Teacher

As the light suddenly dimmed, Chen Sixuan scrambled into the cab. Using the light from Lin Xian's phone, she checked how far the train had traveled.

Then she returned to the corner, took out her notebook, and carefully wrote with a trembling hand.

"Day 1. Departed Jiang City. Travel time: 50 minutes. Distance traveled: 54 kilometers. Dawn: 16:00. Nightfall: 18:45."

Chen Sixuan's eyes trembled. She was on the Edge of Collapse, almost possessed by the task. She forced herself not to think about what was happening outside.

Don't think about Lin Xian. Don't think about that family of three. Don't think about the darkness outside the train. Don't think about the death I'm about to face...

Just then, the cab's gate opened automatically and the corridor lights came on. Chen Sixuan was so startled that she dropped to the floor.

The gate swung open, and Lin Xian, covered in blood, leaped inside with a short blade in hand. Overjoyed, Chen Sixuan hurried to shut and lock the gate. Then, to keep the corridor lights from shining out into the darkness, she closed the small door leading to the cab as well.

"Student Lin... are you all right?" Chen Sixuan knelt beside him, staring in shock at his injuries.

"I won't die." Lin Xian picked up a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down half of it. Only then did he let out a long breath.

Seeing him covered in blood, Chen Sixuan grabbed a towel to wipe him down, but Lin Xian caught her wrist.

"Ah... what is it?"

Chen Sixuan looked up in surprise. Lin Xian was staring straight at her, his eyes cold as he demanded,

"Why didn't you open the door just now?"

Lin Xian had climbed back up some time ago. Injured as he was, he knew Da Fei's group would leave before nightfall, so he had hidden on the hillside for a while and searched for his short blade.

Chen Sixuan looked at him. Seeing how serious he was, she bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze. After a long silence, she said,

"If I'd opened the door, would you have thrown me out too?"

"Yes."

Lin Xian's voice was ice-cold.

Chen Sixuan's expression darkened. At his answer, she sagged against the wall as though all the strength had drained from her. She closed her eyes in pain, and tears slowly ran down her cheeks.

Lin Xian sighed softly. Watching her cry, he said,

"I understand why you couldn't bear it."

"We're human. Anyone with a kind heart would suffer after leaving other people to die."

At his words, Chen Sixuan finally broke down. She threw herself into Lin Xian's arms, her shoulders shaking as her sobs swelled into wails.

She cried without restraint, like a child who had done something wrong.

"I really didn't know what to do..."

Lin Xian gently put an arm around her and said in a low voice, "There's a Buddhist saying: to save others, you must first save yourself; to save yourself, you must first save your heart. If heaven won't save you, you must save yourself. If you can't even protect yourself, you can't protect anyone else. If you'd opened the door, those three would have died, you would have died, and you might have taken me with you."

"I know..." Chen Sixuan wept bitterly, her eyes full of self-reproach and guilt. "But I heard a child crying. That baby sounded only a few months old..."

The instinct to protect a child came naturally to her. In that moment, Chen Sixuan felt as though she had become a monster.

Lin Xian's expression did not change. Looking at her as she hovered on the verge of collapse, he sighed.

"What would you think if I told you the whole thing was fake?"

Chen Sixuan was still buried against his chest, sobbing. At his words, her crying stopped. She slowly raised her head and looked at him through tear-filled eyes.

"Y-you said what?"

Lin Xian's gaze sharpened as he explained,

"Yushan Station is right behind us. Even without a train, their best option would've been to hide inside the station. But the moment that group left, this 'family of three' came running over to knock on our door. Their intentions were too obvious. Besides... I've never seen a mother cruel enough to pinch her own baby until it cried!"

Chen Sixuan's pupils contracted sharply. Tears glistened in her eyes as she stared at him in disbelief.

"You mean they were... lying?"

Lin Xian gave a helpless smile.

"Teacher Chen, you've heard the story of the boy who cried wolf, haven't you? If I'm right, that 'family of three' was the group's way of getting someone to open the door."

In the apocalypse, everyone feared for their own lives. Exploiting someone else's sympathy was an effective tactic.

And Lin Xian had gone through something much like it just yesterday...

Chen Sixuan covered her mouth in disbelief.

She could hardly imagine people being so wicked.

Then she remembered Director Liang, and a chill ran through her. She had been far too naive. Only now did she see how truly evil people could be.

Chen Sixuan felt weak, her eyes unfocused.

Lin Xian glanced at her. He had to admit, her actions had reassured him.

He knew how treacherous people could be when survival was at stake. If Chen Sixuan had been the sort to put saving strangers above everything else—even if she had only begged him to open the door and help—he would have abandoned her without hesitation.

How could he trust someone like that to guard the train?

But what had happened subtly changed his view of her.

In such a short time, a wealthy campus beauty whom everyone adored had found this kind of courage. She was not only exceptionally intelligent, but had remarkable strength of character. Truthfully, Lin Xian admired her a little.

"Am I too foolish?"

After a long silence, Chen Sixuan finally spoke.

Lin Xian shifted his position and answered with a smile. "Very foolish. Very naive."

Hearing his assessment, Chen Sixuan gave a silent, self-mocking laugh.

Lin Xian had just fought a battle to the death, and his whole body ached. He glanced at the corner where they had stored their supplies and asked, "Aren't you hungry? Why haven't you eaten anything?"

Chen Sixuan's eyes widened. She answered earnestly,

"You... you didn't say I could."

Lin Xian gave her an odd look, caught somewhere between amusement and astonishment.

"Teacher Chen, you're adorable."

"What do you mean?" Chen Sixuan looked baffled.

"I mean, Teacher Chen, I want to sleep with you right now."

"Huh...?"

The words caught Chen Sixuan completely off guard. Before she could react, Lin Xian pulled her into his arms.

She panicked like a startled rabbit, blurting out,

"W-wait, Student Lin, aren't you hurt?"

"Ah, does it have to be now...?"

"Wait, you're covered in blood..."

"Lin Xian, I... I don't have any experience..."

"Ah... wait, wait. In my bag... I have one of those..."

The night was black as ink, and snow swirled through the air.

Yet not far away, a young woman lay asleep on a sofa. Though her eyes remained closed, her delicate brows slowly drew together...