From a distance, Shen Shanwu could see the lights on in the villa, and he vaguely felt that something was about to go wrong. Gritting his teeth, he took a couple of steps forward, only to be grabbed by Yao Wuque, who had suddenly appeared from nowhere… At that moment, he knew for certain that disaster was imminent.
Shen Shanwu feigned pain, exclaiming, “It hurts, it hurts, it’s swollen, it’s swollen!”
“Why did you only realize it hurts now?! And you still dared to jump out the window and run away?!”
“I didn’t…”
“Wuque.” Zhong Yin suddenly pressed her hand to her ear and said, “The lieutenant told us to stop searching and head back quickly.”
“Huh?” Yao Wuque was very surprised. “But we’ve found him, right… So, do we still take him back?”
“…” After a moment of silence, Zhong Yin replied, “Take him back. If the captain decides he’s not needed, we’ll just hold him outside and give him a beating before letting him go.”
Shen Shanwu: “…”
Brother Shanwu is very vengeful; you two can forget about having an easy life from now on.
Yao Wuque interpreted the lieutenant’s orders as meaning that Jiang Tong had already ‘fallen out of favor,’ so he was particularly rough-handed. Although Shen Shanwu had a high pain tolerance, it didn’t prevent the five distinct red finger marks from appearing on his arm, creating a striking visual effect.
“Captain! I brought him back!” Yao Wuque exclaimed as he excitedly dragged Shen Shanwu through the door. The first to greet them was Xiaowen, who hurriedly rushed to the entrance and asked anxiously, “Are you hurt? Are you cold? Are you hungry?”
“No, no, I’m fine. My health is good. I am a bit hungry—”
“I’m asking about Jiang Tong.”
“…”
Shen Shanwu did not answer. He glanced past Xiaowen and looked at Jiang Huan, who was sitting in the living room. From the moment he entered, Jiang Huan’s gaze had been fixed on him without wavering, his face devoid of any expression, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Xiaowen pursed her lips, patted Shen Shanwu on the shoulder, and pushed him toward the living room while chattering, “You little brat, why couldn’t you just say you wanted to leave? We didn’t really kidnapped you! Why did you have to jump out the window in the middle of the night? We were so worried about you. If you keep making the captain upset like this, I, your sister Xiaowen, won’t let you off easy.”
Shen Shanwu took off his mask and jacket, discarding the former and putting the latter into the sterilization cabinet. He then walked up to Jiang Huan, stood in front of him, and deliberately let out a soft hiss, instinctively rubbing his wrist before quickly putting both arms behind his back.
“…What’s wrong?” Jiang Huan asked with an expressionless face. Shen Shanwu shook his head, saying, “It’s nothing.”
A long, powerful hand extended in front of him, palm facing up, silently waiting for Shen Shanwu to place his hand on it. Shen Shanwu ‘struggled,’ ‘hesitated,’ and ‘wavered’ for several seconds before finally raising his right hand. Jiang Huan rolled up his sleeve and saw five incredibly alarming red marks.
“Cough…” Yao Wuque, who was drinking water nearby, suddenly choked, gasping for breath. Zhong Yin quickly signaled him with her eyes to make a run for it; if there was going to be a punishment, it would be better to face it tomorrow.
At that moment, the ever-resourceful Xiaowen took out some medicated oil and a hot towel. She intended to apply the ointment to Shen Shanwu but was surprised to see Jiang Huan personally take the medicine, pour it into his palm, and gently grasp Shen Shanwu’s slender wrist, which seemed as if it could break with a single squeeze.
Jiang Huan said nothing, and Shen Shanwu was at a loss for words as well. One sat and the other stood, one person looking down at the other’s hand, while the other looked down from above at the bridge of his nose and eyelashes.
At that moment, the only other person, Zhang Xiaowen, felt quite awkward. She regretted her impulsive decision to stay and watch this ‘father-son’ silent drama instead of leaving with Wuque and Zhong Yin. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the lieutenant, feeling uneasy, came down as well. They were able to form an alliance of unfortunate siblings, sharing the beauty of the scene before them.
