A warm, dry hand pressed gently against Ruyi's forehead. She glanced up, following the line of the white coat, and found herself staring into the face of Dr. An Yang.
She hadn't paid much attention before, but now she noticed that this An Yang was actually quite handsome.
The white coat hung elegantly on his tall, lean frame. He had a fair complexion, a prominent nose, and a pair of slightly narrow yet attractive eyes. His thin lips, though appealingly shaped, were set in a stern line.
His dark hair was neatly styled, giving him an air of professionalism.
Noticing Ruyi's gaze, An Yang frowned slightly, looking visibly annoyed. But when he turned to Wen Xinyu, his expression softened noticeably.
There it is, Ruyi thought. The classic difference between the heroine and the "villainess." Living in this world where logic and human decency are ignored, where even the mice in the heroine's house won't steal her rice while the "villainess" can choke on water, is it any wonder if one becomes cynical?
Still, even though he was fair-skinned, he didn't come across as sleazy as Lian Zichen. It seemed Wen Xinyu's taste was as questionable here as it was in reality.
"Your fever's subsided," An Yang said gently to Xinyu, "and after one more routine check, you'll be able to go home." He then turned to Ruyi with a sudden shift, his voice icy and distant.
"Wait, why is she better so soon? What kind of miracle drug did you give her?" The woman on the adjacent bed interrupted, her voice loud with frustration. "My husband's been here just as long, but he's still unconscious! Aren't we patients too? Where's your medical ethics?"
The other family members quickly gathered around, demanding to know why their loved ones weren't receiving the same treatment as Ruyi.
An Yang, his patience visibly thinning, grew irritated as a few droplets of spit from the crowd landed on him, making him grimace in distaste.
"She has a fever, nothing like what your loved ones have. If you don't like it, feel free to complain to the director." With that, he managed to push his way out of the crowd, shooting Ruyi a look of annoyance as he left.
Ruyi rolled her eyes. How is any of this my fault? It's not as if I poisoned them.
… Poison? A virus? Fever, unconsciousness…
Suddenly, a horrifying thought struck her.
If she remembered correctly, the cause of the viral outbreak in the novel was a meteorite crash on an island in a distant country. This meteorite released a type of gas or radiation that caused the plants on the island to flourish abnormally, even mutating in peculiar ways.
The island quickly became a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors from all over the world. The influx of tourists was so high that it was rumored the island was sinking from the weight.
And then, a flu-like epidemic began to spread globally—a mysterious virus with no known source or clear transmission route. Those infected fell into fevers that never broke, eventually slipping into comas.
She hadn't paid much attention to these details at the time, but now they came flooding back with horrifying clarity.
Cold sweat began to drip down her back.
Ruyi snatched Wen Xinyu's phone, staring at the displayed date and time as if each second were a punch to her gut.
It all made sense now.
In this novel, whose main purpose was to torment her, every twist of the plot seemed designed solely to work against her.
If she wanted to go back, the plot would trap her in an endless loop of re-entry. If she tried to get the bracelet, she'd be "fast-forwarded" four months, directly into the outbreak of the virus.
Death itself seemed trivial now. Death was a release, an end to all struggles. But in this world, dying was just the beginning of her torment.
Determined, Ruyi resolved that she couldn't allow herself to die. Who knew what horrors awaited her if she died and reset again? She might wake up directly in the middle of a horde of zombies. The thought was too infuriating for words.
Her original plan had been to acquire the space, stockpile enough supplies to last a lifetime, and learn survival skills to fend off zombies. Then, she'd find a secluded, sparsely populated place to hide out and wait for the apocalypse to end. After all, the book had said the heroine would ultimately defeat the main antagonist, destroy the virus, and save the world. Although she, the "zombie queen," had played a part in the novel's ending, she had confidence that even without her, the omnipotent heroine would find a way.
But now, all those plans had been obliterated.
She cursed herself for not reading the novel in detail. If she'd paid closer attention, maybe she would have known where to find some powerful allies to latch onto.
Without the space, her only remaining option for survival was to stick close to the heroine. At least the heroine was guaranteed to make it to the end.
Her new mission was clear: stay on the heroine's good side and avoid becoming her enemy as the novel had intended. Perhaps that way, she could dodge her tragic fate.
Wen Xinyu in reality would probably laugh herself to tears if she knew Ruyi was thinking this.
Yet, sticking to the heroine's side wouldn't be enough. Ruyi would still need to prepare independently, gathering resources and weaponry.
And that would take money.
Ruyi rummaged through her "own" room, tearing through every drawer and closet until she found three bankbooks. However, the meager balances inside nearly made her cry. The room was filled with luxury brands—clothes, shoes, and bags galore—but none of it could buy her a ticket out of the apocalypse.
Even though she knew it was the novel's Ji Ruyi who had spent all this money, she couldn't help but want to slap herself a couple of times.
Her phone rang, snapping her out of her frustration. It was an unknown number, and she answered absentmindedly.
"Hello, is this Miss Ji Ruyi? The bracelet you brought in for repair is ready. When would you like to pick it up?"