Back then, Qin Zhen had been an innocent little zombie who obeyed the law and kept her distance from humans. Even when Fu Qi kicked her coffin lid, she could endure it without complaint—so spineless that she could practically have been expelled from the zombie registry.
Ever since she was lured out of her tomb and discovered that all the wonderful hopes she had cherished were lies Fu Qi had spun for her, Qin Zhen had flown into a rage. She could no longer tolerate Fu Qi in the slightest, and her iron fists were always ready to greet him.
Fu Qi was used to it.
They said hitting was affection and scolding was love. He didn’t mind this form of intimacy, but everything needed a reason.
He caught the pillow Qin Zhen had thrown at him and said, “You mistook the Old Commander for me, and I didn’t even get angry. Yet you’re angry enough to hit me?”
Qin Zhen was furious. “When I, I woke up and saw him, the, the first person I saw, of course I’d, I’d think he was you!”
She had fallen into a deep sleep and had no idea how much time had passed. In her dream, Fu Qi had told her that she would be able to see him the moment she opened her eyes. Naturally, she had subconsciously assumed that the first person she saw was Fu Qi!
Especially since the Old Commander had been so gentle with her… Why did that feel so strangely perverted?
…Whatever. She would settle Fu Qi’s account first!
And yet Fu Qi had actually failed to keep his promise!
Heaven knew how much inner turmoil she had gone through to convince herself to accept an old and faded Fu Qi!
“So, by that logic,” Fu Qi said, “if the first thing you saw was a pig, you could mistake it for me too?”
“Of, of course!” Qin Zhen nodded vigorously. “You two look so, so much alike!”
Fu Qi said, “That insults the Commander too. Fine, I’m going to report you right now.”
As he spoke, he released the pillow Qin Zhen had been pressing against him, stood up, and started walking out as if he really intended to make a report.
Qin Zhen called, “Hey, hey!” and reached out to pull him back. Her body was still difficult to control after just waking up, so she missed him completely.
Her hand fell short, but her body ended up at the edge of the bed. Her center of gravity shifted, and she pitched headfirst toward the floor!
Fu Qi swiftly turned around, wrapped an arm around her, and caught her against his chest. After lifting her, he even bounced her upward once and said, “Didn’t we agree you weren’t allowed to fall headfirst anymore?”
Qin Zhen immediately slapped him. Then she closed her eyes and said in a tiny voice, “Human bodies, bodies aren’t, aren’t very durable… I’m, I’m tired.”
Fu Qi looked down at her thin face as it drooped against his shoulder, and his gaze softened. He said gently, “You just haven’t recovered yet. Once your stomach adjusts in a few days and you can eat more, you’ll regain your strength. When you’re healthy and strong again, you’ll still be that cool and handsome Big Sis.”
Qin Zhen nodded. Clutching Fu Qi’s arm, she said in a small voice, “Before I recover, don’t, don’t let the little brothers and sisters come, come see me.”
“I won’t let them come,” Fu Qi said.
How could he not know how much Qin Zhen valued her dignity?
There was no way she would want anyone she knew to see her in such a weak state.
Holding Qin Zhen in one arm, Fu Qi freed the other to straighten the disheveled hospital bed, then gently placed her back down. He sat beside her.
As he massaged her, he said, “The zombie virus is under control now, and people have started clearing out the zombies and reclaiming the cities. Everyone at the base is busy…”
People like Chen Xiang, Xu the Second, and Ye Hui, who were physically capable and had always moved through dangerous areas, as well as Li, whose marksmanship was precise, were all stationed on the front lines, facing the zombies directly.
The Fan brothers, whose combat abilities were more ordinary, were mostly working in logistics. They were responsible for burning the zombie corpses, transporting supplies such as ammunition, and maintaining the environment.
Even the more vulnerable people, such as children and the elderly, had not been idle. They were using the formulas provided by the research institute to mix disinfectant, then sending truckload after truckload to the front lines.
Although the people at the research institute had not left the base, they were just as busy, working day and night to tackle problems such as water purification, epidemic prevention, and animal diseases.
