Chapter 4: Second Plot
The hem of his shirt was lifted by his fingers.
A strip of flat stomach was revealed. The gloomy sky blurred by rain on the car window made that patch of pale skin all the more dazzling.
Yan Chuanbai’s brow twitched, and his gaze instinctively shifted away.
His knuckles rested briefly on the steering wheel, then turned back again. He smiled, leisurely:
“Alright then, prove it yourself.”
Qi He lifted his lashes, staring: System, does he mean I should do it myself? Why does it feel like Yan Chuanbai is being so improper…
The system replied coldly: [And if he did it for you, would that be any more proper?]
It didn’t want to talk anymore. Ever since Qi He had started tugging at his clothes, things had already gone off track.
Yan Chuanbai was still staring at him without blinking.
Rain muffled the world around them, and those eyes carried a cold and dangerous undertone.
Qi He put away his joking mood with the system and pushed himself up slightly. Click—first, he unbuckled the tactical harness, then raised his hand and pulled his T-shirt upward. His vision was blocked, and his arm hit the window with a sharp bang.
He let out a breath, sweat sliding down his chest.
Suddenly, a hand yanked down the shirt he had lifted—
Light returned to his vision.
Yan Chuanbai was just withdrawing his hand, his eyes fixed ahead, expression faint, tinged with disdain. “Too much trouble.”
With that, he started the car, the wipers slicing through the rain.
Leaning back against the seat, Qi He arched a brow.
“Not going to check anymore?”
“The rain’s coming down harder,” Yan Chuanbai said.
The modified bumper plowed through several zombies that had closed in, and the car sped off in the direction they’d come from.
No one spoke again.
Qi He let his body relax and closed his eyes to rest.
He felt like he was burning all over, his head heavy and swollen. Since Yan Chuanbai didn’t say anything, he didn’t bother either.
The car raced down the streets and out of the town.
In the quiet cabin, Yan Chuanbai suddenly spoke again:
“The incubation period after infection can last up to three days. During these three days, don’t go near the other two. I’ll keep an eye on you.”
Qi He opened his eyes and looked over:
“If nothing happens after three days, that means I’m fine?”
Yan Chuanbai gave a short “Mm,” then frowned. In truth, there was another possibility behind the sudden fever… but the chances were so slim he didn’t mention it.
Sometimes, the more hope you give someone, the deeper the disappointment.
Qi He closed his eyes again. “Alright.”
After two seconds, his voice came out hoarse:
“Thanks.”
There was no reply beside him.
Qi He didn’t mind. Taking advantage of his fever, he pulled up a song in the system, listening as he drifted off to sleep.
—
When they returned to their place, the car stopped outside.
The jolt of the brakes woke Qi He, and Yan Chuanbai had already slung the backpack from beside him over his shoulder, shutting the door with a bang as he got out.
Qi He roused himself as well and pushed open the door.
Outside, the rain hammered down in a sharp patter.
The off-roader’s chassis was a little high; when he jumped down, he landed in a puddle, his body swaying before he caught hold of the door for balance.
Yan Chuanbai frowned at him for a second, then still walked over.
A strong hand clamped around his arm and hauled him up.
“Let’s go.”
Qi He didn’t stand on ceremony and let Yan Chuanbai lead him back inside.
The door opened to the warmth of a lit fireplace.
Bright flames filled the room, driving away the chill brought by the rainy day. Meng Yan and Zhou Ziqian were sitting in front of it; hearing the sound, they turned their heads together.
“You’re back.”
They quickly noticed something was wrong with Qi He:
“Brother Yan, what’s going on with Qi He?”
“Qi He, are you alright? Were you hurt!?”
Qi He shook the water droplets from his hair. Yan Chuanbai turned his head aside to avoid them and replied, “It’s nothing.”
He spoke lightly, “Got caught in the rain. A little fever.”
The two of them let out a breath of relief, though Meng Yan still came over anxiously.
“Fever? Is it serious? Should we…”
She had already taken a few steps toward him.
Qi He was just about to tell her not to get too close, when a hand stretched out first. The supply pack was lifted naturally between them, blocking Meng Yan.
Yan Chuanbai said: “There are some supplies in here. You two should go through them first.”
Meng Yan blinked in surprise, took it, and murmured, “Oh, oh…”
“I’ll take him upstairs first,” Yan Chuanbai said, tugging Qi He’s arm and steering him toward the stairs. “Don’t come near him these next two days, just in case.”
Qi He was practically herded upstairs with a clatter: …
The upstairs space wasn’t large, with only two rooms to the left and right.
It must have been meant for two forest rangers to take shifts.
Since they hadn’t moved their own things in yet, Yan Chuanbai chose the room on the right at random. Pushing the door open, he found it was a small suite: a sofa and desk in the outer room, a narrow bed in the inner one.
“You sleep inside. I’ll take outside.”
Leaning against the desk, Qi He said politely, “It doesn’t feel right, making you sleep on the sofa.”
Yan Chuanbai curled his lips. “I’ll just sleep out here. To keep you from running out in the middle of the night and stirring up trouble.”
Qi He eyed the layout thoughtfully. “Then in that case, I can only run out in the middle of the night to stir up trouble with you.”
Only? Yan Chuanbai gave a dry, mocking laugh.
“Sorry to put you through that.”
“Since it’s you, I don’t mind.”
“…” Yan Chuanbai gave a cold laugh. “So you’ve perked up again, huh?”
Qi He knew when to stop and retreated into the inner room to rest.
…
By now, it was close to evening.
The sound of pouring rain and the dim sky made for good sleep. Qi He lay down and dozed off. He couldn’t sleep deeply, but instinct told him that dozing was still far better than staying awake.
He had no idea how much time had passed when a knock—two solid thunks—on the door roused him.
