Chen Xu casually made some noodles, filled his stomach, and then returned indoors, moving a chair to sit by the bed and watch the woman who lay unconscious.
It was clear that she hadn't been doing well lately. Without makeup, her hair was slightly dry from neglect, and her skin was noticeably tanned. She wore a simple white long-sleeved T-shirt and light-colored jeans.
Compared to her glamorous style at the company before, she was like a completely different person.
However, with her bare face, her beauty hadn't collapsed. She could absolutely be described as naturally beautiful.
Perhaps the wound on her forehead was slightly painful, even in her unconscious state, her brows were slightly furrowed, and her slightly pale lips gave an impression of pitiful vulnerability.
Luo Xiyun perfectly matched his aesthetic taste, with delicate features, fair skin, and a figure that was not exaggerated, yet just right—exactly his type.
What's more, she was his superior, from an extraordinary family background, the perfect example of a rich and beautiful woman out of his league.
No doubt, such a woman was the ideal object for daydreams.
However, from his month's experience, although this woman in front of him was a virtual creation, she was most likely exactly the same as the real Luo Xiyun, whether in appearance or personality and temperament.
"Sigh, it's not what I imagined."
Chen Xu didn't know how many times he had sighed this way. He initially thought he could do whatever he wanted in a dream world.
The result was he had to face Luo Xiyun, just as she was in reality.
Was he supposed to fall in love with her?
That didn't seem worth looking forward to at all.
From the rumors he overheard, this Director Luo, although beautiful, didn't seem to be particularly easy to get along with.
Oh well, in this empty world, having a beautiful woman to accompany him wasn't bad.
He comforted himself in this way.
.........
After an uncertain amount of time, Luo Xiyun's eyelashes fluttered briefly, and she opened her eyes. Her pupils were unfocused as she dazedly stared at a poster of a female celebrity on the ceiling.
Where is this?
"Hiss—"
She wanted to turn her head, but a sharp pain from her forehead caused her to take a deep breath, and she finally remembered. She had accidentally crashed into a car by the roadside, hitting her head on the steering wheel, and then lost consciousness...
But why was she lying here?
She instinctively reached to touch the spot of the wound, feeling a layer of gauze.
Her body was as if struck by lightning—someone had tended to her wound.
A few seconds later, she struggled to sit up, throwing off the quilt that covered her. She noticed the clean floor, regularly swept, with little dust.
How long had it been since she'd seen such a clean floor?
She couldn't quite remember herself.
She raised her head, examining everything here. It was an ordinary room, somewhat messy, with a pile of worn clothes on the desk at the foot of the bed.
The room's occupant was clearly a man.
Faintly, she heard sounds coming from outside the door, and she stood up instinctively.
In the past month, the world was steeped in deathly silence, with only the occasional sound of wind to be heard. Previously, she relished silence when sleeping, becoming irritated at the slightest noise.
Now, she feared the quiet, needing music to fall asleep.
She stood, gripped the door handle, and opened it, hearing more clearly now, the sound resembling a diesel engine.
She noticed the light on in the hallway.
So it was a generator.
Then, she heard another sound. She moved in the direction of the noise, passing through the hallway, down the stairs step by step, pushing open a door to see the figure slicing something on the cutting board. Tears welled up in her eyes.
In this silent world, Chen Xu had been there for a month, exceptionally sensitive to sound. Hearing the faint movement behind him, he turned abruptly to see Luo Xiyun standing at the doorway, finally allowing his suspended heart to relax.
Waking up meant her body was likely okay.
He said, "You're awake, the food will be ready soon, just sit."
With that, he placed the sliced pork belly into the pan, sizzling in hot oil.
Luo Xiyun turned away, wiping her tears, then walked into the kitchen and sat down beside the table, watching Chen Xu's back, uncertain of her thoughts.
The kitchen was large; Chen Xu didn't require so much equipment on his own, so he had restructured it, leaving only one stove, and used the space for storage.
The dining table was nearby. Previously, it was just him, but now there was an additional chair and a set of tableware.
Soon, the meat was out of the pan.
Chen Xu brought the dishes over, three dishes and a soup: tomato scrambled eggs, stir-fried pork belly, stir-fried beef with garlic shoots, and American ginseng stewed black chicken.
"Eat."
Chen Xu sat across from her, prompted her to eat, then picked up his rice and began eating.
Luo Xiyun silently picked up her chopsticks, picked a piece of tomato, and put it into her mouth.
Both remained silent as they quietly ate their meal.
Having not spoken to anyone for a month, Chen Xu thought there would be endless things to talk about when he met Luo Xiyun, but he found himself at a loss for words upon actually seeing her.
Luo Xiyun seemed a bit cold, not appearing to enjoy talking very much.
Just when Chen Xu thought the meal would end in silence, Luo Xiyun finally spoke, "You're Chen Xu from the marketing department, right?"
"Yeah." Chen Xu was not surprised; she was the personnel director, familiar with every employee in the company.
After a pause, Luo Xiyun asked again, "Have you been staying here this whole month?"
"Yeah."
Chen Xu responded, then after a moment's thought, added, "The supplies here are quite complete; even if alone, I could survive."
Survive alone?
Luo Xiyun fell silent again.
"How about you, how have you been this past month?"
Chen Xu asked the question that had been on his mind all along. Throughout the month, he would make some noise every day, shining a powerful searchlight into the sky at night. Staying within the city, he thought she'd surely see it. Yet she never appeared.
Luo Xiyun paused, holding her chopsticks.
Even with his slow wits, Chen Xu could tell something was off in her emotions. As he pondered changing the topic, she spoke, "I went to find my grandmother; she lives in C City…"
C City was within the district of this city, dozens of kilometers from the city center, not too far. But in such a situation, it was not easy for her to reach there on her own.
Chen Xu was at a loss for words. She probably didn't find her grandmother. However, he knew clearly that this was merely a dream, not reality, hence the usual empathetic sentiments were absent; comforting words were hard to come by.
"C City was just like here; everyone was gone. Initially, I…"
At this point, she paused before continuing, "Later, while driving, I received a radio broadcast and traced the address here."
Chen Xu realized it was his radio broadcast that had done the trick.
"Did you meet anyone else?" Luo Xiyun asked, her tone laced with hope.
Chen Xu shook his head, "You're the only person I've met in the past month."
Luo Xiyun was visibly disappointed, muttering, "What on earth is wrong with the world? Why did everyone suddenly disappear?"
"Don't think too much about it for now; as long as we're alive, we'll eventually find a way to discover the truth."
Chen Xu could only comfort her this way, "Let's eat first, before the dishes get cold."