Chapter 5: Xue Qing and Deep Affection
“Okay.”
Why is it so hot so early in the morning?
This temperature is really abnormal. I suspect an abnormal event might have happened.
Considering the season, it should have just entered the rainy season. However, after it rained last night, there isn’t a single cloud in the sky today. The asphalt road has been dried by the sun, which seems to have pre-entered its summer state, emitting heat comparable to the hottest days of summer.
For me, a zombie, this is a terrible weather.
The sun has always been the nemesis of dark undead creatures like vampires, zombies, and ghosts. Although I am a zombie, so I am not like ordinary undead, I won’t ‘die by sunlight’, but it still makes me uncomfortable.
The dazzling sunlight directly shines on my skin, and I can even hear a faint sizzling sound of being roasted. Furthermore, it’s not just the surface of my skin that’s hot; my body is inexplicably burning from the inside out. With heat from within and a body that cannot sweat, I feel like I’ve been put in a microwave.
Moreover, this is a heat that originates from within. There’s a stuffy feeling in my chest that won’t dissipate. This dual attack, from inside and outside, assaults my spirit, making my forehead throb with heat.
I really want to turn around and go home, but skipping class is not an option.
Fortunately, I only need to endure the walk to the park. After entering Black Street, things will be much better. Black Street is always covered by dark clouds, making it look gloomy, but it’s cool!
However, my hope was completely shattered the moment I stepped into Black Street.
Because, Black Street was also bathed in sunshine!
The sun still hung in the sky, high above, pouring heat onto the ground. Today’s Black Street was cloudless, as clear as if it had welcomed…
Is this the Black Street I’m familiar with? They should just rename it White Street!
“Why is this happening?”
I muttered dejectedly. An uncle nearby, dressed in Hanfu, chimed in.
“It’s probably those guys from Development Department testing their new invention, or maybe an anomaly.”
A man in a black suit carrying a briefcase walked by, loosened his collar, and added,
“That’s true. I remember once they were testing some weather controller, and it started snowing in summer. That was quite a spectacle.”
“Just don’t create any more abnormal events and increase our workload. It’s so hot.”
“Are you two serious? One is dressed in fully-covered Hanfu, and the other is in a black suit with a hat, and you’re saying it’s hot?”
The man in the black suit sighed and walked away. The uncle in Hanfu looked at me, hunched over, and kindly suggested,
“Oh, young man, you look unwell. Would you like to rest a bit before you go?”
“No, no, I need to go wake up my friend. It’s bad if I’m late.”
“Is that so? That’s a pity. Well, please come by the shop if you have a chance next time.”
The uncle didn’t insist that I stay. He smiled slightly, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and walked back into the shop called ‘Black Azure Pavilion’.
So, I wanted to ask this before, what exactly does this shop sell?
I’ll come back next time to satisfy my curiosity.
For now, there’s still one thing to do.
Speaking of the most familiar places in Black Street, apart from the Investigation Department’s Class 6 office building, this is also the first place I came to in Black Street: Xue Qing’s home.
I took out the key from my pocket, unlocked the door, and entered. After changing into slippers, I walked inside.
I was really startled when I found out Xue Qing’s door was never locked before. Although the Logistics Department was watching over it, isn’t that too insecure? If I get into the habit of not locking my door everywhere in the future, it will be terrible. So, at my strong request, a lock was installed.
So, why am I here so early in the morning?
That goes without saying, it’s to wake her up.
At first, I was a little nervous, but now I’m completely used to it.
After putting my school bag in the living room, I went straight upstairs. However, I didn’t go directly into Xue Qing’s room, but into the refrigeration room.
“Yo~ So cool~ Ah, I feel alive.”
Indeed, corpses should stay in the refrigeration room~ Lately, I don’t find these severed limbs scary anymore; on the contrary, I find them quite… come to think of it, this feeling of mine is quite terrifying.
Uh, I shouldn’t indulge myself too much. Staying in a place like this for too long can make one increasingly strange.
Before leaving, I scanned the refrigeration room again. The number of body parts added recently doesn’t seem to be much. This is a good thing; it means the number of serial killers has been decreasing.
Speaking of which, it’s been several months since the serial killer incident. Although the memory is still vivid for me. The serial killers collectively invaded Black Street, launching a siege plan targeting Xue Qing alone. I was also caught up in it and became a target of the serial killers.
It was also during this time that I came into contact with the hidden world and learned that humans are not at the top of the food chain, and there are beings called “ghouls” that feed on humans.
And now I’ve become a member of an organization and have seen more bizarre phenomena. To be honest, seeing too much is not a good thing, because more troubles will come knocking.
No, it should be said that precisely because I’ve seen more, there are more things that I ‘cannot bear to see’.
