Chapter Eleven: Cosplay

Because they were following Qin Sheng, Chu Xingyu and Lin Xing gradually relaxed, and before long, the two began to murmur quietly to each other.

“Xingyu, this is my first time entering a girls’ dormitory,” Lin Xing looked around, as though stepping into an unfamiliar realm, his eyes full of curiosity.

Chu Xingyu nodded in agreement, obediently lowering his head again, his ears unconsciously flushing red.

“If we run into any girls, it’ll probably be pretty awkward, right?” Lin Xing scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed, as if he might encounter someone any second.

“The chances of meeting girls are slim. Zombies, on the other hand, are more likely. Want to try meeting one?” Qin Sheng appeared beside them at some point, her smile carrying a hint of mischievous meaning as she glanced at them.

Chu Xingyu and Lin Xing shook their heads like rattles.

Female zombies? Better not.

“We’re here.”

Qin Sheng opened the dormitory door with practiced ease and nodded to signal Lin Xing and the others to go inside.

The three boys pushed and shoved each other into the girls’ dorm.

Jiang Miaomiao and Qin Sheng exchanged smiles and followed right behind.

“What’s this for?” As soon as Lin Xing entered the girls’ dorm, he transformed into a curious child, sitting at a makeup table and examining an eyelash curler and makeup brushes.

Jiang Miaomiao stepped forward and took the items from Lin Xing, explaining, “Eyelash curler. This is a makeup brush. You won’t need these…”

“Who says I won’t need them?” Before Jiang Miaomiao could finish, Qin Sheng interrupted, suddenly struck by an idea. Everyone looked at Qin Sheng with curiosity.

Qin Sheng raised her eyebrows, a sly smile appearing on her lips.

Lin Xing shivered unconsciously, feeling that Qin Sheng’s smile was somewhat ominous.

“Please, you’re not planning to put makeup on me, are you? I’m a tough guy…” Lin Xing’s features twisted with distress.

In the next moment, Jiang Miaomiao pinned Lin Xing down at the makeup table. Qin Sheng leaned in and whispered something in her ear, after which Jiang Miaomiao wore the exact same mischievous smile as Qin Sheng.

“Don’t worry, Lin Xing, I’ll make sure you look great…” Jiang Miaomiao said, rummaging through the makeup table and beginning to work in earnest.

While Lin Xing was getting his makeup done, Qin Sheng walked alone into the bathroom.

She had already checked the rooftop location thoroughly and there shouldn’t have been any zombies appearing. Luckily, she hadn’t gone far today; otherwise, the outcome would have been unpredictable.

“Sheng, what are you thinking about?” Chu Xingyu noticed Qin Sheng alone in the bathroom, standing by the window, and followed her over.

Qin Sheng shook her head. “Nothing. I was thinking about when the rescue will arrive.”

Chu Xingyu smiled, his dusty face instantly gaining color. It was a pity for such a delicate face in the apocalypse; in the entertainment industry before, Qin Sheng would have been one of his biggest fans.

“It’ll be alright, Sheng. We’ll definitely make it until rescue comes!”

Qin Sheng couldn’t help but be infected by Chu Xingyu’s smile, the corners of her lips softly curving upward.

“We haven’t had a chance to thank you for saving us last time, and now you’ve saved us again.” Chu Xingyu brushed his nose awkwardly, feeling somewhat ashamed that he, a grown man, had been rescued twice by Sheng.

Qin Sheng smiled faintly, shaking her head.

“It was nothing.”

Chu Xingyu saw Qin Sheng looking out the window again, opened his mouth as if to speak but then closed it obediently, making sure to quietly shut the door behind him as he left.

Turning around, he came face to face with an extremely pale visage. If not for Jiang Miaomiao and Wang Yu nearby, he might have instinctively thrown a punch at that face.

“Xingyu, do I look cool?” Lin Xing finally spoke, no longer pretending.

Chu Xingyu twitched his lips and rolled his eyes. “Miaomiao, is today’s theme Halloween?”

“Bingo!” Jiang Miaomiao flashed a victory sign and pulled Chu Xingyu forward. “You’re next.”

Knowing it was Qin Sheng’s idea, Chu Xingyu didn’t complain, obediently sitting in the chair and waiting for Jiang Miaomiao to do his makeup.

About half an hour later, Jiang Miaomiao had finished makeup for everyone present, except for Qin Sheng, who was still in the bathroom.

“Why don’t we scare Sheng and see how effective our looks are?” Lin Xing, lips painted blood-red, suggested quietly.

Chu Xingyu thought for a moment, worry in his voice. “What if we actually scare her?”

Jiang Miaomiao shook her head helplessly when she heard them; she knew well how fearless Qin Sheng was. A few little ghosts in makeup wouldn’t faze her—she could take them down in a heartbeat.

“How could we possibly scare someone as formidable as Qin Sheng?” Wang Yu recalled how Qin Sheng had dispatched zombies today without batting an eye; compared to her, they were nothing.

