After making up his mind, Zhao Yan felt much more relaxed.
Yu Lehuan was still standing in front of the mirror, happily admiring herself, and he could not help urging her.
“Let’s go.”
“Wait a moment. Zhao Yan, help me take down the fabric from the wardrobe.”
There was a stack of various fabrics on the top shelf of the wardrobe. Zhao Yan walked over and took them down, knowing that she wanted them to make clothes.
He did not say anything. His phoenix eyes simply rested on her as if silently asking whether she was finally ready to leave.
Yu Lehuan looked around the room and, seeing nothing else she particularly wanted, said, “Let’s go, let’s go.”
Yu Lehuan walked ahead in a pair of little black leather shoes while Zhao Yan followed behind, carrying the fabric in one hand and her toiletries in the other.
“Good morning, everyone! I’m ready, so we can leave now.”
Yu Lehuan walked down the stairs, the hem of her dress swaying with every step.
The people in the living room downstairs stared at her blankly.
Yu Lehuan looked like a princess descending the stairs, reminding them of the days before the apocalypse, when girls had also been so refined and beautiful.
Their gazes briefly fell on her graceful figure, and every one of them immediately lowered his head and coughed awkwardly, their faces flushing beneath their dark complexions, though no one could actually tell.
“Ahem. Lehuan, you’re even prettier today. We’re ready too, so let’s get going.”
Wu You was the first to recover because he had noticed the gloomy look in their captain’s eyes behind Yu Lehuan.
“Then let’s go. We’re finally heading back to the base. I never want to eat compressed biscuits again.”
“Haha! Once we’re back at the base, you’ll be eating potatoes and sweet potatoes until you’re sick of them.”
“I want to eat the pork ribs my mother used to stew. I’ve almost forgotten what they taste like.”
“Xiong Gang, you brat, I knew you’d been thinking about those old sows raised at the base.”
“Pfft!”
Yu Lehuan burst out laughing. These big, burly men were so obsessed with meat that she found them rather amusing.
Yu Lehuan looked at them with a bright smile, her watery eyes shimmering.
The group of burly men immediately flushed again.
Zhao Yan glanced at the hopeless bunch before walking past them and heading outside to load the supplies into the vehicles.
The others finally came back to their senses and hurried over to help.
Before long, the engines of the two modified SUVs roared to life, and they finally left B City.
…
Yu Lehuan leaned weakly against Zhao Yan, her face pale.
She was carsick.
Zhao Yan and the others were not taking the same route back. They planned to search for more supplies along the way.
They were driving along a deserted highway when they spotted a gas station.
In truth, the main purpose of this trip had been to search for fuel. Every base had modified vehicles, and they all needed gasoline.
The gas station they had found appeared to have never been searched.
The inside was pitch-black.
As Zhao Yan, Wu You, and the others approached with their guns, they saw several figures moving toward them.
Zhao Yan narrowed his eyes and looked carefully.
Then he suddenly shouted, “Run!”
He immediately turned and sprinted toward the vehicles parked some distance away.
Wu You and the others had no idea what was happening, but years of experience had made them highly coordinated. Without hesitation, they turned and ran toward the vehicles as well.
The moment they climbed inside, the glass doors of the gas station shattered with a loud crash.
A huge mass of zombies poured out.
The zombies at the front moved slowly and were trampled beneath the ones behind them. Some were instantly crushed apart and lost the ability to move.
Having caught the scent of living humans, they charged toward Zhao Yan and the others.
Yu Lehuan sat inside the vehicle as Zhao Yan slammed his foot on the accelerator.
The SUV shot forward.
Through the rearview mirror, Yu Lehuan saw the zombies chasing after them with their dark, gaping mouths wide open.
She covered her mouth and nearly vomited.
After the vehicle swerved through several turns and finally shook off the horde of zombies, Yu Lehuan had already fainted.
The violent shaking, combined with the nausea she felt after seeing the zombies, was more than she could endure.
Her eyes rolled back, and she passed out.
When she woke up again, she was sitting in the back seat, leaning against Zhao Yan.
She had no strength left.
Zhao Yan was holding a bottle of sugar water and feeding it to her little by little.
