Chapter 287: The Morning After

On the balcony, their dirty sheets were hanging out to dry.
“Why did you wake up so early?” Tong Sui asked, only to realize it felt odd since it was already dark outside.
He had slept a bit too long.
Although Jiang Hua seemed unaffected, Tong Sui still asked hesitantly, “Hua Team, are you okay?”
His voice was soft, his face flushed, and his hair was messily tousled as if he had just woken up, looking like a fuzzy puppy.
Jiang Hua’s gaze trailed from his face down to the loose collar of his pajamas. After some time, the red marks on his snowy white skin were even more striking.
He looked for a long time before finally replying, “I’m fine.”
“Really?”
Tong Sui felt uncertain; after all, last night had been quite intense, but since Jiang Hua insisted he was fine, he couldn’t help but glance over at him repeatedly during breakfast.
Unable to resist, Jiang Hua reached out to ruffle Tong Sui’s messy hair, pushing back the longer strands that obscured his beautiful eyes.
“Your hair is too long; I’ll help you trim it later.”
Tong Sui paused for two seconds, then nodded in confusion, “Oh, okay.”
After they finished eating, Tong Sui sat in the living room.
Jiang Hua took a pair of scissors and a comb, sitting across from him.
With just a slight lift of his eyes, Tong Sui could meet Jiang Hua’s gaze.
Jiang Hua had a naturally stern appearance, yet he gently combed his own hair, smoothing down the few rebellious strands that were sticking up.
Switching to the scissors, he trimmed the ends of Tong Sui’s hair bit by bit, stray hairs falling before Tong Sui’s eyes.
Jiang Hua’s trimming speed was in stark contrast to his usual decisiveness; he moved slowly and carefully, almost as if chiseling the most exquisite piece of art.
Being in such close proximity for an extended period made Tong Sui want to fidget, but he was afraid of breaking Jiang Hua’s concentration and had to hold back his impulses.
When Jiang Hua finally set the scissors down, Tong Sui couldn’t wait to shake his head.
He lifted his head, his vision clearer than before, “So great.”
Tong Sui gazed at him, his eyes sparkling without the obstruction of hair or glasses.
It was completely disarming.
Jiang Hua put down the scissors, “I suddenly feel like this isn’t good.”
“Ah?” Tong Sui immediately stood up nervously, touching his forehead, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Hua pulled him close, wrapping him tightly in his arms, and placed his hand over his left chest, “It’s beating too fast here.”
That was where his heart was located.
Tong Sui froze for a moment, his face instantly turning red.
“W-what does that mean…”
“Doesn’t it count? But a fast heartbeat can also be uncomfortable,” Jiang Hua said, “Can’t you help me?”
“How… how can I help?”
With a bit of trepidation, Tong Sui leaned in, trying to delicately press his lips to Jiang Hua’s, “Is this better?”
“Um, not enough.”
With a mindset that allowed him to let go, Tong Sui put in some effort, awkwardly brushing his lips against Jiang Hua’s, his ears completely flushed.
From Jiang Hua’s perspective, Tong Sui’s efforts appeared more like unrefined teasing, which was adorable, but ultimately led him to reclaim initiative.
Even Tong Sui didn’t understand how they ended up rolling together again.
All he knew was that Jiang Hua seemed very enthusiastic about this for some time thereafter.
The straightforward demands or hints around the topic always ended the same way.
During this period, Tong Sui hardly went out.
In contrast to their relatively repetitive life, there were significant changes in the base.
Systems changed, leadership rotated, and most importantly, a new research finding announced by the institute addressed the most challenging agricultural problems.
In this report, Tong Sui’s name was particularly highlighted.
Only then did everyone realize Tong Sui hadn’t shown his face in public for quite some time.
Visitors were turned away.
Some spread rumors that Tong Sui was working on a new project, isolating himself from any distractions, but only Tong Sui knew that he was merely engaging in a few tasks, gaining weight in the process.
Even the system commented, saying he was an unambitious piglet.
Tong Sui grunted in agreement.
Days passed in such calmness, and the reconstruction of the post-apocalypse gradually got underway.
The number of zombies greatly decreased, with the elimination of mutated plants, land cultivation, sowing, and harvesting.
Through years of development, the human range of activity expanded significantly; besides air quality not reaching pre-apocalyptic levels, technology had mostly recovered.
People at the North China base came and went several times.
Tong Sui occasionally accompanied Jiang Hua on missions, but they never moved out of that apartment.
Gradually, their mission frequency shifted from monthly to semi-annually, then yearly.
Later on, they were together all day every day.
Perhaps due to the environment, the average age of people in the apocalypse was only a few short decades; it felt almost fleeting.
One day, Jiang Hua woke up earlier than usual, dressed sharply, and sat by the bed, meticulously polishing a long knife.
Lately, Tong Sui seemed to sense something; he slept lightly and sat up at the faint sounds.
With the system’s support, although he aged externally, he didn’t genuinely feel the frailty that comes with aging.
In contrast, Jiang Hua was merely a part of this world; he gripped the knife, his state improved significantly from days prior, even volunteering to talk more.
His Mandarin was quite standard now, deeply articulating:
“If I leave, let it accompany you.”
“I am very fortunate to have returned to this land, to meet you. I hope we’ll encounter each other again sooner next time.”
At that moment, before his hands were stained with blood, before he became a machine for missions, he wished to embrace his beloved with hands that were entirely clean once more.