Inside the van, there was a moment of silence.
The woman and the little boy both froze mid-bite, bread still in their mouths.
Fu Yan, as if no one else was there, soaked a small towel in water and placed it on Jiang Xinghuai’s forehead. “Take it out. Don’t make me say it twice.”
Jiang Xinghuai pouted. “…I feel awful.”
Fu Yan sighed. “Go ahead, touch it.”
“Thank you, Uncle!” Jiang Xinghuai threw his arms around him in excitement.
“…You’re welcome.” Fu Yan rubbed his temples.
“It’s like raising a son,” the blond boy muttered with a sneer, stepping harder on the accelerator.
The van sped up, roaring through the empty street. The tires pressed against the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Scattered infected by the roadside raised their heads at the noise, immediately following the scent of blood. But they quickly fell behind, until the car vanished from their expressionless pupils.
By the time Jiang Xinghuai realized that his head was spinning and that no matter what he did, he couldn’t open his eyes. He truly understood that he might really burn to death from the fever.
“How’s Xingxing’s condition?” Geng Manhong asked, turning his head.
“Not a problem. I could still do twenty backflips,” Jiang Xinghuai said with his eyes closed.
“Not good, he’s about to be burnt silly.” Fu Yan frowned as he replaced the damp towel on Jiang Xinghuai’s forehead again.
“Any further ahead and we won’t be able to pass.” The blond boy suddenly spoke up. “The car might not be able to drive back out, and there are quite a lot of infected inside. We can only go on foot, keep a smaller target.”
“Teacher Geng, stay in the car and take care of them. If anything happens, drive off immediately.” Fu Yan put Jiang Xinghuai down, supporting his head gently onto the backpack. “I’ll go with Blond.”
“Lu Ying, thank you.” The blond boy corrected his name again.
Jiang Xinghuai frowned, gripping tightly onto Fu Yan’s arm, unwilling to let go.
“Don’t worry.” Fu Yan chuckled softly. “I’ll be right back.”
“Not worried.” Jiang Xinghuai released his hand, his face pale. “I was just thinking, later when I do a backflip for Old Geng, if you’re gone, you won’t get to see it. So hurry back. Don’t be late and miss it. I won’t wait for you.”
“I’ll come back quickly,” Fu Yan said.
Jiang Xinghuai stiffly nodded.
Fu Yan picked up the long blade, patted his head, then turned and left.
The blond boy got out of the car, leaned into the van, and smacked Jiang Xinghuai’s back with one hand. “Alright, kid, enough drama. Stop being so awkward.”
Jiang Xinghuai stared at Fu Yan’s retreating figure, his fist clenching and loosening, his back taut, swallowing hard, not saying a word.
“It’s fine. The pharmacy’s just across the corner.” Old Geng switched seats into the driver’s spot, turning back to reassure him again. “When we just turned in, I took a look. The glass door’s broken, there’s no one inside. It’s safe.”
Jiang Xinghuai frowned, not answering. He dragged his skateboard over and shifted to sit by the rear car door.
The car was parked in a very concealed spot, inside a narrow alley with high walls on both sides. There were no large buildings around, only open streets in front and behind. It was safe and easy to escape from.
“Xingxing?” Geng Manhong was watching him closely. Seeing Jiang Xinghuai get up, he quickly called out, “What are you trying to do?”
“Can you call me by my full name?” Jiang Xinghuai propped himself up, stood, and hopped out of the car on one leg. Leaning against the car door, he turned his head back. “Teacher Geng, let me ask you something.”
“…You brat, suddenly calling me ‘Teacher’ like that gave me a scare.” Geng Manhong’s face twitched with fright.
“You said…” Jiang Xinghuai looked at Geng Bei, who had already fallen asleep in Yu Xue’s arms. “After that news broadcast ended, did you want to go find your son?”
