Not long after, we heard Xu Shu call out, "He's awake!"
Upon hearing that, I immediately turned and rushed over to the bedside.
Sure enough, Shen Feng was lying there with his eyes open, looking around at all of us.
Then he slowly sat up in bed and asked, "Why are you all here?"
I frowned and was the first to respond, "Why are we here? If we weren't here, you'd have rotted away in that room by now!"
"Chen Yang..." Xu Shu gently called my name and gave me a meaningful look before continuing, "We were really worried about you. Two days without a sound—we had no choice but to come in."
Shen Feng stared blankly at both of us for a moment, then asked, "It's been two days?"
I looked at him, uncertain.
I couldn't tell if he was referring to the day Xiao Xue was buried, or the time he'd spent holed up in this room.
So I just nodded vaguely and said, "Chen Pu and Jun Di made some porridge for you. Once it's done, I'll bring you a bowl."
I expected Shen Feng to say he wasn't hungry, or maybe just ignore me altogether.
But to my surprise, as soon as I finished speaking, he looked up at me, stared for a couple of seconds, then nodded and said, "Thanks."
I stared at him, a little puzzled—I hadn't expected that kind of response. "Are you… okay?"
Upon hearing that, a faint change flickered across Shen Feng's pale, weak face.
I guessed he was trying to force himself to smile, but after quite a while, all he managed was a slight twitch at the corner of his lips.
I quickly waved my hand and said, "If you're not okay, then you're not okay. I know you must be feeling terrible right now—don't force yourself to pretend everything's fine. Just watching you try is exhausting."
Sure enough, as soon as I finished speaking, the twitch at the corner of Shen Feng's lips stopped, and his expression returned to the way it had been before.
After a brief silence, he finally said, "Let me take a bit more time. I just need a little more time to pull myself together."
Hearing that made my chest tighten painfully.
Looking at his face filled me with an overwhelming ache.
After a brief hesitation, I walked over and sat down by the bed, reaching out to grasp Shen Feng's hand—one that trembled slightly despite his efforts to hide it.
"Have a bit to eat later, and let's go outside for a walk. The little park's actually kind of pretty."
Shen Feng looked at me quietly for a moment, then gave a small nod.
I couldn't help but let out a deep breath of relief.
Ever since Xiao Xue passed, I'd been worried that Shen Feng might do something drastic at any moment.
But from what he'd just said, and the fact that he agreed to go out for a walk with me, it meant that somewhere deep inside, he hadn't completely given up on life—or on himself.
"Hey, handsome—going out for some fresh air will do you good. It clears your head, and even the saddest things start to fade," Han Xue said with a bright smile, suddenly appearing beside us and leaning her head into Shen Feng's view.
I froze for a second and instinctively reached out to pull Han Xue aside.
This wasn't the time for her to be chirping away—better not risk upsetting Shen Feng.
To my surprise, after hearing Han Xue's words, Shen Feng's expression shifted slightly—but he didn't seem particularly annoyed.
Instead, he just looked up at me with a questioning gaze.
That's when I remembered: he hadn't met Han Xue or the others who came back with Yangyang.
"Oh... this is Han Xue. She came back with Yangyang. There are two more upstairs. For now, they're considered part of our new group."
The moment Shen Feng heard the name Han Xue, I noticed the slight warmth that had just begun to return to his face suddenly freeze.
He quickly gave Han Xue a once-over, and his eyes lit up with an indescribable gleam.
"Your name is Han Xue?" Shen Feng's voice carried a touch more life and gentleness than before.
"That's right~" Han Xue responded brightly, her voice rising with a cheerful lilt.
I had a feeling Shen Feng probably felt the same way I did when I first spoke to Han Xue—she really did remind me of Xiao Xue.
Not just in appearance, but in the tone and rhythm of her speech.
And more coincidentally, her name was even exactly the same.
Just after Xiao Xue had passed, this girl appeared out of nowhere—maybe it really was fate's arrangement.
Whatever the case, there was finally a trace of light in Shen Feng's eyes when he looked at her.
Jun Di and Chen Pu weren't exactly experts in the kitchen.
After a whole lot of chaotic banging and clattering, Xu Shu finally had to roll up her sleeves and step in before things were properly under control.
Judging by the mess they made, I honestly couldn't believe it was all just for a pot of porridge.
Xu Shu had also taken some corn and sweet potatoes we'd brought back earlier, chopped them up, and tossed them into the pot.
When it was done, it was a huge pot of food.