This way of working had already been going on for quite some time. Unfortunately, the surviving humans were few while the zombies were far too numerous, so the workload was enormous and progress was slow.
In short, the task of rebuilding the post-apocalyptic world was immense. Everyone was busy, and even if Qin Zhen wanted to see them, she would not be able to in the short term.
Qin Zhen’s lower-body mobility was far worse than that of her upper body, so Fu Qi sat at the foot of the bed and massaged her calves. Lying on her back, she listened as Fu Qi finished explaining the situation, then asked, “Where, where’s Jiang Little Crazy?”
“There was an outbreak of disease at a base because the zombies weren’t dealt with in time. Academician Jiang went to help.”
Qin Zhen gave a quiet “Oh,” then asked, “Did they, did they find Yellow Helmet?”
The question seemed to come out of nowhere, but Fu Qi understood her.
“They’re still looking.”
Yellow Helmet’s older sister still had not been found. Perhaps they would never find her, but Yellow Helmet still refused to give up.
Qin Zhen ran through everyone she knew in her mind, then said, “Only, only you are, are free.”
Fu Qi said, “Then should I go out too? If you opened your eyes and didn’t see me, you’d hit me. If you opened them again and still didn’t see me, wouldn’t you kill me?”
His words hit a nerve. Qin Zhen once again remembered mistaking Fu Qi for the Old Commander and behaving disrespectfully. Furious, she kicked out, but Fu Qi caught her ankle and pressed her leg back down.
He even patted her leg and said, “You can’t even beat a three-year-old right now. Behave.”
When had Qin Zhen ever been this weak? Yet that was simply the truth. She did not have the strength to hit Fu Qi, and the misery of it filled her heart. She rolled over and started searching for her grudge notebook.
Before she could find it, Fu Qi grabbed her by the leg and dragged her back.
“Trying to write down another grudge?”
As he spoke, Fu Qi pulled a small notebook from his pocket. Qin Zhen’s eyes lit up at once.
“That’s, that’s mine!”
“It’s mine now.” Fu Qi took out a pen and began writing as he recited aloud, “Baby Qin threw a tantrum and bullied me. She owes me one beating.”
“You, you, you…”
“I’m despicable. I’m hateful. I’m having fun with your grudge notebook.”
Qin Zhen had no strength left in her body. She could not even lift her legs, much less win an argument. All she could do was stare miserably as Fu Qi shamelessly abused her grudge notebook. In the end, she closed her eyes in sorrow.
Even then, Fu Qi would not let her off. He treated her like a rag doll, squeezing her legs, bending her knees, and tickling her feet.
Whenever he tickled her feet, Qin Zhen would draw her legs up. Then Fu Qi would pull them back with force, leaving her unable to get any proper sleep.
Fu Qi even had a perfectly reasonable explanation: stimulating her legs this way would encourage her to react and help with her recovery.
Qin Zhen was dubious at first. Later, Fu Qi simply placed both her feet on his thighs. Every time she kicked against him, the soles of her feet could feel the firm muscles beneath them.
After repeating this several times, her face flushed, and she accepted it.
Qin Zhen had just woken up and needed careful attention, so she would have to stay at the research institute for a while. During that time, every few hours, Zhang Xiping brought staff over to examine her and record her vital signs. Occasionally, they also had to draw blood and send it for testing.
It was a little troublesome, but the test results showed that Qin Zhen’s body was perfectly normal and recovering.
On the third day, Qin Zhen was still eating only small amounts of light food, but her spirits had improved considerably. Toward evening, the rain stopped and the air grew fresh. Fu Qi carried Qin Zhen downstairs, supported her as she walked for a while, then found a wheelchair and pushed her around to get some fresh air.
It was late autumn again. The leaves had turned yellow and withered, and every now and then a few drifted down on the wind like fluttering butterflies.
Qin Zhen watched them for a while before suddenly asking, “When I was asleep, did Little Brother… did he come by?”
“Why?”
“If he did c-come, he must have b-brought me my phone. Where is it?”
Her mind rarely worked that quickly, but she had immediately gotten to the point.
