☆ One night, the person I care about
After traveling for most of the night, everyone was exhausted, so they fell asleep almost immediately after setting up their tents. Ye Xi sat on her sleeping bag and added a few more pieces of firewood to the fire. She didn't have a tent, so she certainly didn't want to be woken up by the cold when the fire went out.
"Don't you have a tent?" Ethan looked at the four tents behind him, then at Ye Xi sitting alone on her sleeping bag, and frowned slightly as he sat down next to her.
"No, that kind of thing would be a burden anyway, and I wouldn't know how to use it." After throwing the last branch into the fire, Ye Xi glanced at Ethan's buttocks. Perhaps it was because she had been around people for a long time, or perhaps she was not a cold person to begin with, but Ye Xi's originally indifferent voice carried a hint of human dissatisfaction that she did not even realize: "Hey, your pert butt is pressing on my bed."
Ethan showed no sign of moving aside. He placed a hand on Ye Xi's shoulder, his deep golden eyes intently gazing at her face. Only when he noticed Ye Xi's brows furrowing deeper did he realize he had been staring at her for too long. He then offered a warm smile to mask his embarrassment: "Well, I just wanted to say, I can switch with you..."
Seeing Ye Xi looking at him with a puzzled expression, Ethan hurriedly tried to cover up his unease: "What I mean is, I need to be wary of those zombies at night, so I don't really need a tent. A sleeping bag would be more convenient, but that's all..."
Ye Xi's fixed gaze made Ethan even more flustered. He immediately stood up, rushed into his tent, dragged out his sleeping bag, and added, "If... if you feel uncomfortable, we can switch sleeping bags... I mean, you can use your sleeping bag in my tent, and I... I'll just use mine... um, like this..."
Ye Xi finally couldn't keep her facial muscles in place any longer. Thinking back to when she first met Ethan, she just thought he was a healthy, sunny, gentlemanly sheriff who was showing off on a white horse. She never expected that he would be so... "You... you're not a virgin, are you...?" Ye Xi truthfully said what was really on her mind.
"Ahem, why...why are you asking this?" Ethan was startled by Ye Xi's bluntness, staring at her blankly and stammering as he asked.
“Because…” A hint of amusement flashed in Ye Xi’s eyes, “You seem to be very bad at dealing with women. Could it be that you deliberately hit me with the basketball in the first place just to try and chat me up? That’s something only a virgin would do.”
Ethan was startled. Although Ye Xi had only said it casually to tease him, he had no idea that she was just playing a trick on him, so he was even more flustered: "Of course not! Hey, I'm just doing this for your own good, don't overthink it!"
Seeing that Ethan was about to explode, Ye Xi shrugged. She clearly thought she had been a bit presumptuous with her words. She picked up her sleeping bag and walked towards Ethan's tent, while also patting the White Horse Sheriff's fur: "Don't be angry, I was just joking. And thank you." Then, without looking back, she crawled into "her" tent.
Ethan looked at the tent Ye Xi had moved into, and patted his head in frustration. "Hey Ethan, why do you become so useless whenever you're around her..." Ethan shook his head, dragged his sleeping bag to the fire, and crawled inside.
Ye Xi, who was sleeping in the tent, looked at the dark tent top and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. She almost laughed so hard that she rolled on the ground, but was startled by the sudden sound.
"I didn't expect you to still be the same. You haven't changed in three years." That bland voice was all too familiar to Ye Xi! Ye Xi blinked with a hint of delight and chuckled softly, "Oh, Quan, it's been so long! You shouldn't have been so sulking for over a month without talking to me!"
'Do you know what the consequences will be?' The O virus seemed to have no intention of reminiscing with Ye Xi; its cold, indifferent voice remained as ruthless as ever.
"Huh? What?" Ye Xi asked, stunned.
"Although you can get along well instantly, you know yourself—you've already made up your mind—that no matter who they are, you will absolutely abandon them if danger arises, and might even use them to create opportunities for yourself to survive. Don't be stubborn. Like I said, your indifference has already seeped into your bones. You will eventually kill them, won't you? That's why you've always refused to travel with others." The O virus so rationally exposed Ye Xi's true nature, without considering the feelings of Ye Xi, the body's owner.
"...What is your purpose in saying this?" Ye Xi's eyes instantly turned cold. She could not deny what the O virus said, because every word it said was the truth.
'Leave, immediately. Staying with these humans who are destined to die won't meet my requirements for growth and evolution.' Yes, although the initial intention in creating the O virus was good, that doesn't mean the O virus itself is a saintly virus. Viruses only grow stronger through mutual killing and devouring; it's survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle. Viruses don't consider humanity, nor do they care about anyone. They don't understand these things; they only care about their own survival and their own strength.
"...O virus, I am very grateful for everything you have done for me, or rather, for yourself. However, this does not mean that I have to listen to you. You must remember that you need me to survive." Perhaps the O virus's ruthless reopening of Ye Xi's wounds was making Ye Xi very disgusted. For the first time, Ye Xi's attitude towards the O virus was so tough.
"But you must remember, Ye Xi, if you follow them, one day they will discover you are a monster and reject, even hunt you down. Human emotions will one day cause you unbearable pain. Betrayal is far more painful than you can imagine." The O virus's tone remained flat, but a hint of emotion that Ye Xi couldn't understand was added.
Ye Xi opened her mouth, but then fell silent. She curled up in her sleeping bag, the hazy light before her eyes freezing her heart, which had been beginning to soften. This was destined, Ye Xi, you will suffer for the rest of your life. The cruel truth of the O virus left Ye Xi powerless to refute, and utterly unable to refute it.