Qi He turned his head against the pillow. Sweat had soaked his hair, and his pale face carried a sickly flush, his throat burning raw.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Yan Chuanbai enter with a cup of water.
“Meng Yan brought you some fever medicine.”
Qi He forced himself upright. The water glass was cool in his hand, soothing the heat that scorched through him. He let out a quiet sigh and swallowed the pill down with every last drop of water.
He actually started missing how he’d “chugged” things back when he first arrived.
Yan Chuanbai stood off to the side watching him. For some reason, he gave a short laugh through his nose.
Qi He, sensitive to it, lifted his head. “Are you enjoying other people’s misery?”
Yan Chuanbai drawled, “I just remembered you said you were slow to warm up. But that’s not true now.” He pointed at him, his tone turning serious. “Now, you heat up fast.”
The languid tone made it sound like a deliberate provocation.
Qi He set the empty glass aside, lay back down, and shut his eyes, dismissing him:
“Don’t call me by the name of a banned electrical appliance.”
After Yan Chuanbai left, the room fell quiet again.
Qi He lay there for a while, unable to sleep, his mind spinning once more. He stared up at the dull, hazy ceiling:
First, he was certain he had never been bitten by a zombie.
Second, as an important supporting character in the plot, he was bound to stick with Yan Chuanbai till the very end.
Therefore, there was no way he’d turn into a zombie.
After thinking for a while, he called out: “System, you there?”
System: [If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t keep asking if I’m ‘here, here, here.’]
“You tell me—could it be that after being drenched in the rain, I’ve… ‘evolved’ too?”
The system, seeing him so rarely weak, felt a kind of pleasure like “the serf turning over to sing,” and sneered: [What, you think you’re a vegetative plant?]
Its tone didn’t waver, nor did it sound guilty.
Qi He rested his fingertips on the blanket. The system claimed “no spoilers,” but he suspected there were parts of the plot even it didn’t know.
He kept his lashes closed and didn’t retort.
The system waited a long while, actually feeling a little unused to the silence.
It glanced at him a few times, its tone softening: [Alright, anyway, you won’t die. Before the next plot point arrives, just sleep in peace.]
Hearing that, Qi He curved his lips slightly, turned his head on the pillow, and drifted off.
“Alright.”
—
Late at night, everything was silent.
Qi He’s breathing was even, his chest rising and falling gently—he was clearly in a shallow sleep.
Suddenly, a familiar “ding” sounded in his mind!
[System loading…]
[■■■ Loading complete ■■■]
[A key plot event will begin in three minutes. Host, please check immediately.]
Qi He’s eyes snapped open, his gaze sharpening.
Damn it, he had just dozed off.
He exhaled a hot breath, pushed himself up, and muttered: “You’re releasing missions in the middle of the night?”
System: [……It’s all for the sake of the plot.]
A “key plot” in the middle of the night—how glorious could that possibly be?
Qi He braced himself mentally.
“Fine, let me see.”
『Script loading:』
『In the dead of night, you toss and turn in bed, unable to fall asleep. You’re hungry. Earlier, you thought the biscuits were too crumbly, so you didn’t eat much. But Yan Chuanbai still has plenty of supplies! You think: if you just take a little, then shift the blame onto someone else…
In the end, you sneak out of bed, tiptoe into Yan Chuanbai’s room, and stretch out a pair of guilty hands to steal ▇▇▇▇』
Sss… sss…
Qi He and the system both stared at that familiar block of black censor bars, each falling silent.
The system was on the verge of collapse: Why isn’t it fixed yet!?
Qi He was also trying to adjust his mindset.
“System, do you honestly think this plot is reasonable?”
He was burning up with fever.
Just imagine—he’d have to drag himself up, dizzy, sweating, and stand in front of Yan Chuanbai to steal…
“Only to be mistaken for a zombie.”
The system said nothing, too busy mourning its broken code.
One minute left.
Qi He sighed and sat up.
The moment he rose, the world spun. He steadied himself for ten seconds, then quietly pushed open the door to the outer room.
It was pitch-black. His eyes adjusted a little to the dark as he shuffled toward the sofa. Faintly, he could make out a reclining silhouette—
Yan Chuanbai was lying there.
Closer now, Qi He saw that Yan Chuanbai’s face was turned inward.
His long legs were crossed, barely fitting on the narrow sofa. His backpack was set right by his hand.
There was no sign he noticed Qi He’s approach.
Qi He watched him silently for two seconds, then reached out.
Smack! His wrist was suddenly seized, a powerful force yanking him forward. His vision flipped without warning. Qi He, already weak, toppled with a thud and was pinned onto the sofa—
“Mm…”
The tall figure loomed over him like a mountain.
In the darkness, Yan Chuanbai’s eyes shone, wide awake.
Qi He’s wrists were locked down, his thighs pinned firmly in place, and the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against his waist. Yan Chuanbai’s scrutinizing gaze bore down on him, as if checking whether he had mutated.
“What are you doing?”
As he spoke, the gun dug in harder.
Qi He steadied himself. “…I can explain.”
Yan Chuanbai didn’t look away.
Qi He hesitated for a second. Between theft and ambush, he chose seduction.
“Just as you guessed—I came out in the middle of the night… to do something bad to you.”
**TN
Heats up fast “热得快” (rè de kuài) – the nickname for a portable immersion water heater—a simple metal heating rod you stick directly into a cup or pot of water to boil it.
They banned it because it’s notoriously unsafe, with a high risk of electrocution or fire.
In dorms, hostels, and many public housing setups in China, using a 热得快 is prohibited.
In the text, Yan Chuanbai teases him with a wordplay: Qi He once said he was 慢热 (slow to warm up), but now with fever he’s “热得快” (heats up fast).
