The next few days, Chen Xu visited Xiyun every day, since, after all, she was now injured and needed some care.
Taking care of her really meant just cooking for an extra person.
He wasn't sure if what he said that night had made a difference, but although Xiyun remained quiet, at least she didn't show him a cold face or say anything harsh.
During meals, the two of them still sat face to face. The table was not big, and they sat close to each other. There was a rechargeable lamp beside them for lighting.
Occasionally, while eating, Chen Xu would look up and see her face. At those moments, his heart would skip a beat. In the white light, her skin seemed to have a soft halo.
This feeling was completely different from looking at photos or videos. In photos and videos, women might appear more refined and flawless. But after seeing so much through a computer or phone, it didn't feel the same.
Now, Xiyun was sitting less than a meter away from him. He could feel her breath, even faintly smell the fragrance from her body, and see the shadows cast by the light on her long eyelashes...
All of this left his heart somewhat stirred.
Chen Xu quickly averted his gaze, suppressing some restless emotions inside.
He wasn't an ascetic, but if he hadn't met the right person, being single was just fine. He was experienced enough to understand that relationships between men and women were just that.
However, once removed from the modern environment and truly left with just one person, it wasn't easy.
Before, maintaining a distance from Xiyun, he didn't feel anything. Now, after close contact, he realized his willpower was far from strong.
At this rate, he felt it wouldn't be long before his desires got the better of him...
"Is the generator broken, unable to be fixed?"
Just as his mind was wandering, Xiyun, across from him, suddenly spoke softly. For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating and couldn't help but look up at her.
It took him nearly a second to confirm she had indeed spoken, so he said, "Uh—the machine is broken, can't be fixed."
"Oh." Upon hearing his answer, Xiyun simply responded with "oh."
Chen Xu thought that this might be her way of extending an olive branch. Considering her stubbornness over the past few months, it must have been a challenging step for her. He pondered whether he should also take the initiative to say something.
"Are we going to die here?"
Before he could think of anything to say, Xiyun spoke again. She looked at him, sounding like she was asking him or perhaps speaking to herself.
Chen Xu hadn't expected her to ask such a question. Seeing her calm demeanor, he felt there was something off about her emotions in that calmness. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond and could only ask back, "Why do you ask that?"
"The rain has been falling for several days. I have never seen such heavy rain lasting so long."
Chen Xu knew she was right. It had been five days since the typhoon hit. The storm lasted two days and then stopped, but the rain showed no signs of letting up.
Heavy rain for five days and nights. It was unprecedented, even in Chen Xu's memory. He believed many low-lying areas were already flooded.
This place was on higher ground. At least in the two years he had been with the company, he had never heard of any nearby areas being flooded during the summer rains.
But if the rain didn't stop, it was hard to say what might happen.
This morning, he went out to look around. Several low-lying areas already showed signs of water accumulation.
In fact, he had been considering that if the rain didn't stop in a few days, they should prepare to move. He had already decided on a place.
Chen Xu comforted her, "The rain will eventually stop."
"What if it never stops?" Xiyun turned her head to look into his eyes. In her dim eyes, there was a hint of confusion. "In an apocalyptic scenario, anything is possible, isn't it?"
For her, it was now the end of the world. Humanity had disappeared, with only the two of them left. If that wasn't the end of the world, what was it?
The continuous rain made her pessimistic about the future. Perhaps it was for this reason that she chose to overlook the "grievances" between them.
Chen Xu said, "As long as we are alive, it isn't the end of the world."
Xiyun looked at him, and her eyes brightened slightly.
"However, your concerns aren't wrong. We don't know when the rain will stop, and I think we should prepare to move ahead of time," Chen Xu suggested, taking the opportunity to express his view.
"Move?" Xiyun was initially puzzled, then surprised.
...
Initially, Chen Xu only considered this place a temporary camp and didn't plan to stay here for six months. But after Xiyun arrived, and the two of them started a "cold war," he hesitated to bring up moving and just postponed it.
He had prepared for this long ago. In his garage, there was a twelve-wheeled truck filled with gas, and inside the compartment were many supplies.
Now, he was grateful for his foresight. The rain that day was heavier, making it very difficult to move things, but thanks to his prior preparations, there was much less to move.
He spent a day filling the remaining space in the truck with food and water. After resting for a night, he left the place where they had lived for more than four months with Xiyun early the next morning.
When Xiyun got in the car, she seemed a bit reluctant and fearful of the unknown future.
"Let's go; we can always come back if we have the chance in the future," Chen Xu reassured her, starting the vehicle and driving towards a new future.
He had an ordinary C-class driver's license, and initially, he couldn't drive this kind of heavy rig. During these months, he taught himself, initially just to clear the road of vehicles, as it was too cumbersome to move them one by one.
So, he came up with a simple solution: driving a heavy rig to directly push the cars blocking the road out of the way. It turned out to be much more efficient, and in less than a month, the surrounding roads were cleared.
Familiar with the roads, he avoided the low-lying areas likely to be flooded, which took quite a bit longer. Near noon, they finally reached their destination.
It was a villa built on a hilltop. This area was a villa district and the highest point in the neighborhood, not too far from his company. He had discovered this place during a treasure hunt and found it highly suitable as a residence.
The main thing was that the villa he chose had a generator.
Being without electricity was extremely inconvenient, especially on rainy days like this.
He parked the truck at the entrance of the villa. After they went inside, they started with a major cleanup.