Luo Wen’an was not as sentimental as Su Daji. He said, “That dog is fine, but the cat is a different story. Unless it’s hungry, it won’t move at all. Even if it brings back something, it mostly eats it by itself. A few people who tried to mooch off the owner didn’t stand a chance. The owner himself doesn’t have enough to eat.”
In the past, humans used to keep pets, but now it has become the other way around. Whether there is food or not depends on the whims of the pet. But even so, the owner has to endure it.
With that big cat around, at least there is a significant guarantee of safety. Not to mention, the cat needs to eat every day, and as long as one stays with the cat, they won’t starve to death. It’s a great advantage just to be remembered as the cat’s owner.
The five of them gathered around the campfire. Yue Zheng poured half a pot of water into the pot and added the fresh meat brought by Luo Wen’an. Once it boiled, he added instant noodles from his backpack.
With something to drink, noodles, and meat, the three of them couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. It had only been a few days since they separated from the group, but for those who hadn’t had a warm meal in three days, they finally felt like they were no longer primitive savages!
After finishing their meal, the five of them began to discuss the night watch schedule. Luo Wen’an and Su Daji would take the first half of the night, while Yue Zheng and Xu Song would take the second half.
Their night watch duties weren’t just to watch out for potential nocturnal attacks from animals and plants; they also had to be vigilant against malicious humans.
“On the first night when we came here, some people tried to sneak over and steal our things in the middle of the night. Luckily, Daji is a light sleeper and woke up immediately. They even held a knife to my neck!” Luo Wen’an angrily cursed the people who attempted to harm them.
“And what happened then?”
Su Daji pointed to Liu Shishi, who was laying out the down jackets. “The beautiful Miss Shishi’s soprano voice scared them away.”
“Get lost!” Liu Shishi, without looking up, kicked Su Daji.
Indeed, having a group attack ability was quite convenient. Although his fire could also be considered a group attack, it was too lethal to use against fellow humans. It was suitable for dealing with mutated animals and plants, but it would be too cruel to use it to threaten their human companions.
“How are we going to sleep?” The three of them were sleeping near the campfire, while Yue Zheng and Xu Song were on the other side. However, when the two of them left the car, they only took one large down jacket and couldn’t carry anything else. Now, as they were preparing to sleep, they realized that it was somewhat inconvenient.
While eating, Yue Zheng had rolled a large stone from the roadside. Now, he took out a blanket and spread it on the stone. He leaned against it and found it relatively comfortable, then said to Xu Song, “Come over here with your things.”
“Huh? Oh.” Xu Song thought they were going to lean against the stone together for the night. When he came over, Yue Zheng took the backpack and placed it on the side, leaning against it. Then he took the down jacket and reached out to pull Xu Song, bringing him closer to his chest.
Wait a minute, what’s happening now?!
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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From the outside, only Yue Zheng and the large down jacket on him were visible, while Xu Song was hidden from view. He nearly fell into someone’s arms, with his head covered by the down jacket…
“Yue, brother Yue?!” Struggling a few times, Xu Song finally managed to sit up. He wanted to crawl away, but Yue Zheng’s big hand held him, causing Xu Song to lose his balance and fall onto his chest.
Thump, thump.
The strong and powerful heartbeat resonated in Xu Song’s ears, turning his face crimson. He realized that he was sitting sideways in front of Yue Zheng, using him as a warm cushion. This position was similar to the one they slept in the previous night after Xu Song was injured, but this time, he was fully conscious, and his senses were heightened…
This position is too ambiguous! What will those three think if they see us like this?!
“It’s warmer this way,” Yue Zheng’s voice echoed from above, and when he spoke, his chest subtly vibrated.
Xu Song, feeling guilty, glanced in the direction of the other three, but Su Daji had already wrapped himself in the down jacket and closed his eyes. Luo Wen’an was talking in a low voice with Liu Shishi, seemingly not paying attention to their side.
“Um… Are you uncomfortable with the pressure?” Xu Song was sandwiched between Yue Zheng’s body and the down jacket, feeling incredibly comfortable, but what about Yue Zheng?
“It’s fine. Your body isn’t fully recovered yet, so you should sleep and keep warm.”
“Oh.” He made a reasonable point, and Xu Song couldn’t argue with it.
He huddled deeper into the down jacket, thinking that since they only had one jacket between the two of them and they were both guys… what’s the big deal? Back in school, there were even instances where three buddies slept on a single military bed!
Besides… Yue Zheng probably… doesn’t mind, right?
Closing his eyes, Xu Song listened to Yue Zheng’s heartbeat, which was steady and strong. The feeling of reassurance made him not want to leave at all, especially with Yue Zheng’s arm draped over his shoulder, preventing Xu Song from getting up. So, should he trouble him for one more night?
The night was too deep and too cold, making people instinctively seek the closest warmth.
Xu Song thought he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, but due to the exhaustion from the strenuous journey and the blood loss that he hadn’t recovered from, his breathing gradually became steady and long.
Yue Zheng was still awake. He glanced at the condition of the campfire and when he looked up, he saw Luo Wen’an looking at him with Liu Shishi already asleep, her head resting on his leg.