After many years apart, the changes in Jiang Huan’s face were quite evident. The youthful innocence that once characterized his features had completely faded away, replaced by a strong, resolute masculine contour.
Shen Shanwu quietly observed until Jiang Huan finished applying the medicated oil, wiped his hands clean, and raised his gaze to meet Shen Shanwu’s eyes. He saw those lips slightly parted, ready to kiss, and he heard a sigh near his ear, followed by Jiang Huan’s restrained voice:
“…Are you really that unwilling?”
“…”
“If you really…” Jiang Huan closed his eyes for a moment, “really don’t want to stay…”
Shen Shanwu lowered his sleeves to cover his wrists. The smell of the medicated oil was quite pungent to the senses of a mutant, but Shen Shanwu actually found it rather pleasant.
“No, no,” he said, “I just want to go back and say goodbye to my friends, grab a few things… and share a few more things.” The last part was purely to cover up the fact that his treasured black backpack had gone missing.
At his words, Jiang Huan’s expression darkened, becoming deep and inscrutable. He didn’t say anything, but the lieutenant questioned him suspiciously, “Why didn’t you tell us about this during the day? Why sneak out in the middle of the night?”
“Because you guys would definitely say, what could a wandering child from the outer district possibly have? If something is missing, just buy something better later,” Shen Shanwu half-jokingly complained. This was based on a real experience he had during the apocalypse, which he applied directly to his own situation.
The lieutenant was momentarily speechless, and then he heard Xiaowen ask, “Jiang Tong, what exactly is in that black backpack of yours? I’m really curious.”
“It’s just some stuff you would probably call garbage… You’d definitely laugh at me if you saw it,” Shen Shanwu mumbled as he averted his gaze.
What’s the difference between what you said and saying nothing at all? Xiaowen and the lieutenant exchanged glances, both looking at their captain. Jiang Huan, however, calmly changed the subject, clearly unwilling to delve deeper. He casually asked, “So, have you gathered everything you wanted to take?”
“…I have.”
Shen Shanwu felt relieved and turned to start saying goodbye to the other members. He tugged at Xiaowen’s shirt hem, speaking timidly, “Um… could I not sleep with that older brother from before? He’s really scary…”
In Shen Shanwu’s imagination, at this moment, they would explain that Yao Wuque was all bark and no bite, and actually a good person. He would then nod understandingly, saying, “Okay, I’ll be more careful in the future and won’t make my brother angry again.”
For a moment, the villa would surely be filled with the fragrance of tea.
Just as Shen Shanwu expected, Xiao Wen smiled as she patted his head, saying, “It’s okay; Wuque is really nice. Don’t be afraid…”
But to his surprise, Jiang Huan was standing on the stairs, turning back to look down at him as he said, “Then come sleep with me.”
Shen Shanwu: “…” No thanks, you’re even scarier!
Before Shen Shanwu could respond, Jiang Huan had already turned to extend his hand toward him. His voice carried a cold, hard authority typical of someone in a position of power, leaving no room for refusal: “Come here.”
“…” Shen Shanwu felt like he was shooting himself in the foot. With no other choice, he could only brace himself and walk over. Jiang Huan seemed impatient with his delay; when Shen Shanwu was just within arm’s reach, Jiang Huan bent down and effortlessly wrapped his arm around Shen Shanwu’s back, lifting him up by one leg.
To maintain his balance, Shen Shanwu instinctively wrapped his arms around Jiang Huan’s neck, feeling completely dazed. He had never been held like this by anyone before. Jiang Huan had impressive strength, and as Shen Shanwu’s mind wandered for a moment, he was silently carried back to the room by Jiang Huan without a word.
Xiaowen didn’t even have the chance to ask about the small bed that was still in Yao Wuque’s room or how they were going to sleep. The door was closed by Jiang Huan without looking back.
