Chapter 4

Chapter 4

They pretended to be nonchalant, but in reality, they were all quietly observing his expression.

Wen Jiuzhe had been with them for some time, often wearing a smile and never getting angry. Although he wasn’t particularly close to anyone, he seemed to have a decent temper.

But at this moment, his smile was gone, and his serious expression made people’s hearts pound.

Feng Wei, who was sitting in the car being stared at by him, could no longer force a smile.

"Get down," said Wen Jiuzhe.

Feng Wei hurriedly explained, "Don’t be angry yet, Jiuzhe. We’re doing this for your own good. It’s too dangerous to have a zombie in the car..."

"I said, get down."

"Look, my son Zicheng is asleep here. He’ll get sick if he’s out in the wind. I just..."

Wen Jiuzhe violently grabbed his collar and dragged him out of the car.

Feng Wei’s neck was tightened by the collar, his face turning red as he gasped in shock, "What are you doing? Watch out for the child!"

Wen Jiuzhe ignored his shouts and forcefully dragged both him and his son out of the car, throwing them to the ground.

Feng Wei stumbled and fell headfirst, crying out in pain, while the little boy was woken by the fall and started crying in his father’s arms, drawing the attention of everyone in the motorcade.

"What’s going on?"

"Why is Zicheng crying?"

Wen Jiuzhe ignored the murmurs and looked at Dai Ying, who was standing by the car, looking helpless. "Where is she?"

Dai Ying cautiously looked at him. "Cousin, don’t be angry."

At that moment, Sister Lu rushed over, standing in front of Dai Ying and shouted, "We’ve already taken care of that zombie for you. What, are you going to blame your cousin over a zombie? I thought you were a reasonable young man, how can you be so confused?"

Dai Ying, more than anyone else present, knew this cousin of his. Seeing his extremely calm expression, his panic grew heavier.

As Wen Jiuzhe reached for the gun at his waist, Dai Ying, terrified, shouted and pulled Sister Lu backward.

A gunshot rang out, shattering the rock under Sister Lu’s feet. If it weren’t for Dai Ying pulling her back, her foot might have been shot through.

The splinters and small stones that flew up hit her legs, causing everyone around to scream in shock.

Feng Wei, still on the ground, hugged his crying child and moved far away, not daring to complain anymore.

The frightened Sister Lu, her face pale, was dragged back by her husband.

Everyone present looked at Wen Jiuzhe in horror, who had suddenly lost his temper.

In a cold voice, Wen Jiuzhe asked Dai Ying, "I’m asking you, where is she?"

Dai Ying, terrified, trembled under his gaze, stammering, "I... I sent her to that roadside wasteland we passed earlier."

Without a word, Wen Jiuzhe put away his gun, got into his car, started it, and drove away, leaving these people behind.

As it was getting dark, Wen Jiuzhe drove along the overgrown road, his eyes searching the sides of the road.

When he reached the location Dai Ying mentioned, he parked, turned off the engine, got out of the car, and entered the wasteland to search for traces of Xue Ling.

Zombies, lacking intellect, would only wander nearby and wouldn’t leave too far away unless attracted by loud noises or human scent.

As it grew darker, Wen Jiuzhe found a pile of grass.

A shadow lay on its side on top of it.

It was Xue Ling. She hadn’t seen any houses nearby and had rubbed her bindings against a stone for a while but couldn’t break them, only tiring herself out.

She quickly gave up, deciding to try again tomorrow, and found a thick pile of grass to lie down and rest.

She hadn’t expected Wen Jiuzhe to come looking for her. Clearly, the people in his motorcade, including his cousin, didn’t want her to stay.

They had gotten rid of her; how could Wen Jiuzhe possibly come back to find her and bring her back?

Even boyfriends and girlfriends wouldn’t go that far, let alone ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends.

In the quiet, dark wilderness, footsteps on the wild grass approached her.

Xue Ling: "..."

Someone sat down beside her. The grass next to her sank.

The sound of a lighter. A faint scent of tobacco spread.

Wen Jiuzhe didn’t say anything. Xue Ling shifted slightly and turned, seeing the faint red glow at the corner of his mouth. He lowered his face, staring at her with a dim and ambiguous expression.

He seemed to have taken two deep puffs, then opened his hand, pressing hard on his temple, muttering to himself, "Almost lost her again."

Xue Ling wanted to ask him what he was thinking, but zombies couldn’t speak. Even if she roared at him, he wouldn’t understand what she was saying.

Wen Jiuzhe sat quietly next to her and finished smoking in peace. Then Xue Ling felt his hand on the binding she had rubbed for so long, and he untied it.

Came all this way just to untie her? Was he really letting her go?

Before Xue Ling could feel happy, her wrist, which had been bound for so long, was held in his warm hand.

He rubbed her wrist. "There are purple bruises... Can zombies feel pain?"

"Probably not."

Though he said he wouldn't, his hand never left her wrist, squeezing her stiff wrist and rubbing it back and forth.

After a while, he dropped his shoulders and relaxed, eventually lying down next to her, one leg raised in a loose crossed position.

...How arrogant of you!

She felt underestimated as a zombie.

Xue Ling let out a terrifying scream and lunged forward.

She admitted, there was a deliberate component of provocation in her actions, trying to scare him.

But whether she scared him or not was another matter. Deciding to compete in agility with Wen Jiuzhe was a terrible decision. She was practically offering herself to be controlled.

Wen Jiuzhe grabbed her two hands and placed them in front of her, holding her leg to keep her from moving.

Pinned half in his arms, Xue Ling lay still, unable to move, scorched by the heat radiating from his body.

