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Before the words had even faded, Zhuo Chenglan’s hand suddenly tightened around her wrist.

Ye Yin was startled, then overjoyed. “Teacher Yue, look, he’s awake!”

The news caused a great stir; soon, all the medical staff gathered around Zhuo Chenglan’s bed, and the entire Zhuo family arrived as well, nearly filling the room to bursting. Ye Yin wanted to make space so that Teacher Yue and the others could examine him properly, but to her surprise, Zhuo Chenglan’s grip was so strong that she couldn’t break free at all.

With everyone watching, the atmosphere grew a little strange, while Zhuo Zhelian lounged idly by the doorway, a faint smile on his lips and a shadowy look in his eyes.

Ye Yin gave a few awkward laughs, just about to try prying his hand off in secret, when she caught sight of the doctor who’d scolded them before, now glaring at her as if, should she dare break even one of Zhuo Chenglan’s fingers, he’d snap her neck on the spot. That ghastly expression nearly made Ye Yin wet herself.

The commander cleared his throat, but it was the quick-witted commander’s wife who spoke up first, smiling, “Chenglan doesn’t know anything right now. For the sake of the patient, just let him hold on a little while longer. Later I’ll make a strawberry cake for you!”

“Yinyin, don’t move for now, let him hold on,” Teacher Yue added. “We’ll be done soon.”

Since everyone said so, Ye Yin couldn’t protest and sat there awkwardly, motionless. In fact, the examination was swift, but even when it ended, Zhuo Chenglan’s hand hadn’t let go.

With everyone’s urging and pleading, Ye Yin had no choice but to sit there like a fool at his bedside until nightfall, and then, head resting on the bed, she spent the night sleeping there. During this time, the room was left to the two of them alone, with everyone else sent away under the pretext of not disturbing Zhuo Chenglan’s rest.

In the morning, sunlight filtered softly through the window, and the breeze, scented with fresh grass from the garden, stirred the curtains, brushing against Zhuo Chenglan’s face.

He opened his eyes slowly, his gaze drifting until it settled on Ye Yin, still sound asleep.

She was wrapped in a blanket, sleeping deeply. Her dark hair was a little disheveled, her face resting on a furry little pillow, thick lashes fluttering now and then as if she was dreaming.

Or perhaps, he was the one dreaming?

As Zhuo Chenglan struggled to remember where he was, Ye Yin’s pulse and warmth, transmitted through his tightly held hand, began to stir his heart like a pacemaker…

Ye Yin didn’t wake until half past ten. She stretched lazily beneath the covers and rolled over, sighing in contentment—it had been ages since she’d slept so well.

Wait, something felt off…

Ye Yin’s eyes snapped open. She found herself lying in Zhuo Chenglan’s bed, while he sat beside it.

When had their positions switched?

Ye Yin sat up with a start, scratching her head sheepishly. “You’re awake?”

“Yes. You were still sleeping then. I was afraid you’d catch cold, so I carried you onto the bed.”

Zhuo Chenglan sat there with perfect posture, silent as a statue. Backlit by the morning light, his expression was so gentle that Ye Yin couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.

They sat in silence for a long, long time, until the flowers in the vase were blown to the floor by the wind.

“Hua Hua must be up by now. I’ll go check on her.”

Just as Ye Yin was about to lift the covers and get out of bed, Zhuo Chenglan suddenly spoke. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Thank you for being alive, and for coming here,” Zhuo Chenglan said. “You made me feel as if I’ve come back to life as well.”

His smile was like the finest afternoon sunlight, saturated with the freshness of spring—coaxing rosebuds from their sleep, ripening the grapes in the oak barrel into the sweetest wine, filling all who saw it with happiness and joy.

Ye Yin swallowed back all the words she was about to say. She’d never seen him smile like this before, and for a moment, she forgot to blink…

“Ahem, sorry to interrupt,” Zhuo Zhelian appeared at the door at some point, looking innocent. “More people will be coming soon, so I thought I’d give you a heads-up.”

“When did you get here?” Ye Yin asked, embarrassed. Zhuo Chenglan also turned his face away slightly.

“I’ve been here a while—since my brother started staring at you like a military dog watching over you as you slept.”

Ye Yin’s face flushed bright red, and without thinking, she chucked a pillow at him.

“Just kidding.” Zhuo Zhelian caught the pillow and grinned. “Come on, let’s go. It’s better to show up ourselves than to wait for the whole parade to barge in.”

As Zhuo Zhelian predicted, it was a good thing they went early; otherwise, with the commander’s usual flair for drama, he might have shown up with half the household in tow, making for a ridiculous spectacle.

The commander’s wife personally prepared a table full of “home-cooked dishes,” as well as the promised cake for Ye Yin, and said shyly, “Ever since I had these two little rascals, I’ve been too busy taking care of them to cook. If you don’t mind, please help yourself.”