Inside the room, there was indeed only one bed, but it was much larger than the others, enough for two adults to sleep comfortably. Jiang Huan hung his cloak in the wardrobe and said to Shen Shanwu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze, “Do you need me to help you take off your clothes?”
“…” Shen Shanwu decisively stripped off his protective suit and burrowed under the covers. He had shared a bed with Jiang Huan countless times before, but now their body sizes had simply swapped.
Jiang Huan had an exceptionally poor sleeping posture. On many mornings, Shen Shanwu would wake up to see the short and stubby Jiang Huan clinging to him like a sloth, or find him curled up desperately trying to nestle into his embrace.
However, this time… it seemed a bit different?
After turning off the lights, Shen Shanwu quietly looked at the person beside him in the darkness. Jiang Huan was lying flat with a perfectly straight posture, his hands clasped on his stomach, looking as orderly as a missionary, as if a halo of holy light were about to shine down from above.
He closed his eyes and waited for a long time. Even after Jiang Huan’s breathing had completely stabilized, there was no change in his sleeping position.
How could a person’s transformation be so drastic? Shen Shanwu found it puzzling, but he had to admit that the captain’s bed was much more comfortable than the makeshift army cot he had been using. Not wanting to think too much about it, he settled into a comfortable position and fell asleep.
The next morning at six o’clock, Shen Shanwu was reluctantly awakened by Yao Wuque. The other person sleeping by the bed had already gotten up and dressed half an hour earlier. At that time, Shen Shanwu had woken up but was unwilling to get up, after all, lazing in bed was an essential quality of every tough guy.
Yao Wuque was pouting, holding a jar of medicated oil, his face twisted into an expression that was both fragrant and foul as he sat at the head of the bed, waiting for Shen Shanwu to extend his arm. Xiaowen, standing behind him, explained, “The captain sent Wuque to apply medicine for you and said that if he hurts you, he’ll be punished with fifty frog jumps.”
“…” Shen Shanwu blinked his eyes. Even with Yao Wuque’s fingers still an inch away from his wrist, he already had a look of exaggerated pain, “Ugh…”
“Damn! I haven’t even touched you yet, and you’re already complaining!”
“Fifty.” The merciless counting machine, Xiao Wen, was now online.
“Sister Wen! This little brat is acting!”
“Hurry up, or we’ll miss breakfast.”
The threat of not having any food was clearly a powerful intimidation. Yao Wuque, feeling extremely reluctant, could only take Shen Shanwu’s wrist again, handling it as carefully as if he were cradling the most expensive porcelain.
“Hmm…”
“One hundred.”
“Little brother, I was wrong, okay? Just stop crying!!”
Shen Shanwu’s lips curled up into a smile, feeling benevolent as he refrained from complaining any further. After Yao Wuque applied the medication to his bruise, he trudged out of the villa with a worried expression, starting to do frog jumps around the small garden. Meanwhile, Shen Shanwu was grabbed by Xiaowen and pushed in front of a pile of bottles and jars.
“This pure white bottle contains radiation-resistant medicine. Take two capsules a day—one before bed and one in the morning. The bottle with the red label is a cell enhancement medication; take one capsule after breakfast. The large green bottle contains anti-radiation cream; apply it at least three times a day—morning, noon, and night—reapply as needed. And this black glass bottle is an anti-radiation injection; you need to take it once a week. Roll up your sleeve.”
“…”
“Sister is a professional; it won’t hurt at all~”
Shen Shanwu, a grown man, wasn’t afraid of pain. It was just that taking these seemingly expensive medicines would be a waste, as the bodies of mutated individuals wouldn’t absorb the effects at all… If they did manage to absorb it, it would be even more troublesome; who knows what kind of terrible side effects could occur.
The author has something to say:
Be careful, green tea might shoot yourself in the foot.
35: …fuck!
