Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Wen Jiuzhe spoke in a low, gentle voice, sounding very tender.

Xue Ling was deep in thought.

She was pondering a question—why did Wen Jiuzhe act as if he loved her so much?

As far as she could remember, during the more than a year from when they met, became a couple, and then broke up, the most common things he did were either infuriating her or making her so angry she wanted to jump.

Every cell in his body screamed mischief and dark humor.

He often wore a smiling face, acting indifferent about everything. She had always thought that she, as his girlfriend, was just a casual arrangement too.

Because he had never confessed his feelings to her, and in the end, he was the one who suggested breaking up, which had left things unpleasant between them.

She was so angry that she threw a milk tea at his head, but he casually wiped the dripping milk tea from his face, lazily shrugged, waved his hand, and left.

He didn’t care about her and didn’t seem to have any deep feelings for her.

Xue Ling had always thought so.

But why was it that after three years apart, he could still recognize her at first sight? Why, when he saw her as a zombie, did he insist on keeping her by his side? Why did he still not care about her zombie appearance and hold her intimately, as if he missed her and cherished her?

He even abandoned his cousin and the human motorcade, choosing to leave with her, a dangerous zombie, alone. Anyone would say he had lost his mind.

No matter how much Xue Ling thought about it, she couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

It had always been like this before. She could never figure out Wen Jiuzhe’s thoughts, while he had seen through her completely after spending only a short time together. He had a unique talent for deliberately making her angry.

After thinking for a long time, Xue Ling couldn’t help but wonder if she had lost her memory.

But when she carefully recalled the past, her mind was clear, her memories were not blurry, and she hadn’t missed anything. Instead, she had revisited Wen Jiuzhe’s past “mischiefs” and “atrocities.”

…One really shouldn’t date a psychopathic boyfriend too early in life; otherwise, you’ll remember him your whole life and won’t be able to forget, just like Xue Ling.

In the gaps of thought and self-doubt, Xue Ling didn’t forget to maintain her zombie persona, occasionally roaring, scratching the seat cushions and her safety belt, and clawing at the car windows and doors.

The damned Wen Jiuzhe treated the noise she made as white noise radio. He hummed along while driving, tapping the steering wheel in rhythm with the sound of Xue Ling scratching the seat, quite rhythmic.

Xue Ling wondered, am I here to entertain you?

Wen Jiuzhe seemed to be quite good at entertaining himself now.

He said, “Let’s find a place to take a shower. The tap water has stopped, but some people live in remote areas. They don’t use tap water; they use well water from their homes, which can still be used.”

“Can you handle cold water? Oh, if not, there’s no choice. There’s no hot water now, but it’s so hot, cold water won’t be too cold, right?”

He decided everything on his own, not needing Xue Ling’s answer.

Xue Ling kicked his seat hard, making a loud thudding sound. He bobbed up and down in the driver’s seat, looking quite pleased, nodding and saying, “Oh, you agree then.”

They hadn’t gone far, still in a town on the outskirts of Anxi City.

Xue Ling was locked in the car again, watching from the window as Wen Jiuzhe got out to find a place to take a shower.

His movements were very skilled, whether it was checking abandoned houses or avoiding and swiftly killing approaching zombies, all done quickly and efficiently.

Xue Ling noticed that he wasn’t afraid of her, a familiar zombie, nor was he afraid of other unfamiliar zombies. Even when a ferocious zombie almost attacked him face to face, he remained expressionless as he drew his blade to slash the zombie’s neck.

He had a gun in his waist, but he didn’t use it, only using the short blade.

Xue Ling had seen many people kill zombies, and almost everyone preferred longer weapons to keep a distance from the zombies.

But Wen Jiuzhe didn’t. He used a short blade, only the length of his arm, and every time he reached out to slash a zombie’s head, it was nerve-wracking, feeling like he was almost bitten.

It made Xue Ling tense up.

Wen Jiuzhe inspected the layout of the houses on the street, looking for ones with yards that might have a well and were not too damaged.

He broke open locked doors, went in for a look around, and came out carrying either zombie corpses or other things.

“Look, isn’t this dress pretty? I’ll wash it for you to change into later.”

He held up a sunflower-printed dress and showed it to her through the window.

Xue Ling had never had any expectations of Wen Jiuzhe’s taste. The ugliest dress in her wardrobe was one he had bought for her, which she couldn’t wear out.

“I found a few unopened skincare products. I remember you used to use this brand before. I’ll use it on you later.”

He tossed a few boxes of skincare and cosmetics into the car.

Xue Ling was incredulous: I’m a zombie… and I need skincare? Should I praise you for being considerate?

“Don’t worry, I checked, and they haven’t expired yet.” The considerate ex-boyfriend remarked, puzzled: “How come the shelf life of these cosmetics is so long? They haven’t expired even after three years.”

Clothes, skincare, towels, soap, shampoo—anything usable was thrown into the car. But what was the meaning of throwing an Elizabethan collar into the car?

That thing was usually worn around the necks of cats and dogs to prevent them from licking their wounds.

You want to use it on me? Go to hell!

