On the morning of January 19th, Ling Yechen awoke repeatedly.
Yet, the plush softness of the bed and the saccharine pink ceiling lulled her back into slumber each time.
In her dream, she found herself once more wielding drumsticks, performing in a truly spectacular show.
Facing a thunderous ovation, she gestured to the audience with a flourish, her spirit soaring, her long hair swaying by her ears.
In that fleeting moment, her black hair transformed into white…
****
Nearing noon, truly rested, the two girls finally roused themselves, donning their glasses.
Du Lan slipped on a knitted cardigan, while Ling Yechen struggled to pull on her Firefly cosplay outfit.
After they had freshened up in the bathroom, Du Lan returned to open a cabinet, retrieving two cans of eight-treasure porridge to serve as their lunch.
Ling Yechen observed that there seemed to be no other food items left in the cabinet.
As she ate her porridge, she inquired, “Is there any food left in Li Zilin’s room next door?”
“All gone long ago,” Du Lan replied.
“She’s always meticulously controlled her weight, so she never keeps snacks in her room.”
Ling Yechen set down her porridge can, then drew back the curtains to survey the street below.
“There’s a small convenience store down there,” she noted.
“We could probably get some supplies.”
Du Lan casually opened her laptop.
“Wouldn’t that be far too dangerous?” she questioned.
“I’ve only ever observed the zombies outside from the iron gate downstairs; they’re incredibly fast and vicious biters.
If we ventured out, we might not make it back alive.”
“But we can’t just starve to death, can we?”
“Starving to death is certainly better than being bitten to death—wait, what’s wrong with this computer?”
After repeatedly pressing the power button to no avail, Du Lan tried the light switch for the room’s incandescent bulb, only to find it equally unresponsive.
“It’s broken.
The power’s out,” Du Lan declared.
She leaned back, sighing in vexation.
“Right, it was bound to happen eventually.
Suddenly, I feel like I might never get to use a computer again in this lifetime.”
“Don’t be so pessimistic,” Ling Yechen countered.
“My boyfriend said the zombies might starve to death.
Maybe if we hold out for another half-month, all the zombies outside will perish from hunger, and we can then ‘shop’ at the convenience store for free.
Eventually, various societal activities will slowly resume, and we’ll definitely have computers to play with again—”
Du Lan clapped her hands, laughing.
“Exactly, exactly!
Plus, with the world population reduced by 80%, the problem of hyper-competition will be solved instantly.
Farming will make you rich, even bronze-tier players can compete in esports, and a master’s degree will be yours for the taking…”
“If productivity doesn’t keep up, good things won’t happen that quickly, will they?” Ling Yechen retorted, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Du Lan pouted and scratched her head.
“Why is graduate school politics still haunting me?
Never mind that, if there’s no power, let’s just read novels today.”
It suddenly occurred to Ling Yechen that if the power was out, phone lines would likely follow suit.
She asked Du Lan to hand her phone, saying, “I’ll call Jing Lan again.
The phone might be disconnected later.”
“Aren’t you afraid your boyfriend will think you’re cheating on him with a male celebrity?” Du Lan teased.
“What kind of celebrity is the lead singer of some small, broken band?” Ling Yechen remarked casually.
In truth, a quiet calculation in her heart told her that the Four-Color Conjecture band was destined for stardom – if a future still existed, that is.
The call connected, and Jing Lan’s voice immediately came through:
– I have good news: I’ve found a survivor camp.
And bad news: the people here are a bit… off.
I might not be able to get out anytime soon.
A warmth spread through Ling Yechen’s heart; it was good to know he had found his footing.
She then responded, – I have bad news on my end.
We’ve run out of food.
Jing Lan fell silent, only to continue after a brief pause:
– I can’t promise I’ll come to save you.
I need to rescue someone who is more important to me first.
Those words sent a chill through Ling Yechen’s heart.
Indeed, the familiar voice had instinctively led her to believe this was a conversation between friends, yet Jing Lan clearly didn’t perceive the person on the other end of the line to be Ling Yechen.
‘Someone more important to you, your companion… and I… I *am* your companion…’
A fierce impulse surged within Ling Yechen, urging her to confess everything.
Yet, when the words reached her lips, they transformed into: – Hm, I understand.
After all, you and I weren’t truly acquainted before, were we?
‘What am I doing?! Why can’t I bring myself to tell him the truth!?’
– Just wait where you are for now.
I’ll figure out a way to get into the city soon.
Oh, and by the way, sis, what’s your name?
“Ye Xuening,” Ling Yechen blurted out.
