Chapter Fifty-Four: Qin Mengchun Does Not Like Sleeping with Others

After several hours of cleaning, the room was finally just barely habitable. Of course, “barely” was the operative word—there was nothing here, not even enough beds, and some of the mattresses had been chewed through by bugs. No matter who ended up staying here, they’d definitely frown at the conditions.

“Maybe I should just make a run for it again,” A-Zi muttered, glaring in frustration at the ruined bed. “The living conditions get worse every time.”

Jiang Miaomiao, however, didn’t seem to mind. As long as she could be with Qin Sheng, she could endure any hardship.

“Miaomiao, you really think you can sleep here?” A-Zi stared in disbelief as Jiang Miaomiao started making the bed.

Jiang Miaomiao smiled. “As long as I’m with Shengsheng, I can go anywhere.”

Qin Sheng was more than satisfied with this answer, her smile brightening. Still, the conditions were indeed rough. She’d have to find a chance to take out some supplies from her space—she couldn’t really sleep on a broken bed like this.

“You’re a true romantic,” A-Zi said with a smirk, raising a big thumbs-up. In the end, she had no choice but to join Jiang Miaomiao and Qin Sheng in preparing their beds for the night.

There were eight people and only three rooms. Naturally, Qin Sheng, Jiang Miaomiao, and A-Zi chose to stay together. Shen Mei and Yang Yao insisted on sticking together, refusing to separate, while Zhao Tiantian, Qin Mengchun, and another girl ended up sharing the last room.

After the rooms were tidied up, Zhao Tiantian finally felt a weight lift from her heart. After barely escaping the zombies outside, all she wanted was a good rest. But before she even reached the bed, Qin Mengchun blocked her way.

“Tiantian, I’m really sorry,” Qin Mengchun said, her expression a little embarrassed and shy. “I’m just not used to sharing a bed with someone else. Otherwise, I just can’t sleep, I hope you understand.”

Zhao Tiantian didn’t know what to say. After all, who wouldn’t want to sleep in a bed?

“But if that’s the case, where am I supposed to sleep?” Zhao Tiantian asked, sounding conflicted and speaking softly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make you a thick enough spot on the floor. You’ll be comfortable, I promise,” Qin Mengchun replied, watching Zhao Tiantian’s reaction and feeling confident she’d secured the bed for herself.

Zhao Tiantian glanced at the other girl in the room, Zhang Meng, and asked quietly, “Zhang Meng, what do you think?”

Caught off guard, Zhang Meng was at a loss for words.

“Oh, don’t overthink it. We can always take turns sleeping in the bed each night,” Qin Mengchun said, but as she spoke, she was already arranging her things on the bed, making it clear she intended to claim it.

Zhao Tiantian let out a helpless sigh. She was about to give in, but then thought of her troublesome neck and hesitated. “Mengchun, my neck isn’t great. I’m worried I’ll wake up with it hurting if I sleep on the floor…”

Qin Mengchun, in the middle of organizing her things, paused and frowned, clearly losing patience with Zhao Tiantian.

Zhang Meng, who had been her roommate before, knew about Zhao Tiantian’s problem and quickly added, “Tiantian’s neck is sensitive—even sleeping in a bed can hurt it, let alone the floor. If something happens—”

“What could possibly happen?” Qin Mengchun snapped, unable to hide her irritation.

Zhang Meng and Zhao Tiantian were both unsettled by her attitude.

“I’m just saying, maybe Tiantian can swap with me tomorrow night—one night on the floor, one in the bed, maybe it’ll help her neck,” Qin Mengchun quickly covered up her annoyance with her usual gentle smile.

Zhang Meng was about to argue further, but Zhao Tiantian held her back.

“It’s fine, Mengchun, you take the bed tonight. My neck isn’t that fragile,” Zhao Tiantian said quietly, head bowed, ultimately choosing to compromise.

Qin Mengchun immediately brightened, smiling at them both. “You two are so sweet. I’m lucky to have such considerate roommates.”

Zhao Tiantian managed an awkward smile and turned to fetch her bedding for the floor. Zhang Meng followed, since she too would be sleeping on the floor—Qin Mengchun hadn’t even consulted her before deciding.

“Tiantian, why didn’t you stand your ground? Can your neck handle this?” Zhang Meng whispered as Qin Mengchun wasn’t paying attention.

Zhang Meng herself didn’t mind; she was sturdy enough. But she’d seen how much Tiantian suffered when her neck hurt. Sleeping on the floor would only make it worse.

Zhao Tiantian shook her head, her eyes dim. “It’s alright. I just want to stay here safely. Anywhere is better than being out there.”

