Chapter 63: I Cannot Bear to Witness This

The piercing sound of urgent knocking was far too grating in the early morning. Yan Zhuo lowered the pot lid he had just lifted and went to open the door.

Standing outside was Cheng Ran. Seeing that it was Yan Zhuo who answered, undisguised annoyance flashed across his face. "I'm looking for Brother Qu."

With that, he made a move to step inside, but was blocked before he could even take a step. Yan Zhuo braced both hands against the door frames on either side, his posture casual and relaxed. "What is it? I can pass along the message for you."

"No need!" Cheng Ran's eyebrows knitted together. Being half a head shorter than Yan Zhuo, he had to stand on tiptoe to peer inside.

Qu Yan was sitting at the dining table eating, and he spotted him instantly. Waving his hand, he complained, "Brother Qu, Brother Qu, he won't let me in!"

Qu Yan lowered his spoon, tilted his head to look over. Yan Zhuo withdrew his arm and smiled brightly and cheerfully at Qu Yan. "A-Yan, how does it taste?"

The soup was something Yan Zhuo had gotten up early to brew, rich and savory. He replied, "Very good."

Yan Zhuo still had his apron on and ducked back into the kitchen.

Cheng Ran got his wish, walking in with an arrogant strut. Only when facing Qu Yan did he rein in his overbearing demeanor. He sat down opposite Qu Yan, leaning in somewhat gingerly. "Brother Qu, I can explain what happened yesterday."

Qu Yan looked at him, no particular emotion surfacing in the depths of his eyes. Cheng Ran continued, "I didn't send Que'er to monitor you. I just—I was just worried about you."

Qu Yan gave a very faint chuckle and asked, "Worried about what?"

Not seeing any aversion on Qu Yan's face, Cheng Ran was immensely encouraged. He even straightened his back. "It's all because of that Yan Zhuo. He is definitely no good. What if he does something to you?"

A spoon tapped against the edge of a bowl. Qu Yan said, "What kind of person he is, I know better than you."

His words could be described as utterly blunt. Cheng Ran panicked instantly, his face alternating between pale and dark. He wanted to draw closer to Qu Yan but didn't dare, so he could only apologize in a flurry, "I'm sorry, Brother Qu. I was just worried about you. Please don't be mad, okay?"

Qu Yan turned a blind eye to his panic and stated plainly, "I don't need your worry, Cheng Ran."

It was a sentence that left not a sliver of hope. Cheng Ran's babyish face collapsed, unable to smile anymore. Unreconciled, he asked, "Brother Qu, do you really like Yan Zhuo?"

Yan Zhuo in the kitchen had his back to them. Qu Yan glanced over and saw him pause his movements, seemingly waiting for the answer to this question as well. He nodded, "Yes, I like him."

"Why? What is so good about him? Why is he worthy of your affection?" Cheng Ran jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on. The bowl on the table was knocked over with a clatter, and his voice dropped lower, "Brother Qu, like me instead, stop liking him. Trust me, I can definitely do better than him."

He convinced himself first, gradually growing confident. "No matter what you want to do, I'll accompany you. The dishes you love to eat, I can learn to cook, and I'll learn everything else too. I've been number one since I was a child; there is nothing in this world I cannot learn. I'm definitely a hundred times better than that Yan Zhuo..."

"I've already said it," Qu Yan interrupted his endless chatter. "I don't need your worry. As for anything concerning you, it has nothing to do with me whatsoever."

As if timing it precisely, Yan Zhuo walked out of the kitchen at that exact moment, holding a perfectly browned piece of toasted bread. As he sat down, he smilingly asked Cheng Ran, "Is Captain Cheng staying for breakfast?"

Cheng Ran took a double blow and left in a daze, his expression vacant.

Shutting the door, Yan Zhuo took a bite of his bread in exceptionally high spirits. If a tail were visible on him, it would undoubtedly be wagging nonstop.

Qu Yan folded his arms and looked at him. "Happy?"

"Mhm... maybe the weather's nice today." Yan Zhuo swallowed the bread in his mouth, spewing nonsense off the cuff.

Qu Yan clicked his tongue. "Puppy."

At noon, the door was knocked on once more. It was Yu Yang inviting Qu Yan over.

The door to the pristine apartment was wide open. Inside, a frail-looking man was bent over wiping the floor. Even though the floor was clean enough to reflect light, he was still wiping it meticulously.

Hearing the sound, the frail man turned around. He possessed a completely ordinary face, one that left no impression upon a single glance. Lan Yin had once remarked that he was a born background character.

Yu Yang himself was quite satisfied with this. Given the specialized nature of his former profession, naturally, the less conspicuous, the better.

"Come in and change your shoes."

Seeing them, Yu Yang showed no surprise, merely gesturing to the shoe rack by the entrance.

Yan Zhuo had done this once yesterday, so without needing a reminder, he also wiped down Qu Yan's wheelchair. Yu Yang wore an expression of "this pupil can be taught," then pushed up his glasses and said, "I know all about yesterday's events."

