In an instant, Wei Changchuan’s expression changed.

In the darkness, Min Shu might not be able to make out his features clearly, but Wei Changchuan could see the young man’s current expression perfectly.

Min Shu was infuriated by his teasing; his brows were furrowed, and his eyes shone with a startling intensity. He wore loose pajamas with a wide neckline, which had become somewhat disheveled during his restless, chaotic dreams. Now, as he craned his neck, the view from his collarbone down was completely exposed.

Min Shu had no idea how he appeared in Wei Changchuan’s eyes, nor could he tell where Wei Changchuan’s gaze was fixed. After delivering his threat, his heart was pounding so hard he could barely keep a straight face—after all, he’d never been in a relationship before, and this level of flirtation was simply too much for a greenhorn like him.

But Wei Changchuan remained hidden in the darkness, saying nothing, and Min Shu had no way of gauging his attitude; his momentary impulse was gradually devoured by the shame welling up inside him. A moment later, he pressed his lips together, looked away, lowered his head, and climbed out of bed, his face flushed.

But just as he tried to walk past Wei Changchuan, the man stopped him: “Where are you going?”

Min Shu kept his head down, unable to meet his gaze: “…The bathroom.”

Wei Changchuan was silent for a moment, as if weighing whether to say it, but finally asked, “Are you going to do it yourself?”

Min Shu’s breathing faltered, his face flushing so red it seemed it might bleed. He didn’t understand why Wei Changchuan had suddenly become so unreasonable, and he raised his head almost petulantly: “I’m going to take a cold shower.”

With that, he turned and walked away, head down.

But he didn’t realize that those words had given the predator the perfect excuse. Before he could take two steps, a powerful force yanked him back, sending him off balance and tumbling backward onto the bed.

“Ah!”

Min Shu let out a startled cry—not because the fall hurt, but because Wei Changchuan had never pulled him with such force before. The man had always been indulgent and restrained with him, even a bit cautious. But right now, Wei Changchuan was clearly not like that at all.

Min Shu collapsed onto the bed, and in the next instant, he saw a tall figure looming over him. Wei Changchuan draped one leg over the edge of the bed, wrapped his arm around Min Shu’s lower back, and leaned down to whisper in his ear:

“You’ll catch a cold taking a cold shower.” The man’s voice was low and hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against his earlobe. “I’ll help you.”

That night, a strong wind blew across the island.

This was common in Greenland during the winter. In the yard, the sled dogs slept piled one on top of the other in a makeshift den of wooden planks, curled up into a fluffy ball. Their thick fur and ample energy reserves made them impervious to the bitter cold.

The soft snow on the ground was whipped up by the gale, swirling through the air to form a blizzard of snow, drastically reducing visibility. The “Chinese Restaurant” sign glowed faintly against the gray-white sky, its neon tube flickering constantly, looking as if it were on its last legs.

Inside, the atmosphere remained undisturbed by the wind and snow outside.

The bedroom was well-heated; anyone curled up under the covers wouldn’t feel cold—they might even feel a bit warm.

Min Shu’s cheeks were flushed; he pressed his lips tightly together, resting his head against the man’s firm neck, the nape of his neck forming a taut line. Wei Changchuan freed one hand to gently massage the tense muscles at the base of her neck: “Does it hurt?”

Min Shu couldn’t speak; he was afraid that if she opened his mouth, he’d let out a moan, so he could only nod his head while burying his face in the crook of his neck.

“Where does it hurt?” Wei Changchuan asked.

Min Shu was breathing heavily. He struggled for a moment before finally managing to control his voice: “G… go easier.”

Despite his best efforts to control himself, the end of his sentence still trembled slightly, sounding somewhat pitiful. Wei Changchuan didn’t answer. After a moment, he said: “You want it even gentler?”

There was a hint of amusement in his voice, tinged with resignation.

Min Shu was overcome with shame; his ears turned bright red, and he curled his body into a tight ball, burying his head deep into the crook of Wei Changchuan’s neck. After a moment, Min Shu let out a strained whimper, his fingers leaving several scratch marks on the man’s bare chest.

For several seconds, Min Shu was almost unconscious; a buzzing sound rang in his ears, and it took quite a while for the sharp ringing to fade. First, he heard his own ragged breathing, followed by Wei Changchuan’s low, steady voice:

“Relax.” A hand pressed against his trembling back, stroking downward soothingly. “Breathe in slowly.”

