Chapter 96: At Least Safe
Chapter 96: At Least Safe
An Ran suppresses her displeasure; she is no longer a teenager, prone to outbursts like a child.
Frowning, she watches the two security guards rummaging through the trunk and backseat of her car. Their movements are rude, completely disregarding the baby in the carrier. One guard even tosses a bag of opened diapers onto the baby, hitting the sleeping child and causing her to pout, teetering on the edge of tears.
Hurrying, An Ran opens the door on the baby’s side, removes the bag of diapers with a stern expression, and angrily tosses it to the ground. She unbuckles the seatbelt, picks up the baby, and gently rocks her. The baby hums softly, nestles her little head against An Ran's chest, and soon drifts off to sleep again.
Meanwhile, the two guards seem completely oblivious to An Ran’s anger, or perhaps they simply don’t care. They continue searching through her car. An Ran bites her tongue, choosing not to speak, though her expression is clearly displeased. It is evident that if these three big men team up against a woman holding a child, they will easily overpower her. Realizing that it is best to remain silent and do nothing, An Ran decides to play the role of a ninja turtle and wait for the right moment to act.
Wang Xin approaches with a smile that makes An Ran’s skin crawl. He looks at her and says, "Miss An, don’t mind us. All materials in the community must be handed over. We're just trying to help everyone survive. Tsk tsk, Miss An, how did you come back like this? You had the baby, but you’re too dirty."
Holding the baby and rocking her gently, An Ran lowers her eyes, refusing to respond. She is painfully aware of her state: she hasn't bathed in over a month, and lochia clings to her legs. She feels filthy, as if she has crawled out of a garbage dump.
Yet, seeing Wang Xin's disgusted expression, she feels a strange sense of pride. It doesn’t matter if she stinks; the stinkier she is, the safer she feels.
An Ran has known Wang Xin even before the apocalypse. He is a young man in his twenties working as a security guard in the neighborhood, often reprimanded by his supervisor and receiving complaints from residents for dozing off on duty or playing on his phone while guarding the entrance.
An Ran has never complained about him, even though she has seen him playing games on his phone during his shifts. She isn’t the type to nitpick others' mistakes. Having climbed up from a similar social class, she doesn’t see any reason to report Wang Xin for his laziness.
As a result, Wang Xin has always been quite polite to her. Every time An Ran, with her big belly, enters and exits the neighborhood, he puts down his phone and greets her warmly.
Back then, An Ran hasn’t thought much of Wang Xin’s character, nor has she ever imagined that someone who has been polite to her would now be looking at her with such a disgusting gaze.
That look is familiar; it reminds her of how her ex-husband used to look at her—with a gaze that seems to strip her bare.