When System 1066 saw that she was awake, it anxiously bounced around.
【Lehuan, are you alright? Zhao Yan and the others have already gotten rid of the zombies. Don’t be afraid anymore.】
Yu Lehuan’s eyes shifted as she gradually regained her senses.
Once the vehicle reached a smooth road, she began feeling much better.
“Lehuan, you’re awake! You scared us. We thought…”
Wu You did not finish his sentence, but Yu Lehuan knew that they had thought she was going to die.
She looked at the worry in Wu You’s eyes before raising her head to look at Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan had been watching her the entire time. The concern in his deep eyes had not yet faded.
Yu Lehuan’s lips began to tremble.
She was about to cry.
She buried her face in Zhao Yan’s chest.
Zhao Yan felt his shirt gradually becoming damp, but Yu Lehuan did not make a sound.
She was crying silently.
Zhao Yan felt as though someone had gripped his heart, and a wave of bitterness rose within him.
Wang Ni had said that she might not survive for another month.
But Yu Lehuan was so lively and spoiled. How could someone like her fail to live a long life?
Earlier, while he had been speeding down the road, Zhao Yan had seen her unconscious in the passenger seat, her little face deathly pale.
His heart had nearly stopped for a moment.
Her illness was actually this serious…
He no longer wanted to argue with her about treating him like a servant.
He would simply take good care of her for the next month and consider it repayment for the kindness her parents had shown him.
After coming to this decision, Zhao Yan lowered his head and looked at the little girl crying against his chest.
Her soft little curls were fluffy, and she occasionally sniffled.
When she was not making trouble, she was incredibly obedient and adorable.
Her crying affected Zhao Yan as well.
Zhao Yan reached out and gently wrapped an arm around her. His rough hand slowly stroked her soft curls in silent comfort.
Wu You exchanged a look with Xiong Gang, who was driving in the front, through the rearview mirror.
Then both of them immediately looked away.
Wu You suddenly wanted to get out of the car as soon as possible so he could properly tell Wang Ni, who was driving the other vehicle, about the terrifying sight of their tough, iron-hearted captain showing such tenderness.
After quite some time, Yu Lehuan finally cried enough.
When she noticed that the front of Zhao Yan’s shirt had become wrinkled and soaked with her tears, making it look absolutely terrible, she simply pretended not to notice.
She could feel that Zhao Yan had softened toward her.
The gentle way he stroked her hair made her sleepy.
Then Little Six notified her that she had gained Goodwill Points.
She had guessed correctly.
“…I want some water.”
Yu Lehuan spoke softly.
Zhao Yan brought the cup to her lips and carefully helped her drink.
“Does your heart still hurt?”
Yu Lehuan remained curled up in his arms and did not feel like talking, so she simply shook her head.
“You must have gone to the hospital before, right? What did the doctor say?”
Zhao Yan thought that although a heart condition was serious, there had to be doctors who could treat it.
Yu Lehuan’s eyes shifted as she immediately began making things up.
“The doctor said I need someone to carry me when I walk, feed me when I eat, and stay by my side to take care of me at all times…”
Zhao Yan’s face darkened as Yu Lehuan rattled off one outrageous demand after another.
He had only just decided to take good care of her, yet judging by Yu Lehuan’s attitude, she was clearly planning to treat him like a slave.
Wu You burst out laughing when he heard her nonsense.
“Pfft, hahaha! Are you sure the doctor didn’t say you were half-paralyzed? Where are we supposed to find someone who’s that good at serving people now?”
Yu Lehuan looked at Zhao Yan.
Wu You had no idea that their captain had already fed Yu Lehuan and wiped her face for her.
Zhao Yan calmly turned his face away and refused to look at her.
Yu Lehuan still had no strength and continued leaning against Zhao Yan’s chest.
Her soft hair brushed against his neck, making him feel slightly ticklish.
Zhao Yan had assumed that Yu Lehuan had fainted because of a heart attack.
It had never occurred to him that she might simply be carsick.
After so many years, even children were no longer afraid of seeing zombies.
He had never expected Yu Lehuan to be frightened into fainting by them.