Embarrassment

After dinner, Chen Xu washed the dishes, then found Luo Xiyun walking around the Main Camp. "Let's talk."

"Okay." Luo Xiyun nodded and followed him back to the place where they usually stayed.

After sitting down, Chen Xu asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

A trace of confusion flashed through Luo Xiyun's eyes, and her voice was somewhat subdued. "I don't know either..."

If all the humans in the world had disappeared, it somehow did not seem to make much difference anywhere.

"Then I suggest you stay here for now," Chen Xu said.

Luo Xiyun looked up at him.

He continued, "For one thing, if the two of us are together, we can look after each other if either of us gets sick. For another, I've made quite a few preparations over the past month. The living conditions here are definitely better than elsewhere. What do you think?"

"Let me think about it."

Luo Xiyun did not agree on the spot. "I'll give you an answer tonight."

"Fine."

Chen Xu naturally hoped she would stay. The next few months would be much easier that way.

But even if she was unwilling to stay, it was not something he could not accept.

This was only a dream. In another five months, he would be able to return to reality. It was not as though he could not survive without her. There was no way he would lower himself and beg her to stay.

That afternoon, Chen Xu cleared out a room in a neighboring shop for Luo Xiyun to live in.

The room had been empty for a month and was covered in dust. It took quite a while to clean it up.

Luo Xiyun helped as well.

After cleaning, they moved in a bed, along with some tables, chairs, and other things.

Before they knew it, the entire afternoon had passed.

For dinner, Chen Xu simply fried two steaks. Since there were no vegetables to go with them, he put some leftover mung bean sprouts beside the steaks. He had sprouted the beans himself and ate them as vegetables.

After Luo Xiyun sat down, Chen Xu took a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet. "This must be the legendary 1982 Lafite. I got it from a rather upscale Western Restaurant, though I have no idea whether it's real."

As he spoke, he opened the wine and poured each of them a glass in a goblet.

"The Cloud Top Restaurant on the top floor of XX Building?" Luo Xiyun picked up the bottle, examined it, and asked.

Chen Xu was somewhat surprised. "How did you know?"

"I used to go there often." Luo Xiyun set down the bottle. "It has the restaurant's logo on it."

Having worked together that afternoon, the unfamiliarity between them had faded, and they began talking more.

Chen Xu raised his glass. "I heard red wine is supposed to be decanted in a special decanter for a better taste. But there really isn't one of those here, so we'll have to make do."

"This is fine too." Luo Xiyun raised her glass as well, clinked it against his, and took a sip.

After setting down her glass, she said, "I've decided to stay. But there are some things I think we should make clear in advance."

Chen Xu was quite happy to hear that she was willing to stay. There were still five months until the dream ended. Having a companion was better than being alone.

Besides, she was a great beauty. Seeing her every day would be a pleasant sight. He said, "Go ahead. Say whatever it is."

"Then I'll be direct."

Luo Xiyun interlaced her fingers and looked at him. "You're not my type. I hope that when we get along in the future, we can keep a certain distance between us..."

The smile on Chen Xu's face froze. Unable to control his expression, his face became stiff.

He had never expected that this was what she wanted to say.

He knew he was neither handsome nor tall, and his family was not wealthy. Ever since he was young, he had never had much luck with women. But he had never thought he was that bad.

Now, in this dream world, only Luo Xiyun and he remained. Under such circumstances, it seemed only natural for the two of them to become a couple. Any man in his position would probably think the same way.

Any other woman would probably think the same way too.

But Luo Xiyun had bluntly told him that she would never like him and told him to give up on the idea.

Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to look down on me like this?

Chen Xu's face burned as though his self-respect had been viciously wounded.

After Luo Xiyun finished speaking, she said nothing more.

An indescribable silence filled the room.

Only the faint rumble of the Diesel Generator outside the door could be heard.

Chen Xu gripped his wineglass in his right hand and stared at the steak on the table, its surface slightly charred. After a long while, he slowly said, "That's good."

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

Yet once he spoke, his heart gradually calmed down.

It was not the first time a woman had rejected him. Besides, this was only a dream. Even the woman before him was not real, but virtual.

He cleared his throat and continued, "It's better for everyone if some things are made clear in advance. I think your request is very reasonable. I can completely accept it."

The tension on Luo Xiyun's face eased involuntarily.

Chen Xu loosened his grip on the wineglass, picked up a clean towel beside him, and wiped the sweat from his hands. "As it happens, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Luo Xiyun leaned back slightly, her brows visibly knitting together. "What is it?"

"Since you're willing to stay, the two of us will be living together from now on. I want to talk about how we divide the work."

Without looking at her, Chen Xu continued, "Right now, we may be the only two people left in this city. There's no electricity, no running water, and no takeout. We have to do everything ourselves."

"Before, I handled all these things alone. Now that you're here, it's only reasonable for you to take on part of the work, right?"

Luo Xiyun nodded. "That is indeed reasonable."

"Originally, to be truly fair, all the work should be rotated. Today I'd fetch water and you'd cook; tomorrow we'd switch, with me cooking and you fetching water. But—"

"Considering the difference between men and women, I think a different arrangement would be better. Physical labor such as fetching water, getting diesel, and moving heavy things will be my responsibility. Things like cooking, washing dishes, and doing laundry will be yours. Do you think that arrangement is reasonable?"

Luo Xiyun nodded again. "It's quite reasonable."

"We'll discuss the specifics tomorrow." After saying that, Chen Xu picked up his knife and fork and cut into the steak, which had long since gone cold.

Luo Xiyun said nothing and silently picked up her fork.