Chapter 69 I Like You
The door opened.
The sound brought Bai Chenzhu back to his senses.
Jiang Ye came out humming a tune while drying his hair. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just a pair of trousers.
He bent down and took out a spare three-piece bedding set from the cabinet, changing all the soiled bedding. He acted as if he were the homeowner, and as if they were tourists on vacation.
Bai Chenzhu walked over and followed behind him, staring at Jiang Ye's shoulders and back. Seeing that the flesh of the wounds had begun to heal, she was somewhat surprised, "It's only been an afternoon."
"Hmph." Jiang Ye held a hairdryer and dried his wet hair, raising his chin smugly. "That's why I said don't worry, it'll be fine soon."
"Look," he touched his forehead, "the temperature has gone down."
Bai Chenzhu touched his forehead with some skepticism, "It really is. Will it catch a fever again?"
Jiang Ye didn't reply. He was checking the doors and windows to ensure safety. "Use your mental energy sparingly, and avoid using it if possible. Otherwise, the two of us won't even be enough to fill the gaps in the big monster's teeth this morning."
"Okay." Bai Chenzhu nodded. "I understand."
He stared at Jiang Ye again.
Jiang Ye acted so naturally, his topics were natural, his actions were natural, so natural and casual that Jiang Ye suspected that what had just happened was all his imagination.
Or is it all an act?
Bai Chenzhu's gaze swept around Jiang Ye's back in an inquisitive manner.
Jiang Ye stretched and plopped onto the bed. He rolled over and curled himself into a caterpillar. The caterpillar grew a hand and patted the spot next to it. "It's late, go to sleep."
Bai Chenzhu knelt on one knee on the bed sheet, looking down at him. "Is there something we haven't finished talking about?"
Jiang Ye reached out and hooked his neck, then flipped him over with a force that forced Bai Chenzhu to fall into the clean bedding, burying his face in the pillow.
What is this? Bai Chenzhu was in a state of confusion due to some kind of guess. He looked up, just as Jiang Ye was groping for the bedside table, and with a click, the light went out.
In the silence, strange noises outside seemed to be right next to my ears.
Outside were monsters, and next door lay the person who had just subtly confessed their feelings. Bai Chenzhu propped himself up on the covers and sat up.
Jiang Ye turned over to face him and patted the back of his hand, "Relax."
Bai Chenzhu looked at his silhouette in the darkness, "Jiang Ye..."
Jiang Ye asked, "What's wrong?"
Is this a case of pretending not to know? Bai Chenzhu wondered.
Things did happen too hastily and unexpectedly, but life is full of ups and downs, and Bai Chenzhu has already accepted his messy confession.
But why did Jiang Ye react this way? Bai Chenzhu twirled the soft, white bedding between his fingertips. After a brief moment of thought, he guessed pretty much what was going on.
——
In fact, although Jiang Ye seemed calm, his heart was pounding from the moment he was about to leave the bathroom, and he hadn't calmed down at all.
He cared deeply for Bai Chenzhu, but he didn't want to drift apart from her, nor did he want to hastily reject her and be driven away by her. However, if he didn't reject her... he knew he didn't understand love and couldn't reciprocate Bai Chenzhu's feelings for the time being.
I like you.
What should I say next?
I should say, I like you too, right?
But do I like A-Zhu? How do I know if I like him or not? Jiang Ye was caught in a dilemma.
His only reference point was Wang Xinxin, the most beautiful girl in the department back then. He had a crush on the pretty Wang Xinxin back then, so he confessed his feelings directly, but Wang Xinxin never accepted him and even told him that she liked 'Bai Chenzhu'.
He once regarded Bai Chenzhu as a rival in love because of this.
The sudden apocalypse forced him to live in a villa with Wang Xinxin, and later he even took her with him when they escaped.
Jiang Ye thought that after going through everything together, they were already in a tacit relationship, and he was willing to give everything for the person he had chosen.
But what was the result? Wang Xinxin betrayed him so easily, just because of a rumor that "what's in a superhuman's brain can give ordinary people superpowers," and she wanted his life.
Jiang Ye reviewed the case countless times before finally reaching a conclusion.
He was merely attracted to Wang Xinxin's appearance at first sight; he had a superficial liking for her, but it couldn't be called love. As for Wang Xinxin, her 'love' was deadly.
But he almost killed himself because of such a superficial feeling.
Having already experienced a setback, Jiang Ye was hesitant to form close relationships with others again.
Speaking of which, Ah Zhu is indeed very beautiful... So, is it possible that I was also attracted to her looks this time?
The more I think about it, the more I start to doubt myself from every angle.