– Alright, stay put.
The phone might be disconnected soon, so don’t panic.
Even if you get too hungry, don’t rush out of the room to search for food; it’s extremely dangerous outside.
– Also, my real name is Jing Lan… Oh, wait, you’ve already ‘doxxed’ me, so you should know.
Just call me by my real name from now on.
After the call ended, Du Lan chuckled beside her.
“See?
I told you there’s no need to panic.
No matter what happens, there’s always a solution.
I wasn’t worried even before I met you; truthfully, I didn’t expect to encounter such a celebrity magnet like yourself.
But I just believe that fate is on my side, and it definitely won’t turn me into one of those shambling things on the street.”
“It’s a wonder you can maintain such a positive attitude, especially when we’re practically out of food.”
“Starving for a couple of days is just a diet, what’s the rush?
Come on, let’s read some novels!”
Du Lan’s optimism truly infected Ling Yechen.
Although she had no concrete plan, perhaps luck was a form of strength.
Besides, they had promised to help each other, so if their hunger became unbearable, they would surely find a solution by working together.
At this point, Ling Yechen also adopted the mindset of ‘we’ll figure something out when the time comes’.
Perhaps this shouldn’t be criticized, for the previous week’s frantic struggle had already left her heart pounding with fear, and even a change of body couldn’t erase those terrifying memories.
Now that she could finally relax, a certain mental laxity was only natural.
The two girls idly flipped through the books in the room.
Ling Yechen unexpectedly discovered a book titled “Little Mushroom.”
It told the story of a mutated mushroom that transformed into a human boy after the apocalypse, forming a bond with a male human killer specializing in hunting down mutants…
Ling Yechen struggled to comprehend why girls would enjoy reading love stories between boys.
Du Lan gave a wry smile.
“It’s probably hard to imagine stories between girls and boys anymore.
If a girl is too beautiful, I can’t relate to her, but if she’s not pretty, it feels unrealistic.
So, it’s better to read love stories that don’t involve women at all.
Honestly, it sounds like a form of bipolar disorder.
By the way, what does your boyfriend like about you?
Is it because you’re pretty?”
Ling Yechen briefly imagined Jing Lan as her boyfriend.
Then, remembering she herself was originally male, a blush instantly crept across her face.
“Actually, there are other, prettier girls around him!
We purely developed from normal friends into lovers!”
“Aaaah! I’m so jealous!
That’s the purest form of love story development!” Du Lan pouted, grabbing a pillow and playfully hitting Ling Yechen’s head.
“Take that, take that! Why do all the good things happen to you?”
Du Lan’s tone held both teasing and affection.
Ling Yechen, for her part, didn’t mind.
“But Lan-jie, you have such a good heart.
Even though you were afraid of the zombies outside, you still risked opening the door to let me in.
I owe you this life; I’ll definitely repay you someday.”
“Tsk, tsk, Xiao Ye, you’re not just pretty, you’re also a good person.
Taking you in was definitely the right choice.”
The two girls passed the time by reading and chatting, and soon, dusk settled.
With no electricity, they spent the evening discussing their favorite anime and games.
Du Lan was quite surprised by Ling Yechen’s fondness for so many male-oriented games.
“Don’t you feel guilty playing so many Paradox Interactive games?
“Azur Lane? Why would a little loli play Azur Lane?”
By January 20th, both girls were awake quite early, a consequence of their early bedtime the previous night.
There were indeed plenty of novels in the room, and another morning passed in reading.
However, by midday, their stomachs rumbled with hunger, and their minds felt as though they were generating white noise.
The two girls conferred, deciding to read less and conserve their strength while quietly awaiting rescue.
Would no one come to their rescue?
Neither girl voiced this question aloud.
As dusk once again approached, the two girls, weakened by hunger, were on the verge of succumbing to an early slumber.
Just then, faint footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Could it be?!
Ling Yechen abruptly sat up, yet she did not act impulsively; instead, she listened intently.
She quickly discerned that the footsteps were unfamiliar; Jing Lan’s would have been much lighter.
Du Lan also sat upright, her face looking grim in the dim light.
The footsteps halted at their door.
Then came two resounding thuds, shaking the door violently.
“You b*tch, open the damn door!” A crude, masculine voice boomed from beyond the door.
It certainly wasn’t Jing Lan’s voice.
“Who is that!?” Ling Yechen vaguely sensed that the visitor knew Du Lan.
Du Lan’s body trembled slightly, and she silently rose to her feet.
“Li Zilin’s boyfriend.”