There was indeed a phone, but Qin Zhen was no longer an invincible zombie. Getting addicted to her phone would damage her eyesight and interfere with her recovery, so Fu Qi refused to give it to her. In the end, Qin Zhen said she wanted to take pictures to record what she looked like now, and only then did Fu Qi relent.
He pushed Qin Zhen beneath a golden ginkgo tree, squatted down to pull the blanket over her legs, and reminded her not to wander off before going to get the phone.
Qin Zhen obediently watched Fu Qi leave. Once his figure disappeared from sight, she muttered under her breath, “He’s not old in age, but his mindset is sixty-nine!”
In terms of age, she could have been Fu Qi’s grandmother. In terms of mindset, Fu Qi could have been her grandfather.
And he hadn’t even stopped to think about where they were. This was a research institute, where all the staff knew her. Everyone who passed by took a few glances at her. Where could she possibly wander off to?
Qin Zhen grumbled about Fu Qi’s nagging inwardly and stretched out a foot to step on the ginkgo leaves scattered across the ground. Many had been knocked down by the rain, forming a thick layer that felt like a carpet beneath her feet.
As she stomped on the leaves, she munched on the snacks Associate Researcher Zhuang had given her earlier. Crunch, crunch—the sound was crisp, and they tasted good, too. Qin Zhen was very pleased.
She was enjoying herself when she heard someone say, “Baby Qin?”
Qin Zhen turned her head, and every hair on her body stood on end. She nearly abandoned her wheelchair and sprinted away!
The speaker was the Old Commander—the one who had almost suffered a disastrous loss of reputation in his later years. Apparently, he had also come out for a walk after the rain.
When he saw Qin Zhen, he walked straight over and asked, “Feeling any better?”
“Reporting!” Qin Zhen’s entire body went rigid. Stammering, but at the top of her lungs, she said, “M-much better!”
The Old Commander jumped at her shout and said, “Good, good… You don’t have to be so formal.”
“Yes, sir!” Qin Zhen replied.
Her trembling, terrified appearance was completely different from the way she had forcibly stripped the old man two days earlier. The Old Commander was puzzled and began studying her inquisitively.
Under the scrutiny of this official bigwig, Qin Zhen trembled so badly she could barely breathe. She hunched her neck and loudly called for Fu Qi in her mind.
Fu Qi did not come, but the Old Commander noticed her discomfort and said, “I just came to have a chat with you. There’s no need to be nervous.”
Qin Zhen nearly shouted another “Yes, sir!” but was interrupted by a raindrop falling from the tree and landing on her.
She did her best to remain composed, swallowed nervously, and nodded with great care.
When she had first mistaken the Old Commander for Fu Qi, Qin Zhen had thought his eyes were dark, bright, and exactly like Fu Qi’s. But looking at him now, weren’t most people in the country dark-eyed?
At most, the two of them had the same general eye shape!
And the Old Commander’s “gentleness”… That was clearly just the affectionate kindness an elder showed to a junior!
Psychological suggestion could be deadly!
Qin Zhen no longer remembered how many times she had been fooled by her own psychological suggestions. She was so miserable she could have cried. Unable to bring herself to blame herself, she silently added another mark against Fu Qi in her mind.
“I’m not in good health and need treatment, so I came here. I’ve also been waiting for you to regain consciousness. I wanted to ask what you plan to do from here,” the Old Commander said at an unhurried pace.
Whenever Qin Zhen dealt with officials, she felt an invisible pressure. She answered stiffly, “I-I’ll obey the l-leader’s arrangements!”
The Old Commander was at a loss for words.
After a pause, his expression grew more solemn, and he said in a booming voice, “Comrade Qin Zhen, on behalf of the country, I apologize for failing to protect your family more than forty years ago. I also wish to thank you for your selfless contribution on behalf of the nation. Whatever you require for your future life, you may state it freely and without hesitation. The country will do everything in its power to meet your needs!”
Qin Zhen was already afraid of dealing with officials. This formal declaration startled her so badly that she became even less willing to speak.
Fortunately, Fu Qi returned at that moment.
