Su Wan was woken by an unusual commotion.
It wasn’t the usual morning silence, but rather a suppressed busyness.
Footsteps, the dragging sound of objects, hushed conversations—all sounds were deliberately softened, carrying a sense of cautiousness.
Her stomach felt empty and anxious.
She instinctively pressed her lower abdomen.
The aroma of food wafted over; it was Zhang Ma’s cooking.
Millet porridge and steamed white buns—the “state banquet” in the apocalypse.
These past few days, she had lived like a kept pet.
Aside from eating and sleeping, her morning sickness miraculously disappeared, and her appetite was astonishingly good.
She was content with the leisure, temporarily putting aside her survival mission and entering “strategic Lie flat” mode.
Lu Shiyan was busy, leaving early and returning late, carrying a chill with him, and upon his return, he would go to the corner to wipe his cold dagger.
She pretended to be asleep, listening to the faint scraping sound of metal.
Her only comfort was the supplies in her space, which always became full without her noticing—Lu Shiyan’s silent “replenishment.”
Food, water, clothes, and even some tools she didn’t recognize were piled up.
Three days passed in a flash.
News came that Xiao Han’s fever had broken; not only that, but he had also awakened his Wind Ability, and it was said that even his bullet wounds were healing rapidly.
The current commotion told Su Wan that something was about to happen.
She sat up, and the quilt slid off.
In the living room, figures moved about.
Zhang Ma, A Gui, A Fu, and Xiao Han’s three remaining subordinates were all packing things, moving swiftly and purposefully.
Several bulging backpacks leaned by the door.
No one came to wake her.
No one informed her of today’s plans in advance.
She just needed to wait.
Wait for them to pack everything, and then get in the car.
Like a piece of luggage forgotten in a corner, only remembered now to be taken along.
Her chest felt a little constricted.
Indeed, she was just an accessory.
An accessory that was carefully preserved, fed on time, and needed to be taken along at a crucial moment.
She looked down at her wrist, which was bare, yet it felt as if an invisible chain was there, its other end held in someone’s hand.
Zhang Ma walked over with a cup of warm water and placed it on the low cabinet beside her.
Her movements were gentle.
“Drink some water first; the car will be ready soon.”
Where are we going?
She didn’t ask.
She probably wouldn’t get an answer if she asked.
Or, the answer didn’t matter.
She just needed to follow.
Follow the man who gave her food, “replenished” her spatial supplies, and provided her with a temporarily safe corner.
Su Wan felt a lump in her chest; never mind, she was clearly being arranged.
That’s fine.
It’s less trouble.
She picked up the water cup and slowly took a sip.
The water was warm, comforting her stomach that had been empty all night.
“Miss, you can have breakfast in the car later.”
Zhang Ma’s voice was steady and calm, but her next words made Su Wan’s hand, holding the water cup, stop in mid-air.
“The Master instructed not to disturb your rest.
Everyone was waiting for you to wake up.”
Waiting for her to wake up?
Su Wan’s mind buzzed.
Waiting for her?
Everyone?
Just to wait for her to wake up naturally?
This wasn’t right.
It was too wrong.
She thought she was just a package being brought along, but now it seemed she was like a high-end package that needed to be specially marked “fragile, handle with care, await instructions”?
Would Lu Shiyan be so kind?
His gaze when he looked at her before clearly held scrutiny and danger.
Could this be some new trap?
Deliberately giving her such preferential treatment to make her lower her guard?
Or was the child in her belly more important than she imagined, so important that it could make Lu Shiyan pause the entire team’s operation?
Thoughts flashed through her mind like lightning; she thought of the supplies piled in her space, of Zhang Ma’s care for her these past few days, of how Lu Shiyan, though cold, had never truly harmed her.
Then she looked around; everyone was quietly waiting, without urging or dissatisfaction.
That slight blockage in her chest suddenly changed its flavor.
A little absurd.
And a little, subtly gratifying.
It turned out she wasn’t just a simple accessory.
She was also a high-end accessory that could make the entire team pause its operations?
Alright.
High-end accessory it is.
She put down the water cup, threw off the quilt, and got out of bed.
She had to live up to this “high-end” treatment.
The car door closed with a dull, heavy thud.
Su Wan sank into the soft leather seat.
Zhang Ma immediately followed, sitting beside her.
Almost simultaneously, she produced a small folding table from somewhere, fixing it with a click.
The smooth wooden tabletop looked as if it had just been made.
A thought popped into her mind: Could it be that Lu Shiyan made it himself?
Well, that would be his due.
After all, she was carrying his child now.
Steaming hot breakfast items were placed on the table one by one.
Glutinous rice pastries, emitting a sweet fragrance, were still warm from just being made.
Su Wan picked up a piece; it was warm to the touch.
She took a bite.
The glutinous rice was soft and chewy, and the savory meat filling in the middle was just right.
Mmm, this glutinous rice cake tastes really good today.
Zhang Ma’s cooking, made early in the morning, still warm.
The driver’s side door opened and then closed.
The car body dipped slightly.
Lu Shiyan got in without making any unnecessary noise, simply starting the engine.
Before he started, his gaze swept over Su Wan’s lower abdomen.
Just before the car slowly started, Lu Shiyan’s deep voice came, without a trace of warmth, yet clearly drilling into Su Wan’s ears: “Hold on, this journey won’t be peaceful.”
Next was the passenger seat.
Xiao Han got in.
For a moment, there was only the low hum of the engine, Su Wan’s slight chewing, and the echo of Lu Shiyan’s warning in the car.
“Oh,” Xiao Han drawled, breaking the silence, “The little pregnant woman still has such a good appetite.”
His tone carried a hint of teasing, and something else.
“We delayed for a full two hours just waiting for you.”
He paused, as if emphasizing, “Even I, a patient, didn’t get this kind of preferential treatment.”
Su Wan’s hand, holding the glutinous rice cake, paused.
She didn’t look at Xiao Han, nor did she look at Lu Shiyan; she just stared at the pastry in her hand, gently hummed, but in her heart, she was pondering the deeper meaning of Lu Shiyan’s phrase “won’t be peaceful.”
The journey today was very safe, unusually calm for the apocalypse.
There were no roaring Mutants/Variants, no sudden attackers, and even scattered wandering infected were hard to find.
Su Wan’s fingers unconsciously curled.
Too smooth.
Xiao Han’s voice, with a hint of teasing, broke the silence in the car; he seemed to have seen through Su Wan’s subtle doubt.
“What, looking at the road conditions, do you feel like you stepped in dog poop today and got lucky?”
He lightly raised his chin towards the front row.
“It’s all the result of your husband’s hard work.”
Su Wan’s fingers tightened unconsciously on the water bottle, and the bottle made a slight plastic creaking sound.
“My husband?”
She repeated, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible confusion.
Xiao Han chuckled as if he had heard something amusing.
“Yes, your husband.”
His tone was as natural as if he were saying the weather was nice today.
The car instantly fell into a subtle silence.
Lu Shiyan’s voice had no fluctuations, every word clear: “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Tsk, denying it so quickly?”
Xiao Han added, “Everyone saw it, you know.”