Chapter 241

Chapter 241

Jiang Nian was suffering from anxiety.

The doctor explained that prolonged darkness, combined with the crushing weight of living through an apocalypse, made people more prone to anxiety—to be expected.

Plenty of folks at the base were in the same boat as Jiang Nian, all temporary. Once daylight returned, things would improve. His was mild compared to most; others had it much worse.

But Cheng Jing knew his lover’s condition was different.

In the infirmary, Jiang Nian perched quietly opposite the doctor, dressed in black-and-white bear pajamas:

His lips pursed slightly as he lowered his head to fidget with his nails. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his messy bangs hung limp over his forehead, a stubborn cowlick sticking up—still looking like he’d just woken up.

He looked downright meek overall, occasionally sneaking a wary look at his boyfriend, who was earnestly discussing with the doctor, and thinking with a silent sigh:

He never dropped the ball when it counted, yet always struggled with the small things.

Cheng Jing sat beside him, jaw set, face all business.

"Try to relax when you get back. Don’t overthink things. If necessary, reduce your workload and stay in well-lit areas as much as possible. You’ll adjust soon enough."

The doctor just gave a quick, practiced spiel, writing no scrips for Jiang Nian—he had already been secretly taking the right pills.

Aware of their status, the doctor even hinted around if they had any extra of such medications.

After Cheng Jing politely declined, he ushered Jiang Nian out.

Only once they were back in the car did Jiang Nian speak:

"See? I told you it wasn’t a big deal. You were so tense."

Cheng Jing smiled, leaning over to kiss him.

"Let’s go home first."

"..."

Back in their dorm, Cheng Jing cooked him a small bowl of noodles, tossing them with some braised sauce his mother had sent over the day before. The smell was downright heavenly.

Since he was already awake, he might as well eat before going back to sleep—especially since he'd been picking at his food lately, barely touching his usual snacks.

Jiang Nian hadn’t wanted to eat at first, but Cheng Jing fed him bite by bite.

After finishing the noodles and sharing an apple, Cheng Jing went to wash the dishes while Jiang Nian sat cross-legged on the sofa, gazing hollowly into the void beyond the window.

"Nian Nian."

Cheng Jing wiped his hands dry, then knelt before him, cradling his hands, eyes brimming with concern.

Jiang Nian bit his lip.

"Yeah?"

"When something's eating at you, you should tell me—whether it’s physical or mental, even just a passing funk or petty annoyance. We’re partners. There’s nothing you can’t share with me. You don’t have to pretend or push yourself in front of me."

Cheng Jing kissed his hand—equal parts reassurance and pep talk.

Jiang Nian shook his head.

"I really don't feel unwell... I'm just a bit heated and restless. I know my own body, it's no big deal, no need to worry you..."

"To me, anything concerning you is never trivial."

Cheng Jing interrupted him, then pointed out the issue he was trying to conceal:

"You're anxious about the prolonged polar night, thinking it's caused by the butterfly effect of your rebirth."

"I'm not... I just... worry that if the polar night lasts too long and coincides with a zombie horde, many people will die if daylight doesn't return... That's what's bothering me..."

Jiang Nian couldn't mask his agitated impatience as he denied it, instinctively trying to fidget with his fingers, but Cheng Jing held them firmly, forcing him to give up. He mumbled as he lowered his head.

Fine, his emotions had indeed been a bit unstable lately.

Cheng Jing's tone turned serious:

"You've saved many people, but you can't save everyone. From rebirth till now, you haven't made a single misstep—you've done well enough. Don't shoulder such a heavy burden yourself."

"Even meteorologists get it wrong, let alone something as vague as that past life. Maybe I just misremembered the timeline. Besides, you're not the only butterfly flapping its wings."

His unease had started when he noticed the polar night lasting longer than in his previous life.

A normal person wouldn't obsess over details like this, but the trauma-scarred reborn Jiang Nian was far from normal in terms of mental and psychological state.

Some issues were known only to him, and he had kept watch from the start. That was also one of the reasons he never wanted this man to take on too much and strain his mind.

His Nian Nian had merely made peace—he hadn't fully recovered.

"I know..."

Jiang Nian's shoulders slumped as he hunched over to wrap his arms around Cheng Jing's neck:

"I'm broken. Will Brother Jing look down on me?"

It was almost laughable. Back when he first reborn, he had 'powered through' just fine, yet now his willpower seemed weaker.

Cheng Jing said softly:

"It's not a sickness—you're just carrying the weight of the world. Take a few days to rest and relax. I'll stay home with you... Didn’t you want to know how much gold we have? Tomorrow, we’ll take it out and count and weigh it all."

At times like this, there was no need for lectures or earnest lecturing. All that mattered was being there for him, helping him unwind and adjust.

They say counting gold can lift one's mood.

Jiang Nian nuzzled against his cheek:

"Okay. Don’t tell Mom and Dad about my condition—no need to worry them or have them blame you."

This kind of emotional comfort—only his Brother Jing in the whole world could provide it.

...

Though he wasn’t working with their teammates, Cheng Jing still had plenty to handle at home.

Aside from counting gold with Jiang Nian, he also coordinated with Department Head Wang and Zhou Li over the phone, finalizing plans to deal with the zombie horde.

To lift Jiang Nian’s spirits, he even had Li Shuhui temporarily bring Xiao Qi over to stay with them for a few days.

And so, while Cheng Jing was busy, Jiang Nian spent his time counting gold and playing with Xiao Qi, even dressing the little one up in a 'ridiculously opulent' style.

When Cheng Jing wasn't busy, the two of them would sort and count their gold stash and play with Xiao Qi, debating whether it was better to adorn the dog with a thumb-sized gold chain or a golden collar.

Sometimes after finishing a phone call, Cheng Jing would find both the man and the dog asleep on the floor—no sleeping pills, no restless nights.

"......"

A few more days passed like this, and fortunately, things didn't take a turn for the worst. Just as everyone thought they would face a siege of zombies in the perpetual darkness, the sky gradually brightened.

On January 18th, after over a month of darkness, dawn finally arrived.

As the sun rose normally again, it also triggered massive outbreaks of zombie hordes across the country.

Thanks to the early warning, under-resourced bases and shelters evacuated with the support of larger bases and the military, minimizing casualties as much as possible.

There were two approaches to dealing with the zombie hordes: the first was providing personnel and weapon support, suitable for large bases.

The second was the full disbandment and evacuation of a base, a method aimed at smaller bases and private shelters.

The military would assess the situation and decide whether a full extermination was necessary.

This time around, the S Base's resources and strength were inferior to the previous timeline. Worse still, internal conflicts had erupted during the perpetual darkness, leaving them too preoccupied to care about the smaller bases they had previously controlled through bribery.

In the end, after "a bit of strategic finagling," the evacuation mission for Z Base landed in Cheng Jing's lap.