Ultimately, I am not a human without emotions. When I saw Xue Qing surrounded by serial killers, I rushed forward recklessly because I couldn’t bear to watch. When I saw Li Nai’s hometown being attacked, I chose to help her because I couldn’t bear to watch.
If I hadn’t seen it, there wouldn’t have been so many things. But because I did see it, I couldn’t stand it.
Therefore, can those who have fallen deep into abnormality truly return to ordinary daily life?
Perhaps the moment I stepped into a realm I shouldn’t have, I was no longer the bystander Juncheng An.
Humans are often like this, aren’t they? After changing themselves in order to retrieve what they lost, they end up finding themselves further away from what they wanted to retrieve.
This is not only because their own values have changed but also because what they want to retrieve has changed.
At this juncture, complaining is useless. Time will not flow backward for anyone, nor will fate be rewritten for anyone. Regret can make one feel a little better, as it shifts the blame to one’s past self, thus escaping the current problem. In reality, this is not a clever way of self-reflection; few people learn from their mistakes, and most will make the same mistakes and fall into the same traps.
Constantly re-living an imperfect life in regret—perhaps this is the inherent flaw of humanity.
However, precisely because it is imperfect, it has value in completion. Therefore, people have motivation to strive, goals to move forward, and life becomes more dramatic.
Do you think so too? Xue Qing?
Walking into Xue Qing’s room, I pulled open the curtains, and sunlight poured into the room, making it much brighter.
I walked to the bedside, stooped down, and gently called out to Xue Qing, who was sleeping soundly, by her ear.
“Xue Qing, it’s time to get up.” SF Light Novel
”
After tidying her hair, I lifted her quilt and folded it.
Xue Qing, groggy after waking up, yawned, wiped her eyes, and bid me good morning.
“Mm, good morning. Let’s go wash your face and brush your teeth first. I brought breakfast.”
It seems that starting from a certain day after the ghoul incident, I’ve been coming to wake Xue Qing up like this every day.
The reason why it turned out this way has to be mentioned in relation to another person—that is, Yu Hui.
Naturally, my transformation into a zombie couldn’t be hidden from them. When Yu Hui learned of my ‘death,’ she had an outburst on the spot and then entered a state of full alert.
Yu Hui, who has a strong sense of self-esteem, seemed to feel that she had failed in her duty as a bodyguard by not staying by my side, which led to my death and transformation into a zombie. Therefore, she stayed by my side even more erratically, providing almost 360-degree defense.
Whether at home, at school, in the park, or even when I was using the toilet or bathing, she would follow me. Honestly, I was about to suffer from nervous exhaustion.
I could only sternly order her not to follow me around like this, but Yu Hui just wouldn’t agree.
In the end, we had to settle on a compromise. I said I would try not to act alone and would have Xue Qing stay by my side, and only then did she reluctantly agree.
But I suspect she’s still monitoring me using Lanhua’s surveillance equipment.
In short, that’s how it started. From that day on, I’ve been coming to wake Xue Qing up every day.
Somehow, it turned into taking care of her like this.
Folding her quilt, bringing her breakfast, even helping her brush her teeth and wash her face.
Holding her in my arms, I’d wrap one arm around her slender waist and move the toothbrush back and forth in her mouth. After brushing, I’d give her water to drink and watch her spit it out.
Then, I’d rinse the toothbrush and cup, wet a towel with warm water, crouch down in front of her, and meticulously wipe her little face with the damp towel. Her hair doesn’t need washing; Xue Qing’s hair doesn’t get disheveled as easily as mine, nor does it get very oily, so washing it once every three days is usually enough.
If you ask me why I do these things, it’s because I really can’t bear to see it.
The first time I saw Xue Qing slowly brushing her teeth with a toothbrush that had neither toothpaste nor water, unaware that her gums were bleeding, and then slipping and falling while washing her face, I decided to do these things for her.
And Xue Qing seems to be happy that I do these things for her.
After wringing out the towel and hanging it on the drying rack, I was about to tell Xue Qing to go back to her room to change into her school uniform when she opened her arms, blinked, and asked me,
“Hug.”
“Are you that lazy? You don’t even want to walk this short distance yourself?”
Have I been spoiling her too much lately? She’s become lazier and lazier. Are you going to devolve into an infant?
“I want… a hug, okay?”
It’s not that I’m soft-hearted; anyone who saw that expression couldn’t refuse, right?
As I walked back to her room, I asked,
“Honestly, Xue Qing, did you learn this way of acting spoiled from Xuan’er?”
“Mm, she said… men can’t refuse, especially Juncheng.”
That girl…
After returning to the room, I put Xue Qing down and was about to leave when she grabbed my sleeve again and said to me,
“Hey, hey, you should do this yourself, right?”
“Can’t afford?”
She’s using the same tactic again! Do you, do you think I’ll fall for it again?
“Mm.”
So, people always make the same mistakes.