There was no way Shen Feng could finish it alone—not even if he pushed himself.
So I called everyone over to join in.
A bowl of hot porridge was definitely better than chewing on dry biscuits back in their rooms.
Yangyang and Han Xue had probably gone days without eating properly while wandering outside.
Then, right after returning, they got swept into this whole mess and had been surviving on dry biscuits for days.
Now, just standing a few steps from the pot, the two of them were staring at it like they were in a trance.
I rummaged through the cabinet and found a large bowl.
After rinsing out the dust with some hot water we had boiled earlier, I filled it to the brim and brought it over to Shen Feng.
The moment Shen Feng saw it, his face froze. After a long pause, he finally said, "That's way too much."
I gave him a sly grin.
Of course I knew he couldn't finish that much.
After what happened back in the village, I'd learned my lesson—if you want to get ahead of the crowd when food is limited, you need the right timing, location, and people.
And right now, everyone was politely holding back for Shen Feng's sake.
That was my perfect combination of time, place, and advantage.
"This is for the two of us. Otherwise, by the time I go back for more, I'll be licking the bottom of the pot."
Hearing that, Shen Feng blinked, then the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly into a soft smile. "Only you would think of something like that."
Seeing him smile made my mood soar.
I waved it off and said, "This is hard-earned wisdom from multiple bitter experiences. I'll teach you, bit by bit, if we ever get the chance."
"I'd rather not learn," Shen Feng said as he took the bowl and spoon from me.
Watching Shen Feng quietly and seriously eat, I felt a deep wave of emotion rise in my chest.
He truly was a strong person.
If I were the one facing everything he had gone through today, I definitely wouldn't have held up like he did.
At the very least, up to this point, no matter how heartbroken he was, he hadn't caused even the slightest bit of trouble for anyone else.
Even when Xiao Xue turned into a walker right before his eyes and had her head smashed in, he didn't lose control or go mad.
He just grieved silently, held me, and cried—that was probably the only thing he could do when the pain became too much to bear.
And it turned out that my plan had been completely right—by the time Shen Feng and I finished off the porridge in our bowl together, the pot in the kitchen had already been scraped clean by the others.
I left Yangyang and the rest to clean up and pulled Shen Feng outside with me.
After eating and drinking his fill, taking him out for a walk in the sunshine would definitely help ease his mind—it could only do good, not harm.
Suo Tian had left before Shen Feng woke up.
I thought he might've gone back up to the sixth floor to talk business with the bearded guy, or maybe to get some rest.
But when Shen Feng and I reached the first-floor lobby, I spotted him sitting on the steps outside the door.
He was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, head lowered—I couldn't tell if he was dozing or just deep in thought.
He turned his face slightly when he heard our footsteps and glanced over at us.
"What are you doing sitting here?" I asked.
"Sunbathing," Suo Tian replied coolly.
Then he stood up from the steps, looked over at Shen Feng, paused for a couple seconds, and finally asked, "How are you holding up?"
Shen Feng met his gaze, paused as well, then tugged up the corners of his mouth into a faint smile. "Much better, brother."
Hearing that, Suo Tian raised his eyebrows slightly, took two steps forward, patted Shen Feng on the shoulder, then turned to walk past us, heading upstairs.
As he passed by me, he quickly tossed out a sentence:
"Stay away from Building One."
I was just about to tell him we were heading to the park and couldn't avoid getting close to Building One when he slipped into the stairwell without another word.
Shen Feng, having caught what he said, turned to me and asked, "What's up with Building One?"
I shook my head and replied, "How should I know? Suo Tian always talks in half-sentences."
"So… are we still going out?"
"Of course!" I glanced back toward the stairwell again and pulled Shen Feng with me as we walked out of the lobby.
Since Suo Tian warned me about Building One, that at least meant he knew there was something off or dangerous about it.
Judging from his calm expression, he probably had a firm handle on whatever was going on over there.
Otherwise, knowing his personality, there's no way he'd have acted so nonchalant.
He never does anything he's not confident about—that's always been my strongest impression of how Suo Tian handles things.
Even though I was sure there was no real danger, Shen Feng and I still couldn't help but glance toward Building One as we passed by it, craning our necks to peer inside the lobby, trying to spot anything suspicious.
But after staring for so long our necks started to ache, we still couldn't see anything strange.
I shook my head and silently cursed myself for being silly.
That building is more than ten stories high—there might even be a basement.
Even if there was something weird going on, who'd just leave it sitting out in plain sight in the lobby?
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