“Of course! I was worried sick. The very first call I made was to him, but that damned kid wouldn’t answer. I bought him a smartwatch, but he throws it around everywhere and never keeps it on his wrist. Then I tried calling his mom, but she wouldn’t pick up either. I was anxious to death, and later I…”
As Jiang Xinghuai listened to his rambling, the smile on his face gradually faded. He looked at Yu Xue and Geng Bei inside the van, his eyes full of envy.
Yu Xue’s suit pants were covered in dirt, the hems torn. His hair was messy, and the bare arms and fingers sticking out from his sleeves were coated in dust and small cuts.
But Geng Bei’s face was clean, his clothes neat, curled up in Yu Xue’s arms, sleeping soundly.
This was a child who had a mother.
Jiang Xinghuai lowered his head to look at himself, then at the skateboard he held in his arms.
That night on the rooftop, because it was inconvenient, he had tossed it aside. It was Fu Yan who had brought it over to him.
Just now in the car, it was Fu Yan who had cleaned it for him.
His fingers brushed over the fine scratches on the skateboard. The tension on Jiang Xinghuai’s face suddenly melted into a smile.
“Old Geng, did you hear that sound?” Yu Xue suddenly sat upright, looking around in a panic.
“What?” Teacher Geng looked blank.
Jiang Xinghuai tilted his ear to listen, then suddenly snapped his head to the right.
Bang! Bang! Bang! One after another.
It was from the second floor of the department store. The deep blue reflective glass was shattered from the inside. Countless infected burst out, their arms wide open, leaping and crashing to the ground.
Jiang Xinghuai’s pupils contracted. He climbed onto the junk piled by the alley and craned his head to look out.
Over there, layer upon layer of blood and flesh cushioned the ground. The ones that fell later dragged broken legs, twisted arms, yet still staggered back onto their feet.
“Drive! Drive!” Yu Xue, who was also peering out, screamed.
“No!” Geng Manhong refused. Fu Yan still hadn’t come back.
But the commotion here had already drawn the attention of the infected. The department store was barely five hundred meters away. The faster ones would only need a few minutes to reach here.
Jiang Xinghuai hugged his skateboard tight, gritted his teeth, jumped down from the pile of junk, sucked in a sharp breath from the pain in his leg, then quickly ran back: “Old Geng! Drive the car!”
“Fu Yan and the others—”
“Drive!” Jiang Xinghuai scrambled into the car, pulling open the rear door. “There’s no time, get out of here!”
The engine roared to life, completely drawing the infected’s attention.
At the end of the alley, the first infected had already begun to stagger their way toward them.
The small van slowly pulled out and turned right back onto the main road.
Not far away, Fu Yan happened to be stepping out through the shattered glass of the pharmacy, half his suit covered in blood.
Why was Fu Yan’s body covered in blood!?
“Fu Yan!” Jiang Xinghuai shouted in fright.
“Don’t get out!” Fu Yan stopped him from jumping down. Having also heard the abnormal commotion in the distance, he yanked the blond boy by the collar and bolted madly in the direction the car was driving. “Run—”
“What’s going on all of a sudden—” The blond boy stumbled, then caught sight of the car already driving off ahead. “Why are they driving off? Wait—”
Before he even finished speaking, countless frenzied infected surged out from the very alley they had just run into.
“Fuck—” the blond boy cursed loudly, pumping his legs in a frenzy as he dashed out.
“Faster! Drive faster!” Yu Xue screamed hysterically, pounding the car walls with all her strength. “They’re coming! Drive faster!”
The car wasn’t slow. Fu Yan and the blond boy were pushing with all their strength and could still catch up. But that also meant the infected could catch up, too.
“Stop yelling! Get to the door and pull them in!” Geng Manhong’s face flushed red as he roared.
“Drive! Drive! Leave them! There’s blood on them. They must’ve been bitten! Drive!” Yu Xue screamed in terror, even reaching a hand through the small window to grab at Geng Manhong’s neck.
Jiang Xinghuai’s face was taut. With one hand gripping the car door, he stretched the other out desperately as far as it could go.
Fu Yan and the blond boy were barely five meters from the car, but the infected were less than one meter behind them.