He didn’t seem to feel that he was both heavy and hot, as he even pressed his head against her.

"Hmm... you smell a bit bad," he suddenly said.

Xue Ling: “...”

Wen Jiuzhe wasn’t prepared for her sudden outburst and almost lost his grip on her.

"Why the sudden commotion? Hungry? Surely you don’t understand what I’m saying and are angry?"

I don’t understand! I don’t understand your dog barking!

Xue Ling abandoned the few remaining human inhibitions she had and completely lost it.

Seeing her causing such a commotion, Wen Jiuzhe had no choice but to let her go, standing a short distance away, clapping his hands at her. "Want to attack me? Come on, let's see if you can catch me."

At that moment, all the old grudges welled up, and Xue Ling forgot about the difference in their abilities. She was determined to go and fight him.

Wen Jiuzhe held up his hands, dodging a few times, and upon seeing her ferocious expression, he actually laughed, saying she walked unsteadily, like a penguin.

It just goes to show that some people become "ex" for a reason.

He was really too despicable!

After chasing him for a while, Xue Ling's anger dissipated, having not even touched a single hair on that bastard.

She stopped in place, suddenly feeling relieved that she was already dead and couldn’t be angered to death again.

Wen Jiuzhe walked over slowly.

"Still playing?"

Xue Ling suddenly reached out to grab his kidney, but Wen Jiuzhe twisted to dodge her. He then approached again, a smiling face inches away. "Again?"

Xue Ling didn’t want to continue and turned away, wobbling toward the grass pile from earlier.

Wen Jiuzhe followed behind her and remarked, "You seem more lively than before."

I’m dead! And you say I’m lively! Listen to what you’re saying!

As Xue Ling fell back into the grass, intending to collapse into it, an arm suddenly cut across, pulling her back.

"You want to sleep here, or would you rather sleep in the car?"

He placed her back in the back seat of the car, this time without tying her up, and pulled out a blanket to cover her.

Then he closed the door and walked away.

His smile gradually faded into the night as he leaned against the car door, lit a cigarette, and sat outside all night without sleeping.

Xue Ling thought he would soon drive her back to the camp, but he didn’t. The next morning, he was still there.

Xue Ling raised her head to observe from the window and saw him washing his face in a nearby ditch, wiping his hair twice, then wringing out a towel and heading toward the car.

She immediately stiffened and lay back.

The door beside her head was opened, and a cool, damp towel was placed over her face and rubbed.

Wen Jiuzhe held up the towel, inspecting the dirt. "No wonder you smell a bit bad. Look, you're so dirty."

Xue Ling’s fists clenched.

As a zombie, her body was stiff, making personal hygiene troublesome. And when she mingled with other zombies, they didn’t care if she washed her face daily, and humans certainly wouldn’t care either. It was only natural that she became a bit lax.

Besides, a zombie that was too clean would stand out among the others, which was dangerous. If she encountered a human group, she’d likely be the first to be killed.

What did Wen Jiuzhe, a human, know about zombie survival wisdom?

"Should I find a place to give you a bath?" Wen Jiuzhe said.

He pulled up his black T-shirt. "I haven’t bathed in two or three days either. Seems like I smell."

From Xue Ling’s angle, she could see his toned abdominal muscles and chest beneath the lifted T-shirt... How did he train to look even sexier than three years ago?

She closed her eyes.

Before the car could drive away, Dai Ying and Mi Ge showed up.

"Cousin, you didn’t come back last night," Dai Ying said nervously, looking like he had done something wrong. "Are you not planning to go back?"

"Not going back," Wen Jiuzhe said lightly.

Mi Ge came over to persuade him, "Xiao Wen, we all had our faults in this matter. We've discussed it, and we'd like you to come back with us. We've been through a lot together, and it's only right to see things through to the end. Once things are settled on our side, you can leave if you still want to."

"As for that zombie, you can take it with you. I've talked to them, and as long as you make sure the zombie doesn't hurt anyone, it's fine."

"You all seem to have gotten it wrong," Wen Jiuzhe said, leaning against the car with a half-smile, "I don't care what they think. I'm not going back because it's not what I want, not because they disagree. I just don't want them to hurt Xue Ling."

Dai Ying was stunned, and Mi Ge looked disapproving. "You may be very capable, but even the most capable person has times when they need help. As humans, helping each other is the way to survive."

"Helping each other? Have you guys helped me? Haven't I been the one helping you all this time?"

Wen Jiuzhe's previous lazy demeanor was gone, and his gaze turned sharp and intimidating.

"Enough with the useless talk. Just deliver the gasoline and bullets you promised me earlier, and I'll leave immediately."

Dai Ying left in tears, following Mi Ge. He was hurt by his cousin's indifferent attitude and didn't expect his cousin to be so angry that he didn't even want to talk to him.

They hadn't interacted much before, only more frequently a few years ago, but they were family after all.

Xue Ling observed discreetly from behind the car window, witnessing their unhappy parting.

Wen Jiuzhe had actually fallen out with the motorcade because of her, and now they were going their separate ways.

What kind of situation was this?

Wen Jiuzhe put the gasoline and bullets into the car and drove away with Xue Ling, heading in the opposite direction of the camp.

When he wasn't smiling, his face could be very intimidating, showing an unusual coldness.

After driving for a while, Wen Jiuzhe noticed the silence from the back seat and glanced back.

He smiled again, drawing out his words in a puzzled tone, "Hmm? What's the matter, were you scared by the people who came earlier?"

"Don't worry. We're not going back to that crowded place. We'll find somewhere with no one around, so no one will come to hurt you."