Min Shu instinctively obeyed his command, taking a trembling breath and slowly exhaling. After repeating this several times, the tension in his muscles finally began to ease, though he was still shaking slightly as he collapsed, drained of strength, into Wei Changchuan’s arms.

Wei Changchuan held him close, ignoring the thing on his chest. He gently patted the slender back of the man in his arms, took his hand, and pressed a light kiss to his trembling fingers: “It’s okay now.”

It took a long while of this soothing before Min Shu finally calmed down completely. He turned his head in the man’s neck, his sweat-dampened bangs brushing against the other’s well-defined lines:

“Brother…” He saw the marks on the man’s body, stretching from his abdomen to his chest, and was so ashamed he could barely speak. If he hadn’t been so weak right now, he probably would have dug a hole in the bed to bury himself: “You… you’re dirty.”

“Mm.” Wei Changchuan, however, remained calm. He released Min Shu’s hand and sat up with composed grace: “I’m going to take a shower.”

Min Shu said nothing. After the man left, he curled up under the covers and buried his face in his hands in despair. It was utterly humiliating.

Min Shu simply couldn’t face the images flooding his mind after that brief blackout. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t experienced this before—not before coming to the island.

In college dorms, guys will brag about anything and everything; the stuff on those restless young men’s phones is practically too explicit to look at. He’s done it several times before, but never had it been like today…

He didn’t know if it was because it had been too long, or something else—Min Shu reflected on it painfully for a moment, then decided it was still Wei Changchuan’s fault. It was all his fault for not wearing any clothes, for speaking in that voice right next to his ear, and for being so strong.

Just as he was secretly blaming the other guy in his mind, the sound of running water in the bathroom stopped, the door swung open, and Wei Changchuan stepped out, holding a damp washcloth:

“Come here.” He gestured at the small bulge in the bed. “Let me wipe you down.”

So Min Shu had no choice but to crawl out from under the covers and face the culprit responsible for his embarrassment.

After Wei Changchuan wiped him clean, he went to wash and hang up the washcloth before returning to bed and pulling Min Shu into his arms. This time, afraid the young man might catch a chill, he’d taken a hot shower.

Having just done that, neither of them felt sleepy, so Wei Changchuan simply turned on the small bedside lamp.

It was warm and dry under the covers, filled only with the gentle floral scent of the body wash. Min Shu quickly relaxed, resting his head on the man’s firm shoulder.

Wei Changchuan held him close, his hand resting on Min Shu’s back, massaging down the young man’s prominent spine, vertebra by vertebra. Min Shu found the massage so soothing that he narrowed his eyes slightly and couldn’t help but let out a couple of soft moans.

Seeing this, Wei Changchuan thought to himself: Just a moment ago he was so stubborn—even when I tickled him, he didn’t make a sound—and now here he is, moaning. After massaging for a while, he suddenly asked, “Do you always do this?”

Min Shu froze for a moment, then suddenly opened his eyes, his face flushing bright red. That was exactly the wrong thing to bring up. Feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, he dared not look up and stammered,

“It’s… not like that every time…”

Just as he was racking his brain for an excuse to justify his earlier reaction, Wei Changchuan gave a noncommittal “Hmm” and continued: “I’ve never done this with anyone else.” He said, then turned to look at Min Shu: “What about you?”

Hearing this, Min Shu paused, then looked up in surprise. He saw Wei Changchuan gazing down at him; the warm light from the bedside lamp fell into his dark eyes, lending them a touch of gentleness.

A sudden realization struck Min Shu, and he said, “…Neither have I.”

Under Wei Changchuan’s flickering gaze, he leaned in closer, reaching out to wrap his arms around the man’s waist. “Not even once.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Changchuan’s face broke into a barely perceptible smile. He took the young man’s arms wrapped around his waist and leaned down. “Would you like me to help you?”

As he spoke, his lips almost brushed against Min Shu’s earlobe. All she could hear was the thunderous pounding of her own heart; her eardrums throbbed in time with it. It was a long time before she heard her own voice, as soft as a mosquito’s buzz:

“…I like it.”

“Good boy.”   Having received an affirmative answer, Wei Changchuan praised him in his ear. Then, Min Shu felt a gentle kiss land on the corner of his forehead:

“I like you, too.”

The man’s voice, softer than usual, lingered in Min Shu’s ear. It took him a long while to snap back to reality; he stared wide-eyed at Wei Changchuan:

“…Bro, what did you say?”

Wei Changchuan held him close and repeated, “I said I like you.” As he spoke, he lowered his head and kissed the corner of Min Shu’s upturned eye, whispering his name: “Baby.”