Ye Yin was about to politely refuse when she caught on a word and froze. “Had…”

“If by ‘taking care of’ you mean leaving everything to the maids and nannies,” Zhuo Zhelian cut in without mercy. “She was always busy having fun. Back in the day, she was even known as—”

Before he could finish, the commander’s wife stuffed his mouth full of food with a smiling flourish. “You’ve gotten skinny. Eat more.”

Zhuo Chenglan, knowing what had shocked Ye Yin, helped her to some dishes and calmly explained, “She’s always taken good care of herself, so she looks younger than her age.”

Ye Yin wanted to flip the table—this wasn’t just about self-care! She’d thought the commander’s wife was their stepmother!

“By the way, does little Ye have a sweetheart?” the commander suddenly asked.

Ye Yin paused, then replied with a smile, “How can there be a home when the zombies are not yet vanquished?”

Zhuo Zhelian’s hand trembled, nearly spilling his plate.

“Well said!” the commander exclaimed, slapping the table. “That’s the spirit! I knew I was right about you!”

The commander’s wife was less enthusiastic. “But, for a girl, there’s no need to make destroying zombies her life’s mission…”

“She’s not like everyone else,” Zhuo Chenglan said quietly. “She’s someone who takes responsibility.”

Ye Hua glanced between Zhuo Chenglan, her sister, and the others.

Zhuo Zhelian finally swallowed his food and remarked, “Wasn’t Mom a young bandit queen in her day?”

“That’s right, which is why I fell for her at first sight,” the commander said solemnly. “I’ve never met a woman so strong and beautiful—one look and I was hopelessly smitten…”

“Oh, come on, we’re an old married couple!” The commander’s wife gave him a playful shove, nearly knocking him off his chair. The comical scene had everyone bursting into laughter.

And so, the family meal ended in laughter. Three days later, Ye Yin and Ye Hua returned to the third base. When they left, everyone came to send them off with warm reminders, but Zhuo Chenglan only said two words to her.

Wait for me.

That phrase echoed in Ye Yin’s heart for days on end, impossible to decipher and too daunting to imagine what it might mean.

Does he want me to wait for him?

How long?

What is he going to do?

It felt as though a piece of her heart had gone missing, or perhaps had been filled with something new—leaving her unsettled and a little lost.

“You looked so cool when you said that,” Ye Hua said, throwing herself into her sister’s arms as soon as they got home, her eyes smiling.

“Which part?”

“When you answered Uncle Commander.” Ye Hua’s eyes shimmered. “Is it because you can’t let your guard down? Are we holding you back from finding happiness?”

“Don’t talk nonsense, that’s not it,” Ye Yin replied with a wry smile. “It’s my own issue.”

“But is this really okay?” Ye Hua looked up at her. “That person seems to…”

“Hua Hua,” Ye Yin interrupted before her sister could finish. “I… still need some time. There are a lot of things I haven’t sorted out, and I just can’t feel at ease.”

“Alright!” Ye Hua grinned. “Until then, I’ll keep you company. I’m not letting anyone take my sister away!”

“Silly girl.” Ye Yin pinched her sister’s soft cheek.

Almost as if seeking to reclaim every bit of her paid leave, Ye Yu assigned Ye Yin several major tasks in rapid succession after her return, with relentless urgency. After looking over the list, Ye Yin’s head spun. “Are you making things difficult for me on purpose?”

“Don’t put it that way. You’re my favorite subordinate—how could I bear to make things hard for you?”

“Then explain how you expect me to secure the Yunze region in a month.”

Yunze was a vast forest area, spanning more than half a province and featuring every kind of terrain. Though sparsely populated and with relatively few zombies, it was teeming with wild animals, many of which had evolved or mutated and were extremely dangerous. Exploration teams usually avoided it altogether, yet Ye Yu was commanding her to handle it in a month.

“That’s called having faith in your abilities,” Ye Yu said with a grin. “Besides, this time you’ll have help from the Qingyun Sect. What are you afraid of?”

“What do they want?”

Qingyun Sect usually handled logistics and rarely took the initiative like this.

“We all have our own motives,” Ye Yu’s eyes glinted slyly. “Once this is done, I’ll give you a long vacation.”

“I have zero faith in your promises.”

“Don’t be like that.” Ye Yu looked aggrieved. “It’s rare to have a friend I can tease and rely on. Let me enjoy it, will you?”

“Ah… fine, you win.” Ye Yin heaved a heavy sigh.

“Do your best. Get ready,” Ye Yu said. “I’ll take care of your family and friends for you. If anything happens to you, I’ll treat them as my own—my word is my bond.”

“…Can I take back what I said?”

“No.”

“…”

“I’m not as willful as you think,” Ye Yu said. “The reason for the rush is that the capital base has started to move.”