Ye Xi sniffed, wiped away her tears haphazardly with her hand, clenched her fists, and her eyes gradually hardened. Finally, she closed her eyes, awaiting the arrival of tomorrow's apocalypse.
Ye Xi, who had been troubled by something and hadn't fallen asleep for a long time, was the last to get up. When she finished packing her things and walked out of the tent, everyone except Ethan gave her a subtle look. Then Legg and Andreik hugged each other and cried, "Aaaaaah, Ye Xi was tricked into bed by this wolf in sheep's clothing riding a white horse! Waaaaah, and we're left all alone!!"
Ye Xi's lips twitched.
“The boss must have worked really hard last night, otherwise you wouldn’t be up now. You’ve worked hard. But you can’t blame him. From what I’ve seen in the two years I’ve followed him, he hasn’t looked for any women. He’s probably been holding back for too long and it’s finally coming to an end.” Pan Sai walked over and patted Ye Xi on the shoulder, nodding to show his sympathy and understanding.
Ye Xi's eye twitched.
"Oh, so you're not our captain's wife? Hello, sister-in-law!" Benny greeted Fury and Ye Xi, sticking out her tongue cutely at the same time. Girl, don't just randomly claim kinship if you don't know anything!
Ye Xi shuddered.
"I already told you, don't misunderstand! I already said I just lent her the tent and slept outside myself. I woke up first thing this morning, so I packed my sleeping bag and put it in the car first!" Seeing Ye Xi showing signs of petrification and cracking, Ethan wiped his cold sweat and explained. However, it seemed that he forgot the saying that "an explanation is a cover-up, and a cover-up is just telling a story," and he also forgot that his team members were naturally dim-witted. He was also unaware that Pan Sai, who was relatively normal and knew the truth, was eager to bring them together. Therefore, this explanation immediately backfired.
"Waaaaah, they only used one sleeping bag!! Even Benny and Fury, the real young couple, used two sleeping bags. We've only known each other for a few hours, and this is so unfair, waaaaah~~~" Legg and Andrei started crying again.
"My God, boss, you're way too thirsty!" The fat guy exclaimed, his mouth agape in exaggerated surprise.
"Sister-in-law, how are you feeling right now? Are you feeling unwell? Can you still walk or ride a horse? Why don't you come in and squeeze in?" The young couple stared at Ye Xi with concern.
"God, what kind of idiots are you all?!" The captain exclaimed in frustration, bending forward in despair.
Ye Xi watched the farce with embarrassment, suddenly remembering what the O virus had said. Her trembling fists relaxed, and she coldly stared at everyone's faces. Then she rolled up her sleeping bag, packed it up, and hung it on her horse. Her unusually calm demeanor and low-pressure atmosphere silenced everyone.
Ye Xi nimbly mounted her horse, holding the reins and looking down at the stunned crowd. With a cold expression, she deliberately distanced herself from them: "Hurry up and pack your things. Leave here before the zombies smell us and come after us."
"Yes...yes!" Ye Xi's queenly aura startled them. Ethan and Pansey quickly packed up the tent Ye Xi had slept in, and the rest of the lazy group hurriedly got into the car. Once everything was ready, they resumed their journey. After an unknown amount of silence, Pansey, who was driving, finally spoke in a trembling voice, "Damn it...we don't seem to have had breakfast yet..." But his words were slowly silenced under Ye Xi's cold gaze.
“We can eat on the way, we can eat on the way…” Ethan laughed awkwardly. He felt that Ye Xi had changed again, even more indifferent than when he first met her, but he didn’t know why. She was fine last night, so why is she like this now…?
Ye Xi, still mounted on her horse, withdrew her powerful gaze, then took out a few biscuits for breakfast and asked Ethan and the others about their current destination. "Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada. A few days ago, we received a broadcast in Salt Lake City saying there was a protected area in Las Vegas, so we're planning to check it out. At our current speed, head southwest, and we should be able to leave Utah and enter Nevada around this afternoon."
Hearing this, Ye Xi frowned again. Although she couldn't remember all the details of the plot, she could still recall the general outline. If she remembered correctly, Carlos and Claire were on their way to Las Vegas when they encountered Alice... Tsk, if it were really a coincidence, she might actually run into those old friends... However, after that final farce in Raccoon City, it didn't matter to the others, but would Carlos and Nicola still consider her a partner?
Thinking of this, Ye Xi's eyes dimmed...
"Hey, Ye Xi, are you alright?" Ethan asked worriedly, looking at Ye Xi who seemed a little down. "Don't take those guys' words too seriously. That's just how they are. They'll joke about even the smallest things to vent the pressure and despair they feel during this time. I hope you can understand... After all... we've all lost our loved ones in this disaster."
Ye Xi looked at Ethan, whose expression was slightly worried, and gently shook her head: "I didn't care about their joke just now. I was just thinking about other things."
"...Is it someone you care about?" In this situation, besides their own safety, everyone is only worried about how the people they care about are doing. Ethan frowned as he looked at Ye Xi; Ye Xi's unusual behavior made him very worried.
Ye Xi paused slightly, remaining silent for a long time before shaking her head. Her lowered gaze fell on her hand tightly gripping the reins, and a bitter smile tugged at her slightly pale face. "No, I can't have someone I care about, I can't possibly have someone I care about..."
Author's Note: Sorry for continuing the melodramatic romance, I was wrong (kneeling). Okay, let's make it a little fun. Although this is the apocalypse, this is a serious drama. There's a loophole in the O-virus here, I don't know if you guys noticed it~~~ Please comment (biting handkerchief).
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