Stay

Chen Xu made himself some noodles, then, after filling his stomach, returned to the room. He moved a chair over and sat by the bed, watching the unconscious woman.

It was obvious that she had not been doing well lately. She wore no makeup, and her hair was slightly dry from neglect. Her skin was noticeably tanned. She was dressed simply in a white long-sleeved T-shirt and light-colored jeans.

Compared with the polished, glamorous image she had presented at the company, her style had changed completely.

Yet even without makeup, her looks had not suffered in the slightest. She was undeniably naturally beautiful.

Perhaps the wound on her forehead hurt a little. Even while unconscious, her brows were faintly furrowed. Her slightly pale lips gave her an especially fragile, pitiful air.

Luo Xiyun perfectly matched his tastes. Her features were delicate, her skin fair, and although her figure was not exaggerated, it was just right—exactly his type.

What was more, she had been his superior, and her family background was anything but ordinary. She was a bona fide Bai Fumei, the kind of woman he had never had access to before.

Without question, a woman like that was the perfect subject for fantasy.

However, judging by his experiences over the past month, although the woman before him was virtual, she was most likely exactly the same as the real Luo Xiyun—in appearance, figure, personality, and everything else.

"Ah, this isn't what I imagined."

Chen Xu did not know how many times he had sighed like this. He had originally thought that in a dream, he could do whatever he wanted.

Instead, he had to face a Luo Xiyun who was exactly the same as in reality.

Was he supposed to date her?

That was not something to look forward to at all.

From the rumors he had heard, Director Luo was beautiful, but she did not seem like an easy person to get along with.

Forget it. In this empty world, having a beautiful woman around to look at was already not bad.

That was how he comforted himself.

After an unknown amount of time, Luo Xiyun's eyelashes fluttered a few times. She opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused as she stared blankly at a poster of a female celebrity on the ceiling.

Where am I? "Hiss—"

She had just tried to turn her head when pain shot through her forehead, making her suck in a breath. At last, she remembered. She had accidentally crashed into a car by the roadside, hit her head on the steering wheel, and then lost consciousness...

But why am I lying here? She instinctively reached up to touch the wound, only to feel a layer of gauze.

It was as though she had been struck by lightning. Someone had treated her wound.

A few seconds later, she struggled into a sitting position and threw off the blanket covering her. She saw a clean floor, clearly swept often, with very little dust.

How long had it been since she had seen such a clean floor?

Even she could not remember clearly.

She raised her head and examined her surroundings. It was a very ordinary room, somewhat messy. A pile of worn clothes lay on the table at the foot of the bed.

The owner of this room was obviously a man.

Faintly, she heard a sound coming from outside the door and could not help standing up.

For the past month, the entire world had been deathly silent. The only sound she could hear was the occasional wind. In the past, she had liked complete quiet when sleeping; even the slightest noise would irritate her.

Now, silence was what she feared most. She had to listen to music to fall asleep.

She got to her feet, grasped the doorknob, and pulled the door open. The sound became clearer. It sounded somewhat like a diesel engine.

She noticed that the lights in the hallway were on.

So it was a generator.

Just then, she heard another sound. Following it, she crossed the hallway, walked down the stairs step by step, pushed open a door, and saw the figure chopping something on a cutting board. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

Chen Xu had spent a month in this silent world and had become extremely sensitive to sounds. The slightest movement behind him caught his attention. He turned sharply and saw Luo Xiyun standing in the doorway, and the worry hanging over him finally eased.

If she had woken up, it meant there was nothing seriously wrong with her body.

He said, "You're awake. It'll be ready soon. Have a seat first."

After saying that, he put the sliced pork belly into the wok. It sizzled in the hot oil.

Luo Xiyun turned her back, wiped away her tears, then entered the kitchen and sat beside the table. Looking at Chen Xu's back, she did not know what she was thinking.

The kitchen was large. Chen Xu had no use for so much equipment by himself, so he had remodeled it. He kept only one stove, using the freed-up space to store things.

The dining table was not far away. It had always been just him before, but now there was an extra chair and a set of bowls and chopsticks beside it.

Soon, the meat was ready.

Chen Xu brought the dishes over. There were three dishes and a soup in all: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried pork belly, beef stir-fried with garlic shoots, and black chicken soup stewed with American ginseng.

"Eat."

Chen Xu sat across from her, called out to her, picked up his bowl, and began eating.

Luo Xiyun silently picked up her bowl and chopsticks, took a piece of tomato, and put it in her mouth.

Neither of them spoke. They ate in silence.

Chen Xu had not spoken to another person for a month. He had thought that once he met Luo Xiyun, they would have endless things to talk about. Yet when he truly saw her, he had no idea what to say.

Luo Xiyun gave off a somewhat cold impression, as if she did not particularly like talking.

Just when Chen Xu thought the meal would end in silence, Luo Xiyun finally spoke. "You're Chen Xu from the Marketing Department, right?"

"Mm." Chen Xu was not surprised. She was the director of the Personnel Department and knew every employee in the company.

After a pause, Luo Xiyun asked again, "Have you been staying here this entire month?"

"Mm."

Chen Xu responded, then thought for a moment and added, "There are plenty of supplies here. Even if only one person was left, they could survive."

Survive alone?

Luo Xiyun fell silent again.

"What about you? How did you get through this past month?"

Chen Xu also voiced the question that had been on his mind. Over the past month, he had made some noise every day. At night, he would turn on a high-powered lamp and shine it into the sky. Anyone who had not gone too far from the city should have been able to see it. Yet she had never appeared.

Luo Xiyun's hand froze around her chopsticks.

Even as slow as Chen Xu was, he could tell that something was off with her mood. Just as he was wondering how to change the subject, she spoke. "I went looking for my grandmother. She lives in City C..."

City C was under this city's jurisdiction, several dozen kilometers from downtown. It was not too far, but under the current circumstances, getting there alone had not been easy for her.

Chen Xu did not know what to say. She definitely had not found her grandmother. But he knew this was only a dream, not something that had truly happened. Naturally, he could not fully share her grief, and words of comfort would not come out.

"City C was the same as here. Everyone had disappeared. At first, I..."

She paused there before continuing, "Later, while I was driving, I received a radio broadcast. I followed the address and came here."

Only then did Chen Xu understand. It turned out the radio broadcast he had sent had done the trick.

"Have you... met anyone else?" There was hope in Luo Xiyun's voice as she asked.

Chen Xu shook his head. "You're the only person I've encountered in this past month."

Luo Xiyun was visibly disappointed. She muttered, "What happened to this world? Why did everyone suddenly disappear?"

"Don't think about it too much for now. As long as we're alive, we'll find a way to uncover the truth someday." Chen Xu could only comfort her like this. "Eat first. The food will get cold."