And that distance was shrinking.
This was a race against the infected, a struggle with Death itself for time.
Yu Xue no longer spoke, trembling in panic as she clutched the child tightly, shrinking cold-eyed into the corner of the van.
“Faster!” Half of Jiang Xinghuai’s body was already leaning out of the car.
The blond boy made a sprint and caught his hand.
Jiang Xinghuai clenched his teeth, gathered all his strength, and yanked back with everything he had.
The blond boy clambered up.
By then, the infected had already reached Fu Yan’s back.
Jiang Xinghuai immediately stretched his hand out again, his eyes bloodshot with urgency. “Fu Yan!”
Fu Yan stumbled. In that instant, the infected swarmed him.
Jiang Xinghuai’s eyes widened abruptly. “Fu Yan—!”
In that single second, the wind mixed with howls, dust mixed with blood, all surged into Jiang Xinghuai’s ears and nose, almost shattering his rigid body.
“Don’t jump!” Fu Yan burst out from the infected as if by a miracle, and seized his hand.
Warm fingers touched. Jiang Xinghuai’s heart began to beat again.
He tightened his grip and yanked back hard!
Fu Yan used the force to leap onto the car.
“Drive!” Fu Yan shouted.
Receiving the signal, Geng Manhong slammed on the accelerator. The van suddenly sped up, shooting forward.
Fu Yan held up the exhausted, collapsing Jiang Xinghuai with one arm. “Lu Ying, close the door.”
“Neither of you got bitten, did you?” Yu Xue suddenly spoke.
“No.” The blond boy bent over, his face twisted with disgust as he got up to close the door. Without even looking at her, he shot back, “If I turn later, the first one I’ll bite is you.”
“I—” Yu Xue still wanted to say something.
“Yu Xue!” Geng Manhong turned back and warned.
Yu Xue fell silent.
The blond boy gave a cold snort and yanked the door shut.
Bang! With a heavy thud, the door closed tight, sealing off the sounds of the outside world.
Inside the van, only the sound of heavy breathing remained.
Jiang Xinghuai, Fu Yan, and the blond boy leaned together against the rear of the van, while Yu Xue, clutching the child, squeezed near the front.
The atmosphere was tense and divided, yet quiet.
Yu Xue frowned. “What do you mean by that? Don’t be so—”
“Sit up straight, let me see your leg.” Fu Yan cut her off, speaking to Jiang Xinghuai in his arms.
Jiang Xinghuai clung to him and didn’t move.
“Don’t be afraid.” Fu Yan patted his back to reassure him. “I protected my head and neck. The rest, I’ve got thick clothing on. I’m fine.”
Only then did Jiang Xinghuai release his grip, lowering his head to hide the redness in his eyes.
Fu Yan straightened his leg, took a pair of scissors from the medical kit, and slowly cut through the gauze stuck to flesh and blood. He pulled it away and began cleaning the wound.
Jiang Xinghuai clenched his fists, cold sweat breaking out.
“Endure it.” Fu Yan took out a surgical needle and thread.
Jiang Xinghuai nodded.
Fu Yan steadied his breathing, frowned as he glanced at him, then lowered his head.
The sharp needle pierced through the skin, carrying the thread out from the other side.
Jiang Xinghuai gritted his teeth, his forehead beading with cold sweat. But after that, he didn’t let out a single sound.
“I’ve been meaning to ask—just now you were looking for medicine, now you’re stitching. Are you a doctor?” the blond boy suddenly asked, sizing Fu Yan up and down. “Doesn’t look like you have the vibe.”
“I ran a pharmaceutical company. I had some contact with this field,” Fu Yan answered, trying to distract Jiang Xinghuai’s attention.
“You run a company?” Yu Xue suddenly cut in, asking, “What’s the name of the company?”
“Fu Lin Pharmaceuticals,” Fu Yan replied.
“Fu Lin Pharmaceuticals!?” Yu Xue’s voice shot up in sharp surprise. “You’re the boss of Fu Lin Pharmaceuticals?”
