Chapter 264: You Are Anran's Husband
Chapter 264: You Are Anran's Husband
Inside the car, Anran has just placed the pacifier into Doll’s mouth when Doll suddenly opens her mouth and begins to cry. She stubbornly refuses to keep the pacifier in and won’t settle down to sleep. Her crying soon wakes up Little Mint and Hengheng, leaving Anran with no choice but to focus on soothing Doll instead of listening to Zhao Ru.
When Anran lifts her shirt to feed Doll, the little one refuses to nurse. Instead, she pushes herself up and continues crying uncontrollably.
"What’s wrong? What’s the matter?"
Anran grows anxious. If Doll won’t eat, something has to be wrong. She lowers her shirt and checks Doll’s diaper—it’s dry and has just been changed. So what’s the issue? Is she sick?
Worried, Anran opens the car door and carries Doll outside. The moment the cool night air touches her, Doll stops crying instantly.
That’s when Anran realizes—the three-month-old simply doesn’t want to stay cooped up in the car. She wants to go out for a walk.
Just then, a medical team in white coats arrives, handing out monitoring cards as they go from vehicle to vehicle. They count the number of people and issue a card to each adult and child, recording names and the time of issuance. They explain that after 24 hours, everyone needs to bring their monitoring cards to the barrier checkpoint for a temperature check.
As the night deepens, Zhan Lian sits at a table on the observation deck, peeling peanuts with Luo Feifan. The two chat idly about their time apart since separating in the Northwest.
Below the platform, a woman in a military uniform leads a frail, thin woman up the steps.
The soldier-like woman is bold, casually taking a seat next to Luo Feifan. She gestures toward the frail woman and says to Zhan Lian, "This is He Xiaomei. She arrived in Tiesi Village two days ago. Her registered address is Sunshine Lake Community in Xiangcheng."
The moment Zhan Lian hears "Sunshine Lake," his hand freezes mid-motion. The peanut shells slip from his fingers. He turns sharply, his piercing gaze locking onto He Xiaomei.
"Say that again. Where are you from?"
He Xiaomei, so emaciated she barely resembles a person, lets out a sarcastic laugh. A sneer curls her lips as she drawls mockingly, "Are you Anran’s husband?"
There’s no need for doubt—Zhan Lian shoots to his feet. His fists clench as he stares at He Xiaomei. "You know me?"
"I’ve seen your wedding photos," she says with a smirk. But Zhan Lian’s imposing presence makes her instinctively take a step back. Then, her expression twists with defiance. "So? What do you want? You brought me here—what for? To sleep with you? Or with everyone here?"
Zhan Lian’s heart pounds fiercely. For the first time in two months, he is this close to news of Anran. He exhales sharply, forcing himself to stay calm, refusing to be provoked by He Xiaomei’s words. Tilting his head slightly, he fixes his gaze on her.
"Do you know where Anran is?"
Even if she doesn’t, he wants to hear something—anything. A clue, a hint, even an old story.
On the watchtower, the soldier woman lights a candle and places it on the table. She rubs against Luo Feifan slightly before sitting down again. Luo Feifan glances sideways at her but makes space without comment. The woman doesn’t care. Her eyes remain locked on He Xiaomei, just as curious as Luo Feifan.
Does He Xiaomei really know where Anran has gone?
The chances are slim.
Zhan Lian has never given up hope, always searching. But in a world like this—an apocalyptic wasteland—finding someone’s whereabouts is nearly impossible.