“You can try,” Jiang Miaomiao opened the way to the bathroom when she saw their hesitation.

Lin Xing, Chu Xingyu, and Wang Yu exchanged glances and slowly approached the bathroom.

Before they could reach out to open the bathroom door, there was a creak as it opened from the inside. A ghostly pale face suddenly slid out from behind the door.

“Damn!”

After a startled cry, the three had already run behind Jiang Miaomiao.

Three pitiful boys clutched their hearts, staring in terror at the face, while Jiang Miaomiao yawned calmly.

“Enough, Sheng,” Jiang Miaomiao laughed, feeling that if Qin Sheng kept this up, the three would be scared witless.

Qin Sheng jumped down at once, shrugging helplessly.

With courage like theirs, they wanted to scare her?

“Sheng?”

“Sheng, you nearly scared us to death.”

“Exactly!”

Qin Sheng hadn’t expected such a dramatic reaction; it seemed her makeup skills were decent—at least enough to frighten her own friends.

“Put these on,”

When Qin Sheng came out of the bathroom, she was carrying several sets of clothes, their purpose unclear until Lin Xing and the others took them.

“Are we supposed to cosplay, Sheng?” Lin Xing looked down at the zombie costume in his hands, feeling speechless.

The others had the same expression as they looked at Qin Sheng after receiving their outfits.

Qin Sheng donned her costume and beckoned to them, and after a few minutes of scheming, everyone wore a meaningful smile.

As night deepened, Yu Ziyue had already searched through all of Jiang Miaomiao and Qin Sheng’s belongings but hadn’t found a single bit of food. She glanced back to see Huo Ran muttering to herself, her irritation suddenly flaring.

“Huo Ran, we’re completely out of food. If this goes on, we’ll starve to death,” Yu Ziyue stood with hands on her hips, shouting at Huo Ran’s bedside.

Huo Ran, head down and picking at her nails, replied helplessly, “What should we do?”

“What should we do?” Yu Ziyue’s temper snapped, pointing at the doorway. “What else? We have to go out and look!”

“But… but there are zombies outside?” Huo Ran’s face was full of terror, shrinking back toward the wall.

Yu Ziyue had expected this response, leaning in close to Huo Ran’s ear and whispering, “Don’t think that way. If Qin Sheng can do it, so can you.”

Huo Ran trembled, slowly raising her head to ask, “But why aren’t you going?”

Yu Ziyue narrowed her eyes, continuing, “Of course I’ll go with you. I’ll stand by the door and keep watch.”

“Alright then…” Huo Ran patted her empty stomach and nodded in resignation.

Once Huo Ran’s back was turned, Yu Ziyue rolled her eyes disdainfully. This fool actually asked if she’d go. Of course not—outside was far too dangerous.

“Let’s go…”

After changing clothes, Huo Ran grabbed the dorm’s broom and shakily opened the door, cautiously checking for zombies before stepping out.

“Huo Ran, there aren’t any zombies here. Go ahead. If anything happens, just call me,” Yu Ziyue leaned against the doorframe, giving instructions.

Huo Ran was certain Yu Ziyue wouldn’t follow her, but she had no choice. Only this dorm had been modified by Qin Sheng and was somewhat safe. If she couldn’t find food, she wouldn’t be allowed back in—either she’d be bitten by zombies or starve to death. There was no other way.

Watching Huo Ran leave, Yu Ziyue contemptuously polished her nails. She only needed to wait for that fool to bring back food; she certainly wasn’t going to do any dirty or tiring work herself.

A cold wind swept through, and Yu Ziyue, dressed only in a camisole, shivered, nervously moving further inside.

Qin Sheng, already prepared, signaled to Jiang Miaomiao and the others hidden in the shadows with an ‘OK’ gesture, then pulled out two packets of compressed biscuits from her pocket.

With a perfect arc, one packet of biscuits landed in front of the door to Yu Ziyue’s neighboring dorm.

“Who’s there?!”

At the sudden sound, Yu Ziyue became instantly alert, clutching the dorm mop tightly and moving cautiously toward the source.

When she saw the compressed biscuits, her eyes lit up and she hurried forward, tearing the package open and devouring them without concern for choking.

The fish has taken the bait—it’s time to net her!

Lin Xing signaled to Qin Sheng, then slipped into his zombie character, hopping and lurching toward Yu Ziyue.

While Yu Ziyue was eating biscuits, she heard the thumping sound and looked up, meeting Lin Xing’s terrifying face.

“Aah!” Yu Ziyue was so frightened her legs wouldn’t work, crawling toward her dorm, only to be blocked by an unexpected visitor.

Jiang Miaomiao, her face equally pale, appeared before Yu Ziyue, shattering her last psychological defense.

“Jiang Miaomiao, I’m sorry, I’m guilty…” Yu Ziyue’s tears streamed down as she spoke, kowtowing before Jiang Miaomiao.

“You’ve ruined me…”