Seeing Yue Zheng’s gaze, Luo Wen’an winked at him with a mischievous smile on his face and raised his eyebrows in Xu Song’s direction, a look of ambiguity on his face.
Yue Zheng remained expressionless, as if he was looking at a blade of grass or a stone on the roadside, completely ignoring Luo Wen’an’s ‘hinting’. He lowered his head, and Xu Song’s face was leaning against his chest, gradually sliding towards the outer side due to their sideways position.
Quickly, Yue Zheng extended his left hand and held him by the back of his neck, hugging him towards his chest like holding a child. He adjusted their position, holding Xu Song’s left arm and placing it in his own embrace. His right hand also lifted and paused for a moment, reaching up to touch Xu Song’s forehead.
The temperature was normal, and there was no fever anymore. His face was still pale, displaying the frailty caused by blood loss. His lips were still dry, a result of the blood loss and dehydration…
Yue Zheng’s eyes stared at his face absentmindedly. Maybe it was because of the sudden arrival of the apocalypse, maybe it was due to the sympathy for his pain after losing his father, or perhaps it was the unspoken understanding developed through their reliance on each other throughout the journey. Yue Zheng was aware that his concern for Xu Song was somewhat unusual. It surpassed the care and affection between friends and brothers. It gradually emerged and grew, sparked by countless life-and-death situations.
He would feel distressed when he saw Xu Song injured and delighted when he saw him smile. Somehow, without realizing it, he had developed the thought of carrying him on his back and not allowing him to seek survival alone.
Closing his eyes, leaning his head against the stone, Yue Zheng pondered about the nature of this unusual affection. Was it something exclusive to the apocalypse, or was it something more? Regardless, he wanted to move forward with this person, to survive in this mutated and absurd world together.
When Xu Song woke up and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a strong and cold jawline… It was handsome, exuding a masculine charm that made him, a fellow man, envious and jealous.
This jawline seemed familiar…
As the person lowered his head, their eyes met, causing Xu Song’s face to redden. He coughed and said, “Uh… You’re awake?”
Obviously! The sun was already shining brightly. How could he not be awake?
Realizing that he had spoken something unnecessary, Xu Song’s face turned even redder. He turned his head, intending to hide in the blankets and avoid this awkward situation. But then he discovered that the “pillow” was warm…
Suddenly, he remembered what happened before they fell asleep last night, and Xu Song almost burst into tears. Dammit! Could he embarrass himself any further?
Voices and the aroma of food drifted over from nearby as people moved around. It seemed like they were discussing the soup they made last night.
Yue Zheng’s voice came from above, “Just sleep a little longer.”
“I’m not sleepy…” He had been scared awake. How could he possibly continue to sleep as if nothing happened?
Rubbing his face, Xu Song felt an impulse to wash it. Suddenly, he remembered the little tree. He lowered his head and looked at the pocket on his chest, only to be stunned to find that the little tree was gone?!
“What’s wrong?” Yue Zheng stacked their used down jackets and heard Xu Song’s sound of inhaling as he approached.
“The little tree!” Xu Song pointed at his chest, and his lowered voice carried a hint of panic. The tree hole contained almost all of their supplies. If the little tree had escaped, they would be devastated!
Yue Zheng lifted his chin, indicating behind the large rock.
A sapling about the size of an adult’s forearm grew among the scattered rocks. Its emerald leaves were interspersed with a few inconspicuous small yellow flowers, gently swaying in the wind as they faced the rising sun.
To others, this scene would seem like the tree was being swayed by the wind. But to Xu Song, who was familiar with its movements, seeing this, his eyelid twitched. This posture, this amplitude, this show-off attitude… What else could it be if not that extraordinary tree?
His mouth twitched twice more. Confirming that no one else could see this corner, Xu Song crouched behind the large rock, conspiratorially whispering to the small tree, “Give me some water, just a little.” He wanted to wash his face.
The small tree tilted its canopy and then stretched out a twig, “puffing” a thin stream of water into Xu Song’s cupped palm.
The temperature difference was significant during this time of day. Xu Song quickly splashed the water onto his face, shivering from the coldness. However, he was now fully awake. He used his clothes to wipe his face, stood up, and saw Yue Zheng just finishing packing their belongings from last night. Xu Song hurriedly approached him, feeling embarrassed, “You should wash up too. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Mm.” Yue Zheng nodded, turned around, and walked toward the large rock.
“Awake, huh?” Seeing Xu Song approaching, Luo Wen’an, who was waiting by the campfire for food, gave him a teasing look. “How did you sleep last night?”
Xu Song was momentarily stunned, and then he remembered… How did he sleep last night? They were so close to each other, they must have seen everything!
On one hand, he thought, “It’s fine, we’re all men. What’s wrong with us honestly keeping warm with each other?”
But on the other hand, he also thought, “Damn it! I’m not a woman. Sleeping in another man’s embrace, what would these bunch of people think of me?!”
Thank you for the chapter !!! Thank you for the treat!!!
Hahaha! Good rest, ya? Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🌳
❤️❤️❤️ sou muito pobre não da pra ajudar com um café ainda, mas um agradecimento posso fazer então muito obrigado por outro capítulo incrível.
it smells like loveeee in the air 🤭🤭