Fu Yan frowned at her suddenly raised tone, displeased, and didn’t answer again.
When the wound was stitched, Jiang Xinghuai, drenched in cold sweat, slumped back limply.
“Does the wound hurt a lot?” Fu Yan quickly held him steady, guilt in his voice. “The pharmacy was out of painkillers. Afterward, I didn’t have time to—”
“It doesn’t hurt.” Half of Jiang Xinghuai’s face was buried tight against Fu Yan’s chest. Gripping Fu Yan’s bloodstained shirt, his fingertips rubbed harshly. “Are you really okay? Why is there so much blood on you?”
“It’s not mine. There were two clerks in the store who didn’t get away, but it’s fine.” Fu Yan looked at him, repeating seriously once more, “I’m really fine.”
Jiang Xinghuai lowered his head and rubbed at his eyes hard. “I wasn’t worried about you.”
Fu Yan let out a helpless sigh, reaching out to hold him, patting his back gently again and again.
Buried against his chest, Jiang Xinghuai suddenly felt his nose sting uncontrollably.
“You absolutely cannot leave me…” Jiang Xinghuai gritted his teeth, his voice choked. Clearly a plea, yet it carried the force of an order.
A plea that meant you’re all I have left. An order that meant you must never abandon me.
Fu Yan froze, his heart lurching hard.
He lowered his gaze to Jiang Xinghuai’s head, placed a hand over it, and softened his voice. “Holding me this tightly, how could I ever leave you?”
Jiang Xinghuai didn’t reply, just held onto him without moving.
The van grew incomparably quiet.
The little van jolted along, chasing the setting sun as it left the dense city streets behind.
During this time, the blond boy switched into Teacher Geng’s driver’s seat.
As dusk deepened, the car gradually slowed.
“We’re about to run out of gas…” the blond boy said, glancing back. “I think there’s a gas station up ahead, but I don’t know if we can actually get any fuel from it.”
Fu Yan looked at the spot faintly lit by the headlights. “Go take a look.”
“Alright.” The blond boy turned the steering wheel.
Jiang Xinghuai chewed on his dinner—one of those banana-flavored breads he hated the most—watching the three people sitting across from him by the dim light.
Teacher Geng held the sleeping Geng Bei in his arms, while Yu Xue leaned against him. The two spoke softly to each other.
A husband and wife, setting aside all the ugliness of the past, clinging desperately to the warmth of the person beside them.
Jiang Xinghuai looked again and again, then suddenly turned his head and quietly asked, “Uncle, have you ever been in love?”
Fu Yan lowered his eyelids, cast him a thoughtful glance, and answered with something else entirely: “I like someone gentle, quiet, around my own age.”
“I’ve never been in love, so I don’t really know what kind of person I’d like.” Jiang Xinghuai whispered again, “But I do have someone I like.”
I know. You mean me, don’t you?
Fu Yan’s face stiffened, but he stayed silent.
Jiang Xinghuai tilted his head up, leaning closer. “Uncle, do you think he would like someone like me?”
Fu Yan lifted his chin, pulling away from him, before finally lowering his head to look at him.
Jiang Xinghuai’s pupils were an unusually pure shade of black, rare among Asians. His gaze was simple and direct, fixed on you like a little dog staring at its master, eyes full of admiration and dependence.
Fu Yan felt a headache coming on. The kid was too straightforward. But he couldn’t possibly say he liked him. That would not only be deceiving Jiang Xinghuai, but it would also be a disrespect to the feelings themselves.
“I think…” Fu Yan grit his teeth, steeling himself. “No… no…”
Jiang Xinghuai blinked, tilting his head as he looked at him.
A beam of headlights shone from a distance, cutting through the narrow window, landing right on Jiang Xinghuai’s eyes.
Fu Yan looked into those eyes. No matter what, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words ‘I don’t like you’.
In the end, Fu Yan ground his teeth and forced out: “No… hard to say.”
