I lowered my head and obediently began unfastening his belt.
Even when I heard the door open and footsteps behind me, I didn't stop.
If I didn't obey Dr. Song, I'd be punished.
I'd get an injection.
The zombie didn't want an injection.
Injections hurt so much that I wanted to smash my head in just to make it stop.
“What are you doing?!”
I suddenly heard Mr. Shen's voice, trembling as he nearly ground out each word through clenched teeth.
Dr. Song pinched my ear and said slowly, “Minh Tu, your little lover here isn't half bad. Mind if I borrow him for a few days?”
Mr. Shen said nothing, but his breathing was heavy.
Dr. Song looked down at me and said, “Puppy, tell your master—do you want to come with me?”
His gaze made my scalp prickle.
With Thẩm Minh Tu silent, I answered stupidly, “...Come with you.”
Dr. Song smiled and patted my head as if rewarding me. “Good boy.”
I lowered my head and went back to unfastening his belt.
As soon as the belt came undone, a hand grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet.
A warm coat was draped over me. Mr. Shen swept me into his arms and strode toward the bedroom.
At first glance, he looked expressionless, but his jaw was clenched and his eyes were rimmed with red.
Dr. Song stood up, slowly buckled his belt, and said with a laugh, “That stingy, huh? Can't even lend your big brother a toy?”
Mr. Shen stopped and stood motionless for a few seconds. Then he abruptly turned, took two quick steps, and kicked Dr. Song so hard he flew several yards before hitting the floor.
“Song Mingyuan, you know I've never been one to show anyone mercy.”
Mr. Shen walked over and planted his foot on Dr. Song's throat. His voice was calm. “Try provoking me again.”
Dr. Song's face flushed red. He tried to grab Mr. Shen's ankle and struggle free, but he couldn't overcome his strength.
Only when Dr. Song's face had turned purple did Mr. Shen lift his foot. “It took me five years to bring him back. You think you can just ask to borrow him? If you don't want to die, stay the hell away. There's nothing I won't do.”
With that, he ignored Dr. Song's coughing and carried me straight into the bedroom.
I secretly glanced at Mr. Shen's expression and thought he was even more frightening than Dr. Song right now.
6.
Mr. Shen threw me onto the bed in the bedroom.
I rolled over and had just scrambled to my feet when I tried to run.
Mr. Shen reached out, grabbed me by the nape, and pulled me back, pinning me to the bed. He untied the tie binding my hands behind my back, held my legs down, and took off his belt.
“Did Song Mingyuan take your clothes off, or did you take them off yourself?”
I struggled with all my might, trying to turn around and bite him, but it was no use.
Smack!
The belt in Mr. Shen's hand cracked down hard on my backside, burning like fire.
He stressed each word. “Answer me. Who took your clothes off?”
I clenched my teeth and refused to speak.
The cold belt slid across my back and tapped my lower waist, like a warning.
Waiting for the pain was even more agonizing than the pain itself.
“Did you take them off yourself?”
The belt rose again. My pupils contracted as I seemed to see Dr. Song swinging his whip at me.
I screamed in terror, “It was me! It was me!”
I tried to curl up. “No, don't hit me.”
Mr. Shen bent down to look at me, his face hidden in shadow and light. His voice softened. “Why?”
“The moment I so much as touch you, you want to bite me to death. But when Song Mingyuan tells you to take your clothes off, you obey without a word.”
“You knelt in front of him... naked, on your knees in front of him!”
Mr. Shen laughed, the sound almost manic. “I cherish you in the palm of my hand, and this is what it's for? So you can strip naked, crawl in front of someone else, and let them humiliate you?”
“What do you think you are? What do you think I am?!”
“Are you humiliating yourself? Or are you fucking humiliating me?”
Every word he said was steeped in bone-deep pain.
“You even went to take Song Mingyuan's pants off right in front of me. Do you think I'm dead?”
“Don't think I won't hit you just because you're stupid. If you let people bully you like that again, I'll beat you to death.”
Mr. Shen was surrounded by killing intent, and I was terrified.
My arms and legs were restrained, and I had no ability to fight back.
It was as if I'd returned to the dark research institute, dragging a heavy chain and bound tight in a corner.
The doctor would be just like Mr. Shen—shouting in fury, whipping me, then pinning me to the ground to inject me with drugs.
Or they'd drag me to the electric chair and pour ice water over my head...
Someone would keep telling me I was sick, that I was guilty.
I was so cold, and I hurt so much.
So I offered up my trembling body for them to torment.
After that, I stopped feeling pain. I became a zombie.
Mr. Shen finally noticed me trembling and turned my face toward him. When he saw my expression, he froze.
“Are you... scared?”
The killing intent drained from him like a receding tide, leaving only a heavy, suffocating anguish. He hesitated before asking, “Are you... afraid of me?”
He seemed at a loss, and his hand began to tremble along with me.
Something was breaking in those beautiful eyes. The sharp shards made his eyes turn red.
I wanted to reach out and touch his sorrowful eyes.
But pain and cold enveloped me, forming an invisible barrier between us.
In my heart, I'd told myself a hundred times that I wasn't afraid of him.
But my body remained numb and cold.
Sometimes, zombies couldn't control their bodies or emotions.
I felt as if I were trapped inside my own skin.
Mr. Shen seemed to crumple under something. He lifted my face and wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Stop crying. I'm leaving.”