"Lan Yin told you?" Qu Yan asked, finding it unlikely; Lan Yin wouldn't do such a thing.

Yu Yang shook his head. "I left a mark on the door. Whenever anyone enters, I know."

Qu Yan picked up where he left off: "And so?"

Yu Yang said calmly, "And so from now on, in this apartment, Lan Yin and zombies are not permitted to enter."

Qu Yan: "..."

"Since you already know about the contents of the cold storage, I won't elaborate further. I intended to tell you about this anyway." Yu Yang led them toward the cold storage. The second before opening the door, he turned back, his gaze lingering over Qu Yan and Yan Zhuo for two rounds.

Not until Yan Zhuo looked back with guarded vigilance did he say, "Lan Yin mentioned you two are a couple, is that right?"

Yan Zhuo blocked Qu Yan from view. "Why are you asking about this?"

Yu Yang shrugged slightly. "Nothing, just a reminder. Please refrain from engaging in any intimate displays here; I cannot bear to look at such things."

Yan Zhuo: ??

The people of Yueshan really were stranger than the last.

He bent down and whispered to Qu Yan, "Isn't he a mysophobic? Why is he even managing this?"

Before Qu Yan could answer, Yan Zhuo muttered to himself, "Could it be he's suffered heartbreak before?"

Yu Yang's placid voice drifted out from the cold storage: "Captain Yan Zhuo of Twin Cities, I heard every single word you said."

Yan Zhuo fell silent, wheeling Qu Yan inside.

A night had passed, yet the corpse in the cold storage looked unchanged, though the blue flowers growing upon it had flourished significantly, nearly covering the entire body.

Yu Yang put on white latex gloves, bent down to grab the roots of a blue flower, and the frames on the bridge of his nose refracted a cold, inorganic light under the cold storage lighting: "At eight o'clock last night, I plucked a flower. A whole night has passed, and it hasn't shown any signs of withering."

His fingers exerted a slight force, pulling out the roots of the blue flower. The flesh and blood of the corpse were frozen stiff, yet when the wispy roots were dragged out, not a single one snapped. As one flower was pulled free, its roots dragged out an eyeball along with them.

Yu Yang's expression didn't shift. He caught the eyeball, stuffed it back into the corpse's eye socket, and apologized earnestly, "I'm sorry, Zhang He."

"These flowers have incredibly tenacious vitality," Qu Yan remarked, something he had discovered yesterday.

Yu Yang nodded, handing the blue flower with blood-stained roots to the two of them. "I can guarantee that before the apocalypse, this kind of plant certainly did not exist in the world."

Even the pistils were blue. This blue flower lacked any leaves or stems, its rootstock entirely bare. Yan Zhuo stared at the flower in Yu Yang's hand, his breathing growing rapid uncontrollably.

Qu Yan was the first to notice something amiss with him, gripping his wrist and calling out, "Yan Zhuo?"

As if he hadn't heard, Yan Zhuo's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, staring unblinkingly at the blue flower as he asked, "Can I touch it?"

A strange, excited light flickered in Yu Yang's eyes behind his lenses. Before Qu Yan could stop him, he handed the flower over. "Of course."

Yan Zhuo accepted it almost instantly. The moment those limp rootstocks made contact with his hand, they sprang to life, rapidly extending and boring into Yan Zhuo's palm at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The roots churned beneath his skin, and fresh blood dripped down his fingertips. The pain jolted Yan Zhuo back to sobriety. Clenching his teeth, he violently tore off the blue flower and flung it away. Fresh blood splattered across the floor, but the roots of the blue flower had yet to stop writhing. Yan Zhuo let out a muffled groan, his hands covered in blood. Had he not been supporting Qu Yan's wheelchair, he would have collapsed long ago.

"Just as I thought." Yu Yang's hypothesis was confirmed. "No wonder I felt the aura on you was so familiar. You've seen this plant before, haven't you? Or more accurately, this plant has once parasitized your body?"

Yan Zhuo's face was flushed and damp, his breathing heavy, until finally, unable to maintain his footing, he collapsed to the ground.

Yu Yang wore a look of puzzlement. "That shouldn't be. Why is his reaction so severe?"

The very next second after those words fell, he sensed something lunging at him from behind, instantly filling his heart with unease. There was no longer any opportunity to dodge; thick vines seized his legs and hurled him away forcefully.

The glass jars of various shapes on the shelves were caught in the aftermath, crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces.

His back slammed against the cold, hard wall, the bones aching painfully. Yu Yang coughed violently twice, groping with one hand to pick up his fallen glasses.

The temple of the frames was stained with a bit of blood from the floor. Holding them by two fingers, he looked calmly at Qu Yan. "I can sense it. You're furious. Why? Is it because he was injured?"

He didn't react much to physical pain. Looking at Qu Yan, he explained, "I made an estimate; he wouldn't be severely hurt. Now... his reaction is quite strange."

Qu Yan placed one hand on Yan Zhuo's shoulder, the fierce hostility on his face still unabated. "Only this once."

He stated, "If you ever harbor ulterior motives toward him again, I won't show mercy."