Chapter 2: Birthdays Are Meant to Be Joyful

The sack of flour on his shoulder was slipping, so Xiao Guang tried to shift it to the other shoulder, but the birthday gift he had just gotten grunted in displeasure, probably because his arm’s movement affected her appetite.

Pei Zhuxuan was the birthday gift Xiao Guang had chosen for himself. At this moment, she tilted her head, biting her own sleeve, her eyes still red, and followed closely step by step.

As for why he was doing this, Xiao Guang couldn’t quite explain it—perhaps three months of being single made him want someone to talk to.

Or maybe it was because even before, though not necessarily a fan, he had always liked her—liked her face, liked her performances on shows. In any case, it was hard to say.

After leaving the bakery, Xiao Guang turned back and lifted the white sack of flour again; she bit down once more, like a fish caught on a hook.

Pei Zhuxuan walked very close to him; her legs occasionally disrupted his rhythm when lifting his own. Xiao Guang ignored her—she would adjust herself to keep in step.

This was a good sign—it showed that her infection wasn’t too deep. Though her eyes were red, the whites near her pupils were still clear, with a faint hint of blue, indicating she hadn’t completely lost herself to madness.

Those who had lost all reason had gray eyes, a fact Xiao Guang knew well. This was one of the reasons he convinced himself to take her away from the bakery.

Even though infected, people retained some instincts from their past lives. For instance, when Xiao Guang waved to the security guard downstairs, the man stood in place, confused, but whether or not Xiao Guang was in sight, he suddenly saluted without words.

He could no longer form complete sentences—the ancient virus was ruthless, perhaps deeming speech useless and simply destroying that function.

“This is my home. Wait here.”

No response came, but Xiao Guang still spoke, pushing Pei Zhuxuan’s forehead to loosen her grip on his arm. She panicked a bit and reached for the flour sack standing by the door.

She lifted it, but was crushed underneath by the weight. Her short legs kicked futilely; unable to break free, she tucked her head behind the sack.

Xiao Guang headed to the storage room, recalling he had an elastic ball—not too big—that might fit in Pei Zhuxuan’s mouth to prevent her from biting.

After some thought, he grabbed a white towel and a pair of scissors.

Back at the door, he looked at Pei Zhuxuan still pinned under the flour sack, then at her hands clutching it tightly, and couldn’t help but shake his head.

“A good artist shouldn’t neglect hygiene. Your nails are so long and messy. Don’t move—I’ll trim them for you.”

He took her left hand gently, slowly prying it open to spread out her palm. Pei Zhuxuan’s head peeked from behind the sack, seemingly wanting to look, but ultimately lacked the courage to appear.

After trimming the left hand, he moved on to the right, then wrapped her hands into fists with clear tape. He also pulled off her sneakers.

The process wasn’t smooth; she seemed quite attached to her shoes, squirming and dodging.

“Don’t move.”

Xiao Guang’s voice was loud. Her legs stopped moving, allowing him to remove the shoes. Her socks were still clean, as if she hadn’t walked much.

Most of the zombies roaming the streets were careless about footwear—shoes worn crookedly or bare feet.

“Have you been hiding in the bakery all along?”

Still no reply. Xiao Guang pulled off one sock to see her foot—fair-skinned. Wearing gloves, he couldn’t tell if it was warm, but it was probably cold; zombies tended to have body temperatures like cold-blooded creatures.

After trimming the toenails on one foot, the other was easier. But looking at the greyish dirt on her feet, Xiao Guang wondered how long she’d been infected. Surely not three months without washing?

He decided to check if the water pipe was working. Though he no longer drank tap water himself, giving her a bath should be fine.

“Wait here. Don’t move, or I’ll hit you.”

He didn’t know if the warning worked—no response came. He only saw her feet pressed together, toes twitching slightly.

The water pipe hadn’t been used for a long time. After releasing air for over ten seconds, water finally flowed. Leaving it running for a while and seeing the flow was normal, Xiao Guang felt itchy himself. How long had it been since he bathed? Wiping with a towel just wasn’t enough.

Still, he dared not take risks. There was no definite evidence about the origin of the ancient virus or how it transmitted. But since it was called an ancient virus, it was probably related to melting glaciers. And glaciers meant water.

Returning to the door, Xiao Guang was surprised to see the flour sack tilted. The person—or rather, Pei Zhuxuan he’d brought back—was beneath it.

Wasn’t she too weak to lift the sack? Even if it weighed only fifty pounds, zombies were supposed to become feeble.

He picked up the modified baseball bat by the door, hoping Pei Zhuxuan hadn’t done anything reckless, like breaking into the kitchen and messing with the bottled purified water.

She wasn’t in the kitchen. Xiao Guang was puzzled. Many zombies liked staying in kitchens—he’d learned this from scavenging supplies.

Zombies got hungry and wanted to bite people. If no one was available, they instinctively went to the kitchen and chewed on whatever they could grab.

No one was behind the living room curtains either. Xiao Guang glanced at the open bedroom door. Could she be in the bedroom? Did Pei Zhuxuan used to like snacking there?

Her head was buried in the blanket, two legs sticking out, the left foot flat on the floor.

Was this a result of haste? Xiao Guang sighed. The blanket was no good anymore. What kind of personality did Pei Zhuxuan have before? Zombies like her, who liked to hide, were rare.

Xiao Guang put down the bat, hesitated briefly, then reached out.

Roughly and rudely, he pulled down Pei Zhuxuan’s pants.

Completely.

The bare skin before him forced Xiao Guang to pause. Although she was a zombieI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.