Aside from the question of whether or not one likes it, there's also the question of whether or not one can do it.
Ah Zhu is a man, but I clearly like women. My first love was also a woman. Men should be with women, have children, and build families.
Jiang Ye thought of his parents, and his parents' parents.
I have never heard of two men or two women forming a family; I have absolutely no reference points.
If Jiang Ye could still use his phone, he could ask for help on various social media platforms and maybe get some pointers and suddenly understand.
But now, he's so anxious he's banging his head against the wall, unable to imagine anything.
He didn't care about liking or disliking. He's a man! A man! His physical structure is the same as mine; once he takes off his clothes, he's a hard-boiled male! He can't have sex, and he can't have children. Thinking of this, Jiang Ye splashed cold water on his face in front of the bathroom mirror.
So, I guess I still like women, right? What if there's a misunderstanding and I end up dating someone? Wouldn't that make me a heartless man?
No, absolutely not, we need to think about it carefully again.
So... should I just refuse?
No! He'll be heartbroken! And what if Ah-Zhu runs away because of this?
The more Jiang Ye thought about it, the more frightened he became.
She was afraid that Bai Chenzhu would continue the previous topic, afraid that if she refused him, he would be hurt and they would drift further apart, and also afraid that she had misunderstood something, betrayed his feelings, and become a heartless man.
Give me a little more time, just a little.
For now, let's just muddle through for now! Jiang Ye took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door.
——
In the darkness, neither could see the other's expression clearly, and for a moment, neither of them was quite sure what the other meant.
Just when Jiang Ye thought he had escaped a calamity, Bai Chenzhu seemed to see through his thoughts and suddenly said, "I'll give you two days at most."
Jiang Ye felt like he'd been hit on the head with a sledgehammer, seeing stars. He stammered, "Okay, okay?"
"Did I manage to turn a straight man gay?" This question suddenly popped into Bai Chenzhu's mind, his feelings a jumble of emotions. "Yes."
No one spoke again.
In the silent stillness, Jiang Ye had already imagined Bai Chenzhu's pitiful and heartbroken appearance, and was deeply tormented by his conscience.
“A-Zhu, don’t be upset. You’re fine, it’s just… it’s all my fault, I—” He looked in Bai Chenzhu’s direction, his good eyesight allowing him to clearly see the outline of Bai Chenzhu’s seated figure, and hurriedly explained, “You know I’m not that smart, so I need a little bit of time to digest this, just a little bit.”
Bai Chenzhu snapped out of her daze and nodded. "You are quite stupid."
In fact, he wasn't in a hurry for Jiang Ye to give him an answer immediately. On the contrary, if Jiang Ye could give him a definite answer right away without thinking, he would suspect that Jiang Ye had been pretending to be confused and deliberately playing him for a fool.
After all, this is the kind of guy who needs a hammer blow to even get to the point of understanding.
Jiang Ye gritted his teeth, "Wait for me. Ah Zhu, I won't let you down."
I was the one who confessed my feelings, so why is Jiang Ye so restless and torn between two options? Because of this contrast, Bai Chenzhu couldn't help but laugh, finding it somewhat amusing.
He found it quite amusing to watch Jiang Ye, who was all talk and no action, struggling with his own dilemma.
"It's alright." Bai Chenzhu smiled knowingly.
The prey was already in the trap, but it just couldn't see its predicament.
There is only one answer.
Jiang Ye couldn't understand his smile, and his heart immediately became uneasy. In just a few minutes, his emotions were like a rollercoaster, tormenting his nerves. He was more exhausted than if he had fought a zombie battle.
Bai Chenzhu glanced at him twice. He couldn't see anything in the darkness, but he could sense Jiang Ye's nervousness and helplessness.
Bai Chenzhu finally took pity on him and lay back down, changing the subject, "Seriously, just thinking about sleeping in a zombie apocalypse makes my heart race. What if they all gang up on us?"
Jiang Ye breathed a sigh of relief at this topic, as Bai Chenzhu couldn't see him in the darkness. He sidled up to him and said, "Keep your mental energy in check. They're mindless; they won't chase us."
Bai Chenzhu closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, trying to ignore Jiang Ye's presence. The two of them each had a blanket and couldn't touch each other, so they shouldn't have felt anything, but he just felt the other person's body temperature.
His heart was pounding in his chest, and he couldn't help but open his eyes at the slightest sound.
After all, once things were out in the open, it wasn't the 'pure' friendship it used to be.
Bai Chenzhu turned to the side and began to think about the mutant.
What if the mutants discover there's fresh 'food' in this room and swarm over? When he and Jiang Ye open their eyes at dawn, the room might be teeming with zombies...
