Le Huan woke up and saw that it was almost noon. She was about to get out of bed when a sharp pain struck her lower abdomen, followed immediately by a familiar warmth flowing downward. This feeling…
She gritted her teeth through the cramps, sat up, and lifted the blanket. Sure enough, it was her period. She had worn Zhao Yan’s pants and had gotten them dirty, so she urgently called 66.
“66, give me a pack of sanitary pads.” In this post-apocalyptic world, sanitary pads probably didn’t exist; maybe women had regressed to using cloth bands. Le Huan couldn’t handle reusing them.
【What is a sanitary pad?】 66, as a system, had no concept of this.
Le Huan, already in a bad mood, became even more irritated hearing 66’s cluelessness. “Can’t you do something useful instead of sitting around all day? You have one minute to give me a sanitary pad!”
66, hearing her yell, scrambled to figure out what a sanitary pad was. With 59 seconds to spare, it managed to produce one, consuming a lot of energy.
Her pants and underwear were stained. Her clothes had already been washed by Zhao Yan, so she began calling for her second servant.
Hearing Le Huan’s lazy call, Zhao Yan hurried upstairs. When he pushed open the door, he saw Le Huan sitting motionless on the bed:
“Bring me the clothes you washed yesterday.”
Zhao Yan didn’t notice anything unusual at first, only that her little face seemed a little pale. He silently handed her the clothes and stayed at the door, keeping watch.
Sure enough, a short while later, Le Huan called him again. When he entered, he saw the clothes stained with large patches of blood. He froze mid-step, his pupils contracting sharply.
“My stomach hurts so much. Go wash these pants.” Le Huan spoke when he didn’t move.
Zhao Yan thought she might have internal bleeding. Without even thinking, he went to check her abdomen. His hands trembled slightly as he prepared to lift her shirt—those clothes felt impossibly heavy in his hands.
“Slap!” Le Huan’s small hand hit his face.
【…This guy’s drama is intense.】 66 commented, unable to hold back.
Zhao Yan snapped back to reality from the harmless slap. Seeing only the blood in the center of the pants, he understood immediately and blushed violently.
But a weight in his heart finally lifted. Le Huan’s daily behavior never seemed like someone with heart problems, yet Zhao Yan never forgot. Every sweet moment he recalled in their interactions would vanish instantly at the thought of it. The more he thought, the more painful it felt.
Every day, he cherished and loved her more than the day before. Zhao Yan couldn’t imagine life without her. Le Huan had barged into his world with her stubbornness, her bratty attitude, and her capriciousness—but Zhao Yan loved only her.
66, seeing the sorrow nearly spilling from Zhao Yan’s eyes, felt a bit sorry for him.
【Looks like Le Huan, that slap really hurt him.】
Le Huan thought briefly and knew exactly what Zhao Yan was thinking, given how transparent his expression was.
“Hey, what are you imagining? Young lady isn’t going to die.”
Zhao Yan suddenly lifted his head, his eyes rimmed with red. “Don’t say that word! …Don’t say it.”
“When we get back to the base, will you still take care of me?” Le Huan asked. She knew the answer, but still found it necessary to ask.
“As long as I’m alive, I’ll take care of you.” Zhao Yan looked at her, his eyes filled with solemnity that words could not convey.
“If I don’t want to be in a relationship with you, will you still take care of me?”
“No matter if you… like me or not, as long as you need me, I’ll stay by your side.”
None of the rest mattered. Le Huan needed him, and he was there.
【Le Huan, I’m so touched! If you meet a man like Zhao Yan, just marry him already.】 66 sobbed, biting its handkerchief.
Seeing that Le Huan remained silent, Zhao Yan continued:
“At first, I took care of you because of your parents…”
“What do my parents have to do with this?” Le Huan was puzzled.
Zhao Yan recounted his experience of leaving the orphanage as if telling a story. His calm tone hid the turbulent waves beneath, only apparent if one thought carefully.
“At first, I wanted to repay a debt of gratitude and protect you for your parents, but now…” He lowered his head mid-sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Le Huan finally relaxed, happily patting his head. “Alright, I allow you to take care of me.”
66: 【…Patting his head like a dog—is that something one can say…】
Zhao Yan, lightly touched on the head, felt no resentment, only excitement. He felt a warm pressure in his lower abdomen and leaned closer, eager to nuzzle Le Huan.
Le Huan gently pushed him away. “Alright, today’s reward is over. Zhao Yan, can you wash the pants now?”
“Mm.” Zhao Yan’s face flushed. He loved the way Le Huan’s voice sounded when she teased him—it was irresistibly cute.
66: 【Just a few kind words and she’s pacified? Seriously?】
They were about to set off again. Wu You estimated they could reach the base tonight. For now, Wu You and Wang Ni were entertained by watching Zhao Yan care for Le Huan as if she were a baby. Where had the cold, ruthless Team Leader gone?
Zhao Yan remembered hearing that girls often had stomach pain during their periods. He ran across half the city to gather red dates, goji berries, and ginger to brew a warming drink for Le Huan.
He also filled a glass bottle with hot water to keep her abdomen warm, wrapping it in a thick cloth to prevent burns.
Zhao Yan didn’t look for sanitary pads. Over the years, even if they existed, they would be expired. Hesitantly, he asked Chen Youyu what girls used for periods. Chen Youyu made a face as if she had eaten a fly, making Zhao Yan want to turn around and run.
Hearing about cloth bands made him hesitant; he couldn’t sew. Le Huan said she didn’t need it and used a sanitary pad herself.
Zhao Yan sternly told her not to use expired ones. Le Huan insisted hers were not expired. When Zhao Yan questioned her further, she avoided answering, and further questioning would anger her. He was puzzled, but knowing she never treated herself unfairly, he let it go.
The car moved steadily down the road, the interior dim, except for one corner glowing bright and clean.
Le Huan sat on the soft cushion Zhao Yan had found, covered with a fluffy off-white blanket, hands holding a warm water bottle, lying in Zhao Yan’s lap. Zhao Yan occasionally poured some of the red date and ginger water from the thermos for her to sip.
The team members: “…”
66: 【…Even taking care of their own mother isn’t this attentive.】
No one said a word. Le Huan simply needed to be treated attentively. Every month, when her period made her writhe in pain, Zhao Yan pampered her comfortably.
Yesterday, she had stayed up late reading comics, and she was still groggy upon waking. After being scared by zombies, Zhao Yan had comforted her by patting her back. She now took his arm and placed it across her back: “Pat.”
Zhao Yan froze. Seeing her close her eyes, he realized he was supposed to soothe her to sleep. His heart melted like spring water—this was a treasure in his hands.
That word flashed through Zhao Yan’s mind: …treasure… Le Huan… Huan Huan, treasure.