Zhou Ke'er quickly removed her clothes, leaving only her pink thermal underwear.
The messy pile of clothes lay scattered on the floor as she crouched down, gasping for breath. Tears shimmered in her eyes, reflecting the intense emotions she was feeling at that moment. It was only then that she remembered there was a man in front of her.
Zhang Yi still had his gun pointed directly at her.
Forcing a small smile, Zhou Ke'er said, "You're really cautious, aren't you?"
She raised her hands, showing them to him. "Look, in this state, there's no way I could be hiding any dangerous weapons, right?"
Zhang Yi's expression remained indifferent as he shook the gun in his hand.
"Keep going."
"You need to be completely honest with me before I can accept you."
Zhang Yi was a very cautious man. Of course, whether there were other thoughts in his mind, only Zhang Yi knew.
Hearing his words, Zhou Ke'er bit her lip tightly. She lowered her head, her face flushed red. Being asked to strip completely in front of a man she barely knew made her feel deeply ashamed. But she understood she had no room to negotiate.
Zhang Yi's home was too warm, especially compared to the environment she had been living in—it was like paradise. She knew that to gain something, one must pay an equivalent price. She understood this clearly.
"Fine, I'll do it."
Gathering her courage, Zhou Ke'er raised her trembling arms and began to remove her pink thermal underwear. Zhang Yi's eyes were glued to her, ensuring she didn't pull out any hidden weapons. His watchfulness was entirely for safety reasons—he wasn't thinking anything inappropriate.
However, as she lifted her shirt, revealing her smooth, white abdomen, Zhang Yi felt a lump in his throat.
Zhou Ke'er's skin was incredibly fair, almost as white as the snow outside. This kind of fairness wasn't something that could be achieved through any artificial means—it was her natural, flawless complexion, soft and milky like porcelain. In the soft light of the room, her skin even seemed to have a holy glow to it.
As she raised her shirt over her head, a black lace bra was revealed underneath.
Zhang Yi suddenly recalled a saying from the internet: women who wear black lingerie are often more reserved on the surface but passionate underneath.
After removing the thermal top, Zhou Ke'er reached for her waist. She bent down, slowly pulling down her thermal pants.
Thanks to regular exercise, her figure was exceptional—slender and well-proportioned, with just the right amount of curves where needed. There wasn't a trace of excess fat on her waist, and the simple act of bending over could ignite anyone's imagination.
From this angle, Zhang Yi had a perfect view.
Zhang Yi had once caught a glimpse of Zhou Ke'er in a sweater and noticed her impressive figure. Now, seeing her fully, he realized he had underestimated her curves. Her full, rounded shape was astonishing, leaving little to the imagination.
Zhou Ke'er felt Zhang Yi's gaze on her, and her face grew so red it seemed like she might drip blood from embarrassment. Despite her shame, she endured it, continuing to undress.
She tossed her clothes to the ground, carefully kicking them aside with her foot, her face filled with embarrassment. After all, she hadn't bathed in half a month and worried that Zhang Yi would be put off by her scent.
"Now... is this good enough?"
Her pale arms wrapped around her chest in an attempt to cover herself, and she turned her head away in shame, not daring to meet Zhang Yi's gaze.
Zhang Yi took a deep breath and then, in a righteous tone, said, "Of course not! Who can guarantee you haven't hidden some kind of deadly weapon under those last two pieces of clothing?"
Zhang Yi was a gentleman—he would never take advantage of someone in a vulnerable position! His demand was purely out of caution, nothing more. Don't misunderstand him.
Zhou Ke'er's body trembled violently.
After a brief silence, she finally surrendered.
In front of Zhang Yi, she removed the final layers of her defense, revealing her flawless body entirely.
"You... you can do it now!" she said, closing her eyes as though resigned to her fate.
In this post-apocalyptic world, modesty held no value. She was a smart woman and had already come to terms with this reality.
However, Zhang Yi didn't act like a beast and pounce on her as she had feared. Instead, he glanced at the medical kit on the floor and said, "I suggest you take a bath first."
Zhou Ke'er's face flushed even more. She hurriedly picked up her clothes and dashed into the bathroom, fleeing the scene.
Zhang Yi retrieved some women's clothes from his storage space and tossed them outside the bathroom door.
"Here are some clean clothes. You can put them on afterward."
"I also picked out some underwear in your size—try it on and see if it fits."
Zhang Yi had managed the warehouse for so long that he'd developed an eye for such things. He could tell at a glance that Zhou Ke'er was a 36D!
Inside the bathroom, Zhou Ke'er responded softly with a quiet "Mm." Soon, the sound of running water could be heard.
Zhang Yi walked over to the medical kit she had left behind, carefully opened it, and inspected its contents. There were no drugs left, just a few nearly-empty rolls of gauze and two unopened syringes. Zhang Yi thought for a moment, then took the syringes and placed them in his storage space before closing the kit.
He then calmly sat down on the sofa, waiting for Zhou Ke'er to finish her bath.
Inside the bathroom, Zhou Ke'er turned on the shower. As the hot water cascaded down on her head, tears filled her eyes. Only after losing everything did she truly understand what happiness was. In the past, she had taken the conveniences of daily life for granted. But after the apocalypse, she realized how precious those things were.
Civilization, developed over thousands of years, had brought about these conveniences, which had made humans more delicate and dependent. Having gone half a month without a bath, Zhou Ke'er washed herself meticulously. After nearly half an hour, she suddenly remembered that this was Zhang Yi's house and hurried to finish, mindful of the preciousness of water.
But Zhang Yi didn't say anything or rush her—he had plenty of water stored. Even in an extreme situation, there was still an abundance of ice and snow outside that could be used. Since human activity had mostly ceased, the snow was clean enough to be used even for drinking.
"Click."
The bathroom door opened.
Zhang Yi looked over and saw a slender arm, still steaming from the heat, reaching out to retrieve the clothes he had placed outside.
A little while later, Zhou Ke'er emerged wearing a set of pajamas, her damp hair cascading down her back in a way that made her look breathtakingly beautiful.
Zhang Yi couldn't help but widen his eyes.
It was the first time since he had known Zhou Ke'er that he realized how beautiful she truly was. As a chief physician at the hospital, she had always been busy, with little time for makeup or hairstyling, usually wearing just a light layer of cosmetics.
Now, after a bath, her natural beauty shone through, like a lotus emerging from the water. For a brief moment, Zhang Yi felt his heart stir.
But that was all. His guard remained up. In the end, the only person Zhang Yi truly trusted was himself.