“But…” Zhang Meng started, only to see Zhao Tiantian shake her head and head back inside.

Zhang Meng sighed helplessly, unsure what else to do.

“What’s happened?” Qin Sheng asked, just about to head downstairs for their food when she saw Zhang Meng sighing in the living room.

Zhang Meng tensed up—she’d never spoken to Qin Sheng before, but she’d witnessed her authority.

“No need to be nervous. Tell me, maybe I can help,” Qin Sheng said, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Zhang Meng glanced at her own closed bedroom door and sighed. “Qin Mengchun says she doesn’t like sharing a bed and made Tiantian and me sleep on the floor. I don’t mind, but Tiantian’s neck won’t handle it…”

A flicker of annoyance crossed Qin Sheng’s eyes at the mention of Qin Mengchun. When Zhang Meng finished, Qin Sheng let out a cold laugh. Her dear sister certainly had her ways.

“I don’t really expect you to help. I just needed to talk to someone or I’d be miserable,” Zhang Meng said, then picked up an old blanket from the couch and walked back to her room.

Qin Sheng pulled a wry face. So she was just someone to vent to.

Still, Mengchun claimed she couldn’t sleep alone…

Suddenly, an idea flashed across Qin Sheng’s mind, and a sly smile played on her lips.

Fifteen minutes later, Qin Sheng returned from downstairs with their food.

Eight people, four buns, and a single bottle of water—not even a pickle in sight.

“Eight people, four buns. Will half a bun each be enough?” A-Zi asked, embarrassed, looking at Jiang Miaomiao and Qin Sheng.

Jiang Miaomiao squeezed the hard bun and grimaced. “It’s fine for one meal, but this is supposed to last us all day.”

Qin Sheng nodded in agreement.

“Does this safe zone not consider us newcomers as human?” Yang Yao pouted indignantly.

“A half a bun for the whole day? I can’t even make it through one meal with that,” Shen Mei said, gazing at the bun with a pitiful expression.

Qin Sheng shook her head and repeated what she’d heard downstairs.

“Short on food, huh? Sounds more like abuse to me,” A-Zi muttered, collapsing onto the sofa in frustration.

Qin Sheng stepped forward and divided up the buns. “Eat while you can. Who knows if we’ll even have this much next time.”

Jiang Miaomiao and A-Zi accepted their shares, chewing the dry, tasteless buns. They were hard to swallow, but after half a day without food, even this staved off their hunger a bit.

A knock sounded at the door.

Qin Sheng set her bun down and went to open it, surprised to find Li Chengbin outside.

He looked visibly shocked to see Qin Sheng, but quickly composed himself.

“I’m here for Qin Mengchun,” he said, his tone more polite than usual, as if her presence alone subdued him.

Qin Sheng didn’t bother to respond, returning to her seat to eat her bun.

Seeing Li Chengbin, Qin Mengchun immediately brightened, her steps light as she hurried over.

“Unbelievable—surviving the apocalypse only to be tormented by couples,” A-Zi grumbled, taking a fierce bite of her bun, her resentment clear.

Jiang Miaomiao poured herself a little water, sipped it, and said, “If you have the ability, find someone yourself.”

A-Zi scoffed. “Find who? A zombie?”

Jiang Miaomiao paused, then gave a wry smile. “Even a zombie might not be so bad…”

Qin Sheng noticed the change in Jiang Miaomiao’s mood and looked at her with concern.

Jiang Miaomiao shook her head, indicating she was fine.

“You go ahead and look, I’m not interested,” A-Zi said, biting her bun and carefully pouring herself a little water.

“Thank you for your trouble, Chengbin,” Qin Mengchun’s deliberately sweet voice drifted in from the doorway. Soon she returned, arms full of treats.

Yang Yao’s eyes lit up at the sight of compressed biscuits and canned food. She dropped her bun and bounded over in delight. “Mengchun! Where did your boyfriend find so much good food?!”

Qin Mengchun blushed shyly. “I don’t really know. If you want some, I can share.”

Yang Yao was overjoyed, helping Mengchun with her things. “Really? These buns are impossible to eat, they’re like rocks.”

Qin Mengchun nodded, shooting a smug glance at Qin Sheng.

“Sis, Chengbin especially told me to share some with you, since the buns are hard to eat…” Qin Mengchun said sweetly, coming to Qin Sheng’s side.

She didn’t need to guess—Qin Sheng would definitely refuse. Li Chengbin hadn’t told her to share with Qin Sheng; she just wanted to show off. While Qin Sheng had only hard buns, she, Mengchun, had canned food.

“Oh? Then why not share it out?”