His voice trembled. “I'll go, all right?”
“Don't be afraid of me. I'll leave right now.”
He untied the tie binding me, pulled the blanket over me, picked up the belt from the floor, and staggered out without looking back once.
I lay facedown on the bed, watching his dazed figure retreat.
I opened my mouth to call after him, but no sound came out.
Don't go.
Please hold me.
I'm so needy.
7.
When I woke up, my head was spinning and my body felt limp, heavy, and feverish.
Maybe the poison was taking effect and I was about to die.
I felt a little sad. Slowly, I got out of bed and knocked on Mr. Shen’s door.
I told him, “The zombie’s about to die.”
Mr. Shen: ?
He sighed and reached out to feel my forehead.
His hand was cool and soothing.
Without thinking, I rubbed my head against his palm.
When he pulled his hand away, I still tilted my head back, trying to follow it.
He held the back of my neck and pressed his forehead to mine, chuckling softly. “It’s just a fever. Don’t worry. I won’t let you die.”
Mr. Shen had called the doctor.
I heard him tell Mr. Shen, “A fever shot is the quickest way.”
I came to my senses at once and saw the doctor take out a syringe and attach the familiar needle.
I sprang out of bed and took off running.
Mr. Shen quickly caught hold of me. “Where are you running off to?”
I stared anxiously at the syringe in the doctor’s hand, clung to Mr. Shen’s arm, and shook my head. “I don’t want it.”
“I don’t want a shot.”
“Don’t be scared.” Mr. Shen comforted me. “You’re sick. You’ll feel a lot better after a shot.”
“I’m sick.”
I stared blankly at Mr. Shen’s face.
His face suddenly became many different faces.
Dr. Song, Dr. Ha, and all the other doctors whose names I didn’t know.
Their eyes were forever cold as they told me, “You’re sick. You’re guilty...”
At last, they all turned into Dr. Song, holding a syringe and smiling. “If you’re sick, you have to be treated.”
Mr. Shen held me firmly on his lap and tugged my pants down a little. The needle jabbed into my butt, and the pain made my whole body go rigid.
When he pulled out the needle, I struggled free of Mr. Shen, clutched my butt, and jumped off his lap. I glared at him furiously. “You’re mean! The zombie hates you!”
I turned and ran upstairs, my feet thumping against the floor.
“Huhu, I’m never playing with Mr. Shen again.
He and Dr. Song are in cahoots.
Mr. Shen also thought I was sick, that I needed treatment.
I hate treatment.
I couldn’t explain to him that I was a zombie.
So, when Mr. Shen wasn’t home, I opened the door and ran away.
I wandered the streets all day, but still couldn’t find anyone to eat.
The smell of all those people was muddled and had no appeal.
They didn’t smell as delicious as Mr. Shen.
By evening, I had wandered near Mr. Shen’s big villa again, staring blankly up at his bedroom window.
I lowered my head, hugged my empty stomach, and started thinking about the big chicken drumstick he’d given me to eat.
Hungry.
The villa door opened, and I hurriedly hid behind a tree.
8.
Auntie Wang, the cook, tossed out a box and said loudly, “Sigh, sir’s not coming home for dinner again. There’s so much delicious food, but I’ll just have to throw it away. What a waste.”
After saying that, she shut the door and went back inside. The lights in the villa went out, too.
I swallowed, waited two minutes, and, when nobody came out, excitedly ran to the door, picked up the box, and hurried back to the bushes.
Squatting on the ground, I rubbed my hands together and muttered, “Not a waste, not a waste. The zombie will eat it all!”
In the darkness, I thought I heard a brief laugh.
I warily looked around. Seeing no one, I sat down, relieved, and ate the delicious food in the box.
Ha ha.
It was still piping hot.
That night, I curled up and slept beside the bushes.
Just as I was about to close my eyes, the villa door opened again.
Auntie Wang tossed out a sleeping bag and muttered, “Sigh, nobody uses this sleeping bag either. It’s been taking up space for ages. Might as well throw it away.”
I sprang up and waited until Auntie Wang had gone back inside and turned off the lights before running out to fetch the sleeping bag.
I sat by the bushes, fiddled with it for ages before managing to crawl inside, then let out a comfortable sigh and muttered to myself, “The zombie is so warm~”
“The zombie likes sleeping bags.”
I didn’t sleep well.
My face kept itching, and I dreamed that a big dog was licking my mouth.
After licking me, the dog opened its jaws and spoke like a person, scolding me: “You idiot!”
It made the zombie furious.
9.
Mr. Shen went for a walk every day.
I secretly followed him, picking up things he dropped.
For example, a piece of candy, a packet of cookies, a pack of wet wipes, and a photograph.
There were two people in the photograph. One was Mr. Shen; I didn’t know the other.
Mr. Shen wore a blue-and-white uniform, and the name badge on his chest read: “Minh Thành High School”
“Class 11-1”
“Shen Ming Tu”.
The name badge of the other person read: “Class 11-1”
“Fang Yao”.
I put the photograph in my pocket and looked up to see Mr. Shen’s back disappearing through the gates of Minh Thành High School.
By the time I went inside, he was nowhere to be seen.
It was the weekend. The schoolyard was deserted, without a soul in sight, and I wandered around looking.
Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder. “Fang Yao?”