Hive Basement Level 1, Staff Quarters.
The warm yellow lights of the Rick family's villa were on, looking no different from any other home in the community.
But right now, the atmosphere in the kitchen was off.
Lori stood by the sink, clutching a glass and wiping it mechanically.
She had been wiping it for quite a while; the glass didn't need any more cleaning, but she just couldn't stop.
Rick was off duty today, a rare break from leading scavenging runs.
He slipped quietly from the living room into the kitchen, and seeing his wife's back, a mischievous smirk appeared on his lips.
He lightened his footsteps, crept closer, and then grabbed her from behind.
"Hey!"
Lori shuddered, the glass slipped from her hand, and it shattered into pieces on the floor with a crash.
She froze in fright, then shoved Rick away, turned around, her eyes already red.
"What are you doing!"
She practically shouted, "If you're back, you're back, can't you just say hello normally? You scared me!"
Rick raised his hands, looking innocent and apologetic. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I thought you heard me come in... Don't be mad, don't be mad."
He looked down at the broken glass on the floor. "I'll clean it up, don't move."
Lori took a deep breath and pushed away his reaching hand. "I'll do it myself, you go sit down."
Rick stood there, watching his wife squat down to pick up the broken glass, feeling a vague sense that something was wrong.
Lori wasn't like this before.
Although he had occasionally startled her before, she had never gotten this angry.
He scratched his head and asked tentatively, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Lori threw the broken glass into the trash can, stood up, and remained silent for a few seconds with her back to him.
"Wait until Carl gets back,"
she said, "We're going to have a family meeting. He has a right to know some things."
Rick's heart sank.
A family meeting?
What family meeting?
The events he heard today suddenly flashed through his mind—Ed Pelletier had been forcibly divorced, and Carol had moved out of their original house with Sophia.
Lori wouldn't also...
He irritably scratched his hair and sat on the sofa, his mind in a mess.
In the afternoon, Carl came running back, bouncing with his schoolbag on his back.
"Dad!"
He saw Rick and happily rushed over.
Rick hugged his son and rubbed his little head. "How was school today?"
"Not bad."
Carl said with a grin, "Mr. Paul taught us how to read maps today, and Daryl mistook north for south. Everyone laughed."
Rick forced a smile, but his eyes looked toward Lori.
Lori walked out of the kitchen, wiped her hands, and sat on the sofa.
"Sit down!"
She said, "I have something to tell you both."
Rick and Carl sat side by side, two men, one big and one small, with expressions that were surprisingly identical—nervous.
Lori looked at them and was silent for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and began, "I'm pregnant."
The living room was quiet for three seconds.
Rick's eyes slowly widened, his mouth slightly agape, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
He subconsciously rubbed his face, then rubbed it again, his voice trembling. "You... what did you say?"
"I'm pregnant."
Lori repeated it, her voice calm, but her fingers were trembling slightly on her knees. "Carl, you're going to have a little brother or sister."
Rick stood up abruptly, then sat back down, then stood up again.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't get anything out.
Finally, he hugged Lori, pulling her completely into his arms, his voice hoarse. "Oh my god... oh my god..."
Carl also ran over, hugging his mom and dad's legs, looking up with his little face. "A little brother or sister? Really? When are they coming out?"
Rick let go of Lori, squatted down, and pulled his son into his arms as well, his eyes somewhat red. "How many months?"
He asked.
Lori avoided his gaze. "Almost two months."
Two months.
Rick calculated the days; it was just shortly after he had returned to her side.
He was so happy he didn't know what to say, only holding her hand tightly.
Carl had already started planning what to name his little brother or sister.
Lori looked at her husband and son's smiling faces, and a smile appeared on her lips too. But that smile didn't reach her eyes.
In another villa not far away, Amy was busy in the kitchen.
She had spent quite a few contribution points today, exchanging them at the community supermarket for a chicken, a bottle of red wine, and two candles.
The roast chicken was sizzling with oil in the oven, and the aroma filled the entire kitchen.
She stuck the candles into candle holders, placed them in the center of the dining table, and took out two wine glasses, pouring red wine into them.
Then she stood in front of the mirror, tried on three outfits, and finally chose an off-white dress.
It wasn't too formal, but it looked very nice.
Ding-dong—
The doorbell rang.
Amy walked over quickly, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
Wu Fan stood at the doorway.
He wasn't wearing a suit, just a dark-colored shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
In his hand was a bouquet of flowers—not anything expensive, just China roses planted in the community garden, red, yellow, and white tied together into a bunch with twine.
"You're five minutes late."
Amy said, but her lips were already curling up.
Wu Fan handed over the flowers. "I saw these blooming nicely on the way and just picked them."
Amy took the flowers, lowered her head to smell them, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "I forgive you."
Although she knew he was lying through his teeth, who could blame her for liking this charming man.
On the dining table, the candle flames flickered gently.
The roast chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the red wine was the best bottle she could find in the community supermarket—although it wasn't from any famous vineyard, it was already a luxury in this world.
The two chatted, from the newcomers at the base to the progress of the wall, from Carol's divorce to the jokes Carl had made at school recently.
Wu Fan said quite a lot, more than he usually said in the office.
Amy rested her chin in her hands, listening to him talk, interjecting occasionally, and pouring him wine from time to time.
"Do you know?"
When Amy reached her third glass, her eyes began to glaze over. "You're usually so serious and fierce in the office, but right now, you're like a normal person."
"I've always been a normal person."
Wu Fan said.
"No."
Amy shook her head. "You're the boss, the boss everyone fears. Merle fears you, Rick respects you, Andrea submits to you, but no one dares to eat with you like this."
She stood up, walked around the dining table, and sat next to Wu Fan.
The alcohol was kicking in; her face was flushed, and her eyes were incredibly bright.
"But I'm not afraid of you."
She leaned close to him, her voice low. "Never have been."
Wu Fan looked at her and didn't speak.
Amy reached out, grabbed his collar, and pulled him toward her.
Then she kissed him.
The kiss was long and deep, carrying the taste of red wine and the warmth of the candles.
Then she pulled him up from the chair and pushed him toward the bedroom.
Wu Fan wanted to say something, but she blocked his mouth with kisses, with her body, and with those incredibly bright eyes.
"Don't talk! Kiss me!"
She said.
...
This night was wild.
Wilder than the last time.
Amy seemed to want to release all the repression, fear, and loneliness she had felt since the apocalypse.
She bit his shoulder, clawed his back, and whispered things in his ear that she would never say under normal circumstances.
Wu Fan held her, feeling her body tremble, feeling her scorching breath, and feeling the stinging pain of her nails digging into his flesh.
Outside the window, the community's artificial sky switched to night mode, and the deep blue dome was dotted with stars. Those stars didn't twinkle because they weren't real.
But right now, no one cared whether they were real or fake.
When dawn was about to break, Amy finally quieted down.
She rested her head on Wu Fan's arm, curled up in his arms like a cat that had finally found its nest.
"Wu."
She mumbled his name in a daze, not calling him BOSS, but his name.
"Hmm?"
"Will you always be here?"
Wu Fan was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes."
Amy didn't speak again, her breathing gradually becoming even. The "stars" outside the window began to fade, and the artificial sky was switching to morning mode.