After saluting the Old Commander, he slipped the phone into Qin Zhen’s hands, squatted down in front of her, and took hold of her hand.
“This is what I told you a few days ago,” he said. “For the past two years or so, the country has kept news of you sealed off from the outside world. Now that you’re awake, if you want to be remembered by history as a hero, the country will announce to the public that you’re still alive and grant you the awards and honors you deserve. It will also take responsibility for your life from this point forward.
“If you don’t want that, the country will announce that you died during the research, and that your remains were cremated. That way, you’ll be able to live peacefully from now on.”
The Old Commander nodded, then added after Fu Qi finished speaking, “If you have any other requests, you may make them as well.”
Qin Zhen wouldn’t have dared to make any demands. She shouted, “J-just let me d-die!”
The Old Commander nodded. “That would be best, too. That virus only worked on you. As long as you remain alive, people with ulterior motives will keep their eyes on you…”
The country would do everything it could to protect her, but one could never be too careful. It was one thing to guard against a thief; it was another to live with the fear of being targeted. There was no guarantee she wouldn’t once again become the object of pursuit for illegal forces at home and abroad, or be dragged into another inhumane experiment.
“…Claiming that you died would be safer and freer for you. Young people all want freedom more than anything, don’t they?”
Freedom was precious to Qin Zhen, but that was certainly not the reason she had chosen a quiet life.
Fu Qi knew that, but he did not answer on her behalf.
Qin Zhen waited for Fu Qi to help her, but under the Old Commander’s affectionate yet imposing gaze, she had no choice but to brace herself and answer.
“N-no, it’s not that. When I was little, I k-knocked out the neighbor’s kid’s tooth, stole the sunflowers my g-grandmother grew, and then refused to admit it… I used to sneak peeks at novels during class, too… I-I’m a terrible person. I don’t deserve it!”
She didn’t deserve it!
And she didn’t dare!
People her own age were still alive. Some had even become public figures. What if someone dug up all those shameful things about her someday? What if she burped in front of everyone? Would she still be able to go on living?
Hearing this, Fu Qi began to laugh quietly.
The Old Commander, meanwhile, seemed about to say something, but stopped. He looked at Qin Zhen’s frightened expression and fell silent as well.
In the end, he smiled too and said, “All right, all right. Whatever the reason, as long as that’s what you want.”
Qin Zhen let out a huge sigh of relief.
That was it. The conversation was over.
She quietly tugged at Fu Qi’s sleeve, urging him to hurry up and take her away.
This time, Fu Qi showed a little humanity. He stood up and told the Old Commander that it was time for Qin Zhen’s examination, then said goodbye.
The Old Commander nodded and let them leave. But just as the wheelchair turned around, he saw Qin Zhen secretly stretching out her foot to push against the ground, eager to get away.
He found it amusing and called out, “Wait.”
As expected, Qin Zhen’s little movement froze instantly.
When Fu Qi turned the wheelchair back around, her stiffened foot had already drawn an arc through the pile of withered leaves.
Looking at the expression on Qin Zhen’s face, as though she were facing a formidable enemy, the Old Commander found it funny. He also felt a faint ache in his heart.
She had originally been nothing more than an ordinary girl…
“Don’t you have any other requests?” the Old Commander asked, softening his tone as much as possible. “Money, property, status—anything at all.”
Qin Zhen’s expression became hesitant.
The Old Commander waited patiently. After quite some time, he heard her ask cautiously, “Really? A-anything I want?”
“Of course.” The Old Commander nodded firmly. “Whatever you want. You’ve earned it all—you deserve every bit of it.”
Then he saw Qin Zhen looking nervous. In a small voice, she asked, “Th-then can you command Xiangxiang to g-give my grudge book b-back to me?”
“…” The Old Commander thought he must have misheard her. He tilted his head closer. “What did you say?”
Qin Zhen immediately raised her voice. “I-it’s fine if you c-can’t!”
The Old Commander: “…”
The Old Commander turned silently toward Fu Qi.
Fu Qi was laughing—laughing so hard that his chest shook, utterly unable to stop.