Wen Jiuzhe was quite picky, searching two streets without finding a satisfactory place to take a shower.

Finally, on the third street, he found one.

He came out of the house’s gate, strode over, pulled open the car door, and said with a smile, “The water in this house’s bathroom can still be used, and it’s quite clean. Come on, get out.”

Xue Ling didn’t want to get out, but he dragged her out.

He wrapped one arm around Xue Ling's chest and pulled her backward. Xue Ling fumbled with the car seat backs on either side, her sharp nails leaving several scratches on the leather.

But Wen Jiuzhe was too strong. He steadily pulled her down without letting her feet touch the ground, all while managing to grab a bag filled with various items.

"Alright, alright, you're a zombie, not a cat. How can you be afraid of baths?" Wen Jiuzhe persuaded.

It wasn't that she was afraid of baths; it was that she didn't want Wen Jiuzhe to help her bathe!

They had been a couple for a year, and Wen Jiuzhe was... well, sexy and charming. They had certainly engaged in some intimate activities, but having him help with a bath was really awkward.

However, as a zombie, Xue Ling had no rights, and Wen Jiuzhe had no mercy. She was dragged into the bathroom.

The place had been hastily cleaned by Wen Jiuzhe, with water stains covering the floor.

Seeing him holding the Elizabethan collar, Xue Ling launched a frenzied headbutt attack, expressing with fierce actions that she absolutely would not wear it!

"Okay, okay, fine, don't wear it. Ouch, your head is so hard."

He tossed the collar aside and tied one of Xue Ling's hands to the support bar next to the toilet, then sat her on the toilet seat, pulling out a nail clipper. He grabbed her other hand and trimmed her nails.

The zombie's nails were black, sharp, and oily, and quite hard. Wen Jiuzhe bent down to trim them into a smooth, rounded shape.

Although Xue Ling had wanted to trim her nails for a while, she was still annoyed and didn't cooperate much, often pretending to lunge forward to bite Wen Jiuzhe.

But Wen Jiuzhe seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. With a push of his legs, the wheeled stool he was sitting on slid him just out of Xue Ling's biting range.

Despite Xue Ling's disruptions, Wen Jiuzhe efficiently finished trimming one of her hands.

He held her hand and looked at it for a moment.

The zombie's hand had pale skin with more pronounced blood vessels than a human's, appearing in a dark red, web-like pattern, with slightly tightened and dry skin.

Xue Ling felt that because she took good care of herself, she didn't dry out as quickly as other zombies, looking as if she had only recently died, just a little thinner.

Wen Jiuzhe's much larger hand gently caressed her hand, sharing his warmth with her.

"Alright, time for the other hand," he said after a brief silence, his tone light-hearted again.

For the latter part, Xue Ling didn't cause much trouble. Finally, while Wen Jiuzhe cleaned up the bathroom, she examined her hands with satisfaction.

She had tried to trim her nails before but found it inconvenient, as a zombie's joints were stiff, and her fingers couldn't bend flexibly. She had resorted to biting them, which left her nails pitted and even uglier.

Water sprayed from the showerhead, hitting the white tiles and splashing.

The greyish-black, long-sleeved pants Xue Ling had worn for a long time were discarded as rags.

She was positioned under the showerhead on a small stool, water flowing over her pale, thin back.

Xue Ling curled up, too embarrassed to lift her head.

Wen Jiuzhe sat behind her, posing a strange question: "Are zombies afraid of water?"

Otherwise, why had she been struggling earlier but now remained still under the shower?

It was better this way; there was no need to tie her up... Wen Jiuzhe didn't always want to bind Xue Ling.

The minty shampoo created bubbles on her head. The sensation of her hair being rubbed was quite comfortable.

Xue Ling rested her chin on her knees, squinting to keep the water out of her eyes.

The hand on her head massaged her scalp, kneading and rubbing inch by inch.

Xue Ling felt his fingers exploring a spot on the back of her head for a long time.

"Why does it feel like the back of your head is a bit flat, not as round as before?" Wen Jiuzhe wondered.

Of course, he didn't expect an answer from a zombie, so he continued feeling for a while before joking, "Could it be that you've flattened the back of your head by attacking people with it?"

Xue Ling took a moment to react amidst the sound of the water.

Ah, was the back of her head flat?

It might have been from that time three years ago when she had just turned into a zombie and realized she could still think, unlike other zombies. She panicked and wanted to find her cousin and aunt at her uncle's house. Her mother and stepfather were there too, and they were all terrified when they saw her.

She was hit on the back of the head with a stick... At the time, she thought her head might have been flattened, but after feeling it a few times, she didn't notice any difference.

So, it really had been flattened. Ha.

...How did Wen Jiuzhe figure it out so quickly?

Xue Ling recalled that he used to like touching the back of her head quite a bit. Sometimes, he would suddenly raise his hand and push her forward by pressing on the back of her head while they walked.

In the mornings, just after waking up, his big hand would go straight for the back of her head, waking her instantly.

Annoyed, she had asked him why he always grabbed the back of her head. He would grin and say, "The back of your head is especially round and fun to play with."

Freak!