​​Chapter 13​​

A sharp pain shot through my lower lip.

My eyes snapped open. Chu Zhan was kissing me fiercely—or rather, biting me. The pain jolted me awake. I shoved him back, finding his eyes bloodshot like the zombie cat's. Warm liquid dripped from my lips.

I had no tomorrow.

I braced for his frenzied attack, but he seemed partially lucid. Those crimson eyes locked onto me before he suddenly crushed me against him.

His heart hammered violently, far beyond a human rhythm. Trapped in his embrace, I felt engulfed by molten lava.

Chills wracked my body, teeth chattering uncontrollably. A fever spiked; my mind fogged into delirium…

A nightmare consumed me. Lured by the scent of human flesh, I turned rabid—ripping and tearing through every last survivor.

"Sister."

A voice like cold stone against jade pulled me back.

Dark pupils glittered like starlight. A straight, noble nose. Lips the color of ripe berries—soft and sensual.

For a heartbeat, I couldn’t tell dream from reality. My fingers brushed my swollen lip. The wound was real.

This wasn’t a dream.

But… were we both… cured?

Chu Zhan guessed the zombie cat’s virus might have been weaker, and his athletic body fought it off. He showed me his right hand—the puncture wound had scabbed over.

With no other symptoms, we returned to the office.

Everyone stared strangely.

"Hah, gone three days? Thought you’d eloped," Ruan Tingting sneered, her lips twisting with vindictive glee.

Meanwhile, Qiu Ze gazed at her with tear-filled eyes, pleading:

"Tingting, I was wrong to hit you. You were my first love… my only love."

Bile rose in my throat. Was this some twisted drama redemption?

Ruan Tingting’s nostrils flared triumphantly. "Fine. You can come. But get on your knees and beg."

Thud! Qiu Ze dropped to his knees.

"Hahaha! Dream on, Qiu Ze! Remember how you turned on me over scraps? Called me a ‘cheap slut’! Those slaps? I’m letting you live with them. I want to watch you starve… or get eaten alive!"

Chairwoman Li whispered: Right before we returned, Ruan Tingting got a satellite call. Her father was sending a helicopter at dawn to a safe zone. He’d given her one extra seat.

No wonder Qiu Ze was groveling. He’d probably call her ‘mommy’ if asked.

"I’ll pay two hundred million. Tingting, give me that seat," Chairwoman Li offered, then turned to me with a bitter smile. "Little Dai… I’m sorry. I need that card back."

I scoffed, slapping the Swiss bank card onto the table.

Hope died in every other pair of eyes.

"Two hundred mil? Hah! You limping old hag—you know who my dad is? We own three mines! We burn cash for fun! Think you can buy me? Dream on!"

Chairwoman Li’s gaze sharpened. "Three billion? My entire fortune."

"Heh! Rich bitch, aren’t you? But get this—I need fighters! Survivors! Money’s toilet paper compared to living!"

Ruan Tingting’s mocking gaze swept over me, finally landing on Chu Zhan.

"How about it, handsome? Want to come with me?"

The words clawed at my heart like icy fingers.

Burying the ache, I forced lightness into my tone. "Congratulations."

"I’m not going."

"Don’t be stupid, Chu Zhan."

"Dead serious. For the last time: screw that. I stay."

"Brain-dead much? Choosing a woman over your life?" Ruan Tingting spat.

"Fine. You then, fatso."

The plump man’s face lit up like he’d won the lottery, jowls quivering. "Haha! Yes! Thank you, Miss Ruan! I’ll even polish your shoes—"