Le Huan’s soft curls were a complete mess from sleep. She frowned, glaring at him with her watery eyes, trying to look fierce, her lips pouted as she shouted, “Why won’t you let me sleep?!”
It was obvious she was being unreasonable. Zhao Yan didn’t want to argue with her. It was already daytime—they needed to set out as soon as possible and find a place with fewer zombies to camp before nightfall.
“If you’re awake, come downstairs. Get ready—we’re leaving soon.”
As Zhao Yan stood by the bed, his gaze drifted to a photo frame on the bedside table. The picture showed a family of four, all smiling brightly. One of them was clearly a younger Le Huan, her hair tied into two little buns, still as delicate and lovely as ever. There was also a young boy, who was likely her younger brother.
But Zhao Yan’s eyes lingered on the two adults in the photo.
Le Huan noticed him staring and leaned over to take a look.
Zhao Yan snapped out of his thoughts and asked, “What’s your relationship with these two?”
Le Huan looked at him as if he were an idiot. “Obviously, they’re my parents.”
She herself didn’t actually know who the people in the photo were. She curiously looked at the little girl in the picture and said to 66 in her mind, “Hey, this girl looks exactly like me when I was little.”
66 told her that the people in the photo were her parents in this world. The original girl had died at the beginning of the apocalypse, which was why Le Huan now had a reasonable identity here. All the family photos in this house had been replaced by the system with images resembling her childhood.
Zhao Yan’s thoughts drifted back to the darkest year of his life in the orphanage, when he had barely enough to eat or wear. Back then, city officials and factory owners had organized a “charity initiative.” Each business owner sponsored a group of children, providing them with a small monthly allowance for school fees—a convenient way to promote corporate image. Naturally, no one objected.
The Yu family couple had stood on stage and chosen several children. Zhao Yan had been among them.
Because of that, he had received sponsorship. He could go to school, eat properly, and wear warm clothes instead of wasting away in the orphanage.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yan returned to the present and glanced at Le Huan. He had always regretted not being able to repay their kindness after all these years. Now that Le Huan had appeared…
She said she had been separated from her family. It was highly likely that the Yu family couple had already met with misfortune. Now that he had the ability, he should take good care of her.
Zhao Yan looked at her with the gaze one might give a stray animal.
Le Huan immediately became annoyed. She stood up and moved closer to him, scolding in a spoiled tone, “Zhao Yan! Were you even listening to me?! I want to wash up—I want to wash up!”
“Wait.” Zhao Yan turned and went downstairs to get water.
66 was confused. “Why is Zhao Yan so obedient today?”
“Isn’t it good that he’s obedient? I hope he stays this obedient forever.” Still, when Zhao Yan got angry and stayed silent, he looked quite intimidating. Le Huan wasn’t afraid of him being angry—she was afraid he might get so angry that he’d slap her to death. She knew very well how annoying she could be when she started acting up.
So she decided to build good relationships with more people. That way, before Zhao Yan could lose his temper, she could deal with him first.
66 【Heh, you’re really impressive.】
Zhao Yan returned with a bag and a basin of water. Inside the bag were a new toothbrush and a towel. There was a bathroom in Le Huan’s room, and she happily went to wash up.
Zhao Yan had just let out a sigh of relief when her voice came again.
“Zhao~ Yan… Zhao Yan~… Zhao Yan…” she called out slowly, dragging her tone, making his head ache.
“What is it?”
“I want to change clothes. Can you go find me something to wear~?”
He knew she wouldn’t settle down so easily. She was currently wearing a white dress with puffed sleeves and lace trim, making her look like a life-sized doll.
He searched through the wardrobe for a long time. Most of the clothes had faded or smelled musty—clearly not something Le Huan would wear. He already understood what kind of person she was.
Frowning, he carefully sorted through everything until he found some new clothes still sealed in packaging, with moisture-proof protection inside. They looked unused, though the chest area of the dress seemed a bit… restrictive. He wasn’t sure if Le Huan would be able to wear it.
After washing up, Le Huan came out and saw the clothes on the bed—a light purple long-sleeved dress with lace trimming at the collar, reaching down to her ankles. Zhao Yan was no longer in the room.
She liked the dress and quickly put it on, admiring herself in the full-length mirror.
There was a knock at the door.
“Are you done? We’re leaving soon.”
It was Zhao Yan.
“You can come in.”
Zhao Yan had found her a beautiful dress, and it even fit perfectly. Because of that, she found him much more pleasing to the eye. She turned around and saw him standing at the door, looking at her. She spun in a circle.
“Does it look good? Does it look good?”
Zhao Yan watched as she twirled in front of him like a butterfly. The dress suited her perfectly. The cinched waist accentuated her slender figure. She was also good at styling herself—her soft curls had been arranged into a half-up hairstyle like a princess.
If it weren’t for the apocalypse, their lives would probably never have intersected.
“You’re such a mute gourd, going silent again. Will it kill you to say something nice?” Le Huan grew annoyed seeing him not say a word.
She loved being praised. 1066 could compliment her endlessly without repeating itself, which pleased her greatly.
By now, Zhao Yan understood—she was nothing less than a troublemaking little devil. Yesterday she had been smiling sweetly and saying he was nice; today he was already a “mute gourd.”
Zhao Yan looked at her deeply and made a decision. Once they reached the base, he would stop taking care of her. He would hand her over to the administrators to arrange a place for her to stay. He would make sure she had food and wasn’t bullied—that would be enough.
He neither could nor intended to let her treat him like a servant. In the apocalypse, ensuring her safety was already more than enough kindness.