phone, desperately hoping to find a miracle cure. Unfortunately, despite the flood of news, there was still no word about a vaccine.
Feng Qingyue cursed under her breath. Was this Apocalypse inevitable?
Legal news occupied a significant portion. As soon as the virus outbreak occurred, the long-restless public immediately erupted into riots. Destructive acts broke out in many places. Looting, smashing, and stealing were expected, but the speed of the relevant authorities’ response exceeded expectations—it seemed even more efficient than during peacetime.
Feng Qingyue's heart stirred as she suddenly remembered seeing people in maintenance uniforms walking around the residential complex a couple of days ago when she went downstairs. At the time, she thought it was routine maintenance, but could they have been installing additional surveillance?
Moreover, efficient mobilization requires sufficient personnel. The people appearing in the footage looked exceptionally alert and agile—were they already well-trained, or had they… already survived the virus and developed antibodies?
At this thought, Feng Qingyue wished she could dive into the internet and exchange ideas with the vast online community. Unfortunately, only official channels could broadcast information online at the moment.
But—if there were antibodies, could a vaccine be developed?
Hope blossomed in Feng Qingyue's heart. She hugged Shu Dabao and kissed him: "Good boy, you must hold on!"
She continued scrolling through her phone, her finger pausing abruptly. On the screen, a group of people were wielding highly "criminal" controlled items, forcefully smashing their way through. Though there was no sound, the visuals alone made it clear what they were doing. The scene shifted to a solemn and imposing backdrop—these individuals were being escorted with their arms restrained, standing in the position of the accused. The verdict: death penalty, immediate execution.
This was followed by an interpretation of the law: severe endangerment of social order, terrorists.
The message was clear: the Apocalypse is not a free-for-all; the law cannot be challenged, and the safety of the people's lives is paramount.
Honestly, as an ordinary citizen, seeing this naturally instilled a strong sense of security.
As for those who might feel fear, resentment, or unwillingness upon witnessing the authorities' swift, decisive, and resolute actions—would they stop?
Feng Qingyue shook her head. She got up and wiped Shu Dabao down once more. Scrolling through her phone, cooling him down. Cooling him down, scrolling through her phone. She endured until two in the morning, wiped him down again, and went to wake Shu Hanguang.
Shu Hanguang didn't wake up.
Feng Qingyue reached out to touch his forehead. Beneath her fingers, she felt intense heat, while her own fingers were icy cold.
In that moment, Feng Qingyue's heart turned just as cold.
"Don't panic, I mustn't panic. What should I do? Right, right, not everyone turns into a Zombie. Things will get better. Maybe Supernatural Abilities will even emerge. With such a robust physique, how could he not pull through? I mustn't panic. I can't afford another crisis…"
Muttering to herself nervously, Feng Qingyue rushed to the living room, fumbled to turn on the light, poured half a cup of boiling water over two packets of medicine, stirred vigorously with a spoon, added cold water, dug out a few white pills, and hurried back to the room to shake Shu Hanguang awake.
Shu Hanguang opened his eyes, a drowsy, watery glaze covering his pupils. Feng Qingyue couldn't shake the feeling that his gaze seemed somewhat sluggish.
"Get up, take your medicine."
Shu Hanguang took a moment to process this: "Do I have a fever?"
Feng Qingyue forced herself to remain calm: "Secondary infections are bound to be milder. Take the medicine, and you'll be better by tomorrow."
A tear slid from the corner of Shu Hanguang's eye, making Feng Qingyue's own eye twitch. She was on the verge of losing her temper but, considering the late hour, held back her shout. She grabbed a tissue and wiped his tear away.
"Hurry up and take your medicine. I still need to check on Dabao."
Shu Hanguang sniffled, struggling to sit up. Leaning against the headboard as if he might collapse at any moment, he reached out to take Feng Qingyue's hand. She rolled her eyes and instead cupped his face: "Open your mouth."
Shu Hanguang obediently opened his mouth. Feng Qingyue dropped the pills inside, lifted the cup to his lips, and he gulped them down with several swallows. After he finished, she went out to refill a cup of warm water and fed it to him as well.
Shu Hanguang wriggled back under the covers like a large insect, tilting his head to look at her: "Wife, don't open the door for anyone. Or… you should leave."
Feng Qingyue was speechless: "I'll carry Dabao and walk?"
Shu Hanguang gaped, you agreed just like that?
Feng Qingyue kept a straight face: "Don't let your thoughts wander. Get better quickly, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on for much longer either."
To Shu Hanguang's ears, these were the most reassuring words of affection. His heart thumped heavily in his chest, feeling secure and supported.
He tugged at Feng Qingyue's sleeve: "Don't go out."
Feng Qingyue said: "I know. I've been filling in the data on the app as normal anyway. No one's coming to check, so let's just stay quiet and get through this."
"Right, right, don't let anyone in."
Shu Hanguang inexplicably felt tired. After saying a few words, his eyelids closed, and he fell asleep without needing to be coaxed.
Feng Qingyue fetched water and wiped him down, then went over to Shu Dabao and did the same. After taking both their temperatures, Shu Dabao's was 37.3°C, and Shu Hanguang's was 37.5°C.
How did their fevers spike so suddenly?
Feng Qingyue set an alarm on the phone for every twenty minutes, making it easier to check on both of them and to catch some sleep in between.