Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Yuan Tianxing swallowed. He was a little nervous. For a long time, nothing could make him feel nervous like that.
What he was going to say to her would certainly result in some changes in their relationship, and he couldn’t tell what that change would be.
He had prepared himself for the possibility that Lin Qiao might reject him, but he also had a glimmer of hope. No matter what, he needed to tell her about his feelings. He didn’t want to keep that to himself anymore.
“Lin Qiao, I…” He looked at her as his face tightened, without the composed smile that he always had. His eyes were fixed straight on her face.
Lin Qiao gave herself a bitter smile in her heart.
‘This is finally happening, eh ?’ She thought. She, of course, knew about the feelings that he had for her. However, she had always been seeing him as a friend, a comrade, a colleague. She never had special feelings for him.
She didn’t say anything to interrupt him, because that would be harmful to him. Even though she would not accept his love, she did not want to hurt him. After all, they were still friends and comrades.
She was surprised back when she learned about his feelings toward her. She was a couple of years older than him. Why was he attracted to her?
“I want to let you know that I’ve been… fond of you… all this time. Please don’t say anything, and let me finish,” Yuan Tianxing took a deep breath. As he finally let out those words, he sighed with relief. Then, he looked at Lin Qiao in the eyes and continued, “I liked you since before the apocalypse. Every time we carried out a mission together, I was worried about you, even though I was clearly aware that I could not disobey your order. When the apocalypse came, I made a decision the moment I found that you didn’t turn into a zombie. I decided to stay with you and protect you, no matter what the world would turn into or what you might become.”
That day, when he woke up to find that the world had changed thoroughly, Yuan Tianxing didn’t think of himself, his family, or friends. The sole person that came to his mind was Lin Qiao, his captain.
When he found that people had turned into zombies, and those zombies were everywhere, he comforted himself that she would not become one of those. He told himself repeatedly that she was alive.
He didn’t dare to think about what he would do if Lin Qiao became a zombie. His brain didn’t allow him to think about that possibility. He believed that she was still alive, and that belief kept him awake and sane.
He held that belief and found Lin Qiao, after which, he decided to follow her. Later on, she met Yang Jianhua. At first, that man gave him a sense of crisis, but he was soon relieved. He learned that she only saw that man as the man who saved her life, and that was the only reason why she was so nice to him.
“When Yang Jianhua came into your life, your attitude toward him almost drove me crazy. I was so jealous of him. However, when I learned that you might have been killed by zombies if you didn’t meet him, I wanted to thank him. I was so stupid. I didn’t realize that it was a trap. If I had found out about that earlier, you would be safe! It was all my fault,” Yang Jianhua lowered his head while speaking. The regret radiated from his entire body.
As he finished, Lin Qiao said to him, “It wasn’t your fault. Don’t bring the blame on yourself.”
“No… If I had noticed it earlier, you wouldn’t…” Yuan Tianxing looked at Lin Qiao’s eyes. In the dark, cold night, her eyes were like the only dim light.
“I was responsible for that. I was the leader of Hades Base. You don’t need to blame yourself. You don’t need to care so much about that either,” Lin Qiao shook her head, then looked at him and continued, “I know that you like me, or you might be in love with me. But, I can only say that I’m sorry. You should have felt it that I’ve been seeing you as a friend, a brother. I am sorry that I… really can’t respond to your feelings.”
Yuan Tianxing slightly dropped his head as he nodded bitterly and said, “Yes, I know. But anyhow, I have let it out instead of burying it in my heart and loving you in secret… I feel much relaxed.”
He smiled while speaking. His handsome face was toned with sadness because of that smile. Clearly, he had foreseen that result.
“I’m sorry… I am very sorry,” Lin Qiao didn’t know what to say. She knew Yuan Tianxing well. She knew that he wouldn’t force her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have followed her for so many years without saying anything about his feelings for her.
He let it out now because he was stimulated by the destruction of Hades Base and her death.
“No matter what, you are still my friend, my comrade, and my brother. You, Duan Juan, and I are the only ones left from our old squad. I know that rejecting you might make you feel bad, but if I can’t respond to your feeling, that feeling will become a burden for you over time. That would be harmful for you! You have to understand THAT. So, just let go… Currently, you are as same as Lin Hao to me,” She looked at him and said to him seriously.
Yuan Tianxing was younger than her, so in a sentimental way, he was like a younger brother to her.
Yuan Tianxing looked at her quietly and didn’t say anything else. However, Lin Qiao’s scalp went numb, because she saw a glistening drop of tear at a corner of his eyes.
‘Oh my God! What should I do! He is crying! Oh my! What is contained in this tear is so heavy that I can’t take it!’
Right at that moment, two figures flashed across the roof; they were only passing by. One of them noticed Lin Qiao and Yuan Tianxing and stopped. The atmosphere between those two attracted him.
“Roar? Roar…. roar!” Old Guo stopped moving and gave Lin Qiao a quick glance, then turned to Yuan Tianxing, and then turned back to Lin Qiao. Abruptly, he moved closer to the two of them and made a circle around them, then nodded slowly.
“Roar!” An angry roar was heard from behind him. After that, the zombie boy rushed over as he bared his teeth and pounced on the zombie old man, completely ignoring Lin Qiao and Yuan Tianxing and the weird atmosphere between them.
Old Guo paused briefly, then hurriedly flashed away.
The atmosphere was suddenly stirred. Both Yuan Tianxing and Lin Qiao felt a little speechless.
Yuan Tianxing helplessly looked at the two zombies while thinking, ‘What the hell? The old man and the boy are still fighting? They fought all the way from the school area to here?’
Unlike him, Lin Qiao sighed with relief. ‘Phew! Thank God! Those two saved me! Emm… Why did the old man nod though?’
She felt that the old man was having some strange thoughts.
Lin Qiao and Yuan Tianxing looked at each other in the eyes, then both wore a slightly embarrassed look. After being disturbed by the two zombies, they both relaxed a little, and the atmosphere was less depressing than before.
“Um… You know that it’s impossible for us to be together, so… eh… uh… I understand it’s hard for you to give up on your feelings for me within a short time, but, only when you give up on that can you have a new start. Isn’t that true?” Lin Qiao stuttered at first, then thought for a moment. At last, she looked him in the eyes and said those words.
