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Night had fallen completely by the time Chen Xu drove back in a truck, over an hour later than last time.
As he entered, his brow was furrowed; the haul this time was not much. The month-long heavy rain, followed by snow, had buried most of the city under ice and snow.
Every few days, he would go out searching for supplies. He had almost exhausted what could be gathered nearby.
Other things were manageable. Food and water were still in supply. The most pressing need was gasoline. In this freezing weather, they consumed much more than planned for warmth.
Many gas stations were buried under snow and ice. The few nearby surviving stations had already been drained by him. Out of necessity, he had to go farther in search.
He finally found a surviving gas station, but its stock was running low, enough for only one more take.
"There's still a month until the end of this nightmare; looks like I'll need to find another gas station," he thought to himself, closing the door behind him and letting the furrowed brow relax as he casually walked to the entrance and took off his thick cold-weather gear.
There was no sign of Luo Xiyun in the living room. At this time, she was likely taking a shower.
On the dining table was a stainless-steel thermal lunchbox. After changing clothes, he went to the kitchen to wash his hands before opening the lunchbox, where the food was still steaming.
Smelling the aroma, he felt his appetite grow and picked up a slice of ham with chopsticks, sending it into his mouth.
Compared to a month ago, Luo Xiyun's cooking had improved; it was no longer as inedible as it was initially.
To be honest, this month of "cohabiting," he had noticed some of her good qualities. At the very least, she had a cooperative spirit; she completed her tasks diligently. Even when there were minor frictions, she wouldn't throw a tantrum and refuse to work.
After eating, he picked up a flashlight and went to the basement to turn off the large generator and refuel the smaller one.
To save gasoline, he separated heating and other daily electricity uses, so at night, only the generator for heating needed to be on.
Returning to the first floor, as usual, he took a shower and then climbed into bed with a laptop, resuming the drama he hadn't finished the day before. It was a cheesy urban romance drama, with terrible acting and no logic, yet he enjoyed it. At least, the lead actress was attractive.
He had no choice. He was too bored. The day was fine; there were various things to do to keep busy. But the few hours before sleep were the dullest.
He wasn't interested in computer games, so he passed the time with movies and dramas. By now, he wasn't picky about shows; as long as the female lead was pleasant to look at, he could watch.
After two episodes, he turned off the video. Stretching lazily, he habitually opened a certain folder.
"Huh?"
As soon as he clicked it open, he found that the folder named "Study Materials" was gone. He was stunned. How could a folder just disappear without reason?
Quickly, he confirmed that the folder had been deleted, and a "Damn it!" slipped out of his mouth.
Those were the top picks he had sifted through from dozens of terabytes of data. Now, it was deleted!
And he had never had the habit of backing up these files; once they were deleted, they were gone forever.
At that moment, he was utterly furious.
Without this mental sustenance, how could he endure the coming month?
"How could she dare?"
He didn't need to think to know who did it. There were only two people left in this world, and besides Luo Xiyun, who else could it be?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He threw off the covers, put on a coat, jumped out of bed, grabbed a rechargeable desk lamp, and walked to Xiyun's door, knocking forcefully.
...
A few minutes earlier, Luo Xiyun was curled up in her bed. The room was pitch black, except for the glow of her phone screen reflecting her anxious face.
Her attention wasn't on her phone; she was listening intently for any sounds outside. Every move Chen Xu made after returning home was crystal clear to her.
When she heard the door to the next room close, her heart started to race.
What would Chen Xu's reaction be when he discovered the deleted folder?
Would he be very angry?
Would he confront her directly?
She felt a bit uneasy and, once she calmed down, slightly regretful, thinking she might have acted impulsively. But what's done is done; it was too late to say anything. She could only hope he would pretend nothing had happened.
Based on the past month's interactions, Chen Xu was indeed the most typical 'tough guy' she had ever seen—flawed with a foul temper, no gentlemanly demeanor, unable to care for others or say pleasing words.
However, he wasn't the kind of person to lose his temper irrationally.
It's just that his pride was particularly intense. Who knows, he might find it too embarrassing to mention and pretend not to know anything?
In restless anticipation, the pounding on the door suddenly sounded.
Here it comes!
Her heart raced as she pulled the covers over her head, not daring to move, pretending not to hear.
Bang, bang, bang!
The door was hit even harder. She knew it was futile to avoid it, so she stiffly said, "What's the matter? I'm already asleep."
Her voice was a bit tight, luckily masked by the thick covers.
"Open the door."
Even through a door and a layer of bedding, Luo Xiyun could detect the anger in Chen Xu's voice, causing her heart to skip a beat. "Is, is there something that can't wait till tomorrow?"
Bang, bang, bang! These knocks were almost like pounding.
At this, Luo Xiyun began to get a little angry herself. She thought, I've tried so hard to compromise, and yet he refuses to let it go; it's too much.
Fine, I'll open it. Do you think I'm really afraid of you?
Resolutely, she tossed off the covers, got out of bed, and opened the door a crack. A beam of light shone on her face through the gap, and she could see Chen Xu's somewhat grim expression, causing a leap in her heart and making her words falter. "This...this...so late, you...what do you want?"
Chen Xu reached out and pushed the door open, startling Luo Xiyun, who retreated a few steps as if frightened.
With a blank expression, Chen Xu asked, "Why did you mess with my computer?"
"I..." Luo Xiyun's voice trembled. Not only her voice, but her whole body shook. It was only then that Chen Xu noticed she was wearing nothing but a thin nightgown, shivering in the chilling breeze from outside.
He frowned, walked into the room, closed the door behind him to block out the cold wind, then set the desk lamp on the table and took off his coat.
"What... are you... doing?" At this, Luo Xiyun's voice became distorted.
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