Chapter 20: You Guys Really Know How to Play
Zhang Su watched as Zheng Xinyu scurried off, her thoughts transparent to him. She lacked decisiveness, which was fine by him—it ant she wouldn’t voice unnecessary opinions.
Kneeling on the ground, Zhong Xiaoshan stared intently at Zhang Su. She had completely grasped the situation: the man before her was her last lifeline.
“Brother, handso brother!” Zhong Xiaoshan scooted closer and clung to Zhang Su’s leg, looking up at him with pitiful eyes. “Please, save . As long as you give a bite to eat, I’ll do anything for you. I can even sleep with you!”
Zhang Su was speechless. On one hand, she seed to have so boundaries; on the other, she was willing to abandon all pride for food. He couldn’t decide if she had no principles or just practical ones.
“Right now, who has the ti for that? Get up and take to your place. If there’s anything worth trading, I can give you so food.”
Zhang Su pulled her up and gestured for her to lead the way.
He enjoyed won and was far from faithful, but he had experienced enough that their allure had waned, especially in an apocalyptic crisis.
“Sure... alright,” Zhong Xiaoshan replied hesitantly. When Zhang Su ntioned going to her place, her expression grew strange, her gaze evasive, as though she wanted to refuse. Ultimately, she swallowed her words and slowly moved toward the door.
“Xinyu, I’m going across the hall to see if there’s anything useful. Open the door for when I get back,” Zhang Su called as he opened the door to Zheng Xinyu’s bedroom.
“Huh? Wait, no! I’m coming with you!”
Zheng Xinyu, who had been unwrapping bizarre gifts sent by her fans, jumped to her feet in a panic. Being left alone in the apartnt was too terrifying!
Zhang Su shrugged nonchalantly. “Bring a weapon.”
Zhong Xiaoshan’s face fell further when she realized Zheng Xinyu was coming along. She waved her hands frantically. “Um, miss, you don’t need to co. There’s really not much to see. Handso guy can go alone.”
Zhang Su raised an eyebrow, suspecting Zhong Xiaoshan was trying to get Zheng Xinyu out of the picture for so ulterior motive. Was she planning to throw herself at him in her apartnt? And would he accept, accept, or... accept?
Zheng Xinyu seed to have the sa suspicion, sneaking a glance at Zhang Su to gauge his reaction. Seeing him appear dazed and unresponsive, her heart sank.
“n really do think with their lower half,” she muttered bitterly. “Fine, you two go. I’ll stay here.”
“Co back. You’re coming with us,” Zhang Su said firmly, grabbing her arm as she turned back toward her room. “Why are you listening to her? Listen to . Got it?”
People with no backbone, like Zheng Xinyu, were easily led astray. Zhang Su made a ntal note to instill the habit of listening to him without question.
“Okay, okay, got it!”
Zheng Xinyu’s mood lifted slightly. Smiling, she grabbed a baseball bat and eagerly followed him out.
While they were technically discussing the sa situation, their thoughts were entirely out of sync.
The trio left 801. After Zhang Su confird he had his keys, he gently shut the door.
The short walk across the hallway passed quickly, but Zheng Xinyu tightened her grip on his arm when they passed the zombie corpse, a sign she hadn’t fully adjusted yet. Surprisingly, Zhong Xiaoshan, who walked ahead, showed no reaction at all.
Zhong Xiaoshan’s door was open when they arrived, and she quietly closed it behind them once they entered.
“You were scared out of your wits when it was alive, but now that it’s dead, you’re fearless? That loud voice of yours probably carried across three floors. Weren’t you afraid of being bashed into a bloody pulp?” Zhang Su asked as they entered.
“I... I was a nurse before. I’ve seen plenty of grueso accident victims at the hospital, so even worse than the one at the door. Like you said, a living zombie is terrifying because it’s out to eat people. Once it’s a corpse, it’s no longer a threat...”
Zhang Su had to admit her reasoning made sense. After all, she’d probably beco desensitized to mangled bodies after years in the hospital.
Zhong Xiaoshan pointed toward her room. “Feel free to look around. Take anything you need. I... I just want sothing to eat.”
“This place is really barebones,” Zheng Xinyu remarked, her curiosity piqued as she took in the surroundings. Calling it a shell of a ho was generous. The space for a built-in shoe cabinet was empty, save for a single pair of shoes on the floor. The circuit breaker box was exposed.
In the living room, two chairs against the wall held random items, while a broom and dustpan stood in a corner. The curtains were tightly drawn, and the kitchen was even more barren. Without a functioning gas line or even cabinets, it was little more than a hollow space.
“Even a thief would leave five bucks out of pity...” Zhang Su muttered, heading straight to the kitchen and quickly returning with a grim expression.
“The useful stuff is in the bedroom...” Zhong Xiaoshan mumbled, pointing toward the only room with a door.
“You guys really are sothing. Even if this was just a nursing room, you could’ve at least decorated it a little. What the...?”
Zhang Su trailed off as he pushed open the bedroom door.
The bedroom was the only furnished space in the apartnt, its pink décor stimulating and provocative. A large round bed dominated the center of the room, with ornate lighting and several hooks on the ceiling. A swing and a hammock dangled from above, filled with unopened, suggestive packages.
In the corner stood a vanity cluttered with handbags, water bottles, and keys.
Zheng Xinyu, drawn by Zhang Su’s exclamation, peeked into the room. Her face turned crimson as her gaze landed on the scattered assortnt of intimate items.
“Wow... this is next level,” she stamred, covering her mouth and stealing a glance at Zhong Xiaoshan.
“Director Hu had so... issues in that area. He set this up as part of his therapy,” Zhong Xiaoshan explained awkwardly. “But he didn’t live long enough to use it...”
“Stimulus-based physical therapy, huh? Innovative.” Zhang Su wasn’t entirely surprised. “But if there’s nothing useful here, I can’t help you.”
He entered the room and flipped on the light. Images from Wu Lue’s computer flashed through his mind, heating his body montarily before the thought of the zombie horde outside quickly extinguished his impulses.
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