Min Shu felt a thunderous roar in his ears, followed by a dizzying sensation. His whole body felt as if it were on fire, and a shiver shot up his spine, triggering an almost immediate physical reaction.

Wei Changchuan was kissing the side of his ear and felt it too. He took his earlobe into his mouth. “Want more?”

Min Shu shivered and let out a soft, kitten-like whimper almost immediately. Wei Changchuan hadn’t expected him to actually answer; though the room was heated, he didn’t want Min Shu to get cold. He patted Min Shu’s shoulder soothingly, then let go of him and ducked under the covers.

That night, Min Shu didn’t even know how he’d fallen asleep. Or rather, he’d simply passed out.

The next day, Min Shu sat at the dining table, his face slightly pale, feeling lightheaded and completely drained of energy. It was as if his soul had flown away with him.

Just then, Wei Changchuan emerged from the kitchen carrying breakfast. Min Shu looked up to see him wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, his slightly tanned arms exposed. A few strands of hair stood on end at his forehead; his eyebrows, as jet-black as his hair, were cast downward as he set the tray before him:

“Eat up.”

Today’s breakfast was made by Wei Changchuan using supplies from the North American base. Min Shu looked down at the plate, which held two fried eggs, two strips of bacon, and two slices of bread toasted to a golden brown with butter. Wei Changchuan hadn’t lied—he really could cook, though it seemed limited to simple meals.

Min Shu stared at the breakfast, motionless for a long while.

Wei Changchuan didn’t sit down either. He rested his hands on the table and looked down at Min Shu. “You look like you’ve gone dumb.”

Min Shu jolted back to her senses and looked up at Wei Changchuan. “Bro… I can’t eat all this.”

Wei Changchuan looked at him. The young man had a sharp, pale face with a hint of pink around his eyes, and a somewhat dazed expression—he really did look like a pitiful little fool. 

He felt a mix of pity and affection and couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss the corner of Min Shu’s slightly parted lips. “Eat as much as you can.”

Min Shu let out a soft “mm” at the kiss, then lowered his head to take a bite of bread. It tasted quite good, but the breakfast portion was indeed too large. Min Shu managed to finish the bacon, a slice of bread, and a fried egg, while the rest ended up in Wei Changchuan’s stomach.

After finishing breakfast, Min Shu finally felt a little more energetic. He watched as Wei Changchuan poured him another cup of coffee, then brought a cup of water from the kitchen and placed it in front of him. Min Shu looked down and saw that it was a cup of red date and ginger tea. The North American base had scoured the area for Asian food, found this somewhere, and packed it along with the instant coffee in the supplies they shipped over.

Min Shu looked up, somewhat surprised. “Bro, why did you make this for me?”

Wei Changchuan held the coffee and glanced up at him. “To replenish your qi and blood.”

Min Shu’s deficiency in qi and blood was plain to see—his complexion had been pale for ten years, and his hands and feet were cold, a sign of poor blood circulation. He’d eaten venison yesterday, but they’d only gone at it twice, each time shorter than the last. Afterward, he’d lain there obediently, not waking even once in the middle of the night.

Min Shu：……

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being mocked.

Thinking back on last night’s events, Min Shu’s face flushed slightly; he felt a bit embarrassed. Wei Changchuan’s confession had come so suddenly that it took him a long time to react, and before he knew it, he’d been coaxed into doing that sort of thing. When his strength gave out, he fell asleep without getting a chance to ask any questions.

Min Shu looked up at Wei Changchuan and pursed her lips. “Bro… are we… dating now?”

Wei Changchuan paused, then looked up. “Of course.”

Hearing this, Min Shu felt a bit dazed. It seemed unreal. She let out a vague “Oh.” Just a moment ago, he’d been so evasive—whenever the topic came up, he’d change the subject and refuse to be clear. Why had he suddenly come clean? Was it because of what happened yesterday…?

Min Shu’s face flushed slightly as he looked up at Wei Changchuan. “Do you feel… that because we did that, you have to take responsibility for me?”

Wei Changchuan paused upon hearing this, then suddenly reached out and took the hand she had placed on the table. “Yes.”

He shouldn’t have done that, but he couldn’t help himself. Wei Changchuan felt a pang of self-reproach, but not much regret.

Being with Min Shu, something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. It was too warm here; in this vast world, there were only the two of us. Wei Changchuan knew deep down that his composure and self-control were already hanging by a thread. If he’d managed to leave the island back then, he might have found a way to restrain himself, but that whale had blocked his path—in a way, it was as if it had handed him over to Min Shu.