My mind was out of control; images were already flashing before my eyes, and the pounding in my heart subsided as I began to recall the events of the day.
Bai Chenzhu couldn't sleep, so he opened his eyes, turned over, and faced Jiang Ye.
"Jiang Ye," Bai Chenzhu said softly, unsure if Jiang Ye was still awake, "aren't you worried about Sister Zhuohua and the others?"
When the car exploded, he saw Tang Zhao, who reacted the fastest, turn around with his back to the monster, put his arms around Zhou Zhuohua and Bai Tao's shoulders, and jump down the mountain road.
If the car doesn't kill the monster, Zhou Zhuohua and the other two are more likely to be in danger than he and Jiang Ye, who were swept away by the water.
Jiang Ye opened his eyes, his gaze complex and unreadable. He raised his hand and placed it on Bai Chenzhu's waist, loosely encircling him through the blanket. "Don't think about it."
"Only after we've rested well can we go back to Deer Cry Mountain to find them."
Bai Chenzhu thought for a moment, then casually brushed his hand away. "So, should we go back to Deer Cry Mountain next? Or should we go find that monster? I'm sure the fragment is on it."
“We’re at ‘Snow Bridge.’ To get to Deer Cry Mountain, we have to cross half of the ancient city.” Jiang Ye’s train of thought was almost interrupted by Bai Chenzhu’s actions. He swallowed hard, withdrew his hand, and said calmly and respectfully, “Let’s go to Deer Cry Mountain first. If we encounter that monster again on the way, we’ll make further plans.”
Bai Chenzhu sighed deeply.
"Why are you acting like a little old man?" Jiang Ye patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Can't you sleep? How about I tell you some bedtime stories?"
Bai Chenzhu became interested and her attention was drawn back from the strange cries outside to Jiang Ye.
By the light filtering through the curtains, he could vaguely make out Jiang Ye's outline, and without any hesitation, he began to 'order', "Tell me about how you started your base."
"You're actually interested in this?" Jiang Ye thought for a moment. As long as they didn't talk about 'that matter,' he was willing to do anything Bai Chenzhu asked him to do. "Okay, it has something to do with luck."
“Back in Fuyun City, I met Tang Jie, who occupied a villa area. He was different from the people we knew. He looked very down and out, and his expression was dejected…”
——
The moonlight outside the window was shrouded in dark clouds, and Bai Chenzhu, exhausted from a long day, was fast asleep. Only then did Jiang Ye dare to approach and examine Bai Chenzhu's features.
He was born exceptionally handsome, with no visible pores even when magnified on a screen without makeup.
He fiddled with Bai Chenzhu's ginkgo leaf earrings, his mind filled with that unformed, unspoken 'kiss'.
Jiang Ye was not as single-minded as he claimed; on the contrary, he was in a state of utter confusion.
If Bai Chenzhu could enter his mental sea again, he would find that an unusual meteor shower was about to take place, with large, scorching meteors crashing down, causing the earth to shake and mountains and rivers to collapse.
Jiang Ye got out of bed, rubbed his forehead which was starting to feel feverish again, took a deep breath, and drew back the curtains. Outside, the mutants were still active day and night.
But strangely, they are all now moving slowly in the same direction.
The room was pitch black, blending into the night. Jiang Ye stood quietly in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his thoughts drifting to the strange monster's movements. He narrowed his eyes, gazing thoughtfully in that direction, the image of the giant surfacing in his mind.
It was a zombie that was twice the height of a person. It was agile, extremely sensitive to mental energy, and had a livid face with the usual rotten and ugly appearance of a zombie. However, it was wearing an iron ring around its neck.
The iron ring, about an inch wide, was firmly fastened to the zombie's neck. It was shiny and had very little dirt on it, and it didn't look like something left behind from before.
A bold guess suddenly popped into Jiang Ye's mind.
Jiang Ye thought, "This ancient city isn't clean." They had all underestimated the place.
But now that they've arrived, not only have they lost a car, but they've also become separated from Zhou Zhuohua and the other two. Thinking of this, Jiang Ye wanted to sigh like Bai Chenzhu.
There is no turning back.
No wonder Bai Chenzhu suddenly said... Jiang Ye came back to his senses and realized that he was thinking about 'that matter' again. He anxiously scratched his hair, thinking that Bai Chenzhu was still asleep, and dared not make a sound, so he could only go crazy silently.
Why don't we go kill a few zombies to vent our anger? Jiang Ye glanced guiltily at the person on the bed a few times, tiptoed away the sofa and other things blocking the door, and sneaked out the door.
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