Zhou Rong took another sip and recited the names of the seventeen fallen soldiers in order of sacrifice, with Zhang Yingjie being the last.
After finishing, he fell silent for a moment, and Si Nan quietly gazed at him.
“The third toast is to hope that the government quickly develops an antiviral drug, allowing humanity to soon escape this disaster, rebuild their homes, and restore stability and peace.”
Zhou Rong raised his glass to the brilliant sky, pouring the last of his drink onto the ground:
“Heaven and earth, ten thousand heroic spirits, please witness how we, with human hands, continue the hope of our species’ survival.”
Tonight there was no moon, but the stars flickered, casting a faint white light over the mountains and rivers.
Zhou Rong turned to Si Nan and smiled, “Eat up, it’ll get cold soon.”
Si Nan nodded and reached for a piece of bread in the meat sauce.
Zhou Rong took a bowl to serve the meat porridge he had been simmering for hours. However, when he scooped it out, he found the porridge was very thin, and upon closer inspection, some meat and vegetables hadn’t dissolved, clearly just added recently.
“Si—Xiao—Nan!” Zhou Rong suddenly turned fierce, speaking with authority: “How much did you steal? Tell me!”
Si Nan: “…”
“You sneakily ate some and then tried to cover it up by adding more! Did you think I wouldn’t notice this mess of a stew?”
Si Nan, knowing he was caught, thought for a moment, then dramatically threw down his spoon and picked up a small bag of raisins: “Where’s the red envelope?”
“…”
“Were you cooking it for Yan Hao?”
“…” Zhou Rong sincerely said, “Comrade Xiao Si, I think Yan Hao would cough up blood if he heard that… please don’t say it in front of him.”
Si Nan ate the Italian meatballs, raising one corner of his mouth, his eyes overflowing with joy and satisfaction.
On New Year’s Eve, the vast northern wind swept through the mountain forest, with dense black darkness in the distance, zombies wandering and moaning in the valley, and the bright stars silently overlooking the earth.
In this small world, there was warm food, clean clothes, and a strong sense of security. Si Nan sat cross-legged in a chair, relaxed after a hot shower, ready to stretch at any moment.
The anger, hatred, pain, and the deep-seated needle-like regret and hope he experienced in front of Rommel a few days ago seemed like memories from a previous life, all vanishing the moment Zhou Rong appeared.
Si Nan squeezed closer to the edge of the table, leaning half his body weight on Zhou Rong’s shoulder.
Zhou Rong’s voice was slightly hoarse: “Little comrade, this is sexual harassment, I’m telling you.”
Si Nan lazily said, “Go ahead, I’m sexually harassing an Alpha People’s Liberation Army uncle, quick, call the police to arrest me.”
This position pressed them almost together, and the food in Zhou Rong’s mouth instantly lost its taste, with only the Omega’s pheromones surging and spreading, teasing the most sensitive part of his heart.
“Si Nan,” Zhou Rong swallowed the porridge, with difficulty.
“Hmm.”
“Your… suppressants…” he seemed to have trouble saying it: “Seem to have… expired.”
Si Nan drank milk carelessly: “Impossible, I took them in late September, they last six months.”
Zhou Rong thought to himself that his scent was very obvious; could it be that too many injuries caused the suppressants in his blood to metabolize prematurely?
“How did you find me?” Si Nan unconsciously rubbed against Zhou Rong’s muscular bicep, asking casually.
Zhou Rong, distracted by the pheromones, briefly described how he jumped from a helicopter, searched tirelessly for 48 hours in zombie-infested areas, tracked an over two-meter-tall Alpha named Abbas until finding their temporary base.
Si Nan said in a muffled voice: “Those were White Eagle troops from Country A. Rommel was their leader. They have a secret military base in Florida dedicated to various biochemical research, possibly directly related to the zombie virus outbreak.”
“Why did they want to capture you?”
“…Not entirely sure.”
Zhou Rong lowered his head, just as Si Nan looked up, their lips nearly brushing.
In an instant, Zhou Rong’s heart skipped a beat, but Si Nan was completely unaware: “I had a slight brain injury. They gave me an overdose of injections, which is making it difficult for me to think clearly…”
Zhou Rong opened his mouth, suddenly realizing the source of his unease.
—Si Nan’s gaze was fixed directly on his lips!
Because they were so close, it was hard to see clearly, but Zhou Rong was certain that Si Nan’s unblinking gaze contained something slightly hazy, not entirely unconscious, but not fully aware either; if he had to describe it, it was like an instinctive reaction.
“They seemed to ask me about some box,” Si Nan mumbled like in a dream, “something about a scarf…”
Zhou Rong softly reminded: “Si Xiao Nan?”
Si Nan closed his eyes, then opened them, sitting back: “What?”
—The ambiguous atmosphere was instantly broken.
“What were we talking about?” Si Nan asked seriously: “If I could remember, I’d definitely tell you. Right now… my mind is a bit chaotic, and I can’t recall many details. The drugs they gave me might take a few days to wear off.
Zhou Rong was slightly regretful, reaching out to gently rub Sinan’s temple, and smiled, “If you can’t remember, don’t force it. Take your time. Rong-ge believes in you.”
Sinan seemed to suddenly realize his inappropriate action, abruptly stopping, and picked up a spoon to fill his mouth with meat porridge.
Zhou Rong: “…”
“It’s really delicious,” Sinan said calmly, each syllable filled with stiff attempts to cover up.
“…” Zhou Rong said caringly, “Be careful not to choke.”
Zhou Rong’s original plan was to simply sleep in the same bed with Sinan, who was neither fully conscious nor clingy. However, plans often go awry – halfway through bathing, Sinan actually woke up, making the sleeping arrangements extremely awkward.
“You haven’t recovered, you sleep on the bed,” Zhou Rong huffed and puffed, dragging the sofa from the next room, patting his hands, “I’ll sleep on the sofa. We’ll be in the same room, so it’s convenient to warn each other if anything happens at night.”
Sinan lay sideways at the head of the bed, raising one eyelid, watching Zhou Rong busying about.
The unobstructed Alpha pheromones filled his nostrils, but he now found the scent pleasant, like soft clouds enveloping his entire body.
Sinan lay his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.
The last image before falling asleep was Zhou Rong lying on the opposite sofa, eyes bright in the darkness, looking towards the bed. He seemed to want to do something but ultimately did nothing.
What didn’t he do?
…It seemed like the nightly kiss that had been so regular these past few days was missing.
Sinan exhaled, consciousness spinning as he fell into deep sleep.
“Good night, Little Sinan,” Zhou Rong whispered in the darkness, “Happy New Year.”
Midnight.
Zhou Rong opened his eyes at the first sign of movement, nerves tense, instantly sitting up.
Starlight filtered into the bedroom, and Sinan, half-asleep, dragged his pillow, swaying over and squeezing onto the sofa, signaling Zhou Rong to move inward, then collapsing on top.
Zhou Rong was greatly startled, propping himself up with his elbow and staring for a moment, tentatively calling, “Sinan? …Little Sinan?”
Sinan’s judo skills must have reached perfection – in such a narrow space, he could still turn his back to Zhou Rong, curl up, hug his pillow, and sleep very soundly.
“…Are you throwing yourself into my arms, Comrade Little Sinan?”
The bedroom was silent, with no one answering.