What’s done is done; in the end, he had led Min Shu down a path that crossed the line. Yet there were certain boundaries that simply could not be crossed. Wei Changchuan clenched his fist—

His slender fingers clenched tightly.

On the other hand, Min Shu was much more relaxed.

After being single his whole life for twenty-seven years, he actually had a boyfriend!

Thinking this, Min Shu felt a surge of joy; his eyes lit up, a smile played at the corners of his lips, and he excitedly took Wei Changchuan’s hand: “Bro, so you’re my boyfriend now.”

Wei Changchuan held his hand. “Mm-hmm.”

Min Shu looked at him, his heart brimming with joy. With such a handsome guy as his boyfriend, if this were before the apocalypse, he would definitely have posted a nine-grid collage across all platforms to show off their love—he really couldn’t get enough of how handsome he was!

Not only was he handsome, but he had a great physique, a pleasant voice, and a respectable government job—Min Shu even thought the aunts at the orphanage would love him if he brought him home.

As Min Shu thought this, he felt so happy he was almost floating on air. But just then, Wei Changchuan suddenly tightened his grip on his hand: “There’s just one thing I need to tell you.”

Min Shu gave a smiling “Mm-hmm”: “Go ahead.”

Wei Changchuan kept their fingers intertwined, looked up, and said with a very serious expression, “We can’t have sex.”

For a split second, Min Shu thought he was hearing things—or maybe his tinnitus was acting up. Still smiling, he asked, “Bro… what did you say?”

Wei Changchuan repeated, “We can’t have sex.”

Min Shu：……！！！

Now, Min Shu finally understood. His mouth dropped open in shock, and his gaze instinctively drifted to Wei Changchuan’s pants. His expression flickered, then he quickly suppressed his surprise and looked up at Wei Changchuan cautiously:

“Bro…” He swallowed hard, carefully choosing his words, and whispered, “It’s okay, I understand. Besides, I’m pretty much the same.” 

Afraid of hurting Wei Changchuan’s pride, he immediately swore, “I swear, I’ll never look down on you because of this!”

Wei Changchuan: …

He looked at Min Shu. After a long moment, he slowly narrowed his eyes. “Do I look like someone with issues to you?”

“You don’t look like it,” Min Shu said sincerely. “But you can’t judge a book by its cover, bro! Don’t worry, I definitely don’t discriminate against anyone—ow!”

Wei Changchuan pressed down on his trapezius muscle, and Min Shu instantly collapsed onto the desk, begging for mercy, “Bro, bro! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Let me go—”

Only then did Wei Changchuan release him. He glanced at Min Shu with a look of resignation, then lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t have any physical issues.”

Min Shu rubbed his wrist, looked up at Wei Changchuan with a pitiful expression, and asked in a low voice, “Th-then why can’t I?”

Hearing this, Wei Changchuan looked up and stared at him for a moment. Then he leaned forward slightly and placed both hands on the table. It was a rather serious posture, and Min Shu knew he had something important to say, which only made him even more puzzled.

“Do you remember the ‘Z’ virus strain?” Wei Changchuan asked.

Min Shu froze, then took a moment to recall it.

The booklet Wei Changchuan had shown him listed three virus strains: “X,” “Y,” and “Z.” Of the three, only the “Z” virus strain lacked a detailed description.

“The ‘Z’ virus strain is a virus present in the bodies of immune individuals.”

Wei Changchuan explained:

“At first, everyone thought immunity was due to antibodies, but later research found that in certain individuals infected with the virus, strains ‘X’ and ‘Y’ mutate into virus strain ‘Z’ for unknown reasons, and that individual subsequently gains immunity to the first two viruses.”

“At the same time,” Wei Changchuan looked up at Min Shu, “the Z virus strain is also contagious, though its mode of transmission differs from the first two.”

Min Shu was taken aback by this, and a sudden sense of foreboding welled up inside him: “…What do you mean?”

Wei Changchuan was silent for a moment before saying, “Do you know what AIDS is?”

Min Shu looked bewildered: “I know…” Then, a thought flashed through his mind, his expression changed, and he looked at Wei Changchuan in disbelief: “You—you mean—”

Wei Changchuan said, “The Z virus strain in an immune carrier’s body can be transmitted through blood and sexual contact.”

Min Shu was struck as if by lightning. His whole body froze, and he stared at Wei Changchuan in shock, his mouth agape.